CC C
arolina attle onnection JULY 2021 •
Vol. 35, Issue No. 7
Spotlight on
GELBVIEH
Performance Extra is utilized in the development of heifers before breeding season. Feeding 16% Performance Extra prior to breeding will ensure those animals intake adequate energy to cycle properly and lead to a successful bred heifer or cow. This ration also works well in all stages of cattle production where there is a need for a higher protein and energy.
Performance Finishing Feed is designed for producers finishing our cattle on their farm. This is a blended feed of half cracked corn and half 13% Feeder Blend. Call for pricing at 888-777-5912.
Performance Hi-Mag Mineral is a free choice mineral containing 14% Magnesium which is essential in controlling grass tetany in cattle on vegetative forage.
Hi Mag Mineral with Clarify to also assist with Fly Control
ONNECTION 2021 South Carolina Sale Barn Cattle Receipts ..................................................................... page 52 44 Farms International Beef Academy — Apply by August 9 ............................................ page 34 A Message from the CEO — The World Belongs to Those Who Show Up, by Colin Woodall ............................................................................................................... page 53 ABS Global News ........................................................................................................................ page 50 Alltech News ............................................................................................................................... page 46 Amazing Grazing — Tall Fescue Pasture Renovation Made Simple, by Dr. Matt Poore …........................................................................................................... page 10 American Angus Association News ........................................................................................ page 18 American Braunvieh Association News ................................................................................ page 54 American Hereford Association News .................................................................................. page 24 American Shorthorn Association News ................................................................................ page 28 American Simmental Association News ............................................................................... page 27 Animal Agriculture Alliance News ......................................................................................... page 56 Ashley’s Beef Corner — North Carolina Beef Quest, by Ashley W. Herring ...................... page 8 Beef Checkoff News ................................................................................................................... page 56 Beef Cuts and Recommended Cooking Methods .................................................................. page 7 Beefmaster Breeders United News ....................................................................................... page 40 BioZyme Incorporated News .................................................................................................. page 40 Boehringer Ingelheim News .................................................................................................... page 36 Carolina Cooking — Tapas Style Steak & Pepper Parfaits .................................................. page 31 Carolina Video and Load Lot Monthly Summary ................................................................ page 22 Carter Ward Joins the American Angus Hall of Fame ......................................................... page 20 Certified Angus Beef News …................................................................................................... page 22 Certified Hereford Beef News …............................................................................................. page 25 E.B.’s View from the Cow Pasture — Just Shoeing a Different Kind of Mule, by E.B. Harris ............................................................................................................................ page 12 Farm Credit News ...................................................................................................................... page 39 Farmers National Company News .......................................................................................... page 44 Federation of State Beef Councils Update ............................................................................ page 42 From the Desk of the SCCA President, by Roscoe Kyle .......................................................... page 3 Herd Health — The Signs and Cost of Fescue Toxicosis in Cattle, by Anne Koontz …...... page 14 Industry News ............................................................................................................................ page 60 J. Neil Orth Named 2021 Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery Inductee ........................... page 61 N.C. Forage & Grassland Council Forage Spotlight — Building on Small Successes, by Brad Moore .......................................................................................................................... page 11 N.C. Weekly Livestock Report ................................................................................................ page 38 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association News ..................................................................... page 48 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President’s Report — Protecting Profitability for the U.S. Cattle Producer, by Jerry Bohn ..................... page 56 New NCCA Members for 2021 ................................................................................................. page 38 Newport Laboratories News ................................................................................................... page 12 North Carolina Cattle Receipts, Trends, and Prices ............................................................. page 11 On the Edge of Common Sense — Animal Bonding, by Baxter Black ................................. page 13 Premier Select Sires News ....................................................................................................... page 30 S.C. Beef Council News, by Roy Copelan ................................................................................. page 42 S.C. Charolais News, by Georgeanne Webb ……….......................................................……….. page 16 South Carolina Cattle Receipts, Trends, and Prices ............................................................ page 59 The Simmental Trail, by Jennie Rucker .................................................................................... page 26 Trends in Food & Beef ................................................................................................................ page 58 Valley Vet Supply News ............................................................................................................ page 35 Vytelle News ............................................................................................................................... page 38 You Decide!, by Dr. Mike Walden .............................................................................................. page 16
N.C. Cattlemen’s Association President KARL GILLESPIE 860 Corbin Road • Franklin, NC 28734
Vice Presidents BURON LANIER 2877 Piney Woods Road • Burgaw, NC 28425 SCOTT WEST 489 Panacea Springs Road • Littleton, NC 27850 RYAN CLARK 5250 NC 772 Hwy, • Madison, NC 27025 Immediate Past President JEREMY LEE 5153 Battle Run Drive • Catawba, NC 28609 NCBA Policy Division Director - FRED SMITH, JR. NCBA Federation Division Director RALPH BLALOCK, JR. Beef Board Director - ROBERT CRABB Secretary/Treasurer - EVERETT JOHNSON Directors At Large MATT POORE • NEIL BOWMAN • TODD SEE
The Carolina Cattle Connection Vol. 35, No. 7 JULY 2021 Sales & Publication Office 2228 N. Main Street Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526
Phone: 919-552-9111 Fax: 919-552-9216 Email: mail@nccattle.com Website: www.nccattle.com
The Carolina Cattle Connection
is printed on 30 lb recycled newsprint by BN Printing in Benson, N.C.
Manager, N.C.
STAFF
BRYAN BLINSON
Manager, S.C. TRAVIS MITCHELL Executive Director BRYAN K. BLINSON 2228 N. Main Street • Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526 Editor & Advertising Director N.C. Cattlemen’s Beef Council Director of Consumer Information ASHLEY W. HERRING Administrative Assistant - KIM BURDGE
S.C. Cattlemen’s Association
CASEY L. HINNANT
Assistant Editor & Proofreader KIM BURDGE N.C. Circulation
KIM BURDGE
Executive Director - TRAVIS MITCHELL S.C. Circulation To Be Announced P.O. Box 207 • Saluda, SC 29138 Phone: 803-609-2828 Material in The Carolina Cattle Connection Email: twmitch@clemson.edu is not to be reproduced in total or in part Website: www.sccattlemen.wildapricot.org without the written permission of the Editor. All Executive Committee submissions become property of The Carolina President - Roscoe Kyle Cattle Connection, but we make every effort to 1st Vice President - Timmy Benton return items such as photographs and artwork as nd 2 Vice President - Joe Oswald IV requested. Secretary - Carol Hendrix Treasurer - Eric Seymour Past President - Thomas Legare
William Brigman, Latta • Joe Oswald, IV, Allendale Roscoe Kyle, Inman • Terry Kirkland, Batesburg Eddie Evans, Easley • Cecil Eaddy, Manning Thomas Legare, Johns Island • Richard Sox, Lexington Carol Hendrix, Westminister • Clay Alexander, Starr Timmy Benton, Walterboro • Michael Bailey, Lancaster Bonnie Cann, Abbeville • Thomas Jones, Marion Lee Haddon, Gaffney • Jack Ferguson, York Drake Yon, Ridge Spring • Gene Crim, St. Matthews
S.C. Beef Council
Executive Director - ROY COPELAN P.O. Box 11280 • Columbia, SC 29211 Phone: 803-917-1119 Email: scbeef@scda.sc.gov Website: www.sccattle.org
The Carolina Cattle Connection, the official publication of the N.C. Cattlemen’s Association and the S.C. Cattlemen’s Association is published monthly by the N.C. Cattlemen’s Association. A complementary subscription is included with membership to each state’s association. Nonmember subscriptions are $30 per year.
All address changes for NCCA members to: The Carolina Cattle Connection 2228 N. Main Street • Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526 All address changes for SCCA members to: The Carolina Cattle Connection P.O. Box 207 • Saluda, SC 29138
GELBVIEH
American Gelbvieh Association News ..... page 6 Characteristics of the Breed ..... page 5 Gelbvieh and Balancer Maternal Influence ..... page 4
Gelbvieh History and Development ..... page 4
Measure the Ways Crossbreeding Pays ..... page 6 The Value of Crossbreeding for Commercial Herds ..... page 5
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 1
PAGE 2
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
From
the Desk of the SCCA President By ROSCOE KYLE I hope everyone is enjoying the summer in the Southeast and is staying safe and healthy. The summertime brings all kinds of outside activity, and everyone has the risk of something happening. If you are in the field working, remember to stay hydrated and try not to get too HOT! I know it is extremely difficult with the humidity we have. I have one particular friend who is lucky enough to have a river as a boundary on his property. Guess where he goes for a swim when it gets really hot. Please, everyone stay safe because heatstroke can be very dangerous for everyone. So far, as everyone knows, we have had some crazy weather this summer, and some parts of our great state have suffered from moderate to extreme drought, while others have had sustainable amounts of moisture. With an average amount of moisture comes the threat of larger numbers of insects, such as ticks, flies, and chiggers, all of which have an impact on ourselves, livestock, and pets. A check in the evening can remove any unwanted visitors that should be removed quickly. Remember to keep the back rubs fully charged for our livestock along with fly control around the barns. During these hot days, it is advisable to check the stock tanks to ensure they are working properly
and don’t have an excessive build up of algae in them. The SCCA is planning its Annual Meeting on August 6 at the T. Ed Garrison Livestock Arena Complex. This will be held in conjunction with the S.C. Junior Beef Round-Up, and I am told the S.C. Angus Association will also be there. It should be a good event as I know all are glad things are getting back to normal! For additional information, contact SCCA Executive Director Travis Mitchell or SCCA 1st Vice President Timmy Benton. They are the ones in charge of planning the event. Personally, I will be glad to be there and see people I have not seen in several years. Remember that the NCBA Annual Trade Show and Convention will be in Nashville, Tenn., on August 10-12. There will also be the Southeast Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, Ga., in mid-October. Everyone please take a moment to remember those we have lost over the past year due to the virus and any other events beyond our control. I take it that everyone had an enjoyable Beef Month in June and ate lots of beef! As always, if I can be of any assistance with something within my power, please let me know. I remain respectfully yours.
E V A S ! E T A D E TH WHAT:
2021 South Carolina Cattlemen’s Association Annual Meeting WHEN:
August 6, 2021 WHERE:
Garrison Livestock Arena Clemson, S.C.
Registrations for the conference can be found online at www.sccattlemen.org. ◆ Exhibitor Registration ◆ Sponsor Registration ◆ Individual Registration For more information about the S.C. Cattlemen’s Association Conference,contact:
TRAVIS MITCHELL • 803-609-2828 The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 3
e Special
Spotlight on
GELBVIEH
Section f
Gelbvieh History and Development Origin of Breed - The Gelbvieh breed is one of the oldest German cattle breeds, first found mainly in three Franconian districts of Bavaria in southern Germany. Starting in 1850, systematic breeding work began in stud herds. Through purebreeding, the “red-yellow Franconian cattle” were developed from several local strains, including Celtic-German Landrace and Heil-Brown Landrace cattle. These local strains have been further improved with intensive breeding work since 1870. This solid colored breed of red-yellow cattle enjoyed great popularity as draft and slaughter cattle. Since World War II, Germany used a stringent selection program to repopulate its cattle herds. Only three percent of the registered cows were used to produce potential bulls. These cows were selected on structural soundness and conformation.
Bulls from these select cows were performance tested, and the top half was progeny tested. The progeny evaluation included gestation length, birth weight, calving ease, growth rate, slaughter weight, carcass quality conformation, udder soundness, and fertility and milk production in daughters. Semen was released only from bulls that proved their superiority in progeny testing. In the 1960s, Red Danish cattle were included in the herd book to improve milk production. Development in America - Leness Hall, the director of International Marketing for Carnation Genetics, first saw Gelbvieh cattle in 1969. He worked towards importing Gelbvieh semen to the U.S., and finally was able to bring 43,000 units to America in 1971. In that same year, the American Gelbvieh Association
PAGE 4
was formed. Today, there are approximately 45,000 active, registered Gelbvieh cows in the United States and 1,400 active members of the American Gelbvieh Association (AGA). AGA is the largest Gelbvieh association in the world and ranks fifth in number of registered animals among beef breed associations in the United States. Most registered U.S. Gelbvieh are classified as purebreds (at least 88 percentage Gelbvieh) and were bred up by mating fullbloods and purebred Gelbvieh bulls to foundation cows.
Balancer genetics, the AGA offers several services to assist in maximizing return on investment in Gelbvieh and Balancer bulls and replacement females. Cow/calf producers who use Gelbvieh genetics are eligible to add value to females by marketing them through the Maternal Edge commercial female sales. Visit www.maternaledge.com for more information about a sale in various areas. For cattlemen looking to market bulls, replacement females or feeder cattle, check out the AGA’s free Exchange
service, including: Bull Listings, Female Listings, and Feeder Calf Listings. Visit www.gelbvieh.org/exchange to view current listings or to post a new listing. Brand your Gelbvieh influenced feeder calves with SmartCross® ear tags. This ear tag tells the buyer he is getting quality and predictability. Contact the AGA office at 303-465-2333 for more information on the three tag styles to fit any management program, as well as electronic ID tags. For more information about Gelbvieh and Balancer genetics, visit www.gelbvieh.org.
Gelbvieh and Balancer Maternal Influence
Breed Registry and Improvement Programs - Purebred Gelbvieh cattle as well as hybrid cattle can be registered with the AGA. Breeders can document Gelbvieh influenced bulls and females with registrations and EPDs through AGA’s three hybrid registry programs: Balancer®, Southern Balancer®, and Hybrid. Balancer cattle are registered hybrid seedstock and have documented pedigrees and EPDs. Balancer animals are 2575 percent Gelbvieh with the balance Angus or Red Angus. Southern Balancer is a Gelbvieh heat tolerant composite specifically targeted to producers who want the maternal heterosis, disposition, fertility, and carcass consistency of a Bos Indicus x Gelbvieh cross. Hybrid animals, of any breed or cross, may be recorded using the Hybrid Cattle Recording Service. The AGA documents the pedigree, breed composition, and calculates performance data and provides EPDs. For Gelbvieh members and commercial users of Gelbvieh and
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
Gelbvieh and Balancer cattle offer maternal superiority through increased longevity, added fertility, and more pounds of calf weaned per cow exposed. In addition, Gelbvieh and Balancer females offer a small mature cow size, more maternal milk, and reach puberty at an earlier age. U.S. Meat Animal Research Center data shows Gelbvieh females have the smallest mature cow size of the four major continental breeds. The Gelbvieh breed was the only breed in the study to reduce mature cow size. At an average of 1,382 pounds, Gelbvieh sired females had the lowest five-year-old cow weight. This reduced mature cow size allows for puberty to be reached at an earlier age, which leads to calving earlier in the season and producing a calf at a younger age. These females are able to wean heavier calves while still maintaining low birth weights and a tight calving interval year after year. Gelbvieh and Balancer females also excel in stayability, which is the probability a bull’s daughters will remain in the cow herd until at least six years of age. This trait is economically beneficial to cow/calf producers and directly impacts profitability. With the high costs associated with the development or purchase of replacement females, sustained reproduction is essential in a herd. U.S. MARC data, along with American Gelbvieh Association genetic trends, prove that today’s Gelbvieh and Balancer cows are highly productive, offering increased longevity, more maternal milk, less mature weights, early puberty, quiet disposition, and will calve easily, producing calves with low birth weights and tremendous growth. With stayability and cow productivity being important factors in cow/ calf profitability, adding Gelbvieh and Balancer maternal influence through a crossbreeding program is a great option for commercial producers.
e Special
Spotlight on
GELBVIEH
Section f
The Value of Crossbreeding for Commercial Herds The crossbred beef cow can make you more money! One of the main keys to successful crossbreeding is finding two breeds that excel in different traits but together result in high breed complementarity. The crossbred animal that effectively captures the value of breed complementarity is the Balancer®. The
Balancer captures the maternal strengths of Gelbvieh cattle and the marbling strength of Angus or Red Angus cattle. A Balancer is a registered hybrid seedstock breed that are 25-75 percent Gelbvieh with either Angus or Red Angus contributing the remaining breed percentage. “Crossbreeding can have positive
Characteristics of the Breed Coloration - Traditional Gelbviehs are reddish gold to russet or black in color. Traditional German Gelbviehs tend to be darker on their necks than the rest of the body; this is more prominent in bulls than in cows. Red Gelbviehs can be confused with traditional colored Limousins because of the same light pigmentation around the eyes and nose. Gelbviehs also have strong skin pigmentation, which makes them ideal for temperate to arid conditions. Body type and characteristics - Gelbvieh are beefy, moderately muscular cattle, with frame sizes ranging from medium to large. They are long and smooth haired, with bulls averaging around 2,300 lbs and cows averaging around 1,300 lbs in weight. Head characteristics - Though the traditional Gelbvieh breed was originally horned, this has been bred out in most of the modern day Gelbvieh cattle. Cows have a moderately long face, not dissimilar to Simmentals, Charolais, or Limousins, and bulls have similar head characteristics to the aforementioned breeds. Other characteristics - The Gelbvieh breed is great for its high fertility, freedom from genital defects, superior calving ease, mothering ability, exceptional milking ability, and high growth rates. Carcass characteristics have a lot of potential, since the breed is mostly lean, but can be crossed with breeds like Angus to get an exceptional carcass quality. Gelbviehs are also very quiet and docile, which is easily passed on to their offspring, crossbred or not. They are also highly adapted to hot arid climates, with not only the skin pigmentation that makes them resistant to sunburn and able to stand out in the hot sun without any problems, but also their ability to restrict blood flow to the areas where they have been bitten by ticks, isolating the ticks and starving them. This is a characteristic that has been noticed and proven by South African Gelbvieh Association, and is currently undergoing more research.
effects on a ranch’s bottom line by not only increasing the quality and gross pay weight of calves produced but also by increasing the durability and productivity of the cow factory,” said Bob Weaber, Ph.D., cow/ calf extension specialist at Kansas State University. The Balancer hybrid will do just as Dr. Weaber states. Balancer calves will load the scales with more pounds on sale day and their mothers will keep producing similar calves year after year. In addition to increasing the amount of pounds sold, ranch profitability improves from crossbreeding by reducing the maintenance requirements of your cow herd. “Positive changes in cow longevity, reproductive rate, and calf performance from heterosis effectively reduces maintenance energy requirements per pound of beef produced. Dilution of maintenance costs of
the cow herd improves sustainability in both the environment, through more efficient land use, and profitability areas,” Weaber said. Matt Spangler, Ph.D., with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, believes that a well thoughtout crossbreeding program should be utilized in a comer operation. “The most successful commercial operations use crossbreeding as the standard rather than the exception as they exploit maternal heterosis to increase production, but mostly in order to reduce cost…They focus on the cost per pound of production, relative to the possible revenue per pound,” Spangler said. Balancer cattle excel at meeting the demands of the cow/calf producers and the feedlots. Balancer cattle make it easy to implement crossbreeding into any commercial herd and give the rancher the benefits of profit making hybrid vigor.
Regular copy deadline is JULY 5 for the AUGUST issue Spotlight material is due JULY 1 for the AUGUST issue The Carolina Cattle Connection
!
lse e r O q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 5
e Special
Spotlight on
GELBVIEH
Section f
Measure the Ways Crossbreeding Pays Now more than ever, producers are trying to maximize outputs and herd performance all while reducing costs. Taking advantage of tools that allow for reduced costs and increased productivity and profitability is an essential worth to producers in today’s industry. One tool that has been utilized in the beef industry for several years, and one that has evident value in beef production is crossbreeding. Crossbreeding provides increased performance with minimal, if any, additional costs to the producer. Through the practice of crossbreeding, heterosis (or hybrid vigor) and breed complementarity are achieved within the herd. Heterosis can be defined as the superiority in performance of the crossbred animal compared to the average of its straightbred parents. When valuing heterosis, you essentially gain a dual advantage: individual heterosis and maternal heterosis.
purebred mothers. It refers to the combined improvement in traits from the dam that causes an increase in the performance of her and her progeny. Improved fertility, increased calf survivability, greater cow longevity, and more pounds of calf produced are examples of maternal heterosis. As seen in Table 5, a crossbred cow has been shown to have a 16.2 percent increase in longevity and has proven to stay in the herd longer than a straightbred cow. This table also reflects the increase in the number of calves through a cow’s lifetime as well as additional pounds of cumulative weaning weight and more profit for the producer. The effects of heterosis are greatest for lifetime production with a 30 percent improvement, longevity, or herd life with a 15 percent increase, and annual income improvement from heterosis at 23 percent. The crossbred female is really where
Table 4. Individual heterosis: Advantage of the crossbred calf1
Trait
Calving rate Survival to weaning Birth weight Weaning weight Longevity ADG Yearling weight
1
Observed Improvement
3.5 0.8 1.6 18.0 1.36 0.08 29.1
% Heterosis 3.7 1.5 1.8 3.9 16.2 2.6 3.8
Adapted from Cundiff and Gregory 1999.
Individual heterosis results in an increase of calf survival to weaning, along with increased growth. Table 4 shows the increase in performance that can be achieved through individual heterosis. Through crossbreeding, calves have been seen to have a 3.9 percent increase in weaning weight and a 2.6 percent increase in average daily gain, all which translates to increased profits. Similar to the definition of heterosis above, maternal heterosis is the advantage of a crossbred mother over the average of other
crossbreeding pays off. Traits that are most influenced by heterosis are those traits with low heritability, such as fertility traits. Traits that are most affected by heterosis can be seen in the table to the right. Utilizing crossbreeding systems also allows for the opportunity to capitalize on breed complementarity. This is the assessment of strengths and weaknesses of each breed type and applying those that complement each other. Breed complementarity is one of
Table 5. Maternal heterosis: Advantage of the crossbred cow1
Trait
Calving rate Survival to weaning Birth weight Weaning weight Longevity
Observed Improvement
Cow Lifetime Production: No. Calves Cumulative Wean. Wt., lb. 1
3.5 0.8 1.6 18.0 1.36
% Heterosis
0.97 600
Adapted from Cundiff and Gregory 1999.
PAGE 6
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
3.7 1.5 1.8 3.9 16.2 17.0 25.3
the best ways to describe the benefits of Balancer® cattle. Balancer animals are 25-75 percent Gelbvieh with the balance of Angus or Red Angus. They combine the Gelbvieh growth, muscle, leanness, fertility, longevity, and low yield grading ability with the carcass qualities of Angus to make an animal that meets today’s modern industry demands. Balancer hybrids offer a simple and powerful way to maintain hybrid vigor and the proper combination of British and Continental genetics in your cowherd in a straightforward
and easy crossbreeding system. Gelbvieh are also an ideal fit for a crossbreeding program because of their superior maternal characteristics such as longevity and fertility. Gelbvieh females are known for reaching puberty at an earlier age and remaining in the herd longer. With these attributes, combined with performance gained through maternal heterosis, Gelbvieh influenced cattle make the ideal female for any herd. So, why not reap the benefits of the heterosis advantage? Source: American Gelbvieh Association
GELBVIEH NEWS Vytelle Contributes to AGJA Southern Hospitality through Always Progressing the Next Generation Campaign. The American Gelbvieh Junior Association (AGJA) is excited to announce a monetary and embryo contribution provided by Vytelle’s Always Progressing the Next Generation campaign to benefit the AGJA and its members. For the 2021 AGJA Southern Hospitality, and in addition to the company’s direct financial support of the event, Vytelle has pledged $1 for each photo posted to social media using the hashtags #Vytelle #Gelbvieh through August 15. In addition to monetary sponsorship, Vytelle will also provide embryos to the champions of the AGJA Southern Hospitality Classic and eight additional junior breed associations. Kerryann Kocher, chief executive officer for Vytelle, shares, “We’re eager to progress the next generation of cattle producers by supporting nine junior breed associations this summer. These junior exhibitors are the next generation of industry leaders who will make meat and
milk viable for the following generation.” Participating junior associations and their hashtags are as follows: • #Angus - National Junior Angus Association • #Beefmaster - Junior Beefmaster Breeders Association • #Brahman - American Junior Brahman Association • #Brangus - International Junior Brangus Breeders Association • #Charolais - American International Junior Charolais Association • #Gelbvieh - American Gelbvieh Junior Association • #MiniHereford - Miniature Hereford Youth Foundation • #Shorthorn - American Junior Shorthorn Association • #Simmental - American Junior Simmental Association About the American Gelbvieh Association. The AGA is a progressive beef cattle breed association representing 1,100 members and approximately 40,000 cows assessed annually in a performance oriented total herd reporting system.
CHUCK
SHANK
CHUCK
BRISKET
RIB
PLATE
RIB
LOIN
SIRLOIN
ROUND SHANK
FLANK
LOIN
SIRLOIN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
ROUND
INGEDIENT CUTS
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
LEAN
BRISKET LEAN
LEAN
PLATE & FLANK LEAN
LEAN
KEY TO RECOMMENDED COOKING METHODS GRILL or BROIL PAN BROIL/ SKILLET
BRAISE/ POT ROAST
LEAN
These cuts meet the government guidelines for lean, based on cooked servings, visible fat trimmed
ROAST
STIR-FRY
INDIRECT GRILLING
SKILLET TO OVEN
* MARINATE BEFORE COOKING FOR BEST RESULTS
A cut of cooked fresh meat is considered ‘lean’ when it contains less than 10 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat, andless tahn 95 mg of cholesterol per 100 grams(3½ oz) and per RACC (Reference Amount Customarily Consumed), which is 85 grams (3 oz.)
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 7
Ashley’s Beef Corner
T
North Carolina Beef Quest By ASHLEY W. HERRING Director of Consumer Information N.C. Cattlemen’s Beef Council From the mountains to the coast, North Carolina restaurants serve delicious beef across our state. Taking a journey to discover incredible beef meals will lead diners to enter for a chance to win great prizes. We are excited to launch the North Carolina Beef Quest, lasting through September 6. This is the first beef foodservice promotion of its kind, and we cannot wait to share the fun. To participate, diners visit restaurants from our list and share a photo/social media post to document their experience. Of course, they
must choose a beef entrée to enjoy. The more restaurants visited, the more chances for prizes. We will award the first three hundred diners who visit three restaurants a meat thermometer. Visiting five or more restaurants will secure an entry for one of five grilling prize packs. Visiting eight or more restaurants will secure an entry to win one of two stainless tabletop grills. Participants must complete a contact information form at www.ncbeef.org. Our goal is to help foodservice operators sell more beef and have diners
USDA Abattoir and Processor
BEEF • PORK • LAMB • GOAT • OSTRICH Aged - Cut - Packaged to Your Specifications
347 Thomas Street • North Wilkesboro, NC Call or Email for an Appointment:
336-667-1346 • abprimecuts@gmail.com PAGE 8
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
enjoy a great eating experience at fantastic restaurants. We have a Facebook group (North Carolina Beef Quest) to share the excitement of visiting restaurants and encourage participation. To see the list of restaurants, visit www.ncbeef.org. Restaurants have been chosen by beef producers from across the state. Many of the restaurants have received the North Carolina Beef Backer Award. If you would like to add a restaurant, please contact me. We look forward to seeing photos
from restaurant visits and the fantastic meals everyone will enjoy. Please join our group and share your experiences as well! The pursuit of savory steaks and mouthwatering burgers will keep everyone going all summer long.
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 9
By DR. MATT POORE N.C. State University
Tall Fescue Pasture Renovation Made Simple Animal performance problems related to toxic tall fescue are well documented, and there are many things that you can do to help with the problem. Changes in nutrition, fertilization, and animal genetics may all benefit animals suffering from eating fescue toxins, but nothing works like growing forage without toxins! There are many “systems” for replacing toxic tall fescue with non-toxic forages. You can learn more about these systems on www.grasslandrenewal.com. While these systems are supported by a lot of research, I suspect the details of each “system” may paralyze some farmers. It may seem unlikely to some of you that all the steps can be implemented on time with confidence. If you are a good “planner,” then following one of the systems will work out nicely. If you are not that good a planner and find you are often late with getting stuff done, thinking you have to
stick exactly to one of those systems may prevent you from doing something about toxic fescue on your farm. Remember, all of these systems have one step in common; “kill the existing stand of toxic tall fescue.” Starting with that step may be easier for some farmers than planning the whole chain of events at one time. As you think about reducing toxic fescue problems on your farm, consider replacing old stands a bit at a time with novel endophyte tall fescue or other nontoxic forages. Start where it will be easy to use the non-toxic forage strategically for high impact animals like growing/ backgrounding calves or replacement heifers. Make a point of moving to additional land each year until you reach the right amount of non-toxic forage for you. The point of this article is to remind readers that the key to a long term solution is to actively start doing
“DESIGNED FOR CATTLEMEN BY CATTLEMEN”
Complete Working Facilities for Cattle and Bison Heavy, rugged construction — Built to last!
National Distributor for Tru-Test Scales Quality Equipment at Competitive Prices
Call about NEW PORTABLE SYSTEMS! For Information or Brochures, contact:
Peter Hostetler 540-810-4605
PAGE 10
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
This first calf heifer looks fabulous and raised a big calf grazing novel endophyte tall fescue and annuals through the spring.
something about the problem, and the critical step in all of this is to kill some toxic fescue. This can be done effectively any time of year but makes a lot of sense in the spring/early summer. Before killing the existing stand, take a hay cutting or closely graze to reduce the amount of residue that will be present. Then, let it grow out about two weeks before spraying. Tall fescue is relatively easy to kill with one quart per acre of glyphosate. Common bermudagrass, horsenettle, and white clover are harder to kill, so if they are present, use two quarts of glyphosate per acre. Then, plant a summer annual, either sorghum-sudan, sudangrass, or pearl millet. You should add a little fertilizer at planting to get the crop started, but the decaying sod will provide nitrogen to the crop through the summer. If the rain comes, you will grow a lot of good feed. Be sure you don’t graze it too soon. Wait until it is at least waist high. Remember, the idea is to use it as a smother crop and to get roots deep in the soil, and both of those require you to let the plants get some size on them. If you are worried about using glyphosate, remember this is only short term use on the way to a perennial system that will not be using glyphosate regularly. We have had much better luck establishing the summer annual if glyphosate is used as it prevents the existing stand from competing with the new seedlings, which can be critical if the weather turns dry. If you are fundamentally opposed to spraying, then you can still accomplish the simple goal of killing the toxic fescue stand using tillage. I don’t like tillage in general, but it is often a good first step in renovation to smooth the land and also to incorporate lime and nutrients if they are needed, so if that is what you want to do, charge ahead — plan on tilling several times to effectively kill the fescue stand. I have worked on fescue toxicosis
and pasture renovation throughout my 30 year career, but it was only ten years ago that I finally started renovating pastures at our home farm. We established novel endophyte tall fescue hay fields on old cropland, but we had not tackled the pastures. Because of my busy schedule, I was hampered by the thought of the many steps over several years that it would take for me to be successful. It was just easier for me not to do anything about the problem. I finally got started when I got into my mind one May that I wanted to kill some toxic fescue. My cows really suffer in May, so after looking at them and thinking about the problem, I just went and took it out on 20 acres of toxic pasture near our headquarters, where we make hay and graze weaned calves. Compared to how I had approached it in the past, making that simple step was easy. We had already made first cutting hay off that field, so the time was right, and I was motivated to do something. All I had to decide to do was 1) fill the sprayer, 2) pour in the glyphosate, and 3) go spray the pasture. It took me one Saturday afternoon. Once I did that, I had two weeks to get my summer annual seed, line up the drill, and get it planted. That field never grew so much forage, and we put it to good use. Looking back, it was the best thing we ever did for the future of our farm. We like to run about 4-5 years in annuals before planting to novel endophyte tall fescue. This gives us a lot of good production, lets us completely get rid of any toxic fescue plants and seed in the field, and helps us practice our farming skills. Having non-toxic forages for growing calves and developing heifers has changed our farm. If you are tired of watching cows suffer from toxic fescue symptoms in early summer, do something about it! Kill some toxic fescue and establish something nontoxic. It is simple, and once you start and see the results, you will not turn back.
