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Uncomplicated pre-breeding vaccinations
Vira Shield 6+VL5 HB
- Use right before breeding to protect against key reproductive
diseases
including Vibrio and Lepto hardjo-bovis
- Contains the same viral components as in Vira Shield 6
© 2008 Novartis Animal Health US, Inc.
www.livestock.novartis.com
(800)-843-3386
Vira Shield is a registered trademark of Novartis AG. Vira Shield
logo and
wordmark are trademarks of Novartis AG.
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For drought-stricken producers in the Southeast and other areas, the
announcement by USDA Secretary Ed Schafer that USDA had authorized the
opening up of 24 million Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres –
once the nesting season for grass-nesting birds is completed – was a
welcome reprieve.
Of course, this announcement – seemingly like all other government
announcements of late – was in direct opposition to stated National
Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and industry policy, thus making
the decision quite controversial. For whatever reason, USDA made no
corresponding reduction in CRP payments for allowing the haying or
grazing, which creates an uneven playing field for those without CRP
ground to graze, or those who are selling hay, etc.
NCBA had been working hard for the opening up of CRP, but under
conditions equitable for all producers. While it’s not a revolutionary
concept outside of the Beltway, it still seems to be beyond
Washington’s grasp that someone has to pay when you give something
away.
Once again, the government fails to understand that policy aims aren't
achievable in the absence of well-thought policy that understands
real-world applications.
– Troy Marshall
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With a new farm bill now on the books, USDA soon should be rolling
out all of the important info on mandatory country-of-origin labeling
(COOL) so that producers can begin preparing for the implementation
data. While important, deadlines and details probably aren't what most
producers are really curious to know, however.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Troy Marshall
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Have you ever thought about those times when everything is right in
the world? I'm not talking about those glorious moments when you get
baptized, your child is born or gets married, or even those times when
you achieved something you thought you couldn’t. I'm talking about
those day-to-day moments when you somehow realize you are on the right
chosen path.
I get that feeling every year about this time. Sure, we could use a good
rain and a few other things, but young calves, green grass, kids on
horseback, and turning out of the bulls is one of those times for me.
We’re just finishing up AI season, and as I was pulling out what
amounted to about 1/3 of a roll of paper towels that had ended up in my
shirt on the last day, I just looked down at them, and realized why this
is such a special time of year. It’s a season of new hope and
beginnings.
I hope you have a wonderful summer with family, friends and your cows,
and that you will have no need for fencing pliers all summer long.
– Troy Marshall
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If you’re short on hay, or have a surplus, visit AgriHayExchange.com, a website
dedicated to providing hay for sale and hay-wanted listings for the U.S.
and Canada. Browsing the site is free, or register online and receive a
free, 30-day trial of the listing features of the site. Registration
also provides contact info for the potential buyers and sellers and
additional details on their products.
-- Hay & Forage Grower magazine
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In the wake of Eight Belles' euthanasia following injuries in the
recent Kentucky Derby, a Gallup poll (www.gallup.com/poll/107293/PostDerby-Tragedy-38-Support-Banning-Animal-Racing.aspx)
reveals that almost four in 10 Americans (38%) say they would favor
banning sports that involve competition between animals.
Women were slightly more in favor of banning racing than men, and those
18 to 29 favored a ban slightly more than older age groups. There was
little difference in these attitudes by church attendance or by
political party. Results were based on telephone interviews, with 1,017
national adults 18 and up, conducted May 8-11.
In addition to the question about banning horse and dog racing, Gallup's
annual Values and Beliefs survey updated a broader question about the
treatment of animals, last asked in 2003. A quarter of Americans said
animals deserve the same rights as humans, while almost all of the rest
agreed animals should be given some protection from harm and
exploitation.
Gallup reported that the aforementioned attitude toward the treatment of
animals is virtually the same as it was five years ago.
-- Bloodhorse.com
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Congress has temporarily halted oil deposits in the Strategic
Petroleum Reserve (SPR). The legislation temporarily suspends the
filling of the SPR through the end of this year as long as crude oil
remains above $75/barrel.
Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), sponsor of the legislation, said, “This is a
step in the right direction to put downward pressure on gas prices.
With gas prices around $4/gal. and oil over $120/barrel, it makes no
sense to be putting 70,000 barrels of oil underground every day,
especially when the SPR is 97% full. When the American consumer is being
burned at the stake of higher gas prices, the government should not be
carrying the wood."
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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Congress is taking this week off for the Memorial Day recess. When
Congress returns, the first issue will be to complete the 2008 farm bill
including the trade title. There are a number of other issues to be
considered for June and July. These include: Amtrak, fiscal year 2009
appropriations, overhauling the Consumer Product Safety Commission,
housing, higher education, mental health parity, Iraq war spending, etc.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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Bringing balance to the discussion and providing an objective
analysis of the food and feed versus fuel debate is the goal of the
Texas Ag Forum, June 9 in Austin. The Forum will feature the results of
recent analysis conducted at major research universities and
presentations from university experts, livestock and farm groups, and
biofuels representatives. For info, go to agforum.tamu.edu.
-- Texas A&M University release
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An article in the New York Times this week cited a report by
America’s Commercial Transportation Research group that says 45,000
tractors, or more than 3% of the nation’s tractor fleet, have departed
from U.S. highways since early last year, reports landlinemag.com. That surpasses
the early ’80s shakeout when deregulation, a recession, high interest
rates and the second Arab oil embargo resulted in the loss of 33,000
tractors.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Joe Roybal
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In the wake of the tornadoes that hit northern Colorado last week,
and the number of horses that were treated in the field and at the
Colorado State University (CSU) vet hospital, CSU veterinarians
recommend horse owners keep a well-stocked first-aid kit on hand to
prepare for emergencies.
If your horse is injured, call your vet for evaluation and treatment.
Until the vet arrives, be prepared to take action with a first-aid kit
that includes bandage materials to treat cuts and stop any bleeding. In
addition, have pain medications on hand, such as phenylbutazone (bute)
or Banamine and make sure your horses are current on their vaccines,
especially tetanus. Shock and dehydration are additional concerns during
emergencies. Horses that are shaking or severely dehydrated may need
intravenous fluids and hospitalization.
-- Colorado State University release
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Implanting suckling and growing beef calves can improve gain and
provide an excellent return on investment. But without appropriate
management, implants can make calves less efficient.
“The appropriate implant strategy will depend on how the calves will
be managed and sold,” says Cody Wright, South Dakota State University
(SDSU) Extension beef specialist. Since many calves are implanted at
branding and turnout, now’s the time to consider your options, he
says.
Once the implant has reached its maximum payout window, cattle
performance will begin to converge with non-implanted calves unless
another implant is administered.
“Also, the implanted calves will have had higher energy requirements
during the time the implant is functional. That means that if the calves
are not administered a subsequent implant, their gains may be similar
and their energy requirements greater than non-implanted calves. Calves
not administered a subsequent implant will ultimately be less efficient
than non-implanted calves,” he says.
If calves will be sold at weaning, a single implant in the spring is
sufficient, Wright says. If calves will be backgrounded at a low rate of
gain – less than 1.75 lbs./day – no implant is needed. For calves
backgrounded at a high gain – more than 1.75 lbs./day – cattlemen
should use two implants, one in spring and one at weaning. If
replacement heifers can be selected early, the recommendation is to not
implant them, Wright says.
-- SDSU release
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J.R. Simplot, Idaho's legendary billionaire potato king, cattle
feeder and entrepreneur, passed away on Sunday. He was 99.
Simplot was born Jack R. Simplot in Dubuque, IA and grew up in Declo,
ID. He dropped out of school when he was 14 to rent and farm 40 acres of
land. He made his initial fortune of $100,000 in the hog business, which
he parlayed into new investments in potato storage houses. That led to
the construction of more potato houses, and eventually into shipping of
Idaho potatoes.
