F&R LivestockResource
Summer 2019 | Volume 2, Issue 4
Your direct source for livestock news and information
Published by Farmers & Ranchers Livestock, Salina, Kansas
In this Issue: 1 The Rise of Master Brisket
The rise in popularity of beef briskets may have no equal in modern beef production. Quality improvements and the increase in upscale, trendy metropolitan barbecue joints have dramatically increased the demand for USDA Choice and Prime briskets, and pricing has handsomely followed.
9 Uncertainty Defines Markets Heading into Fall
The juxtaposition of weather, trade uncertainty and abundant summer forage in a large swath of cattle country make forecasting even more difficult.
14 African Swine Fever Continues to Spread
The big, unanswered question is, will the devastation of 150-200 million pigs in China result in an increased demand for U.S. meat protein?
18 Opposing Forces
Once again Hooter McCormick humorously characterizes experiences most all of us have had at one time or another on the farm.
21 Start Now to Access Forage Options
Dr. Randall Spare discusses the importance of proactively analyzing feed sources before heading into late fall and winter.
22 Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Awards Excellence During the annual convention each year, BIF recognizes outstanding industry contributions. Congratulations to all the award winners!
The Rise of Master Brisket Steak may be king, but brisket, thanks to barbecue, is the new baron. By Paige Nelson
If fairy tales were about beef items, brisket would be cast as Cinderella. The lowly brisket would enter the scene as a big, tough and unattractive character, sourced from a hardworking muscle. The narrative would portray brisket as cast down; however, not cast out—a beef item used last and eaten
by society’s poor. The pioneers of carcass fabrication and culinary exploration would never have plated brisket as an entrée at the ball. Yet, brisket’s early developers (African American slaves, poor whites and creative butchers looking to add
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F&R Livestock
From the Editor
Resource
Volume 2, Issue 4 Summer 2019 Published quarterly by
Farmers & Ranchers Livestock, Salina, Kansas 1500 W. Old Hwy 40 Salina, Kansas 67401 785-825-0211 • 785-826-1590 (fax) FandRLive.com
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F&R Livestock Resource is published quarterly with mail dates of January 15, March 1, August 15 and October 1 by Farmers & Ranchers Livestock, Salina, Kansas.
By Deb Norton
It’s summer. I love summer. Needless to say, I’ve done a fine job of enjoying summer. But, now it’s time to get back to business. Just this morning, a frightening and frustrating article appeared in my email inbox. The topic isn’t new, but the intent of the organization behind it is indicative of the total and absolute disconnect relative to the massive efforts to move food from our fields and pastures to consumers around the world. Meatingplace.com reported on a “legal advocacy organization called the Public Justice Food Project” (PJFP) whose sole purpose is to “dismantle the systems that prop up industrial agriculture” by bringing litigation “built to win and focused on high-impact structural reform.” A quick visit to the Public Justice Food Project’s website makes no attempt to shield their intent. First off, a big DONATE button encourages you to support their efforts. Secondly, a quick look at the Who We Are > Team > Board & Executive Committee list 38 attorneys, 55% are from big cities on the east or west coast. I’m just guessing here, but I’ll wager not one of them has ever waited in a line for food because the supermarket shelves were empty. Yet, their stated mission will jeopardize every mile of progress food production ag-
riculture has made in the past century to ensure that no one is turned away from public access to food because there’s none there. Is the system perfect? Absolutely not. In fact, no massive system or infrastructure is perfect and someone or some entity invariably feels left behind. But, this “advocacy” group, like so many, is misguided, misinformed and at best, diabolical. So many of these groups fuel the fire of ‘big ag’ versus ‘mom and pop’ farms. When the reality is there are many small operations that are very competitive in today’s marketing environment. Conversely, there are many large operations that are inefficient and lack quality. The great equalizer determining whether we succeed or fail is a free market system that gives the power to the consumer to decide. Meatingplace.com reports PJFP “ties litigation with political advocacy aimed at changing America’s food system and shifting away from the inevitability of factory-scaled production, benefitting the few and harming many to the necessity for, and the necessity of, building a system that respects workers, our planet, rural ways of life, and the health and wellbeing of eaters everywhere.” Please excuse my cynicism but I was born and raised in rural America. In fact, the small community that raised me was exclusively agriculture. After the single industrial employer left for greener pastures in the early ’60s, the ONLY employer was agriculture. Since leaving my hometown, I have been privileged to earn a living in agriculture for nearly 50 years. In the 80s, I watched my friends, saddled with back-breaking debt, lose every asset they had because of a government system that failed to be competitive, was indifferent to quality and an economy obliterated by out-of-control inflation. Anyone directly involved in marketing food animal products today knows the system is dynamic, robust and most definitely rewards quality. Regardless of size of operation, it takes work! It requires an understanding of the role each food sector plays in a massive system of production, trade relationships and global logistics. For an organization to expressly state the intent to take this system down is beyond ludicrous. My question to anyone so convinced the system benefits “the few” is, what’s YOUR plan? Do we go back to giving the government control of our marketing? Nope. Been there, done that. Today, the government doesn’t appear to respect our largest trading partners, responsible for 25%-30% of all our commodity exports and adds about $250 per carcass to every carcass
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Farmers & Ranchers Upcoming Sales and Events Fall Classic Horse Sale.................................................................................... October 11-13 Futurity...................................................................................................................October 11 Horse Sale.............................................................................................................October 12 Colt & Yearling Sale...............................................................................................October 13 Cow Sales (Tuesdays, 11:00 AM)........................October 22, November 19, December 17 Calf Sales (Tuesdays)............................................................... October 15, 29; November 5 Weaned/Vaccinated Sales (Tuesdays)..... December 3; January 7, 2020; February 4, 2020
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Continued from page 1 ________________________________________
value, etc.) saw the cut’s potential. They used some fairy dust (wood smoke) and magically low temperatures for a happily-ever-after amount of time (low and slow) to create a mouth-watering dish attractive enough for a glass plate and fit for a prince and the masses alike.
Brisket’s Beginnings Distinguished professor of animal science at Texas A&M University (TAMU) Jeff Savell says brisket had its beginnings more than 70 years ago in meat markets. At the end of the week, butchers would cook the leftover cuts as a way of preserving shelf life. At that time it would have been random parts of the beef carcass. Typically, those were sourced from the lower part of the animal like the belly, side, flank, plate, brisket and shank. They were the tougher, regularly exercised muscles and those that didn’t respond well to the direct heat
The process of “low and slow” cooking, which lends itself so well to the barbecue style, greatly benefited cuts like brisket.
cooking methods of the day. Brisket, as an individual cut, was developed more recently according to Savell. In the 1960s, the fabrication of carcasses for the boxed beef market
created a system to send featured items to specific venues. “In the 70s, in the Bryan-College Station area, there were a couple of barbecue places that were buying boxed beef briskets to use and the joke
was that all the briskets were going down to Texas,” says Savell. The process of “low and slow” cooking, which lends itself so well to the barbecue style, greatly benefited cuts like brisket. And so, telling the
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story of the brisket would be remiss without including the story of barbecue. “There’s a lot of debate across the country about who started what,” says Savell. “When we think about central Texas-style barbecue, that comes out of German and Czech meat markets. There would have been barbecue going on a lot longer than that coming out of the South. If you go back to the 1700s or 1800s, especially, with the influence of African Americans during the slave times, people would have been cooking products like that. “In South Texas, you would have had the barbacoa. Things would have been cooked underground. There are multiple paths to whatever we have
“The comprehensive cutout brisket value was $213.47 per hundredweight (cwt)… up 19.4% from the same week in 2018.” today when we think about barbecue across the country.” Thanks to the different influences of the people cooking and the species available to cook, beef or pork, today there are strong regional differences and labels for modern styles of barbecue: Texas, Kansas City, Memphis and Carolina. Savell says most of the barbecued beef would have been centralized in the Texas-Oklahoma-Kansas City-region because that’s where the
cattle, the stockyards and the packing plants were.
Brisket Gets Luxurious As barbecue’s popularity grew around the United States, so did American’s taste for brisket, as did their willingness to pay for it. Gone are the days when “brisket features at supermarkets were 99 cents a pound,” says Savell. “Now they are around $2, $3, $4 a pound. Brisket is not a cheap meat! “The top end of the barbecue world wants Prime briskets or they want Certified Angus Beef ® briskets,” he continues. Barbecue competitors demand an even higher level of quality —American Waygu briskets, like those of the Snake River Farms® brand, he says.