N.C. Forage & Grassland Council Forage Spotlight
By BRAD MOORE, Alamance County Soil & Conservation District
Building on Small Successes Pasture management and paying off debt have many things in common. I would like to share with you my approach to achieve better forage with a few simple steps by taking a pasture inventory, making a plan, and starting with simple fixes. Anyone who has ever listened to more than ten minutes of Dave Ramsey’s radio talk show is most likely familiar with his
“Seven Baby Steps” program to financial freedom. One of the early steps in the system talks about paying off your smallest debt first before moving on to larger debts like your home. By focusing on the smaller debts first, a person has an early, small success of accomplishment that keeps them excited and on course with their long range financial plan. Solving pasture problems
N.C. Cattle Receipts, Trends, and Prices for the Month of MAY 2021 Cattle Receipts: 16,790
•
can work much the same way. There are a number of reasons why our pastures end up in a wreck. No matter if you inherited them, bought them, or created them yourself, the approach to solving them is the same. Start by taking a basic pasture inventory. List out the forages that you see and desire and the ones that you don’t. Take some soil samples and see where your nutrient levels are because there is no need to buy expensive inputs if you don’t need them. Secondly, make a plan. Review your soil test results and price what inputs are needed. This information will allow you to add the nutrients at one time or as a long range plan if you desire. Have those weeds identified that you would like to control and start speaking with professionals about herbicide products, label rates, and price? Get your sprayer out and in working order, or identify custom applicators in your area in advance to beat the season’s rush. Many
times, I will write on a calendar 60-120 days in advance of tasks that are needed in the future simply to avoid forgetting to perform them at the proper time. Lastly, start with the smaller, simple fixes that will show you results in your pasture. Many times, performing a few basic management techniques can be done that show quick results with little to no investment. Things like spot spraying and clipping troublesome weeds for control or simply shutting a gate, allowing a pasture a rest period for regrowth can show improvements in a short amount of time. In conclusion, tackling debt and solving pasture problems have many things in common. More than likely, they were not created overnight, and neither will be solved by making one payment or one herbicide application. Many times, these types of issues are solved by taking a simple inventory of what is on hand, making a long range plan, and staying the course with the little successes.
Previous Month: 20,539
Feeder supply - 34% steers • 40% heifers • 26% bulls SLAUGHTER CLASSES
Avg. Wt. Price Cows - % Lean Breaker 1,407 $64.34 Boner 1,167 $63.91 Lean 981 $54.09
Bulls - Yield Grade 1-2
1,538
$91.10
FEEDER CLASSES
FEEDER STEERS (Medium and Large 1-2) Wt. Range Avg. Wt. CWT Avg. Price 400-450 435 $140.86 $612.74 450-500 474 $141.62 $671.28 500-550 521 $137.07 $714.13 550-600 573 $134.51 $770.74 600-650 618 $127.00 $784.86 650-700 667 $122.64 $818.01
FEEDER BULLS (Medium and Large 1-2) Wt. Range Avg. Wt. CWT Avg. Price 400-450 422 $145.06 $612.15 450-500 472 $134.69 $635.74 500-550 522 $129.93 $678.23 550-600 572 $124.62 $712.83 600-650 621 $117.13 $727.38 650-700 671 $110.97 $744.61
FEEDER HEIFERS (Medium and Large 1-2) Wt. Range Avg. Wt. CWT Avg. Price 400-450 425 $127.33 $541.15 450-500 472 $125.40 $591.89 500-550 521 $120.10 $625.72 550-600 571 $117.94 $673.44 600-650 618 $110.81 $684.81 650-700 672 $106.88 $718.23
Source: N.C. Dept. of Agriculture - USDA Market News Service, Raleigh, N.C. - 919-707-3156
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 11
me back to the ‘50s and early ‘60s. Inez had three stores right here in this T intersection - owned by Tom Harris, Kearney Thompson, and Gene Davis, respectively. On Saturdays, there was a lot going in this area to support three stores. People would drive a team, a tractor and trailer, or a pickup truck. They did their shopping on Saturday, and that created other business. Gene Davis’s store yard had a building over to one side where you could get your hair cut. Van Stamper was the local blacksmith, and he set up shop, and
E.B.'s View from the Cow Pasture By E.B. HARRIS
Just Shoeing a Different Kind of Mule Our farm is on Hwy. 58, and approximately two miles north of us is the community of Inez. The story is that the community was named after a pretty girl, but I can’t say for sure...it’s the legend of it. I was going through Inez the other day, and I had to take the picture below. In the picture is a friend of mine who is doing some welding under an old oak tree that had been there all my life. His name is Randy Helms, and I think he was putting a tandem under a chip van trailer for Louisburg Hardwood also Smoke House Lumber and Warren Griffin. They handle a lot of hardwood, poplar, gum,
and all kinds of these types of logs. They make pallet stock and staves for erosion control cloth as well as sell sawdust, chips and bark, lumber, and firewood. I don’t know how many logs go there in a day or how many loads go out. One little bit I do know is it seems like the company does a good job, has good employees, and keeps a lot going on here in the community, and it’s good for the forestry industry. When I passed there the other day and saw Randy working on putting that tandem trailer back together, I thought I would take a picture because it took
NEWS Newport Laboratories, Inc. Announces Inaugural Lex Thompson Veterinary Investigator Award. New award helps veterinary students pursue research into cattle health. Newport Laboratories, Inc., a Boehringer Ingelheim company, is proud to announce the recipient of the first ever Lex Thompson Veterinary Investigator Award. The award, which will be given annually to a veterinary student, recognizes an outstanding research proposal and provides the tools and support necessary to complete it. The inaugural recipient is Luke Daniels of the University of Illinois, who plans to study the genetic diversity of Moraxella bovis, a bacterium that causes pinkeye in cattle.
“If you have cattle, pastureland, or raise hay like I do, you need to call Donna Byrum. In 10 minutes on the hood of my pickup, she signed me up for a program that I had no idea about. The next time she came by the farm, she brought me a check! ~ E.B. Harris
DONNA BYRUM
First Choice Insurance 252-792-1189 • fcipllc@gmail.com
For all your crop insurance needs! PAGE 12
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
he would shoe your mule or horse or trim their feet out under the tree where Randy was working today. I would just say now Randy Helms is doing the same thing. He is a blacksmith, but it’s a different mule or horse as he is maintaining the feet of a different set of mules. Things really don’t change; we just change what we are doing - going from a blacksmith to a welder, from a team to a semi-truck and trailer. Always remember one thing about a sawmill, if a load goes in, a load will go out either in timber, bark, sawdust, or chips.
“Looking ahead to the next generation of bovine health challenges is critical to ensuring veterinarians and producers have the tools and knowledge they need to address them,” said Randy Shirbroun, DVM, Director of the Ruminant Business Unit at Newport Laboratories. “So, who better to ensure the industry is keeping a watchful eye toward the future than the bright young minds who will be on the front lines of cattle health in the years to come?” The award was named after Dr. Lex Thompson, a longtime technical service veterinarian with Newport Labs. He was an enthusiastic, lifelong learner and exhibited an insatiable scientific curiosity. As a practitioner, Thompson enjoyed helping his clients, and later his veterinary colleagues, by digging into clinical and diagnostic problems to solve cattle health challenges. For the last several years of his life, Thompson fought a courageous battle against cancer but ultimately passed away in March 2020. The Lex Thompson Veterinary Investigator Award recognizes students whose work exemplifies Thompson’s investigative initiative. About Newport Laboratories. Newport Laboratories, Inc. is a Boehringer Ingelheim company and the nation’s leading manufacturer of custommade vaccines. Located in Worthington, Minn., Newport Laboratories assists veterinarians and livestock producers in their efforts to address animal health problems through cutting edge diagnostic testing and production of high quality, evidence based, custom made vaccines. For further information, call 800-2202522, email info@newportlabs.com, or visit the Newport Laboratories website at www.newportlabs.com.
Baxter Black
On the edge of common sense
Animal Bonding Today there is increased recognition of the bonding process between man and animals. Pets are now referred to in politically correct circles as companion animals. Companion...by definition; an associate, a comrade. It’s not a bad choice of words in a world where families get fractionated, children leave home, neighbors don’t know each other, and people get lonely. A pet can be a good companion. Of course, when the word ‘bonding’ is used, they are almost always speaking of the bonding between humans and dogs or cats. Wait... maybe not cats. I’m not sure one can bond with a cat. But, be that as it may, they are never referring to livestock people and the animals in their care. Livestock bonding does occur infrequently in fiction. Babe, the sheepherding pig, bonded with Farmer Hoggett. Mary had her little lamb. Colonel Sanders...well, that might be a bad example. I contend that in real life, there is a bonding between stockmen and their creatures. I have got a lot of miles out of pickin’ on cowmen who keep an old cow “one more year.” As a vet, I have stood at the squeeze chute every fall as the cows are worked. My job is to give the cow a quick ‘going over’ for physical fitness and do a pregnancy examination. Typical deal; this ol’ mama comes stumbling in the chute
at the speed of a sloth on Valium. The headgate clangs shut, never touches the cow. Run a stick down her side; sounds like a prod pole across a picket fence. Her tail head is stickin’ up like a shark’s fin; she’s draggin’ one teat on the ground. I’m thinkin’ to myself, ‘is there any point in putting on a plastic sleeve and torturing this poor beast anymore?’ Then I look up to the headgate, and there is that good cowman, rubbing his chin and lookin’ at that old cow like he’s in a jewelry store. ‘Am I missing something here?’ I ask myself, dumbfounded. I finally realized I was missing something. That good cowman and me were not looking at the same cow! See, I was looking at an economic unit. Will she have a calf, breed back, and bring another one home next fall? He, on the other hand, was looking at an animal that had taken him to the pay window for ten years. He might know her even better than that. She might have put him over a fence, or he might have helped her throughout a bad calving. But he knows her and owes her. He wants to make sure she gets the benefit of the doubt. And that’s a bond. As genuine as a cat or dog. Granted, he doesn’t think of her as an associate or a comrade, as in “git along little comrade” or “let’s go to the pasture and gather our associates.” But it is a bond just the same, built on respect.
Our advertisers are “Champions” too. For expert A.I., superior genetics, the best in purebreds and outstanding farm supplies, check the Classifieds in this issue! The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 13
HERD HEALTH By ANNE KOONTZ
The Signs and Cost of Fescue Toxicosis in Cattle The pathology of cattle consuming endophyte infected tall fescue varies greatly based on the weather and the alkaloid concentration. The most readily apparent signs of fescue toxicosis include reduced feed intake, weight gain, milk production, and reproductive efficiency, as well as tissue necrosis and a rough hair coat. Decreases in productivity caused by fescue toxicosis are estimated to cost U.S. beef producers more than $2 billion annually (Kallenbach, 2015). Absorption of alkaloids Calculating the animal’s retention of ergot alkaloids is difficult due to biotransformation. Generally, it is estimated that 76–92 percent of consumed ergot alkaloids are absorbed, with the other 8–24 percent excreted in the feces. The math on alkaloid absorption and excretion doesn’t always add up, as alkaloids are broken down and/or biotransformed into numerous metabolites. Most alkaloids are ultimately excreted in the urine as lysergic acid. Fescue alkaloids and microbiome shifts - An emerging area of research is the interaction between fescue alkaloids and the microbiome. Decreases in the Erysipelotrichaceae family and increases of Ruminococcaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Clostridiaceae, as well as abundances of Planctomycetes, Chloroflexi, and Proteobacteria phyla, have been reported for cattle grazing infected fescue. Fescue seed extract, when added to in-vitro fermentations, led to increased populations of tryptophan utilizing bacteria. Considering the tryptophan base of ergot alkaloids, this increase likely indicates an upregulation in detoxification capacity. The characterization and identification of the three isolates with the highest conversion abilities found that all three were gram positive, spore forming rods that produced ammonia from tryptophan, classified as Clostridium sporogenes. Receptor binding of fescue ergot alkaloids - Due to the structural similarity of ergot alkaloids and serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine, several receptor types in numerous tissues are affected during fescue toxicosis in cattle. This results in a wide range of effects
PAGE 14
on physiology and metabolism. As more research examining the underlying mechanisms is completed, the connections between ergot alkaloid receptor binding and animal performance grow more complex. Individual animal sensitivity to infected fescue is affected by: • Environmental conditions. • The density of the receptors. • The capacity for liver and ruminal degradation. • Other genetic factors. Fescue’s effect on weight gains Ergot alkaloid induced vasoconstriction reduces heat dissipation, resulting in a variety of physiological fescue toxicosis symptoms in cattle, including an increased respiration rate and elevated core body temperature. Ultimately, this leads to lower weight gains — which is generally known as the summer slump, as animals spend less time grazing as a result of standing in the shade or water to cool off. In colder months, fescue associated vasoconstriction combines with thermoregulatory vasoconstriction, resulting in tissue death in the extremities, which is commonly known as fescue foot. Ergot alkaloid consumption also leads to:
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
Regular copy deadline is JULY 5 for the AUGUST issue Spotlight material is due JULY 1 for the AUGUST issue • The thickening of the medial layer of blood vessels • Endothelial cell damage • Vascular stasis • Thrombosis • Ischemia • Changes in blood pressure, among other cardiovascular effects Fescue’s effect on rumen fill - The frequency and amplitude of the ruminal contractions, as well as changes in eating patterns due to fescue toxicosis in cattle, combine to affect rumen fill, passage rates, and intake. • Vasoconstriction also reduces blood flow to the rumen, decreasing VFA absorption. • Increased rumen fill provides a negative feedback loop, exacerbating reduced intakes. • While the total tract digestibility of the feeds is generally unchanged, these
alterations work in concert to reduce nutrient availability, contributing to the reduced growth rate frequently observed in cattle grazing fescue. • Added to this are the effects of alkaloids on circulating serotonin levels, the hypothalamic center, and tryptophan related satiety. Fescue’s effect on energy metabolism - Ergot alkaloids affect energy metabolism primarily when alkaloid intakes are high and during heat stress. Growth differences in cattle during fescue toxicosis are most likely the result of reduced intake, as no differences in retained energy or energy partitioning were caused by alkaloid ingestion when feed intake was equal. • When fed near maintenance, cattle had lower basal metabolic rates. • At higher feeding rates, maintenance energy requirements increased.
• When combined with observed increases in fat loss and a higher capacity for gluconeogenesis in the liver, this indicates the prioritization of energy (when available) toward elevated respiration, thermoregulation, and alkaloid detoxification. Economic losses due to fescue toxicosis - As much as 75 percent of the economic losses attributed to infected tall fescue pastures are related to decreased calving rates.
For cows: • Alkaloid consumption reduces the circulating levels of several hormones important for reproductive efficiency, including progesterone and estradiol. • Changes in ovarian follicle development, oocyte quality, and luteal function have been reported. • When combined with vasoconstriction to the uterus and ovaries, it is no surprise that reductions in reproductive efficiency are seen in cows grazing infected fescue. • There is speculation that vasoconstriction in the umbilical cord contributes to low birth weights and diminished fetal development. On the bull side of the equation, research indicates that ergot alkaloids may: • Affect sperm count. • Increase the occurrence of abnormal sperm. • Alter motility, especially during the summer months. Fescue’s effect on milk production and calving - The structural similarity of ergot alkaloids to dopamine results in reduced prolactin secretion from the anterior pituitary gland. Further, changes in gene expression in the
mammary glands of cattle consuming fescue indicate alterations in their lipid metabolism and small molecule transport. Altogether, these changes translate to reduced mammary development and lower milk production. Similar changes in lipid metabolism can be seen in reduced levels of circulating cholesterol and the occurrence of fat necrosis (lipomatosis), and in some cases of long term alkaloid exposure, these fatty masses can cause digestive issues and dystocia. Fescue’s effect on hair coat and immune function - Reduced prolactin also leads to the rough hair coat that is often observed in cattle grazing infected fescue. Originally thought to be a retained winter hair coat, it is now known that low prolactin levels increase hair growth rates. As prolactin is a co-factor in humoral immune function, the long term grazing of infected fescue can lead to depressed levels of immunoglobulins. However, as nutritional levels also affect immune function, more work needs to be done to determine whether altered immunocompetence is a direct result of ergot alkaloid consumption or a secondary effect of diminished nutritional status. While there is no true fescue toxicosis treatment for cattle, there
are ways to mitigate the challenges that fescue presents through management, nutrition, and feed additives. References & Additional Reading Fribourg, H.A., D.B. Hannaway, and C.P. West (ed.) 2009. Tall Fescue for the Twenty-First Century. Agron. Monog. 53. ASA, CSSA, SSSA. Madison, WI. 540 pp. Also (www.forages.oregonstate.edu/ tallfescuemonograph). Kallenbach, R.L. (2015). BILL E. KUNKLE INTERDISCIPLINARY BEEF SYMPOSIUM: Coping with tall fescue toxicosis: Solutions and realities. Journal of Animal Science, 93(12), 5487-5495. Mayberry, K.J. (2018). Evaluation of Genetic Resistance to Fescue Toxicosis in Purebred Angus Cattle Utilizing Phenotypic Variables, Calf Performance, and Cytokine Response. Thesis, N.C. State University. Melchior, E.A., & Myer, P.R. (2018). Fescue toxicosis and its influence on the rumen microbiome: mitigation of production losses through clover isoflavones. Journal of Applied Animal Research, 46(1), 1280-1288. Poole, R.K., & Poole, D.H. (2019). Impact of ergot alkaloids on female reproduction in domestic livestock species. Toxins, 11(6), 364.
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 15
You Decide! By DR. MIKE WALDEN
William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor Emeritus N.C. State University You Decide: What Economic Lessons Has the Pandemic Taught Us? Although I no longer teach students in the classroom – having retired after 43 years at NCSU – I still teach economics in other ways. I continue to write, speak, and answer questions about the economy from just about anyone who asks. I’m one of those lucky people whose job has been the same as their hobby. In fact, when my wife asks me about some economic issue in the news, after about 15 minutes of me rambling on, she’ll jokingly interrupt by saying, “There’s the bell ringing, class is over.” The message is clear – be more concise next time! My passion for teaching economics means I’m always looking for ways to communicate the discipline’s concepts that are timely and easy to understand. I’ve found that wrapping economics in a story that is relatable is the best way to teach the insights of the discipline. Today, there’s no more relatable story than COVID-19. In a new book titled, Economics in One Virus, author Ryan Bourne shows how the circumstances, debates, and policies related to dealing with the pandemic and its accompanying recession highlight important economic concepts that are applicable to many aspects of life. Here I’ll highlight some of Bourne’s lessons as well as a few of my own. Many economic decisions are made with a high degree of uncertainty. In the classroom, I would assign students problems asking for a solution to a particular economic question facing a business or a household. With the information I provided, there was one correct answer. Unfortunately, the real world often doesn’t provide the needed information to arrive at an exact answer, and COVID-19 is a perfect example of this. At the start, medical experts didn’t specifically know how the virus was spread or if and when vaccines would be ready. Economists didn’t know how deep the COVID-19 recession would be or how fast jobs would bounce back when the medical situation improved. Public leaders, therefore, had to make decisions about closures, restricted travel, and masking – to name a few – without
PAGE 16
knowing precisely what was needed or the impacts. Real life decisions are much more difficult than classroom decisions – something I would always tell students after I graded their assignments. • Economics is about tradeoffs One of the first things I taught students was that economics exists because we can’t have everything we want. If you use resources to buy one thing, you can’t use those same resources to buy something else. This is true no matter how many resources a person has. The need to make tradeoffs became apparent as soon as we realized COVID-19 was a major medical crisis. To initially control the virus’s spread and reduce deaths, personal contact needed to be limited. People needed to stay away from others they would normally see, especially in the workplace. Yet, if interactions at work were restricted, then the economy would be adversely impacted, and both jobs and incomes would be lost. Hence, the tradeoff became less spread of the virus and fewer deaths versus lost jobs and incomes. States – usually governors – had to make this very tough call. Fortunately, over time, as the virus was controlled and the vaccine implemented, the tradeoff became less severe. Yet, with debates about masking and opening schools and large venues still alive in some states, the tradeoff is still with us. • Shortages always drive up prices - The two most fundamental ideas of economics are supply and demand. Businesses make products (supply), and consumers buy those products (demand). The balance between the two is price. When there’s more supply than demand, the price falls until buying increases. Alternatively, when there’s more demand than supply, the price rises until buying decreases. The worst case scenario is when supply declines at the same time demand rises. This situation is a recipe for a huge price increase. This is exactly what happened a year ago with toilet paper and paper towels. Disruptions in the production of these two essentials combined with delivery delays created limitations in supply. Simultaneously, many consumers worried about not being able to find paper towels
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
and toilet paper, and so they accelerated their purchases. The result was a tripling of prices in some markets. Resumption of production curbed panic buying and restored more normal prices. • How to handle negative externalities is controversial - In economics lingo, an externality occurs when an action by an economic agent (person, business) has a major impact on another economic agent. When this impact creates harm, the action is termed a negative externality. A neighbor playing loud music and pollution are examples of negative externalities. Often, government action is required for a solution. During the pandemic, some argued that people choosing not to be vaccinated were creating a negative externality because they were leaving themselves exposed to getting and spreading the virus. Big debates have occurred over how to encourage vaccinations, from enforcing mandates to providing financial inducements. The COVID-19 pandemic and
recession provide numerous examples of how economic concepts and lessons are everywhere. You decide what we can learn. You Decide: What Is Inflation, and Is It Higher? When I joined the N.C. State University faculty in 1978, the big issue in the economy was inflation. On average, prices at the retail level were rising at double digit rates, and they continued that pace for several years. It took a severe recession in the early 1980s to bring inflation under control. Since then, inflation has been modest, with the annual rate rarely above three percent. In recent years, the annual inflation rate has been even lower. There’s a worry that this happy situation is about to change. The current annualized inflation rate is above five percent, and there’s concern by some analysts it may go higher. If indeed inflation is trending higher, then the question is whether the situation we faced 43 years ago will be repeated. Will we soon be living with much faster jumps in
S.C. Charolais News By GEORGEANNE WEBB S.C. Charolais Association
I know everyone is tired of reading my column with nothing but bad news. Believe me, I am just as tired of writing bad news. This month I must report the loss of another cattleman. Many of you local cattlemen knew Louis Keasler of Anderson County, and I was informed the first week of June that Mr. Keasler passed away. We are losing a lot of cattlemen lately, and all will be sorely missed. I just returned from the Appalachian Classic Sale in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you missed it, you missed a great sale with a lot of great folks. It was nice to visit with breeders from other states and find out what was going on in other parts of the country. I am on my bandwagon again about the need for large animal vets in South Carolina. I had another breeder call looking for a vet as his neighbor had a calf coming breech. He couldn’t find a vet to help, so this breeder tried to go help his neighbor. They tried but lost the calf. I talked to some of the owners of livestock sale barns in the state, and they are also having trouble finding vets to be at the barns on sale day, which are required by the state vet’s office. Purebred breeders are experiencing problems finding vets to be at their sales as required by the state vet’s office. Some folks are going to Royston,
Ga., for veterinary health papers. I got to thinking about this and picture in your mind that you have seven bulls over 18 months old on your trailer, and you get stopped by the folks in Georgia to see your health papers. You tell them you are headed to the vet there to get trich papers. Somehow, I do not think they are going to believe you and let you go, especially if they stop a lot of folks and get the same story. I do not want to risk a $10,000 per animal fine. They are not going to risk you dropping that bull off somewhere to breed and they get a problem with trich. These states are really particular about older bulls coming into their state. I am considering calling up a meeting at Upstate Livestock and insisting that folks from Clemson, the S.C. Department of Agriculture, Farm Bureau, the S.C. Cattlemen’s Association, etc., all be there and meet with cattlemen across the state to address this problem. I feel the guys in authority can get together and offer some kind of incentive to bring in students from some of the vet schools to come here to practice on large animals since we don’t have a vet school in this state. Agriculture is the number one industry in South Carolina, and they need to back us up with these problems. Stay safe so I do not have to have this column become an obituary for cattlemen.
prices, and will it take another recession to put a lid on inflation? Before giving some answers, let me provide some background on what inflation means, how it’s measured, and why we worry about it. Inflation measures the rise in prices, and the inflation rate measures that rise as a percentage, usually over the course of a year. So, if the inflation rate is five percent, it means prices rose five percent over the last year. If the inflation rate is negative, it means prices actually dropped. The last time the inflation rate was negative was 2009, a recession year. It’s not unusual for prices to fall during the bad economic times of a recession. Whatever the measured inflation rate is, it does not mean all prices rose at that rate. The inflation rate is an average number. The federal government tracks thousands of individual prices and averages them to form the final inflation rate. However, all individual price changes aren’t counted equally in the average. They are “weighted” by the importance of the product or service in the typical consumer’s budget. The government regularly reports two inflation rates, the “headline rate” and the
“core rate.” The headline rate includes all consumer products and services, while the core rate includes all except food and fuel products. Food and fuel products tend to be volatile, resulting in wild swings in the inflation rate. We saw this with gas prices when the Colonial pipeline was hacked. Economists like to track the core rate to detect underlying trends in inflation. However, contrary to what is sometimes asserted, the headline rate is the official inflation rate, not the core rate. I think most people know why we worry about inflation, but here’s the summary. Inflation depreciates the value of the dollar. An inflation rate of five percent over the last year means a dollar is worth only 95¢ in purchasing power today compared to its value a year ago. If your income and investments increase at rates less than the inflation rate, then you’re moving backward in your current and future standards of living. Whew! This was probably more than you wanted to read about inflation. But with this information now under your belt, let’s look at the debate over where inflation is headed. As usual, there are two camps. One says that perhaps after a couple of bubbles, the inflation rate
will settle down to where it has been for most of this century. The opposing camp believes circumstances and past policies will push the inflation rate to a higher level for some period of time. The “no worries” camp is based, like many things today, on the unusual impacts COVID created for the economy. The inflation rate actually fell during the worst part of the pandemic. The headline inflation rate dropped at an annual rate of four percent between February and May of 2020, when the pandemic was still spreading. In the comparable period in 2019, headline inflation rose five percent. The conclusion is inflation may take a near term jump to make up for the reduction in prices during early 2020, but the rise will be temporary. The “worried” camp focuses on two concerns. One is that there is a large amount of money waiting to be spent in the economy. The federal government will eventually have pumped $6 trillion into the economy, fighting COVID and protecting households, businesses, and institutions. This is more than was lost in the economy due to the Covid shutdowns. Indeed, by the broadest measure of the economy, aggregate income in the
country has totally recovered. The second concern is the slow return of workers to jobs may result in the amount of products and services available for consumers to buy being less than the quantity consumers want to buy when spending ramps up. Putting the two concerns together, we’ll run into a situation of “too many dollars chasing too few goods and services,” which is the classic definition of inflation. Economists are divided between these two camps. A key institution to watch in order to judge which camp is being taken seriously is the country’s central bank, the Federal Reserve (the Fed). If the Fed begins to inch up the interest rates it controls, this may be a sign they’re worried about inflation and want to “nip it in the bud” by slowing spending. But if the Fed leaves interest rates at their current low level, the bank may have decided worries about higher inflation are temporary. Inflation is something affecting all of us, so keep your eyes open for news about this important economic concept. The next six to nine months will be a period when we’ll have to decide if higher inflation is in the cards.
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 17
ANGUS NEWS Angus Genetics Inc. Announces Updates. Genetic Evaluation Maintenance - Core 21 – On May 28, the Association, with the guidance of Angus Genetics Inc (AGI), performed required maintenance on the genetic evaluation with updates to the genetic evaluation’s core. Core is a subset of animals representing the entire genotyped population, allowing for Angus’s genetic evaluation to utilize a large number of genotyped animals. Core was implemented at the advent of Single Step in July 2017 but has not been updated since. With over 20 million registered, pedigreed animals and almost one million genotyped animals recorded, the Association and AGI are taking the necessary steps to update the core, ensuring an accurate representation of the genotyped population. Core 21, the updated core, is the part of the genomic relationship matrix (GRM) that is directly inverted and then is combined with all other parts to calculate the inverse of the GRM for all animals. Core 21 is a representative sample of the genotyped population that best captures the total variation of the GRM, or the relationships determined among animals using genomic results, which optimizes the evaluation. Overall, breeders will find correlations and rankings between animals before and after the implementation of Core 21 are very high. In fact, all traits across the entire population saw correlations above 0.99. However, even with a 0.99 correlation, it is no surprise that some animals will show a resulting change in EPD after implementation of Core 21. These changes are due to the better representation of the variation of genomic relationships inside Angus’s weekly genetic evaluation. Genotyped animals with EPD accuracies <0.50 will experience the most change. For example, for weaning weight EPD, the largest decrease for WW EPD is -12 and our largest increase in WW EPD is +15. These changes are normally distributed. Therefore, even though some large outliers are changing by a significant degree, most of the changes are centered around zero. Though seldom, some high accuracy animals will experience large changes. These changes are generally
PAGE 18
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
related to high use sires that were born after 2016 that have many genotyped progenies added to the evaluation since that time. To learn more about the core maintenance update, read Andre Garcia’s latest By The Numbers column in Angus Journal at www.angusjournal.com/ ArticlePDF/0521-by-the-numbers.pdf. Annual Economic Assumption Update - Each year, the costs and revenue prices underlying the bio-economic model, which drive the Association’s $Values, are updated. This annual update is assembled using data provided by CattleFax. The economic assumptions implemented each year are the average of the previous seven years of data – the 2021 economic assumptions are based on prices recorded from 2014 to 2020. This year’s biggest changes are in terms of Ration Cost and Days on Feed. In May 2020, economic assumptions based on the average of 2013 to 2019 were implemented with an average ration cost of $194. The exchange of 2013 and 2020 costs where 2013 was a year of high feed costs at $323/ton, 2020 replaces it at $163/ton, reducing the average to $171/ ton. With that, average days on feed for both calf fed and yearling fed cattle
Have you forgotten something? Make sure your cattlemen friends are members of your state association!
increases from 236 and 165 days to 240 and 168 days, respectively. Because these two factors offset one another in terms of economics, little re-ranking in both Feedlot Value ($F) and Beef Value ($B) will occur due to these changes. Overall, the above updates did not result in a significant change to individual $Values. Updates to economic assumptions resulted in correlations above 0.99. Even with these very high correlations, some individual animals can change, with the largest decrease in $C being -24 and the largest increase in $C coming in at +26. Overall, breeders can expect sires to rank very similarly when the 2021 assumptions are implemented. For more information on $Values, visit www.angus.org/nce/valueindexes. Annual Update Genomic Scores While GE-EPDs are updated on a weekly basis, genomic scores are only updated once a year. This annual update took place on May 28. The update includes a larger reference population, which genomic scores are ranked against. With that, genomic scores are a by-product of the genetic evaluation, so as EPDs are updated, genomic scores will be updated as well. It is always preferable to use the GE-EPDs when making selection decisions, and the updates to these genomic scores will not affect the GEEPDs themselves. To learn more about GE-EPDs, visit www.angus.org/AGI/ GenomicEnhancedEPDs.pdf. American Angus Association Welcomes 2021 Interns. Real world experience combined with industry connections for six students. The American Angus Association is dedicated to providing opportunities for youth to grow and succeed through hands on experiences. During the internship program, the Association allows students to strengthen their knowledge about the cattle industry while further advancing their skills and professional network. This summer, interns will join various departments and entities of the Association, including Angus Media and Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI). These students bring various backgrounds and experiences to the Association. • Bree Taylor, an agribusiness major and agricultural real estate appraisal minor from Oklahoma State University, joins the team as one of two events and education interns. Originally from Kingfisher, Okla., Taylor grew up on a small cattle operation and was involved in FFA and 4-H. In the future, she intends to work within the livestock industry serving youth. Taylor said she hopes she can influence youth as much as her peers have influenced her. “I am looking forward to spending
the summer traveling all over the country meeting junior members and working with industry professionals in the purebred cattle industry,” said Taylor. “I love getting to work events and programs that directly impact our youth in the livestock sector of agriculture.” • Jim Stickley, from St. Paris, Ohio, will also serve as an events and education intern. Stickley is a graduate of Lincoln Land Community College and is a current agricultural business and applied economics major with a minor in political science at The Ohio State University. As a current livestock judging team member, Stickley said he has created new connections across the nation while deepening his understanding of agriculture. In the future, he said his goal is to bridge the gap between agriculture and politics through a potential public office or lobbying efforts. “The American Angus Association is the premier membership organization,” said Stickley. “This opportunity working alongside industry leaders while serving the industry’s youth will produce a network of remarkable connections as I commence my professional career. More importantly, it will allow me to play a small role in the experience our juniors are participating in. My hope is to grant them an unforgettable junior national experience with memories to last a lifetime.” • Amanda Botelho Alvarenga will be joining AGI this summer researching genetic and genomic modeling for foot scores in American and Australian Angus. Coming from a small dairy farm in Minas Gerais, Brazil, Alvarenga began her college career with an interest in animal sciences, which led to her passion for the genetic research field. She is currently working on her Ph.D. in quantitative genetics and genomics at Purdue University. Alvarenga said she hopes she can share her education and experiences with others in the future. “I am looking forward to working with the enormous dataset with the American Angus Association and the data in collaboration with Australia,” said Alvarenga. “I am excited to learn more about beef cattle operations in the U.S. as well as genetic evaluation at the industry level.” • Jessica Wesson of Searcy, Ark., will serve Angus Media as the editorial intern for the Angus Beef Bulletin. Wesson is currently working on her master’s degree in agricultural and extension education with an emphasis in agricultural communications at the University of Arkansas. Coming from a commercial cattle operation background, Wesson intends to work for a livestock association
or agricultural organization in the future. Wesson said she is eager to see how the magazine production process works. “I look forward to traveling to events to assist with media coverage,” said Wesson. “That is one of my favorite things to do in communications. I am excited to see new states and meet new people.” • Sarah Harris, originally from Springwood, Va., will also join Angus Media as the Angus Journal intern. Harris is a recent graduate from Oklahoma State University and plans to continue her education at New Mexico State University by working on her master’s in agricultural extension and education with a focus in communications. As a fifth generation Angus breeder, Harris is no stranger to the Association. She showed cattle and was involved in livestock judging. Upon graduation, she plans to pursue a career within the seedstock industry and continue to run Angus cattle herself. Harris said she is excited to serve the industry that has built her into who she is today. “Helping to tell the stories of breeders and showmen alike is an avenue of the communications realm that I’m passionate about,” Harris said. “I am
eager to utilize my skillsets in writing, photography, videography, audiography, and graphic design to advance my experience level even further.” • Riley Reep joins the Association as the communications intern. Reep is from Ropesville, Tex., and currently attends Texas Tech University as an agricultural communications student with minors in animal science and international agribusiness. Although she did not grow up within the cattle industry, Reep was raised around cotton production, showed swine across the country, and was heavily involved with FFA and 4-H. Reep said she is excited to learn more about the cattle industry, specifically the Angus family. “I feel honored to have the chance to learn from such talented individuals while learning more about this sector of agriculture,” Reep said. “I hope I can use this experience to improve my communication skills to better serve the agricultural industry in the future.” For more information about the American Angus Association, visit www. angus.org.
