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The fact that HSUS doesn't operate any animal shelters shouldn't
surprise anyone; the group is far too busy pushing its political agenda.
If one can temporarily separate HSUS from its agenda, you have to be
impressed with its ability to extract cash from unsuspecting and
well-intentioned animal lovers, as well as its tireless efforts to use
that mountain of cash to create havoc for animal agriculture.
HSUS has garnered quite a bit of attention with its "puppy mill"
initiative in Missouri, which would limit breeders to 50 dogs, along
with a host of other things. Of course, nobody is advocating for "puppy
mills," but the potential ramifications for animal agriculture have set
off quite a few alarms.
HSUS also petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to list
concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) as stationary sources of
pollutants. HSUS was acting to capitalize on EPA's latest decree that
declared carbon dioxide as a threat to human health by asking EPA to
determine if CAFOs also endanger public health.
The absurdity of it all sometimes makes it easy to discount, but even if
EPA doesn't accept the HSUS position it gives them political pressure to
set new performance standards. The implied threat of litigation is also
very effective.
-- Troy Marshall
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 Search, Sort, Select Your Seedstock
Purchases
The Limousin Exchange is an easy, efficient way to locate and sort
bulls and females that fit your specifications: state, breeder, percent
Limousin, EPDs, color, polled status, age and more. Search, sort and
select your future Limousin and Lim-Flex® seedstock today at www.NALF.org
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I hear a lot of folks who are both discouraged and frustrated by our
country's financial situation. That isn't a totally irrational feeling;
after all, record deficits are now expected to at least triple in the
next decade. Coupled with trillions (yes, trillions) of unfunded
liabilities, the situation offers every indication that those numbers
will increase even more.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Troy Marshall
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Surveys show the U.S. public is fleeing like Tiger Woods sponsors
from belief in man-made climate change. In fact, according to results of
a recent study commissioned by the Nature Conservancy and other leading
conservation and climate-action groups, only 18% of survey respondents
strongly believe that climate change is real, human-caused and harmful.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Joe Roybal
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 We don't make promises. We see Promise.
We think
you will, too.
GAR Promise 2908 sells in the Bases Loaded Sale, Jan. 12, 2010 at the
National Western Stock Show.
Proceeds from the sale of GAR Promise 2908 will be donated to the KS Jr.
Angus Assn. to co-host the 2010 National Jr. Angus Show.
Learn more at www.gardinerangus.com/home.html
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Taiwan announced this week that it would reverse its position on the
bilateral trade protocol it had just agreed to after two years of long
and hard negotiations. The border won't be closed, but new and
additional restrictions will make it far more difficult to access the
market.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Troy Marshall
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The time to renew operating credit lines will soon be here, but the
magnitude and duration of recent losses experienced by beef producers
could make loan renewal time more difficult this year. How you approach
your credit request and your lender will impact the outcome, and a
recent edition of Growing Beef from the Iowa Beef Center at Iowa
State University offers some helpful tips:
- Put yourself in your lender's shoes and understand how
difficult his or her job will be this year in evaluating the potential
success of loans. The better prepared you are for your visit, the more
beneficial that time will be.
- Understanding your true financial position before your visit is
extremely important. At a minimum, you should have your beginning and
ending balance sheets, an income statement and a statement of cash flows
prepared before you go in.
- Analyze your performance. The objective in preparing and analyzing
your business' financial statements is to help you understand the
reasons behind your financial situation.
- Use best management practices. High-cost, inefficient businesses
are high-risk businesses and also are high-risk loans.
- Have a plan for the coming year. While you won't be able to develop
a complete credit plan without your lender’s input, the place to start
is with your ideas for your credit request.
- Have a Plan B. Be prepared to consider drastic measures if your
credit requests don't pencil.
To read the entire document, go to www.iowabeefcenter.org
-- Iowa Beef Center
|
 Profitability in a Turn-Around Economy – February
10, 2010 at the World Ag Expo in Tulare, CA.
BEEF magazine has put together a lineup of speakers, that will help
cattlemen not only understand the challenges facing cattle producers in
2010 and beyond, but plan to succeed in a business faced with new and
different challenges. The BEEF Seminars are sponsored by Avitrol, Allflex USA and Kooima Company
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The Second Annual International Symposium on Beef Cattle Welfare is
set for May 19-21 on the Kansas State University campus. Designed as an
opportunity for all stakeholders in the U.S. beef supply chain to
constructively engage in discussion, debate and dialogue with members of
the North American Food Animal Well-Being Commission–Beef on the
critical welfare issues facing the industry.