At the advent of World War II, he figured out how to freeze-dry potatoes
for shipment overseas to hungry U.S. troops. From potato processing, he
began expanding his empire to include beef cattle, cheese and fertilizer
Production. The Simplot cattle-feeding enterprise includes operations in
Idaho and Washington turning out about 400,000 head of cattle per year.
Simplot pioneered the first commercial frozen French fry in the late
1940s, eventually becoming a major supplier to McDonald's and other
fast-food chains. He said the secret to success was his willingness to
work, reinvest and never sell out.
Read more about this amazing man at: www.simplot.com/company/jr_simplot.cfm.
-- Joe Roybal
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South Korea Ag Minister Chung Woon Chun told a Korean TV audience
this week that market for U.S. beef will officially open next week,
probably on June 3. The minister sent a request to the Ministry of
Administration to print the final protocol on Thursday, a process that
usually takes 2-3 days. The date of printing is the implementation date
of the protocol – the date U.S. cattle can be slaughtered for export
to Korea.
The new regulations would allow import of boneless and bone-in product
from U.S. cattle of all ages. Previously, only boneless cuts from U.S.
cattle less than 30 months of age were allowed.
Opponents of U.S. beef, including the main opposition parties and the
Korean Federation of Trade Unions, have vowed to take “every possible
measure” as they continue their campaign to derail the agreement. More
than 7,000 people took part in the latest vigil after the minister’s
announcement, and the leader of the United Democratic Party told a
Korean news agency: "If the government and the ruling party ignore this
warning, we will be forced to come up with a critical decision."
Philip Seng, president and CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation
(USMEF), said: “We look forward to supplying high-quality, wholesome
U.S. beef to South Korea, but this is a volatile situation that changes
day by day. We are monitoring events in Korea very closely.”
The Associated Press reports that some 5,300 tons of U.S. beef,
shipped earlier to South Korea but held in customs and quarantine
storage facilities, will begin undergoing inspections early next week
before being put on the market, according to the ministry.
– USMEF release
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Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) introduced legislation to freeze
the mandate to produce corn-based ethanol at this year’s level of 9
billion gals.
-- Click on headline to read the
rest of this story by
P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C. correspondent and Burt
Rutherford
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The farm bill provides for a study to look at the beneficial role of
manure in ag. The study examines: 1) the extent to which manure is
utilized as fertilizer in ag operations by type including species and
agronomic practices; 2) an evaluation of the potential impact on
consumers and on ag operations, resulting from limitations being placed
on the utilization of animal manure as fertilizer; and 3) an evaluation
of the effects on ag production contributable to the increased
competition for animal manure use due to bio-energy production,
including as a feedstock or a replacement for fossil fuels.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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Ten Brazilian states and its Federal District, where the Brazilian
capital Brasilia is located, were cleared this week for foreign trade of
beef by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), reports
Agencia Brazil.
The designation of free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) through
vaccination means all the Brazilian states that produce beef, except for
the midwestern state of Mato Grosso do Sul, are “capacitated for
foreign trade,” says Brazil’s minister of Ag, Livestock and Food
Supply of Brazil, Reinhold Stephanes.
The states lost their status of free of FMD through vaccination in 2005
due to outbreaks in the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and Paraná (in the
south). Stephanes says he expects the state of Mato Grosso do Sul to be
freed within the next 60 days, once “additional scientific evidence”
is provided.
In addition to the Federal District, areas declared by OIE to be free of
FMD through vaccination are: Bahia, Sergipe, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Minas
Gerais, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Tocantins and
Paraná.
-- Agencia Brazil
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A new report signals dangers posed to the U.S. livestock industry if
climate change continues to wreak havoc on weather, land resources and
biodiversity across the globe. The U.S. Climate Change Science Program
(CCSP) released the report entitled: "Synthesis and Assessment Product
4.3: The Effects of Climate Change on Ag, Land Resources, Water
Resources, and Biodiversity in the U.S."
The full text of the 203-page report is available at: www.climatescience.gov/Library/sap/sap4-3/final-report/default.htm.
