Video Feature: The Cowboy Vegetarian Cookbook – Baxter Black

Video Feature:  The Cowboy Vegetarian Cookbook – Baxter Black

The Cowboy Vegetarian Cookbook – Baxter offers cowboy recipes for meatless meals! – Baxter Black

©2008 www.baxterblack.com

All livestock facilities should be aware of biosecurity issues

All livestock facilities should be aware of biosecurity issues

Jeff DeYoung

Tri State Neighbor

Most attention to biosecurity risks seems to involve the swine industry, but a Kansas veterinarian and his colleagues believe the beef industry should be just as worried.

Mike Sanderson, a veterinarian at Kansas State University, says any location that sees animals coming in and out is at risk for biosecurity issues.

“You are in a business where you are bringing in a lot of animals and turning the inventory over time and again,” he said. “But, there are a few practical things you can do to limit any risk.”

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Johne’s disease testing brochures free to producers

Johne’s disease testing brochures free to producers

The Prairie Star

It is estimated that one out of 10 cows going through a livestock auction facility has Johne’s disease, and a vast majority of producers selling these animals have no idea that they are infected with Johne’s disease.

Producers simply know that the animals are thin and have unresponsive chronic diarrhea. In the case of dairy cows, milk production is also significantly down, and, in the case of beef cows, weaned calves are also lighter than they should be.

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Beef industry should focus on consumer

Beef industry should focus on consumer

KTIC

The beef industry has taken some hits in recent years — some of them self-inflicted — but can rebound on both the domestic and export fronts by overcoming some bad habits and focusing aggressively on consumer demands, said a Kansas State University livestock marketing specialist.

Ted Schroeder spoke Thursday at the annual Ag at the Crossroads Conference, sponsored by the Nebraska AgRelations Council and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Agricultural Economics.

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Creekstone BSE case: Latest rulings and a ‘new test’ development

Creekstone BSE case: Latest rulings and a ‘new test’ development

DARYLL E. RAY

Farm and Ranch Guide

The discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), often referred to as Mad Cow Disease, in the U.S. cattle herd in December 2003 resulted in precipitous drop in U.S. beef exports. In order to reclaim its share of those export markets, Creekstone Farm Premium Beef decided in early 2004 to test each cow it slaughters for BSE.

Creekstone ordered the test kits from Bio-Rad Laboratories only to be told that USDA approval was needed for the sale of the kits. Creekstone then contacted the USDA to obtain permission to purchase the test kits, only to be denied.

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Can you taste the difference when cattle have a different diet?

Can you taste the difference when cattle have a different diet?

Bill Jackson

The feed ration is drastically different, but the end product hasn’t changed.

Jim Miller of Miller Feedlot of La Salle has been feeding cattle for more than 30 years — more than 25,000 head a year. But this summer, he did something he would not have thought possible even five years ago.

He eliminated corn from his feed ration at the feedlot.

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U.S. now beef net exporter

U.S. now beef net exporter

KNEB

One of the main goals of the Beef Industry Long Range Plan came to fruition this summer, when the value of U.S. beef exports surpassed the value of imports, making the U.S. a net beef exporter for the first time since the discovery of BSE closed most international markets to U.S. beef in December 2003. Since the summer cattle industry meeting, August beef plus beef variety meat exports surpassed July totals by almost 15 percent, and set a new, all-time monthly record in terms of value. The record total of $416 million exceeds the previous record of $387 million – set in June 2003 – by 7.5 percent. Year-to-date, beef exports have recovered 93 percent of value and 75 percent of volume when compared to January through August 2003.

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Drought forces cattle ranchers to downsize

Drought forces cattle ranchers to downsize

Many sell off herds, leave the business

TERENCE CHEA

Monterey County Herald

GILROY — California’s worst drought in decades is forcing the state’s cattle ranchers to downsize their herds because two years of poor rainfall have ravaged millions of acres of rangeland used to feed their cows and calves.

The parched, yellow pastures on Joe Gonzales’ cattle ranch attest to the severity of a dry spell that is devastating the economic fortunes of many of the state’s beef producers.

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BQA “TRAIN THE TRAINER” MANUAL

BQA “TRAIN THE TRAINER” MANUAL

Beef Magazine

After months of hard work, the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) team which is partially funded by the beef checkoff, has completed a 150-page “Train the Trainer” manual, a comprehensive compilation that gives a formal program definition of BQA and is meant to standardize BQA practices across the United States.

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Does Ethanol Raise Risks?

Does Ethanol Raise Risks?

Studies Tie Bacteria in Beef to Fuel Byproduct

By Annys Shin

Washington Post

Last year scientists noted an uptick in the prevalence of potentially deadly E. coli O157:H7 bacteria in beef products. Frequently found in the digestive tracts of cattle, the bug can wind up in ground beef during the slaughter and grinding process.

There were 21 beef recalls in the United States in 2007, compared with eight the year before. About a third of the recalls were prompted by reports of human illness, while none of the 2006 recalls were.

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Gene-altered animals and food safety

Gene-altered animals and food safety

Rick Weiss

The Boston Globe

PERHAPS you’re still getting used to the idea that some of the meat, milk, and cheese you are eating may come from cloned cows or their offspring, a controversial culinary advance that the Food and Drug Administration green-lighted in January after deeming food from clones to be safe. Well, hurry up and swallow, because the next course is on its way.

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Sales bring $35 million to state

Sales bring $35 million to state

Ben Sutherly

Dayton Daily News

Folks at the cutting edge of influencing the taste and texture of the beef on your dinner plate fan out to cattle sales across rural America each fall, spending as much as $35 million in Ohio alone each year.

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Got a Beef with the Market? Buy Cattle.

Got a Beef with the Market? Buy Cattle.

Brad Zigler

Seeking Alpha

Grilling season’s passed for most of the country, but America’s taste for beef seems to be improving. That’s what commercial users are thinking anyway. After scoring new life-of-contract lows last month, December futures found their legs at 87 cents a pound and have since sustained a rally to the 93-94 cent level.

We prodded the cattle market a couple of weeks ago as one of the few – the very few – commodity markets showing real fundamental strength (see “Beef On Sale”).

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K-State Ag Today: Winter supplements for cattle

K-State Ag Today: Winter supplements for cattle

Jeff Wichman

This is K-State Ag Today – I’m Jeff Wichman. Winter is approaching, and beef cattle will need extra energy and nutrients to stay productive, now that most forage opportunities are evaporating. Karl Harborth, an agriculture specialist with K-State Research and Extension’s Southeast Area Office, says beef producers need to get firm numbers on their supplies of hay and other feed, in terms of both quantity and quality.

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Cattle ranchers’ beef with Hurricane Ike

Cattle ranchers’ beef with Hurricane Ike

Brad Woodard

KHOU

Time has brought little change to the rugged landscape of Southeast Texas.

Harold Clubb knows about that and about working the land.

The 76-year-old is a life-long cattle rancher who is now is facing his biggest challenge.

Woodard: “In all your years, have you ever seen anything like this?”

Clubb: “No, this is the worst.”

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