April 11, 2012
www.gfb.org
Vol. 30 No. 15
FORAGE CONFERENCE, BEEF EXPO HIGHLIGHT CATTLEMEN’S MEETING Beef cattle producers received information on a variety of cattle-related topics during the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association’s 51st Annual Convention and Expo April 5-7 at the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter. Carroll County cattle producer Chuck Joiner was sworn in as president of the GCA for the next year, assuming the gavel from outgoing president Steve Blackburn, and for the first time, the GCA Forage Conference was held in conjunction with the convention. On April 4, UGA Forage Extension Specialist Dr. Dennis Hancock moderated the conference, which included tips on identifying and preventing Bermudagrass stand decline, forage selection for cattle producers, the economics of Bermudagrass vs. Bahiagrass and keys to forage profitability among others. GCA Convention speakers included University of Georgia Livestock Woodall Economist Curt Lacy, who attributed the rise in beef prices to decreased cattle numbers and a stable domestic demand for beef and increased beef exports. “It’s a good time to be in the cattle business. Obviously prices have been very, very good this year as prices are thirty dollars a hundredweight above where we were this time last year and fifty dollars above two years ago,” Lacy said. According to the USDA, the U.S. calf crop reported in January was 35.3 million calves. The USDA estimated the total number of cattle and calves in the U.S. in January at 90.7 million, a decrease of 1.9 million head from 2011. Lacy said the decrease, due largely to drought conditions in the southeast and southwest, was smaller than expected, and as the weather recovers and ranchers rebuild their herds, replacement heifers are going to be in demand. Tom Brink, president and CEO of J & F Oklahoma Holdings, Inc., which owns Five Rivers Cattle Feeding in Greeley, Colo., shared what feedyards look for in feeder cattle. Brink said the ideal feeder animal has a breed composition that's 50-75 percent Angus to provide marbling, 2550 percent Continental breeds to provide muscling and leanness and up to 25 percent other breeds to provide characteristics desired by the cattle producer. Brink recommended preparing calves for the feedlot by vaccinating them and weaning them months before shipping them west. Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black discussed the revamped Georgia Grown program the department is unveiling and Colin Woodall, of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, discussed legislative efforts the NCBA has made in the past year on behalf of cattlemen. The Georgia Farm Bureau Beef Cattle Committee also held its spring meeting during the convention.