16 Quotes by Chris Hurt

There are two concerns in U.S. cattle markets. First, there?s the concern that we would lose beef exports.

Much like the beef herd, heifer retention for herd replacements was up 4 percent and will allow an increase in the number of milk cows by nearly 1 percent this year.

Perhaps this is signaling a reversal of the longer-run trend of the breeding herd moving away from the eastern Corn Belt. In 1990, 27 percent of the U.S. breeding herd was in the eastern Corn Belt. That portion declined steadily to a low of only 17.2 percent in 2004.

What we've seen with the mobility of labor, particularly from Mexico, has enabled that industry to stay in the United States. It's entirely possible that if labor had not been mobile that parts of the industry would have to moved to other countries like Mexico.

I think the reaction on the consumer side will be relatively mild.

Overall, the U.S. breeding herd has been trending lower as a result of the sow herd shifting to Canada and as a result of higher productivity.

That's going to be a wonderful opportunity for retailers to lower prices at the supermarket.

It is too early to tell from the data, but it will be interesting to watch in coming years.

For Illinois, current cow numbers are 20,000 larger than those of three years ago and Ohio has added 37,000 cows in the last three years. Indiana, however, has seen beef cow numbers decrease.