Continued on the next page
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 19
Angus News continued from the previous page The 20 and 19 Millionth Angus Registrations are Assigned. Milestone Angus Registration numbers are assigned by breeders to standout animals. The very first Angus animal was registered in 1883, and since then, the American Angus Association has registered more than 20 million Angus cattle over the years. Among the vast database of registrations that have built up, there have been a handful of milestone registration numbers that have been purchased and assigned by breeders to stock that show both phenotypic and genotypic excellence to set them apart from the rest. “ We t y p i c a l l y d o 3 0 0 , 0 0 0 registrations in a year, so it takes about three and a half years to amass enough registrations to reach another milestone registration,” said Jerry Cassady, director of member services at the American
Angus Association. “These milestone registrations are a testament to the efforts and dedication of our membership to the Angus breed.” Most recently, both the 20 millionth registration number and the 19 millionth registration number have been assigned. Both registration numbers were sold, and the funds raised went to support the Angus Foundation’s mission of education, youth, and research. The 20 millionth registration number was purchased by Tom Burke of the American Angus Hall of Fame at the 2020 Angus Annual Meeting for $10,000. The registration number was recently assigned to SAV Scale House 0845, owned by Schaff Angus Valley in Saint Anthony, N.D.; TK Angus in Wood Lake, N.D., and Voss Angus in Dexter, Iowa. “I purchased the 20 millionth
registration for history’s sake,” said Burke. “I bought the 20 millionth registration because I knew the money went to the Angus Foundation; and the second reason was because I wanted to get it for a special bull. The notoriety this bull will have carrying the 20 millionth registration will always be something you can remember.” SAV Scale House 0845 was the high selling bull in the Schaff Angus Valley Sale in February 2021. Burke said the registration milestone shows the stability of the Association since 1883 and demonstrates the growth of the breed. The 19 millionth registration was purchased at the 2018 Angus Convention for $7,000 by Whitestone Farm, LLC. The registration number was then assigned to the bull Whitestone that was bred and owned by Whitestone Farm. “We’ve raised many great bulls, but I felt this bull is the best we’ve ever raised,” said Mark Duffell, managing partner of Whitestone Farm. “Down the road we hope to buy another milestone registration number because we know what the Angus Foundation does for young people.” As time passes, the number of Angus cattle will continue to rise and continue to prove the steadiness and importance of the breed to the beef industry. For more information on Angus cattle, visit www. Angus.org or to support the future of the
breed, visit www.AngusFoundation.org. Finding Balance — When Cow Nutrition and Performance Meet. As the cow has evolved over the years, so has her nutrient requirements. With time, change occurs, and advancements in the beef industry are made. Since the 1970s, carcass weights have increased on an average of six pounds per year, 80 percent of cattle are grading Choice or higher, and the environmental footprint has been reduced, all with the goal of meeting consumer demands and increasing the value of beef. Today, cow performance and efficiency are higher than ever, and there are certain factors required to reach optimum production, said Wesley Moore, technical specialist at Cargill Animal Nutrition. Moore said the correct balance between cow nutrition and performance levels affects nutrient demands during the Cargill Animal Nutrition sponsored Angus University Webinar, “Evolution of the Cow, Evolution of Nutrition.” The cow has changed drastically since the ‘50s, but Moore posed the question — “Are cows consuming the nutritional requirements needed to reach optimum performance?” These nutritional developments haven’t occurred by chance, as they have been the result of both genetic and mating decisions. Changing consumer needs have resulted in producers applying selection pressure
Carter Ward Joins the American Angus Hall of Fame Carter Ward, a third generation Angus breeder from Plattsburg, Mo., has joined the American Angus Hall of Fame at Smithville, Missouri. Carter’s parents, Jack and Maryann Ward managed two successful Angus operations in Indiana while Carter was growing up, namely Three Rivers Angus and Maple Lane Angus. The Ward family now resides in Missouri, where their own operation, Ward Brothers Livestock, is a nationally recognized Angus herd. Carter was active in the American Angus Association’s junior program, has a degree from Black Hawk College East Campus in Kewanee, Ill., and attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He was on the livestock judging teams at both schools. Since then, he has served as an official judge at numerous shows, including the North American International Livestock Exposition. Carter has raised and exhibited Angus cattle at every level and is now very much involved in his new role at the American Angus Hall of Fame. The American Angus Hall of Fame is located in Smithville, Missouri. It is the oldest sale management firm in the world, having been in business for 83 years and managing registered Angus auctions around the world. The American Angus Hall of Fame has conducted more than 10,000 Angus sales and is the home of the largest collection of Angus history anywhere in the world. Tom Burke and Kurt Schaff are excited to be working with Carter. Carter can be reached on his cell phone at 816-261-0891 or at the office of the American Angus Hall of Fame at 816-532-0811.
PAGE 20
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
in the areas of carcass weight, marbling, and milk. Due to these pressures, cows have different nutrient requirements compared to cows 30 years ago. “What does that mean? From a nutrient standpoint that means our cow needs more groceries to perform at a higher level,” Moore said. “If we have selected for milk and on average, I believe we have, we increase demands for energy not only during lactation but specifically outside of lactation for maintenance of organ tissue.” The nutrition program at any operation should reflect the producer’s specific selection pressures. When developing a nutrition program, Moore said the three factors producers need to grasp are: to know your cow, know your environment, and know your situation. He added, as cow requirements change based on performance, their nutritional needs change. “With a bigger and more productive cow comes more cost, and if we are not gaining more revenue, we really need to change our business model,” he said. “Nutrition should not be a cost, rather it should be an investment.” It is important producers select females and make mating decisions that both fit and perform specific to their environment while still using the resources they have available to reach optimum performance. Chances are the grass cows have grazed on since the inception of an operation has not changed. Moore asked, “What are you doing different to fit those cows’ growing needs?” “We can’t decide where we are going if we don’t know where we’ve been,” Moore said. As the cow continues to evolve, the challenge remains that nutrition programs evolve as well. For more information or to watch the Cargill sponsored Angus University Webinar, “Evolution of the Cow, Evolution of Nutrition, visit www.youtube.com/ watch?v=IUkPeNfN-wU&t=2s. American Angus Association Names Retallick-Riley AGI President. AGI veteran promoted to lead company. The American Angus Association recently named Kelli Retallick-Riley president of Angus Genetics, Inc. (AGI). With a lifetime of experience in the cattle business, Retallick-Riley will lead the company’s genetic evaluation technology and research programs. “Kelli has a unique ability to share complex animal breeding and genetics topics with cattlemen in an understandable way,” said Mark McCully, chief executive officer for the Association. “We are excited to have her
progressive, energetic mind leading our innovation at AGI.” Retallick-Riley has been an asset to AGI as the genetic and genomic programs director for AGI, where she coordinated research and application strategies for genetic and genomic technologies. Her education in animal breeding, combined with her practical cattle experience, gives Retallick-Riley a unique skill set and perspective to strategically advance AGI and the tools it provides to cattlemen. “I’m excited for the opportunity to further advance AGI’s mission of providing the best tools and information possible for today’s breeders,” she said. “Innovation is happening at a rapid pace and AGI is poised to lead the industry.” A Wisconsin native, RetallickRiley did her undergraduate work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She followed with a master’s degree in animal breeding from Kansas State University and is currently in the final stages of completing her Ph.D. program, also from Kansas State University. Before coming to work for AGI in 2016, she worked for the American Gelbvieh Association. Growing up in the Angus breed, Retallick-Riley was on the National Junior Angus Association Board of Directors. She is a frequent presenter on cattle industry programs, actively involved in the Beef Improvement Federation, serving on their Board of Directors, and has served as the past chairman of the Ultrasound Guidelines Council. “Kelli has a passion for genetic improvement and the success of Angus breeders,” McCully said. “The future of AGI is in good hands.” Retallick-Riley took the helm of AGI on June 28 as current AGI president Joel Cowley resigns to accept the chief executive officer role of Calgary Stampede. Cowley previously served in various leadership roles, including president and chief executive officer at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™. Angus Means Business. The American Angus Association ® is the nation’s largest beef breed organization, serving close to 25,000 members across the United States, Canada, and several other countries. It’s home to an extensive breed registry that grows by more than 300,000 animals each year. The Association also provides programs and services to farmers, ranchers, and others who rely on Angus to produce quality genetics for the beef industry and quality beef for consumers. For more information about Angus cattle and the American Angus Association, visit www.angus.org.
North Carolina Angus Association ANGUS MEANS BUSINESS Backed by the world’s largest and most reliable genetic evaluation program. Registered Angus genetics deliver better calving ease, more growth, and superior marbling. 4K FARMS/TARHEEL ANGUS Richard D. Kirkman, DVM Siler City 919-742-5500 info@tarheelangus.com
KNOLL CREST FARM The Bennett Family Red House,VA 434-376-3567 knollcrest@knollcrestfarm.com www.knollcrestfarm.com
455 GORE FAMILY ANGUS Mark & Lori Gore Tabor City 702-401-8005 455goreangus@gmail.com www.455farms.com BACK CREEK Joe & Robin Hampton Mt. Ulla 704-880-2488 (Joe); 704-880-3572 (Robin) robinbackcreek@att.net Facebook: Back Creek Angus
LANE ANGUS Roger & Bundy Lane Gates 252-357-1279 ritalane@embarqmail.com PANTHER CREEK FARMS John C. Smith, Jr. Pink Hill 252-526-1929 JohnSmith3982@embarqmail.com S&J Farms Steven & Julie Lung Nathan Lung - Manager Carthage 910-947-3414 sandjfarms2013@gmail.com
BB ORGANIC FARM NC, LLC Bob & Elissa Miller Louisburg 919-414-7753 BILTMORE ESTATE Kyle Mayberry - Manager Asheville 828-768-1956 livestock@biltmore.com www.biltmorelivestock.com
SMITH CREEK ANGUS FARM Marty & Lynne Rooker Norlina 252-213-1553 mrooker@mrookerlaw.com
BRIDGES BEEF CATTLE Eddie, Cindy, John, & Crystal Bridges Shelby 704-692-2978 bridgesbeefcattle@gmail.com
SPRINGFIELD ANGUS Phil Goodson Alex Askew Louisburg 919-880-9062 (Phil) 910-260-2899 (Alex) philgoodson2@gmail.com www.springfieldangus.com
BRITT FAMILY FARMS James Britt Calypso 919-738-6331 jrb4070@hotmail.com C-CROSS CATTLE COMPANY Duane Strider Asheboro 336-964-6277 ccrosscattle@yahoo.com www.ccrosscattle.com FOUR S FARMS Kim & Connie and Jason & Robin Starnes Luther Lyerly - Manager Salisbury 704-640-5875 kim-4sfarms@carolina.rr.com G&G FAMILY FARMS Darren & Paul Gore Tabor City 843-458-2970 goreangus1@gmail.com goreangusfarms.com GENTRY HOMEPLACE ANGUS Howard & Donna Gentry King 336-413-6698 whgentry@windstream.net H&H FARMS Buddy & Jennifer Hamrick - Owners Bly Hamrick - Manager Boiling Springs 704-472-1912 jennham@bellsouth.net HILL ANGUS FARM Dr. Gary M. Hill Hendersonville 229-848-3695 gmhill@uga.edu JACK KNOB FARMS Karl, Janet, & Logan Gillespie Franklin 828-371-2220 karl@jackknobfarms.com www.jackknobfarms.com
TRIPLE LLL ANGUS Greg Little Monroe 704-219-1294 greg.little@ATImetals.com UWHARRIE RIDGE FARMS Mark Wilburn Asheboro 336-953-0521 uwharrieridgefarms@gmail.com VANDEMARK ANGUS Keaton & Janie Vandemark Spring Hope 252-885-0210 keaton@vandemarkfarms.com WINDY HILL FARMS, LLC Michael A. Moss Will Moss - Manager Ramseur 336-549-0070 michaelmoss@rtmc.net WINSLOW GENETICS Ben & Kathleen Winslow Halifax 252-578-5487 winslowgen@gmail.com WOOD ANGUS FARM, LLC Russell Wood Willow Spring 919-275-4397 rwood4400@gmail.com www.woodangus.com
Sharon Rogers
NCAA Executive Secretary 336-583-9630 Email: ncaa.sec@gmail.com Website: www.ncangus.org
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 21
Certified Angus Beef News Registration now open for 2021 Feeding Quality Forum. After a year of virtual events, the Certified Angus Beef (CAB) brand will host the 16th Annual Feeding Quality Forum in Fort Collins, Colo., from August 24-25. Since 2006, commercial cattlemen, cattle feeders, and industry partners have gathered to network and learn about the current and the future state of the beef industry. This is the first year CAB is offering in-person and virtual registration options. “We know how important it is for those in the industry who thrive on the camaraderie to be in person,” says Kara Lee, CAB assistant director of producer engagement. “We’re thrilled to be back in a more personal setting to provide forward thinking content and networking.” Attendees will learn practical, revenue generating ideas for high quality beef production and hear thought provoking topics related to the future of the beef business. An exclusive, pre-event session at the Colorado State University Meat Lab will offer hands -on carcass fabrication and explore how value is distributed across the animal. Attendance is limited to 50 people, so register early, Lee says. The evening program on August 24 will recognize this year’s Industry Achievement Award winner, veterinarian Bob Smith from Veterinary Research and Consulting Services. The leading cattle veterinarian has focused his career on feedyard and stocker health and management. He joins the ranks of other industry legends Paul Engler, Topper Thorpe, Lee Borck, Larry Corah, and John Matsushima, who have also been recognized for their achievements and contributions to the feeding industry. The second day highlights profit driven technologies relevant to cattle feeding and management strategies for the future with evolving consumer demands. Registration is now open at www. FeedingQualityForum.com. In person, early registration is $100 for attendees who sign up before July 9; then, it’s $200 until registration closes August 8. In-person, student registration is $50 until August 8. Virtual registration is $50, and virtual student is $25 until August 16. For more information, find registration prices, deadlines, and the full agenda at www.certifiedangusbeef.com/
PAGE 22
fqf21/index.html. Certified Angus Beef Certified as Great Place to Work. Fresh, innovative approaches to employee and customer care were essential in business long before challenging times. At Certified Angus Beef, company culture has always been the top priority, a core tenant that grew more important during the pandemic as business shifted and the entire Wooster based staff went remote. “We believe if we take care of our people, they will take care of the brand,” says Sherry Leggett, director of people and culture. “One of our greatest strengths as a team is camaraderie and collaboration. As each person’s job and the world around us changed, we grew together.” The company has been back in the office since late summer of 2020 and recently celebrated earning certification as a Great Place to Work®. The Great Place to Work organization recognizes companies that have superior employee satisfaction and have built high trust corporate atmospheres. An independent Trust Index™ survey by the firm shows 95 percent of employees identify Certified Angus Beef as a great place to work. United States companies average 59 percent. The certification is based on an independent, anonymous survey of what current employees said about their experience working for the brand. Employees also shared high marks — 98 percent or higher — for feeling welcome when joining the company, celebrating special events, and receiving unique benefits. They also identified leadership as honest and ethical in business practices. The culture at the global premium beef brand is built on heartland values combined with innovative benefits. For team members at Certified Angus Beef, there’s internal support for employee nutrition, medical care, financial education, personal leadership coaching, and bonuses for healthy living. Both personal and professional milestones are celebrated across the team, creating a positive, balanced, yet productive workplace that captures the heart of the business, where people are the most important resource. That’s essential for a company providing quality beef and growing the livelihood of its stakeholders, from family farmers to chefs. “Every day, when we interact with each other, we’re making a difference
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
internally and that extends to our customers worldwide,” says John Stika, president. “This certification signifies to those looking in at our team that we really do care about doing business in a way that values relationships and values people.” Who is Certified Angus Beef? The original Angus beef brand. Based in Wooster, Ohio, and owned by family farmers and ranchers, we’re more than just Angus beef. Only the very best makes our cut. We set strict standards to certify every bite is tender, juicy, and full of flavor, whether you’re cooking at home or dining at the best steakhouse.
It’s why we’re the world’s most trusted beef brand and have been since 1978. For more information, visit www. CertifiedAngusBeef.com. About the Certified Angus Beef ® brand. World renowned for its exceptional quality and generous marbling, the Certified Angus Beef brand is the original brand of premium beef. Created in 1978, it is still owned today by family ranchers who are determined to bring the best Angus beef to the table. Ten exacting standards ensure superior taste and tenderness in every bite. Learn more at www.CertifiedAngusBeef.com.
Carolina Video and Load Lot Monthly Summary (Weeks ending MAY 4 & MAY 18, 2021)
Carolina Video and Load Lot Monthly Summary of Southeast Livestock Exchange and Mid-Atlantic Cattle Sales ending Tuesday, MAY 4, 2021, and MidAtlantic Cattle Sales ending Tuesday, MAY 18, 2021. All cattle in this report are located in North Carolina and South Carolina. Prices FOB the farm or local scale and many weighed with a 0-2 percent shrink and sold with a 5-20¢ per pound slide on the heavy side only.
Cattle Receipts: 2,766
Last Month: 2,509
Feeders made up 100 percent of the offering. The feeder supply included 47 percent steers and 53 percent heifers. Nearly 63 percent of the run weighed over 600 pounds. Head totals are based on load lot estimate of 49,500 pounds. Head 35 103 128 102 166 90 138 134 62 62 59 116 45 56
Wt. Range 235-235 310-310 385-385 485-485 575-595 600-625 695-695 710-725 775-775 775-775 810-810 815-840 825-825 850-850
FEEDER STEERS (Medium 1-2) Avg. Wt. Price Range Avg. Price 235 $192.00 $192.00 310 $185.25 $185.25 385 $180.50 $180.50 485 $164.75 $164.75 585 $150.50-$151.00 $150.75 613 $132.50-$134.25 $133.41 695 $146.00 $146.00 717 $131.50-$141.50 $136.57 775 $145.25 $145.25 775 $133.25 $133.25 810 $123.25 $123.25 827 $145.50-$146.00 $145.75 825 $146.75 $146.75 850 $136.00 $136.00
Head 64 57 137 107 31 83 31 214 71 25 68 129 63 169 100 55
Wt. Range 235-235 300-300 360-360 460-460 560-560 575-575 625-625 655-685 675-675 700-700 705-705 745-745 760-760 750-775 785-790 870-870
FEEDER HEIFERS (Medium 1-2) Avg. Wt. Price Range Avg. Price 235 $172.00 $172.00 300 $170.25 $170.25 360 $159.25 $159.25 460 $142.75 $142.75 560 $120.50 $120.50 575 $134.25 $134.25 625 $122.25 $122.25 668 $120.75-$127.75 $124.20 675 $150.25 $150.25 700 $138.75 $138.75 705 $118.75 $118.75 745 $136.00 $136.00 760 $135.25 $135.25 768 $120.50-$132.25 $125.65 787 $117.75-$120.00 $118.63 870 $137.50 $137.50
Head 66
Wt. Range 750-750
Delivery Split Loads Split Loads
Split Loads Value Added Natural Value Added Split Loads Natural Delivery Split Loads Split Loads Guaranteed Open Guaranteed Open Split Loads Guaranteed Open Split Loads Guaranteed Open Value Added Split Loads Guaranteed Open Value Added Value Added Natural Guaranteed Open Value Added
FEEDER HEIFERS (Medium and Large 1-2) Avg. Wt. Price Range Avg. Price Delivery 750 $120.25 $120.25 Guaranteed Open
Source: N.C. Dept. of Agriculture - USDA Market News Service, Raleigh, N.C. - 919-707-3156
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 23
Check out the
North Carolina Hereford Advantage at
www.nchereford.com 4B FARMS, LLC Shelby, NC Bryson, Wren, Beau, Belle, Bonnie & Bennet Westbrook 980-230-4868 • brysonw@thewestbrookco.com
McCOY CATTLE FARM Cove City, NC Myron & Charlie McCoy 252-229-4603 nchereford@yahoo.com
4K RANCH Nelson, VA Rick & Linda Kern 919-272-6124 4kranch@bellsouth.net
MITCHEM’S FARM 3C Vale, NC Wayne, Crystal, Regan & Jordan Mitchem 704-472-4369 mitchemsfarm@bellsouth.net
AWC CATTLE COMPANY Winston-Salem, NC Andie & Wes Carpenter 336-970-1655 • jcarpenter@alphagraphics.com www.windmillacresfarms.com
NORTH PINO LAND & CATTLE COMPANY Mocksville, NC Kevin Robinson 336-940-2547 • kevrob1@aol.com
BLINSON POLLED HEREFORDS Lenoir, NC Keith & Peggy Blinson - 828-310-4526 Bryan & Beth Blinson - 919-422-9108
TAYLOR’S MILL FARM Zebulon, NC J. Brent Creech 919-801-7561 tmfherefords@icloud.com
DOUBLE J FARM Traphill, NC • Earlysville, VA John Wheeler 910-489-0024 • doublejfarmllc@yahoo.com www.doublejfarmllc.com
TERRACE FARM Lexington, NC Jim, Linda & Chad Davis 336-247-1554 jgdavis101@yahoo.com
FIVE J’S BEEF & CATTLE COMPANY Clayton, NC Jody & Angela Standley Kim Prestwood (Manager) • 828-320-7317 - Kim jodystandley@gmail.com
TRIPLETT POLLED HEREFORDS Statesville, NC James Triplett 704-902-2250 triplettmarble@bellsouth.net
GRASSY CREEK FARM Bullock, NC Scott, Pam, Hailee, Lillee & Elizabeth Bissett 919-482-1176 Bissettsp1@gmail.com
W&A HEREFORDS Providence, NC George, Tammy, William, & Andy Ward 434-251-3637 waherefordfarm@comcast.net
HEREFORD HILLS Greensboro, NC Bill Kirkman III 336-382-9635 ST Genetics Representative
NCHA Secretary/Treasurer
LOOKABILL FAMILY LIVESTOCK Lexington, NC Reggie, Patty, Tyler & Noah Lookabill 336-240-2142 rlookabill6015@gmail.com PAGE 24
Myron McCoy
252-637-4995 nchereford@yahoo.com www.nchereford.com
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
Early Bird Deadline Quickly Approaching. Completion and return of fall 2021 herd inventories before July 15 will receive a discount of 25¢ off per head on every female maintained on the inventory. Inventories updated after September 1 will incur a $2 per head surcharge on every female maintained on the inventory. Remember, MyHerd users can log in anytime to view and update the 2021 Fall inventory. Take advantage of the early bird discount and save money today! Tavernaro Joins as Managing Editor. Cristin Tavernaro is from Caney, Kan., and graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2019. At OSU, she majored in agricultural communications and minored in agribusiness. Prior to joining AHA, she was an account coordinator for Mod Op, LLC, formerly Sage Communications, where she served the PR and marketing needs of various agricultural clients. She has also completed a communications internship with Kansas Farm Bureau and an editorial internship with Farm Journal. “You always feel like you belong wherever you go in the ag industry and AHA is no exception,” Tavernaro says. “I am truly grateful for the opportunity to serve in this position, and I am excited to join such an experienced and dedicated team.” Welcome Your Summer HPI Intern. Grace Jacobson has been selected as the 2021 Hereford Publications, Inc (HPI) intern. Jacobson is a native of Geneva, Neb., where her family has a small cattle operation. She grew up showing purebred swine and participating in her local FFA and 4-H chapters. While she does not have direct experience with Hereford cattle, she does with Hereford swine! She is currently studying agricultural communications and global food systems leadership at Kansas State University. Jacobson comes to the team with experience in journalism, videography, photography, and podcast production. This past semester she served as the writing editor for The Agriculturist, K-State’s College of Agriculture student run magazine. She is also active in her sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, and campus faith organization. Matheny Joins the American Hereford Association Team. The
News
American Hereford Association (AHA) welcomed Taylor Belle Matheny of Manhattan, Kan., as the director of communications and digital content on June 7. In this role, Matheny will develop strategies and content to promote Hereford seedstock to the cattle industry. Leading the development of promotional and educational materials, videos, and infographics for print and digital media outlets, she will create a consistent message for the association. “I am eager to produce communication pieces that share the story of the breed with our members and the industry,” Matheny says. “The Hereford breed has an exciting future and I am proud I get to be part of the team moving us forward.” Originally from May’s Lick, Ky., Matheny grew up involved as the fifth generation on her family’s Hereford operation. During her time as a member of the National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA), she served as the 2016 National Hereford Queen and chairman of the board of directors. She is a 2019 graduate of Kansas State University with a bachelor’s in agricultural communications and journalism as well as animal sciences and industry. Following her time at K-State, she attended Texas Tech University, where she obtained a master’s of science in agricultural communications. “Taylor Belle’s communication talents, history in the Hereford breed and previous experience provides us with an exciting opportunity to advance our breed and industry communication efforts,” says Jack Ward, AHA executive vice president. Prior to joining the AHA, Matheny served as the events and recruitment coordinator for the Kansas State University College of Agriculture. She brings a wealth of experience to the team from her previous communications internships at the Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) and the International Grains Program (IGP) Institute. Impressive Numbers Announced for the 2021 VitaFerm Junior National Hereford Expo. Impressive numbers mark a comeback for the 2021 VitaFerm Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE) after the 2020 numbers were somewhat
lower due to the pandemic. This summer’s “Hereford Spectacular” event will be July 3-9 at the American Royal Complex in Kansas City, Mo., with 2,101 entries and 1,755 head registered for the show by 864 junior exhibitors. These exhibitors come from 41 different states and Canada, one of the largest state representations in JNHE history. This summer showcase provides an opportunity for competition of National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) members and their cattle
Burkholder Joins the Certified Hereford Beef Team. The Certified Hereford Beef (CHB) brand welcomed Brenyn Burkholder as the marketing coordinator on June 1. Brenyn Burkholder is a Texas A&M graduate from Boerne, Texas. She grew up showing livestock and competing in judging events as an active member of 4-H and FFA. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in animal science, a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications and journalism, and a certificate in meat science. While in college, she studied abroad with the Animal Science Department in England, Scotland, and Ireland during the summer of 2018. Brenyn was also a member of the Texas A&M Meat Judging Team and Wool Judging Team. She was an All American in both meat judging and wool judging. Brenyn was a founding officer for the Texas A&M Meat Science and Technology Association, the first meat science club in Texas A&M’s history. In founding the organization, she created a brand guide, logo, website, and social media accounts for the association. In its first year, the association provided over 2,000 servings of beef to The 12th Can, an on-campus food pantry at Texas A&M University in collaboration with Cactus Cares. Brenyn was also a member of the College of Agriculture and Life
projects, along with plenty of events for the entire family. Beyond the showring, there are also contests, both virtual and live, to grow the junior members in their leadership, public speaking, and other life skills. The virtual contests are underway in preparation for the big event, with close to 400 youth participating in extemporaneous speech, illustrated speech, individual sales, peewee speech, and the photography contest. In May, junior members interviewed for $28,000 in scholarships from the Hereford Youth
Foundation of America that will be awarded at the JNHE. “We are thrilled to welcome Hereford families back to Kansas City as we get ready to celebrate the 4th of July and the JNHE with our friends from across the country at this Hereford Spectacular event,” says Amy Cowan, American Hereford Association Director of Youth Activities and Foundation. About the American Hereford Association. The AHA, with headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., is one of the largest
U.S. beef breed associations. The notfor-profit organization, along with its subsidiaries — Certified Hereford Beef (CHB) LLC, Hereford Publications Inc. (HPI), and American Beef Records Association (ABRA) — provides programs and services for its members and their customers while promoting the Hereford breed and supporting education, youth, and research. For more information about the Association, visit www.Hereford.org.
Science Student Council, Sigma Alpha Sorority, Agricultural Communications of Tomorrow, and the Saddle and Sirloin Club. Brenyn’s work experience uniquely combined her passion for agriculture and communications. For over two years, Brenyn worked as a student assistant for the Path to the Plate program under Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Through her position, she educated consumers about agriculture and its connection to health by producing more than 20 educational videos, creating more than 250 social media graphics, implementing agriculture campaigns, writing articles on the nutritional value of agriculture products, and assisting with extension events. Brenyn has also worked for Producers Cooperative Association as an inside feed sales assistant. She has interned for FlexTran Animal Care, Willoughby Livestock Sales, Show Barn Flix, the State Fair of Texas, and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The Impact of Marbling on Beef. With the growing number of labels, brands, and programs populating the meat case, it can be difficult for consumers to discern the best cuts to bring home to their families. The white flecks of fat found between muscle fibers, otherwise known as “marbling,” is a reliable indicator of quality beef and can help ensure a more positive eating experience. The characteristic flavors of meat are derived from the various types of fat
different species deposit, giving beef, pork, and lamb their own unique flavor profiles. A variety of factors can affect the composition of beef fat, thus altering its flavor, one of the most impactful factors being cattle diet1. British breeds like Herefords are commonly utilized in conventional cattle production because they are known to produce highly marbled, tender, great tasting beef using less feed than other common cattle breeds2. In addition to enhancing the flavor of beef products, marbling plays a functional role in meat consumption as well; the more marbling, the easier the product is to eat. There are three theories that support this, the first of which is commonly known as the “Swiss Cheese” theory. This theory states that because fat is easier to bite through than muscle, the more marbling a cut has, the more tender the cooked product should be3. The next is the “Lubrication” theory, and much like oil in a car engine, beef fat lubricates the inside of your mouth while chewing, evenly distributing flavor from the fats and making it easier to chew4. Lastly, the “Insurance” theory states that marbling protects against drying out in the event of overcooking5. When picking out meat in the grocery store, one of the most impactful questions you can ask your butcher is simply what quality grade the beef you are buying is, and if it is a breed specific program like Certified Hereford Beef. Selecting conventionally raised grain finished beef cuts with the greatest amount of marbling is the best way to ensure a positive eating experience. Quality grades such as Prime, Choice, and Select are assigned to beef carcasses at the processing plant and follow the individual cuts from packer to plate. USDA Prime grade beef contains the greatest amount of marbling, followed by Choice, and finally Select.
According to a 2019 study at Kansas State University6, in a blind taste test, CHB Premium Upper ⅔ Choice beef was rated higher than USDA Prime beef from nonbreed specific programs. This is a testament to the high standards and uncompromising genetic integrity of the Certified Hereford Beef brand and the tireless efforts of the Hereford farm and ranch families across America to provide the highest quality product possible. Because of these efforts, consumers can be confident they are getting the best quality beef for their buck while supporting their local Hereford rancher. References 1 Adhikari, Chambers IV, Miller, Vazquez-Araujo, Bhumiratana, & Philip, 2011 2 Retallick et al., 2017 3 Smith, King, & Carpenter, 1973 4 Carpenter, 1962 5 Briskey and Kauffman, 1971 6 Kansas State University, Consumer evaluation of Certified Hereford Beef in comparison to USDA Choice, Prime, and Upper ⅔ Choice beef from black hided cattle, April 2019 About Certified Hereford Beef. CHB is a premium branded beef program built on the tradition of family farmers and ranchers across the United States. Established in 1995 by a group of Hereford producers, the Certified Hereford Beef® brand is the only Hereford beef brand in the industry owned by an alliance of local Hereford farmers and ranchers. Their dedication to raising high quality Hereford cattle results in a superior beef product for an unforgettable dining experience.