The section pertaining to ag can be found at: www.usda.gov/oce/global_change/files/SAP4_3/Agriculture.pdf
According to the report, the higher temps that are predicted will
negatively affect livestock. It says that warmer winters will reduce
mortality but this will be more than offset by greater mortality in
hotter summers. "Hotter temperatures will also result in reduced
productivity of livestock and dairy animals," it says.
"The report issued today provides practical information that will help
land owners and resource managers make better decisions to address the
risks of climate change," said Ag chief economist Joe Glauber.
– U.S. Climate Change Science Program
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When the Senate returns next week after its Memorial Day recess, it
will consider the farm bill (H.R. 6124) again with the trade title
included. The House passed this bill before leaving for the recess.
President George W. Bush can either veto the bill again or sign it into
law. If the President vetoes the bill, the House and Senate will have to
vote again to override. With the strong override votes in the House and
Senate last week, it’s expected the veto would be overridden.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C. correspondent; and David
Bennett of Farm Press
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Cost-share programs and best-management practices for cattle
operations headline the 2008 Beef and Forage Field Day June 12 at the
University of Tennessee East Tennessee Research and Education Center –
Blount Unit.
Among the topics are current opportunities for beef cattle producers to
enhance their operations, switchgrass as a potential biofuel as well as
forage, using bio-solids on pastures and hay fields, and watering
systems for cattle. The day includes trade exhibits and a sponsored
lunch for those who pre-register by June 6.
Following lunch, participants may attend a 45-minute session that will
focus on adding value to feeder cattle with process verification
programs for age and source. A youth program on beef cattle production
is also part of the event.
Learn more at knoxville.tennessee.edu,
or contact the East Tennessee Research and Education Center at
865-974-7201.
-- University of Tennessee release
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The high price of fertilizer, diesel and other inputs necessary to
produce beef will be the focus of the 54th annual Texas A&M Beef Cattle
Short Course Aug. 4-6 at Texas A&M University in College Station.
“Feed, fuel and fertilizer costs have nearly doubled in the past two
years and are pressuring cattlemen to look for new ways to produce a
pound of beef more economically,” says Jason Cleere, Texas AgriLife
Extension Service beef cattle specialist and conference coordinator.
Participants can choose from 19 different workshops on ranch management,
nutrition, reproduction, genetics, pastures, carcass evaluation,
recordkeeping, cattle marketing, wildlife management and landowner
issues.
Registration is $140/person, and includes educational materials,
300-page proceedings, trade-show admittance, a prime rib dinner, five
additional meals and daily refreshments. Register online at beef.tamu.edu, or contact Cleere at
979-845-6931.
-- Texas A&M University release
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USDA this week authorized certain acreage enrolled under the
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to be available for hay and forage
after the primary nesting season ends for grass-nesting birds.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Joe Roybal
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Retail gas prices in the U.S. hit record highs for the 22nd day in a
row on Thursday, the American Automobile Association reports. The
nationwide average for a gallon of regular unleaded rose to $3.952,
marking the 23rd straight day that gas prices have increased.
But for the week ending May 26, the Energy Information Administration
reports the U.S. average retail price for regular shot up 14.6¢ to
$3.937/gal., a price climb of 21.5¢/gal. in two weeks. Meanwhile, the
national average diesel price continued its surge, gaining 22.6¢ for
the week to hit $4.723.
Gasoline prices rose in all regions. The East Coast jumped 14.2¢ to
$3.937, the Midwest 15.2¢ to $3.951, the Gulf Coast 14¢ to $3.829, and
the Rocky Mountain region 16.5¢ to $3.851. The West Coast added 14.6¢
to settle at $4.029, while California hit $4.099.
During the past three weeks, the national average diesel price has shot
up by 57.4¢. For the week, diesel prices rose by more than 20¢ in all
regions, with the East Coast adding 23.5¢ to reach $4.779, the Midwest
20.4¢ to $4.667, the Gulf Coast 23¢ to $4.673, and the Rocky Mountain
region 21.1¢ to $4.653. The West Coast added 27.3¢ to hit $4.883, and
California gained 29¢ to hit $5.027/gal.
– Energy Information
Administration
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