Steak might still be king, but has the kingdom’s division begun? Savell says top barbecue pit master Wayne Mueller told him, ‘At our restaurant, we’re not competing with other barbecue places; we’re competing against steakhouses. We’re competing for those that want a superior eating experience.’ According to USDA mandatory price reporting, in 2018 alone, more than 43 million pounds of brisket were sold. Total sales of briskets from the same period in 2019 over 2018, already show an increase of more than four million pounds. On a price-perpound basis prior to 2003, whole briskets were less than one dollar per pound. Recent price reporting shows brisket flats have been as high as $6 per pound. According to The Eagle article “Texas A&M experts: Brisket prices rising along with demand” agricultural economics professor at TAMU David Anderson says “the comprehensive cutout brisket value was $213.47 per hundredweight (cwt.) as of the end of May, which was up 19.4% from the same week in 2018. In comparison, only the primal short plate was up as much as 1%, and the primal rib and loin were both down about 1% from a year ago.” Anderson further states that brisket is now the third most expensive cut on a beef carcass. Only the rib and loin primals outpace it price per pound.
Brisket for President The level of brisket’s fame in the United States is unparalleled, says Savell. There are places that will try to do American-style barbecue, but it’s a challenge to find briskets that are similar to ours anywhere else. Nowhere outside of the United States can you find the steady supply of the highly-marbled briskets required to make that fall apart, rich, smoke-ringed brisket for which crowds across the country line up to taste, Savell says. Such strong demand is good business for the beef business. Veggie burgers exist; veggie briskets, now that’s a hard flavor profile to mimic. “You’re creating great demand, but you’re parading this aura about these products that people love,” explains Savell. “I think it just is a great benefit for the beef industry to have these products that people love, people talk about, people blog about, people put on Instagram. People share the news and that can only be good news if you’re in the beef business.” The similarities between the timelines of brisket’s rise to stardom page 6
Summer 2019
Farmers & Ranchers Livestock Commission
Spring Spectacular Horse Sale Results May 18, 2019
Lot # Consignor
Horse
Price
State
52
Torres, Salvador Paddysbluevalentine $24,750 (2010 Blue Roan gelding by Paddy Socks, ranch and team roping horse, Ranch Horse Competition)
NE
15
Chester, Patrick King Bears Hancock $15,000 (2009 Bay Roan gelding, grandson of King Bars Hancock, head horse)
KS
118
Scheiber, Jeff Star Dust Hawk (2013 Sorrel gelding, grandson of High Brow Cat, heel horse)
$15,000
MT
47X
Kendall, Cody Sak Em Twist $13,500 (2009 Bay Roan gelding, grandson of Flying X 6, ranch horse, Ranch Horse Competition)
NE
75
White, Rick Smoke In The Skyline $12,800 (2016 Gray gelding by Three Dee Skyline, very broke, futurity eligible, Ranch Horse Competition)
IA
129
Springer, Dan NMSU Wild Snip $12,750 (2009 Sorrel gelding, grandson of Smart Little Lena, team roping horse, Ranch Horse Competition)
KS
25
Turner, Chad Freds Boogie Bar $11,500 KS (2004 Sorrel gelding by Bar Diamond Hank, world show qualifier, ranch riding, Ranch Horse Competition Champion)
159
Smith, Cindy Mighta Rude (2006 Sorrel gelding, grandson of Frosty Eddie, head horse)
49
Schroeder, Collin Honeymoon Ready $11,000 NE (2013 Grullo gelding by grandson of Grays Starlight, ranch and team roping horse)
155
Moore, James Blue Roan Apache $10,500 (2014 Gray gelding, grandson of Three Dee Skyline, ranch horse, Ranch Horse Competition)
MO
12
Cole, Ryan Agt Mr Nubar Chex $10,500 (2012 Bay gelding, grandson of Nu Bar, world show qualifier, ranch riding, Ranch Horse Competition)
IZ
24
Morgan, Dustin Shine My Dual Rey (2013 Palomino gelding, grandson of Dual Rey, heel horse)
$10,300
MT
121X Stover, Jamie Charli Chocolate Daz (2013 Bay gelding by Zips White Chip, head horse)
$10,000
CO
22
Harris, Chad Agt Colonel King Willie $10,000 (2013 Sorrel gelding, grandson of Colonel Hotrodder, head horse, Ranch Horse Competition)
NE
42
Reynolds, Tyrell Sage Hancock Skip (2005 Blue Roan gelding by Sage Valentine Skip, heel horse)
$9,000
CO
28
Morrison, Clif Cosmic Country $8,500 (2014 Gray gelding by grandson of High Brow Hickory, ranch horse)
KS
168
Chester, Patrick Dirty Attraction $8,400 (2015 Paint gelding, grandson of Pepto Boonsmal, ranch horse, Ranch Horse Competition)
MT
6
Carter, Austin One War Paddy (2013 Sorrel gelding by Paddy Socks, head horse)
NE
137
Harris, Chad Freck N Auspicious $8,000 (2014 Sorrel mare by Auspicious Cat, ranch horse, Ranch Horse Competition)
122
Behrens, Rich WWR RHM Hancock Man $7,750 KS (2010 Bay Roan gelding by Roan Hancock Man, ranch and team roping horse, Ranch Horse Competition)
$11,200
$8,000
KS
NE
Farmers & Ranchers
Livestock Commission Company, Inc. Salina, KS
Fall Classic Catalog Horse Sale Saturday, October 12 Rope Horse Preview Friday Evening
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“For 30 years, we’ve used Leachman bulls. The bulls are good – the people are great – we’re perfectly pleased.”
and the increase of quality beef supply render some pondering. Progressive cattle producers and ingenious meat scientists can and should take credit, but what credit should pit masters take?
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The origin of the term pit goes back to the times when you would have dug a pit in the ground, built a fire, placed a grate over the fire and let the indirect heat and smoke do the cooking explains Savell. Today pit is a generic term used to describe the smoker. Pit masters are typically called by that name because they usually are not classically trained as chefs, he adds. “There are a few people I know in the barbecue business that have been trained as chefs, but the majority of them are self trained,” Savell continues. “I think a lot of pit masters are much like cattle producers. They’re entrepreneurs. They’re independent. They’re craftsman. They’re trying to do the very best that they can. They love what they do. There’s a lot of commonalities when you think of the pit masters in the barbecue world and cattle producers,” he explains. The similarities continue to stack up when one examines the following each profession generates. The romance of the cowboy way of life draws people to it more than 100 years after the automobile replaced the horse. Even now when some would say the West has been tamed, dreamers continue to trek out West to the land of opportunity. In turn, the barbecue world has created flavor-seeking pilgrims. Flip on a cooking channel or search “barbecue” online and spend hours absorbed in the culture surrounding this delicious food style. And I’ll be darned if you don’t attempt to make some yourself this weekend. According to Savell, barbecue today is as popular as it has ever been and what he calls “21st Century bar-
The similarities between the timelines of brisket’s rise to stardom and the increase of quality beef supply render some pondering. becue” is different than the barbecue of the 1900s. “I don’t think there’s any other culinary genre that seems to be as popular as this is right now,” he says. “You’ve got a whole group of people who want to go eat good barbecue but then you have another group that wants to be able to cook that barbecue. “I don’t think people are doing that with Chinese food and going home trying to figure out how to cook better Chinese food.” Savell and fellow TAMU professors, Davey Griffin and Ray Riley have been hosting barbecue classes and camps for the last 10 years. The program has been so popular; they have had to move to a lottery admittance system. “The last time we did an online registration, it sold out in 10 seconds,” states Savell. At the most recent barbecue summer camp there were attendees that had been waiting five years to attend. It goes without saying; pit masters need quality beef raised by dedicated cattle producers, and cattle producers need invested pit masters willing to transform beef into unforgettable eating experiences. Call it barbecue’s mystique. Call it the glamour to be the best. Call it the desire to recreate the best. Call it whatever you want. The gold rush of ’49 is over but the millennial quest for great barbecue reigns on with brisket scaling the steps of the throne. Editor’s Note: Paige Nelson is a freelance writer and cattlewoman from Rigby, Idaho.
