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Is it important or is it easy? – I believe there’s magic in that
phrase. This simple question can do wonders for fixing your
time-management issues and ensuring your efforts are aligned with your
priorities.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Troy Marshall
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 Camp
Cooley Ranch provides powerful genetics to create value.
Our customer programs create opportunity to market your
cattle. We provide calving-ease sires with big growth spreads and
carcass traits to create performance. We create
consistency by selecting balanced-trait donors and sires. Let us
help you create your herd’s genetic
potential.
www.campcooley.com
1-800-251-0305
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The National Cattlemen’s Foundation is accepting applications for
five, $5,000 scholarships available under the Fort Dodge Animal Health
Legacy Scholarship Program. Three of the awards are directed to
veterinary-school students who have designated an emphasis in bovine
practice, and two will go to junior or senior undergraduate students
enrolled full-time in an animal-science program with an emphasis in
bovine production.
The deadline for scholarship applications is April 30 and winners will
be announced at the 2008 Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Denver,
CO, July 15-19. All five recipients receive an expense-paid trip to
attend the conference.
For more info, visit www.nationalcattlemensfoundation.org
or www.fortdodgelivestock.com.
-- National Cattlemen’s Foundation release
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 Tru-Test, Inc. has been designing, manufacturing, and
marketing the world's leading single animal digital livestock scales for
over 25 years. Tru-Test scales lock-on a stable weight within 3 –
6 seconds regardless of animal movement. With our extensive range of
digital indicators, you can collect weights and other animal data to
effectively manage your herd and make key management decisions. All
Series 3000 indicator models are EID compatible and can interface with
most animal management software programs. Tru-Test scale systems are
truly the choice among livestock producers and the industry's leading
cattle equipment manufacturers. Contact Tru-Test at 800-874-8494
or visit our website at
www.tru-test.com.
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European consumers have long had an aversion to genetically modified
organisms (GMO), be it in their food or in the feed used to rear their
meat. But that anti-GMO preference will soon have an impact on what’s
available on their supermarket shelves and may open up an opportunity
for U.S. beef producers to export more to Europe.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Meghan Sapp, Brussels, Belgium
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Increases in beef consumption in China continue to outstrip
production growth, resulting in increased import projections for 2008,
USDA's agricultural attaché in Beijing says. In a semiannual report,
Bill Westman, the lead USDA official in the largest-population country
in the world, says the worst snowstorms in 50 years during January and
February, along with a slow recovery from porcine blue ear disease, have
hampered livestock production in China.
The attaché forecast a four-fold increase in China's beef imports to
30,000 metric tons due to increased demand, particularly around the
Olympics in August. Some of that beef is expected to come from South
America, since China has lifted its ban on four Brazilian states.
It’s very uncertain as to when the Chinese will lift their ban on U.S.
beef, as they want to allow it in under less than full OIE-based
international standards.
China is expected to reduce its beef exports by 4% to 78,000 metric
tons. Beef production is expected to rise by 3% to 7.7 million metric
tons, the report says. To read the report, go to www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200803/146293828.pdf.
-- Ron Hays, Radio Oklahoma Network
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Herefords - The Efficiency Experts
Adding Hereford genetics to your herd makes perfect business sense in a
cost-driven economy. Excellent conversion, hardiness, fertility,
longevity and even disposition can help reduce input costs. These
Hereford efficiencies are ideal for your herd, your business and your
plans for the future. Low-maintenance cattle, long-term profit. Now
that's power.
www.hereford.org
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing additional
options to a 2006 proposal for concentrated animal feeding operations
(CAFOs) under the Clean Water Act. This supplemental proposal will be
published soon in the Federal Register and open to public comment
for 30 days.
According to EPA, “Under current law, if CAFOs do not discharge
pollutants to waters of the U.S. they do not need a Clean Water Act
permit. Today's proposal would, for the first time, allow CAFOs to
certify that they do not discharge. EPA is also proposing three
different approaches for nutrient management plans (NMPs) that could be
used by permitting authorities and CAFOs to determine application rates
of manure, litter and wastewater to be incorporated into the permit. An
NMP specifies the amount of manure that can be applied to crops so
nutrient runoff to water bodies is minimized.”
