Shelter from the Storm

Shelter from the Storm

by Crystal Albers
Angus Journal

Hay is the most common — and often the most expensive — stored feed for many livestock operations. Therefore, when hay supplies are threatened by weather conditions and other environmental factors, producers risk facing a bleak forecast.

According to “Minimizing Losses in Hay Storage and Feeding,” a collaborative publication released in 2001 by five university Extension specialists, U.S. producers annually turn out more than 150 million tons of hay, worth more than $12 billion — $3 billion of which is later lost due to inadequate storage and feeding techniques. Such losses account for a large portion — more than 10% in some cases — of total livestock production costs, says Don Ball, Auburn University Extension agronomist and publication co-author. “Most of these storage losses occur in areas where hay is stored outside without protection,” he says. …

U.S. beef exports trickle

U.S. beef exports trickle

The Wichita Eagle

The door is at least cracked for the re-opening of beef trade with South Korea and Japan, but area agribusiness leaders say they are not expecting to see exports rebound to the levels before the December 2003 discovery of mad cow disease in the U.S.

‘We have some product moving, but it’s not very fast,’ said Kevin Pentz, general manager at Creekstone Farms Premium Beef in Arkansas City. ‘I don’t think we’ll see any great surge in demand.’

Pentz said Creekstone is running one shift and processing about 5,250 head of cattle a week. The plant employs about 750 people and specializes in premium Black Angus beef.

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USDA apologizes to Kansas ranchers

USDA apologizes to Kansas ranchers

KSHB-TV (MO)

WICHITA (AP) — A top official of the U.S.D.A’s Farm Service Agency apologized to Kansas cattlemen for a miscalculation that will mean millions fewer dollars in drought aid than the state had been promised.

John Johnson is deputy administrator for farm Programs at U.S.D.A’s Farm Service Agency. He says the agency mistakenly counted the numbers of cattle in feedyards in Kansas, Arizona and Wyoming when it calculated the allocation.

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National Commission to Study Health, Environmental Impact of Industrial Farm Animal Production

National Commission to Study Health, Environmental Impact of Industrial Farm Animal Production

Emergence of Zoonotic Diseases, Including Avian Influenza, to be a Focus

US Newslink

Contact: Ralph Loglisci of the National Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production, 202-223-2996

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 /U.S. Newswire/ — The challenges all livestock, dairy and poultry producers face with the reemergence of avian influenza and other zoonotic diseases will be one of the topics of a two-year study by the National Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production (NCIFAP), members of the commission announced here today.

The independent NCIFAP was formed by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. The NCIFAP will conduct a two-year study of the public health, environmental, animal health and well-being and rural sociological impacts of concentrated animal feeding operations. The commission, chaired by former Kansas Governor and Archivist of the United States John Carlin, brings together accomplished individuals from a variety of backgrounds, including academia, public health, agricultural production, the food industry, veterinary medicine and the general public. At the end of the two-year study, the commission will release a report to the nation, outlining its findings and making recommendations to policy makers.

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Feedlot 101: What’s Optimal for Hereford Cattle?

Feedlot 101: What’s Optimal for Hereford Cattle?

American Hereford Association

The next online Hereford 101 will be Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. CDT. Jim Williams, Certified Hereford Beef (CHB) LLC vice president of supply, will join Jack Ward, American Hereford Association (AHA) chief operating officer and director of breed improvement, to discuss the characteristics of Hereford cattle that create value in the feedlot.

In order to view the video, your computer needs to have a broadband connection to the Internet. Dial up Internet will allow you to participate, but will only facilitate the audio portion of the Webinar.

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Harris Ranch tries to satisfy consumers’ changing tastes, international markets’ import restrictions

Harris Ranch tries to satisfy consumers’ changing tastes, international markets’ import restrictions

Visilia Times-Delta (CA)

ROI: The public’s appetite for beef has fluctuated in recent years as consumers debated the merits of a low-fat vs. high-protein diet. How do consumers’ preferences affect the beef industry?

Berven: There are both long-term and short-term trends.

In the short term, there is what we call a cattle cycle and it’s a 10- to 12-year cycle driven by economics. Say as a starting point that we have relatively small supplies; we tend to have higher prices. Then more people decide that the beef industry is a good place to be, so they begin to expand their herds. They do this by taking cattle that would ordinarily go in to the beef supply and holding them back for breeding. In the immediate short term, that drives prices even higher. But when those cattle start having calves, all of a sudden you’ve got large supplies. Typically, five to six years later you start to have the reverse scenario, that is, very large supplies and low prices.

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S. Korea Resumes Importation of U.S. Boneless Beef

S. Korea Resumes Importation of U.S. Boneless Beef

High Plains Journal

OMAHA (DTN) — According to the Washington File, a U.S. State Department release, the Republic of Korea announced on September 7 that it will resume importing U.S. boneless beef, but only from cattle less than 30 months of age.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, in a statement released the same day, said: “Trade resumption in boneless beef is the first step in normalizing trade of beef and beef products with Korea. We look forward to expanding our access to the Korean market and other export markets to achieve trade that is consistent with international guidelines.”

In 2003, the United States exported more than $814 million worth of beef to Korea, with boneless beef accounting for $449 million, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). South Korea signed an agreement in January to resume importing U.S. beef.

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Top 10 Drought Management Tips for Ranchers

Top 10 Drought Management Tips for Ranchers

Cattlenetwork.com

1.Adjust stocking rates to match drought-induced reductions in forage yield, in order to avoid longterm damage to the base forage resource.

Several feasible options exist to effectively reduce stocking rates on pastures. Consider early weaning to reduce the quantity and quality of feedstuffs needed to meet cow nutritional requirements.

2. If liquidating livestock becomes necessary, be sure to understand that younger breeding stock has a higher net present value over the long term.

Therefore, open cows and older cows (10 +) should be liquidated first, followed by middle- aged cows (6-9’s), and bred heifers. This will help maintain a younger, more valuable breeding herd to build on when coming out of the drought.

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Beef Industry’s Top 25 Ranches and Organizations Named in Annual Publication

Beef Industry’s Top 25 Ranches and Organizations Named in Annual Publication

Cattlenetwork.com

(OPENPRESS) September 10, 2006 — This year’s top 25 ranches, agricultural organizations and livestock industry leaders have been named in the annual Fall Marketing Editon of the Livestock Market Digest, according to the magazine’s publisher, Chuck Stocks. Recipients of the Digest 25 honor are nominated by subscribers to the Livestock Market Digest which is circulated in the 17 western states.

Livestock Market Digest has published the “Digest 25” annually for the past 23 years and over the years, the publication has become a “Who’s Who” of the North American livestock industry. More on the Digest 25 is available at the publisher’s website, www.aaalivestock.com

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Johanns urges support of National Animal ID

Johanns urges support of National Animal ID

American Cowman

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns encouraged participants to continue working toward full participation in a national, voluntary system of animal identification, when he addressed a crowd of about 550 people last week at the National Institute of Animal Agriculture’s Animal ID/Info Expo in Kansas City.

“Don’t let naysayers dampen your enthusiasm,” Johanns said in a speech to the group. Other countries have animal-identification systems, and they are using the fact that their livestock are traceable as a marketing tool. The U.S. also should have a system for tracing livestock to stay competitive, he said.

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