DROUGHT MAY IMPACT CATTLE SUPPLIES

DROUGHT MAY IMPACT CATTLE SUPPLIES

Meatnews.com

The extremely dry conditions in the Northern Plains region may force ranchers to liquidate their herds.

Extremely dry conditions are causing anxiety among cattle producers in Nebraska and South Dakota, University of Nebraska Crop Watch relays. Many areas in western and central Nebraska are again facing severe drought. However, this year’s drought is different from the previous ones and may force livestock producers to make some hard feeding decisions, Bruce Anderson, a forage specialist at the University of Nebraska, emphasized.

Hay is running between $80 and $100 a ton, so the economics of producers feeding their way out of drought have changed dramatically. Before, producers could find hay for $30, $40 or at most, $60 per ton. Grain prices are also up.

FULL STORY

Deal with PI Calves

Deal with PI Calves

by Micky Wilson
Angus Journal

Calves born persistently infected (PI) with bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) virus have been identified as a leading cause of disease spread at cow-calf, stocker and feedlot levels of the cattle industry. Dan Thomson, Kansas State University (K-State) veterinarian, emphasized that BVD is a reproductive disease best handled at the cow-calf level.

FULL STORY

National Animal Identification System: Friend Or Foe

National Animal Identification System: Friend Or Foe
By James B. Bartle, Sullivan Independent News
Jun 7, 2006, 15:02:00

In last week’s issue of the Sullivan Independent News, we began to inform residents about the National Animal Identification System, or NAIS, following two recent meetings held by area farmers concerned about the program and what it could do to the small farmer.
NAIS is a government-run program in the U.S. intended to provide improved animal health surveillance by identifying and tracking specific animals. The program is administered at the federal level by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. On a state level, NAIS is to be overseen by state animal health boards.
The program will affect all livestock, including cattle and horses, along with some species of fish.
The program begins on a volunteer basis, but becomes mandatory in 2008-2009 with the initial program would begin with every farmer, small or large, hobby or professional, registering their property/livestock with a premise identification number. This is the first component of NAIS and, following this, animals themselves will be identified and microchipped so that their every move can be tracked. If the animal moves from one pasture to a second pasture across a roadway, it will have to be reported.

FULL STORY

Keep Cattle Cool When Humidity, Temperatures Rise

Keep Cattle Cool When Humidity, Temperatures Rise

KTIC Radio

LINCOLN, Neb. — No wind along with high humidity and temperatures
can spell disaster for cattle if proper procedures aren’t taken to ward off
heat stress, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln beef specialist said.
During summer’s hot, humid days, producers need to make sure cattle
have plenty of water, said Terry Mader, beef specialist at UNL’s Haskell
Agricultural Laboratory near Concord.

FULL STORY

Calm Calves Have Improved Immunological Response

Texas A&M Ag News

Writer: Robert Burns, 903-834-6191,rd-burns@tamu.edu

Contacts: Dr. Ron Randel, 903-834-6191,r-randel@tamu.edu

OVERTON – Calm-natured calves appear to have a better response to vaccination at weaning than temperamental calves, according to scientists with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station.

This better vaccination response means the calmer calves are less likely develop sickness or die of disease, said Dr. Ron Randel, Experiment Station scientist based at the Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Overton.

Earlier work done by Randel and others have proven that cattle that speed out of the handling chute ate and gained less, and even yielded tougher steaks. This study is one the first that looks at the animal’s immune response in relation to temperament, Randel said.

Randel, working with other scientists from the Texas A&M system and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, divided 6- to 7-month-old Brahman bull calves from the Overton center’s 2004 spring calf crop into two groups: the calmest and the most temperamental.

FULL STORY

Some Japanese demand U.S. inspection of each beef animal

Some Japanese demand U.S. inspection of each beef animal

By KANA INAGAKI/The Associated Press
Lincoln (NE) Journal Star

TOKYO — Opponents of U.S. beef imports to Japan accused the government of failing to ensure consumer safety, and demanded at a public hearing Wednesday that Washington inspect every cow that goes to slaughter for mad cow disease.

The hearing was the last of ten public meetings on the safety of U.S. beef, which was banned in January after inspectors found a shipment of American veal that violated Japanese import restrictions.

FULL STORY

Next Japan step is beef plant audit-USDA’s Johanns

Next Japan step is beef plant audit-USDA’s Johanns

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) – The next step toward resumption of beef exports to Japan, barred for 28 of the last 29 months, probably will be Japanese inspection of U.S. export plants, said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns on Wednesday.

His comments were similar to remarks made by Japanese officials following two weeks of hearings with consumer and industry groups about preconditions to re-open trade.

“My hope is the next step is to indicate a time line for the audits to occur … and to have that wrapped up,” said Johanns. He said there were discussions “just about every day” over beef to Japan but there was no linkage to a visit on June 29 by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

FULL STORY

Emerge Interactive introduces Cattlelog Verification Services

Emerge Interactive introduces Cattlelog Verification Services

Agprofessional.com

SEBASTIAN, Fla. — eMerge Interactive Inc. today introduced CattleLog Verification Services, a program designed for cattle producer use to verify their production claims and qualify their animals for many value-added and branded programs.

Responding to customer input and building on the success of the CattleLog Age and Source Verification Program, eMerge created CattleLog Verification Services to help the U.S. beef industry produce sufficient specification-based product to meet the demands created by the expansion of premium product lines — including natural, non-hormone, and export marketing programs.

The new offering from eMerge is a expanded set of data verification services and an optional CattleLog Listing Service that will allow participants to qualify and promote their animals to all potential buyers, allowing sellers to realize value for their production and buyers to locate cattle they need to meet their supply requirements.

FULL STORY

Korea fails to open for Creekstone

Korea fails to open for Creekstone

By JEANNE RICHARDSON
Staff Writer, Arkcity.net

South Korean-U.S. beef trade failed to reopen as expected late last week, due to Korean concerns that processing practices at seven U.S. packing plants did not meet its food safety standards.

Korea’s beef market was closed in 2003, at the same time Japan closed its beef trade with the U.S. This decision came on the heels of the mad cow scare in 2003, dealing a blow to Arkansas City’s Creekstone Farms facility.

“It’s a setback for the whole beef industry,” said Kevin Pentz, senior vice president of operations at Creekstone Farms.

FULL STORY

Senate Death Tax Repeal Efforts Defeated

Senate Death Tax Repeal Efforts Defeated

NCBA e update

On Thursday, June 8, the Senate held its procedural vote that would close debate and force the Senate to move to consideration of permanent repeal of the Death Tax. Despite the best efforts of America’s cattle producers, this critical cloture vote was defeated by a vote of 57 to 41, falling three votes short of the 60 votes needed to proceed. Obviously, this is a very disheartening outcome, and NCBA is very disappointed that many of your Senators refused to allow debate on this important issue.

From an NCBA perspective, I would like to encourage each of you to take a look at the roll call vote available at the link below. I don’t have to tell any of you how important this vote was and how important this issue will continue to be to our industry. As such, it is very important that we not let our disappointment in the 41 Senators who voted against cloture go unrecognized. Many different excuses have been and will be used to defend these votes against us, but at the end of the day, these votes are a vote against the next generation of American ranchers.