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As I get older, I find myself with increasingly less time to watch
the national news. But even if that weren’t the case, I probably
wouldn’t watch it much anyway.
Truth is, it’s never very uplifting, which is particularly the case of
late. Whether it’s the housing market, the sub-prime credit industry
meltdown, the federal government taking over insolvent banks, the rising
price of food and energy, the conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan, or the
increasing fears over Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, the news
coverage is saturated with negativism.
These stories are all colored by an election-year spin intended to make
things look even bleaker – to make a better case for the need for
change. But these stories also carry an additional cachet because we are
all touched a bit by them. We all have a son, relative or friend serving
in the military; ranchers are rationing trips to town; and everyone is
seeing disposable income shrink as prices for the basics of life rise.
Couple those realities with the tone of the news coverage and it can
make for increasingly dark times.
It’s during these times that I can feel myself falling into a sort of
mental funk. Upon reflection, I almost always find that I’ve lost
focus – putting my trust, my need for security and comfort, in the
things of the world.
It’s exasperating spending time with those who have an extremely
negative view of the world. They focus on their problems, or their
perceived problems, rather than their blessings and the mission they
were born to fulfill.
Always keep in mind that today is the greatest opportunity we will ever
have. It is opportunities either squandered or taken advantage of that
determine our ultimate destiny.
-- Troy Marshall
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Rely on the power of Angus data, industry leading technology,
continuing research and unmatched value-added marketing opportunities.
Angus, the power of people and progress.
www.angus.org
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Oil may end up affecting the cattle pits. Record oil prices have
created a severe backlash, and speculators in the oil market have
emerged as a key target of those who believe oil prices are
significantly higher than supply and demand fundamentals warrant.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Troy Marshall
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Last week, 4,800 head of dairy cows in California were sent to
slaughter, believed to be at risk of carrying bovine tuberculosis (TB).
In addition, another 16,000 cows are under tight quarantine.
There have been three confirmed cases of TB in Fresno County dairies.
One of the dairies under quarantine milks over 10,000 head and has been
a major player in marketing elite dairy genetics, as well.
-- Troy Marshall
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Recent articles suggest that the U.S. Department of Justice has
focused its concern on the JBS merger in a couple of areas. The first is
the vertical integration that would be created by the world’s largest
packer owning the world’s largest feeder (Five Rivers), and the
potential impacts on fed-cattle prices. The second is the impact of
having National Beef’s Brawley, CA plant and Smithfield’s Tolleson,
AZ plant under one management from a regional standpoint.
Industry insiders are now betting that while the merger will be allowed
largely intact, JBS will likely have to divest itself of one of the
plants in the California/Arizona market. They also are betting that Five
Rivers will face operational restrictions, possibly even mandating that
it continue to operate as a stand-alone company.
-- Troy Marshall
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The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved H.R. 6432, the
Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA). This legislation authorizes the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) to collect fees from the animal-health
industry to be used for the review and approval of animal-health
products. The fees supplement FDA’s Congressional appropriations to
provide for more timely review of new animal drugs.
Since ADUFA was originally passed in 2003, FDA has been able to reduce
its review time for new animal drugs. This has allowed these new drugs
to enter the marketplace quicker, while at the same time maintaining
high standards for safety and effectiveness.
The committee also passed H.R. 6433, which establishes the Animal
Generic Drug User Fee Act (AGDUFA). This will implement a fee program
for generic animal drugs.
Both bills don’t limit the use of antibiotics for animals as some
Congressional members have advocated. This was a major concern for
producer groups and industry.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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MERIAL and SUREHEALTH are registered trademarks of Merial.
Arsenal, Clostri Shield and Vira Shield are registered trademarks of
Novartis AG.
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Alberta expects to test half as many cattle for BSE under a new
surveillance program that stops targeting the oldest cows, the
Calgary Herald reported this week.
The article says the provincial and federal governments no longer want
to test cattle aged nine years or older, because worldwide experience
shows animals that old are less likely to contract BSE.
