BEEF_STOCKER TRENDS_ A Penton Media Property July 14, 2009 If you want to view this on the web go to: http://enews.penton.com/enews/beef/v/816 NEWS --Dairy Herd Launches Next Buyout Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) announced July 2 that its recent dairy herd retirement program had removed 101,040 dairy cows -- mostly from the western part of the nation -- and almost 2 billion lbs. of annual milk production from the national inventory. Friday, CWT announced plans to begin the next herd retirement this month. "Carrying out a second herd retirement right on the heels of the largest_ever herd retirement should give us a double_barreled attack on milk production in a very short period of time, resulting in a farm level price recovery several months sooner than would otherwise occur," explained Jerry Kozak, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation, which manages CWT. As with recent CWT herd retirements, in addition to submitting bids for their milk herds, participating producers can also offer all of their bred heifers for retirement. Bids are being accepted until July 24. There's no word on how many cows CWT is looking to cull from the herd during this new round of herd retirement. When CWT first announced its plans for 2009, Jim Tillison, CWT chief operating officer, said, "Given the economic stresses on the farm today, we anticipate CWT will remove a significant number of dairy animals, but that depends on our members and the level of the bids submitted, given current cow prices." As with other herd retirement rounds in recent years, he explained CWT has no set target for the volume of milk or the number of cows to be removed. To view the full article go to: http://beefmagazine.com/beefstockertrends/0714-dairy-herd-launches-next-buyout STOCKER MANAGEMENT --Reducing Hay Fire Risk Taking a few simple steps when harvesting and storing hay can go a long way in reducing the possibility of fires and associated costs. For instance, Bob Schultheis, University of Missouri Extension natural resources engineer, explains hay fires usually occur within six weeks of baling. The most common cause is excessive moisture. "You can reduce fire and mold risk by baling small square bales at 18-22% moisture content and large round bales at 14-18% moisture content," says Schultheis. "Higher moisture levels increase microbial activity and also result in loss of dry matter and usable protein, which can reduce the feeding value of the hay by as much as one-third." To view the full article go to: http://beefmagazine.com/beefstockertrends/0714-reducing-hay-fire-risk STOCKER ECONOMICS --New Livestock Indemnity Program As you battle the misfortunes doled out by Mother Nature, keep in mind that USDA has a new program aimed at compensating livestock owners for death loss due to extreme weather and weather-related events. "This program will provide livestock producers with a vital safety net to help them overcome the damaging financial impact of natural disasters," said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack when he announced the program last week. To view the full article go to: http://beefmagazine.com/beefstockertrends/0714-livestock-indemnity-program EVENTS --Calendar Of Events July 13-17 -- Richard Mifflin Kleberg, Jr. Family Lectureship on Equine Science, King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management, Kingsville, TX; 361-593-5401 or krirm.tamuk.edu (http://krirm.tamuk.edu). July 15-19 -- National Cattlemen's Beef Association Summer Conference, Denver, CO; 303-694-0305 or www.beefusa.org (http://www.beefusa.org). July 21-22 -- Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition and South Dakota Grasslands Coalition Joint Bus Tour, Yankton, SD; jljessop@kennebectelephone.com (mailto:jljessop@kennebectelephone.com) . July 27-31 -- Grazing Management Lectureship, King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management, Kingsville, TX; 361-593-5401 or krirm.tamuk.edu (http://krirm.tamuk.edu). To view the full article go to: http://beefmagazine.com/beefstockertrends/0714-calendar-events CONTACT --Send Questions & Comments To... Wes Ishmael, Contributing Editor, BEEF Stocker Trends, at wesleysink@aol.com (mailto:wesleysink@aol.com) Joe Roybal, Editor, BEEF magazine, at jroybal@beef-mag.com (mailto:jroybal@beef-mag.com) MORE ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER You are subscribed to this newsletter as #email# To subscribe to this newsletter go to: http://http://subscribe.beefmagazine.com/?tc=NLSUB To unsubscribe from this newsletter go to: http://http://subscribe.beefmagazine.com/?tc=NLSUB&cid=#message_id#&lid=#list_id#&email=#email# For questions concerning delivery of this newsletter, please contact our Customer Service Department at: US Toll Free: (866) 505-7173 International: (402) 505-7173 or mailto:beefmagazine@pbinews.com To get this newsletter in a different format (Text or HTML), or to change your e-mail address, please go to your profile page here: http://subscribe.beefmagazine.com/?tc=NLSUB&email=#email# Penton Media | 249 W. 17th Street | New York, NY 10011 Copyright 2009, Penton Media. All rights reserved. This article is protected by United States copyright and other intellectual property laws and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, re-disseminated, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, directly or indirectly, in any medium without the prior written permission of Penton Media