N A T I O N A L CATTLEMEN
To be the trusted leader and definitive voice of the U.S. cattle and beef industry. JUNE 2022 • Vol. 38, No. 9 • NCBA.org
MARKET SNAPSHOT WEEK OF 4/25/2022
CURRENT VS. LAST YEAR SOUTH CENTRAL 500-600 LB. STEERS
$185.14
$158.77
16.6%
LIVE FED STEERS
$119.72
17.2%
$140.26
CHOICE BOXED BEEF
$323.14
19.2%
$261.03
OMAHA CASH CORN
$7.01
15.5%
$8.09
IN THIS ISSUE 4
2023 Farm Bill
7
SUMMER BUSINESS MEETING
8
NEW PAC PROGRAM
Here’s what you need to know as Congress prepares for the 2023 Farm Bill.
Important Policy and Checkoff Committee decisions will be made in Reno, Nevada, this summer.
NCBA-PAC has a new opportunity for you to leave a lasting legacy.
12
MARKET MATTERS
13
DROUGHT PREPARATION
15
FEDERATION
Dry weather, foreign conflict and supply chain issues are impacting corn and cattle markets.
Know the resources available and how to create a drought management plan.
NATIONAL CATTLEMEN’S BEEF ASSOCIATION 9110 E. NICHOLS AVENUE, SUITE 300 CENTENNIAL, CO 80112
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State Beef Councils see incredible reach and growth by utilizing social media.
Young Cattle Producers Pave the Way to Successful Futures You’ve probably heard it said time and again that the average age of today’s farmer is 57.5 years old, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. However, there are a number of impressive, younger producers coming into the industry who are looking to enact positive change while preserving valuable traditions. By actively engaging in cattle associations and branching out to experiment with technological advancements, young cattle producers are making their impact on our industry. Cattle farming and ranching is a unique and timeless way of life though, and these producers do not want to dishonor or change the traditions that tie them back to their roots and the history of American cattle ranching. In Deer Grove, Illinois, Jake Perino learned by working with his father and uncle to raise cattle and grow crops. Jake graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Plateville and immediately started making his own legacy on the fourthgeneration cattle operation where he was raised. Today, 29-year-old Jake and his father run the family business. Jake manages the cattle feeding portion of the operation and his father manages the row crops including corn, beans, wheat, alfalfa and sorghum-sudangrass. In addition, Jake and his father work with several butchers in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin and direct-market approximately 150 head of cattle to local families each year. As he studied and earned bachelor’s degrees in agribusiness and agricultural engineering, Jake took many trips to nearby feedlots to see different cattle barns. He knew he wanted to build a climate-controlled monoslope barn, but he wanted to see a variety of options before he built his own. “When I got done with classes, I would start going on barn tours,” Jake said. “I would just go look at barns, and I would ask people, ‘What do you like about it? What don’t you like? What would you do differently? What would you recommend me to do if I built a barn?’” He traveled to Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois to get a variety of perspectives and advice from men and women who’d been in the business longer than he had. “I tried to take everybody’s good ideas and put them into our barn,” Jake added. As a young entrepreneur, Jake understood that he could jump-start his own business by seeking the advice of fellow cattle producers and building upon their suggestions and strategies. Jake’s barn covers one acre and can hold up to 300 head of cattle, which he sources from southern Indiana. The feedyard is also a beta test site for global companies seeking real-world feedback for their products that market silage inoculants, feed additives and manure additives. The barn was designed to set optimal temperatures in the winter and summer by manipulating the angle of the sun to either raise or lower the temperature inside the barn. This system efficiently uses the sun to heat and cool their barn, saving energy and input costs to ensure good animal welfare. Like Jake, Levi and Caroline Holt knew they wanted to work in agriculture, specifically cattle, while they were still in school at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. As a young couple in their thirties with three small children, Levi and Caroline have made huge strides in their community. Not only have they contributed to Holt Farms Angus, the family’s seedstock Angus operation in Livingston, Tennessee, but they also purchased Green River Embryo Transfer, a veterinary practice focused on advanced reproductive technologies in cattle, in 2019. Holt Farms originally began as a dairy in 1980 by Levi’s father, who still manages the farm. In 2006, they traded in the milkers for an Angus herd. Levi’s brother assists with Holt Farms and is an agricultural mechanic with a business on the
Levi and Caroline Holt want their children to have the opportunity to raise livestock.
Jake Perino manages his custom-built monoslope barn to feed cattle. farm as well. At Holt Farms, each family member contributes their talents to make the ranch run smoothly and provide a quality product. “Everybody has a special skill and we wanted to make sure we incorporated each unique talent into the operation to make it a successful family business,” Caroline added. “I think that just goes to benefit the whole of the farm, and it’s cool to watch people flourish at the things they are very gifted at doing.” Levi and Caroline decided to move back to Livingston once Levi graduated with his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. His expertise enabled the couple to add value to their business by providing unique services for cattle producers like embryo transfer work, boarding donor cattle, vaccinations, and using a tilt table to trim feet. It wasn’t always easy though. As young agriculturalists, returning to the family operation and carving out a place to thrive and grow can be difficult. Whether the challenge is a perceived lack of experience or the necessity to have off-thefarm income, young producers have hurdles to overcome. “There is always a struggle to really find your place, especially when you are stepping into a family operation,” Caroline said. “I think we are really lucky; we really respect the other people in the operation and have learned so much from them.” Caroline remembers feeling relieved after attending their first Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show because they were able to meet other young producers. “We heard people saying the same things we were — that you want to do whatever you can to make things succeed; you have things to offer; you have all this passion for what you’re doing but you don’t know exactly what that will look like long term,” she said. Another obstacle for the Holts, and many of their neighbors in Tennessee, is how competitive buying land has become. With the goal of passing the operation to their children, owning land is important to them. They want their three children to have the same opportunity to raise livestock that they had. “I can’t tell you how many friends we have that are looking for land to raise their family on, and the price of land is a huge obstacle because people can take farmland and split it up into tracks and sell it for an astronomical amount of money,” Caroline explained. For her and Levi, they had to be flexible. The couple recently purchased a house near Holt Farms. The home they found was a blessing, Caroline said, but it came to them unexpectedly. “Our mentality is to know what we want and be willing to work really, really hard for it and to also understand that it may not come exactly the way that we expected,” Caroline said. Levi and Caroline also grew as cattle producers by participating in leadership and educational programs like NCBA’s Young Cattlemen’s Conference and the American Angus Association’s Beef Leaders Institute sponsored by Certified Angus Beef. These opportunities connected them with other young cattlemen and women in the U.S. Continued on page 11