Weaning Preparation subject of Beefcast
Today Dr. Ron Lemenager begins a five part series on weaning. Today’s topic is “Preparing to Wean.” View this presentation by CLICKING HERE.
You must have the FREE Macromedia flash player installed to view this presentation. To download and install this program CLICK HERE.
Comments Off
Posted in Uncategorized
Moving Beyond Marketing 101
Cow/calf weekly
Our local cattlemen’s group was getting ready to sponsor an educational marketing meeting, and I asked a good friend and very progressive producer if he was planning to attend. He laughed, and responded, “Why would I do that?”
I knew what he meant. Strapped for time, it’s difficult to justify unless something new or innovative will be discussed. And he wasn’t expecting a message any different than the one he’s heard for 20 years — precondition your calves, document performance measurements, improve genetics, take responsibility for your marketing program, etc. But he’s already implemented those suggestions and is focusing now on improved implementation.
He knows the value of selling uniform load lots, of taking advantage of niche-marketing opportunities. He’s already experimented with supplying natural cattle, and is providing age- and source-verified cattle.
In his mind, these are all “Marketing 101″ items either advocated for more than 15 years or extremely well publicized over the last several.
Comments Off
Posted in Uncategorized
Grass First – Grass Last
By Wes Ishmael
Beef Magazine
Stocker cattle are the means at Hughes Cattle Co., but forage production is the way, and always has been.
John Hughes of Hughes Cattle Co., Bartlesville, OK, remembers a university program almost 50 years ago where all the speakers, except the last one, described the progress possible via heifer and bull selection. The last speaker though, demonstrated how the production gains possible with 35 years of genetic selection could be had in a year. It had everything to do with brush management.
Comments Off
Posted in Uncategorized
Feeding Natural Cattle
Cattlenetwork.com
Some consumers are willing to pay a premium for “natural” beef products from production systems not utilizing implants, ionophores, or antibiotics. Producers marketing to these systems can attain substantial premiums.
The term “natural” as defined by the USDA, is extremely loose, and all fresh beef qualifies as a natural product. However, “natural” is more strictly defined by the marketplace. Claims, which vary from company to company, are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and must be verifiable.
It is generally accepted that cattle qualifying for natural programs have never received antibiotics or hormones at any time from birth to harvest.
Comments Off
Posted in Uncategorized
Hughes Cattle Co. Earns National Stocker Award
Cattlenetwork.com
GREENFIELD, Ind.: Oct. 17, 2006 — Elanco Animal Health and BEEF Magazine have announced the winner for the first-ever National Stocker Award — Hughes Cattle Co. of Bartlesville, Okla.
The National Stocker Award was created in 2006 by Elanco Animal Health and BEEF Magazine to identify outstanding stocker operations in three production categories so others could learn from proven strategies of stocker management. Earlier this year, national awards were given in three categories: summer-grazing program, fall/winter-forage program and backgrounder/drylot. An overall winner then was selected from the three finalists.
Judging criteria for National Stocker Award entries included the operations’ production history and results, nutrition program, health program, procurement practices, approach to risk management/marketing, profitability metrics and business goals. An independent judging panel determined the winners.
Comments Off
Posted in Uncategorized
Grass Roots Approach Delivers Growing Club Calf Market
by: Clifford Mitchell
Perception is a key word in the beef business. How a program, region or product is perceived will define a successful venture. For years the beef industry in the Southeast was viewed as being behind the rest of the country. When lost opportunities started to mount, dedicated individuals took the proper steps to find that common ground and changed the rest of the industry’s thinking.
The show cattle market, although it contains its own unique atmosphere, was no different to outsiders. Perception needed to be changed to accommodate and grow a viable market alternative for those willing to take the proper steps to make producing “show cattle” part of their program. Much like anywhere else when people began to organize, results quickly came and a better market evolved.
