News Update
December 18, 2012
My Beef Checkoff Gone Mobile
Ever been at a trade show or at the auction market and needed access to information about your beef checkoff to share with a friend? Or have you had a conversation over the fence about who pays the beef checkoff and what it does for you as a producer?
It just got easier to get information on your smartphone or tablet. MyBeefCheckoff.com now has a mobile site offering all of the great information you’ve grown accustomed to on the full site. There’s no app to buy and little work involved. Just point your phone or tablet’s internet browser to www.MyBeefCheckoff.com and you’ll automatically access the mobile site on your phone and will be given the choice of going to the mobile site on your tablet.
Kim Brackett, Cattlemen’s Beef Board secretary/treasurer and beef producer from Buhl, Idaho, says she only uses her desktop computer once or twice a week for bookkeeping and the rest of her activity is done on her mobile phone or iPad.
“I use my phone because I’m always on the go. I don’t travel with my laptop anymore but still need quick access to information when I’m at a meeting or with kids at school or sorting calves in the corral,” says Brackett. “The mobile version of the site is so easy to navigate and it brings me up-to-speed immediately. As an officer, I feel the most useful tool on the site is evaluation information. This not only helps me know and understand where my dollar investment is going, but explain to fellow producers how their checkoff is helping to fund programs that are building beef demand.”
Again, just open your Internet browser and go to MyBeeCheckoff.com and you’ll automatically “go mobile” with MyBeefCheckoff.
Lowell Catlett to Provide Keynote
Address at NCBA Cattlemen’s College®
Cattlemen and women planning to attend the 20th anniversary of Cattlemen’s College® can expect an innovative and educational program during the sessions which will take place Feb. 5-6 in Tampa, Fla. Sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health, the 2013 edition of Cattlemen’s College offers a wide range of informative, one-of-a-kind hands-on workshops and classes designed for cattle operations of every size and sector.
All Cattlemen’s College attendees should look forward to the keynote address Feb. 6, which will be given by internationally respected futurist Lowell Catlett, who will educate the audience with his predictions for the long range outlook for the agricultural industry and factors that influence profitability and sustainability of beef cattle production. Catlett is a regent’s professor in agricultural economics, agricultural business and extension economics, and is the dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at New Mexico State University (NMSU). His areas of expertise include marketing economics, futures markets and production economics.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Winter Preparation Essential for Cattle Herd Management
The arrival of cold weather across the eastern Corn Belt means cattle producers need to take extra care in managing their livestock.
There are a number of techniques producers can employ to help animals maintain rate of gain and to protect cows as they approach the spring calving season.
First, feeding high-forage diets or forages with supplements can help cattle deal with cold-induced energy loss, said Ron Lemenager, Purdue Extension beef specialist. Because cattle are ruminants, digestion happens through a complex fermentation process that produces heat and energy.
Beyond diet modifications, producers also should be aware of how animals react to winter weather elements.
“A cow can handle zero or below-zero temperatures. It's the wet and windy conditions that can be tough,” Lemenager said. Animals with wet hides often can’t create enough body heat to stay warm when it’s windy. Lemenager recommended that producers create windbreaks for their animals to eliminate the wind chill.
For each 10° Fahrenheit temperature drop in wind chill below 30° F, the energy requirement of a cow goes up by 13% in animals with moderate body conditions and dry winter hair coats. If a cow is wet or thin, the energy requirement goes up by 30% for each 10° drop.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Dick Monfort Named 2012
Colorado State University Livestock Leader
Dick Monfort, scion of one of the West’s most prominent cattle families, will be honored by the Colorado State University (CSU) Department of Animal Sciences as 2012 Livestock Leader for his role as a champion of the nationwide beef industry and for high-impact philanthropy that benefits agriculture.
Monfort is owner/chairman and CEO of the Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball franchise, and soon will enter his 16th season with the club. Before that, he worked for 25 years in the cattle industry and headed his family’s renowned beef business, Monfort of Colorado Inc., based in Greeley, a company that helped cement Colorado’s leading role in U.S. beef-cattle feeding and meatpacking.
The Livestock Leader Award will be presented during a reception at 3 p.m. Jan. 19, 2013, at the National Western Stock Show in Denver. That day is CSU Day at the Stock Show, with several events planned for university employees, alumni and friends.
“We are extremely proud to honor Dick Monfort,” said Kevin Pond, head of CSU’s Department of Animal Sciences. “He is the third member of the Monfort family to be selected for the honor, and represents the third generation of a family known for innovations that have shaped beef-cattle feeding and meatpacking in this country and internationally. Portraits of his grandfather and dad have graced our Livestock Leader wall for a number of years.”
For more information and the full release, click here.
Small Ruminant Grazing Conference Feb. 2 in Morehead
Small ruminant production has steadily grown in Kentucky, and the state’s farmers have realized the potential of raising sheep and goats.
The University of Kentucky (UK) College of Agriculture is teaming up with the Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office, the Kentucky Goat Producers Association and the Kentucky Sheep and Wool Producers Association to offer the 2013 Kentucky Small Ruminant Grazing Conference at the Morehead State University Farm in Morehead. Scheduled for Feb. 2, the conference will offer many sessions for all levels of experience.
“We have learning opportunities for anyone who is interested in raising small ruminants,” said David Ditsch, director of the UK Robinson Center for Appalachian Resource Sustainability in Quicksand. “As in the past, we will present science-based research that producers can apply in their own operations.”
For more information and the full release, click here.
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