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 25
THE SIMMENTAL TRAIL
By JENNIE RUCKER Executive Secretary N.C. Simmental Association NCSA Fall Harvest Sale. We are looking ahead to our 47th annual N.C. Simmental Association Fall Harvest Sale. This will be one of the few chances cattlemen and women have to select from a large number of Simmental and SimAngus females from many states, not just North Carolina. Our top producers will be bringing their best genetics to Shuffler Sale Facility in Union Grove, N.C., on September 4. They will be offering bred heifers, open heifers, cow/ calf pairs, bred cows, and herd sire prospects. There will also be some top embryo lots. Cattle will be on display for viewing all day on September 3. Friday is also our Annual Meeting, always held at the sale facility. We are so looking forward to getting back to our normal
fun annual meeting and socializing! The Annual Meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. with a beef dinner, and it is always casual attire. For information about this sale, give the NCSA office (336-468-1679) or DP Sales Management a call at 859-9875758. DP Sales Management with Doug and Debbie Parke and Holli and Drew Hatmaker serve as our sales management team. They have done a great job for years and will continue to do so. You can request a sale catalog by emailing ncsa@ yadtel.net. We hope to see you there! Stihl Chainsaw Raffle. This is the second year that Erin Beth and Preston Pinkston have donated the raffle item from their business, Pinkston’s, in Wadesboro, North Carolina. They are
American Simmental Association 1 Genetics Way • Bozeman, MT 59718 406-587-4531 • www.simmental.org
PAGE 26
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
You shouldn’t have to have a gun held to your head to take advantage of the expert A.I., superior genetics, the best in purebreds and outstanding farm supplies featured in the Classifieds in this issue!
donating a Stihl MS 271 Farm Boss Chainsaw. Tickets are only $2 each or 3 for $5. You can contact any N.C. Simmental Association member for tickets or send a check with the number of tickets wanted to NCSA, 1341 Highway 21, Hamptonville, NC 27020. Everyone needs a chainsaw at times! Last Chance to Apply for Scholarship. July 15 is the deadline to apply for the Jim Graham Junior Simmental Scholarship. This is a $500 scholarship awarded to a deserving
student going into the field of agriculture. Qualifications are based on academic merit, financial need, leadership, and character. Preference is given, but is not required, to those students that have been involved in the Simmental breed. We like for the recipient to be available to be presented with the award at our Annual Meeting in September. This year the Annual Meeting will be held on September 3. These applications can be obtained by emailing the NCSA office at ncsa@yadtel. net or calling at 336-468-1679.
N.C. Simmental Association - Like us on Facebook!
1341 US Hwy 21 • Hamptonville, NC 27020 336-468-1679 • www.ncsimmental.com • NCSA@yadtel.net
Simmental News Fall Focus 2021 — Focus on You. Focus on Success. Focus on Profit. Pandemic – it is not a four letter word, but the response is probably the same. You wonder what is coming after that word is said. There are still challenges ahead but many will say that more Simmental events happened last year than we thought would be possible. Fall Focus 2020 was one event that was postponed and we looked forward to this year’s Fall Focus in Roanoke, Virginia. The Virginia Simmental Association worked hard to plan for a successful 2020 event and was working toward planning the same for 2021. Unfortunately, some of the same considerations that we had to look at in 2020 are still lingering this year (2021). As everyone knows, there is a lot of organization and planning to make an inviting, successful event like Fall Focus. The Virginia Simmental Association met several times; then the team of Mark Campbell, Bill McDonald, and Chad Joines met with ASA Chairman, EVP, and staff to discuss the probability of having the 2021 event in Roanoke. While the consensus is that everyone wanted to have the event in Roanoke, the decision had to be made on what we knew in April. After much deliberation, the decision was made to move Fall Focus 2021 to Denver, Colo., and host Fall Focus 2022 in Roanoke, Virginia. Everyone involved is excited to have a full fledged 2022 Fall Focus in Roanoke, Va., on August 25-30, without limitations on size and touring. A special thank you to Mark Campbell, Bill McDonald, Chad Joines, and the Virginia Simmental Association. This was a well thought out decision made in the best interest of ASA and ASA members to be able to hold a Fall Focus in 2021. Fall Focus 2021 will be headquartered at the DoubleTree Hotel in Denver on August 27-30, where many of us call home during the National Western Stock Show and Annual ASA Meeting. The educational symposium will be on August 28; open committee meetings on August 29, with the board meeting to follow. We’ll have a chance to honor the Golden Book Award Recipients and say goodbye to the seven 2020 outgoing trustees during an evening social and meal. We will have full access to the ballrooms to ensure plenty of space
for attendees. Thanks to the Colorado Simmental Association for welcoming the event to their state on such short notice. Feet/Leg Scoring Demonstration at Fall Focus - Interested to learn more about how to score feet and legs? Come hear Lane Giess give a demonstration on live cattle during the Friday evening events at the yards. Lane will host two demonstrations using live cattle provided by Colorado State University. Leave feeling more confident to determine a claw shape of a 3 from a 6, knowing what age of cattle are best to score, and tips for a successful day of scoring. Curious Who the Speakers are at Fall Focus 2021? Head to www.fallfocus. org and check out the line up of experts on the Fall Focus program. Topics range from being a millennial rancher, understanding pulmonary arterial pressure, late feedlot death, selecting for feed intake, successful communication strategies with consumers, and perspectives from the feedlot and packer sectors. The speakers for Fall Focus 2021 are sure to entertain, provoke new thoughts, and provide tangible information to take home for your continued success. Registration is free but required to help with meal planning. Get the schedule, area information, and register at
www.fallfocus.org. Simmental Provides Open Breed Registration Promotion. Knowledge is a powerful tool for success. The American Simmental Association (ASA) recognizes that informed, data driven decisions improve the bottom line for both seedstock and commercial producers. Making access to complete herd data easier, the ASA Board of Trustees recently passed an open breed promotion to dual register cows that are registered with another breed association at the nominal rate of $5 per head for fiscal year 2022. As the ASA runs an open herdbook to any breed and believes strongly in the benefits of crossbreeding, many members of the ASA raise a variety of breeds of seedstock. Dual registry enables breeders to garner EPD from the largest multibreed beef cattle genetic evaluation with the International Genetics Solutions (IGS), opens opportunities with other programs available from the ASA, and paints a more complete picture of the herd when all cows are in the database. “We are taking away that cost based hurdle for any person who wants access to the IGS Multi-breed Genetic Evaluation to receive a multi-breed, directly comparable EPD,” shares Chip Kemp, ASA director of Commercial and Industry Operations. “If someone has been intrigued by our database but was holding out, this is the opportunity to invest, and bring a large group of females into the IGS database for a credible multibreed EPD.” Starting in July 2021, the ASA will reduce the rate to register a cow already registered in another recognized breed
association from $17 to $5 for the 2022 fiscal year (July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022). ASA’s director of Performance Data Programs, Jannine Story, shares that by dual registering females, cattle producers take advantage of more meaningful data by creating ties to other offspring and animals in the genetic evaluation. “Not only is this a clear advantage for current members to receive a more complete picture of their herd’s performance through fuller pedigrees,” she says, “but also, this open breed registration promotion coupled with our various Total Herd Enrollment options provide any producer, who may have not had access to a multi-breed evaluation before, timely access to weekly updated, low cost, cross breed directly comparable EPD on cows and calves.” Any person can apply for registration on an animal registered with another breed association. To take advantage of ASA’s open breed registration promotion, all dual registration requests must be received or postmarked during the 2022 fiscal year. To get started, email a list of the other breed association numbers with tattoos to simmental@simmgene.com. About the American Simmental Association. Founded in 1968, the ASA is headquartered in Bozeman, Montana. ASA is committed to leveraging technology, education, and collaboration to accelerate genetic profitability for the beef industry. In keeping with its commitment, ASA, along with its partners, formed International Genetic Solutions — the world’s largest genetic evaluation of beef cattle. Learn more at www.simmental.org.
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 27
Shorthorn News
American Shorthorn Association Participates in Missouri Cattlemen’s Leadership College. The American Shorthorn Association’s Executive Secretary/CEO, Montie D. Soules, presented on a panel of industry leaders at the 2021 Missouri Cattlemen’s Leadership College’s Second Session recently in Kansas City. The Missouri Cattlemen’s Leadership College (MCLC) identifies the next great leaders of the beef industry and cultivates their knowledge during the year. In their second session, attendees gathered in Northwest Missouri to hear from the program sponsor, Merck Animal Health, meet with beef breed associations, including the American Shorthorn Association, and visit member operations of the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association. “It is a pleasure to invest in the future of the beef industry,” said Soules. “Our breed has a strong history in the United States. We strive as an association to assist our members in providing a profitable beef product.” On the panel, Soules shared with
attendees the role he serves at the ASA, the impact the association has on the industry, and the progress of the Shorthorn breed. As America’s first beef breed association, the American Shorthorn Association celebrates 150 years beginning this fall. Attendees to the MCLC will convene again this fall and graduate at the 53rd Annual Missouri Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show. National Junior Shorthorn Show and Youth Conference Reports Record Breaking Entries. The American Junior Shorthorn Association (AJSA) hosted the “Shorthorn Safari” National Junior Shorthorn Show & Youth Conference on June 20-26 at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville, Kentucky. This year, a record breaking 932 entries were exhibited in Louisville. Over 450 junior members from 28 states entered the Junior Nationals. In totality, these numbers are a significant increase over previous years. “The NJSS is such an important event for the youth and future of the
LIVESTOCK VIDEO AUCTION - Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m.
SOUTHEAST LIVESTOCK EXCHANGE Waynesville, NC
John Queen: 828-421-3446 SELEXvideo@gmail.com • www.selex-video.com PAGE 28
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
agricultural industry, so it is exciting to see how our show grows each year,” says Shelby Diehm, Director of Marketing, Communications, and Youth Activities. “In the last five years we have more than 100 additional youth participating, and cattle numbers have risen even more. I can’t wait to see where it continues to go.” The AJSA strives to engage its members in opportunities that develop character, promote valuable skills, and build lifelong friendships. The National Junior Shorthorn Show & Youth Conference promotes these goals by bringing members together to participate in shows and educational contests. This year, junior members participated in the following contests in addition to the Shorthorn show: art & etc., beef cook off, career development, cattleman’s written test, digital photography, graphic design, herdsman quiz bowl, junior herdsman, livestock judging, photography, promotional poster, showmanship, speech, state basket, state cook off/tailgate party, team fitting, and team salesmanship contests. In addition, $18,500 in scholarships were presented to AJSA members through the Shorthorn Foundation. U.S. Beef Breeds Council Elects ASA Executive Secretary/CEO as President. The U.S. Beef Breeds Council (USBBC) met in late May, electing new officers to preside over the organization and discuss upcoming goals. The American Shorthorn Association’s Executive Secretary/CEO, Montie D. Soules, was elected President and will serve a two year term. The USBBC is comprised of United States beef breed executives and oversees the appointment of the Ultrasound Guidelines Council (UGC) executive
director and board of directors. Past President Wade Shafer, Ph.D. of the American Simmental Association, oversaw the meeting and election of new officers. “Using the strength of all beef breeds in a united way allows us to show our elected officials wrongful claims in our industry can hurt the income and longevity of our members of all U.S. Beef breeds,” said Montie Soules. Robert Williams, Ph.D. of the American Wagyu Association, was elected Vice President of the USBBC. “This is a great organization bringing together strong breed executives representing the purebred cattle industry that will have the abilities to carry forward our goals.” During the May meeting, the USBBC discussed goals moving forward and plans to unite all U.S. beef breeds as a strong front against those opposing the animal agriculture and meat industry by attempting to advertise non-beef products as beef products. Soules adds, “All of our members are affected in the same way. If we unite, we will be able to use all of our strengths in multiple ways.” About the American Shorthorn Association. The mission of the ASA is to provide quality service and support to its members by promoting the value of Shorthorn cattle in all aspects of the beef industry while maintaining the integrity of the herd book and performance database. The ASA is headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., and was founded in 1872 with herdbook records going back to 1822. As one of the oldest American breed associations, the ASA provides services for more than 6,000 junior and senior members who register more than 15,000 cattle annually. To learn more, contact the ASA office or visit www.shorthorn.org.
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 29
NEWS Select Sires’ Farmer-Owners Propose Unification for Sustainable Future. Vote must be ratified based on bylaws of local cooperatives. The boards of directors from Select Sires Inc. and five local member cooperatives have voted to unite the federation to become Select Sires Cooperative Inc. This board led initiative represents an exciting chapter in Select Sires’ history and reflects the best interest of their farmer-owners and employees. The decision must next be ratified by delegates or memberowners from each of the five member cooperatives. Among the many benefits of unification, perhaps the most meaningful is Select Sires will remain a farmer owned and controlled cooperative
with grassroots leadership throughout the United States. All customer owner membership and patronage due will be transferred to and paid by Select Sires Cooperative Inc. “The decision to unify is going to be a pivotal force for Select Sires. We have had a tremendous history of success, but we can’t lean on our laurels,” said Dorothy Harms, chairman, Select Sires Inc. board of directors. “We must move forward, look to the future, and make changes to secure our position as the industry leader.” As part of a strategic planning program that was initiated in 2016, each of the six member cooperatives and Select Sires Inc. signed a letter of intent, a non-binding agreement, that enabled
the cooperatives to study the benefits, opportunities, and risks of a potential unification. Farmer boards from five of the six cooperatives, including All West/ Select Sires, CentralStar Cooperative Inc., COBA/Select Sires Inc., Select Sires MidAmerica Inc., and Minnesota Select Sires Co-op, Inc., voted to recommend the unification proposal to their respective delegate or farmer-owner voting body. While the vote to recommend unification was not unanimous, Premier Select Sires will remain a Cooperative Member of Select Sires Cooperative Inc. and will have access to Select Sires’ genetics and programs. Select Sires assures farmer-owners will not experience service changes pending unification of the cooperatives. With no overlap in sales and service territories, dairy and beef customers will continue to receive the same exceptional service from their local representatives. By uniting the federation, Select Sires will create even greater value for their customers by providing access to a broader, more diverse team of experts. Combining resources and enhancing efficiencies internally will allow for
valuable investment in research and technology without raising costs to farmer-owners. Expansion of research efforts will translate to innovative solutions, tools, and products for Select Sires’ dairy and beef producers. Unification of the federation will solidify Select Sires’ leadership and viability in the industry. Producers can expect to continue working with highly qualified, passionate individuals who know and understand the cattle breeding industry. As a unified cooperative, Select Sires will continue the tradition of excellence while maintaining grassroots leadership and holding the success of farmer-owners and employees above all else. For more information, please visit www.selectsires.com/unify. About Select Sires. Based in Plain City, Ohio, Select Sires Inc. is the largest global A.I. cooperative and is comprised of six farmer owned and controlled local organizations in the United States. As the industry leader, it provides highly fertile semen, as well as excellence in service and programs to supply dairy and beef producers with the world’s best genetics.
Contact these RAAC members to learn more about Red Angus genetics and how they can fit into your herd. HARDROCK BEEF CATTLE Ronnie & Donna Holman 4613 Hickory Nut Ridge Road • Granite Falls, NC 828-302-8659 ronnie@hardrockbeefcattle.com JK RED ANGUS Jeff Banfield & Madison Adams 331 Tee Jay Farm Road • Aberdeen, NC 910-315-3821 jkredangus@gmail.com LANGDON RED ANGUS & SIMMENTAL John & Eileen Langdon 7728 Raleigh Road • Benson, NC 919-796-5010 johnlangdon5@gmail.com ROGERS CATTLE COMPANY Johnny & Sharon Rogers 945 Woodsdale Road • Roxboro, NC 336-504-7268 rccbeef@gmail.com PRESNELL RED ANGUS Jonathan & Jacob Presnell 368 Whitaker Road • Shelby, NC 704-473-2627 (Jonathan) • 704-616-8775 (Jacob) BULL HILL RANCH Jim & Alvina Meeks • Raymond Prescott, Manager 1986 Trinity Church Road • Gray Court, SC 864-682-3900 • 864-682-2828 bullhill2@mindspring.com
Terry Boyles, President - twinbfarm1@gmail.com
PAGE 30
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
COUNTRY BOY FARMS David Miller 316 Key Road • Edgefield, SC 706-840-3709
Carolina Cooking Tapas Style Steak & Pepper Parfaits Total Cooking Time - 45 minutes 2 beef ranch steaks, cut ¾ inch thick (about 8 ounces each) 2 medium red bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise 6 slices (¼ inch thick) baguette bread, cut diagonally about 5 inches long 1 clove garlic Salt and ground black pepper 2 cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves ¼ cup chopped Spanish olives 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro 2 tablespoon shaved Manchego cheese Cilantro sprigs (optional) Marinade & Dressing: ½ cup reduced fat prepared olive oil vinaigrette 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons finely chopped cilantro ½ teaspoon smoked paprika ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper Combine marinade and dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Place beef ranch steaks and ¼ cup marinade in food safe plastic bag; turn steaks to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 15 minutes to 2 hours, turning occasionally. Cover and refrigerate the remaining marinade for dressing. Cook’s Tip: Two beef petite tender toasts (about 8-12 oz each) For 4 tenderloin steaks, cut 1 inch thick, may be substituted for tanch dteaks. Grill petite tender roasts on a charcoal grill, 14-18 minutes (on a gas grill, 14-19 minutes); grill tenderloin dteaks on a charcoal grill, 10-14 minutes (on a gas grill, 1115 minutes) for medium rare to medium doneness, turning occasionally. Remove steaks from marinade; discard marinade. Place steaks and
NOTICE
Letters to the editor are welcome and we appreciate your input. HOWEVER, letters that are not signed will not be considered for publication.
bell peppers on grid over medium, ash covered coals. Grill steaks, covered, 8-11 minutes (over medium heat on a preheated gas grill, cooking times remain the same) for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning occasionally. Grill peppers, covered, 7-10 minutes or until tender, turning occasionally. A few minutes before steaks are done, place bread slices on the grid. Grill until lightly toasted, turning once. Cut 1 end off garlic clove; rub cut end evenly over both sides of toasted bread. Carve steak into thin slices; season with salt and black pepper, as desired. Dice bell peppers. Place 1 bread slice upright in each of 6 (1 cup) martini glasses or straight sided glasses. Layer with equal amounts of spinach, peppers, steak, olives, chopped cilantro, and reserved dressing. Top with cheese shavings. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired. Makes 6 servings.
Tapas Style Steak & Pepper Parfaits
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 31
• Join one of the largest mineral buying groups in the Southeast • Trial opportunities available • Delivery available in most areas of North Carolina • Make your own buying group in your area
THE BARN LOFT
1475 National Highway • Thomasville, NC 27360 Store - 336-886-1737 • Cell - 336-250-0572 www.thebarnloft.com PAGE 32
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 33
44 Farms International Beef Cattle Academy — Apply by August 9 Now in its fourth year, globally proven program provides customized education and insights. The 44 Farms International Beef Cattle Academy (IBCA) is accepting applications for its 2021-2022 online certification program. Applications for this comprehensive certificate program, through Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, are due August 9. “We’re gearing up for our fourth year of the IBCA and looking forward to working with another group of farmers, ranchers and industry leaders from around the world,” says Dr. Reinaldo Cooke, Program Coordinator and Professor at Texas A&M University. “Each year, we hear from students how this program elevates their ranches or businesses and provides excellent return on their investment - and we can’t wait to get started with the Class of 2022.” Who should apply? All involved in the beef cattle industry are eligible to apply. An ideal student candidate is eager to learn and is passionate about driving the industry forward. Class size for the prestigious IBCA is limited to offer an exclusive and customized learning experience. The IBCA’s online learning format allows anyone from across the globe to participate.
PAGE 34
Students of the current 2020-2021 class span worldwide. Each student started the course with unique goals, and the curriculum was customized to meet them. A few of this year’s students included: • A veterinarian from South Africa looking to start a community beef improvement project • A recent Oklahoma college graduate pursuing his dream of turning his family’s property into a cow/calf operation • An industry consultant in Brazil hoping to provide animal welfare resources to farms she works with • A fifth generation coffee grower in Panama transitioning to a beef-on-dairy program • A meatpacker and feedlot owner in Mexico who markets steers to the U.S., looking for techniques and technology to increase profits • An owner of a large Montana ranch, developing a plan to use regenerative ranching practices to increase grass, water, and soil health for the long term What to expect - The 44 Farms International Beef Cattle Academy consists of eight courses with nearly 30 learning hours per course. Classes are taught online with pre-recorded lectures. In addition to
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
the pre-recorded lectures, there is a weekly interactive session for the student and instructor. “The interactive sessions are customized based on individual student needs and recorded to ensure nobody misses anything,” says Dr. Ky Pohler, Program Coordinator and Associate Professor at Texas A&M University. Course topics include: • Cattle welfare and behavior • Forage production and utilization • Nutritional management and requirements • Reproductive physiology and management • Breeding and genetics • Immunology and herd health management • Safety and quality of beef carcasses and products Following online coursework, the academy typically concludes with an optional experiential learning period and graduation ceremony in College Station, Texas. “We’ve found this format to work very well for both information sharing and customized learning based on each student’s goals,” says Pohler. “Students learn from globally recognized experts, discuss those learnings with professors and
then gather at Texas A&M to bring it all together. This interactive and customized experience is truly one of a kind.” Scholarships available Scholarships are available for interested individuals, covering up to 70 percent of tuition costs. To be considered for a scholarship, complete the IBCA application process and provide the information required for scholarship request. Scholarships are limited and will be awarded based on student profile and potential contribution to the IBCA goal: advance knowledge to enhance beef production and quality across the globe. “The opportunity to participate in this world class program is made even easier by scholarships, made possible in part by the generosity of our sponsors,” says Cooke. “Endowments from 44 Farms, Texas Department of Agriculture, Sydney and Buck Thomason (Indian Hills Brangus), and the Santa Gertrudis Breeders International Foundation help ensure IBCA’s success today and for years to come.” The next academy begins in September 2021 and continues through August 2022. Apply today at www. animalscience.tamu.edu/ibca/ or email ibca@tamu.edu for more information.
Q&A: Fly Control for Cattle. Fly control tips for healthier cattle and improved profits. Flies are much more than a nuisance. Their economic impact can reach deep into a cattleman’s pockets. Flies: What’s the harm? “Excessive fly numbers affect cattle production in different ways – none of them profitably,” explains Arnold Nagely, DVM, cofounder of Valley Vet Supply. “While cattle are fighting flies, they are not grazing and gaining the weight that they could be. Starting control measures before fly populations build usually yield better results. As with many challenges, prevention or early intervention is prudent. Timely spraying, back rubs, and insecticide ear tags are among several methods utilized to stay ahead of major infestations.” What’s recommended to keep flies off cattle? Fly control options have evolved over the years to offer producers with better protection for their cattle operations. Dr. Nagely shared two of the greatest advancements he has seen throughout his veterinary career, and before co-founding Valley Vet Supply in 1985, alongside fellow veterinarian Dr. Ray Shultz. Two of the greatest fly control advancements include: 1. Insecticide application methods, which have evolved over the decades. Mist sprayers on ATVs are a popular insecticide delivery tool. Also commonplace today are Fly Killer Kovers for mineral feeders, cattle rubs, and even CO2 powered applicators for insecticide capsules, which offer a quick and convenient method to treat small to medium sized herds. 2. New insecticide chemicals have become available, particularly as ingredients in insecticide ear tags and in the capsules for CO2 powered applicators. Warm weather provides the perfect environment for a rapid increase in fly populations. Of the different species of flies affecting cattle operations from herd health to operational profitability, there are a number of fly control methods available to help control them and dramatically limit profit loss. Let’s review the different fly species and their economic impact, according to data from Elanco Animal Health, along with recommended action to take for effective control. Which fly species are the greatest risk to cattle? Face flies can cause reduced grazing and weight loss. In fact, it takes only 12 flies on a cow’s
NEWS
Stable flies cost producers $2.2 million every year, stable flies can cause blood loss, reduced milk production by up to 40 percent, and decreased weight gain by as much as .48 pounds per day.
effective insecticides and fly control methods to help keep cattle healthy. Begin methods of fly control early, and practice insecticide rotation for the best results against emerging fly populations.
face to potentially reduce grazing time by as much as an hour a day. Face flies also transmit the pinkeye causing bacteria known as Moraxella bovis, plummeting profit by as much as $12 per hundredweight, compared to healthy calves sold without pinkeye. “Pinkeye is a costly problem in cattle, to say nothing of the nuisance and inconvenience of continually treating new cases, just when the operator needs to be in the field or attending to other responsibilities,” said Dr. Nagely. “We know the causative agent for pinkeye is likely a Moraxella bacteria, and that tall seed heads can scratch the animal’s eyes making them vulnerable to bacterial invasion. But it’s the dern face flies that spread the disease from animal-to-animal, and sometimes herd-toherd across the fence.”
“A common tell-tale sign of stable fly invasion is grass cattle huddled in the corner of the pasture, rather than out grazing. Or they may take refuge in the pond to keep those flies off their legs and bellies,” cautioned Dr. Nagely. In addition to reaping havoc with pasture cattle, stable flies also can be a real menace to show calves around the barn. What are other best practices to control flies? In addition to the fly control methods mentioned above, try not to underestimate the value of regular cleaning around your barn and property. With some quick cleaning every day or so, you can minimize the fly egg production cycle by
Visit www.ValleyVet.com to learn more. About Valley Vet Supply. Valley Vet Supply was founded in 1985 by veterinarians to provide customers with the very best animal health solutions. Building on over half a century of experience in veterinary medicine, Valley Vet Supply serves equine, pet, and livestock owners with thousands of products and medications hand selected by Valley Vet Supply founding veterinarians and their professional staff. With an in-house pharmacy that is licensed in all 50 states, and verified through the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), Valley Vet Supply is the dedicated source for all things horse, livestock, and pet. For more information, please visit www.ValleyVet.com.
Horn flies cost U.S. livestock producers $1 billion annually due to decreased feed intake, weight loss, and diminished milk production. Even more, horn flies also are linked to summer mastitis outbreaks. A single horn fly can take a blood meal from a calf up to 30 times a day, and the impact on rate of gain for yearlings is colossal, reducing yearling weights by 18 percent. Compared to yearling cattle experiencing heavy horn fly infestations, those with horn fly protection had anywhere from 15-50 pounds greater weight gain advantage. Additionally, calf weaning weights were 10-15 pounds higher when horn flies were controlled on mother cows.
removing common fly breeding areas (flies are most drawn to moist areas, such as manure and excess plant material, like old, unused silage.) Keep these tips in mind: • Tidy barns and lots, as well as feed bunks. ◦ Clean barns and lots often, weekly if possible, spreading the manure, so it dries. ◦ Remove unused or wet spoiled feed. ◦ Spread out or remove uneaten hay to dry quickly. ◦ Use fly predators, which are cocoon conquering bugs that kill immature flies. • Prohibit the fly population through pasture management. ◦ Help manage moist, wet areas of pastures through drainage where practical. ◦ Keep overburden of plant residue
House flies cause aggravation in cattle, pen avoidance, and reduced feed intake. Like the horn fly, the common housefly also transmits mastitis causing bacteria.
at a minimum by controlling and cutting back excessive weeds and plant growth. ◦ Use larvicide feed throughs in the mineral, preferably beginning before turn out. It is crucial for producers to leverage
Any news from your county? Be sure to share your meetings, sales, field days, etc., with your fellow cattlemen through the Connection!
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 35
Five Steps to Protect Your Herd Against PI Calves. Persistently infected (PI) calves continue to be a substantial threat to all segments of the cattle industry, but many producers don’t even know they are in the herd. “A PI calf is an animal that acquires bovine viral diarrhea virus [BVDV] from its mother in utero,” said John Davidson, DVM, DABVP, senior associate director of beef professional veterinary services, Boehringer Ingelheim. “The calf can often go its whole life without showing visible signs, while still shedding BVDV and exposing the rest of the herd to the virus.” An infected herd will experience unexplained health problems such as calves born with abnormalities, abortions, and lowered pregnancy rates. There will also be more bovine respiratory disease cases and substandard weaning weights compared to uninfected herds.1,2 The good news is that it’s never been easier to get serious about controlling BVDV PI calves. We know more about the virus, detection, and how to prevent the virus than ever before. Following the steps below can help protect your herd. Step 1: Keep detailed herd records. “You can’t manage what you don’t measure,” asserted Dr. Davidson. “Records are an important part of any health program, but especially for identifying issues such as PI calves and BVDV problems. They’ll help you spot changes in reproductive performance, productivity and morbidity rates, which can then help you piece together a BVDV diagnosis sooner.” Step 2: Confirm your records with diagnostics. If you suspect BVDV is impacting your herd’s productivity, the next step is to perform diagnostics. In large operations, veterinarians might initiate surveillance with pooled samples to net down the average cost per head. This will help determine if BVDV is part of the issue. Any pools with positive results are followed up with individual tests to identify PI calves. All bulls, replacement heifers, and dams of PI calves should be tested as well, and positives should be culled or isolated from the rest of the herd. Step 3: Ensure heifers are eligible for breeding. Another step that’s often missing from the herd calendar is evaluating heifers’ reproductive status before turnout. “We have done a really good job conducting breeding soundness exams on our bulls,” said Dr. Davidson. “Now we need to
PAGE 36
NEWS
implement a similar and equally important evaluation of replacement heifers to ensure they are sexually mature and eligible for breeding.” This pre-breeding herd event is a critical opportunity to begin preventing BVDV PI calves with the inclusion of the right vaccine. Step 4: Protect your herd with biosecurity. For cow/calf producers, it’s important to separate cows and heifers from animals with an unknown PI status. “Some of the costliest BVDV PI incidents that I’ve seen have been when a well intentioned producer put cattle with an unknown BVDV PI status on one side of a fence line and unprotected pregnant cows on the other, not aware that fence line contact between the vulnerable pregnant cows and PI calves was what eventually led to more BVDV PI cattle,” Dr. Davidson observed. For producers who buy cattle from unknown sources, there’s always the risk of PI calves being present. Those infected animals can shed the virus around the feed bunk, the water trough, and the chute during processing. That’s why it’s important to quarantine new additions to the herd. “It’s a good idea to keep them in their own group for 14-21 days, test their BVDV status, monitor them for disease, and make sure they’re vaccinated before moving those cattle out into the general population,” added Dr. Davidson. Step 5: Choose a vaccine proven to prevent PI calves. Vaccination is the most important part of not becoming a victim
of the PI calf problem. “This is truly one of those diseases we can prevent through selecting the right vaccine and giving it at the right time,” Dr. Davidson explained. “I recommend vaccinating cows with a modified live BVDV vaccine pre-breeding. When looking at modified live virus (MLV) vaccines, the key question to ask is, ‘Is there a PI prevention claim clearly indicated on the label?’ It’s vitally important to understand that all MLV vaccines are not equal in preventing BVDV PI calves.” Your vaccine selection should also reflect the latest research, which shows that Type 1b is now the most prevalent subspecies of BVDV.5,6 “Whether you’re a cow/calf, stocker or feedlot operation, when your cattle are exposed to BVDV, the odds are three-to-one they’re going to be exposed to Type 1b,” said Dr. Davidson. “If you’re a betting person and you take those odds, you’ll want to make sure your vaccine program lines up against that threat.” That same pre-breeding MLV vaccine also helps cows produce antibody rich colostrum that can protect newborn calves from BVDV for several weeks to a few months. “Even if a calf is born with sufficient colostrum intake from a well vaccinated cow or heifer, producers can vaccinate that calf around 30 days of age with an MLV vaccine that includes the BVDV antigens,” noted Dr. Davidson. His best advice is to work together with your beef cattle veterinarian and get to know the BVDV issues around your region — and utilize resources like www. BVDVTracker.com. It has an interactive heat map that makes it easy to identify if BVDV is in your area. “Our end goal as beef producers is to provide a wholesome product for our consumers,” concluded Dr. Davidson. “Managing BVDV PI calves will help us
take healthier cattle to market, reduce our antibiotic use, and provide a better overall experience for the consumer.” References 1 Hessman B.E., Fulton R.W., Sjeklocha D.B., et al. Evaluation of economic effects and the health and performance of the general cattle population after exposure to cattle persistently infected with bovine viral diarrhea virus in a starter feedlot. Am J Vet Res 2009;70(1):73–85. 2 Loneragan G.H., Thomson D.U., Montgomery D.L., et al. Prevalence, outcome and health consequences associated with persistent infection with bovine viral diarrhea virus in feedlot cattle. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2005;226(4):595–601. 3 Fulton R.W., Briggs R.E., Ridpath J.F., et al. Transmission of bovine viral diarrhea virus 1b to susceptible and vaccinated calves by exposure to persistently infected calves. Can J Vet Res 2005;69(3):161–169. 4 Fulton R.W., Johnson B.J., Briggs R.E., et al. Challenge with bovine viral diarrhea virus by exposure to persistently infected calves: protection by vaccination and negative results of antigen testing in non-vaccinated, acutely infected calves. Can J Vet Res 2006;70(2):121–127. 5 Fulton R.W., Cook B.J., Payton M.E., et al. Immune response to bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) vaccines detecting antibodies to BVDV subtypes 1a, 1b, 2a, and 2c. Vaccine 2020;38(24)4032–4037. 6 Data on file, Boehringer Ingelheim and www.BVDVTracker.com. Data collected November 1, 2018, through November 1, 2019. Survey: The Fight Against BVDV Isn’t Over for Cattle Producers. Results from a recent national survey of more than 800 beef and dairy producers
PI CALVES: QUIETLY SPREADING THE VIRUS FOR A LIFETIME Calves become infected while in the uterus
About 50% of PI calves will be “poor doers” and die before about 1 year of age
The virus suppresses the immune system, making calves more susceptible to other diseases
70-100% Other PI calves often show no signs of disease when they’re born
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
They’ll continue to shed the virus daily, exposing other cattle
of non-vaccinated or immunocompromised cattle become infected when exposed to a PI calf3,4
TYPE OF VACCINE USED BY BEEF & DAIRY PRODUCERS
DO YOU KNOW WHICH VACCINES PROTECT AGAINST BVDV TYOE 1B?
