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You might want to send your favorite cattle industry lobbyist a gift
certificate to a steakhouse close to your capital city; odds are he or
she can use a break.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Troy Marshall
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If the recent listening session conducted by USDA in Missouri in
regard to the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is any
indication, then the idea of USDA listening sessions is a real problem.
It doesn't seem either side really cares to listen.
The national ID issue has sat on the backburner for so long, that both
sides have spent plenty of time talking among themselves and convincing
each other that they’re 100% right. Probably the most disconcerting
fact for either side would be to learn that the vast majority of
producers don't spend a second of time on any given day thinking about
national ID.
Despite the protests of some producers, traceback is rapidly becoming a
necessity if one is to compete in the global marketplace. And USDA has
indicated for quite some time that if the industry didn't address
traceback on its own, then USDA would.
Obviously, the industry isn’t going to address it, and USDA – as is
so often the case – has created a real public relations nightmare for
itself at this point.
Unlike country of origin labeling, which was strictly a marketing issue,
the marketplace could be allowed to function, but traceback is largely
about protecting the industry from disease outbreaks and consumer
safety. Thus, by its definition, it is worthless as a voluntary program.
At the same time, since national ID is largely an added cost – an
insurance policy against something that could devastate the
industry – there is no pressing need. That is, until the day it is
needed, and then it will be too late.
It’s clear that USDA is losing the public relations battle.
Nonetheless, most people you talk to in the beef trade consider it more
a question of “when” rather than “if.”
-- Troy Marshall
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Everyone has probably heard the joke about the rancher or farmer who
claims that if he won the lottery he'd keep farming until the winnings
were gone. Well, a 23-year-old Mission, SD rancher, Neal Wanless, likely
will have the opportunity to ranch for quite some time after winning the
$232-million PowerBall Lottery.
It’s kind of a neat story, and it’s always fun to learn about the
people who actually win, but there was a tidbit in one article that got
me to thinking. While nobody would turn down a winning lottery ticket,
the odds are simply astronomical; waiting to win the lottery is
obviously a futile endeavor.
Yet many of us are trying to win the lottery in the cattle business by
always swinging for the fences and hoping for the homerun instead of
playing “small ball” – singles, bunts, steals and sacrifices.
Manufacturing runs is never as exciting as the long ball, but day in and
day out it is the most consistent strategy.
-- Troy Marshall
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 Fresh water on demand, 24 hours
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you, contact Ritchie Industries at 800-747-0222 or visit www.ritchiefount.com
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My wife and I recently took my 80-year-old mother out to lunch. It
wasn’t a fancy establishment, simply a family-style restaurant that
serves good home-style cooking, the kind she grew up on.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Ron Torell,
University of Nevada Extension livestock
specialist
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Cow-calf producers might look at 2009 in the same light as their
sophomore year in high school – something to be endured while they
look forward to the rewards that come with being a senior. Since it's
likely that your sophomore experience is but a dim memory, focus instead
on your senior year. Chances are, the memories still shine bright. So it
may be in the cattle business, too.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by BEEF Senior Editor Burt Rutherford
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North Dakota State University's (NDSU) Central Grasslands Research
Extension Center near Streeter will hold its 28th annual field tour June
24 from 6-9 p.m., and includes a free roast beef dinner.
Among the topics are:
- An evaluation of select perennial grasses and legumes for
biofuel production.
- Integrating short- and full-season stocker grazing to manage
cool-season grass species and forage-finished beef production.
- Maintaining the diversity of native rangelands in the Missouri
Coteau, including management implications of invasive species such as
Kentucky bluegrass and smooth brome; the biology of Kentucky bluegrass
and smooth brome; the importance of livestock in maintaining the
diversity of the Coteau; and the impact on wildlife, soil biology and
income.
The tour starts at the center office, located four miles north of
Streeter. Go to www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/streeter/
for more info; click on “Field days and Events.”
-- NDSU Agriculture Communication
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The feeder cattle marketing season has ended in the Northern Plains
and many livestock auction markets are starting reduced summer
schedules. However, a number of Northern Plains auctions are reporting
higher-than-expected receipts of beef cows, according to Tim Petry,
North Dakota State University Extension livestock marketing economist.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
article by Livestock Marketing Information Center “In the Cattle
Markets"
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 Checkoff Investment Highlights Now on YouTube
It’s not always easy to track all of the valuable returns your beef
checkoff investment delivers — until now. YouTube, a free
video-sharing Web site, now features brief and concise video interviews
highlighting how your checkoff investment helps build beef demand. From
beef exports and beef safety research to summer grilling and middle
meats — get to know your checkoff, go to http://www.youtube.com/BeefBoard.
