LMD March 2012 by Livestock Publishers

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MARCH 15, 2012 • www. aaalivestock . com

Volume 54 • No. 3

Going Out Of Business by Lee Pitts

NEWSPAPER PRIORITY HANDLING

by LEE PITTS

Bureaucrats In Training

– JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL

t’s a puzzling conundrum: in this, the most heady period the cattle business has seen in my lifetime, we see more American ranchers than ever sacking their saddles, coiling their ropes and hanging their spurs up on a wall. They’re done with the cow business at a time when it’s never been better. According to Tom Troxel of the University of Arkansas, the total number of US beef cattle has declined 14 of the last 16 years, with 2011 marking the sixth consecutive year of weakening numbers and the longest consecutive decline in history. Our business is shrunk up like a set of salted desert steers held off water and feed overnight. We’ve lost 160,000 ranchers in the last 20 years and the USDA now says there are only 687,540 beef cattle operations left in this country, with 90.8 million cattle and calves. That’s the smallest inventory since 1952. That, my friends, is the very definition of an industry in decline. While this shrinkage has been good for those good operators who have managed to survive, it is not good news for those whose cowboy dreams have died. (We’d argue that it’s not even good news for the survivors.) While beef production is still the largest part of American agriculture, comprising 31 percent of all ag

Riding Herd

“A six inch rain in Arizona is one drop every six inches” receipts, from purely an objective viewpoint, our industry looks like one that is dying a slow death. Here are my top ten reasons that ranchers are quitting the business:

I’m From The Government And I’m Here to Help. Eastern dudes argue that the number of public land ranchers is inconsequential and that they produce a small amount of our total beef. But as

usual, they don’t see the big picture. BLM and forest lands are merely “hay replacers.” Instead of forking out truckloads of hay to their cattle, the public lands rancher takes them to the mountains or forest for a brief period each year. But the government has cut them back until, for many, it’s not worth the hassle the government gives you. These cuts have meant that the home deeded ground is no longer viable as a cattle operation, and

increasingly they are being turned into ranchettes, wilderness, or wetlands. On top of that the feds are trying to “protect” every bear, mountain lion, wolf and wildflower. They’re protecting everything it seems except the taxpaying rancher. It doesn’t take too many carcasses of young calves that have been eviscerated by federal wolves to get discouraged in a way that makes a person throw up his or her hands and say, “I quit. You win.” Who wants to spend what’s left of their lives fighting with the feds? It’s much easier to sell the deeded ground as a ranchette or private getaway to some rich Silicon Valley billionaire, or turn it into a family vacation spot where the family gathers once a year to talk about the good old days.

It Isn’t US. Slowly, the American cowboy is being replaced by gauchos and continued on page two

Chipotle Sells Twisted Image of Animal Agriculture American Society of Animal Science says commercial misrepresents real conditions of animal agriculture uring the Grammy Awards broadcast on Feb. 13, Chipotle Mexican Grill aired their popular YouTube video “Back to the Start.” The video contrasts a dismal “factory farm” with cheerful, Chipotle-approved grasslands where pigs run free. In an effort to sell their products, Chipotle misrepresents the real conditions and science behind large scale food production. The Chipotle advertisement rejects the reality that indoor housing and medications are crucial in modern swine production. Darryl Ragland, DVM, PhD, a veterinarian and associate professor of food animal production medicine at Purdue University, said the negative portrayal of antimicrobials in the advertisement misrepresents how antibiotics, vaccines and other medications are used in pig production. “These products are used in a strategic manner to address health issues on most farms and represent a tool and not a crutch,”

Ragland said. “The push to ban antimicrobial use in animal production is likely to create a welfare issue where we may have sick animals that cannot be medicated because of restrictions on the use of antimicrobials.” In the advertisement, the cartoon farmer rebels against an oppressive factory system by making his barns disappear and having all his pigs forage in an un-fenced area. James Pettigrew, PhD, a swine researcher and professor of animal science at the University of Illinois said outdoor housing systems actually create new animal welfare problems. “I have worked in both outdoor and indoor pig production systems. Like most others who have actually worked in both systems, I do not consider outdoor systems to be more pigfriendly,” Pettigrew said. Pigs are exposed to new diseases when they forage outside. They also bite and injure each other to assert dominance in large groups. “The notion of raising pigs on pasture does not demonstrate good stewardship of the land. The fact of the matter is that pigs are

ome Washington, D.C. grown-ups making mischief have proposed changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act what would forbid youths under the age of 16 from operating tractors on operations other than their own family farms. Are these people nuts? That’s a rhetorical question; of course they are, they’re government bureaucrats. Their job is to stifle ambition, creativity and humanity. Next thing you know they’ll say kids under the age of 21 can’t ride horses without helmets, knee pads, shin guards, a rollover bar, seat belts and training wheels. The proposed changes are in response to a new study that says agriculture is the most dangerous profession. But that’s just because the same government bureaucrats have put most of the loggers and fishermen out of business with their endless regulations. We’re told that the feds are also considering making rules that would forbid kids from working when it gets too hot. My, my, get little Hortense and Farnsworth out of the sun, hand them their sippy cup, blanky, video game and some junk food. And mothers, don’t forget to disinfect with one of those disinfectant wipes you carry in your purse. The kids will be safe that way. And you’ll still be handing them their allowance when they come back to live with you at age 26 because all the jobs have been taken by foreign kids who weren’t nurse-maided and mollycoddled. When I was the age they are talking about I got a job so that one day I could buy my own pickup. And when I got that pickup I knew how to drive because old Mr. Moore let me drive his equally old Fordson tractor to pull the spray rig. Believe me, the only safety device that tractor had was a rear view mirror with Mr. Moore in it, checking on my driving. Occasionally he even let me drive it when he wasn't around, but he later continued on page eight

continued on page nine

www.LeePittsbooks.com

Livestock Market Digest

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March 15, 2012

Going Out Of Business grazers. While our cow herd is spiraling downward, those in Brazil and Australia are expanding. Whoever thought that Americans would be willing to not only depend on foreigners for our fuel, but our food, too? In 1974 we got eight percent of our beef from outside the country while in 2005 we got 18 percent. For every cow or steer that is grown elsewhere and shipped in either as beef or on the hoof, that means that one less is needed in this country. Globalization is a pretty simple concept to grasp: production will go to where it’s the cheapest. Unfortunately, that isn’t US.

continued from page one

Those Darn Farmers. According to the USDA, Illinois had the least number of cattle in 2011 in their recorded history. The number of cows there declined by six percent in just one year. The main reason? Ethanol. Every acre that can be farmed, every pasture that might grow a crop and every hay field that might be put to a higher use is being converted to grow corn for ethanol. It’s simple economics: in June of 2010 the average price for corn was $3.41 per bushel. Just one year later it was $6.88. In the U.S. today 40 percent of the nation’s corn crop is being

Whoever thought that Americans would be willing to not only depend on foreigners for our fuel, but our food, too?

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A Good Time To Quit. When it comes to the cow business, size matters. While all the pundits got excited recently because heifer retention rose 1.4 percent in the past six months, the number of beef cows declined 3.1 percent year for the year. No matter what kind of calculator or computer you use, 37,000 more heifers does not erase the loss of 967,000 beef cows. Keep that up for long and the business disappears. One wonders, who did those missing cows belong to? According to the USDA, the average annual gross income from livestock on ranches and farms in the United States is $41,232. That’s the lowest income of any type of farm. It’s clear that for most cattlemen, ranching is just a sideline job and this is where the biggest loss in ranchers is occurring. According to the USDA, the number of businesses with one to 49 beef cows dropped from 588,000 in 2010 to 583,000 in 2011. They accounted for 27.7 percent of the nation’s herd, down from 28 percent the year before. Operations with 50 to 99 cows dropped slightly from 82,000 to 81,000, accounting for 17.4 percent of the cow inventory. The number of operations with over 100 cows, that produce nearly 60 percent of this nation’s beef, actually grew slightly. Nevil Speer, of Western Kentucky University, said at the NCBA convention that although he doesn’t know when we’ll quit liquidating our cow factories, he’s sure of one thing: the big will get bigger. He also said that of the 160,000 cattle operations that have gone out of business in the last 20 years, 92 percent of them were running 50 or less head of cattle. For the most part, the smaller operators simply do not have the assets, or the desire it seems, to gear up and get bigger in order to compete. Instead they see this period of prosperity as a great exit opportunity.

used to make ethanol. This was corn that was formerly used to feed livestock. While the situation may have created niche opportunities for ranchers who grow grass-fed beef, it has altered our livestock landscape. In many areas of the country this has made many ranchers trade in their cowboy boots for clodhoppers and their horse for a tractor.

Dream On. If you’re like me you drool over real estate ads in farm and ranch magazines daydreaming to find a nice ranch where a person could pay the mortgage by raising cattle. Fat chance! Or maybe you’re one of those smaller ranchers who want to stay in the business, or you have the rare son or daughter who wants to follow in your boot-steps. So you look for a ranch to expand. Dream on! Have you seen any ranches that will pencil; where you could pay for the ranch with proceeds from cattle? In anything, this is a great time to sell because many folks who’ve made their money in other areas are looking to bank it in land, instead of gold or the stock market. That’s one reason why farm and ranch land soared higher in the past couple years than anytime in the last 35 years. One bank reported recently that the land rush has resulted in prices that are 25 percent higher over the past few years in Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma and 22 percent higher in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa. They called the spike in land prices “a once-in-ageneration phenomenon.” Due to the high demand for pasture, rental rates have also increased. In 2011 the average lease rate for a stocker steer went up seven percent. Such land and rental rates serve as a barrier to entry for anyone wanting to get into the business or expand.

Going Meatless. I often wonder what it would feel like to be in a busicontinued on page three

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

March 15, 2012 ness with some growth opportunity for once. That surely does not describe the cattle business so far in the 21st century. Since 1980 per capita beef consumption has plunged 25 percent. Last year we ate 57.6 pounds of beef which was down 13 percent in 10 years. This year the number is predicted to decline to 54.1 pounds. That is not the description of a growth industry. Johns Hopkins University has launched Meatless Mondays and the food faddists and aging consumers worried about the fat content of beef, radical animal rightists, and environmentalists, are making it increasingly difficult for beef to maintain market share. And consumption figures clearly indicate we are losing that battle. Some ranchers simply grew tired of being under siege all the time and just gave up.

Beef’s Catch 22. With stocker / feeder prices seeming to set new record highs every week what’s not to like about the cattle business? As strange as it may sound, the present prosperity in our industry will create fewer opportunities for ranchers down the road. Consumers are finding plenty not to like and are choking on the prices they are having to pay for beef. Retail beef prices rose 10 percent during 2011 and are forecast to rise another 4.1 percent this year. Wholesale beef prices (determined by choice beef cutout) hit $190.20 at the time of this writing. That’s a 12.9 percent year to year increase! While the high prices are good for ranchers now, they will reduce beef con-

ply doesn’t have the money to buy their parents out. Or they see such a prospect as a very bad investment in their time, energy and money. Ron Plain, of the University of Missouri, says the average farm in the U.S. is 414 acres and the average beef cowherd has 44 cows, which at today’s costs equates to a total cost of $1,106,968. What college graduate or young person starting out has that kind of money to invest? And who can live off the income from 44 cows?

sumption in the future. Beef will play less of a role in people’s diets and that is not a recipe for growth or opportunity in the cow business. Such prices are also hurting us in terms of how we stack up against our competition in the meat case. Last year consumers increased their spending for pork and poultry by $112.43 on average, while beef expenditures increased only $6.07 per capita. And it’s only going to get worse as consumers’ budgets come under increasing pressure from other costs. The CEO of Tyson Foods says he is concerned that consumers are going to eat less meat as they have to pay more for gasoline. Less beef means fewer cattle and cattlemen will be needed to meet demand.

Dying To Be In The Business. In California in the past the Williamson Act protected ranchers and farmers from paying property taxes that were based on highest use (shopping centers or tract houses). But with the state now in critical care financially, those tax breaks are in jeopardy. There are few ranches in the state that could operate profitably if they had to pay the taxes without the protection from the Williamson Act. As a result of escalating land values and governments at every level needing more money, every form of taxes a rancher pays is going up. But the biggest killer is the death tax! Ranchers who would like to pass on the family ranch so that their children can continue the family ranching tradition are finding that they either have to get lucky and sell a conservation easement, or sell the ranch completely. As if it’s not bad enough already, President Obama is now proposing to raise estate taxes to 45 percent. Is it any wonder we have fewer and fewer ranchers when the reward for living the austere and hard life

A Bad Investment. Even though 97 percent of all ranches in America classify as being family owned, in many ways the family farmer is dying off because younger members of the family want no part of the ranching lifestyle. According to the USDA, 79 percent of the cattle operations in America have less than 50 head of cattle and the average age of American farmers and ranchers is 58. And one in five of them is at least 65! Many ranchers are at that stage in life when they’d like to leave the ranch to their kids but they don’t want it. Who wants to work that hard and be paid so little, without any benefits and not have weekends to go play? The old joke about leaving the ranch to the kids being child abuse is no joke, it seems. The younger generation sim-

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And Another One Bites The Dust. And the number one reason folks are quitting the cow business? Well, it’s the same old reason they always did: lack of rainfall. There’s nothing like a drought to discourage a rancher and what a doozey cattle country endured last year! You’ve all heard the statistics: Texas, the leading cattle state reduced its numbers by 13 percent, Oklahoma by 14 percent and New Mexico by 11 percent. It was the worst drought since the dust bowl and many ranchers, instead of paying $300 a ton for hay chose to get out while the getting was good. At least they got to disperse when cattle prices were decent. But now who wants to pay $1,800 for replacement heifers or $2,000 for cows to restock, perhaps only to have to sell those same high-priced females if nature turns off the water spigot again? Yes, we’ve all heard the numbers but they don’t begin to tell the anguish of watching your cows search in vain for food that isn’t there, or chasing any vehicle that faintly resembles a hay truck. Amidst the anguish many old ranchers have seen one drought too many and have sacked their saddle, leased out the hunting rights and chosen to call it quits. Who can blame them? And so we have one less beef producer. Sure, less competition is good for those who remain but one wonders, when does our industry, if ever, cease to be a shrinking one?

