News Update
November 21, 2012
American Angus Association Offices Closed Nov. 22-23
The American Angus Association, Angus Foundation and Angus Productions Inc. offices in Saint Joseph, Mo., will be closed to observe the Thanksgiving holiday Nov. 22-23. We will reopen Monday, Nov. 26. We wish you a happy Thanksgiving, from our Angus family to yours!
Angus Offers Internship and Scholarship Opportunities
The future of the cattle business is built on student leaders focused on keeping the industry strong. To be successful, it takes practice. To provide that needed experience, the American Angus Association and its entities offer five paid internships and two scholarship programs for college students.
Available internships offer students experience in the industry and the chance to gain real-world working knowledge — a must-have in today’s competitive market. Scholarship programs, established by the Angus Foundation and Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB), reward undergraduate and graduate students who are passionate about beef and the Angus brand. Deadlines and details for each internship and scholarship are available by clicking here.
US Beef Industry to Represent at Alltech’s Global Beef 500
While December is often a popular time to attend statewide cattlemen’s conventions, many of today’s leaders in the beef industry are making a round-trip to Lexington, Ky., to explore the latest advances in nutritional technologies and share ideas for keeping their operations efficient, profitable and sustainable. Alltech’s fifth annual Global Beef 500 will take place Dec. 4 to 6 and is expected to draw more than 500 beef producers.
Steve Van Dyke, who owns a cow-calf operation near Brookings, S.D., attended Global 500 last year for the first time and would like to attend again.
“The Global 500 was different from other beef events I’ve attended because it offers a worldwide perspective on beef production, beef sustainability and beef quality improvement,” said Van Dyke. “Alltech’s Global 500 provides information to people in all phases of beef production, but always in an insightful way.”
This year’s agenda seeks to once again offer some insight on topics such as branding beef, social media, employee training, decreasing carbon footprints and mycotoxins, as well as many presentations that will address the core theme for the event, the EPS principle — efficiency, profitability and sustainability.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Stewardship, Neighbor-to-Neighbor Farming Urged
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) is pleased with the outcome of a year-long discussion of the Agriculture Department’s Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture (AC21) on ways to promote coexistence in agriculture. The AC21 presented its report to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to be used as guidance to enhance working relationships among farmers growing different types of crops, specifically biotech and non-biotech crops.
In 2011, Vilsack tasked the AC21 with providing recommendations for strengthening coexistence among various agricultural production methods. AFBF Vice President Barry Bushue, a member of the AC21, said the report’s recommendations could benefit all of agriculture.
The AC21 report highlights the importance of diversity in U.S. agriculture and the history of successful coexistence in identity-preserved markets, whereby production practices maintain each crop’s integrity and purity.
“Finding ways to work together to serve specialty, high-value markets is one of the greatest strengths of the U.S. agriculture industry,” said Bushue.
“As American farmers continue to innovate, I am optimistic that our recommendations can help identify coexistence practices where they are working, improve stewardship where needed and mitigate much of the underlying concerns about the real and perceived risks related to coexistence,” continued Bushue, noting that the committee’s report emphasizes proactive grower outreach and education.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Show-Me-Select Heifers Average $1,974, Set Record at 27th Sale in SW Missouri
In the first fall sale, 181 Show-Me-Select bred heifers sold for an average of $1,974 at Joplin Regional Stockyards. That was a record high, topping the average of $1,433 last fall.
In spite of dry weather in the growing season and short hay supplies in southwestern Missouri, bidding stayed vigorous for top lots.
The top lot averaged $2,550 for two Angus crossbred heifers. The consignor, J.W. Henson, Conway, Mo., also received top average of $2,321 on 20 head of Angus and Angus-cross heifers.
John Wheeler, Marionville, Mo., sold 42 head for $2,182 for second-highest average. They were Angus-Hereford crossbred heifers. His top lot went for $2,400 average on nine head of AI-bred heifers.
Over time, bidders have paid a $100 premium for heifers bred by artificial insemination (AI) over heifers bred natural-service.
In the Joplin sale, AI-bred heifers averaged a premium of $164 per head for an average of $2,079, topping $1,915 for bull-bred heifers.
“The AI sires carry more highly proven genetics,” said Dave Patterson, University of Missouri Extension beef reproduction specialist. In addition, heifers bred with fixed-time AI, when all are bred on the same day, offer a shorter calving season next spring.
In their evaluations, buyers consistently rate the short calving season high.
Wheeler has been a regular consignor in the sale. Henson was a first-timer.