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Catch a roundup of each week’s cattle-market activity every Friday
afternoon at beefmagazine.com/market-update/.
Steve Kay, editor and publisher of Cattle Buyers Weekly, the
number-one marketing and business newsletter for the North American meat
and livestock industry, provides the week-ending market summary.
A contributing editor to BEEF magazine, Kay also pens the monthly
column, “Meat Matters,” which deals with his insights on
meat-quality issues.
For more info on Kay’s Cattle Buyers Weekly subscription
newsletter, visit www.cattlebuyersweekly.com,
phone 707-765-1725, or email info@cattlebuyersweekly.com.
-- Joe Roybal
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Graves T-Bar Ranch in Henrietta, TX, opens its gates to the public
with a Range Field Day, June 17 from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The field day,
sponsored by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the
Texas Section Society for Range Management (TSSRM), features tours of
the ranch and its calving and show barn.
The T-Bar Ranch was the 2008 recipient of the Outstanding Rangeland
Management Award from the Texas Section Society for Range Management.
Ranch owner Alan Graves will show the results of his 60-year battle with
mesquite as well as how he has used GPS technology to ground broadcast
herbicide. Graves will also explain his cross-fencing system, 60 years
of range planting and rotational grazing management plan he uses to
produce high-quality commercial cattle, while keeping his rangeland in
excellent condition.
Registration begins at 8 a.m. at the Clay County Pioneer Grounds Open
Pavillion on FM 1197, one mile north of the Courthouse Square in
Henrietta. The tour will begin at 8:30. Registration is $10, which
includes a meal. RSVP by June 12 to 940-538-4681.
-- TSSRM release
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The next target in the campaign by the Humane Society of the U.S.
(HSUS) to destroy animal agriculture is Ohio, where the group is
attempting to impose regulations similar to their success last year with
California’s Proposition 2. According to Luther Tweeten, Ohio State
University emeritus chaired professor and ag economist, this would have
negative economic consequences for the state.
“Prop 2 for California is similar to HSUS’ proposal for Ohio,” he
says. “In addition, livestock production conditions in Ohio are
sufficiently similar to those in California so that economic analysis
for California provided a strong basis to begin assessing the situation
in Ohio.”
California researchers conclude that under Prop 2, variable costs of
production for eggs in California will increase at least 20% and perhaps
substantially more. Contributing to these higher costs would be lower
average productive life of a hen, higher mortality rates, higher feed
use and higher labor costs, among others.
“Who would be the economic gainers and losers from imposition of Prop
2-type regulations on Ohio's agriculture?” Tweeten asks. Ohio would
lose: laborers, livestock and crop producers, and the economy as a
whole. Ohio's laying hen enterprise, second only in the nation to that
of Iowa and 38% greater than that of California in 2007, would be
decimated. Applying the latter percentage to the available estimate of
job loss in California, Ohio's loss from Prop 2-type legislation would
total 7,928 jobs and associated income.
Diminished animal agriculture means diminished crop agriculture in Ohio
– less demand for livestock means less demand for corn and soybeans.
The state's livestock agriculture directly consumed 22% of the state's
corn crop and a sizable percentage of the soybean crop in 2008.
Including distiller's grain byproducts (from corn feedstocks for ethanol
production) and corn silage, some 30% of the state's corn crop is fed to
livestock, he says.
Ohio's consumers would lose as workers and income-earners, but Ohioans
would face little if any higher food prices with imposition of Prop
2-type regulations as surrounding states supply low-cost animal
products. Thus, other states would gain jobs and income at Ohio's
expense as animal products consumed in Ohio would be produced elsewhere.
Those products would be produced using current practices, so overall
animal welfare would be unaffected.
To avoid interstate trade that abrogates the intended animal welfare
gains from Prop 2-type regulations, HSUS can be expected to pursue
national legislation to impose regulations on all U.S. livestock
producers. Even if such measures were enacted, they would be severely
undermined over time by livestock product imports from Canada, Mexico
and other countries – often under animal welfare conditions below
Ohio's standards.
To read the complete article, go to ohioagmanager.osu.edu/news/archive/2009/06-09.php.