Page 3

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U.S. dairy exports at record levels .S. dairy suppliers capitalized on strong global markets to achieve record export sales in 2011, boosting shipments in a year when milk supplies from competing regions increased dramatically. Processors and traders moved 3.24 billion lbs. of total milk solids into export channels last year, seven percent more than 2010, and 49 percent more than 2009. Overseas shipments were valued at $4.82 billion, up 30 percent from the year before, according to government trade data released last week. With these gains, a growing and significant proportion of the U.S. milk supply is now sold overseas, notes the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC). Exports were equivalent to 13.3 percent of U.S. milk solids production, up from 12.8 percent in 2010 and 9.3 percent in 2009. The ratio of milk powder, whey proteins, lactose and cheese sold offshore was the highest ever, a sign of how important exports have become to the U.S. dairy industry. “The most important benefit

of our ongoing export expansion is that it enables U.S. dairy farmers to grow,” says Les Hardesty, a dairy producer from Greeley, Colo., chairman of USDEC and a board member of Dairy Management Inc., which is USDEC’s primary fun-

. . . a growing and significant proportion of the U.S. milk supply is now sold overseas der. “Since 2003, U.S. milk production has increased 15 percent and more than half (60T) of the incremental milk volume has been sold overseas. USDEC’s long-term engagement with U.S. suppliers in overseas markets has helped make that possible.” Export volumes also were remarkably consistent throughout the year, helping to forestall boom-and-bust cycling on the domestic market. The U.S. dairy industry has exported between 12 percent and 15 percent of its production for 21 straight

months. Nonfat dry milk/skim milk powder (NDM/SMP) exports have been between 33,000 tons and 40,000 tons (74 million lbs. and 87 million lbs.) for 14 consecutive months. Resilient demand. The global dairy markets in 2011 were characterized by the same robust and resilient demand that has prevailed since the economic crisis of 2008-09. International markets remained strong throughout the year despite significant supply growth around the world. Milk production in the Southern Hemisphere was particularly heavy (New Zealand up 10 percent, Argentina up 14 percent), and the European Union posted a two percent increase, the largest gain since it implemented a quota regime in 1984. All told, production in Europe, Oceania, Argentina and the United States increased by 7.6 million tons (17 billion lbs.) last year. And yet buyers around the world absorbed this added supply, so even as prices softened in the second half of the year they didn’t collapse. China’s imports continue to

March 15, 2012 underpin global markets. Purchases of milk powder, whey proteins, cheese and butterfat increased 18 percent in 2011, after doubling from 2008 to 2010. Aggregate import volume of those selected products has grown by a whopping 525,000 tons (1.2 billion lbs.) in three years, and expectations are for continued large purchases in 2012. Almost every other significant importer boosted orders as well. In Mexico, the United States’ first billion-dollar export market, imports of milk powder, whey,

cheese and butterfat were up about 12 percent. In the sizeable Southeast Asia region, imports of those selected products were up about 5 percent, led by additional orders from Indonesia. Japan (+9 percent) and South Korea (+35 percent) also posted solid growth. In addition, sales to the Middle East/North Africa region, led by Algeria and Egypt, were strong. In fact, the only major buyer to pull back was Russia, where imports were off about 11 percent from 2010’s elevated level.

PETA Ad Blasted for Promoting Violence Toward Women by MYLES COLLIER, Christian Post Contributor

utrage is being voiced by women’s groups and Christians over what they are labeling an extremely offensive ad from PETA that was released on Valentine’s Day. Opponents of the ad are suggesting that PETA is now making light of the seriousness of domestic violence towards women while also pandering to morally absent individuals.

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The ad opens as a young woman is walking, carrying a bag of vegetables and wearing a neck brace. The narrator describes the situation as WVAKTBOOM, which stands for, "Boyfriend Went Vegan and Knocked the Bottom Out of Me . . . a painful condition that occurs when boyfriends go Vegan and can suddenly bring it like a tantric porn star.” Critics appalled by the poor taste of the commercial have accused the controversial animal organization of making a joke out of an extremely serious issue in domestic violence. There have been several comments on the PETA website. One of those comments was from Mum LaCroix, who wrote: “Cannot find the humor in this at all! I worked with Domestic Violence for 4 years . . . this ad is not amusing.” While another viewer, James Jewell, wrote: “I think it’s sad that you equate good sex with painful, violent sex, I guess you’re trying to be sarcastic?” But the offensive ad only highlights the societal disconnect that is present when considering violence towards women among other morally objectionable activities. The ad also follows reports of pro-domestic violence tweets posted during Chris Brown’s 2012 Grammy performance. During the Grammys dozens of users tweeted some very disturbing tweets about the domestic disturbance incident involving Chris Brown and Rihanna. Some of the comments included remarks such as: “Chris Brown can punch my face as long as he kisses it better.” Another post read: “I don’t know why Rihanna complained. Chris Brown can beat me anytime he wants to.” With this apparent emotional detachment critics are saying it is deplorable that PETA would further this trend and cast women in what they believe is a distasteful manner. However, PETA remains unrepentant insisting it was all in good fun. “The piece is tongue-in-cheek. People who watch the ad all the way through see the woman has a mischievous smile. She’s happy to go back with him. It’s playful,” a spokesman from PETA told Yahoo News.

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

March 15, 2012

State orders milk board members to answer PETA lawsuit questions by JOSHUA EMERSON SMITH, jsmith@mercedsunstar.com

n response to a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) lawsuit, a California state Superior Court has ordered farmers in the Central Valley and elsewhere on the California Milk Advisory Board to answer questions about how they market the dairy industry in California. Lawyers for the animal rights group argue that the milk board has no evidence to support its campaigns that depict, in a positive light, the health, comfort and safety of the state’s dairy cows. Both the milk board and the California Department of Food and Agriculture, which certified the campaign, declined to comment. “The milk advisory board continues to tell consumers about the great standards of care that cows receive,” said Martina Bernstein, senior litigation council for PETA. “There has been absolutely no evidence to that fact. If they have this evidence, they should be required to show it.” California leads the nation in total milk production, according to agriculture department statistics. In 2010, California produced 40.4 billion pounds of milk — more than one-fifth of the nation’s total production. Dairy farming is a leading agricultural commodity in California, producing $5.9 billion in annual sales in 2010. The state’s dairies hold

about 1.75 million milk cows. After the lawsuit started last summer, attorneys for PETA asked that board members be deposed for questioning. The milk board consented but disagreed as to the scope of questioning. However, the groups eventually came to something of a consensus, after agreeing that questions about the daily operations of individual dairy farms were anecdotal and couldn’t be used to substantiate the campaign. PETA initially argued that

questions about individual practices were necessary because milk board’s marketing campaigns relied heavily on testimonials from individual dairy farmers. But, according to court documents, the milk board and the agriculture department said the information wasn’t relevant. It’s not clear what the milk board based its marketing campaign on, Bernstein said. “I expected (the agriculture department) to say ‘We have these surveys,’” she said. “But what they said is the (milk) board members

are farmers. They know how to care for their cows. There are roughly 1,600 dairy producers in California. For them to say the board members have their own

Page 5 The milk board is one of the largest commodity boards in the country, conducting research, public relations and advertising for the industry.

In 2010, California produced 40.4 billion pounds of milk —more than one-fifth of the nation’s total production. farms and they can verify industrywide conditions made no sense.” Over the next two months, under Superior Court order, attorneys for PETA will have the chance to question board members Domenic Carinalli Jr., Richard Michel, Margo Souza, James Ahlem, Perry Tjaarda, Tony Machado, Essie Bootsma and Henry Vander Poel.

Under the PETA lawsuit, the milk board and the agriculture department could be found in violation of the California Marketing Act and California Milk Marketing Order, respectively. Such a ruling could restrict the milk board’s ability to make claims about dairy industry conditions, until further evidence is presented.

U.S. Supreme Court Rules on Riverbed Ownership High court overturns Montana Supreme Court ruling that power company owes state rent compiled by staff Farmfutures.com

he U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case PPL vs. Montana that the waterfalls of the Missouri River near Great Falls, Mont., are not navigable and therefore power company PPL does not owe the state rent and the state cannot claim ownership of the riverbed. By law states hold title to riverbeds only if the rivers are navigable. “Farmers and ranchers prevailed when the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of landowner property rights in

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the case of PPL v. Montana,” said American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman. “This decision puts ownership of streambeds and stream banks in the hands of their rightful owners.” The American Farm Bureau Federation filed a friend-of-thecourt brief along with the Montana Farm Bureau in the case. Colorado Farm Bureau and Utah Farm Bureau also filed briefs in the case in support of the petitioning landowners. Despite the ruling in favor of PPL, Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock still has plans to attempt collecting rent from PPL,

who has dams on the Missouri, Madison, and Clark Fork rivers. The Supreme Court did hand the case back to state courts for other disputed stretches of river, encouraging them to use the guidance of the federal court’s decision. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that there is a significant likelihood that some of the other river stretches will fail this navigability test. According to University of Montana School of Law associate professor Kristen Juras this decision is very important not only for PPL bur also for any landowners with property abutting rivers. She says the broader you describe navigability the less property rights riparian landowners have.

“I think it’s an important decision really for all Montanans who enjoy or use the rivers for their businesses,” PPL spokesman David Hoffman said. PPL had argued that charging the power company rent would lead to the state charging irrigators and agricultural uses near rivers, which state officials had said wouldn’t happen. “This decision also helps ensure that farmers and ranchers will not have to pay government for the use of land or water from streambeds that run alongside or through their property,” Stallman said. “This week’s decision is a win for Farm Bureau members, farmers and ranchers nationwide and all private property owners.”

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Livestock Market Digest

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NMSU to host youth ranch management camp at Valles Caldera National Preserve ew Mexico State Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cooperative Extension Service anticipates repeating the success of last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New Mexico Youth Ranch Management Camp by hosting the second annual event June 3-8 at the Valles Caldera National Preserve in northern New Mexico. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s camp was a great success across the board,â&#x20AC;? said Manny Encinias, NMSU Extension beef cattle specialist and camp committee member. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The event is designed to be a unique educational experience and last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s camp definitely exceeded our expectations.â&#x20AC;? The camp, designed for 15- to 19year-old New Mexico youth, is an effort to reverse the aging trend in ranching. Nationally, the average age in the ranching community continues to increase as more young people are opting to leave the ranch for careers outside production agriculture. As a result, the fabric of rural economies, as well as ranching tradition and cultures, are in jeopardy. In a rural state like New Mexico, the situation has significant implications. Last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 29 camp attendees represented ranching families from 19 New Mexico counties. With positive outcomes from last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s camp and the strong support of the program by the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beef industry leaders, the planning committee hopes to have more youth from across the state apply for this year's camp and fill the 30 available slots. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ranch camp is a tremendous opportunity for high school youth and is the first of its kind across states I have been involved with,â&#x20AC;? said Dennis Braden, general manager of Swenson Land and Cattle Co. in Stamford, Texas, and a camp volunteer and presenter. The ranch camp concept grew out of the Beef Industry Improvement New Mexico initiative, fulfilling one of the initiativeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s core missions. The 2011 Camp was sponsored by many groups

and companies including the New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau, the New Mexico Cattle Growersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association and the New Mexico Beef Council. The 30 youth selected to attend this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s camp will receive training in all aspects of ranch management. The camp is â&#x20AC;&#x153;packed with information,â&#x20AC;? according to 2011 camp attendee Katrina Benson, whose family ranches in northern New Mexico. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We fabricated our own beef carcass, got to feel inside of a live cowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stomach,â&#x20AC;? said Benson, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I now know how to give shots correctly to cattle, how to monitor rangeland, manage wildlife and their habitats, and lastly, how to market beef.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Participants will leave this experience with a greater appreciation for not only new skills and practices, but also the economics of each practice as it relates to cash flow for a ranch in the Southwest,â&#x20AC;? Encinias said. Throughout the week, participants will work in teams and ultimately present a ranch management plan before a review panel as they compete for prizes and scholarships. According to Benson, who was on last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s champion ranch management plan team, the camp and volunteers brought out â&#x20AC;&#x153;self-discovery, helping each of us find and tell â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;our ranching storyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to discover who we are as ranchers. I learned more in my week of ranch camp than in any other summer program Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve attended!â&#x20AC;? Applicants should contact Patrick Torres, Santa Fe County Extension agriculture agent, at 505/471-4711, or visit the campâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website at http://nmyrm. nmsu.edu for information and to submit an online application. Applications are due April 20. A panel of industry leaders will review the applications and select the participants by May 1st. Successful applicants must submit a $250 camp fee by May 15, 2012.

