Jerry Morrow, Beef Leader, passes

Jerry Morrow, Beef Leader, passes

The Clarian Ledger

Jerald D. Morrow, 84, passed away Sunday, May 16, 2010. He was a well-known cattleman and dog trainer/breeder.

He served in the agriculture industry and managed multiple cattle operations throughout North America. He served as the Regional Manager and Director of Regional Managers of the American Angus Assn. in St. Joseph, Mo; Executive Vice President of the International Brangus Breeders Assn. and President of the Brangus Journal in San Antonio, TX.

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Ten Things to Ask Your Cattle Feeder

Ten Things to Ask Your Cattle Feeder

Del Deterling

DTN/Progressive Farmer

When Roy Davis got serious about wanting to feed out the calves from his South Devon cow herd, one of the first things he did was visit several feedyards. He inspected their facilities and talked with their managers and customers.

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Steak is complicated

Steak is complicated

Penn State University

Complicated. And not just steak itself, but all of the factors associated with it.

Amid many meat-related events, including a meat processor convention, a beef safety workshop, and a culinary conference, I was able to squeeze in just enough of Mark Schatzker’s STEAK to want to carve a notch out of the weekend to finish it.  I did, and it was a thought provoking read on many different levels.

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Steve Cornett: Beef Isn’t What It Was

Steve Cornett: Beef Isn’t What It Was

Beef Today

Steaks don’t taste as good as they used to.

That’s what Mark Schatzker thinks, and it’s what I think, too.

And, yes, I’m aware that there is more Choice and Prime beef today than there was a few years ago. But we’re agreed that USDA quality grade is not a precisely precise indicator of eating quality.

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The Importance of Low Stress Cattle Handling

The Importance of Low Stress Cattle Handling

Dr. Temple Grandin, Colorado State University, Department of Animal Sciences

American Cattlemen

Improving cattle handling practices provides many advantages. Cattle that remain calm during handling have improved weight gain and are less likely to have dark cutting meat. Dark cutting is a serious quality defect where the meat is darker and drier than normal and it has a shorter shelf life at the grocery store. Another advantage of adopting low stress cattle handling methods is to reduce injuries to both people and cattle.

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Students gain hands-on experience working with farm animals

Students gain hands-on experience working with farm animals

Walter Hurley

University of Illinois

Looking a 900-pound heifer in the eye was a first-time experience for Ronald Stewart, a junior in animal sciences at the University of Illinois. When Stewart came to the U of I, he had big dreams — to play football and become a veterinarian. Not only did he walk onto the football team last fall, but he also tackled the task of working cattle through a chute system during beef lab this past semester.

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What is Sustainable Agriculture?

What is Sustainable Agriculture?

eXtension.com

Say the word "sustainable," and most people in agriculture agree it means increased profits, sound stewardship of the air, water and soil, and improved quality of life for farming communities. But how do you get there? There are almost as many ways to achieve these goals as there are farms and ranches in America.

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U.S. beef exports increase, and cattle prices follow suit

U.S. beef exports increase, and cattle prices follow suit

DAN PILLER

DesMoines Register

The world appears to be regaining its taste for American beef.

The U.S. Meat Export Federation reports that during the first quarter of this year, beef exports were up 22 percent in volume, to 346 million pounds, from the same period last year.

Those increased exports are helping boost prices for cattle producers 10 to 15 percent this year, an increase that is expected to reach consumers in the supermarket.

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Just staying in business a hot topic at Agriculture Awareness Dinner in Washington County

Just staying in business a hot topic at Agriculture Awareness Dinner in Washington County

Debra McCown

Tricities.com

They’re concerned about environmental regulations, rising costs, animal rights activists, low milk prices and declining demand for tobacco.

The nation is dependent on them for food, but these days farmers worry about just staying in business.

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Farmer: Put safety net in bill

Farmer: Put safety net in bill

Jerry Lackey

Abilene Report News

The Big Country and the Concho Valley are productive agricultural areas, but every segment of the industry depends on rainfall to make a crop, said cotton grower Doyle Schniers.

Schniers, speaking on behalf of the 12-county Southern Rolling Plains Cotton Growers Association, was one of 13 Texas farmers and ranchers to give testimony at the U.S. House Agriculture Committee field hearing in Lubbock on Monday.

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Japan escalates fight against foot-and-mouth

Japan escalates fight against foot-and-mouth

TOMOKO A. HOSAKA

Ctpost.com

Japan’s government on Monday joined the fight to contain an expanding outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that is threatening its prize beef industry in a southern prefecture.

Amid criticism that he was slow to respond, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama established an emergency task force and is considering spending 100 billion yen ($1.1 billion) to prevent further spread of the disease and coordinate financial support for affected farmers.

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Cow Calf Clinic May 25

Cow Calf Clinic May 25

Steve Byrns, Texas A&M University

Southwest Farm Press

The Heart of Texas Cow/Calf Clinic, one of the longest-running programs conducted by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, is set for May 25 at the Brown County Fairgrounds located in Brownwood on U.S. Hwy. 377 South.

The clinic is open to the public and will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a catered barbecue meal.

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Cattle price breakeven calculators put quality into the equation for educated decisions.

Cattle price breakeven calculators put quality into the equation for educated decisions.

Certified Angus Beef

Cattle enterprises are risky business. You can invest a year’s input into one annual calf sale, or look into ownership in the growing and finishing phases. As market prices move up and down, you have to appreciate a new tool that calculates “breakeven,” the threshold to profit.

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Customize Your Herd Health Calendar

Customize Your Herd Health Calendar

Kim Watson-Potts

Beef Today

Most of us understand the fundamentals of a sport like football, but it’s quite a leap to develop the strategy and playbook required to build a winning team. It takes knowledge of individual skills and an understanding of how the team works best together. You have to research your competition and develop a customized game plan to be victorious.

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Ethanol has pushed up meat prices? Bull

Ethanol has pushed up meat prices? Bull

DesMoines Register

Bloomberg ran a story about the rising price of meat on April 26, suggesting that the demand for ethanol was to blame. This is ridiculous.

We are cattle feeders, as well as corn farmers, and know that corn and ethanol prices have been lower the past few months while cattle prices have enjoyed an increase of approximately 25 percent.

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