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Troy Marshall, Contributing Editor
There are few industries with as much to be thankful for as agriculture. For a whole host of reasons, agriculture in general, and commodities in particular, have a very bright outlook.
However, as I grow older, it becomes increasingly obvious to me that what I hold in deepest esteem has less and less to do with money. Sure, profit is a great way of measuring the success or failure of one's management, and there is probably something to say for driving a new truck or being able to provide your kids with an Ivy League education. But, life is so much more than financial gains and losses.
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Troy Marshall, Contributing Editor
I knew well before Monday's announcement that no deal would be reached by the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, more familiarly known as the "super committee." It's the committee of six Democrats and six Republicans from both houses of Congress charged with developing a $1.3-trillion deficit reduction measure.
Of course, both the Democrats and Republicans are blaming the other side for the impasse. The interesting thing is that both are right, which hasn't been the case in Washington for quite some time.
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Troy Marshall, Contributing Editor
It sounds like an oxymoron but the poultry industry may actually help beef prices rise this next year. The fact is that the high price of ethanol-based corn has hit the poultry industry much harder than the beef industry. Cattle have options to grain; poultry don't.
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Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) can devastate a herd, resulting in loss of production and death in calves. One challenge of BVD infection is that if a cow is infected at certain times during gestation, her calf can be born persistently infected (PI). PI animals don't show clinical signs of the disease but can infect other calves. This week's BEEF Poll question at beefmagazine.com is: "Do you test for BVD PI calves in your herd?"
- Yes, we feel testing is an important tool, along with vaccination and good herd biosecurity.
- No, we don't test for BVD PI calves.
- No opinion.
By the way, almost 100 votes were recorded in this week's poll, which asked: "Which protein do you plan to have on your Thanksgiving table?" The overwhelming choice is turkey at 72%, and beef at 21%. Another 5% said neither. Thanks for participating.
Scott Grau, BEEF Research Manager
BEEF magazine recently published the results from its October issue survey concerning producer attitude to the GIPSA rule, entitled "'Decided' Beef Producers Strongly Oppose GIPSA Rule". This story elicited some negative response to the findings stating the story was "trash" and the survey itself was a "joke."
This led me to recall a quote that Mark Twain popularized: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies and statistics." Actually, I would change it to read: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies and lying with statistics."
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W. Mark Hilton, DVM
There is no doubt that nutrition is one of the keys to health. A pregnant cow that receives proper nutrition mounts a stronger immune response in the face of disease challenge, gives birth to a stronger calf, produces a higher volume of quality colostrum, and rebreeds sooner compared to cows with poorer precalving nutrition.
A precalving ration adequate in energy, protein, vitamins and minerals – and that allows cows to calve in a body condition score (BCS) of 5.5-6.0, and heifers in BCS 6.5-7.0 – gives you the best opportunity for such success.
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Ernie Goss, Jack MacAllister Chair in Regional Economics at Creighton University
For a second straight month, the Rural Mainstreet Index (RMI) increased. November's reading from a monthly survey of bank CEOs in ag-dependent areas in a 10-state region rocketed to its highest level since June 2007. Overall, the RMI, which ranges between 0 and 100, advanced to 58.4 from 52.9 in October.
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December 2nd – 10:00am Central Time
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Burt Rutherford, Senior Editor
Sydney Smith, an 18th century English writer and clergyman, once advised: "Take short views, hope for the best and trust in God."
While the third part of Smith's advice is everlasting, the first two components aren't very conducive to running a family business today. Running a successful multi-generation ranch today takes a long-term outlook and careful planning.
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Steve Kay
The beef industry has battled an onslaught of negative news over the past year, including the lingering effects of the recession, the proposed GIPSA rule on livestock and poultry marketing, efforts to regulate farm dust, and catastrophic drought in Texas and surrounding states. So it's great to end the year with good news.
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Steve Meyer, National Hog Farmer's Market Preview
The World Trade Organization (WTO) announced its finding last Friday that the U.S. country-of-origin labeling (COOL) law violates WTO rules. The WTO panel commented on two separate issues: The actual U.S. statutory provisions and a letter issued by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack that suggested voluntary labeling procedures that were more restrictive than the actual USDA rules.
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