News Update
May 3, 2013
More, Better Beef Can be Good News
Encouraging news relative to cattle supply came from the Professional Cattle Consultants (PCC) newsletters in April. Shawn Walter reported March feedlot placements were up 7.7% and speculated that April placements might be up as well. That will be great for late summer and fall grilling season.
It seems like cattlemen are conditioned to think “bad news” when there is more supply, but in fact it is good news, especially compared to alternatives we’ve lately seen in calf mortality. Much of the current increase in placements is coming into northern Great Plains and Midwest feedlots, an area known for quality.
From a Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) standpoint, it’s encouraging because of the opportunity to grow demand — something we cannot do without supply. The northern plants with northern fed cattle often achieve 25% to 30% CAB acceptance rates on their Angus-type cattle. With our summer sales often hitting 70- to 75-million pounds per month, the grilling season is a key sales period.
The negative news from the northern Great Plains has been the brutal April snowstorms. Since 40% of the new calves are born in April in that region, calf death losses of 5% to 15% are being reported. This has at least a two-fold effect: fewer calves will be marketed as feds next year and, because most cows that lose calves are sold, herd liquidation comes back into focus. With 6- to 7-million cows in the affected area, we could see 200,000 cows liquidated this spring.
To see the accompanying graph, click here.
EPA Continues to Release Producers’ Personal Information
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is appalled to learn that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to illegally release information on cattle operations to the activist groups Earth Justice, the Pew Charitable Trust and the Natural Resources Defense Council. In this latest action, the agency again admitted it had released too much information on livestock producers, specifically producers from Montana and Nebraska. This action happened less a month after the agency found it had released too much information on livestock producers in 10 states.
NCBA Past President J.D. Alexander, a cattle feeder from Pilger, Neb., whose information was released to the activists groups in the initial EPA action, said it is clear “someone at EPA is either completely incompetent or intentionally violating federal law. Either way, this action shows EPA cannot be trusted with sensitive information and should not have the authority to procure or disseminate it. NCBA is calling for an investigation by the Office of Inspector General into this matter.”
The records released in February by EPA include names of producers and operations, locations and in some cases even personal phone numbers for farmers and ranchers who own beef, swine or poultry operations. Most of the 80,000 facilities listed are not regulated under the Clean Water Act (CWA), some having as few as 12 head of livestock. After NCBA and other livestock groups expressed outrage over the initial release of information, EPA conducted a review of the records and admitted it released too much personal information for 10 of the 29 states included in the documents. After a second review, the agency once again said too much information was released for operations located in Nebraska and Montana.
“These actions by EPA once again prove that the agency is incapable of properly doing its job. Nowhere in law is EPA required to obtain and display such personal information on all these livestock operations. On the contrary, the federal government should be protecting its citizens from unwarranted attacks,” Alexander said. “Instead, EPA has once again threatened the health and safety of America’s farmers and their families, as well as decreased the security of our food system. Now they have politely asked these activist groups twice to return those documents with extremely sensitive information on them. What makes EPA think that these groups will listen and act appropriately in order to protect hardworking farming and ranching families, those families that environmental activist groups want out of business?”
For more information and the full release, click here.
Cows’ Looks Alone Can Fool Beef Herd Owners
Better genetics puts high-quality beef on the consumer’s plate. Also, better genetics brings more profits back to the producer’s pocketbook.
“Today we have the ability to make quality product and get paid for it,” Mike Kasten told 70 beef producers in the meeting hall of St. Michael’s Church in Russellville, Mo.
“We didn’t have these tools 15 years ago. Now they are available to every producer,” Kasten said. He heads the “Quality Beef by the Numbers” program from University of Missouri (MU) Extension and the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.
Change arrived with the new technology of proven protocols for fixed-time artificial insemination (AI). “AI allows use of the highest-quality beef genetics from sires that we could never afford before,” Kasten said. He pulled examples from the beef herd on his farm at Millersville, Mo., near Cape Girardeau. He started breeding cows when he was 15.
“Quality started with the Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program,” he added.