-- Luther Tweeten, Ohio State University
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Once your wheat is gone, how do you plan to use that ground after
harvest? With good moisture, there are many forage possibilities, says
Bruce Anderson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension forage
agronomist.
If your need is extra feed, several crops can be planted for silage
after wheat harvest is over, he says.
An early-maturing corn is one possibility if planted thick, though yield
still might not be very high. A better choice for late plantings might
be forage sorghum if chinch bugs and other insects aren’t a problem.
“Use high grain-producing hybrids when available. The best choice of
all for short-season silage might be sunflowers. They survive light
frost and yield well under many conditions,” Anderson says.
If hay is the goal rather than silage, consider teff, sorghum-sudan
hybrids, or pearl or foxtail millet when chinch bugs aren't a problem. A
hay crop exceeding 2 tons/acre can still can be grown if planted soon
and rain is timely.
“Another hay or silage alternative is solid-seeded soybeans. A couple
tons of good forage can be grown from taller, full-season varieties
planted after wheat,” he says.
Oats planted in early August is another option. Yields over 2 tons are
possible if moisture is good, fertility high and your hard freeze comes
a little late. But the cheapest option might be to drill bin-run corn
real thick if you have good germination and a drill that can handle the
kernels, he says.
Lastly, Anderson suggests to definitely consider turnips, as well as
oats, for fall pasture planted into wheat stubble in late July or early
August.
“With a few timely rains in August and September, both oats and
turnips produce much high-quality feed in a short time. And, they are
cheap to plant,” he says.
Moreover, he cautions producers against automatically letting wheat
ground sit idle the rest of the year, especially if you could use more
forage. “When moisture is available, there are many forage options.
One might be right for you,” he says.
-- Bruce Anderson, University of Nebraska
Extension forage specialist
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In-N-Out Burger claimed the Best Hamburger category in the 2009
Zagat Fast-Food Survey. More than 6,000 fast-food fans weighed in with
their opinions on the best bets in burgers, salads, coffee, etc., and
chose the In-N-Out Burger, which has locations in just four Western
states (California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona), over behemoths Wendy’s,
Burger King and McDonald’s.
McDonald’s, however, did retain its Best French Fry title and was
voted tops in several other fast-food categories, including Best
Breakfast Sandwich, Best Value and Most Child-Friendly
- Among fast-food mega chains (those with more than 5,000 U.S.
locations), Wendy’s was ranked tops in Food and Facilities, while
Subway was voted Most Popular and No. 1 for Service and Healthy Options.
- For fast-food purveyors with under 5,000 locations, Panera Bread
was voted Most Popular and No. 1 for Facilities, Healthy Options and
Salads. Top Food and Top Service ratings went to In-N-Out Burger.
To see the full results, go to: www.zagat.com/promo..
-- www.zagat.com
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Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, is
threatening bans on Australian and New Zealand beef over concerns that
the product isn’t meeting Islamic halal standards of slaughter.
According to straitstimes.com, Indonesia has threatened a ban on
Australian beef imports, and last week placed a temporary ban on beef
imports from New Zealand. The latter action followed a ruling by the
Islamic Ulema Council (MUI), Indonesia’s top Islamic body that
oversees which institutions can certify meat, that it no longer
recognizes any of New Zealand’s certifying bodies.
Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono says Australian certifying bodies
had to meet new MUI standards or Australian beef would have to deal with
a similar ban.
Indonesia imports an estimated 70,000 tons of beef from Australia and
New Zealand annually and requires all beef imports to be certified
halal.
-- Muriel Elizabeth Hayes
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Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is defying its own name in a bid to
attract more customers in the United Kingdom. The new offerings consist
of a range of griddled chicken products – the first non-fried chicken
ever to be sold in KFC restaurants, reports scotsman.com.
The marinated and griddled offerings include: Griddled Chicken Ciabatta,
Griddled Chicken Twister, Griddled Chicken salad and a Griddled Chicken
Variety Bucket.
KFC president Roger Eaton says the introduction is much lower in fat and
calories than KFC’s traditional fried offerings and boasts the product
will “transform the industry.”
-- Muriel Elizabeth Hayes
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Be warned. Authors Eric Schlosser (“Fast Food Nation”) and
Michael Pollan (“The Omnivore’s Dilemma”) are about to "lift the
veil on the U.S. food industry" in a new movie that touts itself as an
expose of food industry. Director Robert Kenner, who is most famous for
the Al Gore vehicle "An Inconvenient Truth," has turned his camera on
"the highly mechanized underbelly that's been hidden from the American
consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA
and FDA." This is a polemic of the highest degree, with the least
science and the most bias you're likely to see on our industry this
decade. It opened in New York City to rave reviews by film critics last
Friday, and opens in San Francisco and Los Angeles on June 12.
