Paul Hitch Resigns As NCBA President-Elect

Paul Hitch Resigns As NCBA President-Elect

Cattlenetwork.com

Paul Hitch, cattle producer from Guymon, Okla., has resigned his position as president-elect of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) due to cancer.

 “Paul gave a great deal of consideration to this decision and felt it was in the best interest of his family and the industry that he vacate the position and dedicate himself to his treatments,” said John Queen, president of NCBA and cattle producer from Waynesville, N.C.  “Paul’s leadership in the industry and in NCBA is undeniable.  We thank Paul for his service, and our prayers are with him and his family.”

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Thompsons are running busy seedtock operation

Thompsons are running busy seedtock operation

Sue Roesler

Farm and Ranch Guide

ALMONT, N.D. Tucked away in the rolling hills and prairie pastures south of Almont in southcentral North Dakota, Kevin and Lynette Thompson run an efficient but tranquil seedstock operation – TNT Simmentals.

“We’re extremely busy right now preparing for our annual bull sale in February,” Kevin says, as he heads out to help with feeding the herd.

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Uneasy future for cattle producers

Uneasy future for cattle producers

Meridian Booster

Allison Wall

U.S. trade restrictions on older Canadian cattle lifted this past Monday, but producers are viewing the change with trepidation.

U.S. trade restrictions on older Canadian cattle lifted this past Monday, but producers are viewing the change with trepidation.

After being shut out of the U.S. market for more than four years, Canadian cattle born on or after March 1, 1999 and beef products from any age of cattle will be allowed below the border, but a temporary restraining order motion filed last Friday could stop the flow of cattle.

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Eating acorns can cause problems in cattle

Eating acorns can cause problems in cattle

High Plains Journal

Acorn production from oak trees is expected to be down this year.

Still, livestock producers need to be aware that both acorns and leaves from oak trees can create problems for cattle according to Eldon Cole, University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist.

Oak mast survey

According to the 2007 Missouri Department of Conservation Oak Mast Survey Report done by David Gwaze, resource scientist for MDC, the oak mast crop for 2007 is one of the lowest recorded in recent years.

There are many factors that could have contributed to this poor mast crop.

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EHD Confirmed In Virginia Cattle

EHD Confirmed In Virginia Cattle

Cow-Calf Weekly

Samples from cattle in Virginia’s Orange County have tested positive for Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), according to the Virginia Department of Ag and Consumer Services.

The agency’s Office of Veterinary Services had received reports of cattle with ulcers, sore mouths, reluctance to eat and lameness, all of which indicate the possibility of EHD. Samples sent to the National Veterinary Services Lab in Ames, IA, confirmed the cattle had been exposed to the virus.

EHD, a disease common in white-tailed deer, comes from a virus carried by biting gnats and it typically occurs in warm, dry conditions. EHD-infected cattle may experience weight loss or decreased milk production while symptoms are present. The disease is rarely fatal in cattle and poses no known threat to humans, according to Virginia ag officials.

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South Dakota beef may be exempt from Senate proposal

South Dakota beef may be exempt from Senate proposal – Official

By Tom Wray

ProvisionerOnline

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – South Dakota’s Certified Beef Program would be exempt from part of the Senate’s version of the farm bill that could keep the public from getting information about animal identification, according to South Dakota State Veterinarian Sam Holland.

A section in the farm bill makes clear the agriculture secretary alone has discretion to release National Animal Identification System information, and it takes a broad view of the scope of information, the Associated Press reported.

“Any information relating to animal identification that a State or local government obtains from the Secretary shall not be made available by the State or local government pursuant to any State or local law requiring disclosure of information or records to the public,” the section reads.

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New Option For Managing Manure

New Option For Managing Manure

ScienceDaily

A typical 1,000-head beef feedlot produces up to 280 tons of manure in just one week. That’s a lot of manure—and for hundreds of U.S. cattle feedlots, disposal is an important management issue.

Fortunately, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in the Environmental Management Research Unit at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) at Clay Center, Neb., have developed and tested a new method of runoff control.

In the United States, feedlot runoff is often stored in a large pond or basin. From there, it is either distributed as nutrient-rich irrigation water or processed for safe disposal.

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Can-Do Attitude and the Right Tools

Can-Do Attitude and the Right Tools

by Troy Smith

Angus Journal

They said it couldn’t be done. According to conventional wisdom, a young couple starting from scratch wasn’t likely to succeed in the beef cattle business. A lot of well-meaning folks warned Tim and Cathy Sutphin that making a living would be tough. Buying land and paying for it with cattle alone would be nearly impossible.

It’s not that southwestern Virginia isn’t good cattle country. Described as having a “Goldilocks climate” — not too hot; not too cold — the region’s 47 inches (in.) of annual precipitation typically provides for ample forage production. Historically, beef cattle have been a mainstay on farms scattered throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains. Most herds are modest in size, however, owned by producers also having off-farm occupations.

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Cattle Preconditioning: Cause & Severity Of Coccidiosis

Cattle Preconditioning: Cause & Severity Of Coccidiosis

Cattlenetwork.com

The potential damage to the intestinal cells is obvious. It is estimated that as few as 50,000 infective oocysts ingested by a young susceptible calf can cause severe disease. The replication of the coccidia within the host’s intestinal cells and the subsequent rupture of the cells is responsible for the disease and the clinical signs that develop.

