News Update
October 11, 2017
Illinois Outliers
You never know where you might find that next great idea. Perhaps nestled on a remote ranch within the rolling hills and river bottoms found between the Illinois and Mississippi rivers.
JK Ranches near Griggsville, Ill., has been setting trends and turning unique into practical for generations:
- An all-girl, horse-riding, cattle-moving crew? Check.
- Hunting rights and a rentable hunting lodge in the basement of the main house? Check.
- An innovative cow gestation barn designed with cow — and people — comfort, safety and efficiency in mind? Check.
“This is the first gestation barn in the Midwest with a deep pit,” says Jack Kirk, who works with son Jarrod. JK Ranches has been in the family since the 1880s, and today consists of about 1,600 acres of rolling timber and pasture used for their cow-calf and Quarter Horse enterprises, as well as row-crop production and whitetail deer and turkey hunting opportunities. Jack also has been building barns in Illinois and Missouri since 1972, currently as Longhorn Cattle & Swine Confinements Inc.
The new gestation barn is a 62- × 188- foot (ft.) monoslope building completed in November 2016.
Continue reading this Angus Journal article online.
Applications Now Open for 10 $1,500
CME Beef Industry Scholarships
The National Cattlemen’s Foundation (NCF) is now accepting applications for 2018-2019 beef industry scholarships sponsored by CME Group and administered by the NCF. Ten scholarships of $1,500 each will be awarded to outstanding students pursuing careers in the beef industry, and one student — the overall essay winner — will receive a trip to the 2018 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show in Phoenix, Ariz.
“The CME Beef Industry Scholarship represents an investment in the future of the cattle industry, and is an outgrowth of nearly three decades of partnership with the National Cattlemen’s Foundation and NCBA,” said Tim Andriesen, managing director of agricultural products for CME Group. “By helping the next generation of cattlemen and women further their education, CME Group is helping to advance the future of the U.S. agricultural economy. Participating in this scholarship enables us to further underscore the importance of risk management to the beef industry while contributing to the education of tomorrow’s industry leaders.”
The CME Beef Industry Scholarship was first introduced in 1989 in partnership with CME Group.
For more information view this NCBA news release online.
August Trade Data Show Strong Exports Continue
August trade data showed exports continued at a double-digit pace, increasing 15% over August 2016. This marks the third straight month of double-digit export increases and extends the year-to-date lead to 15% over last year. Leading the way in the month of August were increases to Vietnam (113%), Japan (+9%), followed by Hong Kong (28%), and Canada (18%). Mexico and other countries showed single digit increases, while China and South Korea posted year-over-year declines.
Imports also increased in August, up 8% compared to 2016. Several countries had double-digit increases in imports to the U.S., starting with New Zealand (19%), Australia (15%), Mexico (14%) and Uruguay (14%). Brazil and Nicaragua posted year-over-year declines this month. Year-to-date imports are still hovering just below a year ago, down 3%, although the last three months have shown rather strong increases.
Imports have regionally shifted this year. While Australia and New Zealand still supply the lion’s share of imported beef, about 1 billion to 1.5 billion pounds annually (carcass weight), Central and South America have been increasing shipments this year.
For more information, read the news article online.
Filament Seeks 2018 Summer Intern
Filament, located in the heart of Madison, Wis., is seeking its 2018 summer intern.
“If you’re passionate about marketing and communications, love agriculture, and have hands-on experience working with animals, then an internship at Filament might just be for you,” says Kristi Olson, marketing executive with Filament. “Our internship provides students real-world marketing and communications experiences.”
Qualified applicants should be college juniors or seniors studying agricultural journalism, agricultural marketing/business, animal science, communications or a related field.
Filament summer intern opportunities include:
- Involvement with a variety of advertising, public relations, media and marketing projects.
- Networking with industry experts and influencers.
- Working with a fun team that is enthusiastic about the future of agriculture.
- Gaining knowledge of marketing materials development, social media, production and printing processes.
“Filament is proud to offer a summer internship experience to help students prepare for their future careers,” says Olson. “Our internship program gives students the chance to use what they have learned in the classroom and implement it in the real world.”
A full description of the internship position along with application details can be found here: http://bit.ly/2xwx4JE.
Understanding Feeder-cattle Price Slides
Feeder-cattle prices depend on the weight of the cattle, with lightweight cattle typically having the highest price per pound (or hundredweight) and lower prices for heavier cattle. Not only do prices vary across cattle weights, but the size of the price adjustment depends on the weight of the cattle. Price slides are a measure of the amount of price adjustment as weight changes from a base weight.
Price slides have a number of uses, the most common of which is adjusting the price of forward-contracted cattle if actual weight is different from the specified base weight. Price slides are also useful for producers to evaluate price changes for the weight gain of calves in a preconditioning or short backgrounding program, or perhaps the additional weight from creep-feeding calves.
Prices slides are often stated in terms of traditional rules of thumb, e.g., a 10¢ slide on calves or a 6¢ slide on yearlings. The price volatility of recent years has shown that these rules of thumb using absolute levels are inadequate to accurately capture price adjustments over a wide range of price levels.
Read more of this Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
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