BEEF_STOCKER TRENDS_ A Penton Media Property August 4, 2009 If you want to view this on the web go to: http://enews.penton.com/enews/beef/v/834 NEWS --Cattle Dodge The Worst Of Food Safety Bill The Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 (FSEA) passed by the House of Representatives last week would apparently spare livestock producers from key concerns voiced by cattlemen. According to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA), the final House bill clarifies that livestock are exempt from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation -- including on-farm inspections and additional authorities currently under the jurisdiction of USDA. Final language in the bill also includes clarifications to traceability and record-keeping provisions contained in the bill. Among other things, original language in the bill would have authorized FDA to conduct on-farm inspections, undermining USDA's regulatory authority in ensuring the safety of meat and poultry products. To view the full article go to: http://beefmagazine.com/beefstockertrends/0804-cattle-dodge-saftey-bill STOCKER MANAGEMENT --Oats For Fall Pasture And Hay "Oats may be one of our most under-used fall forages," says Bruce Anderson, University of Nebraska Extension forage specialist. "It grows fast, thrives under cool fall conditions, has good feed value, and can produce over two tons of hay or pasture yet this year. And it dies out over winter, so it protects soil without causing planting problems next spring." Writing in a recent issue of Hay and Forage Minutes, Anderson says, to plant oats, drill about 3 bu. of oats/acre in early August for maximum yield potential. "A fully prepared seedbed usually is best, but you can plant oats directly into wheat stubble or other crop residues if weeds are killed ahead of planting," Anderson says. "Even flying oats onto corn fields severely damaged by weather or to be chopped early for silage can work, although rye tends to work better for flying on seed. Avoid fields with herbicide carryover, and top-dress 40 lbs./acre of nitrogen unless the previous crop was heavily fertilized." To view the full article go to: http://beefmagazine.com/beefstockertrends/0804-oats-fall-pasture-hay --Wheat Pasture Performance May Not Suffer Early On The notion that it takes a couple of weeks to bring calves up to speed on wheat pasture may be more myth than reality, according to research conducted at Oklahoma State University (OSU). Glenn Selk, OSU Extension cattle reproduction specialist, explains grazing studies were conducted two consecutive winters at the OSU wheat pasture research unit to determine body weight change throughout the winter grazing period. During the first winter, 34 Angus steers (494 lbs.) were grazed on wheat pasture for 166 days. The next winter, 28 Angus steers (502 lbs.) were managed on the wheat pasture for 163 days. Grazing started on Nov. 11 and Nov. 14, respectively, and the steers were removed from the wheat on April 26 each year. The steers were weighed 15 times during year one; seven times during year two. Because of differences in weather and forage growth, stocking rates varied from 1.83 acres/steer the first year to 3.07 acres/steer in the second year. To view the full article go to: http://beefmagazine.com/beefstockertrends/0804-wheat-pasture-performance STOCKER ECONOMICS --Selling Carbon Credits With The Calves Add this to the possible ways of adding value to the calves and feeder cattle you're trading: verified carbon credits. According to IMI Global, the first such calves and carbon credits were marketed at last week's Superior Livestock Video Royal XVII sale at Winnemucca, NV. Carbon credits attached to the calves were verified by IMI Global's VerifiedGreen™ program. Mayfield Ranch of Hidalgo, NM, sold the calves. Buyers paid one price for both the cattle purchased at auction and the carbon credits associated with the sustainable activities of the ranch. To view the full article go to: http://beefmagazine.com/beefstockertrends/0804-selling-carbon-credits-calves EVENT SPOTLIGHT --Deep South Stocker Conference Aug. 20-21 Hattiesburg, MS Hosted by Auburn University, Mississippi State University and the University of Georgia. Aug. 20: Noon - 6 p.m. *Production tours, *Price risk management, John Anderson, Mississippi State University (evening meal). Aug. 21: 8 am - 4 p.m. *Receiving health protocols, Robin Faulkner, Pfizer Animal Health; *Soil nutrient management, Dennis Hancock, University of Georgia; *Producer panel; *Grazing management, Holly Boland, Mississippi State University; *Feeder and fed cattle market trends, John Michael Riley, Mississippi State University. For more info, contact Justin Rhinehart at 662-325-7465 or jrhinehart@ads.msstate.edu (mailto:jrhinehart@ads.msstate.edu) --23rd Annual Wheatland Stocker Conference Aug. 21 -- 8:30 a.m. Cherokee Strip Conference Center, Enid, OK Hosted by Oklahoma State University. *How age and source verification can add value to stocker calves, Joe Young, Micro Beef Technologies; *Cattle markets and issues: Finding opportunities and avoiding traps, Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University; *Reducing cattle stress to maximize stocker production efficiency, Dawn Hnatow, livestock handling specialist, Bowie, TX; Lynn Locatelli, DVM, Wolf Creek, MT; *Farm policy and livestock issues in the news, Ron Hays, Radio Oklahoma Network; *Stocker cattle nutrition update, David Lalman, Oklahoma State University. For more info, contact Greg Highfill at 580-237-7677 or greg.highfill@okstate.edu (mailto:greg.highfill@okstate.edu) EVENTS --Calendar Of Events Aug. 3-5 -- Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; contact Jason Cleere, 979-845-6931 or beef.tamu.edu (http://beef.tamu.edu). Aug. 10-14 -- John Armstrong Lectureship on Systems Thinking, King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management, Kingsville, TX; 361-593-5401 or krirm.tamuk.edu (http://krirm.tamuk.edu). Aug. 13 -- Beef Conference, Making Money on Hard Times, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, www.asi.ksu.edu/beefconference (http://www.asi.ksu.edu/beefconference). To view the full article go to: http://beefmagazine.com/beefstockertrends/0804-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. 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