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Editor’s message continued Continued from page 3 _____________________________________
processed in America. And, please explain “benefitting the few.” What’s your plan for dismantling a system that has rewarded the pursuit of quality for more than 25 years, improved trade relationships and increased our export markets exponentially? I’m wagering you have no plan. Since you have no plan, you also have no
understanding of the unintended consequence of how quickly food affordability and access, we all take for granted, becomes unaffordable and inaccessible for millions of the most vulnerable—not just in America, but around the world. This organization is misnamed. There is no “justice” in Public Justice Food Project.
Uncertainty Defines Markets Heading Into Fall By Wes Ishmael
“Trade and global conditions, feed market conditions, and summer demand conditions are all contributing to uncertainty and lack of direction as cattle and beef markets slog through the summer doldrums,” explained Derrell Peel, Extension livestock marketing specialist at Oklahoma State University, in mid July. At the time, feeder cattle prices— cash and futures—finally found some seasonal spark after languishing and eroding for more than two months. For instance, at $141.06 on July 11, the CME Feeder Cattle Index was $7.85 higher week to week, at the highest level since the first two days of May. In the third week of June the index fell to $131.43, the lowest level since March of 2017. That had many hoping that the bottom was in, setting the stage for feeder prices to increase seasonally to a typical late-summer peak. “The nearby, and deferred, contracts for both livestock products (Live Cattle and Feeder Cattle futures) appear to have found a bottom,” explained Elliott Dennis, an Extension livestock economist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in the mid-July issue of “In the Cattle Markets.” “This strong upward movement appears to be supported by both fundamental and technical information. Bottoming prices appear to have been driven by projected grain supplies, weather-driven pasture conditions, and wholesale meat demand.” For perspective, USDA’s “June Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook” (LDPO) still projected feeder steer prices (basis Oklahoma City) to be about even with last year at $142.50/ cwt.—$145 in the third quarter and $142 in the fourth.
and yield of 166.0 bushel/acre for projected production of 13.9 billion bushels. Private analyst estimates are all over the board, from slightly less than USDA’s number to as many as 10 million fewer acres and almost 2 billion fewer bushels. Along with the ultimate reality of the crop, there’s no telling how much is factored into the current price outlook. Keep in mind, USDA had its hands tied with the timing of its acreage survey, conducted at a time when producers were still trying to figure
out what they could get planted. The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) collected updated planting information in July. If the new data justified any changes, NASS planned to publish updated acreage estimates in the August Crop Production report.
Forage Comes with More Options One thing is certain to this point: there is bountiful forage across wide swaths of cattle country, thanks to the same wet and late conditions that upended so much else.
In fact, according to NASS, this spring was the wettest since 1995 for the lower 48 states with an average of 9.85 in., which was 124% of normal. It was the wettest on record in Kansas. It was one of the 10 wettest in states that included Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. That’s according to data from the National Centers for Environmental Information. “The continuation of El Niño through the Northern Hemisphere spring contributed to an excessively wet pattern across much of the United States. Drought coverage dipped to a
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Corn, Corn, Corn… Arguably, potential grain prices, especially corn prices, represent the biggest monkey in the glove box. Despite record-slow corn planting, USDA estimated 91.7 million acres of corn in its June 28 acreage report. Although futures prices fell immediately afterward, subsequent action indicated that the market believes there will be far less corn. Consider that corn futures prices for September to next July were 9-11 cents higher the day after the July World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) shaved a dime off the estimated season-average corn price to $3.70/bushel. That was based on the June 28 acreage estimate
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Drought Monitor-era record low of 2.28% April 23. Subsequently, drought coverage in the continental United States increased to 5.28% by June 4, courtesy of increasingly dry conditions in parts of the Southeast and Pacific Northwest,” say NASS analysts. “By the end of spring, developing drought also extended south of the Canadian border into parts of Montana and North Dakota.” Spun differently, analysts with the Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC) point out that as of July 7, only 1.5% of the nation’s beef cow herd resided in states with 40% or more of the pasture and range ranked as Poor or Very Poor; 29% did last year. “Meanwhile, 96% of the beef cow herd is in states with 40% of pastures rated Good to Excellent this July, versus 62% a year ago,” explained LMIC
analysts, in that organization’s mid-July Livestock Monitor. So, along with the incentive high grain prices give to putting more pounds on cattle outside of the feedlot, there is more forage opportunity. “High quality pastures should incentivize cow-calf and stockers to retain cattle longer,” Dennis says. “Likewise, with the recent USDA announcement waiving the November 1 grazing requirement on prevent planting acres, the summer grazing window may extend much longer this year. Both signals will likely shift how and when feeder cattle are placed in feedlots. If feedlot placements slow then this should dampen the seasonally low fall feeder cattle prices.” At the same time, Glynn Tonsor, an agricultural economist at Kansas State University (KSU) suggests ample forage provides opportunity to cow-
calf producers to wean calves earlier and graze cows longer in the name of recovering cow body condition. “The viability of this option hinges on how reduced calf crop revenue compares to differences in costs of improving body condition of the breeding herd,” Tonsor says. With revenue in mind, Tonsor used BeefBasis.com to run some numbers for comparison on June 7. First, he considered a typical weaning date. The projected sale price for a lot of 100, 6-weight steer calves (Medium-Large, 1-2) in Salina, Kansas, October 16 was $148.21/cwt., yielding revenue of $889.26 per head. Next, Tonsor considered weaning earlier and selling those same calves September 11 at 525 pounds The earlier, lighter projected sales price was $159.77, implying per-head revenue of $838.79. “What is critical to compare is how the projected $50 less revenue per calf stacks up to alternative ways for producers to add body condition,” Tonsor says. He emphasizes producers need to evaluate their unique costs in evaluating the opportunity.
Fed Cattle Margins Erode On a cash to cash basis, at least, feedlot margins look bleak for months ahead. Steers closed out in May were projected to lose $74.27 per head—a loss of $67.00 per head for heifers—in KSU’s July “Historical and Projected Kansas Feedlot Net Returns.” Projections for steers and heifers closed out in June were -$166.62 and -$157.06, respectively. For steers closed out in July-November, projected losses ranged from -$143.50 in November to -$207.08 in September. For the same period, projected losses for heifers were -$88.70 in November to -$160.89 in September. Again, these projections assume no price risk management. “Softening fed cattle prices in 2019 and the prospect of higher feed input costs could delay steers and heifers page 10
Summer 2019
from entering feedlots,” say analysts with USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS), in the June LDPO. “This could incentivize keeping lightweight cattle on pasture longer to add weight, which may lead to a more gradual pace of heavier cattle placed on feed so that feedlots will spend less time feeding them to the appropriate finishing weights. The slower pace of placement will likely be reflected in fewer fed cattle to be marketed for slaughter in early 2020.” Beef production for this year was forecast 75 million pounds less to 27.13 billion pounds, in the July WASDE. That was based on lighter carcass weights and reduced third-quarter slaughter. Total beef production would still be 257 million pounds more than last year. Compared to the previous month, total projected red meat and poultry production for this year increased by 350 million pounds to 104.52 billion pounds, with higher forecast pork and broiler production. That would be 2.172 billion pounds more than last year. In the meantime, lighter yearover-year carcass weights continue to underscore currentness in feedlot marketing, while also adding price support. For the week ending June 29, the average dressed steer weight was 854 pounds, which was the same as a week earlier but 11 pounds lighter than the same week a year earlier, according to USDA’s Actual Slaughter Under Federal Inspection report. The average dressed heifer weight was 1 lb. lighter than the previous week and 3 pounds lighter than the previous year at 789 pounds “With feed costs destined to be somewhat higher in the second half of the year, feedlots will have some incentive to trim back days on feed suggesting lighter finished and, thus, carcass weights,” Peel explained, in his weekly market comments. “However, feedlots do this largely by placing heavier feeder cattle, which need fewer days to finish. Heavier placement weights imply heavier finish weights.
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it’s worth noting they were higher year over year through the first three weeks of July. The 5-area direct live price for steers was $110.13/cwt to $113.37 for those weeks this year, compared to $106.87 to $112.63 for the same period a year earlier.