21.5% KILLED 37% YES
11% DON’T KNOW
63% NO
67.5% MODIFIED LIVE
Figure 1. Results from a national survey of more than 800 beef and dairy producers1
show positive strides in the industry’s understanding and management of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), but the fight isn’t over yet.1 Key findings of the study:1 1) 81 percent of producers vaccinate for BVDV. Of those who vaccinate, 68 percent use a modified live virus (MLV) vaccine. Broken down further, the survey shows that 63 percent of beef producers and 69 percent of dairy producers use an MLV vaccine - “We’re happy to see that percentage of producers using MLV vaccines, but we’d like to see this number continue to rise,” said Joe Gillespie, DVM, Boehringer Ingelheim. Vaccinating cattle with a modified live BVDV vaccine protects their health, reproductive efficiency, and prevents persistently infected (PI) calves. “PI calves are the most common way BVDV spreads throughout a herd,” explained Dr. Gillespie, “and killed vaccines don’t provide complete PI protection.” 2) 53 percent of respondents know that Type 1b is the most common subspecies of BVDV, but only 37 percent know which vaccines protect against it - “Whether yours is a dairy or beef operation, when your cattle are exposed to BVDV, it’s very likely that you’ll be dealing with Type 1b,” said Dr. Gillespie. The most recent data on www. BVDVTracker.com show that out of more than 1,200 samples collected, Type 1b accounts for 71 percent of infections.2 “People assume that, if you’re giving a BVDV vaccine, you’re completely protecting that animal,” Dr. Gillespie noted. “But Type 1b is not commonly found in the antigens contained within
41% 1988
54% 1998
most vaccines. You have to get that cross protection and choose a vaccine that’s specifically labeled to protect against Type 1b. The right vaccine can help you avoid losses from BVDV such as infertility, pneumonia, abortions, stillbirths, and immunosuppression down the road.” 3) 63 percent of producers do not test their herds for BVDV, and those that do, don’t test often. 54 percent say the last time they tested was over a year ago - “Cattle are more mobile than ever before — and when they move to a new facility or are brought in from another area, we’re opening up the risk of spreading the virus,” said Dr. Gillespie. “Sixteen percent of the producers who tested their herd discovered BVDV, so we know it’s a more prevalent problem than we’re giving it credit for.” If you’re seeing an increased number of animals getting respiratory disease or experiencing fertility issues such as decreased conception rates or pregnancy losses, that’s where testing for BVDV comes in. “To start, I recommend testing all calves,” Dr. Gillespie emphasized. “If you discover a positive case, then it’s time to go back and test the entire herd.” Producers can test their animals for free through www.BVDVTracker.com. All samples submitted are anonymous and processed by the Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory at S.D. State University. “BVDV is a challenging disease, but thankfully, we have tools available, like vaccination and testing to control it,” concluded Dr. Gillespie. “To implement the best BVDV management protocols for
61% 2008
your cattle operation, get together with your veterinarian to design a program that makes sense for your herd.” References 1 A 12 question online survey of Midwestern and Southwestern dairy and beef producers. Survey results included the percentage of producers who were aware of the threat of bovine viral diarrhea virus, especially Type 1b; those who tested for BVDV; those who knew about the efficacy of Boehringer Ingelheim vaccines in controlling the disease, etc. 2 Data on file, Boehringer Ingelheim and www.BVDVTracker.com. Data collected November 1, 2018, through November 1, 2020. 3 Ridpath J.F., Lovell G., Neill J.D., et al. Change in predominance of bovine viral diarrhea virus subgenotypes among samples submitted to a diagnostic laboratory over a 20 year time span. J Vet Diagn Invest 2011;23(2):185–193.
About Boehringer Ingelheim. Improving the health and quality of life of patients is the goal of the research driven pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. The focus in doing so is on diseases for which no satisfactory treatment option exists to date. The company, therefore, concentrates on developing innovative therapies that can extend patients’ lives. In animal health, Boehringer Ingelheim stands for advanced prevention. Boehringer Ingelheim is the second largest animal health business in the world. We are committed to creating animal well being through our large portfolio of advanced, preventive healthcare products and services. With net sales of $4.4 billion and around 10,000 employees worldwide, we are present in more than 150 markets. For more information, visit www.boehringeringelheim.com/animal-health/overview.
71% 2020
Figure 2. Percent of BVDV cases attributed to Type 1b2,3
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 37
New NCCA Members for 2021 In 2007, members of the Membership Committee passed a resolution to recognize all NEW members of the NCCA in The Carolina Cattle Connection at the NCCA Annual Conference in Hickory. A new member is defined as someone who has never been a member or someone who has rejoined after a brief break in membership. The new members are identified in this new members section by name and county of residence. Below is a list of NCCA’s new members for the last month: Buncombe County Jeremy Cox Cleveland County Scott Childers – Bartlett Milling Davidson County Misael de la Cruz – The Serenity Farm Chad Spainhour – Spainhour Farm Fanci Worthington Guilford County Harrison Marx Ascencios – Casa Olaechea Ranch
PAGE 38
Harnett County William Clements
Rutherford County Anna Kate Jackson
Haywood County Patrick Brown – Brown Farms
Stokes County Russel Smith
Henderson County Tom Patten – c/o East Henderson High School Lincoln County Mike Wilson – Wilson Farms Macon County McCalister Russell – Providence Farmstead Madison County Bricen Anders – Anders Farm Montgomery County Abigail Hamilton Orange County Camille Clark Michael Scully Randolph County Elijah Simpson – Simpson Farms
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
Union County Brad Coan – Coan Farms Andrew Osterberg Wake County Daniel Darrah
NEWS
Vytelle Releases Public Feed Efficiency Database. Vytelle, with its network partners, announce the release of the Top 150 Proven Bulls. These high accuracy bulls have risen to the top of more than 81,000 animals of 25 different breeds and more than 262,000 residual feed intake (RFI) EPDs. “There are two high stake producer decisions that drive genetic progress in the global cattle industry: mating selection and reproduction method. By publicly sharing this list of feed efficient bulls, we’re able to assist cattle producers in identifying elite animals that drive a more accurate mating selection,” said Kerryann Kocher, Chief Executive Officer for Vytelle. “Producers can accelerate genetic progress to meet the global demand for high quality and nutritious protein by utilizing the most modern hormone free, in-vitro fertilization to multiply offspring from their elite performing animals. The 2021 Top 150 Bulls list was compiled using data collected by Vytelle SENSE systems and Vytelle INSIGHT analytics services, formerly known as GrowSafe Systems. All tested animals include at least three generations of pedigrees, and all animals must have at least a 0.6 accuracy rating on their RFI EPD to be eligible for the list. Each phenotyped animal strengthens the database providing producers insight to make profit bearing decisions regarding selection for feed efficiency and performance. With the permission of each network member, Vytelle shares this information publicly to collectively advance feed efficiency improvements across the industry. “Feed is 70 percent of a beef producer’s total production costs,” said Lisa Rumsfeld, Vice President of International Commercial Operation for Vytelle. “Whether breeders are looking to impact their direct feed cost, achieve marketing premiums or underpin methane emissions reduction claims with evidence
based metrics this database offers selection possibilities across breeds globally.” Phenotypic data is captured through the use of Vytelle SENSE systems. The Feed Intake Nodes measure feed disappearance every second an animal is feeding, each time an animal feeds, to a 10 gram resolution. The In-Pen Weighing Position measures individual animal partial body weight and growth. It weighs every second an animal is standing at the water trough, which can equate up to 450 weights a day. To find the full listing of the 2021 Top 150 Proven Bulls, visit www.vytelle. com/breeding-values. About Vytelle. Vytelle is a precision livestock company reshaping how cattle producers worldwide optimize their herds. Through Vytelle’s integrated technology platform, generations of genetic gains can be made in just a few years. This allows producers to sustainably deliver more protein with fewer inputs, helping to ensure meat and milk are viable, competitive food choices for future generations.
N.C. Weekly Auctions Report
(Week ending JUNE 3, 2021) Feeder Cattle - Medium and Large 1-2 Kind Avg. Wt. $/lb Steers 300-400 $126.00 - 168.00 400-500 $129.00 - 155.00 500-600 $120.00 - 147.00 600-700 $110.00 - 136.00 700-800 $100.00 - 128.00 800-900 $96.00 - 101.00 Heifers
300-400 400-500 500-600 600-700 700-800 800-900
$122.50 - 148.00 $114.00 - 137.00 $111.00 - 129.00 $95.00 - 126.00 $88.00 - 104.00 $80.00 - 95.00
Slaughter Cows: (over 850 lbs) Breakers (70-80% lean) $60.00 - 70.00 Boners (80-85% lean) $57.00 - 71.00 High Dressing (70-85% lean) $66.00 - 85.00
Source: N.C. Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services - USDA Market News, Raleigh, N.C. • 919-707-3156
Farm Credit News Farm Credit Associations of North Carolina Gifts $30,000 to N.C. State University’s Soldier to Agriculture Program. The Farm Credit Associations of North Carolina, the leading provider of credit to farmers and rural residents in North Carolina, has made a generous $30,000 gift to N.C. State University’s Soldier to Agriculture Program. The five week program — offered through the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ (CALS) Agricultural Institute (AGI) — provides in-depth career introductions and hands-on training to help veterans make the transition from military service to a career in agriculture, North Carolina’s top industry. In addition, the Farm Credit Associations of North Carolina has been named a 2021-2022 sponsor of the program. “The partnership with the Farm Credit Associations of North Carolina is opening opportunities for transitioning soldiers and veterans to become familiar with Farm Credit and other important resources as they move forward in their agricultural goals,” says Samantha Manning, Soldier to Agriculture program coordinator and veteran liaison. “This gift allows us to continue providing services which assist
veterans in making valuable contributions to their communities and to North Carolina agriculture — aligning our mutual goal to support the next generation of agriculture and the future of rural America.” The University’s Soldier to Agriculture Program is a partnership between N.C. State University and the Fort Bragg military base career center near Fayetteville, North Carolina. “Farm Credit is a long standing supporter of the educational programs of this college,” says Richard H. Linton, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “This investment in AGI’s Soldier to Agriculture program shows their commitment to help train the future talent the state’s agricultural economy needs and their passion to help American heroes transition out of the military into meaningful careers in agriculture.” AgCarolina Farm Credit, Carolina Farm Credit, and Cape Fear Farm Credit make up the Farm Credit Associations of North Carolina. Dave Corum, CEO of AgCarolina Farm Credit; Vance Dalton, CEO of Carolina Farm Credit; and Evan Kleinhans, CEO of Cape Fear Farm Credit, issued a joint statement regarding
Pictured from left to right: Chris Wessel - NCSU, Skipper Jones – AgCarolina Farm Credit Sr. V.P. – Marketing & Communication, Brook Gillis – Cape Fear Farm Credit Chief Sales Officer, Maggie Hamm – Carolina Farm Credit Chief Marketing Officer, Dr. Beth Wilson – NCSU, Janna Bass – Cape Fear Farm Credit Marketing & Financial Services Manager, Samantha Manning – NCSU, and Robert Elliott – NCSU.
the group’s support of N.C. State’s Soldier to Agriculture program and the men and women who have served their country. “The Farm Credit Associations of North Carolina appreciate the service, sacrifice, courage, and dedication of our soldiers. Financially supporting The Soldier to Agriculture program is one way we show our gratitude. Soldiers and those involved in agriculture share many values, including determination, resilience, and a passion to serve others. The Farm Credit Associations of North Carolina are humbled to support a program that equips soldiers with skills they’ll use to farm as they continue to serve our country – now within the agricultural industry.”
About The Farm Credit Associations of North Carolina. The Farm Credit Associations of North Carolina is the leading provider of credit to farmers in the state of North Carolina. The member owned financial cooperative consists of AgCarolina Farm Credit, Cape Fear Farm Credit, and Carolina Farm Credit. The Associations have over $3.9 billion in loans and commitments outstanding to over 17,650 North Carolina farmers and rural residents. Loans are made to finance land, homes, farm buildings, operating expenses, livestock, and equipment, as well as other purposes. Appraisal services and leasing programs are also available through the Farm Credit Associations of North Carolina.
West End Precast 276-228-5024
PRECAST CONCRETE FEED BUNKS
J-Bunks $170-$180
U-Bunks $170
Calf Bunks $120
Water Troughs Pads Tanks
Prices FOB Wytheville, Virginia • Delivery Available The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 39
Four Tips for Staying Profitable During the Summer. Chances are, if you are a cow/calf producer, you are constantly looking for ways to stay profitable. With uncertainties in markets, environments, and climate, there are several challenges that exist to getting a handle on your bottom line. However, following a few best management practices will help your operation thrive during the summer and help you stay profitable. Reproductive Performance that Pays - Heat stress can wreak havoc on your cow herd’s conception rates during the summer months. Temperatures above 70ºF can shock the embryo in the cow, causing it to die, therefore lowering your herd’s conception rates. To help mitigate heat stress in your herd and help retain pregnancies, especially in the first trimester, you should consider a high quality reproductive mineral program like VitaFerm Concept•Aid 5/S HEAT.
NEWS
VitaFerm Concept•Aid is a free choice vitamin and mineral supplement with a focus on reproductive performance. It contains organic copper, zinc, and manganese to ensure maximum bioavailability of nutrients to the animal and high levels of vitamin E and selenium to promote optimized fertility. In addition, the HEAT package is a combination of plant extracts designed to help prevent heat stress during temperatures of 70ºF and warmer, or anytime cattle are grazing fescue. HEAT also contains garlic to deter insects. N e w t h i s y e a r, Vi t a F e r m Concept•Aid 5/S HEAT also comes in a formula that contains ClariFly, an IGR that stops four types of flies in their larval stages, offering more stress relief to your herd. Getting your cows bred and keeping them bred through the summer months means more calves at calving time, and more live animals means more profit potential. The ROI is minimal for a
December 4, 2021 • 12:00 noon Union County Livestock Market • Monroe, N.C.
704-219-1294 PAGE 40
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
nutrition program that will increase your conception rates and help mitigate heat stress while helping control flies. Maximize your Forages, Feed Less - In addition to the added reproductive benefits that the VitaFerm Concept•Aid line offers, all VitaFerm products contain a proprietary prebiotic called Amaferm that is research proven to increase the intake, digestibility, and absorption of nutrients, meaning you can get more nutritional value from your forages. Amaferm is designed to enhance digestibility by amplifying nutrient supply for maximum performance. It is research proven to increase the energy available to the animal resulting in more milk production, which also leads to
higher performing, growthier calves. The longer you can get good nutritional value from your forages and native grasses, the shorter amount of time you will need to supplement your herd with feed or hay, adding some savings to your bottom line. Keep Your Herd Healthy - Herd health and nutrition are often synergistic; however, taking a proactive approach to your herd health is often the best way to save money and add to your profit potential when it comes to health. To be proactive, keep your calves healthy and reduce any sickness before it starts. This also includes a good nutritional program like the VitaFerm line or a product from the Vita Charge line
NEWS Save The Date! The 2021 Beefmaster Breeders United 60th Annual Convention will be hosted on October 28–30 in Fort Worth, Tex., at The Omni Fort Worth in Downtown! We can’t wait to see everyone in October! More information on how to register will be available soon. Please note that there WILL NOT be a President’s Council Sale at the 2021 BBU Convention! Plan accordingly. B.E.E.F. Semen/Embryo Raffle. The Beefmaster Educational Endowment Foundation (B.E.E.F.) is hosting a semen and embryo raffle to raise funds for research. The grand prize winner will receive all of the donated semen and embryos, stored in a semen tank with custom artwork donated by Elgin Breeding Service. You are invited to help B.E.E.F. this year with a donation of semen or embryos from your program. Raffle tickets are now available for purchase. Tickets will be sold for $100/each through October 2021. The winner will be drawn at the BBU Annual Convention. Raffle tickets will be on sale at the convention. A banner with all donors will be displayed at the B.E.E.F. booth during the convention. Research provided through Beefmaster Educational Endowment Foundation (B.E.E.F.) funding to Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU) is ongoing and generating valuable data at Texas A&M University, Oklahoma State University, Nobel Research Institute, the University of Arkansas at Monticello,
and Flying B Ranches. These projects are the key to providing the merits of the Beefmaster breed and increasing market share in the U.S. and international beef industry. Please join us in this great opportunity to support research. • Grand Prize – All donated semen/ embryos and tank donation - Winner will receive all donated semen and embryos, stored in a semen tank with custom artwork donated by Elgin Breeding Service. • Prize #2 – Henry 30-30 Rifle Henry 30-30 Rifle will be engraved. Rifle sponsors will be noted on the banner at the B.E.E.F. booth during the BBU convention. • Prize #3 – Henry .22 Rifle Donated by Burnell Gates with G4 Ranch in Bigfoot, Texas • Prize #4 – Trans Ova Genetics Gift Card • More prizes to be announced! Contact Kris Fore at 830-220-0579 or kdfore@gmail.com or Debbie Cheatham at 972-979-8556 or debbie.cheatham@ proforma.com for more information on this opportunity. About Beefmaster Breeders United. BBU, located in Boerne, Tex., is a notfor-profit breed registration organization that provides programs and services for its members. Beefmaster, Beefmaster Advancer, and E6 cattle are selected on the “Six Essentials” of disposition, fertility, weight, conformation, milk production, and hardiness. For more information, visit www.beefmasters.org.
for freshly weaned calves. Like all of the VitaFerm products, Vita Charge contains Amaferm and also includes MOS to help expel bad pathogens. In addition, always make sure your cattle have access to fresh, clean water. Check on your cattle daily to look for signs of a sick animal and treat it before it gets really sick. If you need to work calves or cows, do so early in the morning or later in the evening to avoid working them in the heat of the day, putting additional stress on them. Each stressor has the chance to cause them to go off feed and water, lowering their performance and lowering your profit opportunities. Time is Money - The one thing most of us are short on is time, and unfortunately, we can’t clone ourselves. But there are young people looking for summer experiences on livestock operations. Perhaps you work off the farm and ranch and don’t have time to check for herd health or put out mineral on a regular basis. Chances are there is a young person looking for experience or an internship who you could hire for seasonal help. High school and college age students
make good seasonal help because they often have flexible schedules, they are wanting to learn more about beef production, and they are licensed to drive if you have a larger area to cover. Sometimes you can exchange their labor for a place to keep a show steer or even a minimal fee and some knowledge. Remember, you don’t have to do everything, and yet there is a way you don’t have to hire a full time herdsman either. Summer offers enough stress with heat, insects, and weather uncertainties. Don’t let the opportunity to grow your financial resources on your cow/calf enterprise stress you out too. Follow these nutritional, herd health, and best practices to help you stay profitable in the summer and all year long. To learn more about the Amaferm advantage or to find a VitaFerm dealer near you, visit www.vitaferm.com. About BioZyme ® Inc. BioZyme Inc., founded in 1951, develops and manufactures natural, proprietary products focused on animal nutrition, health, and microbiology. With a continued commitment to research, BioZyme offers a complete line of feed additives and high density, highly available vitamin, mineral, trace mineral,
and protein supplements for a variety of animals, including cattle, pigs, poultry, sheep, goats, horses, and dogs. BioZyme brands include Amaferm ®, VitaFerm®, Vita Charge®, Sure Champ®, Vitalize®, DuraFerm®, and Backyard Boost™. With
headquarters in St. Joseph, Missouri, the company reaches a global market of customers that stretches into countries across five continents. For more information about BioZyme, visit www. biozymeinc.com.
I got a great buy in the Classifieds in The Carolina Cattle Connection!
Check out the expert A.I, superior genetics, fine purebreds and terrific farm supplies offered!
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 41
Federation of State Beef Councils Update Popular Publication Helps Consumers Cook Beef. Confident Cooking with Beef is a comprehensive guide to selecting, preparing, and cooking beef. Created by beef professionals for beef enthusiasts, this resource gives consumers added confidence when working with beef and sharing beef content. Originally published in the 1990s and updated over the years, the brochure was recently revised by NCBA, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff. With tips and tricks, comprehensive cooking lessons, and timing charts, the publication provides the tools necessary to ensure beef success every time. It even helps answer that age old question: to marinate or rub (or neither)? The brochure also provides educational information about the value of beef’s nutrition and the industry’s positive impact on environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and economic viability. “Consumers often seek out both recipes and cooking information, and this publication provides them with all of the information and resources they need to feel comfortable preparing beef at home,” said Ashley Dentinger, manager of consumer programs and digital marketing for the Ohio Beef Council. Although in today’s digital world, many printed materials have been replaced by websites and social media platforms, state beef councils (SBCs) recognized there was still a need for a printed piece to help with grassroots efforts reaching out to consumers with beef education. More than 120,000 copies were printed at the request of SBCs to educate consumers on the benefits of beef. The printed publication serves as a companion to www. BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com, the ultimate online beef resource. “We know events will pick back up this summer and we needed a takeaway item for consumer activities,” said Heather Buckmaster, executive director of the Oklahoma Beef Council. “Additionally, we have seen a need to provide a resource to producers who actively sell butcher beef, and our plan is to make it part of a toolkit of resources that we provide.” The Nebraska Beef Council (NBC) plans to use the brochure at in-person consumer events as well and as an educational handout when conducting seminars with students and influencers.
PAGE 42
NBC will also offer these brochures to local lockers and direct sale beef suppliers who want to make sure their customers have access to accurate beef information. “The brochure is our go-to resource because it’s a quick reference guide for everything beef,” said Adam Wegner, director of marketing for the Nebraska Beef Council. “It’s useful for all audiences and gives them a taste of the type of additional information they can find on the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. website. While it is a resourceful guide in itself, it’s also a driver to the Beef Checkoff’s digital resources.” The publication is made possible from funding through the Federation of State Beef Councils as well as individual SBCs and is one more example of the importance of the Beef Checkoff’s state and national partnership through the Federation of State Beef Councils at NCBA. “Confident Cooking with Beef is an important outcome of a strong state and national partnership,” said Don Waite, executive director of Federation State Services at NCBA. “SBCs are the boots on the ground, directly engaging with consumers and supply chain professionals. They identified a vital need for a printed educational brochure for distribution at events, and then worked with the Federation staff at the national level to publish a resource that not only educates the consumer, but also drives them to www.BeefItsWhatsForDinner. com.” Registration Now Open for 2021 Stockmanship & Stewardship Regional Tour Events. Registration is now open for five events on the Stockmanship & Stewardship Regional Tour, with the first stop in Elko, Nev., in July. Events will also be held in Colorado, Indiana, Oregon, and Kentucky. Stockmanship & Stewardship is a unique two day educational experience for cattle producers featuring low stress cattle handling demonstrations, Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) educational sessions, and facility design sessions. The program is sponsored by NCBA, Merck Animal Health, and the Beef Checkoff funded National Beef Quality Assurance program. “These events allow producers to network with one another and learn from industry experts about real world solutions to everyday problems they
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
encounter on their operations,” said Josh White, executive director of producer education and sustainability at NCBA. “Beyond animal handling, each of these events incorporates valuable information about animal health, environmental stewardship, and much more.” The 2021 tour locations and dates are: • Elko, Nev., July 16-17 • Durango, Colo., August 27-28 • Danville, Ind., September 10-11 • Ontario, Ore., October 8-9 • Bowling Green, Ken., October 22-23 By attending a Stockmanship & Stewardship event, producers may become BQA certified, network with
fellow cattlemen and women, participate in hands-on demonstrations led by stockmanship experts including Curt Pate, Dr. Ron Gill, and Dr. Dean Fish, and learn cutting edge operation techniques. “Merck Animal Health is honored to be the premier sponsor of this initiative for a third year, which very much complements our efforts to promote proper animal handling, animal welfare, and beef quality assurance,” according to Kevin Mobley, executive director U.S. Cattle Sales and Marketing for Merck
Continued on page 44
S.C. Beef Council News By ROY COPELAN July is a great month of celebration for our nation’s independence and the freedoms you and I enjoy. Let’s all show our appreciation and thankfulness. What will be on your grill this Independence Day…beef hotdogs, hamburgers, beef kabobs, or a great steak? Try some outstanding fresh South Carolina vegetables and fruits with your beef products. As of June 20, the first day of summer and Father’s Day, our “Summer Grilling” beef promotional activities have begun. Our South Carolina food retailers and foodservice operators have begun to welcome the beef promotional events, especially Thursday through Saturday, at various in-state locations. Over 21 beef promotions have been planned during the summer months. Also, “Tailgate” beef promotions are being scheduled for the fall. Let’s get one in your community. Give me a call at 803-917-1119 to schedule a beef promotion. National Burger Day was May 28. Good Morning America welcomed consumers. In South Carolina, we promoted burgers on our social media platforms and reached over 260 engagements. Also, June was promoted as “Beef Month,” and we reached over 370,000 consumers with media impressions, beef promotions, press releases, and advertisements. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the National Beef Check Off. This program has significantly and positively altered the beef industry’s course, and all the thanks goes to our great beef producers like you! Our hats are tipped your way for a successful 35 years. Let’s all continue to push the needle for beef demand! Remember two important upcoming activities: register for the 2021 Cattle Industry Convention/ Summer Business meeting in Nashville on August 10-12, and enter the 31st Sutter Home “Build a Better Burger” contest by August 31. I hope to see you out and about these nice, hot summer days. Stay safe and healthy and check on others. Until next month…
Beef Promotion and Research Program
PRIVATE TREATY SALES CHECKOFF INVESTMENT FORM Information is required by (7 CRF 1260.201). Failure to report can result in a fine. Information is held confidential (7 CRF 1260.203).
Today’s Date: ________________ Seller’s Name: ____________________________
Buyer’s Name: ____________________________
Address: _________________________________
Address: _________________________________
City: ________________ State: ____ Zip: ______
City: ________________ State: ____ Zip: ______
Seller’s Signature: _________________________
Buyer’s Signature: _________________________
Both the seller & the buyer are responsible for making sure that the $1.50 per head assessment is collected and remitted to the Beef Promotion & Research Board.
Total Number of Cattle Sold: ___________________ x $1.50 Per Head = $ _______________________ Date of Sale: __________________
Person remitting assessment form:
Seller
o
Buyer
o
* State of Origin of Cattle: ______________________
* If the cattle purchased came from another state within the last 30 days, indicate from which state the cattle were purchased.
Send Report and Remittance to:
SOUTH CAROLINA BEEF COUNCIL P.O. Box 11280 Columbia, SC 29211 According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0581-0093. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 1.8 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disbility, sexual orientation, marital or family status, political beliefs, parental status, or protected genetic information. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 43
Federation of State Beef Councils Update continued from page 42 Animal Health. “Working with the NCBA and state cattle associations is another way that Merck Animal Health works for our beef producing customers, and we couldn’t be more excited to return in person to these important events.” For details about upcoming Stockmanship & Stewardship events and registration information, visit www. StockmanshipAndStewardship.org. Health Professional Outreach Promotes Beef as an Early Food for Infants and Toddlers. Feeding nutrient rich foods, like beef, as a complementary food to infants and toddlers may be a new concept for some, with the 20202025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) making recommendations for the first time to include these foods, starting around six months of age.1 This is new information not only for parents but for health professionals as well, including pediatricians, dietitians, and
other pediatric feeding experts. NCBA, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, is conducting extensive outreach to these professionals to educate them about the new recommendations and the nutritional benefits of beef in the early years. On April 27, a “Growing Up Strong: Prioritizing Critical Nutrients from Birth to Adolescence” webinar was held to educate and inform health professionals about the new DGA recommendations for children between birth and 24 months of age, highlighting the critical nutrients beef offers to help close nutrient gaps and support healthy growth and development in the early and adolescent years. Moderated by Dr. Keith Ayoob, a pediatric nutritionist and registered dietitian who works on obesity, heart health, and family dynamics, the webinar featured speakers Dr. Heather Leidy and Marina Chaparro. Leidy is a nutrition researcher who examines the effects of
NEWS Competitive Bidding Pushes Land Prices Higher. Interest in purchasing agricultural land has grown since a coronavirus pandemic induced slowdown blanketed the land market last spring. Farmers are feeling more financially secure as very strong commodity prices arrived on top of large government payments in 2020. This is propelling farmers to bid more aggressively for additional land than has been the case during the past six years. “Farmland sales prices are up 5-15 percent in the past six months with most of the increase coming since the first of the year,” said Randy Dickhut, senior vice president of real estate operations at Farmers National Company. “Competitive bidding among interested buyers is really pushing land prices right now.” Individual investors, both first time and experienced buyers, are stepping into the land market as they search for a safe, long term real estate investment in a low interest rate environment. Investor buyers seldom outbid farmer-buyers for
PAGE 44
a good farm unless they have 1031 tax deferred exchange funds to spend in a short time period. The increase in ag land prices is happening in most areas of the Grain Belt and with most types of land. “At Farmers National Company auctions, we are seeing competitive bidding push prices for good cropland to levels approaching 2014 values,” Dickhut said. “Average to lower quality farms are experiencing stronger sales prices, too, while pastureland increases are more modest.” Currently, the demand for good farmland is outstripping the supply of farms for sale. During the previous few years, the number of farms for sale has been lower, but there remained enough demand in the farmland market to balance the lower supply resulting in steady land prices. At this time, the strong demand to own farmland is one of the main factors pushing prices higher. “In order for the seller to get top dollar in the current land market, they have to ensure there is true competitive bidding,” said Dickhut. “Farmers National Company and its agents employ the most
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
dietary protein quantity, quality, and timing of consumption on the metabolic, hormonal, and neural signals that promote satiety, healthy eating behavior, and weight management across the lifespan, and was also a member of the 2020-2025 DGA Committee responsible for the new recommendations. Chaparro is a mom of two as well as a registered dietitian specializing in pediatric nutrition and diabetes education. Speakers discussed the evidence behind beef’s role in healthy dietary patterns to cultivate and optimize well being from the early years to adolescence. They also addressed common misperceptions and inspired ways to build balanced, nutrient dense meals children will enjoy – to make every bite count from the beginning and through teenage years. The webinar was very successful, with 3,463 registrants and 1,525 live
attendees. In addition, 2,768 new contacts were added to the nutrition listserv and will now receive the quarterly beef nutrition e-newsletter. According to feedback from the survey following the event, nearly 70 percent of individuals indicated they would make changes to their practice based on webinar key learnings, and nearly 70 percent felt “very confident” recommending beef as a complementary early food for infants and toddlers, which was an 18.2 percent increase from pre-webinar survey results. “It is encouraging to see such a positive shift in opinion as a result of the information presented during the webinar,” said Executive Director of Nutrition Science, Health & Wellness at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Shalene McNeill, Ph.D., RDN, “Events like this and Beef Checkoff efforts to educate health professionals are working to expand the
comprehensive platform of competitive bidding systems available in order to get the best price for sellers including public outcry auctions, a full array of online and simultaneous live auctions, various written bidding mechanisms, and other bidding or listing platforms.” Higher land values will bring more sellers into the market as estates, trusts, recent inheritors, and family groups will decide to sell the farm or ranch and capture the higher prices. Also, uncertainty surrounding future tax policies will trigger a sale sooner than later for some. Landowners who are thinking of selling their farm are now factoring in both the higher proceeds they would get from the sale, and what potential tax obligations might be due. The land market will be balancing increased demand for good cropland against what might be an increasing supply of farms for sale. “Our agents are fielding an increased number of calls from landowners who want to sell because of the aforementioned reasons. Our pipeline of sales activity for summer and fall is filling up,” Dickhut said. Farmers National Company’s land sales activity has already been very brisk and above the market the past seven months, with dollar volume of land sold up 60 percent over last year and up 67 percent over the average of the past three years. The number of acres sold in this time
period is up 64 percent from last year. “In a rising land market, it becomes more difficult to predict what a farm will actually sell for on any given day, especially when there is demand from both farmers and investors,” Dickhut said. “The best way to sell cropland in the current market is to take it to auction or some form of competitive bidding that brings together the potential buyers and lets them push the price,” he said. About Farmers National Company. Farmers National Company, an employee owned company, is the nation’s leading agricultural landowner services company. Over the last five years, Farmers National Company has sold 3,938 properties (1,404 at auction) and more than $5.02 billion of real estate during the last ten years. The company manages more than 5,000 farms and ranches in 29 states comprising more than two million acres. Additional services provided by the company include auctions, appraisals and valuation services, insurance, consultation, oil and gas management, a national hunting lease program, forest resource management, and FNC Ag Stock. For more information on our company and the services provided, visit the Farmers National Company website at www.FarmersNational.com.
