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National genetic evaluations have allowed the beef industry to
identify those outlier animals that defy genetic antagonisms and excel
for a variety of traits. The downside is that we tend to concentrate
those bloodlines. The better a genetic pool can be measured, the
narrower genetic lines tend to become. With that comes a tendency to
increase line breeding, which increases the capability to find and
identify genetic defects.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Troy Marshall
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The chain will not be broken.
The food chain in America is not about hide color. It’s about quality,
it’s about passion, it’s about people making a life-long investment
to feed a global population of more than six billion people. Our food
chain begins with an Angus genetic supplier in the nation’s
breadbasket and ends with a satisfied eating experience from the family
dinner table to the Waldorf=Astoria. The strength of our food chain
depends on the quality product with sustainable value from the pasture
to the center of the plate.
Angus, the power of people and progress.
www.angus.org
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All things considered, you'd think times couldn’t be better for
the environmental movement. After all, the new administration is making
global warming the centerpiece of its vision for a new economy. Sure,
there are still valid scientific objections over whether global warming
is due to manmade causes or natural climate cycles, but the political
correctness movement has stepped in to fill that void – anyone who
openly questions man's role in global warming is instantly shouted down
as uninformed, stupid or both. Truth be told, there are hundreds of
scientists who believe manmade global warming is bunk – click here (epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm).
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Troy Marshall
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We're all guilty of being a little “barn blind.” By that I mean
our calves are usually better than others’calves, as is our cowherd.
Being barn blind, we also tend to get a little frustrated when others
maybe don't recognize the superiority of our cattle. There are only two
really valid explanations on why others might not see your cattle:
- The value isn't there to the extent we believe it is.
- We’ve done a poor job of documenting and marketing that
value.
The first reason is usually partially part of the problem. Heck, if
everyone understood how wonderful my kids are, or how special my wife
is, to the degree that I do, they would be erecting statues in their
honor. But since they're not raising those monuments, at least not yet,
I probably have to admit that part of the problem is that I'm a little
barn blind. Still, being as unbiased as I can be, I still know they’re
a pretty darn special group of people.
The unmistakable conclusion is that I haven’t done a very good job of
letting the world know just how special they are. In today's world, more
than ever, marketing determines a large portion of what people perceive
as value. The first step in effective marketing is a belief in your
product; if you don't believe in it, others will pick up on that right
away.
Thus, being a little barn blind from time to time is a good thing. We
just need to make sure that our barn blindness doesn't keep us from
improving our product, but it certainly plays a role in allowing us to
market it effectively.
-- Troy Marshall
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Ranch families are privy to one of life's most important lessons: a
job worth doing is worth doing right. Years in the feedlot business have
uncovered a few ranch protocols worth doing, based on background
differences between exceptional and average cattle at our (7,500-head)
feedlot near Chappell, NE.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Tom Williams
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 More Deere. Less Dough
Learn more about the versatile new line of Utility Tractors from John
Deere.
Click
here to find a dealer near you.
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The National 4-H Council has been awarded a $1 million grant by the
Wal-Mart Foundation to launch Youth Voice: Youth Choice, a national
program to encourage young people to develop and maintain healthy,
active lifestyles.
To fund the program, 4-H programs in 15 selected states will be awarded
$50,000 grants to develop, strengthen and implement healthy living
programs at the community level. 4-H members will work in tandem with
land-grant university experts and 4-H volunteers to mobilize other young
people and get them excited about living healthy lives. Youth are then
empowered to create action plans to share with their county
commissioners, school boards, health caucuses and state legislative
offices.
“Health is the fourth ‘H’ in the 4-H pledge,” says Donald Floyd,
Jr., National 4-H Council president and CEO. “As a national leader in
health-related issues, 4-H is already reaching 2.5 million youth in all
50 states with nutrition and wellness programs, providing opportunities
to build confidence and healthier lifestyles. With this generous new
grant, we will be able to reach even more young people with these
important messages.”
The action plans created by participants will create sustainable healthy
living programs in their local communities, identify and overcome the
barriers to healthy living, and raise public awareness for wellness. The
programs will also encourage the development of partnerships with local
stakeholders and champions to expand the reach of the 4-H Healthy Living
program area.
-- National 4-H Council release
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For the first time, an accused domestic terrorist has made the
FBI’s "Most Wanted List" – the list that includes such notables as
Usama bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahiri. Daniel Andreas San Diego, a
31-year-old computer specialist from Berkeley, CA, became No. 24 on the
list this week.
