Beef producers’ challenges, successes

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Since an early April low, live cattle prices took an upward turn that continued through September, but there are other concerns the industry is facing.

Illinois Beef Association leaders Shannon Welsh, Blandinsville, president, and Larisa Willrett, Malta, vice president, addressed those concerns in an interview at the Illinois State Fair’s Ag Day.

“Things are great with beef right now. Commodity prices are great, but that’s always subject to change. The New World screwworm is probably our biggest threat, and it keeps getting closer,” said Welsh, who farms and raises cattle in McDonough County.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported a new case of NWS was detected Sept. 23 in the Mexican state of Nuevo León, less than 70 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.

Then NWS fly larvae maggots burrow into the flesh of a living animal, and they cause serious, often deadly, damage.

NWS can infest livestock, pets, wildlife, occasionally birds and, in rare cases, people. It is endemic in Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and countries in South America.

Adult screwworm flies are about the size of a common housefly, or slightly larger. They have orange eyes, a metallic blue or green body and three dark stripes along their back.

Supply

The nation’s cattle inventory has been on a downward trend for the past six years.

“We just need to continue to see the cow herd grow in the United States so that we can increase our supply of good quality beef,” said Willrett, whose family farm is in DeKalb County.

“The cattle numbers keep going down for the nation, but they’re holding steady in Illinois, and that’s been the trend for the last few years,” Welsh noted.

“Supply is short, but demand is good. Beef prices are high in the grocery store, but consumers are still buying it. They’re great products and nutritional.”

“As long as consumer demand stays strong for a good quality product then, as a cattle feeder, prices are high for me buying the feeder cattle from guys like Shannon. So, there’s kind of a tricky margin there that, as long as consumer demand stays up, we’ll be OK,” Willrett said.

“Drought is also a continuing concern depending on where it is in the U.S., and that’s what has limited cow herd growth for a while now.”

Legislative Issues

The Illinois Beef Association has been advocating for reforms in Illinois’ estate tax.

“We got some reform done nationally. Illinois estate tax is crippling for an operation. My kids are sixth generation and trying to set things up so that when I pass they’ll be able to keep the farm is a challenge. So, I would like to see some reform done,” Willrett said.

“My husband’s family built that farm the 1800s and they’ve been growing it,” she said. “We want to stay in Illinois, and so we need to find a way to be able to preserve that for my grandchildren.”