Demand Remains Key
Feedlot data shows that every onepound increase in placement weight results in about one-half pound increase in finished weight. Thus, the impact of higher feed prices on carcass weights is unclear but is unlikely to
Maternal Merit Igenity Score
8
have a major impact.” ERS also reduced projected fed steer prices in the July WASDE. The projected annual 5-area direct fed steer price for this year was lowered by $1.50 to $115.50/cwt. The third-quar-
ter average was forecast at $107. Projections were $110 in the fourth quarter and $124 in first quarter of 2020. Although negotiated cash fed cattle prices fell short of filling the cost gap,
Carcass Merit Igenity Score
7
“Weaker beef demand may be the biggest threat to cattle and beef markets for the remainder of the year,” Peel explained earlier in the summer. “Strong beef demand supported cattle and beef markets in 2017 and 2018, but there are signs that some weakness may be developing in beef demand in both domestic and international markets. While unemployment remains very low, other indications of weakness in the macro-economy are concerning and have led to reduced forecasts for U.S. economic growth in 2019; largely due to ongoing impacts of tariffs and trade disruptions. Relatively slow domestic income growth and higher prices for major consumer items, such as gasoline, combined with record large supplies of beef, pork and poultry may be limiting domestic beef demand going forward in 2019.” Global economic development continues to slide as tariffs drag on global trade and manufacturing. “Per capita world GDP growth
Performance Merit Igenity Score
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Summer 2019
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is expected to decrease from 2.1% in 2018 to 1.8% in 2019,” say ERS analysts, in the most recent “Outlook for U.S. Agricultural Trade.” “Global trade tensions and the fading impact of fiscal stimulus in the United States, and monetary stimulus elsewhere, will lead to slowed growth for the remainder of 2019.” Despite domestic GDP growth of 3.1% in the first quarter, the pace of investment spending, manufacturing, and demand for capital goods have eased in recent months, and the slowdown trend is widely expected to persist through the remainder of the year. That according to the June Quarterly U.S. Economic Rural Review from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange Division (KED). “Financial stress for many in agriculture continues to build amid unprecedented uncertainty from trade disputes and weather disasters,” say KED analysts. “Nearly all sectors of agriculture were affected last quarter by the inundation of spring rains that kept farmers out of fields throughout the U.S. The amount of acreage lost to prevented planting will remain the major unknown in the months ahead for ag commodities markets.” U.S. beef exports continue to underpin cattle prices but are getting iffier with protracted unresolved trade issues. Beef exports in May (latest data available) were steady with the previous year for volume (117,541 metric tons) and slightly higher for value at $727.6 million, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). However export volume for January-May is 3% less year over year, while value is slightly lower at $3.3 billion. “Beef exports to Japan, the leading beef export market, were down by 4.9% year over year in May and are down 4.5% for the first five months of 2019,” Peel says. “Beef exports to Japan are beginning to show the impact of the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership), in which the U.S. does not participate, leaving the U.S. at a bigger tariff disadvantage.” In fact, according to USMEF, all of U.S. pork and beef ’s major competitors gained tariff relief in Japan this year through that agreement, as well as the economic partnership agreement
between Japan and the European Union. On the other side of international demand, African Swine Fever in China and Southeast Asia will likely drive some added U.S. demand (see African Swine Fever Continues to Spread, page 14). “An expected decline in Chinese pork production will spur a surge of
beef, pork, and chicken imports into China as it tries to fill a shortfall in animal protein supply that no single pork-producing country will be able to fill,” say KED analysts. Editor’s Note: In addition to his writings for F&R Livestock Resource, Wes Ishmael also writes and produces Cattle Current—a convenient, one-stop glance at daily cattle
markets. The website and daily podcast include market highlights. The daily Cattle Current e-mail newsletter includes more detail: Highlights from and links to calf and feeder cattle auctions monitored by Cattle Current; weekly market summary commentary; daily cash grain prices; futures prices for live cattle, feeder cattle, corn and Crude oil (day, previous day and previous week). For more information, visit cattlecurrent.com.
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F&R Livestock Resource page 13
ASF Ripple Effect
African Swine Fever Continues to Spread The impact on United States exports hangs on a variety of factors. By Wes Ishmael
U.S. meat exports may benefit from the African Swine Fever epidemic in China and Southeast Asia, but there’s no telling when. “African Swine Fever has spread to every province in mainland China and is now affecting an estimated 150-200 million pigs,” explained Christine McCracken, RaboResearch animal protein analyst. “The expected 30% loss in pork production is unprecedented. These losses cannot easily be replaced by other proteins like chicken, duck and seafood, nor will larger pork imports be able to fully offset the loss.” That was back in April when McCracken authored the Rabobank article, “Rising African Swine Fever Losses to Lift All Protein Boats.” At the time, Rabobank expected Chinese pork production losses of 25 to 35% this year. Such a loss would be at least 30% larger than annual U.S. pork production and nearly as large as Europe’s annual pork supply. As you likely know, China is far and away the world’s largest pork producer and consumer. Combined, the next five largest pork producing nation churn out less than China’s annual pork consumption, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. Infections of African Swine Fever (ASF)—a highly contagious and typically fatal swine virus—have accelerated and spread since then. As of May 23, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) ASF situation report indicated a total of 3,835 ongoing outbreaks and 2,607 new outbreaks. For perspective, the previous report (April 26-May 9) indicated 1,322 ongoing outbreaks and 157 new ones. Countries and territories reporting on new or ongoing ASF outbreaks included: Europe (Belgium, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia and Ukraine); Asia (China, Hong Kong and Vietnam) and Africa (South Africa). By the middle of June, 32 out of the 34 provincial level administrative divisions in mainland China, were affected with more than 1.13 million pigs culled, due to the disease. That’s according to a July update from the FAO’s Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS). “Despite the actions taken by the Government of China, ASF continues page 14
Summer 2019
to spread. According to FAO’s Emergency Prevention System for Animal Health, the disease has been reported in Vietnam, Cambodia, Mongolia, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and, most recently, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, where
millions of pigs perished or have been culled,” say FAO analysts. “While official sources in the affected countries confirm numerous outbreaks and a rapid spread of the disease, it is likely that ASF may have a wider distribution than currently assumed.”
“African Swine Fever has caused the loss of hundreds of millions of pigs across China and Southeast Asia, creating a massive shortfall in animal protein supply for these regions through 2020 and possibly for years to come,” say analysts with CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange Division (KED). “That shortfall will have significant implications for the U.S. animal protein and feed sectors.” That’s from a May KED report, “African Swine Fever Implications for U.S. Ag.” So far, clarity is hard to come by, regarding the economic impacts of ASF. “In China (mainland), the prices of
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pig meat soared between February and early March, but have since stabilized due to the release of frozen stocks into markets, in response to the high prices, and increased sales of fresh meat, as pig producers decided to slaughter more animals over concerns about the future impact of ASF,” according to the FAO. At the same time, even though ASF poses no threat to human health, fears also pressured Chinese pork consumption. “The actual magnitude of the ASF impact on pig meat production in Asia is currently uncertain,” says the FAO analysts. “In April 2019, prior to the rapid escalation of ASF infections, FAO forecast pig meat production in Asia at 60.7 million tons, 9% below the 2018 high level. The contraction of the sub-regional output mainly reflects a sharp decrease in China (mainland), the world’s main pig meat producer, where the output is anticipated to decline by at least 10% in 2019 compared with 2018, to 49.1 million tons. Sizable production decreases are foreseen also in Vietnam, the second largest pig meat producer in the sub-region, as well as in Cambodia, Mongolia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.” According to FAO, substitution is occurring in the ASF-affected countries with increased domestic production and imports of other meats. “Pork is one of the world’s most widely consumed animal protein sources and is the most consumed meat in several countries of the sub-region, including China (mainland), Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand and Myanmar,” say FAO analysts. None of this speaks to lost incomes and livelihoods due to the ASF epidemic. “The outbreak is particularly affecting vulnerable subsistence small farmers as they usually lack the expertise and/or funds necessary to protect their herds from the disease,” according to FAO. Those analysts say at least 130 million households in China are engaged in pig farming, with 30% of national production coming from small-scale producers. In Vietnam, they say, pig farming is the main livelihood for 2.5 million households. Small-scale producers there account for about half of domestic pork production.
