LUBBOCK, TX – Beef-on-dairy cattle are helping some Texas Panhandle feedlots replace Mexican feeder cattle lost after border restrictions disrupted traditional procurement channels. Sidney Abbott, head of risk management and director of beef cattle research at OT Feed Yard and Research Center, says her operation adjusted by buying more beef-on-dairy animals.
Abbott says the cattle have proven predictable, healthy and easier to project through the feeding cycle. She also says they are producing carcasses that grade Choice or better, giving feeders another source of cattle while Mexican supplies remain constrained.
For feedlots, keeping pens filled is critical because fixed costs continue even when cattle supplies tighten. Alternative procurement can therefore help protect throughput and labor needs.
The shift also shows how border disruptions can reshape cattle flows across the Southern Plains. Beef-on-dairy animals are becoming a more important part of the feeder supply mix.
Abbott says tight cattle numbers remain the larger challenge, making flexible sourcing increasingly important until broader herd inventories recover.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Beef-on-dairy cattle are providing feedlots with another supply option, while Mexican feeder cattle remain constrained.