News Update
August 8, 2012
Reminder: Early Registration for the National Angus Conference & Tour is Due Aug. 20
Registration is available at www.angus.org. Early registration is $150 per person and is due Aug. 20. After that date, registration increases to $175. The final deadline is Sept. 10; however, walk-ins are accepted as space is available. For more information visit the conference website at www.nationalangusconference.com.
Cattlemen's Boot Camp Set for September
Cattle producers are invited to gather for a Cattlemen's Boot Camp Sept. 28-29 at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. The event, hosted by the American Angus Association in partnership with the university, provides purebred and commercial producers timely information presented by academic and industry professionals.
Open to all cattle producers, Cattlemen's Boot Camps are funded by the Angus Foundation and feature a day and a half of educational materials and speakers.
"We are excited to bring this educational opportunity to Wyoming," says Shelia Stannard, Association director of activities and events. "Cattlemen's Boot Camps are designed for all producers, and the subjects covered are vital for success in today's industry."
Topics include business management, herd health, cow herd nutrition and reproductive management, feed efficiency, understanding carcass grades, adding value to a commercial herd, and communication in the beef industry.
"Cattlemen's Boot Camps are not only a great way to learn about various aspects of beef cattle production, but they also provide breeders with the opportunity to share ideas with one another," says Katie Allen, director of marketing and public relations for the Angus Foundation. "Education is an important component of the Angus Foundation's funding efforts, and this particular event is one that the Foundation is proud to support."
Registration is $75 per person and includes meals and educational materials. Registration forms are due Sept. 4 and can be submitted electronically or mailed to Misty Taylor at the American Angus Association, 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO, 64506. Late and walk-in registrations are not accepted.
Hotel rooms are available at the Hilton Garden Inn for a rate of $99, plus tax. To reserve a room, call 307-745-5500 and ask for the University Business rate.
To register, click here.
JBS Beef Plant Suspended by South Korea
South Korea has suspended imports of beef from JBS Swift's Cactus, Texas, facility, effective Aug. 6, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said.
The facility is suspended because product shipped last month was considered in Korea to be off condition, a company official told Meatingplace.
JBS is fully cooperating with FSIS and other authorities to correct the situation, he said.
Drought Impacts on the Cattle Industry
The beef industry has already experienced a number of difficult years characterized by declining cow numbers and per capita beef supplies. There was hope in the first half of this year that this downward production phase was coming to an end, but the drought of 2012 has erased those hopes, according to Purdue University Extension economist Chris Hurt.
Where is the cattle industry today, and what do we know about the impacts of this year's drought?
The mid-year cattle inventory report from USDA indicated that beef cow numbers had dropped by an additional 3% more than the past year. Since 2006, beef cow numbers have dropped by 8% due to much higher feed prices and to the long drought in the Southern Plains. The 2012 calf crop is expected to be down about 2%, and also down 8% from 2006.
Hurt said this year's drought likely means further decreases in cow numbers over the next 12 to 14 months.
"The impacts of the drought are just beginning to show up in some of the national data," Hurt said. "We do know the direction, but not the final magnitude of those impacts. The cattle industry is negatively affected by feed costs and lack of availability of forages. Higher corn and soybean meal price have dropped the value of calves and feeder cattle that will eventually go to the feedlots. Lack of pasture is also causing some early movement of cattle," he said.
For the rest of the report, click here.
House, Senate Urge EPA to Adjust Ethanol Mandate
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) stands with 156 U.S. Representatives and 26 U.S. Senators in their quest to bring common sense to Washington, D.C., and relief to rural America by encouraging Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson to implement a waiver to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Last week, more than 150 representatives signed a letter to Administrator Jackson and yesterday, Aug. 7, 2012, nearly 30 senators did the same. The letters went to Jackson because EPA was granted the authority in the 2005 Energy Policy Act, which set the initial RFS, and in the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, which expanded the fuels standard, to waive the RFS because of severe economic or environmental harm.
In the House, the letter was a bipartisan effort led by Congressmen Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.); Jim Matheson (D-Utah); Steve Womack (R-Ark.); and Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.).
"The RFS mandate has created a domino effect. Tightening supplies have already driven up the price of corn, and the extreme weather being experienced by much of the nation will only further increase prices. I am pleased that my colleagues in the Senate have joined me and 155 other members of the House of Representatives in urging EPA Administrator Jackson to act now to make a critical reduction in the RFS for 2012," said Rep. Goodlatte. "We should not be in a position where we are choosing between fuel and feed for our livestock."
For the full release, click here.
Wisconsin Opens Borders to Some Michigan Cattle
Michigan Department of Agriculture Director Jamie Clover Adams announced that Wisconsin will recognize Michigan's recent bovine tuberculosis (TB) Split State Status achievement from the USDA. On Aug. 1, the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) informed Michigan's state veterinarian of new importation rules acknowledging that state's split status, which means Wisconsin now recognizes two bovine TB zones in the state of Michigan.
"Our mandatory electronic identification is, and was, critical to Wisconsin's decision to amend their importation rules," said Adams. "For the first time since we began our bovine TB eradication efforts, Wisconsin acknowledges the difference in zones. This translates into more market opportunities to sell Michigan beef and continues to grow the economic footprint for our food and agriculture system."
Bovine from the Modified Accredited Zone and the Modified Accredited Advanced Zone fall under the same zonal rules for Wisconsin and may enter Wisconsin for exhibition as long as they follow all of the rules established by the DATCP.
Senators Ask EPA For Waiver of Corn-Ethanol Mandate
A bipartisan group of senators followed 156 House lawmakers in urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help livestock and poultry farmers deal with severe drought conditions by waiving the federal mandate that requires corn-ethanol to be blended into gasoline.
The National Pork Producers Council, which supports the effort, says the Renewable Fuels Standard requires 13.2 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol to be produced in 2012 and 13.8 billion gallons in 2013, amounts that will see the ethanol industry use about 4.7 billion and 4.9 billion bushels, respectively, of the nation's corn.
As of now, there are 25 senators, 13 democrats and 12 republicans, who signed a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, asking that she take immediate action to bring relief to farmers suffering from the worst drought in more than 50 years. House members last week sent a similar letter to Jackson.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Beef Production Strategies During the Drought
As the weeks continue to pass without any significant rain in the Midwest, it is getting increasingly difficult to find feed for livestock, said University of Illinois assistant professor of animal sciences Dan Shike.
"It's amazing that the poor pasture conditions got almost no media attention," he said. "They were in very poor condition even before the corn crop was, but it just doesn't grab the headlines as much."
Cattle producers are facing some serious challenges. "They're out of grass and out of forage. Other feeds that they might try to buy are in short supply and very expensive," Shike explained. Feed prices are at historic highs, as are many of the grain supplements.
Even ethanol coproducts, such as distillers' grains and corn gluten feed, are becoming more expensive.
Livestock producers are wondering if they can use the drought-stricken corn as feed. Shike says that this is possible if nitrate levels are within acceptable limits. Nitrate levels depend on a number of factors, such as how much fertilizer was applied and at what stage the drought affected the plant. "It is absolutely necessary to test for nitrate," Shike warned.
For the full release, click here.
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