San Diego has been on the run since 2003 and is wanted in two bombings
that year of corporate offices in California, says Michael J. Heimbach,
an assistant director of the FBI's counterterrorism division. There’s
a reward of $250,000 for info leading to his capture.
San Diego is wanted for the bombings in northern California of the
corporate offices of Chiron Corp., a biotechnology firm, and Shaklee
Corp., a nutrition and cosmetics company. Law enforcement officials
describe San Diego as a strict vegan who possesses a 9mm handgun. On his
abdomen, he has images of burning and collapsing buildings.
For the rest of the article, go to www.foxnews.com/story/.
-- Joe Roybal
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The beef-production sector has suffered one of the most dramatic
negative impacts from the general economy, says a Purdue University
Extension ag economist. But this sector also has the potential to have
one of the most dramatic positive responses when the world returns to
normalcy.
"As beef-cow numbers continue to drop, beef exports continue to improve
and the world economy begins to heal, the magnitude of price improvement
may be robust by sometime in 2010," says Chris Hurt. "A return to
finished-cattle prices of $1/lb. or higher seems probable as per-capita
beef supplies will be low and competitive meat supplies will drop as
well."
Last summer, finished steers were expected to average about $94/cwt. in
first quarter 2009, Hurt says. As the economy weakened, cattle prices
fell and averaged only $81.50 in the January-March quarter – that's
$12.50/cwt. less than expected, which represents a reduction in
potential revenue of $750 million just in the first quarter, Hurt says.
He says finished-cattle prices are moving almost in lockstep with the
U.S. stock market. "Using weekly data since September, the Dow Jones
Industrial Average index and finished-cattle prices have had a
correlation of nearly 90%. Of course, the stock market doesn't determine
cattle prices, but they’ve both been influenced by macroeconomic
conditions, which reflect weak demand,” he says.
"And finished-cattle prices, like the stock market, had a big recovery
in the past six weeks – moving from near $80 to $89."
But because of seasonal tendencies, Hurt's not sure these higher prices
are here to stay. He expects finished-cattle prices to average in the
mid $80 range during the second quarter then increase a couple of
dollars during the summer months.
"Assuming the economy has bottomed out by late 2009, I expect
finished-cattle prices to return to the high $80s to the very low $90s,"
Hurt says. "If this happens, steer-calf prices should average $100-$110
this fall, compared with $95-$105 last fall."
Hurt says the key variable for finished-cattle prices is the direction
of the general economy. Feeder-cattle and calf prices also will be
influenced by the direction of feed prices and pasture availability, he
adds.
-- Purdue release
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Historically, in addition to recording pedigree and performance info
and providing genetic predictions, the performance programs at cattle
breed associations have monitored and managed genetic abnormalities.
While there’s been relatively little news on that subject for the last
decade, several defects recently have emerged. Some are in popular lines
of cattle, and they often warrant the attention of breeders and
commercial producers.
“By our account, there currently are about 10 different abnormalities
in various stages of active management by different beef breeds,” says
Kent Andersen, North American Limousin Foundation (NALF) executive vice
president. “You might think of those stages of management as initial
investigation, DNA-test development, implementation of genotype testing
and associated policy, and – ultimately – effective eradication
through continued testing and selection.
“Fortunately, most of those defects are rare, effectively have been
eliminated, are nonlethal, or are under aggressive management via
DNA-based diagnostic tests and pedigree analysis,” Andersen adds.
“We know other abnormalities exist, but the industry has isolated
them, or they are of such extremely low frequency that they are not
threatening.”
As a service to the industry, NALF has compiled a table of genetic
abnormalities under management by beef breed associations. A link to the
table is on the www.nalf.org
home page. It depicts how breed associations have worked behind the
scenes over the years to monitor abnormalities and address those that
represent even relatively minor concerns. It also describes the
inheritance, tracking and avoidance of genetic abnormalities.
With one presumed exception, the listed defects are of genetic origin
and result from a simple recessive mode of inheritance. That means both
parents of affected progeny are carriers or affected themselves –
assuming the abnormality is nonlethal. With that type of inheritance,
without results from DNA or progeny tests, animals free of the defective
gene (normal) generally are indistinguishable from those that are
carriers of the abnormality.
“For commercial producers, the trick to avoiding calves with lethal or
performance-threatening abnormalities is never to mate a carrier bull to
a carrier female,” Andersen explains. “The first and easiest line of
defense is to use only bulls free of the relevant defect in a given
population.