The depth, range and unique focus of the experts participating in this
symposium will provide all attendees with unique networking and problem
solving opportunities.
The opening Emergency Preparedness Seminar at the Weber Arena on May
19th will provide a unique forum for producers, transport professionals,
public safety officers, emergency responders and other interested
parties to gain insights into cattle handling during real life
emergencies such as: on-the-road accidents, truck rollovers, natural
disasters, cattle roaming on the road and other emergency type
situations.
The sumposium will also be available via live webcast. Visit the symposium web
site for more information and registration.
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Going into January, beef demand will remain a concern and offset
some of the bullish supply factors. Ground beef and cheaper beef cuts
tend to be the focus of grocers looking to feature beef in January and
February. Ground beef prices will likely benefit not simply because of
the seasonal uptick in demand but also because domestic cow meat
supplies and imported beef supplies this January will likely be smaller
than a year ago.
The latter is especially important as imported beef shipped in November
and December tends to fill the hole created by seasonally smaller U.S.
domestic cow slaughter in January. This year, however, the supply of
imported beef in the pipeline is especially light, which means both
foodservice and retail customers will have to compete more aggressively
for fresh grinding beef supplies.
-- CME Daily Livestock Report
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 SEEDSTOCK NEWSLETTER BARN –
29 Genetic Newsletters – Under One Roof.
The Seedstock Barn is a multi-breed collection of breeder and
association newsletters assembled in one convenient location.
Newsletters provide valuable information into personal producer
philosophy and herd management tips. Producer and association
newsletters foster the sharing of educational and best practice
information vital to improving our most important product, BEEF, in an
effort to keep our most important customer, the CONSUMER.
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Imagine becoming ill and requiring overnight hospitalization. What
if the hospital staff didn't have time to clean and sanitize your
assigned room or bed. The bed sheets look clean enough but are unchanged
from the previous patient, who died from a contagious disease. How you
fare with your hospitalization will depend on your resistance level; in
other words, do you feel lucky?
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Ron Torell, University of Nevada
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Amanda Nolz's BEEF Daily Blog posts at beefmagazine.com have become an
industry sensation, attracting more than 328,000 hits in 2009; not bad
for a young rancher who just graduated from college last May.
Nolz has become one of the industry's most recognizable and vocal
advocates. But besides penning her columns four days per week and
working with her family on their Mitchell, SD ranch operation, Nolz also
makes a number of public appearances throughout the year. Here's a list
of a few upcoming appearances in her datebook.
- Jan. 23 - Brookings, S.D.; Pfizer's Annual Beef Customer
Meeting.
- Jan. 26 - San Antonio, TX;- 2010 Cattle Industry Convention and
Trade Show, Masters of Beef Advocacy Graduation Workshop.
- Jan. 30 - Minot, ND; North Dakota Farm Bureau Young Farmers and
Ranchers Leadership Conference.
- Feb. 11-13 - Frankenmuth, MI; Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference
Partners Program.
- March 27 - Minneapolis, MN; Youth Beef Industry Council Meeting.
- May 14 - Chamberlain, SD; American National CattleWomen Regional
Social Media Workshop.
-- Joe Roybal
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 Social Networking For Beef Industry
Professionals
BEEF content is available on Facebook, a social networking tool
increasingly used by beef industry professionals. Interact with readers
and editors, participate in discussions and keep up-to-date with
industry happenings. Become a
fan of BEEF!
BEEF is also on Twitter, a micro-blogging site that provides
brief status updates on people, groups or organizations. Users can
"follow" people or groups, including news organizations that they want
to keep up-to-date with. Follow BEEF on
Twitter!!
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A full video and presentation slides of the webinar “Retained
Ownership Decisions: Advantages of Feeding in Nebraska” are available
at www.agr.ne.gov/division/apd/webinar.htm
until Jan. 31.
The webinar was conducted in mid-December by Darrell Mark, University of
Nebraska Extension livestock marketing specialist, and Galen Erickson,
University of Nebraska feedlot specialist. The duo provided a wide range
of info for cow-calf operators on what to consider when evaluating
economic decisions, including selling, backgrounding and feeding out.
They also covered options involving commercial feedyards – and
important items to consider when selecting a feedyard, including
financing to cost of gain to market accessibility.
The webinar also noted that the Nebraska Department of Ag lists more
than 185 feedlots representing more than 1.5 million cattle on feed on
its website at www.agr.ne.gov, in the Ag Promotion
Division Section.
