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Well we are mid-way through the first month of our new year. How are
your resolutions coming? My resolve to enjoy life more and turn the
computer off before midnight has already proven to be a lost cause, as
the piles of work continue to stack up and chaos from my four kids
continues to clamor around me.
But, I will continue to strive to find a better balance as the months of
2009 unfold. January just happens to be a very hectic month for a lot of
us in the beef industry – there are stock shows, cattle industry
conferences and calving – not to mention dealing with the winter
weather – on top of our already lengthy “to do” lists. Perhaps
things will slow down come about July.
That said, I did want to thank BEEF editor Joe Roybal for a nice piece
he recently wrote that gives us all a gentle reminder about perspective.
Joe shared how this adage gave him reason for pause: “To the world you
may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.”
He went on to write...To read the complete article, click on the
headline above.
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It’s a brand New Year, a clean slate, a time to reflect on goals,
and reinvigorate our thinking – right? And with that, I’ve decided
to compile an A to Z list of the characteristics that seem to help
perpetuate success. It’s a list that I hope will guide you whether you
are out there ranching, are a recent college graduate embarking on a new
career, or have the toughest job on earth and are trying to do it all
– a family, a ranch and an additional career.
Through my writing endeavors I’ve been fortunate to travel to many
events and listen to many sage individuals both from within the ag
industry – and many from other industries. It’s been a great
opportunity to glean some golden nuggets. So, let’s begin with the
letter A, and I’ll leave you guessing what B might be until the next
American Cowman newsletter on January 28.
It should come as no surprise that A is for Attitude. The
importance of a positive attitude first sparked my attention when I was
a high school FFA student...To read the complete article, click on
the headline above.
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Cattle feeders’ No. 1 concern during the year was feed inputs. Not
any more, says Mike Sands, Informa Economics.
The market analyst predicts corn will not stay as low as $3 per bushel
(bu.) for long, but the new trading levels for corn may be of little
consequence compared to the declining feeder calf supply.
“I’d argue that the biggest challenges cattle feeders will face over
the next few years are going to be sourcing feeder cattle and
economically utilizing excess feedlot capacity,” he tells producers.
To read the complete article, click on the headline above.
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Dear Secretary of Agriculture,
Congratulations on your selection to lead the Department of Agriculture.
We offer our support and assistance. The President-elect has already
provided a compelling mission to guide your efforts in his platform,
“Real Leadership for Rural America.”
“Rural communities in America are at a critical point in history. For
the past decade, rural America has not been well served by federal
policies, and if Republicans and Democrats in Washington continue those
misguided policies, rural families will see their economic fortunes fall
further behind those of other Americans. But we have the power to set a
different course. Innovative rural Americans have proven they can
compete in the 21st century. But local initiative must be matched by
federal policies that empower rural Americans and family farmers.”
Please consider these recommendations as you launch your efforts to
achieve that mission.
Support grassroots entrepreneurship – The best development
results from rural people creating their own jobs through small
business, value-added agriculture, and other owner-operated ventures.
To read the complete article, click on the headline above.
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The health of the livestock industry is linked to the health of the
broader economy, and producers of beef, hogs and chicken will have to
wait for the global recession to end before they can expect any
significant price improvement.
That’s according to Chris Hurt, a Purdue University professor and
Extension economist, who made comments in early January at the annual
American Farm Bureau Federation conference. Hurt said livestock
producers were hit with the “double whammy” of a recession and high
feed costs in 2008. In 2009, lower feed costs will benefit livestock
producers, but the recession will continue to hurt demand. “We’re
going to see another year of struggle for the livestock industry,”
Hurt told attendees. To read the complete article, click on the
headline above.
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As winter forage quality declines and cow nutrient demands increase,
wise operators begin to feed protein supplements to assure healthy
calves plus cows that will rebreed rapidly. But protein supplements can
be expensive, so we usually try to feed only as much as the cow needs to
stay healthy, points out University of Nebraska Extension forage
specialist Bruce Anderson.
But, Anderson says that new research suggests that this strategy of
minimizing input costs may overlook the impact supplements have on the
future performance of the calf.
To read the complete article, click on the headline above.
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Learn how entrepreneurship and innovation can improve your skills,
enhance your bottom line, and build a thriving rural community at the
3rd Annual MarketPlace conference, coming to the Sandhills Convention
Center in North Platte, Nebraska, on Feb. 25, 2009. To read the
complete article, click on the headline above.
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The American Grassfed Association will host its sixth annual
conference, titled “To Market to Market, Adding Value to Your Farm,”
Feb. 5-7 in Lexington, KY. The keynote speaker will be the noted author
and sustainable agriculture advocate Wendell Berry.
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| advertisement |
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 It’s a New Day in the Sun! Join your fellow cattle
producers in Phoenix, AZ for the 2009 Cattle Industry Annual Convention
& NCBA Trade Show. January 28th -31st. If you’re in the cattle
business you don’t want to miss the largest, most important meeting of
the year. For more information or to register visit www.beefusa.org or call 303-694-0305.
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AgriLabs introduces Colostrx® 130 Colostrum Replacer, a complete
replacement option for maternal colostrum. Colostrx 130 Colostrum
Replacer contains a full 130 grams of globulin protein protection in
every dose, the most of any other available colostrum replacer. To
read the complete article, click on the headline above.
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Members of the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers
(YF&R) Committee elected Mathew Meals as the committee’s chairperson
for 2009. Meals, who is from Newville, PA, owns and operates a 136-acre
crop farm. A first-generation farmer, he grows timothy, brome and
alfalfa hay for the local dairy and horse industry.
Additionally, winners of the Young Farmer and Rancher Achievement Award,
Discussion Meet and Excellence in Agriculture competitions were
announced in early January at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s
90th annual meeting in San Antonio. Donald and Alicia Blankenship of
Tennessee won the Achievement Award. They are the winners of a 2009
Dodge Ram 3500 pickup truck. To read the complete article, click on
the headline above.
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Most old-time cowboys, who spent the better part of their life
watching cows graze, could tell you that animal behavior truly dictates
how animals act and what they eat. But as the beef industry has gotten
caught up in speed and technology, today’s cowboys don’t have a lot
of time to watch cows graze.
Thankfully, research at Utah State University over the last 25 years has
done much of that observing for us. Under the leadership of Fred
Provenza, a professor in USU’s College of Natural Resources’
Department of Wildland Resources, he and his colleagues have conducted
some of the world’s leading research on how animals learn and the
factors that affect diet and habitat selection. To read the complete
article, click on the headline above.
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