“Mutations that cause abnormalities always will be a reality of the
livestock business,” he says. “Fortunately, with advances in
genomics technology and thoughtful management by associations and
breeders, we can mitigate the adverse effects substantially.”
-- NALF release
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that “cattle
material prohibited in animal feed” is non-hazardous solid waste and
can be disposed of in landfills. This issue has been a concern of the
packer and rendering industries.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
|
 More Pounds without Bigger
Cows
Cattle producers need every edge in today’s tough economy. Get more
pounds of calf to sell by using Gelbvieh or Balancer bulls on those
British-based cows. The Gelbvieh-influenced heifer mates give you the
benefits of a crossbred cow without a larger mature cow size, according
to MARC data. Get more at www.smartcross.org
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May is National Beef Month and the checkoff’s retail program is
collaborating with retail grocery stores across the country to boost the
summer grilling season.
- A Cinco de Mayo promotion with Snyder’s Of Hanover®
Tortilla Chips will include in-store displays featuring an instant
redeemable coupon for $2 off beef with the purchase of tortilla chips.
- In a Healthy Beef Salad promotion with partners Alberto-Culver's
Mrs. Dash® and California Cheese®, 50 million coupons for
savings off beef will be distributed in Sunday newspaper inserts on May
17.
- A beer and burger promotion with long-time partners
Kraft®A.1.® and Anheuser-Busch® Michelob® beer will
continue through June.
- The checkoff is also once again working with Sutter Home® wine
to promote the Build a Better Burger® contest where contestants get
to submit recipes for America’s best beef burger for a $50,000 cash
prize.
- A new promotion with Hormel Food’s CHI CHI’s® and
Herdez® brands started in April and continues until July 12 (CHI
CHI’s® east of the Mississippi and Herdez west of the
Mississippi). The promotion includes in-store displays with coupon tear
pads and Instant Redeemable Coupons for $2 off beef with the purchase of
salsa.
Margie Hande, cow-calf producer from Amidon, ND, and vice chair of the
Joint Retail Committee, says: “Our minimal investment is extending the
retail program reach to millions of beef customers for the next few
months. It’s our hope that through these partnerships and
relationships, we can continue to grow demand for our great product and
thereby create profit opportunities for producers.”
-- MyBeefCheckoff.com correspondent
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The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Environment
started hearings this week on a draft energy-climate change bill
introduced by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), chairman of the House Energy and
Commerce Committee, and Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA). The bill’s goal is to
reduce global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 83% below
2005 levels by 2050 through a cap-and-trade system. Also, it established
a renewable energy mandate that requires 25% of U.S. power be generated
from renewable sources by 2025. Chairman Waxman would like for the bill
to pass the committee by Memorial Day.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Joe Roybal
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According to public records from the Virginia Department of Ag and
Consumer Services, a total of 21,339 dogs and cats have been euthanized
since 1998 by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
workers. In fact, last year, PETA killed 2,124 pets and placed only
seven in adoptive homes. It’s for that reason that the Center for
Consumer Freedom (CCF) – www.consumerfreedom.com
– has petitioned the Commonwealth of Virginia to classify PETA as a
slaughterhouse. You can read the article at: consumerfreedom.com/.
“PETA has a $32-million annual budget. But instead of investing in the
lives of the thousands of flesh and blood creatures in its care, the
group spends millions on media campaigns telling Americans that eating
meat, drinking milk, fishing, hunting, wearing leather shoes, and
benefiting from medical research performed on lab rats are all
‘unethical’,” CCF says.
You can read more about PETA in “PETA’s Two Faces at: www.damnynke.com/PETAAnd
if you go to www.consumerfreedom.com/,
you can also sign a petition for the U.S. government to rescind PETA’s
tax-exempt status.
-- Joe Roybal
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says it will seek public
comments for 30 days on whether to allow for a blend level of up to 15%
ethanol in gasoline. Earlier this year, Growth Energy petitioned EPA
asking the agency to raise the blend of ethanol. EPA has 270 days to act
on the petition.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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The European Union (EU) and the U.S. agreed this week to further
discussions on their long-running dispute (since 1988) over U.S. beef
products from cattle raised with the use of growth implants. As a
result, the U.S. will postpone “Carousel” sanctions for two weeks to
allow negotiations to continue. The Carousel sanctions would target
different products of EU origin on a rotation basis for increased
tariffs.
In a telephone conversation this week, EU Trade Commissioner Catherine
Ashton and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk agreed to further talks in
order to find a negotiated solution.
