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I look forward to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
convention every year. There is something intriguing about seeing 6,000
cowboys walking downtown in a major city.
The issues facing the industry are becoming increasingly more complex
and threatening. The industry certainly won’t alter the fact that
we’re outnumbered and outspent by our opponents by a considerable
measure, but witnessing how cattlemen all across the country are working
through their local and national associations to proactively address
these issues certainly gives one considerable hope for the future.
There are a lot of people who are passionate advocates for our industry
and who are committed to both building demand and improving the business
environment in which we work. Considering the political environment
we’re facing, such participation and resolve have never been more
important.
I have to confess that a lot of the work that is done is tedious and
devoid of excitement, but it truly is impressive to see how cattlemen
are willing to give their time and efforts to the cause.
-- Troy Marshall
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This week the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Agriculture
Committee agreed to co-sponsor a resolution of disapproval introduced by
Sen. Lisa Murkowski. The resolution is in opposition to the
Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to begin regulating
greenhouse gases via the Clean Air Act.
At the same time, a media survey asked voters to rank the 10 major
issues in terms of importance. The results showed climate change to be
dead last on the list of issues, and a very distant last at that. This
survey and others show that the American voter is not overly concerned
about climate change. Their focus is more on jobs and expanding
deficits.
Meanwhile, politicians in the wake of the stunning election results of
Massachusetts last week suddenly appear to be in the mood to listen to
the electorate. It might be decidedly premature to say that cap and
trade and some of the more draconian measures being pushed by this
Congress and administration are dead, but they’re certainly moving
toward the backburner in today’s political environment.
The planet may be in a cooling phase that seems to defy explanation, but
the heat has definitely been turned up on politicians.
-- Troy Marshall
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Early bull sales have seen prices coming in higher on average. The
strength of the bull market is a little surprising given that overall
profitability for the cow-calf side of the business has been pretty
marginal; plus, the long-anticipated expansion in numbers has yet to
materialize.
However, the supply and demand factors look better for 2010 than 2009,
and we’re continuing to see cow-calf producers embracing quality over
quantity in their management plans. The effect is that the top half of
the bull market seems to be significantly higher, while the lower half
is steady to lower.
-- Troy Marshall
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Minnesota’s Extension Beef Team has set its 2010 Cow/Calf Days. At
a cost of $25/family or farm which includes a meal and proceedings,
attendees can register by calling the number listed with each location.
Feb. 2 – Staples (9:30-3 p.m.), 320-732-4435.
Feb. 2 – Bagley (5:30-9:30 p.m.), 218-694-6151.
Feb. 3 –Lancaster (5:30–9:30 p.m.), 218-463-0294.
Feb. 4 – Baudette (5:30–9:30 p.m.), 218-327-5958
Feb. 5 – Grand Rapids (5:30-9:30 p.m.), 218-327-5958.
Feb. 8 – Mora (5:30-9:30 p.m.), 218-327-4490
Feb. 9 – Glenwood (9:30-3 p.m.), 320-231-7890.
Feb. 10 – Pipestone (9:30-3 p.m.), 507-825-6715.
Feb. 11 – Rochester (5:30-9:30 p.m.), 218-327-4490.
Feb. 12 – New Prague (9:30-3 p.m.), 507-357-8230
This year’s topics include: The basics and cost of developing heifers,
What’s to know about grazing systems, The economics behind the cow,
research updates and a producer speaker panel on keeping the younger
generation in the beef business, and Current Beef Team Updates. For more
info, visit www.extension.umn.edu/beef.
-- University of Minnesota
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An original film based on the development and early professional
life of animal behaviorist Temple Grandin is set to premiere on Feb. 6
at 8 p.m. (EST) on HBO. And, BEEF magazine has a cameo role in
the two-hour production.
BEEF is among the first few industry publications to have carried
articles on animal handling at the start of Grandin’s career, and a
pair of 1970s covers and articles appear in the production.
Temple Grandin is an original film based on Grandin’s
inspirational, true story starring Claire Danes. The movie chronicles
the developmental and early professional years of the noted animal
behaviorist and designer of livestock-handling facilities. Here’s a
link to the movie trailer – www.youtube.com/watch.
But Grandin's accomplishments are particularly noteworthy because she's
one of the world's highest functioning autistics. She's worked to foster
a better understanding of autism among the general population and is a
prominent advocate for autism rights. And it's that vein that the HBO
presentation explores using the livestock industry as a backdrop to her
personal discovery and development. To read more about the production,
go to beefmagazine.com/beef-quality/cattle-handling.
Information related to autism and the HBO film will be displayed in all
775 Barnes & Noble stores and at www.bn.com/templegrandin,
including a free, downloadable coloring book that tells Temple’s story
through illustrations created by artists with autism. Download the
coloring book through Feb. 17 at bn.com/templegrandin.