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Summer 2019
Dairy and Poultry Outlook.” “For the United States, this could mean that significant shares of increased U.S. pork exports may back-fill pork diverted to China by other pork-exporting countries,” ERS analysts say. “However, to the extent that increased demand is reflected in higher prices, U.S. pork may find itself under competitive pressure in a number of price-sensitive markets. In addition, higher pork prices may also affect exports to countries where U.S. pork faces ad-valorum tariffs.” Of course, that assumes that the U.S. remains free of AFS (more later). So far, KED analysts say U.S. pork exports to China have increased but have been offset by decreased exports to Mexico and Korea. They credit the softer exports to a variety of factors, including recent and ongoing tariffs on U.S. pork, compounded by hog prices driven higher in anticipation of more exports to fill the ASF protein void. Still, the KED folks say it’s hard to overstate the potential impact of ASF on global pork and overall animal protein trade, potentially for years to come. “Based on our current understanding of Chinese pork supply since the spread of the virus in August 2018, we expect Chinese pork production to decline by one-third over 2019 and 2020,” say KED analysts in that organization’s “Quarterly U.S. Rural Economic Review.” “This will spur a surge of beef, pork and chicken imports into China as it tries to fill a shortfall in animal protein supply that no single pork producing country will be able to fill. While China’s demand outlook seems
clear, the timing of shipment is highly uncertain…” At the same time, the U.S. looks to continue losing feed grain exports. The reduction of feed demand due to ASF will be especially painful for elevators, crushers and feed mills focused on Chinese markets, according to CoBank. In “African Swine Fever Implication” for U.S. Ag, CoBank analysts project that a 30% decline in the Chinese hog herd for 2019-2020— compared to 2017-2018—would reduce soybean meal consumption by 9 million metric tons (mmt) and corn consumption by 28 mmt. Reduced feed grain demand will likely linger as China begins to rebuild its herd.
Global Approach to ASF Containment ASF was first described in Kenya at the turn of the last century, yet there’s still no vaccine. In an effort to prevent a global ASF pandemic, OIE launched a global initiative for the control of ASF at its 87th General Session in May. That effort will utilize its existing framework to develop, improve and harmonize partnerships and coordination at national, regional and international levels. “Given the global socioeconomic repercussions of ASF, controlling the disease is a high priority for both affected countries and those free of the disease,” according to an OIE statement. “Although ASF poses no risk to human health, it is devastating for the economy of pig farms and for
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international trade, with repercussions for the livelihoods of farmers and for food safety.” Closer to home, USDA implemented an ASF surveillance plan in May, by which the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will work with the swine industry, the states and veterinary diagnostic laboratories to test for ASF. “While we are confident that our overlapping safeguards will continue to keep ASF out of the United States, an enhanced surveillance program will serve as an early warning system, helping us find any potential disease much more quickly,” explains, Greg Ibach, undersecretary for marketing and regulatory Programs. “It will also minimize virus spread and support efforts to restore trade markets and animal movements as quickly as possible should the disease be detected.” Also in May, USDA and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) agreed to allow safe trade to continue in the event ASF is reported in either country. The proactive step is positive for livestock markets overall. On the one hand, less trade disruption, in the event of ASF, should mean less price destruction for pork and competing meats. On the other hand, hopefully this is a
potential template for beef trade, in the face of foreign animal disease. Specifically, the U.S. and Canada modified their export certificates to allow trade to continue in approved disease-free zones, in the event of an ASF outbreak. That pertains to live swine, swine semen, pet food and animal by-products and meat. This builds on Canada and U.S. zoning arrangements agreed to by USDA and CFIA last year, which established the principles for zoning and trade. According to a joint USDA-CFIA statement, zoning is an internationally recognized tool used to help manage diseases and facilitate international trade. If a case of ASF is identified, geographic boundaries are defined to contain the outbreak. These geographic boundaries are control zones established in accordance with OIE guidelines. The areas outside of these control zones are disease-free zones. The importance of zoning and safe trade was echoed by all levels of governments and industry representatives at the ASF Forum, an international event hosted by Canada April 30-May 1, in collaboration with the United States and supported by leaders from Mexico, the European Union, the FAO, the OIE, provincial, territorial and state partners, as well as industry.
Opposing Forces By Wes Ishmael
Editor’s Note: Hooter’s ability to entertain and remind us not to take ourselves so seriously has been a welcome respite for decades. Welcome to the latest episode of Hooter McCormick’s misadventures. Boomer the bulldog stared everywhere into space at once, slobbering with contentment as he rested a stubby paw on top of Jiggs’ leg. Jiggs Callahan looked down with pride. He was fairly sure Boomer wasn’t the brightest bulb in the string, but drool and all, Boomer had become a pal’s pal, riding shotgun wherever Jiggs went to shoe horses or weld pipe. Plus, the price was reasonable: four equine pedicures and one pair of handmade spurs. Jiggs knew he could never have afforded him, except for the fact that Boomer was blessed with a pair of lazy brown eyes, as apt to be staring in opposite directions at any given time as they were to point toward the general vicinity he happened to be shambling. “We’re almost there,” said Jiggs, rubbing Boomer’s happy ears. “This shouldn’t take long, just a couple of
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brackets to weld, then we’re off to catch some fish.” As Jiggs rounded the shop, though, his smile began to fade with his afternoon plans. There was Hooter McCormick applying a gooey metallic concoction to some metal panels. “Hey!” shouted Hooter, barely looking up from his work. “Glad you finally made it. Didja bring that crosseyed flea bag with you?” Jiggs started to flush. “Hooter, you know Boomer’s not cross-eyed and you know he can’t help it. I left him in the pickup, you know he’s, um, he’s…” “Scared of cows, clouds, his shadow and everything else under the sun,” chimed in Hooter with a laugh. Jiggs replied earnestly, “Hooter, I don’t think he’s scared, really, as much as it’s just hard for him to see what’s coming at him, so he’s just extra cautious, that’s all.” Hooter shook his head. “Let me show you what I need done.” Jiggs hesitated. “Mr. Brinkley’s the one who called me. Is he around?” “Nope,” said Hooter. “I’m just helping him on his project. He left me in charge.”
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Summer 2019
At that, Jiggs raised the white flag on every fish he knew was waiting for him to trudge slowly along behind.
Sowing the Seeds of Discovery Hooter led Jiggs over to what first appeared to be a normal squeeze chute. But strapped on the inside were what looked to be rows of soft-bristled shop brooms. And over the top were three times as many hoses as any hydraulic pump needed. “What in the world is this thing?” asked Jiggs, hating the fact that he had to, but still holding out a few shreds of hope that he could do what needed to be done and be back home in time for supper. “This,” said Hooter, “only happens to be a piece of handling equipment that could revolutionize the entire cattle industry as we know it. So far, me and Earl just call it the Fly Whacker.” Jiggs walked slowly around the contraption, running his hands over welds and connections, trying to figure out what it was supposed to do. “I didn’t think you and Mr. Brinkley were even talking, let alone talking about flies again.” “He had to talk to me. After all, I gave him the idea,” said Hooter, patting the side of the chute with affection. For the record, more than one Apache Flats local described Earl Brinkley as being more different than a three-dollar bill; and just as useful, depending on who was painting the picture. Earl ran some cattle and scraped together enough cash every year to keep the bank off his back, but what really interested him was inventing things. In fact, the mountainous junk pile at the head of the driveway bore testament to Earl’s restless mind. Rumor had it the junk heap was at the beginning of the drive, rather than out back somewhere, because so far everything Earl had invented had failed. Every trip back from exhibiting another of his new ideas, Earl would toss the rejection on the pile as he turned the corner for home. That’s why Jiggs was surprised that Hooter and Mr. Brinkley were talking, let alone working together. Only a month before, Brinkley had accused Hooter of destroying the one invention he was sure would make him rich and put him on the map. “All I did was suggest that we take it outside and see if it worked as good as he said it did,” said Hooter, explaining to Jiggs the previous turn of events. Earl unveiled his latest discovery at the monthly meeting of the Rio Rojo County Cattlemen’s Association. It was a new and proprietary substance he felt sure all the ear tag manufacturers would
be standing in line for. It was a sort of enamel, made from honey, vinegar and some secret ingredient, that when baked on to regular ear tags would supposedly keep the flies away, period and forever. “I was on my way home with a load of heifers and I just stuck my head in the door,” explained Hooter. “So, Earl throws me a tag and says, ‘Give it your best shot.’ Well, as soon as I get outside, every fly in the county plumb attacked me. I never even made it to the trailer.”