In a European Commission release, Ashton said:
"We have agreed today that our senior officials will hold further talks
with a view to finding a negotiated solution to the long-running dispute
over hormone-treated beef. We are both aware that this is a difficult
issue that affects businesses and consumers in both the EU and the U.S.
We want to overcome those difficulties, and we believe that a solution
is within reach that will benefit both sides.
“The agreement we have reached today means that the imposition of
so-called 'Carousel' sanctions on certain EU products will be postponed
by a further two weeks to facilitate ongoing negotiations.
“When we met in March in Washington, D.C., we committed ourselves to a
renewed effort to working through, and where possible resolving, the
bilateral disputes in our trade relationship. This gives us the chance
to avoid a crisis that would lead to harmful sanctions as well as more
litigation at the World Trade Organization. Together we can find a
positive and lasting solution to this issue, and we will continue our
close cooperation on other outstanding issues in the future."
-- European Commission news release
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A Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) rep told USDA Secretary Tom
Vilsack last week that America’s livestock markets are skeptical the
current National Animal Identification System (NAIS) plan will maintain
the “speed of commerce” in livestock marketing. That’s an “an
absolute necessity in maintaining a viable marketing system that serves
tens of thousands of producers every day,” said Nancy Robinson, LMA
vice president for government and industry affairs.
LMA, which represents about two-thirds of all registered markets in the
U.S., believes NAIS should remain a voluntary program.
Among LMA’s concerns are:
- Low-frequency radio-frequency ID tag and tag reader technology
is inadequate in preserving the speed of commerce in most market
settings.
- USDA must identify a standardized ID technology compatible between
livestock operations, before making NAIS mandatory.
- A mandatory program will likely require many markets to establish
tagging services for consignors unable to tag their animals on farm.
This will add costs and affect worker safety, liability and animal
welfare.
- The current NAIS plan doesn’t indicate how USDA will pay for
implementation.
- Cattle ID systems in Australia and Canada shouldn’t be used to
justify a U.S. program. Robinson said it’s time to quit “muddying
the NAIS waters with talk of value-added, trade, food safety and
(country of origin labeling) benefits, and hone in on what this effort
is really about…animal disease control and eradication.”
- An ID program too expensive or cumbersome will force small producers
out of business.
- If USDA is committed to a mandatory program, starting with a
“bookend” ID and tracking system would give the industry time to
adapt, and ID technologies time to “catch up with the realities of the
U.S. livestock industry.” A bookend system would simply require all
livestock to be identified to their premises of origin, with sales and
other commercial records providing the traceback capability.
-- Livestock Marketing Association
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According to a study by Rutgers University’s Food Policy
Institute, many Americans fail to check their homes for recalled food
products. The study found 60% of Americans reported ever having looked
for recalled food products in their homes. Only 10% have found a
recalled food product. Nearly 75% of those surveyed said they would like
to receive personalized info about recalls on their receipt at the
grocery store, and more than 60% would like info by a letter or
e-mail.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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More USDA nominations were announced by the White House. President
Barack Obama plans to nominate Kevin W. Concannon as under-secretary for
food, nutrition and consumer services, and Rajiv J. Shah, MD, as
under-secretary of research, education and economics and chief
scientist. Concannon has served as director of health and human service
agencies in Iowa, Maine and Oregon. Shah currently serves as director of
the ag development program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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Squeezing all the profit potential out of your cows is possible. All
it takes is careful attention to the details. Let's do the math. In
today's environment of volatile input costs and cattle prices, a profit
is a profit. Period. So even an extra $25/cow, while maybe not a
windfall, is certainly something to carefully consider.
--
Click on headline to read the rest of this story by Larry Stalcup.
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Russia has spent about $8 billion over the last four years importing
breeding cattle to establish a domestic beef and milk industry, but the
spending has had little effect, the Vancouver Sun reports.
Last year, Russia produced just half of the three million tons of beef
consumed domestically, and domestic production was down significantly
compared 2000 figures. Meanwhile, national milk production was up only
1% from 2007 despite the federally financed importation since 2005 of
100,000 head of breeding cattle from Australia and Europe.
The animals were meant to be the foundation of a national dairy and beef
herd that would not only make Russia self-sufficient in meat and milk
products but give it the ability to export.
One reason the scheme failed is Russia’s lack of a cultural history in
beef production, the Sun article says. For another, Russia’s
farmers are more used to dealing in poultry and swine, where the payback
on production is quicker. Thus, the infrastructure to accommodate the
imported animals wasn’t in place while the breeding stock was being
imported.