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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High energy costs and a perceived slumping economy are changing
consumer shopping and dining habits, according to national online poll
of 1,147 consumers in November 2007. The third annual report, “The
Power of Meat – An In-Depth Look At Meat Through Shoppers’ Eyes,”
found respondents dining more at home and increasingly concerned over
the cost of meat.
But the American Meat Institute (AMI) and the Food Marketing Institute
(FMI) study found that meat continues to be a staple of U.S. dinner
tables. The average family sits down to five dinners/week at home, with
an average of 4.2 including a meat item. Chicken and beef are the top
meat choices, with more than 80% eating chicken and beef at least once
weekly. More than 34% eat chicken and beef at least three times weekly.
Consumers ranked price per pound as the most important factor when
selecting meat – averaging a 4.6 on a scale from 1 to 6. This was up
from 2006 and 2007. And the vast majority compares meat prices before
selection and purchase.
In addition, energy costs are having an increasing impact on shoppers’
disposable income. “Large numbers of shoppers already have made
changes, ranging from eating out less, purchasing less expensive
products while in the store, and even switching primary stores,” the
report notes.
Other features important to consumers when selecting meat included
product appearance (4.3); package size/total package price (3.8);
nutritional content (3.4); knowledge of how to prepare (3.0); and
preparation time required (2.8).
More than 20% of respondents also indicated they purchase natural and
organic meat, with the most frequently purchased products being chicken
(73%) and beef (49%).
-- American Meat Institute release
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A solid business relationship powered by Angus. Rely on the power
of Angus data, industry leading technology, continuing research and
unmatched value-added marketing opportunities. Angus, the power of
people and progress.
www.angus.org
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Congress extended the current farm bill until April 18, giving the
House and Senate Ag Committees additional time to try and finalize a new
farm bill. This week, the leadership of the House and Senate Ag
Committees, Senate Finance Committee, and House Ways and Means Committee
continued to work on determining the additional funding level for the
farm bill ($10 billion), offsets to pay for the additional funding, and
determining the funding levels for each title of the bill. (This effort
was continuing at press time.)
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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Regulations now allow use of some Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
fields as pasture or hay periodically. But some advance thought work is
needed to make the most of this opportunity, says Bruce Anderson in his
Hay & Forage Minute newsletter.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Bruce Anderson, UNL – Hay & Forage Minute
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The High Plains Horseman’s Day is set for April 5 in Oakley, KS at
the Logan County Fairgrounds. Topics include horse health and nutrition,
and attendees will be among the first to hear about newly revised
recommendations for vaccination from the American Association of Equine
Practitioners, says Kristy Booker, DVM with Oakley Veterinary Services.
The event includes a trade show and Q&A session with the presenters. For
more info, call 785-675-3268 or 785-672-3245.
-- Kansas State University release
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Uncomplicated pre-breeding vaccinations
Vira Shield 6+VL5 HB
- Use right before breeding to protect against key reproductive
diseases
including Vibrio and Lepto hardjo-bovis
- Contains the same viral components as in Vira Shield 6
© 2008 Novartis Animal Health US, Inc.
www.livestock.novartis.com
(800)-843-3386
Vira Shield is a registered trademark of Novartis AG. Vira Shield
logo and
wordmark are trademarks of Novartis AG.
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Texas AgriLife Extension Service, along with USDA’s Risk
Management Agency and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, are
offering a livestock risk-management workshop, April 14 at the Texas
AgriLife Research and Extension Service in Vernon.
The workshop will provide cattlemen with an overview of the current
market situation, the use of livestock risk protection for feeder cattle
as a tool for cow-calf operators, and an update on pasture, rangeland
and forage insurance. There is no fee, but reservations are needed. For
info, go to agrisk.tamu.edu.
