BeefTalk: The Transition Zone Not a Good Calving Time

BeefTalk: The Transition Zone Not a Good Calving Time

Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist, NDSU Extension Service

Calving season is winding down for many producers, but the last two weeks were tough. The problems were coming from many directions. In all aspects of life, there always is a transition zone.

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Losses increase for cattle feeders and packers

Losses increase for cattle feeders and packers

Greg Henderson

Drovers

Cattle feeding margins declined $7 per head last week following a $1 per hundredweight decrease in cash fed cattle prices. Average losses are now more than $81 per head, according to the Sterling Beef Profit Tracker.

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Livestock Disaster Protection Act introduced in the House

Livestock Disaster Protection Act introduced in the House

Bovine Veterinarian

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) supports the efforts of Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) in introducing legislation that would provide a safety net for livestock owners across the nation. Under the Livestock Disaster Protection Act – the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), the Livestock Forage Program (LFP) and the Emergency Livestock Assistance Program (ELAP) would be extended for five years and would apply retroactively to cover losses in fiscal years 2012 and 2013.

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Cattle thefts spur new interest in livestock branding

Cattle thefts spur new interest in livestock branding

Judy Keen

USA Today

The Kleiboeker family has been farming in Lawrence County, Mo., since the 1860s and never felt the need to brand their cattle. Until now.

A rash of cattle thefts in the area spurred John Kleiboeker and his wife, Robyn, to design a brand — the letter K, a C, an inverted C and an F for Clover Creek Farms — and register it with the state.

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‘Ag gag’ legislation undercuts First Amendment

‘Ag gag’ legislation undercuts First Amendment

Ken Paulson

Indianapolis Star

Imagine Upton Sinclair with an iPhone.

Sinclair went undercover in 1904 to document squalid conditions in Chicago’s meatpacking plants, leading to his muckraking novel The Jungle. His reporting led to new public health laws two years later. In today’s social media world, Upton’s expose would have gone viral. Sure, we would have lost a classic book, but just consider the retweets.

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Mobile Slaughter Units To Come To MT

Mobile Slaughter Units To Come To MT

Ashley Sanchez

ABCFOX Montana.com

A Missoula-based company is trying to create the first large-scale mobile slaughter unit in the state. The owner of the business said the idea is to keep local food in Montana, and save ranchers time and money along the way.

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Feedlots may return to profit – after three years

Feedlots may return to profit – after three years

Agrimoney.com

The end is nigh, after three years, for the feedlot downturn which is expected to prove evident again in data on Friday, showing a decline in cattle placements, as operators attempt to stem their losses.

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