Still, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Victor Zubkov recently announced
another $2.6 billion in spending to provide small family farms with milk
herds of about 100 animals with the aim of supplying local markets, the
Sun says.
-- Muriel Elizabeth Hayes,
Argentina
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The West Texas Youth Veterinary Science Workshop, open to all Texas
youth, will be June 21-25 at the Tom Green County 4-H Center in San
Angelo.
Course topics will include: zoology, the Beef Quality Assurance Program,
toxicology, parasitology, anesthesiology, anatomy, nutrition, first aid,
beef feedlot health management, large and small animal practice,
necropsy and horse medicine.
Enrollment is limited to 30 students and participants must be of high
school age, have an interest in veterinary science and be willing to
work in teams.
Registration ($200) is due by June 10. Submit applications to the
AgriLife Extension office in Sutton County by May 29. Participants will
be informed of their acceptance by June 5. Applications are available
from any AgriLife Extension county office or by visiting sutton-co.tamu.edu.
-- AgriLife Extension release
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More than 70% of U.S. farmers and ranchers have taken steps toward
implementing sustainable agriculture practices, Rabobank says.
According to the Rabobank Farm & Ranch Survey, three of every four U.S.
farmers are aware of sustainable practices, and most have used direct or
no-till seeding, minimized chemical use or employed crop rotation. Other
findings include:
In the North Central and South regions, higher-revenue farms (more than
$1 million annually) have taken steps toward sustainable agriculture
(North Central: 89% vs. 67% of lower-revenue farms; South: 97% vs. 65%
lower-revenue farms).
The opposite is true in the West. More lower-revenue farms have moved
toward sustainable agriculture (74% vs. 51% for farms with revenues
exceeding $1 million).
Direct seeding is more prevalent in the South and North Central (64% and
61%, respectively, vs. 44% in the West). It’s also more prevalent
among large acreage farms (75% for 1,000 acres or more vs. 52% for less
than 1,000 acres).
Reduction of energy use is more prevalent in the West (45%) compared to
North Central (29%).
An independent firm conducted the telephone surveys on Feb. 2-11. It
targeted farmers who own or operate a farm grossing $250,000 or more in
one of three U.S. census regions: Midwest, South and West. A baseline
survey conducted but not released in 2008 was used as comparison for
this survey.
-- Farm Press
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USDA recently released a comprehensive study and database,
“Research on the Economic Impact of Cooperatives,” assessing the
national economic impact of co-ops. The study shows that 29,284 American
co-ops generate revenues exceeding $654 billion, with $133 billion in
income, and employ more than 2 million workers earning a total of $75
billion in wages.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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The national average price for regular gasoline continued to move
higher for the week ending April 20, increasing almost 1¢ to
$2.06/gal., but $1.45 less than the price a year ago, reports the U.S.
Energy Information Administration (USEIA). Meanwhile, diesel was down by
nearly 1¢ for the week to $2.22/gal., $1.92 below the price a year ago.
For the week, gasoline was up 1.4¢ on the East Coast to $2.04, while
the Midwest, Gulf Coast and West essentially remained flat at $2.01,
$1.97 and $2.28, respectively. The Rocky Mountains were up by more than
4¢ to $2.05, while California averaged $2.34.
With the exception of the Rocky Mountain region, diesel was down across
the nation, shedding 1¢ on the East Coast ($2.26) and Midwest ($2.10).
The Gulf Coast was down 2¢ to $2.19, and the Rocky Mountains increased
more than 2¢ to $2.27. The West Coast and California each shed about
1¢ to $2.33 and $2.34, respectively.
-- USEIA release
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The 2008 National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) data
indicates 77% of bull calves in the U.S. are castrated before marketing
and 75% of those are castrated before three months of age. With regard
to age at castration, does the science support this timing or should we
delay castration of bulls to gain some additional weight?
--
Click on headline to read the rest of this story by Mark Hilton, DVM
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Members of the Congressional Rural Caucus sent President Barack
Obama a letter urging him to establish a White House Office of Rural
Policy. The members said, “The unique policy matters faced in rural
America include, but are not limited to, specific concerns regarding ag,
conservation, economic development, education, health care, info
technology, and transportation infrastructure, among others. We're sure
your administration would benefit from an office devoted to the effect
of federal regulations on rural Americans and our communities.” The
caucus is co-chaired by Rep. Travis Childers (D-MS) and Rep. Adrian
Smith (R-NE).
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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