Meanwhile, Canada’s CBC News reports that the Supreme Court of
Canada cleared the way this week for a proposed multibillion-dollar
class-action lawsuit on behalf of some 100,000 cattle farmers hurt by
the 2003 BSE scare. The proposed lawsuit says the 1990 Canadian
regulations on feeding cattle came a full two years after Britain had
banned the practice, and three years after Canada barred uncertified
cattle imports from the United Kingdom because of BSE fears. The
Canadian feed ban went into effect in 1997.
Coordinated suits from producers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and
Quebec are seeking at least $7 billion in losses and another $100
million in punitive damages.
-- Calgary Herald and CBC News
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MyBeefCheckoff.com is
a one-stop shop for producers to learn about their checkoff investment.
Designed by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB), which administers the
national self-help program, the website informs visitors how national
beef checkoff dollars are invested and the results of those investments.
Among the highlights of the new site are: easy access to CBB members and
staff, expanded state beef council info and access, monthly e-newsletter
signup, producer profiles, links to all checkoff-funded consumer and
industry sites, and a newsroom.
“The site is interactive, well organized and very user-friendly,”
says CBB member Richard Nielson, cow-calf producer from Ephraim, UT, and
chair of the producer communications committee.
-- CBB news release
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Cooley Ranch provides powerful genetics to create value.
Our customer programs create opportunity to market your
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carcass traits to create performance. We create
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1-800-251-0305
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Confusion and frustration ruled in many rural areas of the country
last week after a federal judge in Washington state issued a temporary
restraining order relating to USDA’s release of Conservation Reserve
Program (CRP) lands for haying and grazing. Judge John Coughenour, U.S.
District Court-Seattle, issued the order in response to a lawsuit filed
by the National Wildlife Federation and six affiliate chapters. The suit
claimed USDA failed to conduct an environmental impact assessment before
opening up the acreage.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Rick Mooney, eHay Weekly Editor
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With grocery costs climbing and some research suggesting that 30% of
consumers may be cutting back on beef usage due to economic pressures,
Cargill Meat Solutions has introduced a line of eight “value-priced”
cuts of beef.
These lesser-known cuts of beef have been repositioned, with their
standard cut names replaced with fanciful names derived from the Romance
languages. The new trademarked brand names, along with their traditional
cut names are:- Cabrosa™ Steak (ball tip)
- Cordelico™ Sirloin (flap meat)
- Delombre™ Petite Tender (teres major)
- Maranada™ Steak (flank steak)
- Marbello™ Steak (inside skirt)
- Rigosa™ Roast (eye of round)
- Savran™ Steak or Roast (top round)
- Solenta™ Sirloin (tri-tip)
In the initial phase of market
rollout, more than 2,000 grocery stores are offering a combination of
the branded value cuts in their meat case. In addition to renaming
traditional cuts, Cargill is offering menu cards, which provide a recipe
for the beef cut, as well as complementary side items and an in-store
shopping list.
-- Cargill Meat Solutions press release
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Kansas State University offers an online tool to help cattle feeders
determine the potential economic risk in specific groups of cattle.
“Cattle Feeding Risk Analyzer” uses basic info provided by the
cattle feeder to calculate an expected profit or loss. Variables
supplied by the user include date purchased, gender, in-weight, net
feeder purchase price, feedyard location, interest rate and expected
finish date.
The calculator relies on models using historical data for cattle fed in
Kansas and Nebraska. It uses futures and options prices from the major
commodity exchanges to establish expected prices and distributions. Find
it at www.naiber.org/cattleriskanalyzer.
-- Kansas Livestock Association release
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Herefords - The Efficiency Experts
Adding Hereford genetics to your herd makes perfect business sense in a
cost-driven economy. Excellent conversion, hardiness, fertility,
longevity and even disposition can help reduce input costs. These
Hereford efficiencies are ideal for your herd, your business and your
plans for the future. Low-maintenance cattle, long-term profit. Now
that’s power.
www.hereford.org
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Seven regional winners have been named by the 2008 National
Environmental Stewardship Award Selection Committee (ESASC). The seven
honorees will vie for the 18th national honor to be awarded in January
2009. The honorees include:- Region I: Sennett Cattle Co,
Waynetown, IN.
- Region II: Yon Family Farms, Ridge Springs, SC.
- Region III: Guge Family Farm, Estherville, IA.