Since 1997, more than 105,000 bred heifers have been sold in those auctions. The average price has been $1,638. Heifers bred by AI brought an added $192 per head over bull-bred heifers. The Tier Two heifers, daughters of highly proven sires, bred to highly proven sires, brought an added $329 per head.
“People realize genetics adds real value to beef heifers, and that we can capture that value,” Kasten said.
The MU Quality Beef program started last year to add a marketing plan for steermates of Show-Me-Select heifers.
Kasten told producers that quality calves require more than genetics or AI breeding. “You have to take care of them and treat them right. That includes health and nutrition.”
For more information and the full release, click here.
Spring Field Day Planned at K-State’s
South Central Kansas Experiment Field
Kansas State University (K-State) will host a Spring Field Day, Tuesday, May 21, at its South Central Kansas Experiment Field in Hutchinson, beginning at 5 p.m.
The event begins at the field, located at 7904 South Highpoint Road (two miles west of Partridge on Trail West Road, then half mile south on Highpoint Rd.). The second half of the evening will be at the field headquarters, 10620 S. Dean Road.
The field day includes a sponsored evening meal and presentations. At the 7904 S. Highpoint Road location, topics include:
Canola Update — Gary Cramer, agronomist-in-charge, K-State South Central Kansas Experiment Field;
GreenSeeker Nitrogen Management — Ray Asebedo, K-State agronomy graduate research assistant; and
Cover Crops for Forage and Soil Management — DeAnn Presley, K-State Research and Extension soil and water conservation specialist; Cody Barilla, Reno County extension agricultural and natural resources agent; and Stu Duncan, K-State Northeast Area agronomist.
At the 10620 S. Dean Rd. location, topics include:
Wheat Varieties — Allan Fritz, K-State wheat breeder, and Agricultural Applications for Small Unmanned Aircraft — Kevin Price, K-State specialist in Geographic Information Systems (GIS)/Remote Sensing.
More information about this can be found by, clicking here.
Value-Added Producer Grants
Support Local Producers, Biobased Initiatives
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the selection of 110 grants to agricultural producers and rural businesses that will help create jobs and develop new products. The USDA remains focused on carrying out its mission, despite a time of significant budget uncertainty. The May 1 announcement is one part of the Department’s efforts to strengthen the rural economy.
“This support will benefit rural businesses and the communities where the recipients are located,” Vilsack said. “These awards also will advance USDA’s goals to develop a bio-based economy and support local and regional food systems.”
In the announcement, 110 awardees are being selected for USDA Rural Development Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG). The grants help agricultural producers increase their income by expanding marketing opportunities, creating new products or developing new uses for existing products.
The awards include 11 projects involving bio-based products. They include grants to convert corn stover to anhydrous ammonia; miscanthus fiber, wood and goat manure into biochar and enhanced compost; and sorghum to electricity and fertilizer.
A number of Native American applicants will also receive support for their projects. For example, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Farm & Ranch Enterprise of Colorado will receive more than $92,000 to bring a cornmeal product to market. This grant will help the Tribe market and distribute the Indian cornmeal products, and secure customers. This year marks the first time that tribal entities have received funding through the VAPG program.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Feral Hog Workshop Slated for May 31 in Floresville
A Feral Hog Management Workshop will be hosted from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. May 31 at the Floresville Event Center, 600 W. Highway 97 in Floresville, Texas.
The workshop is presented by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offices in Wilson and Karnes counties.
The cost is $10, including a catered lunch; preregistration is required. Five Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units — two general, two integrated pest management and one laws and regulations — for commercial, non-commercial and private applicators are available to attendees.
“This will be an excellent comprehensive workshop for landowners and others concerned about feral hog proliferation in this area,” said Bryan Davis, AgriLife Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources, Wilson County. “Feral hogs cause damage to crops and can also be vectors for disease and possible nonpoint contamination of creeks, streams and other water sources. This will give attendees more insights into these pests and what can be done about them.”
Workshop registration begins at 8 a.m., followed by a welcome and presentation on basic biology of feral swine and feral hogs in the Lower San Antonio River watershed by Jared Timmons, AgriLife Extension associate based in San Marcos.
For more information and the full release, click here.
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