Last fall, bidding at Joplin was slow because of drought. The top lot in that sale averaged $1,850, said Judy Burton, executive secretary of the statewide Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifers Inc. The group is a nonprofit corporation with board members from sale consignors.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Farmers Can Wash Their Hands of Food Safety Fears
As winter approaches and produce growers begin to plan for the next crop, now is a good time to wash away any chance of food contamination in the farming operation, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service horticulturist.
“The issue of food safety on the farm is important,” said Joe Masabni, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist at College Station. “We’re working to educate producers about the GAPs, or Good Agricultural Practices, and Good Handling Practices for all the issues from harvesting to packaging.
“It’s part of our life nowadays. Producers have to continue to learn for any size operation. From the small farm to the big organic or inorganic 100,000-acre operation, you have to be aware of current issues and get educated and keep up with the trends of the business.”
Masabni presented the information recently at a turf and landscape field day at Texas A&M University in College Station. He and his AgriLife Extension colleagues Juan Anciso and Ashley Gregory, both of Weslaco, developed training materials about food-safety training on the farm with grants from the USDA and Texas Department of Agriculture.
For more information and the full release, click here.
US Unlikely to Dominate Future Corn Exports, Economist Says
The United States remains the world’s corn export king, although its empire is shrinking, says a Purdue University agricultural economist.
Foreign nations that previously relied on the United States for corn are growing more of their own or buying from other producing countries, said Philip Abbott. He predicted the trend will continue even if market conditions improve and U.S. corn production increases.
“The U.S. has historically been a very important part of the international corn market,” Abbott said. “Prior to the 2007-2008 food crisis and spike in commodity prices, the U.S. exported well over half the amount of corn that entered international markets. Since then, the high prices have caused the rest of the world to expand their production and become more self-sufficient.
“Even if we get bigger corn crops in the future, it’s likely that the demand in foreign markets will not soon recover to the level that it once reached.”
USDA statistics bear that out. In the 2007-2008 marketing year, the United States exported 2.4 billion bushels (bu.) of corn. The USDA estimates just 1.1 billion bu. of U.S. corn will be exported in the 2012-2013 marketing year.
What has happened to U.S. corn exports, and why might the United States not claim 50% of future world corn markets? There are a few reasons, Abbott said.
First, ethanol. The federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) mandates that gasoline sold in the United States be blended with ethanol. This year, the law requires oil companies blend 13.2 billion gallons (gal.) of ethanol with the gasoline they produce. Next year, the blending requirement increases to 13.8 billion gal.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Western Sustainable Ag Crops and Livestock Conference Dec. 1 at Ogallala
Speakers from Nebraska and North Dakota will share their expertise in integrating crop and livestock enterprises and provide advice about strengthening an operation and reducing risk at the Annual Western Sustainable Ag Crops and Livestock Conference Dec. 1 in Ogallala.
The conference will be at the Quality Inn, 201 Chuckwagon Road, from 8:45 a.m.-3:45 p.m.
Preregistration is due by Nov. 27. To download a brochure and registration form, go to ckb.unl.edu. For more information about the conference or exhibitor booths, contact Karen DeBoer, extension educator, at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) Extension Office in Sidney at 308-254-4455; email: kdeboer1@unl.edu. Sponsors include UNL Extension, Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society and Organic Crop Improvement Association Nebraska Chapter 2. Keynote speaker Ken Miller’s topic is “Crop and Livestock Diversity to Improve Soil Health.” Miller will relate his decades of experience in North Dakota with rotational grazing and use of cover crops, including cover crop “cocktail” blends.
For more information, click here.
California Rejects Biotech Labeling Proposition
With the failure of a California ballot initiative to require labeling of some foods with biotech ingredients, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) reiterated its support of federal efforts to provide guidance for voluntary labeling that indicates whether goods have been developed using biotechnology.
“We were pleased voters in California saw through this misleading campaign,” NCGA President Pam Johnson said. “Roughly 70% of food in the grocery store contains a biotech ingredient. We know this effort won’t be the last to try and mandate labeling, but it is a significant step in the right direction.”
Proposition 37 would have forced farmers, food producers and grocers to implement record keeping and labeling mandates that no other state or country requires. They would also be forced to keep special records for tens of thousands of products in order to prove whether or not the products contain biotech ingredients.
In 2012, biotech acres made up 88% of all corn planted in the United States. Biotechnology is an important tool to help farmers meet the expanding needs of food, feed and fuel both here and abroad.
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