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Tight supplies, high feed costs to pressure livestock prices TARA SCHUPNER, Contributing Reporter, Porknetwork.com

combination of high corn feed prices early in the year and continued tightening of supplies are expected to push up livestock and poultry prices and depress U.S. exports, a U.S. Department of Agriculture analyst said. Shayle Shagam spoke at the the 2012 USDA Outlook Forum on February 24, 2012. Corn prices jumped in 2011, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;early-year feed costs will eat into gains in livestock and poultry prices,â&#x20AC;? Shagam said. But he expects those costs to moderate in the second half of the year if corn prices drop below $5 per bushel after the harvest, which could provide ranchers some relief. Continued drought in Mexico and the southern U.S. that already has shrunk herds there and that could expand north will also affect this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supply, Shagam said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We might see ranchers in Mexico trying to sell off cattle for feeding in the U.S., Shagam said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Light placement weights also may mean cattle have to be fed longer or earlierâ&#x20AC;? in feedlots, he said. Poor grazing conditions due to drought combined with shrinking calf crops and increased feeder calf prices are expected to push up beef retail prices. The 2011 calf crop was the smallest since 1950, Shagam said, and the beef cow numbers are the lowest since 1962 as ranchers continue to exercise caution and implement risk management techniques. As beef production shrinks, pork production is projected to grow and prices to fall from last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s record highs, according to USDA projections, which could give pork an edge in retail in 2012. Higher beef prices and increased domestic competition in export destinations such as China and Russia likely means the beef industry wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see another record-breaking year for U.S. exports like 2011, Shagam cautioned. Brazil and Argentina also are stepping

up production, and higher U.S. prices and lower supply could slightly depress exports, although a weak U.S. dollar will help keep numbers strong, he said. Broilers could be the bright spot in exports. Shagam expects broiler exports to continue breaking records, with a projected 7.1 billion pounds leaving the country in 2012.

Continued drought in Mexico and the southern U.S. that already has shrunk herds there and that could expand north will also affect this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supply. Other news from the Agriculture Outlook Forum includes how Countryof-Origin-Labeling is contributing to higher prices, due to a $40-a-head surcharge for Mexican steers and several processing plants limiting their intake to U.S. pigs, forcing some pork producers to drive extra miles to plants. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It definitely pushes prices up. And, frankly, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see any benefit to COOL,â&#x20AC;? said Jon Caspers, general manager of Pleasant Valley Pork Corp., Saledale, Iowa. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hopefully that issue can be resolved soon.â&#x20AC;? Per-capita meat consumption is also falling, but it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t last forever, said Don Close, marketing director of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Amarillo. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will expect to see more production of beef, but it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen overnight â&#x20AC;&#x201D; beef production takes a longer time than poultry.â&#x20AC;? According to the USDA, domestic consumption of meat has continued to decline and is expected to drop by 6 pounds per person, falling under 200 pounds, the lowest level since 1987. Some of the declining meat consumption is likely because people are eating smaller portions, Caspers said. If availability increases, consumption should increase, too.

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“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

Equine Harvest . . . what we know today by JASON TURNER, PhD NMSU Extension Horse Specialist, Dept. of Extension Animal Sciences & Natural Resources

n November 17, 2011, the US Congress passed a budget bill and President Obama signed it on November 18. This bill omitted a clause that had been included since 2006 that prohibited

We’re Already Europe ith seemingly every day bringing more bad news from Europe, many are beginning to ask how much longer the United States has before our welfare state follows the European model into bankruptcy. The bad news: It may already have, says Michael Tanner, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. ■ This year, the fourth straight year that the United States borrowed more than $1 trillion to support the federal government, our budget deficit will top $1.3 trillion, 8.7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). ■ Only two European countries, Greece and Ireland, have larger budget deficits as a percentage of GDP. ■ Things are only slightly better when you look at the size of our national debt, which now exceeds $15.3 trillion, or 102 percent of GDP. ■ Just four European countries have larger national debts than we do — Greece and Ireland again, plus Portugal and Italy. And as bad as things are right now, we are on an even worse course for the future. ■ If one adds the unfunded liabilities of Social Security and Medicare to our official national debt, we really owe $72 trillion, by the Obama administration’s projections, and as much as $137 trillion if you use more realistic projections. ■ Under the best-case scenario, then, this amounts to more than 480 percent of GDP; under more realistic projections, we owe an astounding 911 percent of GDP. ■ Meanwhile, counting both official debt and unfunded pension and health care liabilities, the most indebted nation in Europe is Greece, which owes 875 percent of GDP. ■ France, the second most insolvent nation in Europe, owes just 549 percent of GDP. Perhaps we can take some solace in the fact that our welfare state is not yet as big as Europe’s. But the key word here is “yet,” says Tanner. At that point does the U.S. cease being the U.S. as we have known it? At the very least, can our economy survive such a crushing burden of government spending, and its attendant level of taxes and debt?

SOURCE: Michael Tanner, “We’re Already Europe,” National Review, February 22, 2012.

USDA from funding inspections on horse meat. Therefore, from a rule standpoint, USDA could conduct horse meat inspections at least until September 2012 when the statute expires. Since Thanksgiving, I have seen and heard unfounded reports of how “the slaughter ban” on horses has been lifted. While this may be wishful thinking for some, it is far from reality. On December 9, Phil Derfler, the Deputy Administrator for the Food Safety & Inspection Service, stated the following in a post on the USDA blog: “While Congress has technically lifted the ban, horse processing will not resume anytime in the near term. Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act, horses are an amenable species, which means that horse meat cannot be shipped or sold for human consumption without inspection. To date, there have been no requests that the Department initiate the authorization process for any horse processing operation in the United States. In the two states where horse processing took place prior to the Congressional

ban, Illinois and Texas, there are laws in place prohibiting the slaughter of horses. Even if these laws were changed, any processing facility will still need to satisfy a significant number of requirements, such as obtaining a federal grant of inspection, conducting a hazard analysis, and developing a Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan prior to the processing of any animals.” So while there is an open window of opportunity for slaughter plants to open, The Horse magazine (http://www.thehorse.com/ ViewArticle.aspx?ID=19216&src =topic) reported that some states, such as Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, and California, have state statutes that prevent equine slaughter facilities. So, don’t look for any of the plants that were operational in pre2005 (Texas and Illinois) to be opened in the future. In a June 2011 report the Government Accountability Office (GAO; www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11228) stated the number of US equines transported to Canada and Mexico from 2006-2010 had

Page 7

increased by 148 and 660 percent, respectively. This represents about 138,000 horses in 2010 compared to the 104,800 horses that were slaughtered in the US in 2006. While there is no statutory ban on horse slaughter at the federal level, the changes in federal inspection funding coupled with state bans on horse slaughter has had a dramatic effect on equine welfare. This is due to the distance that horses must be transported for slaughter in other countries as well as the impact on horse sale prices and the increasing demands placed on equine rescue facilities in the US. The case of neglected horses has even caused some previously staunch supporters of a slaughter ban to reconsider their position. In a November 30, 2011, interview in the Christian Science Monitor (www.csmonitor.com/ USA/2011/1130/Lifting-horseslaughter-ban-Why-PETA-says-its-a-good-idea) the founder of PETA, Ingrid Newkirk, said the US should never have banned domestic horse slaughter: “It’s quite an unpopular position we’ve taken,” Ms. Newkirk says. “There was a rush to pass a bill that said you can’t slaughter

them anymore in the U.S. But the reason we didn’t support it, which sets us almost alone, is the amount of suffering that it created exceeded the amount of suffering it was designed to stop.” This statement created a rift in the animal rights community, and PETA clarified their stance in comments on February 3, 2012 (www.peta.org/b/thepetafiles/ archive/2012/02/03/horseslaughter-setting-the-record-straightagain.aspx). While this is a controversial issue among equine owners, it is important that all equine owners, as well as the general public, are aware of the unintended consequences of the cessation of equine slaughter in the U.S. — it simply has had a devastating impact on equine welfare and the economic future of the equine industry. In an effort to remain informed on this issue, I encourage you to review the legislation that is currently before the US Congress (H.R. 2966 and S. 1176; www.govtrack.us/congress/legislation.xpd). In this review you can see the status of the legislation, how it will impact the equine industry, and which states’ congressional members have co-sponsored the bill.

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March 15, 2012

Federal Investments in Local Food Boost Economic Growth USDA RELEASES KNOW YOUR FARMER, KNOW YOUR FOOD REPORT AND COMPASS n late February USDA released a comprehensive report on its Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative, launched in 2009 to enhance coordination among federal programs that in various ways help to build local and regional farm and food systems. The expiring farm bill programs range from Value-Added Producer Grants, which help farmers develop new products and markets while increasing their share of the consumer food dollar, to the Farmers Market Promotion Program, which helps create and expand venues for direct farmer-to-consumer sales of local foods. Also up for farm bill funding renewal are the Rural MicroEntrepreneur Assistance Program, National Organic Certifi-

cation Cost Share Program, Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers, Rural Energy for America Program, Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative, and Specialty Crop Research Initiative. Several bills pending in Congress, including the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act and the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act, include provisions to renew funding for these vital programs and to ensure our federal agriculture policy meets the needs of local and regional producers. Both bills are aimed at inclusion in the 2012 Farm Bill and have the support of hundreds of farm, food, and rural organizations nationwide.

Report Contents and the Compass Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’s primary goals revolve around better using federal resources to boost job creation through a modernization of local and regional farm and food economies. The report details a case study in northeastern Iowa where local food sales catapulted more than one thousand percent in just four years and another in Oklahoma where a group of producers are aggregating, labeling, and cooperatively marketing $70,000 worth of food a month statewide to create an extra income stream. Similar economic ripple effects to improve farm and rural income are found throughout the report.

Food access also plays prominently into the initiative’s priorities, which include programs to localize food processing and dis-

. . . a group of producers are aggregating, labeling, and cooperatively marketing $70,000 worth of food a month statewide to create an extra income stream. tribution in ways that reach underserved communities. The USDA Farm to School team has helped spur programs that have increased students’ fresh fruit and vegetable consumption by 25 to 84 percent, and Know Your Farmer has also coordinat-

ed research to support the development of new “food hubs” which facilitate growers’ access to local markets and fair prices. Along with the report, USDA is releasing an interactive mapping feature called the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass, which highlights accomplishments of USDA programs and success stories from across the country. The new webbased tool will provide a visual, state-by-state display of projects and case studies that fall under the umbrella of the initiative. The initiative does not have a budget of its own. Rather, it uses existing USDA programs and staff to better improve the Department’s response to the burgeoning farmer and consumer interest in regional food systems. Both the report and Compass are available on the USDA’s website: http://www.usda.gov/ kyfcompass.

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atti Townsend, former New Mexico rancher and CowBelle, was named Outstanding CattleWoman of the year by the American National CattleWomen (ANCW) at the Cattle Industry Annual Convention in Nashville in February. “Patti is a great leader, a strong advocate for the cattle industry, and a wonderful friend,” said Beverly Butler, New Mexico CowBelles President, Columbus. “Congratulations to her on this well-deserved honor.” Long-time New Mexico ranchers and Brangus breeders, the Townsends moved their operation to a ranch near Milburn, Oklahoma in 2004, where Patti continued her involvement in the beef industry by becoming an active member of the Oklahoma CattleWomen. Currently, she serves as membership chairman and president-elect. Townsend also received a Nambe platter from the New

Patti Townsend was surprised by her whole family who journeyed to Nashville for her Cattlewoman of the Year Award. Mexico CowBelles, presented by Fita Witte, past ANCW president and New Mexico CowBelle. Townsend was an active member of the New Mexico CowBelles for many years. Prior to serving as state president in 1995, she held the offices of secretary and beef cook-off chair. She also served a term as chair-

Riding Herd studied my tire tracks to see if I deviated from the straight and narrow. If these proposed new rules had been in effect then I wouldn’t have been near the driver I was when I got to drive the family car and, who knows, I might have hit another car head on as we both were traveling at 65 miles an hour instead of hitting the occasional slow-moving lemon tree while going three miles per hour on the tractor. I learned important things while driving my first tractor, such as, watch your gauges, know your implements, keep air in your tires, keep your hitches low, don’t run out of fuel, look behind you as well as in front of you, don’t exhaust in a closed building, and don’t be in a hurry to take chances. These all turned out to be important lessons for life as well as driving a tractor. We figure things out better and faster when we’re kids, just look at six year olds with their cell phones. I was a workhorse at an early age and sure I got hurt. I was riding a bike to my work all over town, and of course I fell down once in awhile, but I got right back on and

man of the New Mexico Beef Council. She has been active in ANCW for 34 years, and served as President in 2003. Patti and her husband, Gayland, have three sons, Phillip, Charles and Steven, who manages the ranch, and four grandchildren.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE

explored the world. At least that part accessible to a kid on a Schwinn bike that I paid for myself by doing jobs the feds wouldn’t let me do now. Years ago a tractor company issued their ten commandments for tractor safety. One of them was, “Keep your kids off and away from your tractor.” It’s the worst advice I ever heard. Kids ought to be required to be around tractors. Maybe then they’d be better drivers when we hand them the keys at age 16. Bureaucrats worry that kids are “at risk.” I have news for them, kids are born at risk. If you don’t want them to be in danger don’t have any. There’s a fine line between being careful and being overprotective, and we’ve crossed that line. Most urban American kids today don’t work outside in the sun much, that’s for farm kids, foreigners and migrant workers. Instead they sit on their duffs spending hours Facebooking, Tweeting, and producing nothing except text messages and high video game scores. They’re in training to become government bureaucrats.