-- Nebraska Department of Ag release
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Dynamic educational sessions with direct access to the leading
authorities on pressing cattle industry issues, as well as discussion
with other producers facing similar challenges, are available at the
2010 Cattle Industry Convention and National Cattlemen's Beef
Association (NCBA) Trade Show in San Antonio, TX, starting Jan. 27.
"As the beef cattle industry defends private property rights, individual
freedom, and modern agricultural practices; the need to empower
producers with knowledge becomes even more important," says Tom Field,
NCBA executive director of producer education.
- The 17th annual Cattlemen's College® offers knowledge and
insight into the new ideas and technologies available to improve
profitability. Sponsored by Pfizer, the day-long event offers 15
sessions focusing on four primary tracks - the political and economic
climate, building consumer confidence and demand, enhancing
profitability, and empowering producers to advocate for the industry.
For a full list of sessions and confirmed speakers, go to BeefUSA.org.
- An Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle Workshop will be
presented in partnership with the Beef Reproduction Task Force and Beef
Reproduction Leadership Team. The workshop is designed to improve
understanding and management of the estrous cycle, estrus
synchronization protocols, and other approaches to improving the
efficiency of reproductive rates; as well as strategies to improve
cowherd profitability via enhanced management techniques and strategies.
Nutritional influences on reproductive success and the role of male
fertility will also be covered. The program is designed for beef
producers, veterinarians and artificial insemination technicians, as
well as anyone interested in beef cattle reproduction.
Specific topics include: reproductive management protocols for cows and
heifers, nutritional management of the breeding herd, utilizing AI and
carcass traits in development of a breeding herd, and producer
perspectives on reproductive management technologies.
Register for both events at www.beefusa.org/convregistration.aspx.
-- NCBA news release
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Like the terminology in many businesses, the words used among
weather forecasters can be confusing. What is the difference between an
ice storm warning and a winter weather warning? What triggers a blizzard
warning?
Mary Knapp, Kansas state climatologist, provided definitions for several
winter weather-related terms and phrases. Knapp directs the state´s
Weather Data Library (based at Kansas State University).
- Winter storm watch: Possible heavy snow, and/or significant
accumulation of freezing rain/drizzle or sleet.
- Snow advisory: Worsening travel conditions with 1-5 in. of snow.
- Winter weather advisory: Combined snow with accumulations of
freezing rain/drizzle or sleet.
- Freezing rain advisory: Travel problems are expected due to
accumulated freezing rain. Damage to trees or power lines not expected.
- Sleet advisory: Accumulation of 1/4-1 in. of sleet is expected.
- Winter storm warning: Combination of heavy snow, significant
accumulations of freezing rain/drizzle or sleet, and low wind chill.
- Heavy snow warning: Snowfall accumulation to 6 in. or more in 12
hours, or 8 in. or more in 24 hours.
- Blizzard warning: Winds 35+ miles/hour, considerable falling and/or
blowing snow (visibilities frequently less than 1/4 mile) for at least
three hours.
- Ice storm warning: Significant, and possibly damaging,
accumulations of ice. Wind is an important factor in power- and
tree-line damage. With higher winds, breakage can occur with around 1/4
in. of accumulation.
-- Kansas State University release
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The beef industry faces challenges in beef safety, but is directing
a lot of resources toward solving them, according to Mandy Carr,
executive director of research with the National Cattlemen's Beef
Association (NCBA).
The industry's beef safety challenges are pathogen reduction; new
technology development and implementation; and identifying opportunities
to disseminate knowledge and conduct outreach to consumers, media and
the government.
In addition to ongoing research to help the battle with pathogens, the
Beef Industry Food Safety Council (BIFSCO), a group representing all
sectors of the beef chain, has produced guidance documents for each
industry sector. For cattlemen, those guidance documents include
pre-harvest interventions that can help reduce pathogen shedding. Those
documents are available at www.bifsco.org, with more info
available at www.beefresearch.org.
Meanwhile, consumers can find info about the beef industry's food-safety
efforts and commitment on the "Beef From Pasture to Plate" channel on
youtube as well as on a number of websites, including www.explorebeef.org; www.safeandsavory160.com; www.BSEinfo.org; and www.FMDinfo.org.
-- Burt Rutherford
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Much of the focus in cattle markets remains on weather conditions
and their potential impact on first-quarter beef supplies. While
blizzards and extreme cold take their toll on animals and underpin a
more bullish short-term outlook for cattle markets, the supply situation
in the cattle and beef complex has taken a back seat to the demand
component in recent months.
