Like many fellow cattle producers, De Smet, South Dakota rancher Todd Wilkinson is facing his own drought dilemmas. Wilkinson would normally have the feedlot full of calves and be looking for yearlings to place in pens right now. “I emptied the lots on June 1 and only have two weeks of silage left over from the last group of cattle finished. Right now, I have no desire to fill those pens until I have some additional crop.” Wilkinson, who is the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Vice President, says true price discovery in the cattle markets will be critical for the industry. “I attended the big meeting in Phoenix this past May. Our Live Cattle Marketing Committee has been working on a system to encourage greater cash trade.”Hear more in this Red River Farm Network interview.