By now, Jiggs’ forehead was squinched into lines of genuine interest. “No kiddin’? What did Mr. Brinkley do?” “Well sir, Earl turns about five shades of red and heads straight for his pick-up. I told him it wasn’t my fault he’d invented a fly magnet instead of a fly repellent,” Hooter explained. “He’d only ever tried it at his place and he never has much of a fly problem.” “That so?” wondered Jiggs. “Yeah, that’s so. Earl wouldn’t ever try to con anybody. Turns out that he’s
a lousy chemist, but he’s always been a whale of a range manager. Without intending to, he’s always moving cattle ahead of the hatch. He never thought about that. You know him, he gets so ate up with what’s on his mind that he’d step in front of a freight train.” Jiggs was starting to lose the connection. He stepped back and pointed at the squeeze chute. “So, what does this have to do with that?” “I guess Earl was awful steamed about me telling him he’d created a fly magnet. So, he starts thinking about
F&R Livestock Resource page 19
KSU Beef Stocker Field Day Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019 KSU Beef Stocker Unit Join us as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the KSU Beef Stocker Field Day. The program will include the latest practical information to help you make the most of significant changes occuring in the beef industry. We’ll offer management tips to help you optimize your stocker operation and provide greater flexibility in the future.
magnets and electricity and all that kind of stuff. Bottom line, he claims you run cattle through this and the static electricity caused by brushing against these shop brooms, along with these panels we need to hang over the top and the water being misted down on them, makes it so their whole hide repels flies. Some sort of inverted upside down ionization kind of thing… foxfire for the follicle, I suppose. So, we need you to make us some brackets for the panels here on top of the chute. It’s all we have left to do.” “You’re serious?” wondered Jiggs. “Of course, I’m serious. I hate flies,” said Hooter matter of factly. “Now, you make some brackets for those panels to hang and I’m going to bring up some heifers so we can give this thing a whirl.” Jiggs felt sure he already knew how successful it would be, but it was an easy enough job and he was already there.
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Summer 2019
“You got that thing done yet?” hollered Hooter as he latched the gate behind five heifers that were more alert than most folks might like. “Oh, and the way that steady-eyed pal of yours is gnawing on the steering wheel, I think he wants out. Just don’t let him spook my heifers.” Jiggs looked annoyed. “Don’t you never mind about my dog. You come and make sure I have these panels hung the way you want. I’ll let Boomer out, then we’ll see how smart y’all are.” Boomer was so happy to see Jiggs again that he fairly well did a somersault off the driver’s seat. “Thata boy, I wouldn’t forget about you,” said Jiggs, “Sticking his face down into Boomer’s and squeezing him tight. “Now you stay by me and we’ll be on our way in a flash. To Hooter’s amazement, Boomer plopped down as he was told, drooling happily, looking here and there at once. Hooter turned on the Fly Whacker then clambered into the catch pen. “Now you catch her,” he said, moving the heifers into the chute. Maybe it was the mist drizzling down in front of her, the noise from the pump, or just genetics, but when the heifer saw daylight she took off like a rocket. It’s a credit to Jiggs’ reflexes that he was able to catch her at all. And who knows how all of this looked to Boomer. However it looked, between the sudden motion, crashing metal and bellering he obviously thought his beloved master was in trouble.
Hooter was on his way to retrieve the other heifers when he heard Jiggs scream, “Boomer! Noooooo!” It was too late. Boomer had skinnied into the chute and latched on to the irate heifer’s tail with a mighty bite that he would not release even though the heifer was trying to kick him with one leg, then the next. Boomer looked like a punching bag with jowls. “Let her out! Let her Out!” Hooter was shouting as he jumped the fence and raced to the squeeze. But Jiggs was in a state of shock. He just stood there, frozen tighter than a rusted nut. Hooter reached around Jiggs and popped the gate. The heifer launched for freedom. Boomer hung tight. As the heifer made a hard turn right out of the chute, she jerked Boomer hard left into the gate. Boomer let go and fell into a heap. Jiggs dropped to his knees, speechless. Hooter spied the water jug next to the chute, popped the top and drained it on top of the lifeless clump. “Dry your eyes, Jiggs, ol’ double-barrel is still breathing.” Sure enough, Boomer rolled to one side, looked around, slid his tongue over his nose, stood up and shook like a horse after a hard ride.
“Hooter McCormick! What have you done to my Fly Whacker?!” came a new and infuriated voice. It was Earl who had made it back from town just as the rodeo was coming to a close. For the first time, Hooter noticed that the heifer and Boomer had done a fair amount of damage. One half of the headgate was about broken off. The gate in back was twisted and bent. The gooped-up panels were strewn all about as if they’d been though an explosion. Broom bristles were everywhere, some still drifting down in the still air like confetti. Two of the overhead misters were broken and shooting water like some kind of modern-art fountain. “Well, Hooter grinned. We’re not exactly sure how it works for flies, but it danged sure works on dogs.”
Start Now to Access Forage Options Prior to Fall Activity Also access the body condition scoring of your cow herd. By Randall Spare
Randall Spare, DVM, Ashland Veterinary Center
In the dog days of summer, it is easy to coast along. But now is the time for cow calf producers to take stock of the resources available for upcoming events in the fall. Breeding season is either winding up or just starting. The calves, the fruit of the last 12 months of labor, are in the pasture changing daily. Many times, producers will come to us as veterinarians to survey what “new tools” we have available for the weaning process. What new vaccine is available? What new antibiotics are available? Is there a new wormer? When should I give preweaning vaccine? These are all great and important considerations for weaning. However, if we think about the value of these tools and the costs associated, it pales in comparison to feed value. In considering the coming winter, the stockpiled feed sources out on grass or harvested forages are signif-
icant costs to feeding a cow or stocker animal postweaning. The 2018-2019 winter was harsh and unforgiving for the cow-calf manager. There are several important, critical points that we must revisit. How can we maintain the cow on the forages available on the ranch with the least amount of supplemental cost? The cost of labor, machinery and shrink of supplement must be added to the cost of the supplement. The starting point must be an analysis of the available forage. As we learned last winter, long periods of wet, cold weather increased the nutrient needs beyond what a cow could physically consume. In a relatively dry mild winter, the forage would support the requirements of gestation and maintenance. However, when the weather changed, creating long bouts of mud, wet skin and windy conditions, there was not enough protein and energy available in the ration to support the cow and fetus. The result was many dead calves in the last month of gestation or in the first month of life due to protein and or energy deficiency. I was often asked for a vaccine or a vitamin that might solve this pregnancy wastage. In each instance, we would walk through the current conditions, the stage of pregnancy, the nutrient requirements of the cow, and compare it to what was being fed. We found that either the forage quality was so poor the cow could not physically consume
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enough, the level of protein was lower than “book” value or the amount of forage offered was not available to all of the cows. Many producers tried to encourage weight gain by adding corn or other high energy supplement. This practice failed. As supplements are offered to a ruminant animal, the added protein is needed for the rumen microorganisms, as a food source or substrate, to digest cellulose in the ration. This ruminal process will produce volatile fatty acids (VFAs) which are absorbed by the rumen wall, then go into the blood system to create energy. As the gestational cycle advances, calves are weaned and cows are palpated for pregnancy, body condition can be assessed. Body condition scoring (BCS) is a benchmarking tool to de-
termine the projected needs of the cow during the coming months. If a cow is a BCS of 4 at pregnancy check (5.5 BCS is desired at calving), the cow will need to gain 135-150 pounds by calving. As summer passes, start assessing the condition of the different age groups of cows in the pasture. At the same time, inventory the available forage sources. Then, be ready to get a forage analysis after harvesting. Once the feed is analyzed, supplementation programs can be designed to best utilize the available pasture. Many times, the cow calf manager has few risk management tools available. We must think forage and feed analysis as management tools necessary to mitigate the risk of pregnancy wastage, calf death loss, and mortality from disease challenges.