Grandin continues to write for BEEF. In fact, a worker safety
article – “Safe Makes For Safety” – appears in the January issue
of BEEF at beefmagazine.com/beef-quality/cattle-handling/.
-- Joe Roybal
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Newsletters provide valuable information into personal producer
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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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In recent years, a number of cattle handlers have been attacked by a
cow or bull, says Eldon Cole, University of Missouri Extension livestock
specialist. Although the majority of the attacks didn’t result in
fatalities, there have been many bruises, broken bones and crushed egos.
Statistics support the fact that farming is one of the most dangerous
occupations. According to Amanda Marney, University of Missouri
Extension ag preparedness specialist, national data show livestock,
machinery and falls as the dominant sources of occupational injury on
farms.
“In fact, some studies show that up to one-third of injuries on the
farm are associated with livestock,” Marney says. “While many cattle
are placid, they weigh more than six times the weight of a man and can
crush bones with a single kick, step or charge.”
In a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), there were 21 cattle-related deaths in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and
Nebraska from 2003 to 2008. Of these deaths, 13 involved attacks by
individual bulls, six involved attacks by individual cows and five
involved multiple cattle.
According to Cole, the attacks reported to him have resulted from
animals that had never acted aggressive toward their owners before.
“Some may even have been show animals that were broke to load or
otherwise were very docile,” Cole says.
“Don’t assume an animal that’s halter broken or that you’ve
petted out in the pasture won’t have a bad day and their hormones take
over. When this occurs, bulls or cows can surprise you at how fast they
move,” Cole says. “Your big beef or dairy bull may not be as fast
but they will be quicker than you expect.”
Cole offers several tips to help avoid such injuries:
- Always be careful around livestock and have an escape route
planned such as going under or over a fence or through a man pass.
- Always carry some device that offers some protection in case of
attack. Though dogs can provoke an animal, they can also sometimes help
the owner escape.
- Remember, you’re not getting any younger, and may not move as
quickly as you once did. Always try to have another person with you when
working with newborns or moving bulls.
- Cull aggressive animals. Docility is a heritable trait; if some
animals in your herd are inherently mean, pay more attention to that
trait in selecting replacements. Some breed associations offer docility
EPDs.
- Don’t sacrifice safety for speed; “easy does it” is a good
policy around livestock.
- Keep fences and gates in good repair and sturdy enough to protect
you and your help.
-- University of Missouri release
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While the recession has been the biggest factor in consumer demand,
there are glimmers of hope on the consumer horizon, according to John
Lundeen, executive director of market research with the National
Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA).
The importance of protein in the diet is on the rise with consumers, he
told cattlemen attending the Cattlemen's College at the Cattle Industry
Convention this week in San Antonio, TX. In 2007, 55% of consumers said
protein is extremely or somewhat important in the diet. Now, that
figure is 64%.
What's more, Lundeen said NCBA's research reveals that consumers are
planning to increase beef purchases. In July, 13% of consumers surveyed
said they intend to eat more beef vs. 12% who indicated they were
cutting back, for a 1% net gain.
"I've never seen that in the data before," he said. "We need to
corroborate that, but it may be that we've turned the corner."
To see a short interview video with Lundeen, go to http:/FILL IN
LATER
-- Burt Rutherford
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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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Gasoline and diesel at retail declined for the week ending Jan. 25.
Regular gasoline at retail fell for the second week in a row, shedding
3¢ to $2.71/gal., or 87¢ above the average a year ago. Diesel also
fell for a second week, dropping 4¢ to $2.83, and 57¢ above the
year-ago price.
Gasoline was down in all regions, with the East and Gulf Coasts shaving
3¢ to $2.72 and $2.59, respectively, while the Midwest slashed 6¢ to
$2.62, and the West Coast 1¢ to $2.94. California was down 2¢ to
$3.01/gal.
Diesel was also down across the country. The East and Midwest shed 4¢
to $2.88 and $2.79, respectively, while the Gulf Coast and the West
Coast slid 3¢ to $2.80 and $2.92, respectively. California slipped 2¢
to $2.99, and the Rocky Mountains dropped 1¢ to $2.82/gal.
-- U.S. Energy Information Administration
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Cattlemen can tune into two webinars on beef cattle genetics this
month.
On Feb. 11 at noon Central time, cattlemen can learn about “Managing
genetic defects in beef cattle: practical advice for protecting your
herd and investment.” Topics include a review of the mode of
inheritance common to many genetic defects, understanding inbreeding,
the importance of pedigree analysis, common genetic defects, and
practical advice for selection and culling to avoid or eliminate genetic
defects in your herd.