- Region IV: Bradley 3 Ranch, Memphis, TX.
- Region V: Veseth Cattle Co, Malta, MT.
- Region VI: Babacomari Ranch, Sonoita, AZ.
- Region VII: Hovde Ranch, Alexander, ND.
“These families have
successfully conducted stewardship practices that serve as exemplary
models for all cattle producers. They are actively working to protect
and improve the environment and have proven that stewardship and good
business can go hand-in-hand,” says ESASC chairman Dave Petty, a
former national Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) winner
from Iowa.
To learn more about ESAP, visit: esap.beefusa.org/program.aspx.
-- ESASC news release
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The Montana Farm Bureau Federation and the Montana Stockgrowers
Association have begun to work with producers to develop a “hot
spot” management pilot project as a solution to the brucellosis
problem in the Greater Yellowstone Area. The plan is currently in the
discussion stage and will continue to be refined with input from
government officials, wildlife groups and area cattlemen.
The short-term objectives of the plan are regaining class-free status,
implementing separate but complementary brucellosis management plans for
bison, cattle and elk, and minimizing economic impact to producers. The
long-term goal is to eradicate brucellosis so that vigorous, healthy
wildlife populations and livestock grazing can co-exist in the Greater
Yellowstone Area.
The preliminary proposal designates “hot spot areas” and “hot spot
adjacent areas” with guidelines for proper livestock and wildlife
management in those areas. Hot-spot designations would be temporary and
tightly focused around the infected premise. Two years after the disease
is eradicated in the hot spot, the designation would be lifted.
-- Montana Farm Bureau release
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This week, members of Congress and the ag, conservation and
nutrition communities held one of the largest ag receptions on Capitol
Hill this year celebrating the passage of the 2008 farm bill. House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) joined in thanking everyone for their effort
in passage of the bill.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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In an effort to reinforce the importance of caring for dairy cattle
at all stages of their lives, the National Milk Producers Federation
(NMPF), Dairy Management Inc., and the American Association of Bovine
Practitioners are distributing posters on basic animal welfare to all
dairy producers across America. The posters are printed on a barn-safe
plastic sheet in both English and Spanish.
The poster is titled “Top 10 Considerations for Culling and
Transporting Dairy Animals to a Packing or Processing Facility,” and
will be distributed this month through dairy co-ops to their members.
Producers who aren’t members of a co-op can order a copy at
703-224-1381 or send an email to poster@nmpf.org. View the poster
online at www.nmpf.org.
Additional information about animal welfare, including the 2007
publication “A Review of the Causes, Prevention and Welfare of
Nonambulatory Cattle,” is available at www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vetext/animalwelfare/.
-- Burt Rutherford
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Farmer and rancher candidate nominations for local Farm Service
Agency (FSA) county committees will be accepted through Aug. 1.
Elections are this fall.
FSA county committee members make decisions on disaster and conservation
programs, emergency programs, commodity price support loan programs and
other important agricultural issues. To be eligible, a person must
participate or cooperate in a program administered by FSA, be eligible
to vote in a county committee election and reside in the local
administrative area in which the person is a candidate. Producers may
also nominate themselves, and organizations representing minority and
women may also nominate candidates.
To become a nominee, eligible individuals must sign form FSA-669A. The
form and other info about FSA county committee elections are available
at www.fsa.usda.gov; click
on "News and Events," then County Committee Elections.
-- FSA news release
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The U.S. average retail price for regular gasoline dipped 0.1¢
($4.113/gal.) for the week ending July 14. Meanwhile, the U.S. average
retail diesel price increased by 3.7¢ to an all-time high of $4.764.
On a regional basis, gasoline was up for the week in the Midwest
($4.066), Gulf Coast ($3.971), and Rocky Mountains ($4.097) but dropped
in the East Coast ($4.071) and West Coast ($4.415). California was down
3¢ to $4.52/gal.
For diesel, all five regions set record highs. The East Coast was up
3.3¢ to $4.822/gal., the Midwest gained 4.4¢ to $4.698, the Gulf Coast
added 4¢ ($4.737), and the Rocky Mountains jumped 4.6¢ to $4.718. The
West Coast moved 2.3¢ higher to $4.909, and California was up 2.5¢ to
$5.026/gal.