positive message of beef as a nutrient rich food for infants and toddlers.” In addition to health professional outreach and education through webinars and e-newsletters, a new infographic brings to life the research supporting beef’s nutrient package of protein, iron, zinc, and choline for healthy, growing bodies and brains in a highly visual manner. The “Make Every Bite Count with Beef” infographic is a great resource for nutrition influencers and healthcare professionals. To learn more about recent efforts to promote beef through the Make Every Bite Count-Feeding Beef to Your Baby campaign, visit www. beefitswhatsfordinner.com. Resource 1 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. 2020. Scientific Report of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee: Advisory Report to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Washington, D.C. Finding Common Ground: Becoming a Beef Advocate. Even before a consumer approaches the meat case at the grocery store, questions about price, taste, nutrition, and sustainability swirl. Consumers are bombarded with advertisements, slogans, and information at every turn, often with conflicting messages. So, how does someone make purchasing decisions when they do not know who to trust for accurate information about the products they are buying? Unlike 150 years ago, when most families lived an agrarian lifestyle, today, fewer than two percent of the U.S. population resides on a farm or ranch1. These changes have resulted in a large gap between where food is produced and where it is consumed. In the past year alone, the beef community has faced new issues and challenges from special interest groups that leveraged the COVID-19 pandemic to shed light on their goal of ending animal agriculture as we know it. Now more than ever, it is vital for producers, consumers, and all engaged members of the agriculture community to share their stories instead of relying on someone else to do it for them. Whether you are new to advocacy or a seasoned veteran, everyone has a story to share and a foundation to becoming a powerful voice for beef. Advocacy is for anyone in support of an idea or a cause. In the case of the beef community, advocates promote a lifestyle that raises a wholesome, nutritious product that is sustainable as producers seek to
constantly improve their conservationist methods to care for their animals and the land. Producers across the United States have been joining the conversation and engaging in critical discussions surrounding the beef community, backing their beliefs and systems of thought through social media, writing editorial pieces, posting live videos, or continuing their education through programs such as Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA). The MBA program, managed by NCBA, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, started in 2009, and to date, there are more than 19,000 graduates. The MBA program consists of five modules: • The Beef Community - Context of raising beef from pasture to plate focusing on the community of people involved throughout the beef lifecycle. • Raising Cattle on Grass - An introduction to the first step in the beef lifecycle and the many benefits of raising cattle on our country’s vast grass pasture resources. • Life in the Feedyard - A discussion on the role of feedyards, including animal care, nutrition, and environmental stewardship, at this important step in the beef lifecycle. • From Cattle to Beef - An in-depth look at the slaughter process and the humane handling and safety measures in place at today’s beef processing facilities. • Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. - A primer on choosing and cooking the right cuts of beef and the important role of beef in a healthful diet. Once all modules are completed, graduates gain access to a variety of continuing education resources ranging from online courses that delve deeper into specific topics such as beef sustainability and nutrition to in-person top advocate training and more. Graduates are also invited to join the Masters of Beef Advocacy Alumni Facebook group, a virtual community for MBA graduates to ask questions and get connected to the latest advocacy resources. Recently, the MBA program launched MBA NextGen, an updated version of online training modules. The refreshed training makes it easier than ever for a new generation of farmers and ranchers to share their stories and advocate knowledgeably for the beef industry. Updated information and resources are accessible with the click of a mouse to help answer consumer questions. The MBA program continues to be a free, self guided online course that provides farmers, ranchers, service providers, students, consumers, and all members of the beef community the tools and resources necessary to effectively answer tough questions about consuming
beef and raising cattle. Taking your first step into the advocacy arena can be intimidating. However, starting your journey as a beef advocate has never been easier, with programs such as MBA available to help you gain the knowledge necessary to begin sharing your story. During the time spent completing the MBA program, you will develop valuable techniques and skills to build relationships both inperson and online to better communicate a powerful story about beef. The MBA program will help you rethink the value of your story and share updated talking points to help you keep beef front and center during all your conversations. When asked about the benefits of advocacy, Paul Dybedahl, Manager of Masters of Beef Advocacy, commented, “The MBA program is one of the most effective tools we have to teach a wide audience the core principles of the cattle industry and has been a tremendous asset in our efforts to better inform consumers and thought leaders about our industry.
Whether you’re from a family of ranchers or a consumer simply wanting to know more about how that delicious beef dinner got on your plate – MBA NextGen can arm you with the information you need to be a strong advocate for the beef community and communicate with interested consumers.” If you are interested in becoming a beef advocate or learning more about the beef community, you can apply for the MBA program by visiting www. MastersofBeefAdvocacy.com. After submitting a short application, you will be admitted into the program and can access modules, which take approximately three hours to complete. To learn more about NCBA’s advocacy efforts, contact Chandler Mulvaney at cmulvaney@beef. org or Paul Dybedahl at pdybedahl@beef. org. Resource 1 U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2017). Census of Agriculture. Retrieved from www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/ AgCensus/2017/index.php
2021 Spotlight Issues Schedule Most of the breed associations in North and South Carolina have stepped forward and renewed their contracts for Spotlight sections in The Carolina Cattle Connection for 2021. If your breed is not featured as a Spotlight section and you would like to inquire on any open months please feel free to contact me. Below is the tentative schedule for the upcoming year.
2021 Reserved Spotlight Issues
JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
CHAROLAIS FORAGES ANGUS PEST MANAGEMENT BRAHMAN HEREFORD GELBVIEH SIMMENTAL SANTA GERTRUDIS ----------------------------SHORTHORN RED ANGUS
Contact The Carolina Cattle Connection 2228 N. Main Street Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526 Phone - 919-552-9111 for the contact person for each Spotlight Issue. The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 45
NEWS Acutia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alltech, launches supplement to support cognitive health, brain function. Acutia Brain Health is the second supplement to be released, following the company’s initial launch of Acutia Selenium in March. Acutia has announced the expansion of its product line with the launch of Acutia Brain Health. By combining selenium, vitamin C and omega-3 DHA, the supplement supports cognitive health and brain function while also providing antioxidant benefits and essential nutrients. R e f l e c t i n g t h e c o m p a n y ’s commitment to sustainability, the product’s unique packaging system helps to reduce waste, while carbon emissions from shipping are offset through a partnership with Nori. “We are excited to announce the highly anticipated launch of Acutia Brain Health,” said Nikki Putnam Badding, a registered dietitian nutritionist and director of Acutia. “This new offering furthers our commitment to helping people sustain their own well being and the health of the planet we share.” The announcement of the launch was made during a virtual Q&A session at the Alltech ONE Ideas Conference. Putnam
Badding shared that Acutia Brain Health is now available for shipment to most regions of the world. Acutia’s product line also includes Acutia Selenium, which provides immune system support, antioxidant benefits and essential nutrition and helps maintain healthy thyroid function. The selenium found in Acutia Selenium and Acutia Brain Health is made from a specialized, high-quality strain of brewer’s yeast to optimize the quality, absorption, safety and efficacy of the products. Acutia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alltech, launched on March 24 when Alltech, a global leader in the animal health industry, announced that it would begin applying its more than 40 years of scientific innovation and proven nutrition expertise to human health. Acutia combines science and sustainability to provide high quality supplements that enhance everyday nutrition and improve long term wellness. “Maintaining optimum brain health is imperative to our ability to live our lives to the fullest,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech. “Acutia Brain Health empowers people to supplement their nutritional needs today
West End Precast 276-228-5024 Wytheville, Virginia
8 ft Concrete Feed Bunks
U or J Bunks - $170-$180 • Calf Bunks - $120
Water Troughs • Pads • Silo Sides Septic Tanks • Reservoirs PAGE 46
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
while supporting their long term wellness for the future.” Acutia products are backed by the Alltech Life Sciences division, which conducts research on digestive health, cognitive health, brain function and cellular health. In 2019, researchers with Alltech Life Sciences achieved a breakthrough that offers those living with diabetes a possible alternative to current insulin treatments . Acutia Digestive Health will round out the initial offering from Acutia, with an expected launch slated for later this year. HELM Agro and Alltech Crop Science Announce Partnership. Combining science, education, and innovation to help growers realize a crop’s genetic potential. HELM Agro and Alltech Crop Science announce a partnership to bridge the gap between traditional and biological crop input solutions. This new relationship applies a systems approach to support sustainable practices and provide growers easy access and product education on full spectrum, integrated crop solutions. HELM Agro will market, sell, and distribute the Alltech Crop Science line of products in the United States. Alltech Crop Science will continue to manufacture its crop science solutions while also focusing on scientific research and the development of new products. The collaboration brings together product lines from both companies and elevates science and service through expertise, resources, and new, innovative product options. The family legacies that make up the backbone of both HELM Agro and Alltech Crop Science offer a unique, synergistic partnership that furthers science and service to help deliver better performance and profitability for customers at every stage of crop production. “Our family owned businesses were built on the same values and with the same entrepreneurial spirit as the family farm,” said David Schumacher, president, HELM Agro US, Inc. “We’re actively seeking to provide solutions and expertise that enhance grower success. This partnership opens new opportunities and supports our customers as they push to reach their crop’s full genetic potential. Combined with Alltech’s unrelenting research and commitment to the highest quality standards, we are eager to be able to exclusively offer products you won’t find anywhere else.” “Our collaboration with HELM Agro represents a combined 160 years of scientific rigor and crop expertise to support growers in optimizing crop efficiency at every stage of production,”
said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech. “We believe what we can achieve together will be far greater and more meaningful for the future of the ag sector.” HELM Agro and Alltech Crop Science are committed to finding new solutions to help growers feed a growing planet. By advancing science backed technologies and nutrigenomics, the companies hope to help take crop yields and quality to the next level. “We believe in the power of science to feed the future,” said Lyons. “Together, we will provide even stronger support to growers, empowering them to unleash the potential of their crops through scientifically proven solutions, inspired by nature itself.” “Like everyone in agriculture, we never stand still,” said Schumacher. “We are innovating to solve complex problems to support how growers’ produce food, feed, and fiber.” Recognize the need for traditional and biological crop input solutions? Contact a HELM representative by calling 813-621-8846 or email connect@ helmagro.com. About HELM Agro U.S. HELM Agro US, Inc., located in Tampa, Florida, was founded in 2003. Its parent company, HELM AG, is a multi-billion dollar family owned business with a history spanning 121 years. Today, HELM AG is one of the world’s major independent chemical marketing enterprises with more than 100 subsidiaries in over 30 countries. HELM is committed to providing high quality crop protection solutions through innovative chemistries, convenient formulations, and uncompromising customer service. This includes high standards in registrations, efficacy of products, and customer engagement. For more information, visit www.us.helmcrop.com. About Alltech Crop Science. Alltech Crop Science is a division of Alltech — a private, family owned company that delivers smarter, more sustainable solutions for agriculture. For more than 25 years, Alltech Crop Science has been a global leader in the application of microbial fermentation and nutrigenomic research to optimize yields, enhance crop health and maximize crop productivity. Our natural, proven solutions promote sustainability and profitability throughout the food chain, supporting crop needs at every stage of production. Our talented team members worldwide share our vision for a Planet of Plenty™. We believe agriculture has the greatest potential to shape the future of our planet, but it will take all of us working together, led by science, technology, and a shared will to make a difference. For more information, visit www.alltech.com/crop-science.
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 47
NCBA A Deep Dive into Trade. The start of the Biden administration has been nothing less than a whirlwind. We have seen a plethora of announcements regarding proposed policy changes and initiatives that affect the agriculture industry, including cattle producers across the United States. Many of the announcements have been centered around the administration’s climate goals. As part of that broader plan, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced that climate policy will be a focus of U.S. trade policy. NCBA is actively engaged in conversations with the Biden administration— including Ambassador Tai and her team — to share the positive story of the U.S. cattle industry and the role producers play in sustainability. Science based climate policy, including our sustainable production practices, will be essential in achieving the administration’s climate goals and
PAGE 48
News
improving global production standards. While climate may be a recent focus in trade policy, NCBA has not shifted from its fundamental support for science based, market based, and rules based trade standards that have greatly benefited U.S. cattle producers over the past decade. Trade agreements have been instrumental in removing tariff and nontariff trade barriers — resulting in record setting export sales for U.S. beef. As we continue to work with the administration, it is vitally important that we, as an industry, are united when we discuss the importance of trade. As cattle producers, your story is by far our best advocacy tool. At NCBA, our team is committed to preparing you with the facts and being transparent on how we are fighting for you. Here is a brief update on some of the developing issues in trade policy. Why Trade? United States cattle producers raise a high quality product
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
that is in strong demand for a growing global consumer base. Trade allows us to maximize value added profitability for each part of the animal. While some have the idea that we should shut down exports and imports with the goal of making U.S. cattle producers more profitable, the market simply does not work that way. Exports add roughly $325-$350 per head. We export parts of the carcass that American consumers find less desirable, such as short plates, tongues, and livers. In this case, trade not only increases producer profitability, it also helps reduce food waste and keeps us from discarding parts of the carcass into landfills. The leading markets for U.S. beef exports are Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Hong Kong/ China, Canada, and Taiwan. On the contrary, it is necessary for the U.S. to import lean beef trimmings to meet consumer demand. Imported lean beef trimmings are combined with our fat cattle trimmings to make ground beef. Only 11 percent of beef consumed in the U.S. comes from a foreign source, and 72 percent of beef imports are lean beef trimmings. Additionally, foreign born cattle make up 2 percent of the U.S. cattle herd and are only sourced from Canada and Mexico. Reauthorization of Trade Promotion
Authority (TPA) - Under TPA, Congress grants the executive branch authority to negotiate trade agreements on behalf of the U.S. government (a Constitutional power of Congress). While the executive branch negotiates the terms of the trade agreement with trade partners, Congress sets the goals of the trade agreement and has a tremendous amount of oversight during the entire process. Once negotiations conclude, the executive branch sends the agreement to Congress, where it is reviewed through a formal process that concludes with a simple up or down vote in both chambers, without amendment. This is the process that was used to ratify agreements such as the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Without TPA, it will be extremely difficult to negotiate future trade agreements because each part of the agreement would fall victim to Congressional gridlock. NCBA policy supports TPA, and it is one of the priorities we will continue to pursue throughout this year. Countries to Watch: • China - The U.S.-China Agreement garnered a lot of attention related to tariffs and purchase agreements, but the true victory for U.S. cattle producers was the removal of significant non-tariff
trade barriers. China banned U.S. beef from 2004-2017 due to BSE (Mad Cow Disease). Restoring U.S. beef access was the top agenda item for President Trump at his Mar-a-Lago Summit with President Xi in 2017, and that set the stage for the restoration of limited access in June 2017, but the non-tariff barriers made it extremely difficult for most U.S. cattle to be eligible for China. As U.S.-China trade negotiations continued, NCBA pressed for full access to China, including the removal of China’s hormone ban, restrictions on beta agonists, and traceability requirements — goals that many believed were impossible to reach. Fortunately, our negotiators were successful in addressing each of those issues, and Phase One of the U.S.China Agreement finally opened China’s doors to U.S. beef. China represents one-fifth of the global population with a growing middle class that is greater than the entire U.S. population. Because of the great terms secured in Phase One, U.S. cattle producers are well positioned to capitalize on growing demand for U.S. beef in the next few years. COVID-19, unfortunately, delayed our growth in China by several months, but the U.S. finished the year strong with cumulative sales exceeding $300 million. In the first quarter of 2021, U.S. beef
sales reached $234 million — a 1,500 percent increase over 2020. Another factor to pay attention to is the impact of African Swine Fever (ASF) in China. China is the largest pork producer in the world, and ASF killed a significant portion of China’s hog population. The lack of domestically produced protein catapulted China to become the world’s largest importer of pork and beef. There is no cure for (ASF), and even though China has taken steps to protect segments of its swine herd, it will likely be dependent on protein imports for several years. • Japan - The Japan-U.S. Trade Agreement helped level the playing field for U.S. beef exports by lowering Japan’s tariff on U.S. beef to an equal rate as our major competitors like Australia and Canada. Unfortunately, due to robust Japanese consumer demand, we inadvertently tripped a volume based safeguard that temporarily increased tariffs on U.S. beef. This is a situation that Japanese consumers and U.S. cattle producers hope to avoid in the future, and we are hopeful that consultations to address the safeguard will resolve successfully and soon. NCBA will continue to support efforts to negotiate a higher threshold that more accurately represents Japanese consumer demand for U.S. beef. • Beware of the Europeans - Unlike
the United States and most of the world, the European Union (EU) unfortunately does not support science based trade and is actively pursuing new trade barriers to restrict imports. In addition to the hormone ban, the EU is also pursuing greater restrictions on important animal health technologies and interventions. NCBA is continuing to work with USTR and USDA to hold the EU accountable as they attempt to export their non-science based ideals to the developing world where these technologies are needed most. • Future Agreements - During the Trump administration, the United States initiated trade talks with Kenya and the United Kingdom with the hope of establishing bilateral trade agreements with both countries. Kenya is one of the strongest markets in Africa and is viewed as a leader among African nations – a natural ally of the United States. As a result of the United Kingdom recently dissociating from the EU, there is another opportunity to market our high quality beef. There is also speculation that the U.S. may join the Comprehensive and Progressive TransPacific Partnership, but before we can secure trade agreements with any of these markets, we need Congress to reauthorize Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), a policy that will expire in June. • Improving the World Through Science Based Trade - The bottom line is that if we truly want to feed a growing global population with safe, nutritious food, we must embrace technology in food production. For many years, the U.S. cattle sector has been unfairly restricted by non-tariff trade barriers in other countries. Non-scienced based standards like BSE restrictions and hormone bans were arbitrary, protectionist measures designed to portray U.S. cattle and beef as dirty and unsafe. Countries, specifically the EU, attacked our production practices, questioned the health of our cattle, and undermined consumer confidence with baseless attacks on nutrition and food safety. They let rhetoric drive policy instead of basing policy on science — resulting in politically motivated, protectionist rhetoric. While trade continues to be a complicated topic, we will be straight forward in our approach to science based facts and sound trade policies that ultimately increase producer profitability. As we continue to work with the Biden administration, NCBA will keep you updated on actions taken and progress made in trade policy, as well as our efforts to increase your access to markets around the world! Administration Unveils Details on 30x30 Plan. Since President Biden took office, conservation has become one of the
most frequently used words in Washington. At Ric Coombe’s Thunder View Farms, on the verdant fringe of the New York Catskills, the word itself actually may not be heard all that often — but actions speak louder than words. “Farmers and ranchers, these are people that don’t talk about Simply put, the 30x30 plan – now dubbed “America the Beautiful” – sets a goal of conserving 30 percent of our nation’s lands and waters by the year 2030. Many cattle farmers and ranchers across the country are concerned that the sweeping initiative will provide the administration with cover to seize land, restrict U.S. beef consumption, or otherwise shrink the cattle and beef industry. NCBA’s policy team in Washington, D.C., is working aggressively and tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure cattle producers are partners in this environmental effort — not casualties. “In our initial inspection of the report [released in May] and the direction we’re seeing USDA and the White House take, we can see that they do intend to lead with an acknowledgement of the importance of working lands,” said Ethan Lane, NCBA vice president of government affairs. “They want to get a handle on how much conservation work is already being done by our producers, and that’s good news.” This approach of empowering agriculture to take the lead on the ground is one that has made sense for Ric Coombe’s operation for decades. Coombe is the fourth generation of the family to work Thunder View Farms in Grahamsville, N.Y., and his children will be the fifth. “Conservation has always been a part of what we do, all the way back to our original soil and water projects that NRCS executed on the land more than 40 or 50 years ago now,” said Coombe. “Ponds they created then are still water sources for our operation today.” In 2018, Thunder View Farms was selected as one of six regional honorees in NCBA’s Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP.) More than half their land – approximately 800 acres – is under a permanent conservation easement. “I see it as an opportunity to let science be our guide,” said Coombe about 30x30. “Most producers care an awful lot about the land. That’s what feeds them, and stewardship of our resources is a bedrock.” Between 1961 and 2018, the U.S. cattle and beef industry reduced emissions by more than 40 percent, thanks to continued sustainability efforts, conservation programs, and improved resource use.
Continued on the next page
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 49
NCBA News continued from the previous page Eyes Peeled for Pitfalls - Despite a generally optimistic view of the role cattle producers can and do play in environmental stewardship, Coombe is not taking the recently announced 30x30 details without a grain of salt. When he looks back at the programs implemented on his own operation, largely funded and backed by New York’s Watershed Agricultural Council, he sees the balance of power as a key ingredient to long term success. “Where we have to be cautious with 30x30 is that the successful programs we’re talking about [in New York], they’re supported by government agencies, but they are run by farmers with support from agricultural experts,” he said. Likewise, NCBA’s policy team is not letting pleasant promises distract from drilling down hard into the potential pitfalls of the administration’s plan. “We were pleased to see USDA and the Department of the Interior
incorporate many of the recommendations of America’s farmers and ranchers into their first real framework for 30x30,” said Kaitlynn Glover, NCBA executive director of natural resources. “This plan is a productive starting point that builds on the input of a diverse array of stakeholders – but it is just that, a starting point.” In the months to come, Glover said the real work will be to hold the administration, federal agencies, and Congress to the promises they have made in initial conversations with agriculture industry groups. Lane agreed, “Just because this is a good start, doesn’t mean that we’re done here. We’re going to have a lot of work left to do and a lot of areas of concern. Things like changes to grazing rights in the West, establishing new migration corridors for wildlife, or any other large land designations that could change what multiple use looks like for our producers
News Celebrating 80 years of taking the guesswork out of building the right herd for every farmer to feed the world. Present in 70 countries, ABS Global has a vast portfolio of innovations for the genetic progress of the world’s cattle herd and a partnership with producers to transform how the world is nourished. ABS Global, one of the largest biotechnology companies in the world, celebrates eight decades of partnering with more than 40,000 of the world’s dairy and beef producers to put safe, responsible, and nutritious animal protein on our tables. “Throughout our history, we have always had a clear focus on presenting solutions that would meet the objectives of the producers, bringing genetic progress to the customers and generating profit for the entire production chain,” said Nate Zwald, COO Dairy at ABS Global. “In order to accomplish this, we commit our efforts and investments very seriously with the
PAGE 50
consumer in mind.” Founded in 1941, the company presented what would be the biggest technological revolution in the history of livestock: frozen semen, still considered today to be the best tool to achieve genetic progress. This new solution was shown in 1953, followed by the development of the first cylinder for storage of frozen semen using liquid nitrogen. “It was a complete transformation of the industry. These technologies paved the way for the future and signaled what ABS’s role in the industry would be: continuously developing cutting edge technology to contribute to the continuous improvement of animal genetics,” said ABS Global COO Beef, Jerry Thompson. Better genetics means better animals. Better animals mean more nutritious protein readily available to meet the growing demands of consumers. Today present in 70 countries, ABS genetics are delivered tailor made to each producer with a focus on technology. Some of the tools offered: • Genetic Management System
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
– these are all going to be areas where we stay in close conversation with the administration to make sure NCBA members’ voices are strongly represented.” In last month’s report from the Department of Interior, one of six initial recommendations focuses specifically on agriculture. NCBA is engaged in proactive and constant communication to make sure the White House understands the vital role producers play in safeguarding our natural landscapes. NCBA was pleased to see many of the recommendations we fought hard for included in the final language, including: • Incentivize voluntary conservation efforts and provide new sources of income for producers • Improve the effectiveness of USDA conservation programs through the 2023 Farm Bill • Leverage public-private partnerships and prioritize the expertise of ag producers
• Create jobs in rural America that support science driven stewardship and conservation efforts •Support the voluntary conservation efforts of private landowners and protect private property rights Glover noted that avoiding misinformation or scare tactics will be crucial to staying on track in negotiations in the months to come. “At this time, we have not seen or heard any indication from the administration that they are seeking to reduce the amount of beef Americans produce and consume. In fact, the administration has made a point of saying they have no plans to take actions to reduce consumption now or in the future,” she said. The administration’s USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack has pushed back publicly against concerns that 30x30 will make aggressive use of eminent domain, saying that this plan is not a federal land grab. The Economics of Environmentalism
(1965) - The world’s first mating program allows dairy farmers to choose what their individual herd goals are, allowing them to be more profitable. • Real World Data® (2008) - It’s a database that indicates real results from real dairy producers. It contains more than 30 million cow records sourced from more than 2,000 herds from around the globe. • Sexcel® Sexed Genetics (2017) This 21st century sexed genetic technology is produced by IntelliGen Technologies. This allows farmers to get the sex they want, which helps them successfully grow their herd from within with the best genetics. • NuEra Genetics™ (2017) - A genetic program that provides customers access to continuous genetic improvement and a wider array of tailored evaluations and indexes that deliver genetic progress and profit faster. The next steps. The world population is growing and in need of healthy and accessible protein. ABS is dedicated to its commitment to genetic progress of the world herd to meet this demand. Right now, on average, more than 40 cows are bred to ABS genetics every minute. “Our investment in Research and Development grows every day, with a specific focus on presenting efficient and sustainable solutions to our customers. A focus that makes us sure that the next decades will be guided by many innovations and pioneering tools that will positively impact consumer access to
animal protein,” concludes Zwald. From air dropped parachutes of fresh semen to frozen semen straws to sexed genetics, it’s a rich and storied history, and ABS is the future. “ABS has stood the test of time by constantly evolving to be a global leader in creating value for the dairy and beef industry and our customers,” said Thompson. “The future is bright!” “Over the past 80 years, ABS has had quite a run of innovations that have left a positive mark in the industry and with our customers. None of this would be possible without our passionate team of people that strive to put the customers’ needs first every day. Looking ahead to the next 80 years and pondering what’s possible is not only exciting, but inspirational,” said Zwald. About ABS. Headquartered in DeForest, Wis., ABS Global is the world leading provider of bovine genetics, reproduction services, artificial insemination technologies, and udder care products. Marketing in more than 70 countries around the globe, ABS has been at the forefront of animal genetics and technology since its founding in 1941. The experience of ABS runs 80 years deep, 70 countries wide, and 1,600 colleagues strong. ABS Global is a division of Genus plc.