Another webinar Feb. 25 at noon Central time will look at “Mating
systems to solve problems and add value to beef production systems:
crossbreeding and the power of heterosis.” Topics include a review of
the fundamentals of heterosis (hybrid vigor), the power of crossbreeding
to improve production efficiency, breed complementarity, simple and
effective crossbreeding systems for large and small herds and why
there’s been a surge in popularity of hybrid genetics.
To join the webinars, go to connect.extension.iastate.edu/beefcattle/.
Anytime before the meeting you can visit www.extension.iastate.edu/testconnect/
to confirm your ability to connect to the webinars.
-- Beef Cattle Clearinghouse eXtension Community
of Practice release
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 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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"I Heart Beef" is the name of a checkoff-funded campaign aimed at
jumpstarting sales of middle meats in a traditionally slower time –
February. The program coincides with Heart Health Month and was
specifically designed to help strengthen interest in beef middle meats
by reminding consumers of their passion for great steaks like the T-bone
and tenderloin.
"A growing body of evidence shows that lean beef, trimmed of visible
fat, can be a part of a low saturated fat diet that does not increase
heart disease risk factors," says Dave Fugate, cow-calf producer from
Greenback, TN, and chair of the Joint Public Relations Subcommittee.
"The checkoff's I Heart Beef campaign is strategically positioned during
a time when consumers tend to focus on dieting, and we're trying to make
them aware of the heart health benefits of lean beef; meanwhile, aiming
to increase sales of middle meats which aids the ultimate goal of the
checkoff – increase beef demand."
The campaign includes numerous media outreach components, online and
electronic communications, and communications and a recipe contest
geared toward registered dietitians, encouraging them to share their
love for lean beef. As an off-shoot of the national efforts, the
campaign can then be tailored by state beef councils.
“This campaign will kick off in February but the benefit to beef
producers is that its usefulness can be extended to other holidays such
as St. Patrick’s Day when consumers are celebrating the holiday with
corned beef and cabbage,” Fugate says. “And there’s something out
there for everyone – if you’d like to participate as a producer,
this program offers ways to be involved and help share the beef story so
hopefully more people remember to ‘heart’ beef during February.
Watch your e-mail or contact your state beef council for more
details.”
-- www.beefboard.org
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USDA’s monthly cattle-on-feed report released last Friday was
generally a bullish report given the higher-than-expected marketings in
December and lower-than-expected feedlot placements. The report, which
details on-feed numbers, marketings and placements as of Dec. 31, found
that a combination of high feed costs, lower out-front cattle prices and
poor weather conditions in December caused feedlots to place 6.1% fewer
cattle on feed than a year ago. At 1.546 million head, December
placements were the lowest for this month since December 1998.
As of Jan. 1, the feedlot inventory was pegged at 11.009 million head,
the smallest January inventory number since January 2003. Marketings in
December were also up 3.5% from year-ago levels, 1.2 points higher than
the average of pre-report estimates.
Writing in the CME Daily Livestock Report, Steve Meyer and Len
Steiner say the sharp reduction in placements in November and December
should be supportive of beef prices in late spring and early summer
although the demand situation continues to be a concern. Feedlot
operators have placed about 273,000 fewer cattle on feed in the last two
months compared to the previous year. Some of the reduction reflects the
fact that good pasture conditions last summer and early fall caused
producers to keep feeders on grass a bit longer, which also explains why
we are seeing heavier animals placed on feed.
Feeder supplies should be tight for much of 2010, especially since
cow-calf operator profitability remains a concern and producers have yet
to stop the beef cow herd liquidation.
-- CME Daily Livestock Report
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The Beef Cow Ration Balancer program has been redesigned and is
available to help beef producers more closely monitor the nutritional
requirements of their cows. Designed to assist producers in efficiently
balancing rations to meet cow requirements, the program can be
downloaded from the University of Minnesota Extension Beef Team’s
website at www.extension.umn.edu/beef/.
If you have questions or comments about the program, email the developer
Mike Boersma at boers010@umn.edu.
-- University of Minnesota
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Farm organizations are welcoming the decisions of the chairman and
ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee to support a Senate
resolution opposing EPA’s plan to regulate carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases (GHGs) through the Clean Air Act (CAA).
A total of 138 commodity and ag organizations signed a letter circulated
by the National Cotton Council that endorses a resolution of disapproval
under the Congressional Review Act. The resolution was introduced by
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story Forrest Laws
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The U.S. is on the cusp of an economic recovery, but we’re bucking
a headwind, says Jason Henderson, executive vice president of the Omaha
Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. “It’s not a
strong recovery,” he told cattlemen attending the Southwest Beef
Symposium in Tucumcari, NM, last week. “We’ll look back at this last
year and wonder how we got through. But we did.”