-- U.S. Energy Information Administration
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Rep. Chris Cannon (R-UT) has introduced H.R. 6454, which would
extend and expand the E-verify program. This program is widely used in
the meat and ag community to verify the legal status and eligibility of
workers. This legislation provides for the extension of this voluntary
program, which expires Nov. 30.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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Farmers National Company offers the following tips to maximize the
profitability of farmland ownership.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Farmers National Company
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The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund sued USDA and the Michigan
Department of Ag (MDA) this week in U.S. District Court (District of
Columbia) to stop implementation of the National Animal Identification
System (NAIS), marketwatch.com reports. If
successful, the suit would halt the program nationwide.
MDA has implemented the first two stages of NAIS – property
registration and animal ID – across the state as part of a mandatory
bovine tuberculosis disease control program required by a grant from
USDA. The suit asks the court to issue an injunction to stop the
implementation of NAIS at either the state or federal levels by any
state or federal agency.
Spokesman Taaron Meikle says the suit charges that USDA has never
published rules regarding NAIS, in violation of the Federal
Administrative Procedures Act; has never performed an environmental
impact statement or an environmental assessment as required by the
National Environmental Policy Act; is in violation of the Regulatory
Flexibility Act that requires USDA to analyze proposed rules for their
impact on small entities and local governments; and violates religious
freedoms guaranteed by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
-- marketwatch.com
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Two dozen speakers at the 2008 Nebraska Grazing Conference, Aug.
12-13 at the Kearney Holiday Inn, will provide farmers, ranchers,
wildlife managers and advisers the opportunity to learn more about
obtaining economic success through grazing, enhancing wildlife habitat
and conservation.
Among discussion topics are: Marketing grass-fed beef, legumes in grass
pastures, modifying animal behavior, land monitoring for management
decisions, utilizing co-products in a beef livestock operation,
transitioning to organic production, and winter grazing strategies.
Concurrent sessions will delve into grazing basics and grazing and
wildlife, as well as use of co-products in beef-production systems and
grassland monitoring.
The conference concludes with a panel of graziers discussing their
management strategies for adapting to high feed and fuel costs.
Registration, which includes two lunches, break refreshments, an evening
banquet and materials, is $75 before Aug. 1, and $90 after. One-day
registration is also available.
For more info, visit www.grassland.unl.edu, call
402-472-4101, or email grassland@unl.edu.
-- University of Nebraska Institute of Ag and
Natural Resources
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USDA Secretary Ed Schafer said last Friday his agency will begin in
August to publicize retail stores receiving meat and poultry products
involved in Class I recalls, those of the most serious concern to public
health. The announcement provides a 30-day notice after the rule is
published in the Federal Register before the process of listing
retail stores takes effect.
USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) will post on its website
– www.fsis.usda.gov –
a list of retail stores that receive products subject to Class I
recalls, generally within 3-10 business days of issuing the recall
release. A Class I recall is one involving a reasonable probability of
serious health consequences or death for those with weakened immune
systems.
Retail stores include supermarkets or other grocery stores, convenience
stores, meat markets, wholesale clubs and supercenters. FSIS won’t
identify distribution centers, institutions or restaurants, since they
prepare food for immediate consumption without packaging that is
identifiable or available to consumers.
Recall announcements from FSIS always include the name of the
establishment recalling the meat or poultry, reason for the recall,
product description, identifying product codes, the recall
classification and contact info at FSIS and the company involved. The
additional info releasing the names of retail stores receiving recalled
meat and poultry will improve the consumers' ability to identify, and
discard or return, such products purchased, or still in their home, by
checking the list of stores and locations, USDA says.
-- USDA release
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Senate Majority Harry Reid (D-NV) says he wants the Senate to pass
legislation concerning speculation in the energy market. Reid has
introduced S. 3268, the “Stop Excessive Energy Speculation Act of
2008.”
The legislation would increase the resources and authority needed by the
Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to detect, prevent, and
punish price manipulation and excessive speculation, and give the CFTC
emergency authority needed to rapidly implement the legislation. The
House Ag Committee has been holding a number of hearings on this issue
and is expected to pass legislation before the end of the month.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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