The disruptive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the broad U.S. agricultural system have been widespread. The various impacts have created a crisis for farmers and their families. One that has been felt immediately and left them devastated. While businesses closed down or moved online, work on the farm did not. Farmers still had cattle to be fed through the crazy, chaotic times we have seen. Some family farms were lucky in hindsight and sold cattle in early 2020. Those who were not lucky are now struggling to move their cattle nationwide. Not being able to move cattle means that farmers are going to have to feed more than anticipated, which means their profits are going to continuously drop due to related expenses. Packing plants started shutting down as a precaution or due to employees testing positive for COVID-19. The plants were unable to process cattle, leaving farmers to truck their cattle even further, or continue feeding them until the plant reopened. Food prices across the country have increased since early 2020 while producer checks continue to shrink. Rising wholesale costs, retail food prices and empty shelves drew a lot of public attention and stoked fear in Americans who were worried about the availability and affordability of their food. Just like the rest of the country, farmers were worried about how they were going to provide for their families. Instead of not being able to find enough food in supermarkets, farmers had no way to get their product to the supermarket. While some family farms have been able to recover from the detrimental effects, others have not. These heartbreaking effects of the pandemic have yet to be brought to public attention and often go unrecognized by the vast majority of the population.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic started, fat cattle were being sold at $1.42/pound on average. During the peak of COVID-19, fat cattle were being sold around $0.55- $0.75/pound. Thankfully, the prices this week have averaged $1.27/pound. During the peak of COVID when prices drastically dropped, cattle producers were losing $200-$400 per head. Meanwhile, packing plants were profiting $800-$1,000 per head. Some of you may remember how hard and expensive it was to buy beef during the pandemic. Unfortunately, cattle producers are not seeing any of the profit.
The last year has been brutal for us all. There’s no denying that. My family preached while growing up that relying on your faith is huge. My grandfather would always say “faith is facing facts and not being discouraged by them.” I’m hopeful that the markets will eventually turn in our favor, and the people of America will finally recognize the amazing work beef producers have done in being the best stewards of the land while producing the most delicious, nutritious, and safe beef in the entire world.
Hello readers, my name is Reid Gradert and I am a senior at Western Illinois University, where I am majoring in Agricultural Science. I grew up on a cattle and row crop farm in Northwest Illinois. I was incredibly fortunate to have spent many of my younger days with my grandfather and father working with cattle and growing row crops. From my earliest days, I could tell you that I wanted to continue feeding cattle. After graduating from Western in May, I will be entering the beef industry as a cattle buyer and will continue to feed cattle.
When it comes to raising any type of commercial livestock, efficiency is key. Whether it is pigs, cattle, or chickens, efficiency is what the producer’s main goal is. The more efficient one is when it comes to raising and feeding livestock the more money the producer makes in the end. When measuring efficiency there are a couple of things that are monitored very closely and these are feed conversion and energy usage. Feed conversion is measured by how much feed it takes an animal to gain one pound. For example, a pig needs to eat three pounds of feed to gain one pound of body weight. In cattle it is much higher with six pounds of feed to gain one pound of body weight.
When feeding livestock for market it is very important that the livestock get to market weight as fast as possible while still adding weight in the correct areas and not too much in overall structure or fat. For this to happen these livestock have to not only consume feed very well on a daily basis, but they need to be genetically fit to convert feed as efficiently as possible. For example, if there is a barn full of finisher pigs there are about 2800 head in a big finisher barn and the pigs in this barn take an extra two weeks to grow since that aren’t as efficient, then this barn will use an extra 98 tons of feed which is 196,000 pounds of feed. In turn the farmer will spend about an extra $25,000 worth of feed just because his pigs did not convert feed to body weight as efficiently as they should have.
“There can be economy only where there is efficiency.”