His forecast for 2010 is for better economic conditions. He predicts the
economy to grow 3% this year, compared with a historic growth rate
between 4.5% and 5%. And he adds that the Federal Reserve says the
economy will start adding jobs by the end of the first quarter into the
second quarter. “But job growth won’t be robust.”
The reason for his guarded optimism is that while the financial market
crisis has eased and the waves of foreclosures in the housing market
will get smaller and smaller, commercial real estate is still
struggling. And continued high unemployment rates could dampen the
recovery.
Meanwhile, Lowell Catlett, dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer
and Environmental Sciences at New Mexico State University, takes a more
bullish approach.
“It’s amazing how we forget how powerful this country really is and
how strong our economic base is,” he told cattlemen.
Since 1933, when the Great Depression ended, the Gross Domestic Product
has only declined year-on-year from 1945 to 1946. GDP numbers for 2008,
which were released in June of 2009, showed a 2.6% growth. When 2009
numbers come out in June this year, Catlett expects another year-on-year
increase in spite of several quarters that showed a decline.
“Recessions are a natural part of who we are,” he says. “In the
last 80 years, we’ve had 13, not counting this one. You can’t sprint
all the time. You have to pause and take a breath.”
What do Americans do better than anyone else in the world? “They get
up in the morning and they go to work. After we have a little pause that
refreshes, we do what? Go back to work. The economy after every one of
those recessions grew at twice the rate it did prior. This one, I think,
will be no different,” Catlett says.
-- Burt Rutherford
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USDA funding for research on greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation in
agriculture will increase by more than 10-fold over the next four years,
says USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack.
The increase comes as the U.S. joined 20 other countries on Dec. 16,
2009 to announce the formation of the Global Research Alliance on
Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA), an international research
collaborative to combat climate change. For more on the USDA GRA
initiative, see www.usda.gov
and go to the "Press Room." Search for Release No. 0615.09 from Dec. 16,
2009.
Over the next four years, USDA plans to expand agricultural climate
change mitigation research by $90 million and contribute this research
to the GRA. The increase will raise USDA´s ag climate change mitigation
research portfolio to more than $130 million over the next four years,
up from a base level of funding of just over $10 million in fiscal year
2009.
USDA´s enhanced commitment is part of a larger increase on climate
change research at the agency. Overall, USDA says it expects to invest
more than $320 million in the next four years on climate change
mitigation and adaptation research for agriculture.
In conjunction with the announcement, USDA also released a new report
entitled "The Effects of Climate Change on U.S. Ecosystems." This report
summarizes the most recent scientific findings on how climate change
will affect ag systems in the U.S. and worldwide.
The
report is based on a consensus of recent scientific research and
modeling. It concludes that climate change is already affecting U.S. ag,
land and water resources, and biodiversity, and identifies many of the
effects on ag and other ecosystems in the U.S. over the next several
decades.
Some of the report´s main points include:
- Grain and oilseed crops will mature more rapidly, but
increasing temps will heighten the risk of crop failures.
- Marketable yield of horticultural crops (such as tomato, onion, and
fruit) are more vulnerable to climate change than grains and oilseed
crops due to the high sensitivity of their quality and appearance to
climate factors.
- Livestock mortality will decrease with warmer winters but will be
more than offset by greater mortality in hotter summers. Hotter temps
also will result in reduced livestock productivity due to changes in
consumption and lower pregnancy rates.
- Elevated atmospheric CO2 will drive more and wider weed growth and
reduce the effectiveness of herbicide applications.
- Disease and pest prevalence will escalate as a result of shorter,
warmer winters.
- Shrinking mountain snowpack and earlier spring snowmelt runoff in
the western U.S., and more drought in the West and Southwest, will
further tax water resources.
-- Forrest Laws, Farm Press
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How can cattlemen battle HSUS? “By doing it right and telling the
world,” says Tom Field, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA)
executive director of producer education.
Quoting a novelist, Field told cattlemen at the Southwest Beef Symposium
in Tucumcari, NM, “You are the story teller of your life, and you can
create your own legend or not.” The problem, he says, is we’re
letting other people tell our story.
In fact, he says many of the challenges cattlemen are facing revolve
around the industry’s ability to communicate and communicate
effectively. “The fact of the matter is consumers want to trust us.
And, by and large, they do,” he says. But consumers are under a
barrage of misinformation from anti-beef activists. Keeping that trust
is the responsibility of every cattle producer.
Where does consumer trust come from? “Producer integrity and Beef
Quality Assurance competence. That’s how we build trust and that’s
how we hold trust,” he says. “Your personal integrity is fundamental
to the whole thing.”
The good news, he says, is that integrity is something cattlemen value.
“At the end of the day, choices make destiny. It’s our story and
we’re letting other people tell it right now. So we have to recapture
our own legend. But we have a position of strength – good people and a
legacy of caring.”
-- Burt Rutherford
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