March 15, 2012

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

Poor South American Chipotle’s Image crop may push U.S. corn and soybean very destructive to the terrestrial environment,” said Ragland. exports higher by SUSAN JONGENEEL, University of Illinois

ccording to University of Illinois ag economist Darrel Good, “Although in December 2011, the USDA judged total corn production prospects in Argentina and Brazil at 3.54 billion bushels, that forecast was reduced by 120 million bushels in January and by an additional 160 million bushels in February.” Precipitation has been well below average in southern Brazil since late January, suggesting that production there may fall short of the current forecast. Good said, “Over the past two months, the USDA has raised the U.S. corn export forecast for the current year by 100 million bushels to a total of 1.7 billion bushels. The forecast is still 100 million bushels below the initial forecast made in May 2011 and 135 million less than exports of a year ago.” He continued, “The forecast of U.S. soybean exports during the current year has declined steadily from the initial forecast of 1.54 billion bushels to the current forecast of 1.275 billion bushels, 226 million less than exported last year.” Export progress is being carefully monitored for indications that shipments for the year might exceed current forecasts. Export prospects for corn are especially important because year-ending stocks are expected to be small.

Single largest producer of purebred Charolais cattle hosts its Annual Bull Sale April 7 in Great Falls eBruycker Charolais, the single largest producer of purebred Charolais cattle, will host is 28th annual bull sale, featuring up to 500 of its top-quality sires on April 7 at the Western Livestock Auction near Great Falls, Mont. Nationwide, cattle producers desire stronger calves out of Angus-based cows sired by DeBruycker Charolais bulls. And every year, the bulls go faster than the last due to the DeBruycker cattle genetics being more in demand. Wally Papez of Bridger, Mont., seeks both calving ease and uniformity when replacing his breeding stock. And while he’s used other breeders’ Charolais bulls, he now chooses the DeBruycker Charolais sires for his cow herd. “DeBruycker-bred calves are long and thick and that’s what produces the extra weaning weight and profit,” Papez says. “I’m sold on DeBruycker Charolais bulls.”

“Evidence of this reality is the concern about feral pigs and their destruction of the habitats of other animals.” Ragland added that Chipotle’s portrayal of animal waste as green sludge flowing into a lake is also inaccurate. “Environmental laws in most states prohibit uncontrolled discharge of waste material into open bodies of water and govern how this material is used to improve soil fertility,” Ragland said. “Again, the video is very simplistic and would tend to mislead members of the public that are not familiar with animal agri-

continued from page one

culture.” Some may think the Chipotle advertisement represents organic farming. In reality, Chipotle uses few USDA-certified organic products. Instead, Chipotle purchases pork from producers who follow Chipotle’s own “naturally raised” guidelines. Even in these systems, producers do give their animals medications, though not antibiotics, and pigs do not roam free. Chipotle did not reply to requests for comments, but according to Chipotle.com, “naturally raised” is “the way animals were raised 50 years ago before huge factory farms changed the industry.” But the systems that fed the

Page 9

world 50 years ago are not sufficient to feed the world today. According to the United Nations, the world population rose from 3 billion people in 1960 to 7 billion people in 2011. By 2050, world population is projected to reach 9.1 billion. “The world can afford for a few wealthy people to get pork and other animal products produced in outdoor extensive systems,” said Pettigrew. “But we cannot sustainably produce nearly enough for all the world’s people that way. Such systems require too much land and feed to be sustainable if applied across the industry.” Meghan Wulster-Radcliffe, PhD, CEO of the American Society of Animal Science, said

that though the society supports all science-based animal agriculture systems, including organic, “It is only one option and presents serious limitations in terms of feeding the world.” To produce enough pork to feed the world, not just stock a Chipotle, producers need modern medicine, waste management and animal housing. Chipotle, like any company, is advertising a fantasy. Coca-cola has smiling polar bears, Old Spice has manly men and Chipotle has a cartoon farm. Chipotle did not try to represent science or agriculture truthfully; instead, it made a commercial. SOURCE: American Society of Animal Science, Compiled by Staff

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March 15, 2012

If You’re Waiting On These Guys . . . You’re Backin’ Up! he Horses For Heroes — New Mexico, Inc. Cowboy Up! Program is getting ready to break ground this spring on their well needed Bunkhouse and Team Room. This structure is being entirely funded by donations and patriots in the construction industry and ranchers that are “giving back” to those who gave all. With some seed money from Double H Boots and the Miller Family Foundation, Santa Fe Architect Bill Agnew is teaming up with General Contractor (and pretty good cowboy) Doug Langley who has assembled a sterling crew together to insure this bunkhouse is up and running for the Cowboy Up! programs upcoming season. Paul Hanna of Hanna Plumbing has volunteered to do Bunkhouse Floor plan Draft; Cowboy Up! the plumbing, Kevin Yearout will be the mechanical contractor, Mike Johnston from Copper State Fasterners will help them “nail it down”, Patrick Austin from Stock Building Supply will be doing the interior framing and materials. Shane McGrew and Victor Civil Construction Corp. will be handling the “dirt” work and Bob Krieger will be donating a newly developed rain catchment system. NMCGA’s Brad Christmas, also a General Contractor, has jumped in to locate the septic contractor and a roofer and while he is resting will surely be on site! The Cracker Barrel Foundation is also on tap to provide the rocking chairs for the “porch time” that is an essential part of the camaraderie that happens here over cowboy coffee! Governor Martinez has already promised to do the ribbon cutting for the grand opening! If you think you might be helpful please contact NMCGA member and Cowboy Up! Director Rick Iannucci at 505/670-2059 or email him at rick@horsesforheroes.org. Check out their website at www.horsesforheroes.org for updates and a whole lot of good information about good things happening for our combat warriors.

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Graduate Sgt. Alroy Billiman in the sorting pen at Bonanza Creek Ranch, Santa Fe County. Billiman is riding “Duke” a Quarter horse Ranch Gelding donated to the program by Mike Hobbs, Express UU Bar Ranch.

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

March 15, 2012

AI Advances in the Beef Industry 7by HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

rtificial insemination was first used in dairy herds, with cooled liquid semen. Today it’s frozen semen, and the AI process is easier with use of synchronization protocols so all the cows can be bred on the same day instead of having to watch them for signs of heat. Conception rates have also improved. Being able to ultrasound the cow’s ovaries and determine the time of ovulation helped researchers figure out the best time to inseminate cattle. This enabled the AI industry to obtain better conception rates, compared with earlier years. Darrel Wilkes, ABS, says that moving from the old glass ampoules and “pop bottles” to the straws was a great improvement for the AI process. “I remember my dad pulling out those little frozen bottles and using his pocket knife to score the top to pop it open. This was all happening out in the sunlight and you knew that when you put it into the thawing water the cells on the inside didn’t thaw as quickly as the cells on the outside. So moving to the straws was a huge improvement,” he says. Another advancement that occurred during the past 20 years was being able to get genetic proof on bulls. “This is very important when breeding heifers. You know that if you pick a high accuracy sire with calving ease, today you don’t have to give up all the other good traits. We’ve definitely bent the genetic curve between birth weight and growth. In the old days, a calving ease bull would give you a live calf but his calves were smaller at weaning,” says Wilkes. “Now many of our customers breed their heifers AI for calving ease, and to front load their calving season with heifers — so they have more time to rebreed. Also they keep replacement heifers

from those first-calf heifers. Those calves will have the most modern genetics,” he says. Also, if you keep heifers that were born easy, they tend to be easy calvers themselves. If you have to pull a heifer, don’t keep her as a replacement, because she may have big calves even when bred to an easy-calving bull. “During the past 10 years the biggest breakthrough has been more effective synchronization protocols. These have been significantly improved. We’re now using timed AI, where you synchronize everything, and then on appointment you breed them all — without having to look for those that come into heat. If you do the math, you may find that you use a few more units of semen, and breed a few heifers whose conception rate might be a little lower than if you were heat detecting, but the semen is the cheap part, considering your time and labor. If you start with 100 heifers and do timed AI, you’ll have more AI pregnancies than if you started with 100 heifers and try to heat detect. This makes it so much easier,” he says. “Another thing that’s very helpful is the specialized portable breeding barns. These look like a horse trailer, going down the road. Most of the ones we use will accommodate two cows at a time. You can run some pretty wild cows or heifers through a breeding barn and get along just fine.” They have another cow/heifer for security, and it’s dark and quiet in the little barn, which also helps keep them from being stressed. “They are not restrained in any way; their head isn’t caught, so they aren’t fighting the confinement. They are standing on the ground rather than a floor, which also helps keep them calm and comfortable. They basically just stand there,” explains Wilkes. The most popular model is

Farm Credit of New Mexico Promotes long-time employee to Chief Financial Officer everly Gabaldon currently serving as Vice President/Assistant Treasurer for Farm Credit of New Mexico has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer. In this role Gabaldon is responsible for and directs fiscal activities of the $1.3 billion dollar agricultural lender. Gabaldon has worked with Farm Credit of New Mexico for over 27 years in a variety of roles. According to CEO Al Porter, “her development into a senior management role has come about through her hard work and dedication.” Gabaldon obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees while working full time at Farm Credit of New Mexico. She was born in Los Alamos and raised in Albuquerque, NM. She has two married daughters — Crystal Shafer and husband Dr. Ty and Antoinette Quinones and husband Camilo. She also has four grandchildren — Ansley and Elise Shafer and Maya and Camilo, Jr. (CJ) Quinones.

Farm Credit of New Mexico is New Mexico’s full service Ag lender, providing agricultural real estate loans, operating loans, equipment and livestock loans, crop hail, and multi-peril insurance to New Mexico farmers and ranchers. The Association has offices located in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Roswell, Clovis, and Tucumcari. Visit us online at www.farmcreditnm.com.

the Large’s breeding barn, invented by Marvin Large, a longtime ABS rep from western Nebraska. “After breeding tens of thousands of cattle in an old chute or some other inadequate facility, Marvin started figuring out a better system. He’s changed the design several times, perfecting it. When we breed heifers at Simplot’s facility at Grandview we usually have two of those set up, with a threeman crew in each barn. Two people are breeding and the other person is thawing semen. With this system we can breed 200 heifers per hour,” he says. “This makes it very easy for commercial producers to breed their cows or heifers with AI. Colorado State University did a survey a few years ago and the reason cited most often by producers as to why they don’t AI was not the cost; it was the hassle factor and facilities. But when you can do total synchronization and timed AI, and bring in a breeding barn, you cut the hassle factor by 80 percent and solve the facility problem. All you need is some kind of alley or running chute to bring the cattle to the breeding barn. It’s so much easier today,” says Wilkes. AI definitely pays off. “Just getting your heifers to calve early in the season not only gives them a higher probability of remaining early-calvers for the rest of their lives but you more than pay for the AI with the added weaning weights of their calves, since they are a little older when you wean them. The improved genetics is a plus, the calving ease is a plus, but if those calves are 10 days older they are 20 pounds heavier. At $1.80 per pound this covers the whole cost of the AI program.” This gives the heifers’

calves a chance to be a little older and bigger and fit more uniformly with the mature cows’ calves — because heifers’ calves, on average, tend to be a little smaller. “Heifers are very easy to AI because you don’t have to sort calve off them. Most of our reps can go onto a ranch by themselves, with just a cowboy or two to push cattle through the chute, and do 200-300 heifers before lunch. The reps manage the synchronization program and bring in a breeding barn, and it’s easily accomplished.” More producers will probably consider AI today, with the markets this high; they can probably afford it now, and benefit more from it, than they ever could

Page 11 before. AI can also be used as a reproductive management tool. “We’ve had customers with long, drawn-out calving seasons — sometimes as long as 120 days. They knew it was costing them money, so they used synchronization and AI to move the later cows up. It takes a few years and a little patience, but you can take a 120-day calving season and cut it in half, with just a little effort,” he explains. “That’s worth a lot, especially when calves are worth $1.80 per pound. Synchronization can be used as a reproductive management tool to front-load the calving season and get a lot more of the calves born early — which means they will be heavier at weaning time.”

