News Update
January 15, 2013
Connealy Angus Donates 2013 Angus Foundation Heifer
While at the National Western Stock Show (NWSS), don’t miss the annual Angus Foundation Heifer Package auction. Connealy Angus, Whitman, Neb., is donating the 2013 Angus Foundation Heifer, to sell Jan. 16 at 3:30 p.m. in the NWSS Beef Palace Auction Arena.
The Connealys are offering the buyer of the 2013 Angus Foundation Heifer Package the pick of their 2012 spring crop of elite heifer calves. No heifers from this group will be sold until the buyer has chosen a heifer. Interested buyers can preview the expected progeny differences (EPDs) on the set of heifers to aid them in their selection. Igenity DNA test results will be made available in the next several weeks.
For more information click here.
Drought, Feed Costs Influence Livestock Markets in 2013
Drought and high feed costs could continue to restrict livestock markets in 2013 if conditions do not improve, according to David Anderson, professor and economist in Livestock and Food Products Marketing with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Anderson addressed livestock producers from across the country during an issues conference at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 94th Annual Meeting.
“Underlying everything we talk about in terms of livestock markets, everything starts with where we are with drought and pasture conditions,” Anderson said. “Where we go in terms of costs, particularly, will be based on what happens with the drought in the coming year.”
Corn prices reached up to $8 per bushel last year due to the drought. Higher feed costs led to increased production costs for cattle, pork and poultry farmers, resulting in increased retail prices to consumers. However, Anderson projects that as more acres of corn are planted in 2013, lower prices and decent yields may bring the market back into equilibrium, provided the drought subsides.
Anderson also noted that meat prices in 2013 largely will hinge on demand. Per capita consumption of all meat in the U.S. has declined in the past five years, reflecting higher retail prices and a weak domestic economy.
“The key for how high those market prices can go, how much those prices recover to pay for record-high feed costs we can get, is really going to hinge on what happens to demand for those meat products in the overall economy,” he said.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Federation of State Beef Councils to Celebrate 50th Anniversary in 2013
The Federation of State Beef Councils existed long before the $1-per-head beef checkoff was created in 1985 and, in fact, will this year be celebrating 50 years of serving as a force for grassroots participation in beef checkoff programs.
The Federation was created as the Beef Industry Council of the National Live Stock and Meat Board in 1963. It moved to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) when the Meat Board and the National Cattlemen’s Association merged in 1996 to form NCBA. While it has had two homes in its lifetime, the Federation’s role has not changed through the years, according to Federation Chairman Craig Uden, a beef producer from Elwood, Neb.
“The Federation helps assure that grassroots producers, through their state beef councils, have significant input in the workings of the national Beef Checkoff Program,” said Uden. “That grassroots control was paramount to producers when the mandatory checkoff was created in the 1980s. But it really got its start when state beef councils began establishing their own programs more than a half century ago and pushed for a national effort.”
By the time the BIC was created in 1963, five states — Montana and California in 1954, Alabama and Florida in 1955 and Oregon in 1959 — had created their own state checkoff programs and supported a coordinated national effort that could build on their efforts. More states would soon join them. By 1980 another 25 states had formed councils. Today there are 45 state beef councils qualified by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board to collect the $1-per-head mandatory national beef checkoff in their states.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Cattle Herd Rebuilding Strategies to be Discussed at
BIG Conference
It can be a costly experience when rebuilding cow herds, but beef cattle producers can learn about strategies to consider at the 51st Blackland Income Growth Conference Feb. 4-6 in Waco, Texas.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist Stan Bevers from Vernon will be featured at the conference to be hosted at the Extraco Events Center.
“We will be discussing economic considerations when rebuilding cow herd inventory as well as what the trend prices will be in the next five years,” Bevers said. “I’ll give an overview of how we got into this situation with low inventory numbers and talk about how it wasn’t just the drought that contributed to this.”
On Feb. 5, Bevers will also give producers a better understanding of how much they can afford to pay for replacement cows, herd productivity levels, operational costs and price projections for the year. He will also discuss breed types, longevity, culling rates and other topics.
Overall, the conference will offer sessions on a variety of commodities — beef, grain, horticulture, cotton, forage, wildlife and more.
“We think we have something for everyone, and producers will take home plenty of strategies they can incorporate into their operations,” said Ron Woolley, conference coordinator and AgriLife Extension regional program director at Stephenville.
The annual conference is sponsored by AgriLife Extension and the Waco Chamber of Commerce.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Livestock, Forage, Grain Forum to Focus on Trends and Future
Purdue University faculty and Extension staff will contribute to discussions of global food trends, risk management and drought recovery during this year’s Indiana Livestock, Forage and Grain Forum.
The forum will be from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 11 at the JW Marriott Hotel, 10 S. West St., Indianapolis.
There will be discussions on the effects of global events on the food and agriculture industries as well as on individual farms and businesses.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Drought Decisions to be Focus of Cattlemen's Day Feb. 15
This year, cattle producers face some tough decisions. The severe drought of 2012 depleted pastures and feed inventories. The beef industry is ever changing, and drought management will be key in 2013.
The Cattlemen’s Day Friday, Feb. 15, at the Gudmundsen Sandhills Lab near Whitman, Neb., will focus on these tough questions. Grazing during and after a drought, nutritional considerations of cows in a drought, challenges and opportunities of the beef industry, results of May calving systems, and a producer panel dealing with high input costs will provide insight for another dry year. Jerry Voleksy, University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) Extension range specialist, will start the morning with considerations for grazing and forage for another dry year, or if the drought breaks.
“Carryover grass (from 2011) supported fair stocking rates in 2012 for many regions,” said Volesky, “but most pastures have utilized all available forage.” Reduced stocking rates, delayed turnout, or no turnout are considerations this year. Seeding on cropland with annual forages also may produce much needed forage, but “seeding date and rates are critical.”
Don’t wait until turnout, Volesky said. Planning for multiple scenarios should be done this winter to optimize pasture health.
If you are contemplating a May calving system, Rick Funston, UNL Extension beef specialist, will cover an array of considerations, including the need for winter supplementation and effect on cow pregnancy rates and subsequent progeny effects, rate of gain of calves over winter and effect in a short or long yearling system, all the way through slaughter. The effects of over-winter gain on heifer pregnancy rates, and just this year, effect of supplementation during the breeding season on heifer and first calf heifer pregnancy rates, also will be discussed.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Groups Launch Agriculture Workforce Coalition
to Address Labor Needs
Organizations representing a broad cross-section of agricultural employers today announced the formation of the Agriculture Workforce Coalition (AWC). As the unified voice of agriculture, the AWC’s goal is to seek legislation that ensures America’s farms, ranches and other agricultural operations have access to a stable and skilled workforce.
In particular, the Coalition, recognizing that existing programs and previous proposals have proved unworkable, is putting forward a framework that includes both an earned adjustment in status for current experienced farm workers and a program to ensure that producers continue to have access to a workforce as current agricultural employees move on to other jobs. A key to the framework will be ensuring that it meets the needs of all of agriculture — both those employers with seasonal labor needs and those who provide year-round employment opportunities.
American agriculture as we know it would not be possible without the contributions of more than 1.5 million hired workers each year. Beyond the farm gate, each of these workers supports two to three full-time jobs in the food processing, transportation, farm equipment, marketing, retail and other sectors. Ensuring that farmers, ranchers and growers have access to the workers they need to maintain their productivity and competitiveness will help support continued growth in employment across the economy and in areas far removed from farm country.
Additional information on the AWC can be found by clicking here.
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