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Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Recognizes Excellence Across All Sectors The Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) is an organization dedicated to coordinating all segments of the beef industry (from researchers and producers to retailers) in an effort to improve the efficiency, profitability and sustainability of beef production. BIF was initiated almost 70 years ago to encourage the use of objective measurements to evaluate beef cattle. Continuing the tradition, BIF is now the clearinghouse for developing standardized programs and methodologies for recording of performance data for all traits, from birth weights to carcass traits. During the annual convention each year, BIF recognizes outstanding industry contributions. Congratulations to the 2019 award winners. BIF Commercial Producer of the Year —Bruce and Tracey Mershon Mershon Cattle LLC
Mershon Cattle LLC is a diversified crop and livestock operation headquartered on a Century Farm in Buckner, Missouri, northeast of Kansas City. The Mershon family has deep roots in Missouri agriculture. In 1865, Bruce’s great-great-grandfather, Eli Mershon, settled in the Fort Osage area of Jackson County and purchased 160 acres shortly thereafter. The family has farmed there ever since. Bruce and Tracey Mershon have owned cattle since 1993 and launched Mershon Cattle LLC in 2012. They purchased Sunny Acres Farm in Appleton City, Missouri, in 2013 to expand the operation. The Mershon cow herd consists of 1,600 Angus-based, crossbred cows, which are bred to Hereford, Simmental and Charolais sires. This complementary breeding program allows the operation to produce efficient, high-performing
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offspring, and is paired with a sustainable grass management program to maximize environmental stewardship. Bruce and Tracey have built their cattle operation while working fulltime as a commodity trader and marketing communications professional, respectively. A key to their success is gathering complete phenotypic records on each calf crop from birth to harvest. In conjunction with utilizing cutting-edge reproductive technologies, this phenotypic data is used to implement strategic improvements in building accuracy for their cow herd. The Mershons are passionate about growing their community and bettering the beef industry. Bruce and Tracey hold leadership roles within multiple livestock organizations and other national agricultural groups. Through leadership and involvement, the Mershons endeavor to improve their operation, their land, their community and the beef industry every day. Mershon Cattle LLC was nominated by the American Hereford Association. BIF Seedstock Producer of the Year —Hinkson Angus Ranch Cottonwood Falls, Kansas The ranch was purchased in March 1984, when Frank Jr., wife, Marilyn, and children, Trey and Tyla, moved from West Texas with 90 head of registered Angus cows. These cows stemmed from the original registered herd started by Frank Sr. in 1959 near Lazbuddie, Texas. Today, Hinkson Angus Ranch is owned by Frank Jr. and his son, Trey, who is the fourth generation on the ranch and manages the daily operation. Hinkson Angus consists of 5,500 acres of owned and leased land, and 200 fall- and 175 spring-calving registered Angus cows. An additional 1,000 commercial heifers are purchased each year, with the majority coming from Hinkson bull customers. The focus of the Hinkson family is to produce practical, balanced-trait seedstock that will work at an optimum level in all phases of the beef industry in a real-world environment. Over the years, the Hinksons have been early to adopt new advances and technology within the livestock industry. A small herd of registered Charolais cows was added in 2017, in response to the needs of some of their commercial customers to add terminal genetics. The Kansas Livestock Association nominated Hinkson Angus Ranch. Frank Baker/Larry Cundiff Beef Improvement Essay —Madison Butler Vincennes, Indiana The annual Frank Baker/Larry Cundiff Beef Improvement Essay Con-
test for graduate students provides an opportunity to recognize outstanding student research and competitive writing in honor of Frank Baker and Larry Cundiff. Butler is working on her master’s degree in animal breeding and genetics at Kansas State University. Her essay was titled “Review of Genetic Studies of Bull Fertility.” Each year, winning essays are selected and published in the annual BIF Research Symposium and Annual Meeting Proceedings. Each winning author will receive a $1,000 scholarship. Baker is widely recognized as the “Founding Father” of the BIF. He played a key leadership role in helping establish BIF in 1968 while he
Each year, winning essays are selected and published in the annual BIF Research Symposium and Annual Meeting Proceedings. Each winning author will receive a $1,000 scholarship. was chairman of the Department of Animal Science at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Cundiff retired after 40 years as a research geneticist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service. He was the research leader of the genetics and breeding research unit at the U.S. Meat Animal Research
Center from 1976 until 2005. Cundiff designed, conducted and published some of the most important beef breeding research of the 20th century. He’s also led in the transfer of new technology to the beef industry through his continued work in BIF and his presentations made across the nation and around the world. Roy Wallace Scholarship —Benjamin Crites Lexington, Kentucky —Taylor Nikkel Maple Hill, Kansas The graduate student award was presented to Benjamin Crites, Lexington, Kentucky. He completed his master’s degree and doctorate at the University of Kentucky (UK) in reproductive physiology. Crites’ master’s
Director of Breed Improvement. With more Angus influenced cattle qualifying for the Certified Angus Beef ® brand than ever before, it’s clear that the Angus bull has become America’s bull. He sires calving ease, growth and superior marbling. He works well in any environment, and on any cow, regardless of breed. Make sure that America’s bull serves as your Director of Breed Improvement. Angus. America’s breed. Go to www.Angus.org/businessbreed to learn more.
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project focused on incorporating gender-sorted semen into fixed-time artificial insemination protocols for beef heifers and cows. Currently, Crites is continuing his education at UK with Dr. Bridges, working on a doctoral degree in reproductive physiology. Their lab is evaluating the selenium form regulation on fertility in beef cattle. During Crites’ graduate studies, he also served as a beef extension associate at UK. Along with networking with producers, extension agents and extension specialists daily, this position allowed Crites to become involved in the UK Integrated Reproductive Management Farm program, an extension project that assesses the impact of stimulating long-term behavioral changes in management practices that are designed to increase reproductive performance. Taylor Nikkel, Maple Hill, Kansas, is this year’s undergraduate winner. She will graduate from Kansas State University (K-State) in May 2020 with a degree in agricultural economics. During her time at K-State, Nikkel has taken opportunities to learn more about agricultural policy and law. In the fall of 2018, she attended the Agriculture Future of America (AFA) leadership conference, which helped her connect with peers who had similar interests in pursuing a career path of agricultural policy. This past semester, Nikkel interned with the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. This summer, Nikkel accepted an opportunity to work with Farm Credit Mid-America as a government and legislative affairs intern. Upon completion of her undergrad degree, she plans to pursue a law degree that will allow her to better analyze and understand legislation that affects the industry. The Roy A. Wallace Beef Improvement Federation Memorial Fund was established by Select Sires to honor the life and career of Roy Wallace. Wallace, who worked for Select Sires for 40 years, served as vice president of beef programs and devoted his life to the improvement of beef cattle. He became involved with BIF in its infancy and was the only person to attend all of the first 40 BIF conventions. He loved what BIF stands for—bringing together purebred and commercial cattle breeders, academia and breed associations, all committed to improving beef cattle. Wallace was honored with both the BIF Pioneer Award and BIF Continuing Service Award, and he co-authored the BIF 25-year history, “Ideas into Action.” Two $1,250 scholarships are awarded each year, one to an undergraduate and the other to a graduate student. Criteria for selection include page 24
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BIF Commercial Producer of the Year was presented to Bruce and Tracey Mershon, Mershon Cattle LLC.
BIF Seedstock Producer of the Year was presented to Hinkson Angus Ranch (center), Cottonwood Falls, Kansas.
Frank Baker/Larry Cundiff Beef Improvement Essay Award presented to Madison Butler (center), Vincennes, Indiana.
a demonstrated commitment and service to the beef cattle industry and a passion for the areas of beef breeding, genetics and reproduction, academic performance, and personal character. BIF Pioneer Award —Jerry Wulf Morris, Minnesota —Jim Gibb Louisville, Colorado The award recognizes individuals who have made lasting contributions to the improvement of beef cattle, honoring those who have had a major
Roy Wallace Scholarship was presented to Benjamin Crites, Lexington, Kentucky, and Taylor Nikkel, Maple Hill, Kansas.
BIF Pioneer Award was presented to Jim Gibb (center), Louisville, Colorado.
