McKenzie County Farmer - Latest News

Steve Hallstrom
Special to The Farmer

The bulls might have wondered why they were there, but many area ranchers were glad they were.
Last week’s McKenzie County Ag Expo’s annual Farm and Ranch show boasted a number of popular events and displays, but for area ranchers, it was a valuable opportunity to show the stock that will soon hit the auction block.
Scott Kueffler owns and operates DK Angus Ranch in Grenora. He appreciated the chance to show his bulls indoors.
“It’s nice event,” says Kueffler. “We’ve taken bulls to shows in Miles City or Drake, and that’s always been outside. You are at the mercy of the weather there. Here, we’re inside in a nice facility and it’s guaranteed to be nice. So, it’s a nice place to bring cattle and we have a lot of customers in the area and it’s nice to get to see them. Some we hadn’t seen in a while and it’s nice to visit with them and they get to see some bulls.”
Blake Wold is a fourth-generation rancher just outside Watford City. He brought several of his bulls to the show as well. He’s also having his bull sale at the Ag Expo in a few weeks, so he knows the venue well.
“It’s great,” says Wold. “It’s a huge, easy way for people to see what you have. Our sale isn’t until April 2nd where some of these guys are having their sale in two weeks, so people get a chance to see what you have. And the Ag Expo does a good job of putting this on and it’s nice to have it here in Watford.”
Kueffler expects to sell about 80 bulls and 50 heifers in his sale, which he is holding in Sydney, Montana, for the first time. Grenora is about 45 miles north of Williston, so a little southern exposure is a good thing.
“The sales ring closed up in Williston and that’s where we normally had our sale on the first Saturday in March,” says Kueffler. “We used to sell at our place, but there are a lot more cattle to the south and it just works better. We get a bigger crowd if we come south a little ways to be more surrounded by cattle.”
For Wold, the learning curve is still steep.
“We’ve had the ranch in our family since, well, I think the brand was registered in 1945, but even though we’re fourth generation, we only got into the registered cattle in 2017, so we we’re fairly new in the seed stock business. My grandpa got me started in it, bought some share cattle, and he said well, maybe someday you’ll want to raise bulls. And I’m like, what? (laughs) but yeah, we just kind of dove in. And so, we’re having our sixth sale this year here at the Ag Expo. We’ll bring in 40 yearling bulls and some commercial heifers to sell. But yeah, we’re fairly new at it, so we’re learning as we go.”
Everyone’s learning something these days in the cattle production business. As was the case last year, the outlook for 2025 is complicated. Prices are good, but the cost of doing business is not.
“The cattle market is highest it’s probably ever been,” says Kueffler. “The total cattle numbers are down across the country, so the demand for cattle is really good right now.”
The statistics back that up.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that U.S. cattle supplies continued to tighten over the last year, with a total inventory of 86.7 million head as of January 1, and that’s 1 percent lower than a year ago. Beef cow numbers fell, while milk cow levels remained steady. Declines were observed across heifers, steers, and bulls, though the calf crop saw only a slight decrease from prior year levels.
State-level data showed some shifts, with Texas and Oklahoma increasing beef cow numbers while Nebraska and South Dakota saw declines.
North Dakota cattle numbers rose in 2024, according to the USDA’s annual Cattle and Calves Report. On January 1, 2025, the state’s numbers totaled 1.68 million head, up 1 percent from January 1, 2024. Among specific groups:
• Cows and heifers that had calved totaled 880,000 head, up 1 percent from last year.
• Beef cows totaled 870,000 head, up 1 percent from last year.
• Milk cows totaled 10,000 head, unchanged from last year.
• All heifers 500 pounds and over totaled 360,000 head, unchanged from last year.
• Steers weighing 500 pounds and over totaled 270,000 head, unchanged from last year.
• Bulls weighing 500 pounds and over totaled 55,000 head, up 10 percent from last year.
• Calves under 500 pounds totaled 115,000 head, up 5 percent from January 1, 2024
• The 2024 calf crop totaled 850,000 head, up 1 percent from 2023.
Nationwide, the total number of cattle on feed stood at 14.3 million head, slightly lower than the previous year.
Weather conditions could also play a role in supply and price. The USDA reports that drought conditions are expanding, especially in Wyoming and along the southern border with Mexico. While feed conditions had been improving, worsening droughts could impact future herd numbers.
2024 did see a stronger-than-expected calf crop, and Kueffler says for guys like him, selling calves is a good business.
“Some guys say, well, they’re getting paid too much for calves right now, but they’re really not,” says Kueffler. “It’s kind of a long time coming. I mean, machinery costs, repairs, fuel, everything else is, is up with inflation. It costs a lot of money to try to replace equipment, so these cattle are probably where they should be.”
And if you’re just starting out?
“It’s pretty tough with everything put together, but if you’re up and running it probably helps.”
Wold says for a guy like him, who sells young calves, prices will continue to be strong if the quality of the sire is good.
“We’ve watched a lot of sale reports, and the bull market right now is really good. People want their cattle to have good genetics, and they need to buy good genetics. So, with good cattle prices, they may be able to spend a little bit more on a bull that they like a little better than another one.”
February means calving season kicks into high gear. Kueffler says weather conditions are always a big factor.
“We’re going to start calving our heifers out in a couple weeks and last night the weatherman said don’t expect any warmup for a while,” says Kueffler. “Temperature is always the main thing. And it was dry last year. A lot of water hole dugouts are pretty low, if not dry. So, we’re needing some spring runoff from the snow. As much as snow does make work for us, we also want the moisture and we need water to fill the potholes and dams so the cows have something to drink and to get the grass started in the spring.”
Wold says one issue that does concern him is what the customer needs to spend in the store.
The USDA reports that beef prices continued their upward trend in 2024, averaging $8.01/lb., the second-highest demand level in history. While demand may ease slightly in 2025, retail prices are still expected to rise to an average of $8.25/lb. Wholesale prices are expected to follow suit, with the cutout price projected to reach $320 per hundredweight.
In 2020, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average price for ground beef was $4.12 per pound. That price currently stands at $5.21.
“I think one of the things that we need to pay attention to is the price of beef,” says Wold. “I mean, some of these people; are they going to find another protein source? The consumer is the person we have to base everything on, because the end product is going to your consumer, right? So, are we going to price people out of eating beef more so than other things? I think that’s an industry issue no matter what breed of cattle you’re raising. But if we can keep educating people on the benefits of beef, we should be good.”

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