- In southeastern New York, Ric Coombe and his family are hopeful about the possibilities of 30x30, but they – like all cattle producers – are also keenly aware of the bottom line. “A lot of these costs for conservation improvements are front end loaded,” he explained. “They do pay back over time, but usually over a much longer timeline than most family owned farms can get financed. It’s hard to put in a big water system and it’s hard to invest in an awful lot of fencing, but what these changes do for the environment and the health of the land is much more valuable than people outside the industry give credit for.” The conservation programs of the Watershed Council have worked for Coombe, and many farmers like him because they provide the financial backing to match the know-how of producers on the ground. He hopes federal 30x30 efforts will take a similar approach. “It was amazing the amount of acceptance that we had. The organization was farmer led, New York City funded, but the funding was contingent on the farmers going out and doing what they said they were going to do,” said Coombe. “I think at the end of the day, that was really the driver.” In addition to championing the importance of public-private partnerships, Coombe said his family spends a lot of time thinking about the tax implications of everything they do to improve environmental impact. A top concern among producers about 30x30 has been how the Biden administration plans to pay for their ambitious climate and infrastructure agenda. Tax code provisions like stepped up basis, which is vital to cattle producers’ ability to pass on their family owned operations to the next generation, may be in the crosshairs as the administration looks to raise revenue. Fundamentally, the administration has to be very careful about taking resources away from the people that feed the nation, added Coombe. “NCBA views sustainability as a three part issue,” Glover said. “Environmentally, cattle producers provide a myriad of benefits, from carbon sequestration to invasive species management. These efforts create a more sustainable future for our industry, and we are innovating to reduce our environmental impact every day. Socially, cattle producers form the backbone of rural communities across all 50 states. They are pillars, both from a social and fiscal standpoint. Last and certainly not least, we have to consider economic sustainability. Cattle producers have to be able to make a living, and efforts in the arena of climate or sustainability
cannot undermine the business conditions that allow our producers to keep doing their important work of caring for the land and caring for their animals.” Coombe added that, as an ESAP winner, one of his priorities has been to help the public understand that cattle producers want to make sound environmental decisions. Still, they also have to run a profitable business. With more than 40 percent of farmland expected to transition in the next two decades, NCBA is pushing leaders in Congress to prioritize policies that support land transfers to the next generation of farmers and ranchers. In addition to long term financial viability, Coombe’s view of the future focuses on the fifth generation of his family and how they will add their chapter to the story of the farm. “It’s very important that we try to pass on the most important thing first, which is the passion for the industry,” he said. “If we don’t have the passion, all the estate planning and all the other things we need to do are not nearly as impactful.” At the Table, Not on the Menu Conservation and climate agendas like 30x30 are not going away. The Biden administration and Members of Congress have made it clear that climate policy will be a cornerstone issue over the next four years, and their prioritization is mirrored by a growing interest among consumers in how their food is produced. NCBA firmly believes that if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu – and we will continue working hard to make sure that the voices of cattle and beef producers are loudly reflected in discussions in D.C. NCBA is also working to formalize this focus on sustainability through our grassroots policy process and has formed a new Sustainability Goals Task Force chaired by NCBA Past President Marty Smith. We also know, however, that all our work in Washington falls flat without the firsthand stories and experiences of producers like Ric Coombe. “We have to tell our story. If we’re not willing to tell our story – direct to our consumers and direct to the public – we’re going to lose, because people are so disconnected today from where their food comes from,” Coombe said. “We want to be a part of the solution, and we can do that through the work that NCBA does on our behalf. It’s better to shape the solution than fundamentally oppose it forever and be shut out. We need to engage.” NCBA Pushes Congress to Address Areas of Concern in the Cattle Industry. NCBA recently led a letter with the support of 37 affiliate state cattle organizations, urging the leadership of
the U.S. Senate and House Agriculture Committees to address critical areas of concern in the cattle and beef industry. S p e c i f i c a l l y, N C B A p u s h e d Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Senator John Boozman (R-Ark.), Representative David Scott (D-Ga.13), and Representative Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Penn.-15) to consider swift Congressional action to: • Expand beef processing capacity • Broaden labor policies to strengthen the beef processing workforce • Increase transparency in cattle markets by reauthorizing Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) • Support industry efforts to reform “Product of the USA” generic labeling • Ensure proper oversight of cattle market players by concluding the ongoing U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the meatpacking sector This grassroots letter comes as cattle producers across the country express mounting frustration at the persistent imbalance in the markets. As much of the country lifts pandemic restrictions, consumer demand for U.S. beef remains strong. Producers also have a high supply of cattle to meet demand. Despite this, producers in the cow/calf and feeder sectors of the industry are facing significant challenges. The profits yielded by high boxed beef prices are not being passed on to the producers supplying live cattle, and the supply chain is being choked by a lack of processing capacity. “Cattle producers are frustrated, and with good reason. In sale barns and state meetings across the country, we’re hearing the same story of sky high input costs and intense market volatility. Across the industry, there’s a consensus that market dynamics which consistently squash producer profitability are not sustainable for live cattle or beef producers,” said NCBA President Jerry Bohn. “As members of Congress create policy that directly impacts business conditions for our producers, it is critical that they consider the grassroots input and firsthand experiences of folks on the ground. Our letter provides that perspective and reinforces how urgently we need something to shift here to strengthen the security of the beef supply chain. NCBA has strong working relationships with members on both sides of the aisle, we have grassroots policy to back the actions we outlined today, and we hope the conversation in Washington around these critical policy areas will progress quickly.” The letter is the latest move in NCBA’s long standing efforts to secure greater processing capacity, increase transparency, fight for the future viability of family farms and ranches, and increase
opportunities for producer profitability. NCBA’s letter was signed by 37 affiliate state cattlemen’s associations. Several statements of support included below: “I am appreciative of NCBA’s efforts to inform Congressional leadership about the cattle and beef industry’s most pressing issues. This is timely as expanding processing capacity and labor and ensuring cattle producers receive a fair price for their high quality product is at the forefront of cattle producers’ minds — including the over 12,000 Michigan producers,” said Michigan Cattlemen’s Association (MCA) Executive Director George Quackenbush. “It’s critically important for lawmakers in D.C. to understand the importance of these issues and to know where our producers stand. We, at MCA, look forward to working with NCBA and members of Congress to find solutions that ensure a viable business climate for cattle producers in Michigan and across the country.” “For more than a year, Arkansas’ cattle producers have withstood some of the toughest times the cattle industry has faced in recent memory; it is time for real solutions. This letter to Congressional leadership outlines real, producer driven solutions that can make meaningful changes within our industry, not just inconsequential rhetoric,” said Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association (ACA) Executive Vice President Cody Burkham. “During these times, it is imperative our elected leaders have a clear and concise understanding of the challenges impacting the cattle industry. I commend the work of NCBA leadership and staff for their work on these issues, including this letter. The ACA will continue to work with our state and national partners toward meaningful reforms that benefit all cattle producers across the nation.” “ T h e G e o r g i a C a t t l e m e n ’s Association is appreciative of the support that our Congressional leaders have shown through the allocation of CARES Act payments for cattle producers over the past year due to the uncertainties and challenges our industry faced due to COVID-19 and significant market volatility. While this relief has been critical over the past year, we still have concerns about the prices our members are receiving for the high quality beef they produce compared to the significantly higher prices that packers are enjoying,” said Georgia Cattlemen’s Association Executive Vice President Dale Sandlin. “As an industry, cattle producers have resisted a legislative
Continued on the next page
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 51
NCBA News continued from the previous page solution to the challenges of market forces; however, the industry cannot survive if the current disparity is left unchecked. We appreciate the ability to work with NCBA and other affiliates to find an approach that works for the benefit of the entire industry.” “Pennsylvania cattle producers have been facing extreme market uncertainty and a host of other challenges for more than a year. Their frustration reflects very real challenges to producer profitability, and we need to act to return market leverage to farmers and ranchers. This NCBA-led letter gives clear direction to Congressional leadership about issue areas that need their focus, and points us in the direction of meaningful action,” said Pennsylvania Cattlemen’s Association President Cliff Orley. “With a wide range of voices on the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, it’s more important than ever that our industry clearly articulate our needs to our elected officials. Pennsylvania Cattlemen’s thanks NCBA for its leadership, and we will continue working to strengthen the business climate for producers across the country.” NCBA Welcomes New Study Highlighting the Negative Impacts of Transfer Taxes. Recently, the Texas A&M Agricultural and Food Policy Center released a report quantifying the negative impact imposing new transfer taxes will have on U.S. cattle and beef producers. The conclusions of the study support NCBA’s position on tax policy for rural America that creates a viable business climate for family owned businesses, including farms and ranches. This study, requested by Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry John Boozman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Agriculture GT Thompson, reveals the significant impact two proposed bills would have on long standing provisions in the tax code. The
STEP Act would eliminate stepped up basis at the time of death of an owner. The 99.5% Act would, most notably, decrease the estate tax exemption from the current $11.7 million per individual and $23.4 million per couple to $3.5 million per individual and $7 million per couple. The study proves that, because of their unique structure, family owned businesses are particularly susceptible to changes in the tax code. In fact, if both bills were implemented, 98 percent of the representative farms used in the study would have seen an average tax increase of $1.4 million. “This study supports what NCBA has long advocated for — tax policy for rural America that encourages generational transfer, instead of acting as a barrier for the next generation of agriculturists to contribute to a safe, reliable and abundant food supply chain. From the results of the study, it is clear that these proposed bills would have significant and, in some cases, devastating effects on family owned businesses,” said Senior Executive Director of Government Affairs Danielle Beck. “We appreciate Senator Boozman and Representative Thompson taking action to preserve sound tax policies and ultimately supporting the businesses that are the backbone of rural economies across the United States.” With more than 40 percent of farmland expected to transition in the next two decades, Congress must prioritize policies that support land transfers to the next generation of farmers and ranchers. When doing this, it is imperative that lawmakers take into consideration the complexity of the implications of taxes on family owned businesses. In the case of farms and ranches, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that 91 percent of assets are illiquid. This means that to pay off tax liabilities at the time of an owner’s death, surviving family members may be
January
February
Chester
728
Darlington Laurens
2021 South Carolina Sale Barn Cattle Receipts March
April
May
308
1,104
919
726
1,090
581
2,432
1,283
866
1,194
1,325
1,964
1,593
1,373
830
786
1,123
1,187
959
Saluda
2,056
1,355
3,094
2,482
2,324
Williamston
2,812
1,313
2,792
2,255
1,949
Orangeburg
PAGE 52
forced to sell off land, farm equipment, and sometimes parts of the operation. If farmland is lost and therefore transitioned out of production, the environmental benefits that come along with the deliberate stewardship done by farmers and ranchers will be lost as well. “Farmers and ranchers conserve nearly 900 million acres of crop and rangeland in the United States. The vital work done by cattle and beef producers to deliver an array of environmental benefits such as restoring wildlife habitat, sequestering carbon, and protecting and improving water quality, depends on their ability to stay in business. Federal tax policy that facilitates generational transfer and allows the next generation of producers to build upon the environmental and economic benefits of today’s farmers and ranchers is just as important for fifth generation producers as it is for first generation, veteran, and minority community producers who are breaking into and establishing a foothold in the industry,” said Beck. Additional Cattle Markets Legislation Introduced in U.S. House. Recently, Representative Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.-4) introduced the Optimizing the Cattle Market Act of 2021 in the U.S. House. The legislation builds on a growing consensus among cattle producers, industry leaders, and Members of Congress that the current market dynamics — which stunt producer profitability and put undue market leverage on the side of meatpackers — are not sustainable for the beef supply chain. If enacted, the bill would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to create a cattle formula contracts library and increase the reporting window for “cattle committed” from seven to 14 days. These measures would increase transparency in the industry and improve the opportunity for robust price discovery. Representative Hartzler’s legislation
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
June
July
August
September
also reiterates the need for expedited reauthorization of USDA’s Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) program, a step NCBA has long pushed for and reached agreement on with other industry groups. The bill would also require USDA, in consultation with the Chief Economist, to establish mandated minimums for regional negotiated cash and negotiated grid live cattle trade. Minimums would be set within two years of passage of the bill and would invite stakeholder input through a public comment period and the consideration of key, peer reviewed research from land grant universities. NCBA’s member driven, grassroots policy does not support mandated minimums at this time, opting instead for a voluntary solution. NCBA’s grassroots policy also provides for a change in direction should certain conditions be met, which would mean pursuing a legislative or regulatory solution determined by the membership. “The growing momentum we’re seeing in the House and Senate behind addressing these critical concerns in the cattle markets is reflective of the urgency producers are feeling across the country. Extreme market volatility, unpredictable input costs, a shifting regulatory landscape, and natural crises like drought leave cattle farmers and ranchers with a growing list of threats to their continued financial viability. Something needs to give,” said NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. “NCBA, alongside our affiliates and other industry associations, shares Rep. Hartzler’s objectives and welcomes the discussion this bill will bring. While a government mandate on regional minimums for negotiated trade continues to be a hotly debated topic among producers, we are encouraged to see a proposal that builds on past efforts and moves us closer toward a realistic finish line.”
October
November
December
Background - Cattle producers have long witnessed the decline of negotiated fed cattle trade, and NCBA has been the leading industry voice discussing how to increase opportunities for producer profitability in this landscape. While the use of formulas and grids help cattle producers manage risk and capture more value for their product, these methods depend upon the price discovery that occurs in the direct, buyer-seller interactions of negotiated transactions. Current academic research has shown that more negotiated trade is needed to achieve “robust” price discovery within the industry. NCBA’s grassroots policy — formed through debate and discussion among members from every sector of the supply chain — states that “NCBA supports a voluntary approach that 1) increases frequent and transparent negotiated trade to regionally sufficient levels… and 2) includes triggers to be determined by a working group of NCBA producer leaders.” The policy further states, “if
the voluntary approach does not achieve robust price discovery…and triggers are activated, NCBA will pursue a legislative or regulatory solution determined by the membership.” NCBA Echoes Growing Demands for DOJ Investigation Results. Recently, Representative Mike Guest (R-Miss.-3) and Representative Darren Soto (D-Fla.-9) led a bipartisan group of 52 lawmakers in pushing the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to complete their investigation into the meatpacking sector and whether or not anti-competitive practices have contributed to a persistent imbalance in the cattle markets. This letter is the latest result of a recent groundswell of bipartisan, bicameral attention into the need to return market leverage to the side of cattle farmers and ranchers and address the startling price disparity between live cattle and boxed beef. NCBA — with the support of 39 state cattle groups — called yet again for
A Message from the CEO By COLIN WOODALL
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
The World Belongs to Those Who Show Up Throughout my time working for NCBA, I have heard many volunteer leaders say, “The world belongs to those who show up!”. Each time I hear it, it still resonates as true. In short, if you are not willing to help chart a path, it becomes awfully hard to complain that the path is not smooth enough. Pointing out problems is easy, and the times we find ourselves in now only magnify the problems. Input costs are going up steadily. Inflation is rearing its ugly head. Packing capacity cannot handle our needs. Washington wants to increase our taxes and jeopardize our ability to keep our operations intact. We are tired of wearing masks. The list of problems seems to be endless, and I believe everybody has plenty of reasons to be mad. Justification of being mad aside, it is important to think twice before casting
stones; it is another thing to step up and work on solutions. NCBA and our state partners are the organizations that work on solutions. Those solutions, however, would never materialize without the members who show up, engage, debate, and ultimately make the decisions on how NCBA should move forward. This producer engagement and decision making is what gives NCBA its power and is reflective of a true grassroots, producer led organization. All you had to do was be in Denver last summer for the Live Cattle Marketing Committee meeting to see the power that comes with showing up and engaging. As the CEO of this association, I do not make our policy decisions. Just to let you in on another misconception, the packers do not make the decisions either!
a swift conclusion to DOJ’s investigation into the packing sector. “Market volatility leaves our producers with extreme uncertainty, and this lack of stability and profitability is problematic for the entire beef supply chain,” said NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. “The growing motivation in Congress to hasten the conclusion of the DOJ investigation and take action on the issues plaguing our industry’s marketplace is the result of grassroots consensus among cattle producers. Across the country, in sale barns and state affiliate meetings, we’re hearing the same frustration from our members — no matter how the pendulum swings, the leverage always seems to be on the side of the packers. We thank Rep. Guest and Rep. Soto for adding their leadership to this critical effort at a time when cattle producers need stability.” In May, NCBA worked with Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) and Congressman Dusty Johnson (R-Ala.) to deliver a
similar, bicameral letter to DOJ. 2021 Cattle Industry Convention Speakers Will Educate, Motivate, and Inspire. Additional General Session Adds Value to Convention Registration. The 2021 Cattle Industry Convention will hit all the right notes when country music stars, inspirational speakers, and hot topics converge in Nashville, Tenn., on August 10-12. New to this year’s convention is an additional general session, which provides even more value to registration. “We are excited to bring people together once again to learn and be inspired,” says Kristin Torres, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association executive director of meetings and events. “We’ve crafted a program that will give attendees an exceptional experience as well as a great value.” Buzz Brainard, host of Music Row
Our job as your staff team is to take the decisions you make and implement them. It is this member/staff team approach that allows NCBA to be the most effective voice for the cattle industry. We do have plenty of detractors, though, and they love to throw rocks. We are bombarded daily by producers who see fit to call us every name in the book. My intelligence has been questioned so many times by some of these callers that I sometimes wonder how I manage to get myself dressed in the mornings without help. Sometimes people just need to vent. As your staff team, it is our job to take the tongue lashings and talk these producers through the reasons why we take certain policy positions. Our volunteer leaders get more than their fair share of these phone calls, too. We do not allow the calls and criticism to stop our quest to make things happen. In fact, I often remind our team that dogs do not bark at parked cars. We are in this together to protect your right to produce cattle and high quality beef now and by future generations on your operation. We have plenty to be concerned about when it comes to the cattle markets, but NCBA is the only organization that came up with a memberdirected plan to try and improve things. We are in our second quarter of implementing that plan to improve price discovery by increasing cash trade. We also continue work to address the labor issues in the packing plants to get them running at full capacity again so we can process the
cattle we have ready to go. Since packing capacity is one of the biggest drivers of the market doldrums, we are also finding ways to incentivize the construction of more capacity via local and regional packers. There is a tax proposal on the table in Washington that calls for eliminating the stepped-up basis. This action would be devastating to the generational transfer of cattle farms and ranches. The 30x30, now known as the “America the Beautiful” plan, has many wondering if the government is going to take their land. EPA’s Waters of the United States, or WOTUS, regulations are back on the table. We could sit back and simply throw rocks at the administration, but we are finding ways to work with them to head off these actions and keep them from impacting your livelihood. To be clear, we are on the front line and working on all these issues. To keep NCBA headed in the right direction, we need you to engage. Plan now on coming to the 2021 Cattle Industry Annual Convention and NCBA Trade Show in Nashville, Tenn., in August to engage in the association’s decision making process. You have a voice, and the convention is the place to express that voice. We know the financial woes many of you are dealing with; that is why the convention prices are not going up while we still deliver the great experience you have come to expect from us. Engage. Participate. Together, we can overcome our problems.
Continued on the next page
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 53
NCBA News continued from the previous page Happy Hour with Buzz Brainard, will emcee convention events. Brainard is a familiar face in Nashville, and his voice is well known on SiriusXM radio, Animal Planet, and the Discovery Channel. The Opening Session on August 10, sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim, will kick things off with country music singer and songwriter Kix Brooks. Brooks, who was recently recognized as the National On-Air Personality of the Year by the Academy of Country Music, will talk about his experiences in country music as well as his passion for creating award winning wines. CattleFax will present its U.S. and Global Protein and Grain Outlook Seminar on August 11, exploring factors driving the market, and Dr. Art Douglas will discuss evolving weather patterns and provide a weather forecast for the United States and the world. This session is sponsored by Zoetis and Purina Feeds, LLC. The final day of convention includes two general sessions featuring a panel discussion on sustainability, sponsored by Roto-Mix, LLC. Sustainability continues to be a hot topic, with environmental stewardship often making the headlines, but economic viability and social responsibility play roles as well. Session speakers will discuss how the cattle industry offers solutions to the climate change conversation. The Closing General Session on August 12 celebrates the industry’s Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Program. In addition to honoring recipients of the BQA Awards, sponsored by Cargill, the session features speaker Jason Brown, a former professional football player who turned in his cleats for a tractor. Brown left the NFL to serve others through farming, and he will talk about his life changing journey from the football field to the vegetable field. Additional educational opportunities can be found throughout the three days, including the Learning Lounge, which offers “lightning sessions” on the trade show floor providing busy attendees valuable educational tips. The Stockmanship and Stewardship demonstration arena provides unique educational experiences featuring sessions on adding value to calves at sale time and horseback handling to improve the bottom line. And, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association “State of the Industry” session, which will be held in the general session room, will feature CEO Colin Woodall, and Vice President of Government Affairs, Ethan Lane, discussing the current climate in Washington. For those arriving early, Cattlemen’s
PAGE 54
College, sponsored by Zoetis, will highlight cutting edge topics and top industry leaders, such as Tuesday’s keynote speaker, Dr. Jayson Lusk from Purdue University, who will discuss industry impacts from COVID-19 and keeping beef at the center of the plate. “Nashville is open for business, and we look forward to seeing everyone in person this August,” says Torres. While the 2021 Cattle Industry Convention is being held in person, a virtual option is available for those who can’t attend. The CattleCon Remix ticket provides live streaming of all general sessions as well as on demand options for other educational events. For more information and to register and reserve housing, visit www.convention.ncba.org. NCBA Joins Dialogue with Secretary Vilsack on Build Back Better Initiative. NCBA recently joined an agriculture industry call with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Vilsack to discuss the path forward for the recently announced $4 billion Build Back Better initiative. During the coalition call, there was a productive, positive dialogue on how funds could best be utilized to strengthen the security of the beef supply chain and increase opportunities for profitability for all sectors of the cattle industry. In yesterday’s announcement, USDA outlined four areas of focus for the program — food production, food processing, aggregation and distribution, and consumers and markets. The prevailing theme on the call was processing capacity, and Secretary Vilsack specifically cited the urgent need to expand capacity in the cattle and beef industry. “I’m extremely optimistic about the priorities Secretary Vilsack expressed, and the targeted interest he and his team have shown in improving business conditions for cattle producers,” said NCBA CEO Colin Woodall. “The fact that the focus of his comments was on processing capacity signals that the Build Back Better initiative could be directly beneficial for NCBA members. We discussed new local and regional processing facilities, bringing federal inspection within reach for more state inspected facilities, and maintaining open, transparent markets. A nimble, durable beef supply chain is good for cattle producers and consumers alike, and NCBA looks forward to working with Secretary Vilsack and his team as they build out these resources for producers.” Woodall also reiterated to Secretary Vilsack that demand for U.S. beef is high and cattle supply is high, but the
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
chokepoint in the middle — caused by a lack of hook space — has stifled producer profitability and created unsustainable market dynamics. NCBA Takes Action to Increase Producer Profitability Through USDA Verified Labels. NCBA recently filed a petition with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) to eliminate the use of “Product of the USA” (POTUSA) and other broad U.S. origin labeling claims for beef products that are potentially misleading to consumers. NCBA believes that current “Product of the USA” labels are a disservice to American consumers and cattle producers alike. The claim implies that a beef product is entirely of U.S. origin. However, in reality, imported beef products are eligible to be labeled “Product of the USA” as long as the product has been minimally processed or repackaged in a USDA inspected facility. It is not subject to source verification, is not tied to any kind of food safety standard, and is applied by packers and retailers in a manner that does not deliver value back to the cattle producer.
Braunvieh Association of America Joins IGS. The Braunvieh Association of American (BAA) has become a member of the International Genetic Solutions (IGS), a cooperative of more than 19 breed associations around the world that work together to provide the largest multibreed genetic evaluation in the world. With approaching 20 million animals in the IGS database, the BAA and other IGS partners have a stronger genetic evaluation than any singular breed could have alone. This multi-breed model gives producers stronger EPDs that help breeders and their customers make confident selection decisions. “This is a monumental moment for the Braunvieh breed, and something we have worked hard to achieve since IGS inception,” says Robert Williams, President of the BAA. Joining IGS “makes a statement to the rest of the industry that Braunvieh is serious about being a factor in the beef industry.” With this transition, breeders can expect to see increased frequency of
“The Product of the USA label does not meet the expectations of today’s consumers and disincentivizes the use of voluntary, source verified claims that allow cattle and beef producers to more effectively distinguish their product in the marketplace,” said NCBA President Jerry Bohn. “There is a growing desire among consumers to know more about the origin of the food they purchase, and it is critical that producers are empowered with opportunities to market their high quality beef in a way that allows them to differentiate the source of their product from competitors and potentially increase profitability.” For many years, NCBA has supported voluntary efforts which provide producers the opportunity to capture more value through origin labels and corresponding marketing initiatives that are voluntary and source verified. In lieu of the “Product of the USA” label, NCBA is advocating for a more appropriate generic label, such as “Processed in the USA.” Further, NCBA hopes to work with USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to proactively educate cattle producers, processors, and retailers about the various opportunities
NEWS
calculations in EPDs, amplified EPD accuracies, and EPD value adjustments in line with the multi-breed database. IGS EPDs will now be updated weekly and be part of the beef power IGS is building. Williams adds, “Braunvieh has a lot to offer the beef industry, and IGS is a tool we can use to prove that point.” IGS collectively provides user friendly and science based genetic predictions to enhance the profitability of beef cattle producers. The Braunvieh Association is committed to utilizing these advancements now and in the future. About the Braunvieh Association of America. The mission of BBA is to support and encourage the use of Braunvieh genetics in the global beef industry by maintaining the integrity of the Braunvieh Association of America herd book, equipping members with information and selection tools necessary to compete, expanding opportunities for members to attract and service customers, and fostering interaction among members. To learn more, contact the ASA office or visit www.braunvieh.org.
that exist to develop voluntary, verifiable origin marketing claims that deliver tangible benefits to cattle producers without violating rules of trade. The voluntary labels that NCBA supports represent investments made by producers to continually improve their product and meet consumer demand. Marketing through source verification will provide a more accurate and truthful description of the product, which will reduce the potential for consumer confusion while increasing the ability for cattle producers to capture additional premiums for their product. Background - In 2019, NCBA established the Transparency in Labeling Working Group to investigate producer concerns about the “Product of the USA” label. After several months of investigation, research, and discussion, the producer-led working group recommended new policy for NCBA to address these concerns. NCBA producer members approved the policy in 2020, strengthening NCBA’s support for the use of voluntary source of origin claims and USDA verification of any source of origin claim or label. Moving forward, NCBA’s policy team will work with USDA to ensure origin claims and source labels can only be used if they are from voluntary and verified programs. NCBA Delivers Progress on Backend 150 Air-Mile Exemption for Livestock Haulers. NCBA recently delivered progress on much-needed regulatory flexibility for livestock haulers. The addition of the backend 150 air-mile exemption from hours-of-service (HOS), crucial language pulled from the HAULS Act, was agreed to by Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) in the Senate Commerce Committee and adopted into the larger Surface Transportation Investment Act of 2021 by a bipartisan vote. NCBA spearheaded the introduction of the larger HAULS Act in both the Senate and House this spring and worked hard to get the backend 150 airmile exemption included in the Surface Transportation Investment Act that will be sent to the Senate floor. Livestock haulers are a critical part of the supply chain keeping grocery stores stocked with high quality U.S. beef. The upheaval of the pandemic and ongoing market volatility has only underscored the need for further flexibility in livestock hauling regulations to keep the supply chain strong. “When one-size-fits-all government regulations fail to account for expertise on the ground, livestock haulers are
put in the impossible position of either complying with regulations or doing what they know is best for the humane and safe transportation of live animals,” said NCBA Executive Director of Government Affairs Allison Rivera. “We strongly support this bipartisan, commonsense effort to give livestock haulers the flexibility they need to maintain the highest level of safety for drivers on the roads, transport livestock humanely, and ensure grocery stores remain stocked with beef. We thank Senator Fischer, Senator Tester, Senator Cantwell, and Senator Wicker for their leadership on this legislation, and we will continue working with Members of Congress to move this language across the finish line.” Background - Current hours-ofservice (HOS) rules allow for 11 hours of drive time, 14 hours of on -duty time, and then require ten consecutive hours of rest. When transporting livestock, there is a real need for further flexibility beyond the current hours-of-service. Unlike drivers moving consumer goods, livestock haulers cannot simply idle or unload their trucks when drive time hours run out without jeopardizing animal health and welfare. The HAULS Act language adopted into the Surface Transportation Act would add a 150 air-mile radius exemption under HOS regulations to the backend of hauls for those transporting livestock. NCBA is working with Members of Congress from across the country to ensure that any infrastructure and transportation spending bills reflect the unique needs of rural communities and cattle producers. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, NCBA successfully fought every month for a renewed emergency declaration which provides an exemption from hours-of-service for livestock haulers, while also working with Congress to maintain the ELD delay for livestock haulers until September 30. N C B A - Wo n F u n d s G o i n g Toward USDA Grants for Small, Independent Processors. Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the creation of two new, competitive grant funding opportunities for small, regional, and independent meat processors using funds NCBA worked to secure at the end of last year. After fighting hard for several key priorities for cattle producers in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, NCBA praised USDA for putting $55.2 million of those funds toward the critical need for greater beef processing capacity. The competitive grant funding will be available through the new Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grant (MPIRG) program. The funds will support
small beef processing facilities making the improvements necessary to achieve a Federal Grant of Inspection or to operate under their state’s Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program. The structure of the program is notably similar to the RAMP UP Act, language that NCBA worked hard to get included in the appropriations bill that is now funding USDA’s efforts. “The chokepoint created by a lack of processing capacity is directly harming our producers and their ability to capture higher value for their product. NCBA has been engaging aggressively on this issue and we’re gratified to see the funds we fought to secure in December now going toward a top priority need in our industry,” said NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. “NCBA leadership has spoken directly with Secretary Vilsack about the need for more capacity in local and regional facilities, and we’ve been encouraged by the Secretary’s attention to this problem. This grant money will help ensure that we’re not just making big plants bigger, but actually expanding capacity in those smaller, independent facilities that our producers need as well.”
Applications for funding must be submitted online at www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. EDT on August 2. The supply of cattle and the demand for U.S. beef are both strong. Still, the bottleneck in the middle caused by a lack of hook space has stifled producer profitability and created unsustainable market dynamics. On an agriculture industry call earlier this month, Secretary Vilsack underscored greater processing capacity as a key component of USDA’s $4 billion Build Back Better Initiative. On the call, NCBA CEO Colin Woodall and Secretary Vilsack discussed the need to bring federal inspection within reach for more facilities, which directly ties to the grants. About the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. NCBA has represented America’s cattle producers since 1898, preserving the heritage and strength of the industry through education and public policy. As the largest association of cattle producers, NCBA works to create new markets and increase demand for beef. Efforts are made possible through membership contributions. To join, contact NCBA at 866-BEEF-USA or membership@beef.org.
a
Virginia Herd Health Management Services, PC In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) & Embryo Transfer (ET) * On-farm aspiration of oocytes via Ultrasound Guided Ovum Pick-Up (OPU). * Embyos come back in 8 days for placement or direct thaw freezing on-farm. * Can do on donors aged 8 months and older, up to 120-150 days pregnant. Doesn’t interfere with pregnancy. * Pregnant cows work really well, so the cow doesn’t get out of her production group. * Can do a donor every 2 weeks.
* NOW AVAILABLE * Small Ruminant Laparoscopic Artificial Insemination (AI) & Embryo Transfer (ET) Oocytes fertilized at BoviteqUSA in Madison, Wisconsin. www.boviteq.com
For more information, contact:
PAT COMYN, DVM
P.O. Box 555 Madison, Va. 22727 540-829-3625 (cell) • 540-948-5238 (office/fax) pcomyn@verizon.net Visit us online at www.vhhms.com. The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 55
NCBA
President’s Report By JERRY BOHN
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
Protecting Profitability for the U.S. Cattle Producer Profitability is a common theme in the conversations I have with members, and for good reason, which is why improving the business climate for U.S. cattle producers is one of NCBA’s top line priorities. This past month, our organization has been hard at work on two issues that remain top of mind for members – cattle marketing and taxes. By now, you’ve probably heard that last month six groups representing different demographics within the U.S. cattle industry came together to talk about the current state of the marketplace and what can be done to try to address these issues on behalf of cattle producers. These groups came to a consensus on three items that we all believe can go a long way in trying to help the overall strain within the countryside. Leading that list is pushing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to conclude its investigation that was launched over a year ago. It’s in the best interests of both producers and consumers for the DOJ to get to the bottom of the current market dynamics and assess why they seemingly always result in producers getting the short end of the deal. Cattle producers deserve to know whether or not the price disparity that has plagued our market is the result of anti-competitive or other inappropriate practices in the packing sector. NCBA is working with Congress to ensure the requests for a progress report will be met at DOJ with the urgency it warrants, and we hope to see results from the Attorney General soon. The next point of consensus was in terms of packing capacity. We know that the squeeze point right now in our beef supply chain is at the processor. We have plenty of consumers who want our product, and we have plenty of cattle. We just don’t have plenty of places to process. NCBA has long worked to increase processing capacity and expand opportunities for producer profitability by lowering the hurdles for small and medium size processing facilities. We are working with Congress and the
PAGE 56
administration to try to find ways to incentivize new packing capacity and also provide incentives to try to expand existing capacity. We know this will go a long way in helping ease the tension that we’re currently seeing in the supply chain. It’s also important to note that we’ve been contacting Congress to let them know that these individuals who currently have employment at these packing plants need to get to work. And finally, there was a consensus on the need to reauthorize mandatory price reporting. LMR was due to be reauthorized for five years last September, but it was only reauthorized for one year. LMR now expires in September of this year. We need another five year reauthorization for the inclusion of a cattle contracts library, so U.S. cattle producers know the types of contracts that are available. This will help our members determine if any of those contacts fit within a producer’s marketing plan. As we look at protecting your opportunities and profitability, it’s more than just NCBA’s work with cattle marketing. It’s also making sure that we put in place a business climate that helps you succeed. And that is all the buzz right now as we look at the proposals coming out of President Biden’s administration regarding tax increases. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that America’s farmers and ranchers deserve certainty in the tax code. Without it, transition planning for the next generation of producers is nearly impossible. And, we know that typically when there is a tax increase, those of us in agriculture carry a significant part of that burden. When you look at some of the proposals we have seen or talk regarding the step up in basis, the Death Tax, capital gains taxes, and depreciation, all of those are going to have a direct impact on us. We understand that a lot of money has been spent by this administration and the previous administration in trying to address the pandemic, but we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
we’re not the ones who pay those bills. We are fighting to protect all of the great tax provisions that we achieved from the past four years during President Trump’s administration. In particular, we are trying to protect the step up in basis. In fact, we just saw the results of a study that we were a part of, along with other small businesses, that makes it very clear that preserving the step up in basis is going to be a key component in allowing the generational transfer of operations. If we lose that step up in basis, it is going to be a tax nightmare for cattle
producers, and NCBA is not going to allow that to happen. Our focus is to make a difference for cattle producers every day. We are the only trade association that never closed its doors throughout the pandemic. It was our priority to be there with you every step of the way. We’re going to remain there fighting for you, our members, because we have to have you be successful in order to make sure that we’re putting that high quality protein on the plates of Americans and our consumers around the world.
NEWS
Collegiate clubs and students invited to sign up for 2021 College Aggies Online competition. Annual scholarship competition kicks off September 13. The Animal Agriculture Alliance announced recently that its annual College Aggies Online (CAO) scholarship program will return this fall, kicking off September 13. The nine week program brings together college students from across the country to help them become confident communicators for agriculture. Undergraduates, graduate students, and collegiate clubs are invited to sign up. Students will have the opportunity to network with social media savvy farmers and industry professionals while enhancing their communication skills. Each week participants receive training from these communication experts about current and emerging issues in agriculture. Students earn points by completing weekly challenges, including writing blog posts, designing infographics, creating social media content, and submitting letters to the editor. Collegiate clubs will have the opportunity to host events on their campus to engage with peers about agriculture, along with virtual engagement options that provide flexibility in varying community and school social distancing guidelines. Club events include hosting a campus event, food drive, farm tour, and much more. “The College Aggies Online program is developing the next generation of advocates for agriculture to be confident and effective communicators online and in their communities,” said Emily Solis, Alliance communications specialist. “As a former participant, I’ve seen the many personal and professional growth
opportunities this program provides over a nine week period as you’re encouraged to step outside of your comfort zone and find new ways to share the positive stories of animal agriculture.” Last year, 276 individuals and 16 collegiate clubs participated, representing 35 states and 95 universities. Students reached more than 4.6 million people online with their social media posts and in-person at campus events. The Alliance awarded winners more than $20,000 in scholarships. Students interested in becoming confident and effective communicators for agriculture are invited to sign up at www.animalagalliance.org/initiatives/ college-aggies-online/. CAO would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. The 2021 sponsors include Dairy Management Inc., Iowa Pork Producers Association, Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER), Domino’s Pizza Inc., Ohio Poultry Association, and Pennsylvania Beef Council. To become a sponsor of this year’s program, see this year’s sponsorship opportunities and contact Casey Kinler, Director of Membership and Marketing, at ckinler@animalagalliance.org. About the Animal Agriculture Alliance. The Alliance is an industry united, nonprofit organization that helps bridge the communication gap between farm and fork. We connect key food industry stakeholders to arm them with responses to emerging issues. We engage food chain influencers and promote consumer choice by helping them better understand modern animal agriculture. We protect by exposing those who threaten our nation’s food security with damaging misinformation.
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 57
PAGE 58
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
Beef Checkoff News Fun New Video Series Teaches About the Beef Checkoff. The Cattlemen’s Beef Board and Oklahoma Beef Council have collaborated on a series of entertaining videos that explains how the Beef Checkoff works. Each of the five videos is designed to be a resource that will help cattle producers and other members of the beef community better understand the program and how their Checkoff dollars are used to drive demand for beef through promotion, education, and research efforts.