The severity of the disease is directly related to the dose of infective oocysts that are ingested. The more oocysts ingested, the more severe the subsequent disease.

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Where’s the Less Expensive Beef?

Where’s the Less Expensive Beef?

Rogue Pundit

Predictably, opening our borders to older Canadian cattle (previous blog here) has helped cut into beef prices.  Strange how we’re not seeing much benefit from that at the supermarket.  From an article on how the drought in Arizona is affecting its ranchers…

    Parsons also said prices that producers can command have plunged 30 to 40 percent in six weeks, though beef prices in stores haven’t followed suit.

    Factors spurring the drop in ranchers’ prices include resumption of cattle being imported from Canada and the cost of grains, Parsons said.

    “The cost of grain has really gone up, and that makes the cost of cattle go down,” he said. “The producer always gets hit when there is something in the commodities chain that goes up. The farmer, the rancher is the one that’s going to get hit – the one on the bottom.”

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Meeting focuses on ethanol byproducts

Meeting focuses on ethanol byproducts

Quad Cities Times

A meeting to discuss the use of ethanol byproducts for feed in beef operations has been set for Dec. 13 at North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City, Iowa. The session will be 12:30- 3 p.m. It is free and open to the public. Preregistration is not required.

Sponsors are Iowa State University Extension and the college, in cooperation with Golden Grain Energy and Hawkeye Gold.

The session will focus on methods for storing distillers grains and using them in rations for wintering beef cows and feedlot cattle.

For more information, contact Russ Euken, Iowa State livestock specialist, at (641) 923-2856 or any county extension office in Iowa.

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Nevil Speer – Packer Ownership

Nevil Speer – Packer Ownership  

Cattlenetwork.com

 If I am a stocker operator should I be concerned about packer ownership?

If history holds true, the Senate’s Farm Bill provision to prohibit packers from owning livestock will certainly be one of the most divisive items when debate gets underway in earnest.   Converging around limits upon Alternative Marketing Arrangements (AMA) are widely divergent opinions about how business should be conducted within the livestock industry.  That divisiveness stems from varying perspectives about pressures to evolve to an increasingly synchronized and coordinated manner of doing business versus maintaining a more traditional, segmented structure. 

Proponents of the legislation argue that such arrangements allow processors to garner supply independent of cash negotiation; packers are then able to largely remain on the sidelines, except to fill in spot shortages, which presumably allows for manipulation of the market on any given week, especially those in which much of their supply is met through previously committed cattle.  The net result leads to complaints of condensed trading periods, reduced price discovery, artificial deflation in cash prices and increased price volatility from week-to-week.

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New Studies Confirm Effectiveness Of E. coli Vaccine

New Studies Confirm Effectiveness Of E. coli Vaccine

Cow Calf Weekly

Two University of Nebraska-Lincoln studies have found that a vaccine product containing type III secreted proteins of Escherichia coli O157:H7 effectively reduces the probability for cattle to shed E. coli O157:H7 while also reducing E. Coli colonization of the terminal rectum under conditions of natural exposure. This is the first step in its evaluation as an effective intervention for food and environmental safety.

David R. Smith, DVM, PhD, one of the authors of the studies, says: “Together these studies provide important information about whether and how this vaccine works in field conditions. We gain confidence that the vaccine is effective by seeing that it reduces fecal shedding and colonization of cattle with E. coli O157:H7, observing the phenomenon of herd immunity, and noticing that greater numbers of doses increases the effect.”

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U of M Beef Team Cattle Feeder Days are coming next week

U of M Beef Team Cattle Feeder Days are coming next week

The Beef Team is proud to announce this year’s Minnesota Cattle Feeder Days to be held December 3-6.  The theme for this year’s program is “Impacts of Ethanol Processing on Cattle Feeding”. Topics include Managing Sulfur Intake in Feedlot Diets presented by Grant Crawford of the Beef Team; Formulating Diets to Meet Rumen Undegradable and Metabolizable Protein Fractions presented by Alfredo DiCostanzo of the Beef Team; Strategies to Reduce Respiratory Disease in the Feedlot presented by John Rodgers from Pfizer Animal Health; and Economic Impact of Ethanol Processing on the Beef Industry presented by Brian Buhr, Mike Boersma, and Lori Schott of the Beef Team.

Cattle Feeder Days will be held in Luverne on December 3, Morris on December 4, Slayton on December 5, and Lamberton and Rochester on December 6

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S. Korea to introduce nationwide cattle, beef tracking systems in later 2008

S. Korea to introduce nationwide cattle, beef tracking systems in later 2008

Korea.net

Korea will introduce nationwide cattle and beef tracking systems starting late next year, the government said on Monday (Nov. 26).

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said the move is an expansion of the limited tracking program that has been in place since 2004, and is expected to enhance consumer rights by providing better information. Full-fledged tracking of animals and meat can also help authorities handle animal-related diseases that can affect public health and consumption.

The new system, passed by the National Assembly last week, will include time and place of birth of animals, transfers and sales, butchering and general movement of meat through the distribution chain. Cattle farms, packaging firms and retailers that fail to keep up-to-date information will be subject to fines and other administrative actions.

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