The filmmakers’ goal is to make the organic niche the predominant way
of producing food, but they have a complete failure to either comprehend
or admit the impact that their vision would have on agriculture, the
rural landscape and worldwide food supplies. To correct the fallacies of
the film, the National Meat Association (NMA) has joined an alliance of
associations that represent the livestock, meat and poultry industries
in establishing a fact-based website, www.safefoodinc.com, that will
hopefully help consumers and the media to understand just how uniformed
these documentarians truly are.
Joe Roybal adds: Nina Fedoroff, the science and technology
advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State since 2007, offered a much more
scientifically sound perspective on this issue during her March 31
interview with the BBC’s “One Planet” program. Fedoroff, a
National Medal of Science laureate (America's highest science award) and
a Penn State University professor of molecular biology, believes part of
the better land management that’s needed to feed the world’s teeming
population must include the use of genetically modified (GM) foods.
"We have six-and-a-half-billion people on the planet, going rapidly
towards seven. We're going to need a lot of inventiveness about how we
use water and grow crops," she told the BBC.
"We accept exactly the same technology (as GM food) in medicine, and yet
in producing food we want to go back to the 19th Century."
Fedoroff, who wrote the book, “Mendel in the Kitchen: A Scientist's
View of Genetically Modified Foods,” believes critics of GM maize
(corn) and rice are living in bygone times.
"We wouldn't think of going to our doctor and saying 'Treat me the way
doctors treated people in the 19th Century', and yet that's what we're
demanding in food production," she said.
-- NMA Lean Trimmings
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Nebraska officials say herd testing has identified a second case of
bovine tuberculosis (TB) in a quarantined cattle herd in Rock County,
located in north-central Nebraska. Nebraska Ag Director Greg Ibach says
TB tests have been administered to the entire herd. The first case was
detected by a federal inspector at a packing plant prior to
slaughter.
-- Brownfield Network
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Farmers in Argentina and Brazil are expected to harvest 675 million
fewer bu. of corn and 711 million fewer bu. of soybeans than in 2007-08.
That’s thanks to a lack of timely rains in Argentina and southern
Brazil in January and February, which constitutes the middle of summer
in the Southern Hemisphere.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Forrest Laws, Farm Press
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Last year at this time, skyrocketing commodity prices, driven by
surging costs for energy and grains, had much of the world in a lather.
Oil had surpassed $125/barrel, with speculation that crude could reach
$200. Corn prices lingered around $6, wheat was just over $8 and Iowa
soybeans were a shade off $13. Despite that volatility, one of the
biggest wild cards looming was what November would produce regarding the
makeup of Congress and the identity of the new White House occupant.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
article by Joe Roybal
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Here are some answers to frequently asked questions on the effects
of age and method of castration on performance and stress response in
beef cattle.
- Why is it so important to evaluate the effects of age and
method of castration? Bull calves are castrated to reduce meat
toughness, aggressive behavior, sexual interest and dark cutting.
However, the process of castration can be stressful and can lead to
weight loss and lowered growth performance. The age and method of
castration has a significant impact on growth performance and stress
response making it important to choose the right age and method.
- How does age of castration affect performance and stress
response? During puberty, the testes produce androgens that promote
muscular development by increasing nitrogen retention. After castration,
calves lose weight and their average daily gain drops. Studies have
found that cattle castrated after puberty lose weight for up to 4½
months. This weight loss is because of lower daily feed intake as well
as the muscular developments of the young bull shrinking because of the
natural testosterone withdrawal.
Castration at birth or close to birth reduces this weight loss. Calves
castrated at birth achieve similar weights as calves left intact and
castrated at weaning followed by a prolonged setback due to late
castration. It’s better to castrate calves at birth or a short period
after birth because they recover quicker because of less stress.
- Is it good to castrate bull calves at weaning time? No. To
castrate calves at weaning time which is already a stressful time, often
causes calves to succumb to sickness. By castrating well before weaning,
stress can be handled better because it is spread over time.
- What about the method of castration? The two most common
methods for castrating bulls are surgical and rubber banding. When using
plasma cortisol concentrations as a measure of stress response, there is
no significant difference between surgically castrated and banded
cattle. However, when measuring haptoglobin levels (a serum protein) to
quantify discomfort, the surgical procedure causes higher levels. If
done appropriately, banding is the less stressful and safer of the two
options.
