Cattlecast: Indiana’s Premise ID program

In today’s Cattlecast, Dr. Jennifer Greiner, Indiana Board of Animal Health, explains the Indiana premise ID program. Follow the link below to watch the presentation.

https://breeze.itap.purdue.edu/p95482145/

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What Goes Up Must Come Down

What Goes Up Must Come Down

By Derrell S. Peel,
Oklahoma State Univ. Extension

In this case the old adage applies to feedlot placements. USDA’s June Cattle on Feed report included smaller than expected placements and larger than expected marketings which resulted in a June 1 on-feed inventory of 104 percent of a year ago. This is substantially lower than the May 1 total of 109 percent above the previous year and lower than pre-report expectations. May placements were down a whopping 14 percent from last year and marketings were up 9 percent from one year ago.

Cattle markets have been increasingly nervous due to growing cattle on feed inventories in recent months. Prior to May, feedlot placements had been above year earlier levels every month since October. However, in the absence of infinite supply of feeder cattle there must be a limit to the ability to continually increase feedlot placements. The recent rally in fed prices and strength in feeder markets indicated that the market was beginning to realize that feeder supplies would be fairly tight in the second half of the year. This latest report should remove any remaining doubts that the feedlot situation so far this year has been more a matter of changes in the timing of feedlot production than a huge annual increase.

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BeefTalk: Did You Miss Your Rotation Date?

BeefTalk: Did You Miss Your Rotation Date?

By Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

Understanding grazing systems and grass management is critical to the cattle operation. The other day, while driving out to check some of the Dickinson Research Extension Center’s cattle, I visited an older grazing site. Grazing management was part of the center’s original mission.

The archives, or at least a lot of file cabinets, are filled with data. The printed reports are numerous and the discussion plentiful. But sometimes a good visual reminder is helpful.

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Living with Crypto

Living with Crypto

by Brooke Byrd, Angus Journal

Cryptosporidium (crypto) is a common intestinal parasite that often rears its ugly head, but its actions are often mild compared to other calfhood diseases. “If you look for cryptosporidia, chances are very good you’re going to find it, but finding it doesn’t necessarily mean the disease is present,” says Bill Shulaw, Ohio State University Extension veterinarian. “Not every animal that gets infected is going to get sick.”

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Japan’s caution riles ranchers

Japan’s caution riles ranchers
U.S. officials not eager to take drastic steps big customer wants

By DAVID IVANOVICH
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

W ASHINGTON – When does caution become overkill?

That’s the question at the center of the United States’ struggle to pry open Japan’s borders and resume shipping beef across the Pacific.

Japanese consumers have strong concerns about the United States’ safeguards against mad cow disease, polls there have indicated.

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Rendering Industry Says Restrictions are Regulatory Overkill

Rendering Industry Says Restrictions are Regulatory Overkill

High Plains Journal

OMAHA (DTN) — The National Renderers Association opposes tighter restrictions by Canada that bans specified-risk materials from cattle older than 30 months in animal feed, pet food or fertilizer — a move the group said is ‘regulatory overkill.’

While Canada moved ahead Monday with tighter restrictions on livestock and pet feed to reduce the risk of mad-cow disease, the rendering industry in the U.S. is arguing more regulations would increase the costs of doing business without a justifiable benefit.

With just two domestic-born cases of confirmed mad-cow disease, the rendering industry said a U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposal similar to the one Canada passed is regulatory overkill.

“The idea that this rule is going to reduce risk — the risk is already extremely low,” said Tom Cook, executive director of the National Renderers Association. “So you are just trying to get from zilch to zero because it’s already extremely low.”

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Red Meat Production at Record High for May

Red Meat Production at Record High for May

Wisconsin Ag-Connection

Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 4.05 billion pounds in May, up 9 percent from the 3.71 billion pounds produced in May 2005.

Beef production, at 2.30 billion pounds, was 11 percent above the previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 3.04 million head, up 9 percent from May 2005. The average live weight was up 19 pounds from the previous year, at 1,241 pounds.

Veal production totaled 13.1 million pounds, 1 percent below May a year ago. Calf slaughter totaled 57,000 head, down 3 percent from May 2005. The average live weight was 2 pounds above last year, at 378 pounds.

Pork production totaled 1.72 billion pounds, up 7 percent from the previous year. Hog kill totaled 8.54 million head, 6 percent above May 2005. The average live weight was 1 pound above the previous year, at 271 pounds.

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Not a drop of rain

Not a drop of rain

Despite Sunday’s downpour in Columbus, Pittsview farmer John Mott didn’t get any of the rain he so badly needs

BY BRIAN Mc DEARMON
Staff Writer, Ledger-Enquirer (GA)

John Mott’s cows are hungry.

He’s used to looking out at lush pastures on his farm near Pittsview, Ala., in southern Russell County. This year, Mott’s cows pick hungrily at grass that just isn’t there.

“They’re foolin’ themselves,” he said Tuesday, pushing up dust and twisted brown blades with his boot.

Despite thunderstorms in Columbus Sunday evening, rain still had not reached Mott’s farm, he said. The area is about 33 percent below normal rainfall levels for the months of April, May and June.

With every rainless day that goes by, the only thing growing here is Mott’s predicament: how to feed his 250 head of cattle without sinking more money into a business he knows won’t turn a profit this year.

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Judge slows pace of suit over mad cow testing

Judge slows pace of suit over mad cow testing

Boston.com

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A small U.S. meatpacker will have three more weeks, until July 14, to file court documents asking for an immediate end to the federal monopoly on mad-cow tests, a U.S. district court judge decided on Tuesday.

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Japanese Audit Of US Beef Plants Progressing Well

Japanese Audit Of US Beef Plants Progressing Well

Cattlenetwork.com

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)–The Japanese have completed audits of three of the 35 U.S. beef plants hoping to ship beef to Japan in a process that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is hoping will be the last step before trade resumes, USDA Secretary Mike Johanns said Tuesday.

Johanns told reporters that “every indication so far is that things are going just fine. It appears like we’re moving along well through the audits.”

The USDA has said previously it expects Japan to conclude the audits by July 21 and then begin allowing in U.S. beef soon afterward.

Johanns said that if Japan is dissatisfied with any of the U.S. plants being audited, the USDA will work with Japan and the plant to work out any problems. He stressed, though, that the U.S. would not allow Japan to “pick and choose” which plants it will import from.

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‘Oreo cows’ bring pizzazz to pasture

‘Oreo cows’ bring pizzazz to pasture

Unique color scheme stops traffic

By JOANIE STIERS
The Register-Mail

KIRKWOOD – A herd of Kirkwood cattle causes multiple drive-bys, questions and assumptions, including that some crazy farmer must have painted his cattle.

Neighbors now are used to what they call the “Oreo cows” with the wide white belt around the middle of their black bodies.

“I always tell them the bigger cows are ‘double-stuffed,’ ” Kirkwood farmer Gary Meyer said, a herd of white-belted cows, calves and a bull a few feet from him.

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