Livestock Market Digest

Page 12

FFA members in 12 states continue push to connect with local farmers

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t’s no secret that networking is a pivotal step toward a bright career in any industry. With that in mind — and a chance to win some substantial prizes for their FFA chapter — FFA members in 12 states are producing new connections with local farmers at an incredible rate. Just over a month after the 2012 FFA Chapter Challenge launched, 12,695 people have logged-in to www.FFAChapterChallenge.com to register a vote for one of 809 FFA chapters. The individual FFA chapters are competing for some considerable prizes totaling $300,000 – with the chapter receiving the most overall votes receiving an expenses-paid trip to October’s 85th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. The competition is only expected to increase with FFA members going out in force during next week’s National FFA Week ahead of the program closing on Feb. 29. Sponsored by Monsanto as a special project of the National FFA Foundation, the premise of the 2012 FFA Chapter Challenge is simple: members from local FFA chapters build relationships with local farmers. The opportunity gives FFA members a chance to learn about different aspects of agricultural careers while building community awareness of their FFA chapter. Afterward, the FFA members ask the farmer to vote for their chapter to increase their chance to win. Randy Kramer, Bird Island,

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Minnesota, is a one of the farmers who has voted for a local FFA chapter. A former FFA member himself, Kramer still serves on the chapter’s advisory committee. “FFA had a great impact on my life, especially the parliamentary procedure, which I have used in my board activities from local to state levels,” said Kramer. “We help the advisor and students as needed, and we advocate for keeping agriculture in the classroom and promoting leadership activities.” More stories about farmers who have voted in the 2012 FFA Chapter Challenge are available at www.FFAChapter Challenge .com/featured_farmers/. Of the 12 states eligible for this expanded second-year program, Missouri (2,287 votes) and Tennessee (2,079) are neckand-neck for the top state honors. Indiana, Iowa, and Texas round out the top-five, ahead of Alabama, Mississippi, Illinois, Minnesota, Arkansas, Georgia and Louisiana. In the chapter contest, Boone A&M FFA in Iowa leads the pack with 460 total votes. The top 200 FFA chapters who make the most connections and receive the most farmer votes by February 29 will be awarded between $1,000 and $2,500 in FFA credit to be used for chapter supply purchases or registration fees for national FFA leadership conferences. As a sponsor of the program, Monsanto will provide more than $300,000 in incentives. Rob Cooper, National FFA Foundation Executive Director says, “Relationships are central to growing a career in any field, let alone agriculture. We love how this

program emphasizes that while also supporting FFA chapters who work the hardest. We’re very grateful of Monsanto’s support of this program and truly believe it will be a great tool to grow tomorrow’s agriculture leaders.” Linda Arnold, Consumer Advocacy Lead for Monsanto: “Monsanto is very excited to support this program for a second year. As a company whose only business is agriculture, we are committed to educational programs like FFA Chapter Challenge that generate excitement in learning about farming. We encourage FFA members to reach out to farmers in their communities and learn more about their livelihood.”

Top local FFA chapters in 2012 FFA Chapter Challege (as of Feb. 16, 2012) • Iowa: Boone A&M FFA (460 votes) • Alabama: Danville High School FFA (403 votes) • Texas: Industrial High School FFA (362 votes) • Arkansas: Springdale High School FFA (353 votes) • Tennessee: Ben W Hooper Vocational School FFA (313 votes) • Tennessee: Cloudland High School FFA (273 votes) • Indiana: Clinton Prairie High School FFA (255 votes) • Indiana: Cloverdale High School FFA (235 votes) • Texas: Needville High School FFA (198 votes) • Indiana – McCutcheon High School FFA (195 votes)

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ashington has a long way to go to reduce the duplication among federal programs that ends up costing taxpayers billions of dollars a year, according to new government reports, says the Wall Street Journal. ■ Examples of such overlap cited in one report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) are 53 programs to help entrepreneurs, 15 unmanned-aircraft programs, and more than nine different agencies involved in protecting food and agriculture systems from disasters and terrorist attacks. ■ The document is a followup to a similar report issued almost a year ago by the GAO, which presented a template for lawmakers of both parties to cut federal spending and consolidate programs to reduce the federal budget deficit. However, progress on that front has been limited.

■ The GAO’s 2011 report identified 81 areas with unnecessary duplication. ■ The 2012 follow-up report found the government had taken a full range of steps to cut waste in four areas and made partial progress in another 60. A separate GAO report identified 51 new areas where the government could realize more efficiency. For example, the GAO highlighted 55 Transportation Department programs to fund freight-transportation projects and 21 programs under five federal agencies to combat nuclear-smuggling overseas. The GAO recommended merging or consolidating a number of programs both to save money and make government more efficient. SOURCE: Jeffrey Sparshott, “Little Progress Notched in Federal Streamlining,” Wall Street Journal, February 28, 2012. “Improving Efficiency and Effectiveness,” Government Accountability Office, February 28, 2012.

March 15, 2012

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

Calf Pulling Tips by HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

ometimes a cow needs help to deliver her calf. The feet (and maybe the nose) are showing but he’s too large to move on through the birth canal. In other situations the calf may not even enter the birth canal because he’s in the wrong position. You have to go fishing for him and correct the problem before you can pull him. When you reach in to find the calf, a live calf will generally jerk his foot when you pinch the skin between his toes. If you stick your finger in his mouth, he’ll respond with a sucking or gag reflex. On a backward calf, stick your finger in his anus to check muscle tone. “If the anal sphincter is completely loose and flaccid, he’s dead. If there’s some muscle tone, he’s still alive,” says Dr. Ron Skinner, a veterinarian and seedstock breeder near Hall, Mont.

To check a cow, tie her up or restrain her in a headcatch that allows her to lie down, with sides that swing away. It’s easiest to check her and correct problem with the cow standing; there’s more room to work without the weight of her abdominal contents pressing against the uterus. Once you’ve determined whether the calf is in proper position or have corrected a malpresentation, it’s best to have the cow lying down when you pull the calf. She can strain more effectively that way, and gravity isn’t working against you. It’s easier on you, the cow, and the calf. When a cow is down, you only need to pull half as hard as when she’s standing. If she doesn’t lie down once you’ve corrected a problem, put her on the ground, using a rope. Tie it loosely around her neck in a non-slip knot then use the long end to make a half hitch around her girth (behind her shoulders) and another around her flanks, with the remainder of the rope behind her. Pull on it to tighten the half hitches, and this pressure makes her go down. This is easier on her than trying to pull her legs out from under her. Using lubricant around the calf makes him easier to pull, if it’s a dry birth. It won’t be needed, however, if labor has not been so long that fluids have been lost from around the calf. “There are some good obstetrical lubricants, but one of the best has a serious drawback if you end up having to do a C-section after you’ve tried to pull the calf — if any of the lubricant spills into the cow’s abdominal cavity from the uterus,” says Skinner. “Even though it’s not toxic to the uterus nor to your hands or the calf, if it gets into the abdominal cavity it will kill the cow. So be sure, when you start pulling a calf, that he can be pulled and you won’t be calling the vet to deliver the calf surgically.” A safe lubricant that’s cheap and readily available is cooking shortening (like Crisco). It readily sticks to your arm and to the calf to provide a slippery surface and won’t hurt the cow if some of it gets into her abdomen. One way to tell if the calf can be delivered vaginally or must be taken by C-section is whether progress can be made with the strength of two people pulling when the cow is pushing. If the

feet are showing and the calf’s head is in the birth canal, and two people pulling on one leg can’t bring that leg out past the knee, the calf probably can’t be pulled without damage to the cow and calf. “If the calf isn’t moving, even when you’re going slowly and giving the cervix time to dilate, this tells you the calf is too big to come through,” says Skinner. It’s time to call your vet for a C-section. When pulling a calf, pull when the cow is straining, and rest when she rests. Don’t put steady traction on the calf without periodic let-up. It takes time for the cervix to dilate and the birth canal to stretch to fullest capacity. “A cow doesn’t just squirt a calf out in two minutes during normal birth. She’ll get up and down, and push, and rest. The calf makes progress as she strains, then goes back in a little. The cow keeps stretching a little more, gets up and walks around and lies back down. So take your time when pulling. If you only pull as the cow pushes, you don’t need to pull as hard to get as much done. When she’s not pushing, let the calf back,” says Skinner. Almost always, the cow will work with you as you pull, unless she’s already exhausted. If you pull constantly, there is constant pressure on the calf, impairing his blood circulation. “This is one reason some calves are unconscious and fail to start breathing when born. If he’s really tight in the birth canal (and you feel his elbows pop when they enter the birth canal), and you are constantly pulling on his legs that are tight against his head, his legs are putting pressure against his jugular veins. When I have a tight one, I’ll pull when the cow pushes, doing this four or five times, and then I’ll push the calf back, to let him get some circulation to his head. After giving the cow a little time to rest, with the calf pushed back inside (just like she’d be doing out in the field when she gets up and walks around), I’ll pull him again. Once his head is out to his eyebrows, then you can finish pulling him — with just a few more pulls because the cow is now stretched enough for him to come. And when he gets out he will usually breathe,” explains Skinner. “What happens with most calves that don’t start breathing (even though they still have a

heartbeat) is that we’ve impaired circulation to their heads too long. What stimulates the calf to breathe is the dropping level of oxygen in the bloodstream (as when the umbilical cord breaks and he no longer has a constant supply of oxygen), and this triggers the brain to tell the calf to breathe. But if we’ve been pulling him with constant pressure, we’ve cut circulation off to the brain enough that this trigger isn’t happening,” says Skinner. Pulling a calf too fast (with unrelenting traction, either by hand or with a puller) may injure the calf or the cow, and also puts a cow at risk for a prolapsed uterus. “If you’ve taken a little time, working with the cow, the uterus will be contracting down behind that calf by the time you deliver the calf, and not so apt to turn inside out,” says Skinner. It’s also important to get the cow or heifer up right after she calves, so the uterus will drop back down into the abdominal cavity. Some will lie there and keep straining, and if the uterine horns have started to turn inside out, this gives her something to push against and she’ll keep straining and push the uterus out. Sometimes a calf makes it partway through the birth canal then hangs up at the hips or stifles on the cow’s pelvic bones. To prevent this, the first thing to do once the calf’s head comes out is to rotate the calf about 180 degrees — to where the front of the calf is upside down, facing the cow’s tail. This will rotate his hips about 45 degrees so they are coming through the cow’s pelvis diagonally where there’s more room. Pull him straight out (only a slight angle from the cow’s backbone) until his ribcage emerges. Then pull the calf straight down toward the cow’s feet, which raises his hindquarters in the cow’s pelvis to where the pelvis is wider. If he’s stuck, pull him in alternately from one side to the other so his hips can come through the pelvis one at a time. As long as the calf’s chest is out past the vulva and he can breathe, you have time to manipulate the calf and get him out alive. Get him breathing, then take time to put more lubricant around the calf and try to work him out. One instance in which you need to hurry is when you see the placenta coming out ahead of the calf. If the placenta is detaching prematurely, the calf will lose his “lifeline” and die before he’s born. If you can pull the calf immediately, you can often save him. The other time to hustle is in the last stages of a backward delivery, since the calf’s head is still in the uterus when his umbilical cord is pinched off. Pull slowly and give the cow time to stretch as his hind legs and rump are coming through the cervix; pulling too fast at this stage may injure the cow or calf (hurting his back or crushing his ribcage as it starts through the pelvis). But once his rump is emerging, get him out of there as

Page 13

quickly as possible because the umbilical cord is being broken or pinched off and he needs to start breathing.

Using a calf puller The less you use a calf puller the better. Almost all calves can be pulled by hand; with a puller you may be tempted to pull a calf that should be delivered by C-section. A puller can put so much pressure on a calf that it may injure or kill him or the cow. It may save a calf, however, in certain instances, such as a calf coming backward — in the final stages of delivery when you need to get him out quickly. Apply chains properly to the calf’s legs, using a double loop. The first loop should be above the fetlock joint, then make a half hitch with the second loop around the pastern, with the chain pulling from the underside of the leg. This helps spread the pressure and ensure a straight pull, to prevent injury to bones and joints. It also keeps the chain from slipping down and pulling the hoof shell off. Before hooking the puller to the chains, adjust the rump strap

on the cow so it’s not too loose. It holds the puller in proper position to keep the metal plate pressing against her rear end — pushing her pelvis into the best angle for the calf to come through. The cow should be lying down, not standing, when using a puller. Apply traction only when the cow strains, going slowly at first to give her time to fully dilate. A calf coming backward is not streamlined and the cow must stretch to full capacity early on in the delivery because his hindquarters are larger than his head and shoulders. If using a cable type puller with winch, take time to reposition your chains on a backward calf once you get his legs out past the hocks; put the chains above his hocks. Otherwise you might run out of room to winch — just when you need to be pulling him quickly. After you reposition the chains, continue to winch slowly, taking advantage of the up and down leverage of the pulling rod, until the hindquarters are emerging, then pull him out as quickly as possible so he can start breathing.

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American Shorthorn Assoc. elects new board he American Shorthorn Association (ASA) 2011 annual meeting was held during the 2012 National Western Stock Show (NWSS) in mid January. During the meeting Louisiana cattleman Ricky Guidry, Bell City, was chosen to lead of the ASA as president for the upcoming year. Guidry, in partnership with his son Lance own RL Cattle Co. He has served four years on the Board of Directors of the ASA, last year as vice president. Dr. L. E. (Les) Mathers III, Mason City, Illinois was elected vice president. Mathers, honored as a Builder of the Breed in 2007 is the third generation of his family to be so honored and his Leveldale Farm was settled by this family in 1852. Boyd Strope, O’Neill, Nebraska retired as president of the organization but remains on

Kurt Kangas Joins the American Angus Association he American Angus Association welcomes Kurt Kangas of Bakersfield, Calif., as the new regional manager for Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah. Expect to see Kangas at Angus events, as well as at sales throughout the region.