- Is it advisable to band bulls one year or older? Although
banding bulls at one year of age or older is considered less stressful
than surgery, both options cause significant stress to the animal.
Rather than fitting the animal to the production system or the
marketplace by castrating, it’s often more profitable to change the
handling system, feeding environment and marketing system to fit the
intact animal, feeding and selling the animal as a bull.
- When is the best time to castrate calves? Calves suffer less
when castrated earlier whether it be by banding or surgery. Any
advantage to improved growth by leaving them intact as they get older is
lost from losses due to stress from castration. As bull calves get
older, banding becomes more advantageous than surgery.
Source: Bretschneinder, G. 2005. Effects of age and method of
castration on performance and stress response of beef male cattle.
Liv.Prod. Sci. 97, 89-100.
-- Mike Baker, Cornell Extension beef specialist
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Tyson Fresh Meats has nationally re-launched its Star Ranch Angus
premium beef line, which requires product from cattle born and processed
in the U.S.
Originally launched in 2003, the re-launch is the result of extensive
consumer research revealing core attributes that resonate with
consumers, such as Angus and "Made in the U.S.A.", Tyson says in a news
release. The redesigned logo and tagline focus on what consumers said
were most important, including consistent tenderness, great rich flavor
and made in the U.S.A.
Star Ranch Angus uses only "A maturity" Angus cattle, the youngest
USDA-recognized maturity for cattle, to ensure rich beef flavor and
consistent tenderness. The 100% consumer guarantee on all Star Ranch
Angus products was designed to give grocers confidence they are
providing the highest-quality product for their consumers, Tyson added.
"We have three distribution centers servicing nearly 1,000 stores in 14
states and we are seeing a very positive response to Star Ranch Angus
since its re-launch," said Mike Wallace, vice-president of perishables
for Affiliated Foods Midwest. "Our members have responded well to the
line."
-- Meatpoultry.com
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The national average price for regular gasoline at retail jumped
10¢ to $2.62/gal. for the week ending June 8. Meanwhile, the national
average price of diesel rose for the fifth week in a row, surging nearly
15¢ to $2.50.
Gasoline has jumped 58¢/gal. the past six weeks, but is still $1.42
below the year-ago average. Prices were up in all regions, with the East
Coast at $2.54, the Midwest at $2.70, the Gulf Coast at $2.47, and the
Rocky Mountains at $2.52. The West Coast added more than 12¢ to $2.80,
while California was up 14¢ to $2.89.
Diesel saw its largest weekly increase since May 26, 2008 but is still
$2.19 below last year. Prices were up in all regions, as the East Coast
jumped 15¢ to $2.52, the Midwest and Gulf Coast 15¢ to $2.47, the
Rocky Mountains 10¢ to $2.44, and the West Coast added more than 14¢
to $2.60. California was up 17¢ to $2.68.
-- U.S. Energy Information Administration
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Veal farmers are significantly ahead of schedule in meeting their
goal of transitioning all veal farms to group housing by 2017, says the
American Veal Association (AVA).
“Initially, we expected to have 20% of all veal calves raised in group
housing by mid-2009” says Drew Vermeire, a calf nutritionist and
chairman of the industry committee that oversees U.S. veal care and
quality farming standards. An industry survey conducted in April 2009,
however, found that 34.8% of the veal calves currently going to market
are raised in group housing.
AVA’s board unanimously adopted a resolution in 2007 calling for all
U.S. veal farms to transition to group housing systems by Dec. 31, 2017.
The board also encouraged more research to aid farmers in the
transition.
“Veal farmers recognize there are some challenges that still need to
be addressed within group housing,” Vermeire notes. “Calves in
groups exhibit ‘bully’ behaviors toward other calves, which we
expect from young bulls. In addition, there is generally less uniformity
among calves raised in group housing. We know the foodservice market
depends on consistency so we are still working out these issues.”
He says research continues among industry scientists and at universities
in the U.S., Canada, and Europe to help manage calf group behavior,
nutritional needs, and to refine various group housing systems to
improve calf well-being.
-- American Veal Association
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Should USDA’s National Animal Identification System (as currently
proposed) be made mandatory, voluntary or scrapped? Weigh in with your
opinion on the poll at beefmagazine.com.
-- BEEF staff
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