Writing for the CME Daily Livestock Report, Steve Meyer and Len
Steiner estimate that steer and heifer slaughter in the second half of
2009 was about 2% lower than a year ago and 4% lower than the average
steer and heifer slaughter for the July-December period in the last five
years. During the same timeframe, the Choice beef cutout was on average
10% lower than the previous year and 4% lower than the five-year
average.
Things weren't much better for Select beef cuts as the Select cutout in
July-December was on average 9.7% lower than a year ago and 1.9% lower
than the five-year average. Lower supplies and lower prices don’t
paint the picture of a positive demand situation, but below is a short
list of factors that need to be watched going forward.
- Unemployment. Important but difficult to quantify, high
unemployment numbers tend to negatively impact foodservice sales but
also cause consumers to trade down at the retail case. In early 2009, it
wasn’t clear how high unemployment would get but the government hoped
for a 9% peak. It currently stands at 10% and is likely one of the main
reasons beef sales languished most of 2009.
Where you expect unemployment to be in 2010 likely will color your view
of the beef market this year. Most economists believe unemployment has
peaked but are split in how quickly it will recover; some expect 10%
unemployment through the end of 2010, which would clearly continue to
negatively impact the beef market.
- Housing/equity markets. One can look at these as proxies for the
consumer wealth effect. How consumers feel about their personal
finances, including how wealthy they feel, will determine their
willingness to spend at the foodservice and retail.
- Competing meats. Prices for competing meats are a key demand factor
as they drive much of the feature activity in the retail case. Judging
from activity in CME futures, hog prices are expected to be notably
higher in 2010 and chicken prices are also expected to improve. That
will tend to support beef prices going forward.
- Exports. The U.S. beef export market has slowly improved since the
BSE finding in December 2003. The recent spat with Taiwan received a lot
of press but will likely be inconsequential. Much more important is
whether USDA can get Japan to increase the age of cattle eligible for
export to the US.
-- CME Daily Livestock Report
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Eating well isn’t always eating safely; horse managers who ignore
that lesson when feeding their animals may be creating digestive
problems for their horses.
"Many feeding management recommendations for horses are related to
supplying energy safely," says Dave Freeman, Oklahoma State University
Extension equine specialist. "Most of the energy supplied in rations
comes from carbohydrates. There are two types of carbohydrates –
'starchy, sugary' carbs and 'fibrous' carbs. The two types vary in how
and to what extent they are digested."
One source of energy that horses rely on is fiber. Hays and pastures
supply energy in the form of fiber. Typically, horses should have access
to pastures, hays or coarsely processed forage at minimum levels of
0.75% of body weight/day. These levels guard against feeding too much of
the other type, the starchy, sugary compounds.
"Incorporation of long-stem forage into rations also increases particle
size of substances ingested, thus slowing the rate of intake and the
amount of digestible nutrient intake in a single meal," Freeman says.
"Slowing the rate of intake and decreasing the digestible energy intake
in a single meal may assist digestion in the horse's small intestine."
On the other hand, grains are low in fiber. They supply large amounts of
starchy and sugary carbohydrates as compared to forages. If allowed free
access, most horses will consume enough grain to cause digestive upset.
The most common problem with equine overeating is the consumption of too
much starchy or sugary carbohydrate in a single feeding.
For more info, visit oklahomafarmreport.com/wire/
-- Ron Hays, Radio Oklahoma Network
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Excessive business deductions by livestock or general farmers
trigger IRS audits. If you’re audited in connection with any farming,
livestock or horse activity, the IRS will usually start with one tax
year and then look back or forward for other years to see the history of
losses or profits.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by John Alan Cohan
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With some weather forecasters prognosticating that winter 2009-10
could be the worst in 25 years, appropriate management can help
producers avoid frostbite and hypothermia losses among calves born
during the cold season, says W. Dee Whittier, Virginia Tech Extension
veterinarian.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
Ohio Beef Cattle Letter
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The benefits and the proper use of prescribed burning for habitat
control and land management is the focus of a Prescribed Burning
Workshop set for Jan. 26 at the Noble Foundation’s Kruse Auditorium
and Lake Murray Field Trial Grounds.
The morning session features presentations ranging from legal and
liability considerations and methods for managing fire to environmental
considerations and prescribed burning plans. Following lunch, a demo
burn will be held (weather permitting), along with a detailed
explanation of equipment used during prescribed burns.
Registration is $20, and includes lunch and literature. For more info or
to register, visit www.noble.org/agevents or
call Tracy Cumbie at 580-224-6411.