-- Texas AgriLife Extension release
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Lawyers for the poultry industry tried to throw cattlemen under the
bus this week as they wrap up a court fight to head off a
preliminary-injunction request from Oklahoma Attorney General Drew
Edmondson to halt poultry producers from spreading manure along the
Illinois river watershed in Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Edmondson says poultry companies are the biggest offenders regarding
bacterial pollution in the Illinois River. However, lawyers for the
poultry industry are deflecting the issue by pointing the finger at the
nearly 200,000 cattle that graze the watershed as the cause of the
problem.
Timothy Sullivan, president of E&S Environmental Chemistry Inc. of
Corvallis, OR, conducted an analysis of fecal-indicator bacteria
statewide in Oklahoma, compared with the 1 million-acre Illinois River
watershed, according to Ron Hays of Radio Oklahoma Network. Testifying
as an expert witness for the poultry companies, his conclusion was
there’s nothing unusual going on in the Illinois River watershed
compared with other watersheds across Oklahoma. He offered urban runoff
and waste from humans and cattle as significant sources of contamination
in the watershed.
“I don’t mean to be picking on cattle,” Patrick Ryan, a lawyer
representing Tyson Foods, told the Northwest Arkansas online edition of
the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. “The cattlemen shouldn’t be
upset by what we’re doing. Edmondson isn’t going to take on the
cattlemen in Oklahoma, because he couldn’t get re-elected if he
did.”
The suit began in 2005 when Edmondson filed against chicken farms run by
14 companies in the Illinois River watershed in Arkansas, upstream from
Oklahoma, claiming they were polluting the river. The preliminary
injunction hearing is expected to wrap up this week.
-- Burt Rutherford
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What tasks need to be done to help assure a successful breeding
season this year? Let’s start with the bulls.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by W. Mark Hilton, DVM, Purdue University
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High-priced nitrogen has livestock producers worried about the cost
of fertilizing their pastures, says Rob Kallenbach, University of
Missouri Extension forage specialist. But overseeding legumes –
clovers, birdsfoot trefoil and lespedeza – into grass pastures now can
add nitrogen (N) and improve forage quality, he says.
“Legumes fix up to 200 lbs. of N/acre, so the potential is
significant,” he says. Savings in fertilizer cost can pay for the
seeding.
Legumes not only cut N costs, they make high-quality grazing for
livestock. Legumes are palatable, nutritious and have higher protein
content than grass.
“The goal should be to have about 30% of the forage in a pasture be
from a legume,” Kallenbach says.
“Late winter is the time to seed,” the MU specialist said. “Seed
broadcast over the pasture will be worked into the soil by freezing and
thawing of the soil.”
For best success in planting legumes, management is needed.
Under ideal conditions, soil fertility from lime and phosphorous (P)
would already be in place. Optimum P soil-test levels should be 25-40
lbs./acre. Raising the soil-test levels helps legumes to become
established in a stand of grass.
On soils with low pH levels, spreading lime, which adds calcium, also
helps. Lime takes about six months to break down for best effect.
“A word of caution,” Kallenbach said. “Legumes seeded on soils low
in P or potassium and low in pH are not likely to establish well or be
productive.”
If a soil-test report is available, adding legumes to fields with soils
at or above soil-test recommendations is a way to maximize returns. On
deficient soils, taking the time this year to add the nutrients should
be considered. Legumes added later will have a better chance of
success.
Ahead of seeding, the pasture should be grazed down hard to reduce
competition from shading of the small seedlings. After seeding legumes,
livestock should be taken off the pasture for a couple of weeks until
the legumes sprout. Then, before the legumes grow tall enough to be
nipped off, the grass can be grazed down again.
Grazing management helps the legumes compete.
Kallenbach advises not to put N on grass pastures in the spring if
legumes are desired. The resulting rapid growth of grass will crowd out
legume seedlings.
Seeding rates vary according to the legume. Recommended rates: red
clover, 4 lbs./acre; white clover ½-1 lb.; birdsfoot trefoil, 6 lbs.;
and lespedeza 10 lbs. On deep, fertile, well-drained soils, alfalfa can
be interseeded at 10 lbs./acre.