Comments Off
Posted in Uncategorized
Whole Foods will sell “animal compassionate” meat
Company setting standards for treatment of animals headed for the dinner table.
By Lilly Rockwell
AMERICAN-STATESMAN (TX)
Whole Foods Market Inc. helped pave the way for the organic food movement. Now the Austin-based company hopes to launch a similar movement to ensure that animals headed for the dinner table are treated well while they’re alive.
Next year, the grocer will sell a line of meats labeled to assure consumers that the cows, pigs and other food animals are treated compassionately.
Comments Off
Posted in Uncategorized
Japan to inspect stored U.S. beef for mad cow risk
Reuters
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan will inspect about 910 tons of U.S. beef that has been stored in Japanese warehouses for more than eight months because of worries about mad cow disease, and will allow it to be sold if it meets Japan’s safety requirements
Inspections will begin on Friday and will take about a month, a Health Ministry official said on Wednesday.
The ministry will ask importers of the product to open all the boxes containing the beef to see if they include banned material or meat from old cattle, he said.
The farm and health ministries will also conduct inspections of the beef separately for any violations of safety requirements, he added.
The beef arrived in Japan after Tokyo reinstated a ban on imports of U.S. beef on January 20 following the discovery of banned cattle parts in a veal shipment from a New York company.
Comments Off
Posted in Uncategorized
Farmers debate registering livestock
USDA implementing National Animal Identification System
By CHRIS CLINE\Daily Journal (MO)
FARMINGTON – A debate is raging over a program that would require livestock owners to register their farms and their herds with the government. Local livestock owners recently gathered at the Farmington Livestock Auction barn Thursday evening to listen to opponents of the proposed National Animal Identification System (NAIS). The system is being implemented by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“I counted the seats before anyone arrived tonight and I counted 370 of them,” said Ron Conway, an organizer of the forum. “Just about every seat is filled. This turnout is wonderful.”
Russell Wood, of the Ozark Properties Rights Congress, said right now the NAIS is in the first of three phases.
“The USDA is trying to get livestock owners to register their premises,” Wood said. “Making this mandatory falls on legislation from each state. It is not mandatory in Missouri yet. This is the foundation for the NAIS. Do not voluntarily register your premises with the USDA.”
Comments Off
Posted in Uncategorized
Ranchers prepare for a revolution
By Jessica Hawley-Jerome Bandera Bulletin (TX)
Over 100 ranchers, farmers, horse lovers and property owners gathered last week at the Pipe Creek Community Center, each seeking translation for a wafting murmur that reeks of the ultimate big brother intrusion. Most left the Thursday-night town hall meeting prepared for what some may consider a revolution.
The issue at hand that had the crowd up in arms is a government plan labeled the National Animal Identification System (NAIS – pronounced [nase]). Reportedly buried in 2004 farm bill HB1361 after being lobbied by industrial-agricultural companies, NAIS was allegedly conceived for the purpose of safeguarding the country’s meat supply by controlling the outbreak of communicable, deadly disease. What the public fears, however, is the apparent grander scheme.
Comments Off
Posted in Uncategorized
NCBA-NCCA: Risk Management Sessions for Cattlemen, Nov. 29-30
Cattlenetwork.com
The North Carolina Cattlemen’s Association (NCCA) is teaming up with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) to present a risk management workshop, Marketing Your Way to Profitability. The sessions will be held on Nov. 29 at the George Upton Livestock Arena in Clinton, N.C., and on Nov. 30 at the Iredell County Ag Center in Statesville, N.C.
The workshop features hands-on training for using futures and options, and how to these marketing tools can assist an operation. Errol Baxter, CME associate director of commodity products, and Tom Clark, CME manager of commodity products, will teach the course. It also features a special presentation by Dr. Geoff Benson, extension economist, North Carolina State University. The CME staff will present a beginning-level course that includes instruction on the mechanics of futures with hedging, and the basics of forward pricing with options.
Comments Off
Posted in Uncategorized