March 15, 2012

Four of Five Released Mexican Wolves Found Dead

the Board of Directors as a member of the Executive Committee. Three new members were elected to three year terms on the board. Marty Loving, Pawnee Rock, Kansas comes from a family that has been involved in breeding Shorthorns for over 60 years. In partnership with his son Scott, the Loving herd runs 250 registered Shorthorn cows in western Kansas. Mark Gordon owns Rocking G Shorthorns, a family operation from Middletown, Illinois. He has been an active member of the Illinois Shorthorn Association and is also involved in the management of a group of independently owned fertilizer facilities in central Illinois. Lynn Nelson from Albert Lea, Minnesota, operates Top Notch Stock Farm along with his family. He too has been active in his own Minnesota Shorthorn Association where his wife Gale is president of the Minnesota Shorthorn Lassies. These three newly elected Directors replace retiring board members John Hagie, Clarion, Iowa, Cyclone Trace Cattle Co., Derek Jungels, Kathryn, North Dakota, Jungels Shorthorn Farm and Wes Stover, Binger, Oklahoma, Stover Cattle Co. Their dedication and service to the breed is greatly appreciated by the entire Shorthorn industry. Other members continuing to serve on the Board of Directors include Virginia Davis, Franklin, Indinana, Billy Zack Taylor, Shelby, Kentucky and Mike Bennett, Ducor, California.

WOLF REINTRODUCTION IN MEXICO IS OFF TO A ROCKY START by SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, Associated Press

he reintroduction of Mexican gray wolves to a mountain range just south of the U.S.-Mexico border as part of an effort to re-establish the endangered species is off to a rocky start. Correspondence between Mexican wildlife officials and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirms four out of the five wolves released by Mexico’s Environment Department last October are dead from poisoning. Mexican officials say one wolf was found in November and the other three in December. Necropsies were done and results were positive for warfarin, a blood thinner that’s commonly used in rat poison and pesticide. Mexican law enforcement agents are investigating. Supporters of wolf reintroduction in the American Southwest are still hoping releases in Mexico can provide a genetic boost to a small population of wolves in New Mexico and Arizona.

Mesalands Men’s Rodeo Team #1 in the Nation he Mesalands Community College Rodeo Team competed at Cochise Community College in Ft. Huachuca, Arizona on March 3-4, 2012. The Men’s Team took first place at the rodeo and scored an astonishing 1,120 points, the record for the most points at a single rodeo in the history of the Grand Canyon Region. The Men’s Team also brought home three championship titles. The Women’s Team finished the rodeo in first place and clinched two championship titles. The Men’s Team is currently leading the nation and the Women’s Team has advanced to fourth. Fran Marchand, Omak, Washington earned two championship titles, the Men’s

All-Around and the bull riding event. He also took second place in saddle bronc riding and third place in bareback riding. Marchand is currently ranked second in the nation in the Men’s All-Around. Fellow teammate Christian Stremler, Winnemucca, Nevada also brought home a championship title in saddle bronc riding. Macy Fuller, Clarkston, Washington, lead the Women’s Team earning both the championship titles in the Women’s AllAround and in the breakaway event. Fuller also took second place in team roping (with team mate Daniel Baeza from Chihuahua, Mexico), and finished fourth in barrel racing and fifth in goat tying.

Calendar of

BULLS

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EVENTS March 2012 11 – Phillips Ranch Red Angus Sale, Snyder Livestock, CA 17 – Hale Angus Farms Bull & Female Sale, Canyon, TX 17 – Four States Ag Expo All Breeds Bull & Heifer Sale, Cortez, CO 21 – Wagonhammer Ranches Annual Total Performance Production Sale, O'Neill, NE 31 – Escalon Livestock Market Recreationsl Roping Cattle Sale, Escalon, CA

June 2012

April 2012

October 2012

2 – 28th Annual Debruyker Bull Sale, Great Falls, MT 2-5 – Summit of the Horse, Oklahoma City, OK 10 – Three Mile Hill Ranch Yearling Angus Bull Sale, Animas, NM 12 – McClun’s Lazy JM Ranch Spring Sale, Torrington, WY

6 – Isa Cattle Co, Inc. 50th Annual Bull Sale, San Angelo, TX

24-26 – Mid-Year Meeting New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Assn.; New Mexico Wool Growers, Inc.; New Mexico CowBelles; New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau, Mescalero, NM

September 2012 13 – 17th Annual Black Gold Bull Sale, Colusa, CA

To post your events in the Livestock Market Digest Calendar, please email your event date and location to caren@ aaalivestock.com. Deadline is the 30th of the month previous, mailing date is the 10th of the month.

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The Rule of More ver the course of President Obamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s years in office, the creation of new federal regulations has accelerated unabashedly, consistently leveling new costs on consumers and businesses alike in the name of aggregate benefit. However, further investigation finds that justifications for new regulations are increasingly concentrated into two areas that are untrustworthy, says The Economist.

â&#x2013; Co-benefits via reduced fine particles â&#x20AC;&#x201D; regulations controlling emissions of certain compounds also claim the side-benefit of reducing overall particles, thereby claiming substantial health benefits. â&#x2013; Private benefits of energy efficiency â&#x20AC;&#x201D;net gains of private actors, including regular consumers, from a given regulation insofar as it augments the efficiency or ease of their regular activities.

Horse Protection Program Listening Sessions he USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Serviceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (APHIS) Animal Care Program will hold listening sessions throughout the United States to obtain public feedback on the Horse Protection Program. In particular, APHIS is interested in hearing feedback on the questions below: â&#x2013; Congress passed the Horse Protection Act in 1970 to eliminate the cruel and inhumane practice of soring horses. How close are we to achieving the goal? â&#x2013; Can the industry achieve a consensus on how to carry out a self-regulatory program to enforce the Horse Protection Act in a consistent way? â&#x2013; What responsibilities should USDA-certified Horse Industry Organizations (HIOs) have within the industry? â&#x2013; How can the industry reconcile its inherent competition aspect with ensuring compliance with the Horse Protection Act? â&#x2013; What can USDA do now (and in the future) to ensure compliance? â&#x2013; What responsibilities should USDA have within the industry with respect to enforcement and what hinders oversight of the HIOs and/or industry? â&#x2013; Should there be a prohibition of all action devices? â&#x2013; Should there be a prohibition of pads? â&#x2013; Currently the Horse Protection regulations have a shoe weight limit on yearlings. Should there now be a shoe weight limit for all aged horses? The listening sessions are planned for the following dates and locations: March 15, 9am to 1pm: Ken-

tucky Horse Park (South Theatre), 4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511 March 22, 9am to 1pm: Doubletree Ontario Airport, 222 N. Vineyard Ave., Ontario, CA 91764 March 23, 9am to 1pm: Phoenix Inn Suites, 3410 Spicer Road SE, Albany, OR 97322 March 27, 9am to 1pm: Renaissance Asheville Hotel, 31 Woodfin St., Asheville, NC 28801 March 29, 9am to 1pm: Mississippi State University, College of Forest Resources/Forest and Wildlife Research Center, Department of Forest Products Facilities. 100 Blackjack Road, Starkville, MS 39759 April 4, 9am to 1pm: Doubletree Murfreesboro Hotel, 1850 Old Fort Parkway, Murfreesboro, TN 37129 April 10, 9am to 1pm: USDA APHIS Headquarters, 4700 River Road, Riverdale, MD 20737 Speakers will be limited to 5 minutes in order to ensure everyone registered will have the opportunity to have their comments heard. If you have written comments, you may leave them with the USDA officials at the session. Online registration is available on the APHIS Animal Care website at http://www.aphis. usda.gov/animal_welfare/events_ reg.shtml. We look forward to your comments in order to ensure the success of the USDA APHIS Horse Protection Program. If you have any questions, you may contact Dr. Rachel Cezar at 301/851-3746 or rachel.cezar@aphis.usda. gov. Information is also available at: www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_ welfare/hp.

Celebrating 30 years in the Salers business! Please join us for opening day of our annual private treaty production sale Saturday, March 10, 2012. Selling 150 high altitude, low maintenance, feed efficient bulls and females with excellent dispositions! Gary or Gail Volk 970-835-3944 ph/fax Sarah Morris 970-216-2977, cowgal@tds.net www.figure4cattleco.com

This first type of benefit can be seen in the justification for the new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-mandated standards for mercury emissions. The policy claims benefits worth $90 billion, yet less than .01 percent of these benefits actually stem from reducing mercury â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the rest is supposedly attained by reducing fine particles. This demonstrates several dangers of these co-benefit claims: â&#x2013; Regulations can be proposed that ostensibly target a given contaminant while they have little intention of achieving that end in reality, misleading the public. â&#x2013; This inherent lack of transparency is compounded by the

Page 15

lack of supporting data quantifying the net health effects of these policies. â&#x2013; Two-thirds of the benefits of economically significant final rules in 2010 were thanks to reductions in fine particles brought about by regulations that were actually aimed at something else, according to Susan Dudley of George Washington University. â&#x2013; That is double the share of co-benefits reported in President Bushâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s last year in office in 2008. Private benefits from energy efficiency also stand on dubious grounds, relying on overly generous benefit assumptions while downplaying economic costs. â&#x2013; Ted Gayer of the Brookings Institution notes that private

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benefits such as reduced fuel consumption account for 90 percent of the $388 billion in lifetime benefits claimed for last year's new fuel-economy standards for cars and light trucks. â&#x2013; They also account for 92 percent and 70 percent of the benefits of new energy-efficiency standards for washing machines and refrigerators, respectively. â&#x2013; The problem is that, provided the information, these benefits would have been chosen by consumers with no government prodding â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the fact that regulation is necessary suggests that consumers do not want to participate, undermining the justification. SOURCE: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Rule of More,â&#x20AC;? The Economist, February 18, 2012.

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Livestock Market Digest

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March 15, 2012

Gaining Ground With Beefmasters by CALLIE GNATKOWSKI-GIBSON

y focusing on six traits important to cattle producers, now known as the Six Essentials of the Beefmaster breed, Tom Lasater developed cattle that remain well-suited to today’s cattle market. He used Hereford, Shorthorn and Brahman genetics, and concentrated on disposition, fertility, weight, conformation, milk production and hardiness to create a breed of cattle that perform, produce and put money in the producer’s pocket.

Focused on Performance About 90 registered Beefmaster bulls, raised in Oklahoma and Texas, will be offered at this spring’s Texoma Beefmaster Bull

Casey BEEFMASTERS

sale, set for March 24, at the Red River Livestock Market in Ardmore, Oklahoma. A limited number of females will also be available. The upcoming sale will be the group’s 17th annual event, said sale manager Derek Frenzel. “We are a customer driven sale that offers one of the top buyback programs in the industry.” Bulls are performance tested on forage followed by a 60-day supplement test. “The foragebased test allows us to develop bulls that won’t fall apart when a customer gets them home,” Frenzel said, “while the results from the feed gain test gives customers who retain ownership and feed out their calves an idea of the performance a bull will pass down to his calves. The bulls are developed in a controlled, uniform environment, so they can be compared on an even playing field.” For some ranchers, placing an emphasis on a black hide has had unintended consequences in their herds, especially in weaning

weights and mothering ability. “We are starting to see a swing back to Beefmasters,” he noted. “We saw it in our fall sale, and hope to see that same trend continue this spring. People say, “I did what everyone told me to, and started using Angus bulls to get the black hide, and now I don’t have the cowherd that I did and my weaning weights are not what they were. Producers returning to the Beefmaster breed after using other genetics for several years should also get a good heterosis kick in their calves,” he explained. Adding thickness to calves and cleaning up their underline is another reason people are coming back to the Beefmaster breed, Derek explained. “A lot of people are really impressed with how thick and clean the bulls are.” To help give bull customers options when it comes time to sell their calves, sale organizers implemented a calf buy-back program, which has become a big part of the sale in the last couple

of years, Derek said. Customers are encouraged to arrive early for the steak dinner and social Friday night, and freight and volume discounts are available.

A Family Business The Frenzel family has been raising registered Beefmaster cattle in Temple, Texas, for close to 30 years. They started using Beefmaster bulls on their commercial cow herd, Derek said, then grew from there into a registered program, Frenzel Beefmasters. “Like many people, we saw a neighbor using a Beefmaster bull on his cows, saw his results and success, then started using the breed ourselves.” In 2009 Frenzel Beefmasters was awarded Breeder of the Year by the Beefmaster Breeders United. They calve in both the fall and in the spring to ensure that bulls are ready when customers need them. “Our goal is to produce bulls that meet the needs of the commercial cowman,” he explained. In addition to bull

sales, semen is available from several of their bulls. Beefmasters are just all around good cattle, Derek said. “Just like everyone else, I really like the females. In fact, our slogan is ‘dam good’ cattle,” he said. “Beefmasters were developed to be a hardy breed. They are an easy doing animal, and we’ve worked hard to improve their disposition, tighten them up, and make them thicker and more doable.” “Like one of our returning customers says, what he cares about is what puts money in his pocket,” Derek continued. “When you sell by the pound, you’re going to make more per head with Beefmaster and Beefmaster cross calves.”