Until legume stands reach 30% of a pasture, overseeding should be done
each spring.
-- Duane Dailey, University of Missouri
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During consideration of the fiscal year 2009 budget resolution, the
Senate Budget Committee adopted Senators Wayne Allard (R-CO) and Chuck
Grassley’s (R-IA) amendment to limit farm-program payments to
$250,000.
Grassley said, “The farm bills that passed the House and Senate have
loopholes that make the farm payment system worse than what we operate
under now. So, despite the fact that we’re in the middle of conference
negotiations, I’m looking for ways to address the problems that
weren’t taken care of. The majority of the Senate gave its support to
payment limits during the farm bill, so it seems only right to keep
pushing for passage.”
This will be a major issue for the House-Senate farm bill conference
committee.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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Bipartisan legislation was introduced Thursday in the Senate seeking
tougher penalties, including permanent closure, for firms that process
downer cattle. The legislation introduced by California Democrats Dianne
Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, Daniel Akaka (D-HA) and Ted Stevens (R-AK)
would impose fines for first-time offenders who slaughter downers, with
a second violation bringing a one-year closure. A permanent shutdown
would await third-time offenders.
Feinstein says the 2002 farm bill gave USDA the authority to establish
regulations “to provide for the humane treatment, handling, and
disposition of non-ambulatory livestock by stockyards, market agencies,
and dealers.” Violators of these regulations can be subject to
punishments that include both criminal and civil penalties - including
jail time of up to 10 years and fines of $500,000 for three-time
offenders.
“However, USDA currently only suspends inspection of the facility
following a violation until the facility either corrects the violation
or submits a corrective action plan. Once the plan is approved by the
UISDA, the agency allows the facility to reopen, which can be within
hours.”
The bill also would require the release by USDA of the names of
establishments that receive recalled products. "This will help
distributors, retailers and consumers to better identify and more
quickly get recalled products off their shelves and out of their homes,"
Feinstein says.
-- Joe Roybal
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Sen. John Tester (D-MT) and seven other U.S. Senators have sent a
letter to USDA Secretary Ed Schafer stating their strong concerns about
USDA relaxing restrictions on beef and lamb imports from Argentina. USDA
has proposed a rule, “Change in Disease Status of the Patagonia South
Region of Argentina With Regard to Rinderpest and Foot-and-Mouth Disease
(FMD),” that would allow for the importation of beef and lamb from
Argentina.
The Senators said, “We have serious concerns about the implementation
of such a plan. Questions remain about the effectiveness of animal
disease controls and tracking in Argentina. Weaknesses in this system
could have serious effects on the American livestock industry. FMD is
among the most contagious of livestock diseases and is spread by air. As
you know, FMD continues to be found in cattle in Argentina and the risk
of transmission to United States herds poses an unacceptable risk to
U.S. producers. The USDA will be unable to ensure that the disease will
not enter FMD-free regions of Argentina and beyond.”
Senators joining Tester include Senators John Bassaro (R-WY), Kent
Conrad (D-ND), Pete Domenici (R-NM), Byron Dorgan (D-MT), Mike Enzi
(R-WY), Tim Johnson (D-SD), and Claire McCaskill (D-MO).
Meanwhile, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) in
comments said, “The risk to U.S. ag and to our cattle producers of
introducing FMD into our country is too great and the economic and
animal health consequences are far too significant to prematurely allow
a change in the disease status of Patagonia South as it relates to FMD
and rinderpest at this time. USDA should keep in mind that their actions
must protect the health of the U.S. cattle herd, as well as protect the
economic livelihood of U.S. cattlemen and other affected livestock
species as trade is resumed with all international partners.” NCBA is
also concerned why the administration is trying to increase beef imports
while U.S. beef exports are still banned in other countries.