BIF Pioneer Award was presented to Jerry Wulf (center), Morris, Minnesota.
role in acceptance of performance reporting and documentation as the primary means to make genetic change in beef cattle. Two Pioneer Awards were presented to the following: Jerry Wulf of Morris, Minnesota, has been in business for more than 60 years. The Wulf operation spans across Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska, and is partners with Riverview LLP, a dairy enterprise. Wulf Cattle manages 2,000 registered Limousin and Lim-Flex females, finishes 100,000 head of fed cattle
annually; and has a 12,000-head grass stocker operation in western South Dakota. The operation ranks in National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Top 25 Seedstock Producers. An industry leader in the development of expected progeny differences (EPDs) and indexes, Wulf has contributed a tremendous amount of data toward the development of the first docility EPD in the beef industry at the North American Limousin Foundation. They were some of the first to collect large quantities of feed efficiency data and
worked closely with staff at NALF to produce an across-breed feed efficiency index for in-house selection and customer information. Jim Gibb, Louisville, Colorado, has been a leader at two breed associations—American Polled Hereford Association and American Gelbvieh Association—served the National Livestock and Meat Board and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, founded an animal genomics company and taught beef cattle management at the University of Illinois. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and master’s and doctorate degrees from Colorado State University. Gibb is also a past BIF board member. He cofounded Frontier Beef Systems with the American Simmental Association, focusing on providing DNA testing to seedstock producers. He later sold the company to Merial that in turn sold it to Neogen. Following the sale of the company he worked for both companies until retiring in 2018. BIF Continuing Service Awards —Craig Bieber Leola, South Dakota —Scott Greiner Christinasburg, Virginia —Steve Munger Highmore, South Dakota Continuing Service Award winners have made major contributions to the BIF organization. Three individuals were presented Continuing Service Awards. Craig Bieber, Leola, South Dakota. Bieber serves as CEO of Bieber Red Angus Ranch, managing sales and ranch activities. Bieber Red Angus Ranch has been breeding Red Angus cattle since 1968. The Bieber family manages 950 registered Red Angus cows and hosts four sales and three online sales annually. An industry leader, Bieber has served in several leadership roles. He served on the BIF board of directors and was the 2015-2016 BIF president. He is also a past president of the Red Angus Association of America (RAAA) board and served on its breed improvement committee. He is a past president of the South Dakota Red Angus Association and served on the South Dakota Beef Industry Council. He currently serves on the U.S. Meat Export Federation. Scott Greiner, Christiansburg, Virginia, is an extension beef and sheep specialist at Virginia Tech. In this
Continuing Service Award winners have made major contributions to the BIF organization.
position, he provides research-based education and outreach on the science and application of beef and sheep production to livestock producers, extension agents and allied-industry professionals. He received his bachelor’s degree in animal science at Iowa State University, his master’s degree in animal science at Michigan State University and returned to Iowa State to obtain his doctorate in animal science (meat science). He has devoted his time to agriculture by serving in various roles, including being a member of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) beef production research committee, the U.S. Beef Breeds Council, Ultrasound Guidelines Council, the Virginia Department of Agriculture Animal Identification Working Group, a Virginia Cattlemen’s Association Educational advisor, a Virginia Sheep Producers Association Educational advisor, a Virginia Sheep Industry Board Educational advisor and as the superintendent of the National Collegiate Livestock Judging Contest. Steve Munger, Highmore, South Dakota, is managing partner of Eagle Pass Ranch, which he and his wife, Debi, own in partnership with sons, Nate and AJ, and their wives. Eagle Pass Ranch has been supplying the beef industry with progressive beef genetics for more than 25 years. The company annually markets more than 500 bulls and females to cow-calf producers across the United States, Canada and Mexico, along with commercial heifers, semen and embryos. Munger served on the BIF board of directors, including a term as president in 2014-2015. BIF Ambassador Award —Eric Grant St. Joseph, Missouri This award is given annually by BIF to a member of the media for his or her efforts in spreading the news of BIF and its principles to a larger audience. The Beef Improvement Federation presented Eric Grant, St. Joseph, Missouri, the BIF Ambassador Award. With more than 30 years of experience in communications and advertising, Eric Grant is the founder of Grant Company, which offers a unique blend of media, public relations, communications and advertising services for many clients with deep roots in agriculture, such as Merck Animal Health, Biozyme Inc. and Holstein Association USA. The company is committed to delivering superior-quality work that resonates with audiences through unmatched storytelling. Before launching his own company, Grant worked for the American Angus Association for 10 years, first as manager of
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ConvenƟon RegistraƟon Opens Trade Show Opens........................ Main ConvenƟon Hall Commercial CaƩlemen’s Symposium ............... Ballroom Welcome – Harold Bertz, Director of MarkeƟng “Which Came First – The Cow or the Calf?” Troy Marshall, Keynote Speaker “Superior Female Data” – Dr. Ken Odde........... Ballroom Lunch ................................................................ Ballroom RegistraƟon Closed, Reopens 7 a.m. Thursday Ladies’ Symposium ......................... Winery/MeeƟng 2-3 “Women’s Changing Roles in Ag” Commercial CaƩlemen’s Symposium Resumes ........................................................... Ballroom “Designing the Right Feeder CaƩle” Bob Scherer, Director of Procurement, Tyson Tony Bryant, General Manager, Kuner Feedyard Break ............................................ Main ConvenƟon Hall Ultrasound DemonstraƟon CUP Lab, President, Mark Henry ........................... Outside North Parking Lot Commercial CaƩlemen’s Symposium Concludes ......................................................... Ballroom
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BIF Continuing Service Award was presented to
Craig Bieber (left), Leola, South Dakota.
BIF Continuing Service Award was presented to Scott Greiner (left), Christiansburg, Virginia.
BIF Continuing Service Award was presented to Steve Munger (center), Highmore, South Dakota.
BIF Ambassador Award was presented Eric Grant (center), St. Joseph, Missouri.
Brief
Kansas Livestock Association to Receive Don L. Good Impact Award Make plans to attend the fifth annual K-State ASI Family & Friends Reunion October 4 in Manhattan.
The Kansas Livestock Association (KLA), a trade organization protecting the business interests of livestock producers, has been selected to receive the 2019 Don L. Good Impact Award. Members of the association are involved in many aspects of the livestock industry, including seedstock, cow-calf and stocker cattle production, cattle feeding, dairy production, swine production, grazing land management and diversified farming operations. The association’s work is funded by voluntary dues dollars paid by its more than 5,500 members. The award, presented by the Livestock and Meat Industry Council Inc. (LMIC), is named in honor of Good, (a former head of the Kansas State University Department of Animal Sciences and Industry (ASI)) and recognizes positive impact on the livestock and meat industry or agriculture. KLA will be recognized during the K-State ASI Family & Friends Reunion on October 4 at the Stanley page 26
Creative Media, then in 2009 was named the Association’s director of public relations, and finally served as the president and general manager of Angus Media. Prior to his time at the American Angus Association, Grant served as assistant editor for the National Cattlemen’s Association, senior contributing editor for Farm Journal/Beef Today, and contributing editor for the American Cowboy and Range magazines. His award-winning photography and articles have appeared in more than 100 publications around the world. Eric played a central role in advancing the Angus breed on several fronts during his tenure. As president of Angus Media, he oversaw all association communications, advertising and public relations efforts; the business of two leading publications, Angus Journal and Angus Beef Bulletin; and the special services division devoted to expanding breeder advertising opportunities. More than 500 beef producers, academia and industry representatives attended the organization’s 51st annual convention. BIF’s mission is to help improve the industry by promoting greater acceptance of beef cattle performance evaluation.
Summer 2019
Stout Center in Manhattan, Kansas. KLA, with headquarters in Topeka, Kansas, was formed in 1894 when a group of more than 100 Flint Hills ranchers met in Emporia to discuss cattle theft problems and unreasonable railroad freight rates. KLA works toward a better business climate for ranchers and feeders by representing members’ interests on legislative and regulatory issues and helping to enhance their ability to meet consumer demand. KLA is one of the nation’s most respected state livestock organizations. The leadership of KLA was instrumental in recommending and implementing the merger between the National Cattlemen’s Association and National Livestock and Meat Board. Through the creation of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association in 1995, the industry streamlined operations at the national level, mirroring a unified organizational structure that has served KLA well for more than 100 years. Today, KLA represents the state’s
multi-billion-dollar cattle industry at both the state and federal levels. “For 125 years, KLA members have positively impacted the Kansas and U.S. livestock industry,” says Matt Teagarden, Chief Executive Officer of KLA. “KLA is honored to join the distinguished group of prior recipients of the Don L. Good Impact Award.” “KLA values the partnership we have with the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry at Kansas State University,” says Teagarden. “Both
organizations have been serving the needs of Kansas livestock producers for more than 100 years. That partnership continues today in providing scholarships for K-State students, supporting the educational experience for ASI students and providing timely educational programs for KLA members and livestock producers.” More information, along with registration, is available online for the K-State ASI Family & Friends Reunion at asi.k-state.edu/familyandfriends.
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