Beef Roundtable: What’s in store for GIPSA in the Trump era?

Now that we are 100 days into the Trump administration, will the GIPSA rule finally see it’s death?

In Part 2, we look at what the possible future of the GIPSA rule might be and the chances that it will be implemented.

To help analyze that question, our two guests share a lifetime of on-the-ground involvement in the Washington D.C. arena.

 

Our first guest is Steve Dittmer, who has nearly 30 years’ experience in management, marketing, and communications in the beef industry. Currently, Steve is the executive vice president of the Agribusiness Freedom Foundation, which provides information and analysis for food chain participants

 

Our second guest is Jay Truitt, a longtime Washington insider and principal in the organization Policy Solutions; Motley, Scher, Truitt, a bipartisan government relations and public affairs firm. Jay has served as vice president of government affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and CEO and executive vice president of the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association and the Missouri’s Cattlemen Foundation.

 

Baxter Black, DVM: Ol’ Duffy

Baxter Black, DVM:    Ol’ Duffy

Ol’ Duff slept in the bunkhouse in the corner by the wall

Nobody slept beside him. It was self-defense, that’s all

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Liver abscesses: The unseen thief of cattle profits

Liver abscesses: The unseen thief of cattle profits

Tri State Neighbor

Liver abscesses are a value robber in feedlot cattle that’s not immediately apparent. “The toughest losses to control are often the ones we cannot see,” said Warren Rusche, South Dakota State University Extension beef feedlot management associate. “Even though cattle producers can’t tell by looking if cattle have liver abscesses, the problem is certainly visible at the packing plant and in lost profit opportunities.”

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Mythbusters: Debunking 4 cattle mineral misconceptions

Mythbusters: Debunking 4 cattle mineral misconceptions

Kayla Jentz

American Cattlemen

It’s too costly.” “My cows won’t eat it.” “We don’t need it where I live.” These are just a few of the common objections to providing cattle with mineral supplementation. But, are these objections fact, fiction or somewhere in between? Is a misconception holding your cattle back from unrealized potential?

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Cow-calf commentary: Calving difficulty

Cow-calf commentary: Calving difficulty

The Business Farmer

This has been a very different calving season. I developed a bone infection last fall, which kept me off my feet through long courses of antibiotics and surgery. I wasn’t able to actively manage cattle so we sold off the herd. As February arrived I was well enough to get back to work, so we bought the two lots of cows described above.

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Pet and Livestock Owners Cautioned About Rabid Skunks

Pet and Livestock Owners Cautioned About Rabid Skunks

The Fence Post

So far this year, 34 rabid skunks have been confirmed in nine Colorado counties. The Colorado Department of Agriculture reminds pet and livestock owners that rabies is a deadly disease that can spread from skunks to other mammals and vaccination is the single best method to protect pets and livestock.

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Don’t Forget to Test Herd Sires Before Breeding Season

Don’t Forget to Test Herd Sires Before Breeding Season

Taylor Grussing

Drovers

Herd bulls will soon be running with the cowherd and breeding season will begin, starting a new cow/calf production cycle. Yet, before turning out sires, make sure they are able to do their job effectively by conducting breeding soundness and health exams to help aid in their success this breeding season.

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Farm Bankruptcies Could Rise

Farm Bankruptcies Could Rise

Alayna DeMartini

Angus Media

Declining farm income and farmland values likely will lead to an increase in the number of farmers who are delinquent on their loans and eventually a rise in farm bankruptcies, predicted a pair of Ohio State University agricultural economists.

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Tips for setting fence posts in difficult ground

Tips for setting fence posts in difficult ground

Heather Smith Thomas

Beef Magazine

Building fence can be a challenge in rocky, frozen or swampy ground where it’s impossible to dig postholes efficiently or set posts with a tractor-mounted post-pounder. Options in rocks include digging holes with a backhoe or chipping away the rock, if it’s a formation that will chip and break; prying rocks out with a hand bar; or using a hammer drill.

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North Dakota rancher puzzling over calf born with six legs

North Dakota rancher puzzling over calf born with six legs

Twin Cities Pioneer Press

Gerald Skalsky was at an auction sale when his wife called about an unusual calf born Wednesday on the couple’s ranch south of Beulah in western North Dakota. “You’re just going to have to see it for yourself,” she told him. Skalsky came home to find the calf, seemingly healthy, but with an extra set of hind legs hanging off the side of its neck.

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