-Benjamin Disraeli
When it comes to being efficient, energy usage is just as big of an issue as feed conversion efficiency. When thinking about energy usage and the efficiency of energy usage the two main things to think about are electrical and propane. With the cost of utilities on the rise it is important that producers do what is necessary to keep the livestock happy and healthy but also by being as energy efficient as possible. When feeding out cattle in the cold it is not important to have them in a heated environment, but there will be dollars spent in some form of bedding to keep them warm and electric to keep their water thawed out. On the other hand when feeding out pigs and chickens it takes a lot more electricity and propane especially when it is cold. Yes, barns do have vent fans and curtains that turn on and off and raise and lower depending on what the climate is like inside and outside the barn. When the fans and curtains are not working properly the climate inside the barn gets off a little bit so in turn the heaters and fans will work more which in turn make the barn become less energy efficient than it should be.
When I look into the future of livestock production I see a very efficient and productive world. With feed conversion at an all time high in pigs cattle and poultry it is important that the industry keeps moving forward in a timely manner. Just like in all aspects of life the industry is in a constant evolution with many and more ways to monitor productivity of the animals to make sure that operations continue to run smoothly and efficiently.
About The Author
Hi, my name is Nolan Boyer. I am a senior here at WIU studying Agricultural Science. I transferred in as a sophomore from Lakeland College in Mattoon, IL. I came from a diversified crop and livestock farm in Central, IL, which has lead me to love raising livestock.
My first memory of the livestock industry was when I was around five years old. I was upset because we were at the Indiana State Fair and I wasn’t old enough to show, so my family and our friends set up the “Busenburg open show” for me. I was able to show and won, this was the first trophy I ever won. Of course five year old me was so excited. Fast forward to 2015, my last year as a 4-H exhibitor at the state fair, and there I was chasing a trophy. The only difference was that this trophy was huge and everyone in the sheep barn wanted the same thing that I did.
From my first year in 4-H I was chasing the goal of showing on the dirt in the coliseum. Year after year it didn’t happen. I went back to the barn at home after each year and worked harder than the year before. Each year I got one step closer to meeting my goal. From the time I got sheep home until the last show my life revolved around them. No vacations, no going out with friends, and little to no pool days.
Before I knew it, it was 2015 my last chance to make it to the coliseum. I eventually win the hamp division, I then go on to win the crossbred division. I thought to myself this is it. This is the moment I had been waiting for. Everything I had done before was finally paying off. I then went on to win grand and reserve grand champion market lamb at the 2015 Indiana State Fair.
What I didn’t realize until after I had won was that it was a family win. As I had a second to sit back and reflect on the ten years prior to this win both of my parents had been there to help or give advice every step of the way. They put in as much work as I had, this win meant as much to them as it did to me. I will be forever grateful for the support they gave me as I chased this dream.
4-H has helped me become the person I am today. It taught me how to be responsible, multitask, and accountability. I am thankful I had the opportunity to build friendships with people all across the country. But if you were to ask me what I think 4-H is really about none of these would be my answer. I’d tell you it is about teaching the kids how to make hard choices, its preparing them for life, and to never give up on your goals no matter what anyone says.
About the Author
Hello, I am Taylor Busenburg. I am originally from Mentone, Indiana. I am a senior at Western Illinois University majoring in Agricultural Business. I am excited to find a career where I can continue to be apart of the ag industry. Thank you for reading my blog post.
This is a photo of the original owners of Lloyd Farms, my great great grandfather and his family. Front row on the far left is Milo Lloyd. Back row far left is his son Jasper Lloyd.
Our family farm, which has been my home for the last 20 years, was originally brought into the family in 1905. Over the last 116 years the farm has been passed down and owned by four different generations of men in the Lloyd family: my great great grandfather Milo, my great grandfather Jasper, my grandfather Harold, and my father David. To some people it may only be a house with a few buildings and a little land, but to our family it is history and a lifestyle.
My mom snapped this photo a few weeks ago when I came home and spent the evening cutting soybeans with my dad.
A Girl’s Best Friend
For as long as I can remember I was out chasing cows, cutting pigs, or fixing fence with my dad, who has owned our farm for the last 31 years. Whether I was playing in the creek or sitting on a bucket patiently waiting to tame the barn cats, I just had to be outside with my dad. I vividly remember getting off of the preschool bus and begging my mom to let me skip my afternoon nap so I could be in the barn or ride in the tractor instead. My dad was my best friend and I was quite literally attached to his side. I never had a lot to say when I was little, but I knew I wanted to be Dad’s assistant on the farm and spend my life working with animals.