Genetic Strength Jimmy Morgan, of Simon Creek Cattle Company in Overbrook, Oklahoma, about 30 miles southwest of Ardmore, handles the Texoma sale’s calf buy-back program. “We wanted to offer a marketing alternative for producers using Texoma Beefmaster bulls, and use it as a promotional tool for guys who may have

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Beefmaster Cattle – The Breed of Choice for Rebuilding the Nations Cowherd TOMMY PERKINS, PH.D., Executive Vice President, Beefmaster Breeders United

hat an interesting time for the cattle industry. We have the lowest number of cows in the United States since the 1950s, we have had the smallest calf crop in sixty years and we have an ongoing drought that will not seem to break. This could be good in the long term as record high prices are being predicted for the next decade. These interesting dynamics lead me to believe that there is a tremendous opportunity awaiting us in the beef cattle industry. Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU) would like to be part of the herd rebuilding that is bound to occur sooner than later in the United States. We are confident that Beefmaster cattle have the attributes necessary to remake the existing cow herd. Docility, fertility, efficiency, early growth and longevity are just a few of the traits that we can offer. As a commercial cattleman, you recognize the value that these economically important traits offer the industry. We are certain you will recognize the high quality females that our Beefmaster bulls will produce. We are also confident that these same bulls will produce steers which will have added value in the beef chain. For example, recent feed out data from Mississippi shows that Beefmaster sired calves made $201 more

per head than Angus sired calves. All of the calves were born on the same ranch, in the same season, weaned and backgrounded together and all fed in the same Kansas feedlot. The Beefmaster calves harvested with an average yield grade of 2.7, high select quality grade and 1361 pound live weight whereas the Angus calves averaged a yield grade 2.5, high choice and weighed 1112 pounds. The Beefmaster breed of cattle is a multipurpose breed that is full of convenience traits. When used in a crossbreeding program, Beefmasters will add growth and efficiency in all phases of the production chain. This added growth and efficiency will put dollars in your pocket at the cow-calf level and all the way through the feedlot phase, giving you the best of both worlds. You get all the convenience traits in the female along with a crossbred, high performing calf with excellent carcass traits. Traditionally, the Beefmaster cow has provided the low birth weights, calving ease, fleshing ability, efficiency and conception percentage that is unequalled in the beef industry. Today you can expect more of the same with more predictability as breeders have utilized EPDs to improve the overall growth and maternal attributes of the breed. This tool has been enhanced with the analysis of data being performed by BreedPlan in Australia. Beef-

master breeders now breed cattle with greater confidence. Use of Beefmaster influenced cattle will allow you to be a lowcost producer with fewer inputs at the cow/calf level. Reduced per cow cost will become a requirement of cow/calf operators to survive in the current and evolving beef industry. Economics 101 suggests that cow/calf producers can achieve greater profitability or minimal losses by cutting per cow costs. These cost cutting measures are built into the Beefmaster influenced female. Beefmaster cattle offer the perfect balance of convenience, breed complimentarity, and heterosis retention. The use of Beefmaster genetics will offer the advantage of breed complimentarity. It can combine the strengths of each to produce progeny that should have optimum levels of performance for multiple traits of importance. For example, a cross between a commercial Angus cow and a Beefmaster bull would combine high levels of marbling from the Angus with high efficiency and growth of the Beefmaster. Thus, the resulting crossbred progeny should combine quality grade and cost of production attributes to maximize value in a retained ownership management system. This mating would allow the producer to optimize Bos Taurus percentage in an excellent replacement female or a fast

March 15, 2012 thought about using Beefmaster bulls on their herds but were concerned about marketing their calves,” he explained. “Basically, if someone buys bulls at our sale, we offer a buyback on the calves. The only qualification is that the calves be dehorned and castrated,” he continued. “We will take one calf or a thousand, there is no head count minimum or maximum. It sounds simple, and we try to keep it simple.” The price offered is derived using a computer program that is based on the Oklahoma weighted average. New bids for each weight class are available each Saturday, and are good through the following Thursday, giving producers six days to decide whether the price offered works for them. Morgan grows the calves out on wheat pasture, and while he sometimes does have to go outside of the breed to meet his needs, he has been very satisfied with the performance of the Beefmaster calves. “As Beefmaster producers ourselves, we came to the conclusion that if we were going to buy calves, why not use

growing, efficient, high quality feeder calf. Beefmaster sired calves offer advantages in heterosis and breed complimentarity. However, larger economic benefits will be garnered with the retention of crossbreeding result from the use of crossbred cows. Retained cross bred females offer maternal heterotic improvement. These females show improvement in reproductive performance, longevity, and efficiency. The crossbred cow improves calf survivability to weaning as well as increased weaning weights of those calves. Research has shown that crossbred cows offer about a 5 percent increase in calving rate and a 5-8 percent increase in longevity. Lifetime productivity records indicate an additional calf or 550-600 pounds of weaning weight over the cow’s life. BBU also has commercial programs in place that will help validate your Beefmaster influenced calves. We have a commercial E6 Heifer Program that can add value to these verified females. Additionally, we have a source and age verification program, through Tri Merit, that allows you to add value to Beefmaster influenced feeder and stocker calves. This is as simple as a short interview about your program and tagging the calves with the necessary eartags. As a commercial bull buyer, I ask that you consider what the Beefmaster breed can do for your operation. I believe that producers making the best genetic decisions today will see the most opportunities for profit in the next decade. Please don’t hesitate to call 210/732-3132 or go to our website at: www.beefmasters.org for additional information.

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

Page 17

web.

ter-based cows weaned heavier calves than his Angus-based cows. “It was the same ranch, the same year, genetics were the only difference,” he said. After running cattle in the northeastern part of the state for several years, the Brockmans moved to the Taiban ranch in 1997 to help his grandfather. At that time, his grandfather was using both Beefmaster and English bulls on his English cow herd, and the Beefmaster cross calves consistently weighed heavier at weaning. “Then,” he said, “when I started using straight Angus bulls, our weaning weights went down.” Brockman buys bulls from the Texoma Beefmaster Bull Sale,

the best genetics available to us while showing confidence in our genetics. “It’s hard to pinpoint a number, because we get calves from so many breeders, but I can say that Beefmaster calves tend to be very growthy, perform well, and fill our needs.” The breed’s adaptability and ability to survive is one of its biggest strengths, according to Morgan. Making it through the current drought has been a struggle for all producers, but those who use Beefmaster genetics in their operation seem to be getting through a little better than their neighbors. “Beefmasters do well from as far south in Florida as you can go, up into Utah and Oregon. It is hard to find a whole lot of breeds that

can thrive as well in so many environments.” “On the female side, it’s hard to beat the breed’s milking and mothering ability,” he noted. Morgan also raises registered Beefmaster cattle. He and his father bought their first set of bred heifers in 1995, and focus on raising practical cattle with proven performance. “We want to produce genetics that will perform in any setting. We don’t focus on one particular area, but try to raise quality cattle.” The Morgans sell the majority of their bulls through the Texoma Beefmaster Bull Sale,and also participate in other sales from time to time as well as selling bulls private treaty from the ranch. More information on their cattle is available on the

Proven Results Beefmaster cattle have been part of the Alamosa Ranch near Taiban, operated by Forrest and Ruth Brockman and their family, for over fifteen years. The Brockmans started out using Beefmaster bulls on their commercial Angus cow herd, and are breeding up to a purebred Beefmaster operation. The results he saw from the Beefmaster influence in his cow herd over time sold Brockman on the breed. Watching the cattle from the edge of the canyon, he said, he would see the Beefmaster cows out working while the Angus cows were bushed up. He really noticed the difference one dry year, when his Beefmas-

continued on page eighteen

Because COMMERCIAL CATTLEMEN still market cattle by the pound...

Beefmaster Bulls will increase your calf weaning weights in the herd. Beefmaster cattle are more heat, insect and drought tolerant than many other breeds you have to choose from. Beefmaster calves are born small, get up and nurse quickly and are efficient, fast gaining from birth to weaning. Beefmaster sired calves generally weigh 25 to 50 pounds heavier at weaning. This translates into an additional $26 to $52 per head or $650 to $1,300, simply by using one Beefmaster bull. The black hided, non-eared bull advertisements are touting a $7.64/cwt. advantage for their lighter weight weanlings. On average, their calves will net $556 whereas a Beefmaster influenced calf will net $565. Beefmaster bulls generate additional benefits by producing superior replacement females that are extremely docile, feed efficient and highly fertile. A Beefmaster bull will provide a substantial return on investment with heavier weaning weights, improved efficiency, increased docility, enhanced fertility and extended longevity.

Simply more efficient. Simply more profit. Beefmaster Breeders United 6800 Park Ten Blvd., Ste. 290 W San Antonio, Texas 78213 P: 210/732-3132 • F: 210/732-7711 www.beefmasters.org

BEEFMASTER

The Commercial Cattlemen’s Choice

Livestock Market Digest

Page 18

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March 15, 2012

Holechek Honored By Society For Range Management r. Jerry Holechek, professor of range science in the Department of Animal and Range Sciences at New Mexico State University was recently awarded the Frederic G. Renner Award by the Society for Range Management at the organization’s recent meeting in Seattle, Washington. This award is the most prestigious bestowed by the Society and is based upon recipient’s sustained outstanding accomplishments and continuing contributions to any aspect of range science and range management. During his 32 years as a professor at New Mexico State University, Dr. Holechek has made numerous contributions to the profession of range management through his research, teaching, and invited talks in the areas of range livestock nutrition, range wildlife management, public rangeland policy, rangeland monitoring, and rangeland restoration and improvement. One of his most outstanding accomplishments is senior authorship on the textbook Range Management Principles and Practices which has become the standard undergrad-

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uate range management textbook in the world and is now in its sixth edition. The sixth edition of this text book is remarkable in that it includes major new sections on range animal behavior, the importance of rangelands to national security, a new chapter on rangeland economics, the importance of ranchers and ranching to the national economy, and the importance of rangelands in meeting national energy needs. Dr. Holechek has authored 151 peer reviewed journal articles and a total of 236 publications relating to range management. His research has been heavily cited by a wide range of textbook and scientific journals dealing with range management and related areas. His research and textbook are heavily used by range consultants in the Society for Range Management. His research and consulting reports have had considerable practical application on both public and private lands across the United States and worldwide. Range research techniques he has developed are now being widely applied throughout the U.S. and other parts of the world. Through the years, Dr. Holechek has developed a very strong connection with the ranching community in the western United States. Many ranchers have applied his approaches to

Gaining Ground

PerformanceTested Bull Sale MARCH 17, 2012 Jeff & Pam Schmidt 509/488-2158 • Othello, WA

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and for the past couple of years, has participated in the sale’s calf buy-back program. The ranch also uses Lasater and Casey genetics. “In today’s market, it seems like everything is pro-Angus,” Brockman said. “The buy-back program has been really good for us. It’s not necessarily a valueadded program, but does away with the bias of the hide. We get a price for our calves based just on their weight.” “The program is handled by Simon Creek Cattle Company, and they’re honest, good people to work with. No matter what it is or what you are doing, it all boils down to the people,” he continued. “I can’t stress enough how good they are to work with.” For Brockman, the maternal strengths of the breed are important. “They are good, low maintenance mamas. I like the growth, and I like the calves, but for me the main thing is the females.” He also cites the breed’s disposition. “The cattle are gentle and easy to handle. When you gather the bulls, they don’t stand there all day and fight. The cattle travel well, and get out and use the country.” Beefmasters are just good cattle, combining maternal traits, high weaning weights and longevity. “People like to talk about price per pound at the coffee shop. I maybe can’t compete with them in that regard, but I think that when you look at total

grazing management and monitoring. Major improvements in grazing management practices in the western United States have been documented over the past 15 years. Dr. Holechek’s research, extension, and consulting activities have played an important role in this improvement. In recent years, Dr. Holechek has been somewhat the “Indiana Jones” of the range profession. Dr. Holechek has traveled to various developing countries, using his own money, touring and providing assistance through donation of both time and money to rural people for schools, improved farm production techniques, infrastructure, and better grazing management. Among his recent activities, Dr. Holechek has voluntarily been quite active as a speaker in high school classes across New Mexico regarding the importance of rangelands and range management. Since 2005, he has provided presentations to over100 high school classes. Few individuals in the history of range management have had the impact of Dr. Holechek. He is totally dedicated to the range profession and improvement of the world’s rangelands. The range profession has made great gains as a result of Dr. Holechek’s efforts. He truly manifests the qualities of an outstanding range scientist and educator and exemplifies the qualities the Frederic G. Renner Award was established to recognize. continued from page seventeen

dollars per cow exposed, I can compete.” It’s a family operation for the Brockmans. “The five of us have definitely done it as a family, and my parents, Bill and Violet Brockman, still have an interest in the ranch,” he noted. Beefmasters also run in the family. Each of Forrest and Ruth’s three children have leased land and their own set of Beefmaster cows. Their oldest son, Seth, runs registered Beefmasters on the Canadian River breaks in northern New Mexico, and markets seedstock as EJ Beefmasters. Their daughter Heidi and her husband Blayne Holdeman run Beefmaster cross cattle north of Ft. Sumner. Their youngest son, Pete, still in high school, has handful of Beefmasters on some leased country near home. “We live in a cookie-cutter world, and everyone wants to raise that ideal black Angus cow. All of the genetic testing and research, it’s all money in someone’s pocket,” Brockman said. “God gave us a diverse world, and it’s okay to be a little different.” “I think it would be very sad if the beef industry became like the hog industry in this country,” he continued. “If we never saw a good Hereford, or Limousin, or Charolais or Beefmaster, and only saw that black Angus cow, we would have lost something. I can’t do it all by myself, but I believe in it.”