“We want cattlemen to have a sound understanding of their Beef Checkoff program, and we’ve created these videos to help reach that goal,” said
S.C. Cattle Receipts, Trends, and Prices for the Month of MAY 2021 Cattle Receipts: 8,711
•
Previous Month: 9,716
Feeder supply - 33% steers • 38% heifers • 28% bulls SLAUGHTER CLASSES
Heather Buckmaster, Oklahoma Beef Council executive director. “We hope all cattlemen will take a moment to watch these videos and then share them with others in the beef community.” The short, animated videos explain the somewhat complex Checkoff system in a simple way. They present facts about how the Beef Checkoff works, what the program does, who decides what projects the Checkoff funds, and answer key questions producers often ask about their Beef Checkoff dollars. “These videos are proof that Checkoff education can be fun and entertaining,” s a i d L i b b y S t a u d e r, C h e c k o ff communications and education manager
at the Cattlemen’s Beef Board. “Plus, we’re so excited to have broadcast legend Ron Hays as the voice of the project. It really was a great collaborative effort, and we look forward to rolling these out across the country so that producers and importers everywhere can better understand their Beef Checkoff program.” About the Oklahoma Beef Council. The Oklahoma Beef Council is a non-profit led by beef farmer and rancher volunteers serving Oklahoma’s 50,000 farming and ranching families through the Beef Checkoff, a federal commodity program. Its vision is to be a positive difference for Oklahoma farming and ranching families and the greater beef community through serving its mission to enhance beef demand by strengthening consumer trust and exceeding consumer expectations. About the Beef Checkoff. The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The Checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50¢ on the dollar and forward the other 50¢ per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national Checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.
Avg. Wt. Price Cows - % Lean Breaker 1,475 $66.12 Boner 1,186 $68.30 Lean 918 $61.67
Bulls - Yield Grade 1-2
1,623
$92.60
FEEDER CLASSES
FEEDER STEERS (Medium and Large 1-2) Wt. Range Avg. Wt. CWT Avg. Price 400-450 422 $149.24 $629.79 450-500 480 $144.06 $691.49 500-550 528 $140.33 $740.94 550-600 574 $133.83 $768.18 600-650 618 $127.27 $786.53 650-700 681 $127.88 $870.86
FEEDER BULLS (Medium and Large 1-2) Wt. Range Avg. Wt. CWT Avg. Price 400-450 422 $145.00 $611.90 450-500 469 $137.82 $646.38 500-550 518 $135.22 $700.44 550-600 570 $129.47 $737.98 600-650 620 $125.15 $775.93 650-700 664 $122.64 $814.33
FEEDER HEIFERS (Medium and Large 1-2) Wt. Range Avg. Wt. CWT Avg. Price 400-450 424 $128.82 $546.20 450-500 471 $126.97 $598.03 500-550 519 $125.16 $649.58 550-600 567 $122.85 $696.56 600-650 620 $116.90 $724.78 650-700 679 $114.17 $775.21
Source: S.C. Dept. of Agriculture - USDA Market News Service, Columbia, S.C. - 803-737-4491
Wilkes Livestock Exchange 106 Armory Road • PO Box 2146 North Wilkesboro, NC 28659 Phone: 336-838-3442 • Fax: 336-838-3591 Weekly Sales - Wednesdays - 1:30 p.m. Take-up Tuesday Evenings
Catching and Hauling Services Available
Shelmer Blackburn, Jr.
919-270-1522 • shelmerblackburn@hotmail.com
Seth Church
336-927-5370 • sethchurch@charter.net The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 59
Industry News Feed Additives and Medicated Feeds. The term medicated feeds includes feeds containing FDA approved medications intended to be included in animal diets. This would include medications such as chlortetracycline (CTC) use in mineral supplements fed to control anaplasmosis, antibiotics used in concentrate feeds and premixes, completed feeds, and others. This might be a good time of year for cow/calf producers to review the basics of the VFD requirements. The FDA requires a Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) for all feed use medically important antibiotics. If a cattle producer needs to use one of these antibiotics, they must obtain a VFD from their veterinarian. They must have an established veterinary-client-patientrelationship with the veterinarian in the state in which the cattle are located. The only FDA approved medications are those used for treatment or control of specific diseases. The longest duration any VFD can have is 180 days. The VFD should specify an expiration date, which is the last day the feed can be used, not the date the drug becomes ineffective. Extra label use of FDA approved feed additives is strictly prohibited by law. Good records are essential with VFD feeds as well as any medications to ensure proper withdrawal periods are observed. All VFD feed records must be kept and available for inspection for two years by the issuing veterinarian, the cattle producer, and the feed mill that distributed the feed. Record keeping, either computer based or by hand, can be a useful management tool. Records can be used to evaluate treatment recommendations and help the veterinarian make adjustments based on documented results. Note that there are several feed medications that do not require a VFD. These would ionophores and parasite control medications. Visit with your veterinarian for more detailed information on VFD requirements. Internal Parasite Control. Internal parasites cause a variety of clinical signs, including weight loss, diarrhea, and death. Other, less obvious parasitic signs (often referred to as subclinical signs) significantly impact producers. The subclinical signs may include things like decreased weaning weights and lower rates of reproduction. Widespread use of anthelmintics (dewormers) has led to most cattle parasite control programs focusing on maximizing
PAGE 60
production rather than treating clinical disease. There are three anthelmintics classes available in the United States: the benzimidazoles, the macrocyclic lactones, and an imidazothiazole. Due to the extensive use of anthelmintics, concerns have been raised about the development of parasite resistance leading to loss of product effectiveness. Researchers at OSU are currently investigating Oklahoma cattle herds for parasite resistance. Numerous factors relative to the use of anthelmintics are thought to have the potential to contribute to the development of resistance. One of the biggest factors is thought to be the treatment of all animals in a production system regardless of parasite load. Application of treatment at a time of year when larval numbers on pastures are low can also lead to a relative increase in resistant larvae on the pasture. Additionally, the weight of animals is often estimated, leading to underdosing with inadequate concentrations of the drug reaching the parasite. Other groups of animals are often treated based on the average weight of the group, which leads to roughly half of the population receiving less than the recommended dose. The delivery form of the anthelmintic can also impact the risk of resistance. Pour-on formulations are convenient and easy to use, but accurate dosing is difficult, and pour-on formulations produce lower drug concentrations at the level of the parasite. Also, licking behavior has been shown to result in drug exposure of nematodes in non-treated cattle. In order to address parasite resistance and maintain product efficacy, sustainable parasite control programs must be developed. Effective programs are built upon knowledge of parasite life cycles, sound grazing strategies, and proper product use. It’s important to note that sustainable parasite control aims to suppress parasite population below the threshold for economic loss, not completely eliminate parasite populations. Producers should work closely with their veterinarian to design an effective parasite control program. Cargill Joins U.S. CattleTrace to Support Development of National Disease Traceability System. Cargill, the global food, agricultural, financial, and industrial products company, announced that it has joined U.S. CattleTrace as an official packer member. Cargill is the second beef processor to invest in the effort formed by multiple state cattlemen’s organizations to develop a national infrastructure for animal disease
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
traceability in the U.S. cattle industry. “Reducing the impact of disease is critical for the U.S. Beef herd which is why we’re excited to join the U.S. CattleTrace program and champion its efforts to improve global competitiveness and food safety across the value chain,” said Jarrod Gillig, business operations and supply chain lead for Cargill’s North American protein business. “At Cargill, we’ve long been focused on enhancing the traceability and resilience of our supply chains and believe our partnership with U.S. CattleTrace can help move the industry forward.” U.S. CattleTrace will assist animal health officials by responding to events of foreign animal disease within the U.S. cattle herd to limit any impact to daily operations and help maintain access to important beef export markets. “Cargill is a leader of sustainability in the agricultural industry, so to have them as a partner in animal health and disease traceability in our country is exciting,” said Brandon Depenbusch, chair of the U.S. CattleTrace Board of Directors. “Cattle industry leaders have provided input that in order to create and sustain a producer led traceability system, all industry sectors need to be involved. This commitment from an industry leader shows that no-matter where we come from in the cattle industry, we are all working towards a common goal of protecting our nation’s herd and the highest quality, most sustainable beef product in the world.” Using ear tags and radio frequency technologies, U.S. CattleTrace collects critical data, including individual animal identification numbers as well as the date, time, and GPS location of the animal. The program utilizes the collected data to track animals in the event of a disease outbreak, as well as track the animal from birth location to each location they travel prior to reaching a processor for harvest. An ear tag with an electronic chip interacts with the radio frequency emitted by the reader. Tags are electronic but not battery operated, meaning they can last the lifetime of the animal. The new U.S. CattleTrace initiative combines the efforts of CattleTrace, which included multiple partners from across the country, as well as traceability pilot projects in Florida and Texas. The partner organizations include the Kansas Livestock Association, Florida Cattlemen’s Association, Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association,
and Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association. Cargill’s North America protein business produces fresh, frozen, and cooked beef, turkey, pork, chicken and egg protein offerings, sauces, soups, case ready products, pet treats, and by products for retail, foodservice, and food ingredient customers. Protect Cattle From Heat Stress. Being proactive is the best way to deal with heat stress in cattle, according to North Dakota State University Extension livestock specialists. To anticipate when heat stress conditions will be developing, actively monitor temperature and humidity forecasts. Extreme temperatures are expected to hit many parts of North Dakota this week, with many cities projected to break record highs. The current outlook for the summer has increased chances for warmer than normal temperatures, increasing the potential for heat stress in cattle. “If cattle are already experiencing severe heat stress, it may be difficult to help them recover from it,” cautions Zac Carlson, Extension beef cattle specialist. “Being prepared and implementing an action plan can minimize the impacts of heat stress on animal performance (i.e., reduced feed intake, weight gain, reproductive efficiency and milk production) during the upcoming periods of heat and will avoid death losses in severe cases.” Heat stress occurs when cattle are not able to dissipate heat. Mammals have involuntary methods of regulating their internal body temperature, including shivering and sweating to maintain “homeostasis,” or a constant, stable environment, says Gerald Stokka, Extension veterinarian. Signs that animals are trying to maintain homeostasis include an increased respiration rate, increased heart rate, and increased panting. While animals are using extra energy, their feed intake declines. Water is an important part of dealing with heat stress. For pasture cattle, evaluate the conditions of the water supply and ensure plenty of high quality drinking water is available. The amount of water livestock need depends on the type of animal and stage of production, with requirements often doubling during hot weather. The general estimates of daily water intake for beef cattle when the temperature is 90ºF are: • Cows - 18 gallons for nursing calves; 15.3 gallons for bred dry cows and heifers • Bulls - 20 gallons • Growing cattle - 9.5 gallons for a 400 pound animal; 12.7 gallons for a 600 pound animal; 15 gallons for an 800 pound animal • Finishing cattle - 14.3 gallons for a 600 pound animal; 17.4 gallons for an 800 pound animal; 20.6 gallons for a 1,000 pound
animal; 24 gallons for a 1,200 pound animal Carlson and Stokka recommend producers also take the following steps to protect cattle from heat stress: • Identify animals that are most susceptible to heat stress. They include feedlot animals closest to the market endpoint, very young and very old animals and those with dark hides. • Develop an action plan to deal with heat stress. • Know when to intervene. A combination of factors, including temperature and humidity, drives heat stress. An action plan should include the following: • Give each animal access to at least 2 inches of linear water trough space in a pen. This means that in a pen with 200 animals, you need to have 400 inches of linear water space. If your cattle have access to only small water troughs, add temporary space for additional water access during the summer. • Evaluate your water supply lines and ensure you have sufficient water pressure
and flow capacity to keep troughs full during times of peak water consumption. • Move the animals’ feeding time to late afternoon or evening. This will allow rumen fermentation to take place during the cooler night temperatures, and it will increase the cattle’s lung capacity during the hotter daytime temperatures. • If feeding once daily, consider moving feed delivery until the afternoon. If feeding multiple times daily, consider feeding a small meal in the morning and a larger portion of the diet later in the afternoon. Decrease the amount of feed offerings during and for several days after heat stress. • Provide adequate air movement. Remove unessential wind barriers (portable wind panels, equipment, weeds, and other objects) to promote better air movement. Having mounds in pens gives cattle more elevation and possibly access to a microclimate with more wind. • Cool the ground and the cattle gradually. Sprinklers cool the ground cattle are lying on as much as they cool the cattle. Set up sprinklers well in advance
of anticipated heat stress because cattle take time to adapt to changes. Use the sprinklers during mildly hot days, so cattle become accustomed to the sights, sounds, and the cooling effects of the sprinklers. An alternative to sprinklers is running a hose into pens to wet the ground where cattle will be lying. Run the sprinklers or wet the ground before the day’s peak temperatures. • Be aware of the droplet size of water coming from the sprinklers. The goal is to have large droplets of water. A fine mist likely will make the pens even more humid and contribute to greater heat stress. • Provide shade if possible. • Add light colored bedding (straw or corn stalks) to reduce the temperature of the ground on which cattle are lying. Apply bedding to the tops of mounds and other areas likely to have wind. Also, wet the bedding before or shortly after putting it out. • Control flies as much as possible because hot cattle tend to bunch together, and flies will add to the stress of hot days. • Do not work cattle during temperature extremes. If working cattle is absolutely
necessary, keep working time as short as possible, use calm animal handling techniques to minimize stress related to handling, and consider running smaller groups through the facility or into holding pens. Provide sufficient water in holding pens. Get started as early in the morning as daylight will allow. Do not work in the evening after a heat stress day; cattle need this time to recover. Reconsider the necessity of working cattle during these periods; postpone or cancel some working events. • Pay attention to long and short term weather forecasts and have a copy of the temperature-humidity index chart readily available. Determine the potential risk threshold and be prepared, even if the risk is several index units away. “Also, remember that interventions causing animals distress or to cool extremely rapidly could have disastrous consequences,” Stokka says. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a heat stress forecast tool available at www.ars.usda.gov/plains-area/claycenter-ne/marc/docs/heat-stress/main.
J. Neil Orth Named 2021 Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery Inductee Officials of the Kentucky State Fair Board recently announced that J. Neil Orth has been selected as the 2021 Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery inductee. The portrait gallery serves as the livestock industry’s hall of fame. The Saddle and Sirloin award is one of the highest honors awarded to individuals in the livestock industry. The award is presented by the Saddle and Sirloin Award Committee based on an individual’s service and industry impact. Neil Orth began to forge a career path in livestock marketing and leadership as a student at Michigan State University. While still a student at MSU, Orth assumed the role of “beef ambassador,” managing and touring International Livestock Exposition grand champion steers throughout the United States. The tour was expanded by USDA to Europe and the 1964 World Trade Fair. The project was designed to promote the U.S. beef industry internationally. In May 1968, Orth began a well documented, successful career in livestock marketing as a young field representative for Vance Publishing’s (now Farm Journal) publication, Drovers Journal. Neil’s reputation as having a keen eye for
phenotype preceded him as a marketer. While making a routine herd visit to sell Drovers Journal advertising, the potential advertiser asked him to evaluate the family’s steer prospects. One calf quickly caught his eye. Orth encouraged the family to bypass any terminal shows and take him to the International. The rest is beef industry history. The steer was the iconic “Conoco” that became the first crossbred steer ever selected as the 1969 grand champion steer at the International Livestock Exposition held in Chicago, Illinois. Two years later, Orth and his father bred a promising crossbred calf, “Bold Move,” that was selected by Dr. Gary Minish as the 1971 grand champion steer at the International. During Orth’s 18 year career at Drovers Journal, advertising sales increased dramatically year over year; Vance Publishing launched a national pork publication, began to offer ring service in Canada, and the publication became the premier voice of the livestock industry. After two years, Neil was promoted to director of field staff and advertising sales manager. Under Orth’s leadership, the field staff was the most respected team of marketers in the beef industry. His ability and commitment to teach and mentor young people became a bellwether of industry contributions. In 1983, he was named associate publisher.
In 1988, Neil Orth’s career path changed from livestock marketer and publisher to breed association executive when he became the executive vice president of the International Brangus Breeders Association, San Antonio, Texas. Orth approached his new career path with the same passion for progress as he had in all previous endeavors. During his 12 years of Brangus leadership, the association made tremendous progress through an aggressive commitment to research; improved and expanded genetic selection tools; and structured commercial marketing programs and video auctions. During a difficult economic period, Orth’s leadership led to the doubling of the association’s cash reserves and greater breed acceptance. Orth’s executive management and leadership skills were again recognized, and he was named executive vice president of the American-International Charolais Association in 2000. As a breed executive, Orth’s mastery in improving the financial position of the associations under his leadership is the result of his ability to assess inefficiencies and willingness to make change. His unassuming leadership and administrative style enabled him to effectively see association issues in the broader context of the beef industry. Three generations of young people have benefitted from Neil Orth’s
mentoring and leadership and parlayed their experiences into successful careers in the livestock industry. Two major breed associations have made course corrections and continue to own a share of the beef industry market. During a career that spans more than 50 years, Orth has received multiple awards from his peers, served on national and international boards, and made significant and lasting industry contributions. The Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery is curated by the Kentucky State Fair Board and is displayed throughout the Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville, Kentucky. The collection includes more than 350 original oil portraits dating back to the early 1900s. To be considered for the Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery, an individual must be nominated by his or her peers. Neil Orth’s nomination was supported by more than 150 letters from industry leaders, university leaders, professional colleagues, and national and international breed association executives. Orth’s official induction into the Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery will be on November 14 at the North American International Livestock Exposition, held at the Kentucky Exposition Center.
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 61
...
LASSIFIED PUREBRED C ATTLE BREEDERS BACK CREEK ANGUS
Joe and Robin Hampton
ANIMAL H EALTH
www.huntsbrangus.com Calhoun, GA 770-548-7950
345 Withrows Creek Lane Mt. Ulla, NC 28125
704-880-2488
Angus
Black Crest Farm
W.R. “Billy” McLeod
1320 Old Manning Rd., Sumter, SC 29150
803-481-2011
williammcleod@ftc-i.net • www.blackcrestfarm.com
Walter D. Shealy III and Family
20977 US Hwy 76 • Newberry, SC 29108 Walter Shealy • 803-924-1000 Dixon Shealy • 803-629-1174 walter@blackgrove.com • dixon@blackgrove.com www.blackgrove.com
C. A. H.
AUTO • HOME • LIFE BUSINESS • FARM & RANCH
Jim Traynham Wingate, N.C. 704-233-5366 Cell - 704-292-4217
Brent Glenn, DVM Lancaster, S.C.
Carolinas Animal Health, LLC
“Cattle with Something Extra”
519 Morgan Mill Rd., Monroe, NC 28112 704-289-5083 • 704-289-1696 • 800-222-8638
803-789-7000
The Josey Agency, Inc. Douglas Josey Multi-Line Agent
Cell: 803-385-8161 Email: djosey@truvista.net
QUALITY GELBVIEH, ANGUS, & BALANCER CATTLE
DUANE & WENDY STRIDER, OWNERS
Duane Cell: 336-964-6277 • Wendy Cell: 336-964-5127 Home: 336-381-3640 • Fax: 910-428-4568 ccrosscattle@yahoo.com • ccrosscattle.com
Ernest B. Harris President
2610 Kee Moore Drive Chester, SC 29706
Nationwide On Your Side®
Phone: 252-257-2140 Mobile: 252-430-9595 ®
James S. Wills • The Wills Agency LLC Primary Agent/Owner Master Farm Certified
555 West Church Street Batesburg, SC 29006
THE HERD THAT CONSISTENTLY PRODUCES CATTLE WITH PERFORMANCE, CARCASS, AND EYE APPEAL.
Telephone: 803-532-3390 Cell: 864-554-4658 Fax: 803-532-0615 james@twainsurance.com
Inc. / Auctioneers
REGISTERED POLLED HEREFORDS • EST. 1998 “Quality Cattle For Quality People”
3200 NC Hwy. 58 • Warrenton, NC 27589 NCAL #1468 • NC#C#4264 • VAL #146 • SCAL #3895 Email: ebharris@ebharris.com www.ebharris.com
Cattle Available Private Treaty John Wheeler • 910-489-0024 doublejfarm@yahoo.com • www.doublejfarmllc.com Headquarters - 775 Clacton Circle • Earlysville, VA 22936 Cattle located in Traphill, N.C.
CATTLE FOR SALE PRIVATE TREATY AT ALL TIMES!
328 Fowken Farm Rd. • Jonesville, SC More than 70 years of breeding grass type cattle! Carcass Data • Fescue Suited • Southern Bred EPDs Breeding Soundness Exam on Two-Year-Old Bulls
Norris Fowler • 864-219-0182
MEAT PROCESSING
BEEF • PORK • LAMB • GOAT
APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE - Call Today! • Custom Labeling • Value Added Product • Retail Packaging
336-628-4949
This Space Could Make $$$$ For You!
PiedmontCustomMeats.com
www.fowkenfarm.com
SPRINGFIELD ANGUS 104 Springfield Lane Louisburg, NC 27549
Phil Goodson: 919-880-9062 Alex Askew: 910-260-2889
• Performance Tested • Ultrasound and 50K Evaluated • Registered Angus Bulls
ALL Regular Copy
KEEP POSTED FOR UPDATES ON THE 2021 Tarheel Angus/4K Farm Production Sale
for the
RICHARD KIRKMAN, DVM 20416 US 64 West Siler City, NC 27344-0350
919-742-5500 • rdkirkman@centurylink.net
Autryville, NC 28318 www.howardbrosfarms.com
Darryl Howard Cell: 910-990-2791
THE YON FAMILY 318 Aiken Road • Ridge Spring, SC 29129 www.yonfamilyfarm.com
Angus • SimAngus • Ultrablacks
FOR SALE
BBU Registered Beefmaster Bulls and Females
WHITEHALL BEEFMASTERS Joe and Ann Logan 214 Cowhead Creek Road Greenwood, SC 29646
Telephone: 864-538-3004
PAGE 62
®
Agribusiness
AUCTIONEERING
BLACK GROVE Breeding Registered Angus since 1962
INSURANCE
13 t h A
nnual Sale Novem ber 6, 2 021
Jonathan Massey
336-260-2565 • jonathan.massey2@gmail.com
Johnny Massey
336-214-4144 • johnnymassey.1@gmail.com
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
AUGUST ISSUE by JULY 5! ALL Spotlight Material for the AUGUST ISSUE by JULY 1!
NDEX OF 13th Annual EBS Farms Select Bull & Female Sale ................... 30 2021 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show ............. 2 2021 S.C. Cattlemen’s Association Annual Meeting — SAVE THE DATE ................................................................. 3 2021 Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association Convention & Livestock Conference .................................. 15 4K Farms/Tarheel Angus ....................................................... 62 46th Annual Union County Performance Tested Bull Sale ....... 56 All Natural Feeder Calf Marketing Options ............................ 13 American National Insurance — The Josey Agency ............... 62 Apple Brandy Prime Cuts ......................................................... 8 Back Creek Angus .................................................................. 62 BioZyme Incorporated .......................................................... 41 Black Crest Farm ................................................................... 62 Black Grove Angus ................................................................ 62 Brubaker Family Angus ......................................................... 62 C-Cross Cattle Company ........................................................ 62 Carolinas Animal Health ....................................................... 62 Conquest Insurance Agency, Inc. ........................................... 27 CPC — Weather Pro ................................................................ 47 Double J Farms ...................................................................... 62 E.B. Harris Auctioneers, Inc. ................................................. 62 First Choice Insurance — Donna Byrum ................................ 12 Forage Tour ........................................................................... 11 Fowken Farms ....................................................................... 62 FPL Food ................................................................................ 18 Fred Smith Company Ranch .................................................. 62 Howard Brothers Farms ........................................................ 62 Hunt’s H+ Brangus ............................................................... 62 Hutton & Sons Herefords ...................................................... 62 Kuhn Equipment Company ................................................... 48 N.C. Angus Association Directory …...................................... 21
For Your Advertising Needs, Contact: The Carolina Cattle Connection 919-552-9111 The Livestock Advertising Network 859-278-0899
DVERTISERS N.C. Cattlemen’s Association Membership Application ........ 38 N.C. Hereford Association Directory ..................................... 24 N.C. Meat Suite ..................................................................... 37 N.C. Simmental Association .................................................. 26 National Beef Checkoff/North Carolina Cattle Industry Assessment .............................................. 9 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association 2021 Policy Priorities ...................................................... 52 Nationwide® AgriBusiness Insurance — The Wills Agency ......................................................... 62 Nationwide® AgriBusiness Insurance — The Wills Agency ......................................................... 33 Pearson Livestock Equipment .............................................. 10 Piedmont Custom Meats ....................................................... 62 Ragan & Massey — Prine Tetraploid Annual Ryegrass .......... 34 Red Angus Association of the Carolinas Directory ................ 30 Rusty Thomson & Family Cattle Fencing and Equipment ...... 23 SimAngus Solution ............................................................... 62 South Carolina Private Treaty Sale Checkoff Investment Form ........................................... 43 Southeast Livestock Exchange — Upcoming Sale Schedule ............................................. 28 Springfield Angus ................................................................. 62 The Barn Loft — Purina Wind & Rain ..................................... 32 The Carolina Cattle Connection 2021 Spotlight Schedule ...... 45 The Carolina Cattle Connection Advertising Rates & Sizes ............................................... 29 Vetericyn Animal Wellness .................................................... 31 Virginia Herd Health Management Services — Pat Comyn, DVM .......................................................... 55 Vitalix Feedlot Starter ........................................................... 17 Watauga Butchery ................................................................ 20 West End Precast — Feed Bunks ............................................ 46 West End Precast — Feed Bunks & Troughs ........................... 39 Whitehall Beefmasters ......................................................... 62 Wilkes Livestock Exchange ................................................... 59 Yon Family Farms .................................................................. 62 The Carolina Cattle Connection
q JULYº– 2021
PAGE 63
IGHTER A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named Amal. The other goes to a family in Spain. They name him Juan. Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Amal. He responds, “They’re twins! If you’ve seen Juan, you’ve seen Amal.”
*
*
*
One day Albert Einstein has to speak at a very important science conference. On the way there, he tells his driver that looks a bit like him: “I’m sick of all these conferences. I always say the same things over and over!” The driver agrees: “You’re right. As your driver, I attended all of them, and even though I don’t know anything about science, I could give the conference in your place.” “That’s a great idea!” says Einstein. “Let’s switch places then!” So they switch clothes and as soon as they arrive, the driver dressed as Einstein goes on stage and starts giving the usual speech, while the real Einstein, dressed as the car driver, attends it. But in the crowd, there is one scientist who wants to impress everyone and thinks of a very difficult question to ask Einstein, hoping he won’t be able to respond. So this guy stands up and interrupts the conference by posing his very difficult question. The whole room goes silent, holding their breath, waiting for the response. The driver looks at him, dead in the eye, and says : “Sir, your question is so easy to answer that I’m going to let my driver reply to it for me.”
*
*
*
When NASA was preparing for the Apollo project, some of the training of the astronauts took place on a Navajo reservation. One day, a Navajo elder and his son were herding sheep and came across the space crew. The old man, who spoke only Navajo, asked a question that his son translated. “What are these guys in the big suits doing?” A member of the crew said they were practicing for their trip to the moon. The
PAGE 64
IDE
old man got all excited and asked if he could send a message to the moon with the astronauts. Recognizing a promotional opportunity, the NASA folks found a tape recorder. After the old man recorded his message, they asked his son to translate it. He refused. The NASA PR people brought the tape to the reservation, where the rest of the tribe listened and laughed, but refused to translate the elder’s message. Finally, the NASA crew called in an official government translator. His translation of the old man’s message was: “Watch out for these guys; they have come to steal your land.”
*
*
*
The teacher asked little Johnny if he knew his numbers. “Yes,” he said. “My father taught me.” “Good. What comes after three?” “Four,” answered the boy. “What comes after six?” “Seven.” “Very good,” said the teacher. “Your dad did a good job. And what comes after 10?” “Jack.”
*
*
*
The world’s leading expert on European wasps walks into a record store. He asks the assistant “Do you have ‘European Vespidae Acoustics Volume 2? I believe it was released this week.” “Certainly,” replies the assistant. “Would you like to listen before you buy it?” “That would be wonderful,” says the expert, and puts on a pair of headphones. He listens for a few moments and says to the assistant, “I’m terribly sorry, but I am the world’s leading expert on European wasps and this is not accurate at all. I don’t recognize any of those sounds. Are you sure this is the correct recording?” The assistant checks the turntable, and replies that it is indeed European Vespidae Acoustics Volume 2. The assistant apologizes and lifts the needle onto the next track. Again the expert listens for a few moments and then says to the assistant, “No, this just can’t be right! I’ve been an expert in this field for 43 years and I still don’t recognize any of these sounds.” The assistant apologizes again and lifts the needle to the next track.
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
The expert throws off the headphones as soon as it starts playing and is fuming with rage. “This is outrageous false advertising! I am the world’s leading expert on European wasps and no European wasp has ever made a sound like the ones on this record!” The manager of the shop overhears the commotion and walks over. “What seems to be the problem, sir?”
“This is an outrage! I am the world’s leading expert on European wasps. Nobody knows more about them than I do. There is no way in the world that the sounds on that record were made by European wasps!” The manager glances down and notices the problem instantly. “I’m terribly sorry, sir. It appears we’ve been playing you the bee side.”
VENTS ANGUS Oct. 9 — 46th Annual Union County Performance Tested Bull Sale, Monroe, N.C. Dec. 3 — Knoll Crest Farm Total Performance Bull Sale, Red House, Va. Dec. 4— Black Grove Angus 60th Anniversary Female Sale, Newberry, S.C. 2022 Jan. 1 — 13th Annual EBS Farms Select Bull & Female Sale, Norwood, N.C. Feb. 12 — Black Crest Farm Annual Bull and Female Sale, Sumter, S.C. GELBVIEH Dec. 3 — Knoll Crest Farm Total Performance Bull Sale, Red House, Va. Dec. 4 — 46th Annual Union County Performance Tested Bull Sale, Monroe, N.C. HEREFORD Dec. 3 — Knoll Crest Farm Total Performance Bull Sale, Red House, Va. 2022 Mar. 26 — 54th Annual N.C. Hereford Classic Sale, Statesville, N.C. SIMMENTAL Sep. 3 — N.C. Simmental Association Annual Meeting, Union Grove, N.C. Sep. 4 — 47th Annual N.C. Simmental Association Fall Harvest Sale, Union Grove, N.C. Oct. 16 — Fred Smith Company Ranch Extra Effort Bull & Female Sale, Clayton, N.C. Nov. 6 — 13th SimAngus Solution Sale, Burlington, N.C. Dec. 4 — 46th Annual Union County Performance Tested Bull Sale, Monroe, N.C. OTHER EVENTS Jul. 6 — Mid-Atlantic Cattle Sales Video Auction Jul. 20 — Mid-Atlantic Cattle Sales Video Auction
Jul. 30-31 — 2021 Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association Convention & Livestock Conference, Sevierville, Tenn. Aug. 3 — Mid-Atlantic Cattle Sales Video Auction Aug. 5 — Weaned Graded Feeder Calf Sale, Norwood, N.C. Aug. 6 — S.C. Cattlemen’s Association Annual Meeting, Clemson, S.C. Aug. 6-8 — S.C. Junior Beef Round-Up, Clemson, S.C. Aug. 7-8 — N.C. Junior Beef Round-Up, Fletcher, N.C. Aug. 10 — Forage Tour, Cleveland, N.C. Aug. 10-12 — NCBA Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show, Nashville, Tenn. Aug. 17 — Mid-Atlantic Cattle Sales Video Auction Aug. 24-25 — 16th Annual Feeding Quality Forum, Fort Collins, Colo. Sep. 7 — Mid-Atlantic Cattle Sales Video Auction Sep. 9 — Weaned Graded Feeder Calf Sale, Norwood, N.C. Sep. 21 — Mid-Atlantic Cattle Sales Video Auction Oct. 5 — Mid-Atlantic Cattle Sales Video Auction Oct. 19 — Mid-Atlantic Cattle Sales Video Auction Nov. 2 — Mid-Atlantic Cattle Sales Video Auction Nov. 16 — Mid-Atlantic Cattle Sales Video Auction Dec. 3 — Knoll Crest Farm Total Performance Bull Sale, Red House, Va. Dec. 4 — 46th Annual Union County Performance Tested Bull Sale, Monroe, N.C. Dec. 4 — N.C. BCIP Waynesville Bull Test Sale, Canton, N.C. Dec. 7 — Mid-Atlantic Cattle Sales Video Auction Dec. 21 — N.C. BCIP Butner Bull Test Sale, Oxford, N.C. 2022 Mar. 12 — March Madness Cattle Sale of the Carolinas, Chester, S.C.