Growing up with the typical farmer as my dad meant a couple things. The first being, every morning we either went to Casey’s to get chocolate milk and a donut or the local feed store down the road for grape juice and cookies. This also meant I was constantly surrounded by other men who farmed as well. Although it is clear women are just as important and capable in agriculture as men, I never could figure out how I would be able to own the family farm someday because I was “just a girl”. The feeling of not being able to achieve my goal of buying the family farm someday lingered over me.
I took this selfie in the summer of 2020 with my new heifer calf from an old 4-H cow I exhibited.
Getting Back on Track
Throughout high school I stayed involved in FFA and 4-H where I held officer positions, competed in many judging competitions, and showed livestock locally. As much as I loved being involved in those clubs and organizations, I really put them on the backburner for a few years to focus on my studies and other extracurriculars. Most days I was up by 5:30AM and not getting home until 8:30PM because of meetings and practices. Because of this, my dad was the one picking up the slack, doing my chores, and taking care of my animals. As much as I appreciated him then, it was not until I went off to college that I really understood how many hours he too was putting in as a farmer, husband, and father.
Fast forward a few years to me starting my educational journey at Black Hawk College- East in Galva, IL. During my time at BHE I gained knowledge and hands-on experiences I probably would not have gotten anywhere else. I am now currently at Western Illinois University for similar reasons and my love for the industry only continues to grow deeper. At both schools I was and am surrounded by educators who push me to grow as a person, as well as expand my knowledge on topics I never had much interest in before. Out of all the lessons I have been taught by professors and colleagues so far, there are a few important concepts I have begun to realize on my own as well. One of those is that not everyone who comes from an agricultural background knows it all, and not everyone who comes from “the city” knows nothing.
When I started college I felt like I was behind everyone else. The people I went to school with never took their eyes away from agriculture and their dads certainly did not do their chores for them just because they “got too busy”. I bet they wondered, “how could that girl be a farmer’s daughter when she never knew this or hadn’t done that”. However, I started to recognize that even if they knew a lot about a particular topic or had a lot of experience in a certain field, that did not discredit all that I know and experienced as well. When I started using what I knew and what others could teach me, I was able to carry that stuff home and help my dad enhance our programs or just have conversations I may not have understood before.
This is a picture I captured from our pasture this fall that shows the silhouette of our farm.
Daughter of a Fourth Generation Farmer
Agriculture was all I knew growing up and it was always something I was very passionate about, but being the farmer’s daughter was not always easy. Even though I was always out on the farm, it was obvious I never knew everything about how it worked. But after being in college for a while, I figured out that I am here to learn and improve my work ethic. It is okay to not know everything or sometimes anything!
Undeniably, most of the love I have for agriculture comes from watching my dad pour everything he has into his career. He is the hardest working man I know and nothing keeps him down. Even when he is sick, he pushes through to get his work done. Although I never met or hardly knew my grandparents who started it all, I think in a way it connects us too. I see the dedication they have instilled in my dad, and I only hope my dad can see the love for agriculture he has ingrained in me as well. I pray that someday I can give back to my dad the way he gave to me while I was in school. He, and the rest of the men before him, will forever be the biggest reason I chose agriculture as my career and why I never gave up when I felt incapable, uneducated, and inexperienced.
At the end of the day it does not matter where you come from, it is just about how much work you are willing to put in to make this industry the best it can be. There is always going to be someone who knows more than you or has done more than you, but do not let that stop you from chasing after something you love. I will forever be grateful for the past generations who have set me up for success in this industry. I cannot wait to see where I go from here as I begin to get more and more involved with our family’s history and greatest treasure!
“A farm is more than land and crops. It is a family’s heritage and future”
– Randy Frazier
Photo taken by WIU Visual Production Center.
Hello, my name is Allie Lloyd and I grew up on a small family farm a few miles west of Reynolds, IL. I am currently a junior at Western Illinois University where I am majoring in Agricultural Science and minoring in Agricultural Business. After graduation I would like to pursue my Master’s degree in Animal Nutrition or Genetics to later obtain a job working with animals and people who will continually grow my knowledge in agriculture. I hope you enjoyed reading my post and learning a little bit about me. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog!
Western Illinois University School of Agriculture 