-- Noble Foundation release
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The Obama administration says it is "deeply disappointed" by a
decision by Taiwan's legislative body to amend its laws to prohibit
imports of some U.S. beef and beef products into the country. The move
came after months of efforts by the U.S. government to expand the market
for such products following a ruling by another branch of the Taiwanese
government - and the World Animal Health Organization (OIE) - that the
products are safe.
Taiwan agreed to allow full access to U.S. beef last October, but
reversed that decision Jan. 5 with a vote by the Legislative Yuan to
amend the Food Sanitation Act (FSA) to ban U.S. ground beef and offal.
"The FSA amendment's provisions do not have a basis in science and
constitute a unilateral violation of a bilateral agreement concluded in
good faith by the U.S. with Taiwan a little over two months ago," the
office of the U.S. Trade Representative and USDA said in a statement.
"The protocol was negotiated on the basis of the guidelines laid out by
the OIE, as well as the findings of Taiwan’s own risk assessment,
which concluded that all U.S. beef and beef products are safe. But the
Taiwan legislature put that into question with its vote on Tuesday."
U.S. members of Congress joined in criticizing the Taiwanese legislative
action.
"Taiwan's own risk assessment, as well as studies conducted by the World
Animal Health Organization and others, has proven that U.S. beef is
safe," said Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), chairman of the Senate
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
"I’m concerned that Taiwan’s legislature is banning imports of some
U.S. beef and beef products," said Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA). "This
ban is inconsistent with a beef trade protocol that the U.S. and Taiwan
finished only two months ago. It calls into question Taiwan’s
credibility as a reliable U.S. trading partner. And, it raises serious
concerns regarding Taiwan's commitments as a member of the World Trade
Organization. This ban is scientifically unfounded and unnecessary. It
never should have advanced."
Jim Miller, undersecretary of agriculture for Farm and Foreign
Agricultural Services, says the decision to place domestic politics over
science raises serious concerns. "This action will also undermine
Taiwan's credibility as a responsible trading partner and will make it
more challenging for us to conclude future agreements to expand and
strengthen bilateral trade and economic ties."
-- Forrest Laws, Farm Press
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Well-known autistic scholar and leading voice on animal welfare
issues Temple Grandin has edited a new book, “Improving Animal
Welfare: A Practical Approach.” The book bridges the gap between
scientific research and practical application. Grandin draws on her
extensive experience in teaching animal behavior and designing and
auditing livestock handling facilities to provide a guide to practical
evaluation and auditing of animal welfare problems.
This 336-page book provides practical, easy-to-implement auditing
methods that managers, veterinarians and animal scientists can easily do
on farms, slaughter plants and during transport. With contributions from
international experts, this textbook is designed to help those working
with animals apply practical methods to improve welfare. The book
features 131 figures/illustrations and sells for $79.95. For more
information, visit
www.cabi.org/CABIPages/bk_BookDisplay.asp?PID=2194.
-- CABI Bookshop
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The U.S. average price for regular gasoline increased 6¢ to
$2.67/gal. for the week ending Jan. 4 – 98¢ higher than the price
a year ago. Meanwhile, the national average price for diesel fuel gained
nearly 7¢ to settle at $2.80, or 51¢ higher than last year at
this time.
Gasoline prices rose in all regions. The East Coast was up 5¢ to $2.65,
the Midwest 8¢ to $2.64, the Gulf Coast 6¢ to $2.53, the Rocky
Mountains 1¢ to $2.51, and the West Coast 4¢ to $2.90.
California jumped more than 5¢ to $2.99/gal.
Diesel was up across the country, rising 2¢ in the Rocky Mountains,
8¢ on the East Coast ($2.83/gal.) 6¢ to $2.77 in the Midwest,
and settled at $2.75 on the Gulf Coast and in the Rocky Mountains. The
West Coast jumped 7¢ to $2.91, while California added 6¢ to
$2.96.
-- U.S. Energy Information Administration
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Applications for Westchester Foundation college scholarships for
2010- 2011 school year are due Feb. 1. Scholarships are awarded to high
school seniors accepted for enrollment or students already enrolled in a
course of study related to ag or agribusiness at any accredited college,
university or community college. Selections are based on academic
qualifications, community and school involvement, leadership potential
and financial need.
The scholarship can be renewed annually for up to four years, provided
the students maintain acceptable grade-point averages. While the amount
awarded for each scholarship varies by individual and economic need,
successful applicants may anticipate a minimum of $1,000/year to fund
any expenses related to attendance at the college of their choice.
-- Westchester Foundation release
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