Jay Truitt, NCBA vice president of government affairs, said, “Clearly
USDA has its priorities mixed up. It’s unconscionable for USDA to work
to expand access for any other beef into our country when they have yet
to fulfill their responsibilities regarding the reopening of export
markets for U.S. beef and breeding stock. Science is always the primary
concern for making these types of decisions but you just cannot ignore
the financial impacts of these types of decisions – especially when
costs of production are skyrocketing largely based on government
policies. We need relief and we need results that mean beef and cattle
sales to previously strong markets.”
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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Private grazing rates across the Western U.S. climbed more than 5%
for the 12 months through January to $14.50/animal unit month (AUM).
That’s up from last year’s 4.5% pace, according to the latest USDA
January Cattle Survey.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Mike Fritz, www.farmlandinvestorletter.com
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Texas A&M University’s Wildfires Incident Resource Team offers
these tips for preventing and surviving wildfires:- Be extremely
cautious about outdoor activities that might cause sparks or fires.
Avoid parking vehicles in tall, dry grass and weeds that could be
ignited by hot catalytic converters.
- Monitor TV and radio broadcasts before you get on the highway and
check fire and weather conditions as you travel. If you see dense smoke
on the road, do not drive into it.
- Wildfires propelled by strong winds can move 60 miles/hour. When
told to evacuate – leave the area immediately and stay alert to
changes in the speed and direction of fire and smoke. If you have time,
shut gas off at the meter and turn off propane tanks. Wet down your roof
and shrubbery within 15 ft. of your residence. Park your vehicle facing
in the direction of escape.
- Protect your property by clearing brush and grass away from your
home and buildings, and brush from areas between the trees. Create a
firebreak by clearing vegetation from areas between your house and
nearby fields or grassland areas.
- Consider postponing outdoor burning as long as brush and foliage
remain dry. Keep a fire extinguisher and water handy when working
outdoors with equipment that gets hot. If possible, wet down outdoor
work areas in advance. Keep mufflers and spark arresters on ag equipment
in good working order. When baling hay, check for hot bearings or hay
caught in rollers.
-- Kay Ledbetter, TAMU public information
officer
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The number of farms in the U.S. continued to fall in 2007 but the
average size grew bigger, says USDA’s National Ag Statistics Service
(NASS). Meanwhile, total land in farms, at 930.9 million acres,
decreased 1.5 million acres, or 0.16%.
NASS estimates there were 2.08 million farms operating in the U.S. in
2007, 0.6% fewer than in 2006. But the average farm size was 449 acres
in 2007, a three-acre jump over 2006. NASS says the farm numbers and
land in farms reflects a continuing consolidation and diversion of ag
land to non-ag uses.
NASS says there were 967,440 cattle operations in 2007, down slightly
from 2006 and 2% below 2005. Beef-cow operations were down 1% from 2006
and 2% below 2005. Milk-cow operations were 5% below 2006, and 9% below
2005.
Meanwhile, U.S. hog operations – at 65,640 – fell from the year
before, but sheep and goat operations increased. The 70,590 sheep farms
in 2007 was up 2% from 2006. Goat operations in 2007 totaled 108,130, up
4% from 2006, with Angora-goat operations (4,550) down 4% from 2006,
while milk-goat operations (19,930) were up slightly, and meat-goat
operations (90,270) increased 4%.
-- National Ag Statistics Service
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The U.S. average retail prices for gasoline and diesel set new
records for the week ending March 10. Gasoline hit $3.225/gal., a 6.3¢
increase and 66.6¢ more than the price a year ago. Meanwhile, diesel
set a new record for the third-consecutive week, adding 16.1¢ to settle
at $3.819/gal., or $1.134 above a year ago.
For gasoline, prices were up in every region with the East Coast
increasing to $3.194, the Lower Atlantic to $3.208, the Midwest to
$3.191, the Gulf Coast to $3.131, the Rocky Mountains $3.109, and the
West Coast to $3.457. California hit $3.537.
Meanwhile, diesel remained at all-time highs in all regions, with the
East Coast settling at $3.87, the Midwest at $3.784, the Gulf Coast at
$3.798, the Rocky Mountains at $3.732, and the West Coast at $3.885.
California recorded a $3.955/gal. average price.
-- Energy Information Administration
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