March 15, 2012

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

Train Wrecks With Wildlife by TOM MCDOWELL, Legislative Liaison, New Mexico Trappers Assn.

he story of North American wildlife management began early in the last century. It began with hunters, trappers, ranchers and farmers demanding something be done about the dwindling herds and flocks across our nation. Folks from these groups, to one degree or another, lived off the land and saw firsthand the effects that over exploitation was having on our wildlife; they set out to fix the problem and did so at their own personal expense. License fees, taxes, sweat equity and numerous volunteer hours were amassed and expended to give us the tremendous wealth of wildlife that all enjoy today. Fast forward to the 70s: the place, the Tennessee Valley; the villain, the Army Corp of Engineers; the victim, the Snail Darter and the “heroes”, the courts, their officers and the ESA (Endangered Species Act). This event and others of the time, like Cleveland Amory’s production “Guns of Autumn”, ushered in the era of “train wrecks” for our wildlife. Think not? Just imagine where our wildlife and habitat could be if the millions wasted on meaningless litigation would have been spent for its intended purposes. Today, so many jump at the ESA as the source of all evil and the lawyers as the devil’s own, that far too often the true engineers of the “wrecks” go unacknowledged. The ESA was intended, by its drafters, to be an educational tool; a beacon on the real value of our wildlife and habitat. It was not envisioned as a club to be used by the agenda driven animal rightist, who today cloak themselves as “conservationist” with group names that sound like they must care about our wildlife and wild places; alas they don’t. These groups have a few things in common: they seek to curtail consumptive use; want families and individuals off of the landscape; want to be the controllers of our values in regard to wildlife, wild places and rural life in America and finally want everyone else to pay for it and for their elitists lifestyles. It is true that the ESA is in dire need of revision. Some in congress have seen this truth, have acted and hopefully, with sufficient pressure, will continue to act. The recent delisting of the Gray Wolf across the northwest may finally enable these managers to right that “train” and restore balance among both wildlife and rural-life. There is hope that shortly the citizens of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan will once again have the ability to manage their own. Closer to home, Arizona has followed the lead of Governor Martinez and our Game Commission and said no more wolves. After three decades of stalling and failures it is obvious,

to even the most casual observer, that federal oversight / management of local wildlife is the problem not the solution. The experiment to reintroduce “pen raised” habituated wolves is a failure. These creatures, at least in the current environment, won’t revert to their wild ways. So long as there are people living in the area, these wolves will continue to seek handouts in the form of livestock and family pets (for food and sexual companionship). The solution is simple, remove the people and everything will be good; just listen to today’s “conservationist”. Folks it is obvious, our customs and cultures are as archaic as the village blacksmith. We just need to give up and rollover into our new beds in the concrete jungles of the world; I don’t think so! Yet another fight is brewing in our backyard; ban the “cruel and barbaric steel jawed leg-hold” (foot-hold) traps from public land. Having failed at pulling the proverbial wool over the eyes of our Game Commission and game managers, the animal rights coalition is focusing its campaign of sophistry and name calling toward the general public, with a clear focus on our legislature. If they are successful, another train wreck for our wildlife and rural-life will follow. In the face of ever expanding human populations balanced management is the only hope for protecting our wildlife; trapping is the most effective, and in many cases, only tool available for the management of many species. The allegations that foot-hold traps are cruel and that trappers are barbaric may be a useful ploy in the attempt to derail effective wildlife management, however, these allegations are completely false. The groups spreading these myths have never let the truth stand in their way, nevertheless the truth is out there for all to see. It is not possible for a trap to be cruel; traps are inanimate objects and as such have no capacity for behavior towards another. Furthermore, humane traps and trapping are governed at the international, national and state levels. Not one but two international standards exist through the ISO process; one relates to humane restraining devices (foot-hold traps, cages and some snares) and the other for traps that kill humanely. At the national level, new era “conservationists” would have you believe that the data collected to bring the United States in compliance with an European Union “Agreed Minute”, which bans fur importation from countries that permit inhumane trapping practices, has been falsified by the Game Departments and Game Commissions of 38 states, The US Department of Agriculture, The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the trappers of New Mexico and the rest

of the country; this data must be bogus for it supports modern trapping as a humane and ethical practice. The truth be known, never in history has such scrutiny, testing and actual field study been conducted on traps, trappers and trapping. Coalitions of animal rightist conveniently ignore the facts that thousands of animals have been captured for experimental tracking purposes, relocations, reintroductions, protection of endangered species and population control using the foot-hold trap. The widely successful reintroduction of the River Otter across America (including NM) was accomplished by trappers using foot-hold traps. Their beloved Gray Wolves, reintroduced into Yellowstone, were caught by trappers using foothold traps, as are the problem Lobos in the Gila. These traps are one in the same as those being used annually across New Mexico to harvest fur and control predators. Surrounding states which have misguidedly banned traps are frequently taunted as role models for New Mexico. When have these states revived an endangered species to sustainable levels compatible with hunting? New Mexico has just done this with the Desert Bighorn Sheep. Desert sheep and trapping you ask; the success of the sheep is directly tied to the trapping of lions by New Mexico trappers who used foot traps. It was New Mexico game managers and our Game Commission that demonstrated the leadership and foresight necessary for this grand accomplishment while true conservation groups raised monies to help fund the recovery. I wonder if becoming more like California is really such a good idea. There are numerous other examples of wildlife “train wrecks” including disease transmission, crippling economic losses to predation and depredation and destruction of our marshes and roadways to name a few. For example, a few years ago we had an incident of rabies in our Gila fox populations. The viral strain originated in Arizona (which has banned trapping) and spread into the healthy population of fox in New Mexico. An outbreak of rabies in one species can lead to ancillary cases of the disease in many mammals, domestic and wild. Luckily, the rabies outbreak was short lived and relatively isolated. Regulated trapping clearly has a role in a variety of management strategies. September of 2011 The Wildlife Society, a professional group with over 10,000 wildlife biologist and managers as members, released a statement relative to the animal rights position. A portion of the summary follows: The TWS “Support an animal welfare philosophy”, which holds that animals can be stud-

Page 19

ied and managed through science-based methods and that human use of wildlife — including regulated, sustainable hunting, trapping, and lethal control for the benefit of populations, threatened or endangered species, habitats, and human society — is acceptable, provided that individual animals are treated ethically and humanely. “There is a profound conflict between many tenets of animal rights philosophy and the animal welfare philosophy required for effective management and conservation,” says TWS President Tom Ryder. “Established principles and techniques of wildlife population management are deemed unacceptable by the animal rights viewpoint, but are absolutely essential for the management and conservation of healthy wildlife populations and ecosystems in a world dominated

by human influences.” I suppose that this group of professionals is also wrong. With proper balanced management, our wildlife will flourish for all to enjoy and our wild places and rural life styles will remain intact for future generations. It is imperative for the “true” conservationist to join arms in support of our wildlife, managers and Game Commission. To this end the New Mexico Trappers’ Association has established an annual scholarship to cover the tuition, room and board for a Game Department biologist or officer to attend the Trappers College accredited by Purdue University. New Mexico’s hunters, ranchers, trappers, farmers and outdoorsmen must be vigilant, with a unified goal of keeping the “North American Wildlife Express” on her tracks.

Cattle Crossing Halted At Some Mexico Ports of Entry he U.S. State Department has prohibited travel for employees without armored vehicle and armed escort. As a result the USDA is suspending cattle inspections at the border crossings in Palomas, Ojinga and Cd Acuna, Mexico, which border New Mexico and Texas. Last year USDA suspended inspections in Reynosa, N Laredo, and Pierdas Negras. Its slow season, it expected that the USDA will reassess the situation in 30 days. Solutions require input from U.S. Customs & Border Protection and cooperation from SAGARPA and Union Ganadera de Chihuahua. At this time, crossings will continue at Santa Theresa.

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BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOG PROBLEMS? Don’t risk having to do it over again with ineffective products. Rozol Prairie Dog Bait is a restricted-use pesticide approved for use by state certified applicators on blacktailed prairie dogs in CO, KS, ND, NE, NM, OK, SD, TX and WY. Made with food-grade winter wheat, a preferred food source, to ensure quick rodent acceptance and control. No pre-baiting required. Proven in university trials on over 11,000 burrows to provide over 94% control in a single application. For use in-burrow only. It is the responsibility of the user to read and follow all label directions. Protect your range and pastureland from damage with Rozol.

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Livestock Market Digest

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March 15, 2012

THE LIVESTOCK MARKET DIGEST

Real Baxter BLACK Estate Guide Green Jobs ON

THE

EDGE

s part of the government’s stimulus program they are offering $500 million worth of grants to create and train “Green Jobs.” I’m not sure how they define ‘green’? But there is certainly one job description that should be at the top of the list if you’re looking for the purest form of green jobs; farming. It is a profession that recycles the land, the water, the air, the animals and the crops. Plants take in carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. Farmers take dirt, rain, seeds and sun and convert it to protein, carbs, oxygen, minerals and vitamins essential to life on our planet. Coincidentally, there is high-level discussion concerning the safety of children on the farm, which itself, is a controversial subject. The chasm is between two cultures and how they define “Dangerous.” Take firearms, for instance. The Outdoor/Rural side believes firearms are to hunt. The Suburban/Urban side thinks firearms are handguns whose primary uses are self-protection and/or armed robbery. Pocket knives are an essential tool to those who work outdoors. In the city they are used to clean fingernails and too dangerous to have in public schools. Driving a vehicle, be it a 4wheeler, tractor or grain truck usually in a confined area (on the farm) allows a young person to be more useful. To a city kid, getting his permit at 15 allows him to get to school and hang out with his friends. City streets and traffic make driving

COMMON

SENSE

dangerous. Fifteen years old is soon enough for them. CONCLUSION: With Uncle Sam 1) wanting to put money into green jobs, 2) acknowledging that farming is the greenest job there is, and 3) concern about farm kids’ safety, let me make a rational suggestion: How about we pour a justified portion of the $500 million into serious vocational training for farm kids, probably through the FFA and Vo Ag. It could be voluntary, approved by parents, and start as early as grade school in a light simulator except it emulates tractors, graders, ATV’s, farm machinery and grain trucks. Finance a course in livestock handling and procedures. In defense of farm and ranch parents, over a period of time they teach their children the vocational skills needed on their particular operation. And Vo Ag classes do exist that teach many of the farm skills that fill in the gaps. But there is no doubt that a healthy injection of funding from the “Green Job” 500 million dollar fund, would be far better spent on farm kids than on budding OSHA regulators, consultants and fly-by-night “Clean Energy” carpetbaggers. No one denies that farm kids can be put in harm’s way, but it would be much more effective if we as farmers and ranchers made a visible, tangible effort to teach them safety habits and rules. We can sure do it better than the usual urban ham-handed government agencies. Whattya think? Someone get the Department of Labor on the phone!

Obama Energy Budget:

MISPLACED SUBSIDIES, OVERLOOKED BENEFITS n his budget for fiscal year 2013, President Obama advocated as a vital goal that the United States reduce its dependence on foreign sources of oil. However, in a seemingly contradictory move, the president also sought an end to tax benefits given to the oil and gas industries while advocating massive government spending in renewables, says Robert Bryce, a senior fellow with the Manhattan Institute. The president’s misplaced priorities demonstrate two areas of faulty reasoning among Democrats in the current dialogue over domestic energy production. First, they are too quick to write off oil and gas businesses as the “largest, most profitable companies in the world” while ignoring their economic benefits. ■ Domestic oil production, in decline for decades, is on the upswing, perhaps hitting 8 million barrels per day by 2016 according to some analysts, thereby reducing reliance on for-

eign oil. ■ Last year, natural-gas production reached a record level of about 23 trillion cubic feet, eclipsing the previous record of 21.7 trillion cubic feet back in 1973.

wind energy is independently viable only if natural gas costs more than $6.50. The shale production revolution in gas has driven down prices: between 2003 and 2008 — the years immediately before the revolution — natural-gas prices averaged about $7 per thousand cubic feet, but have since declined to a current spot rate of $2.60. ■ Rounding the price reduction down to $4, American consumers now save $264 million daily through cheaper gas. ■ Oil and gas have also contributed viable job growth — over the past five years, some ■

158,000 new oil and gas jobs have been created. Second, Democrats choose to ignore the inconvenient truth regarding renewable sources in the current economy: they produce expensive energy and few long-term jobs. ■ Travis Miller, an analyst at Morningstar Inc., stated that wind energy is independently viable only if natural gas costs more than $6.50 — a figure far greater than the current rate of $2.60. ■ The Obama administration decries the $2.82 billion split among 14,000 oil and gas companies in 2010 through subsidies and support, but ignores the $2.6 billion in tax-free grants split among just four wind-producing companies between 2009 and 2011. ■ In one of these wind ventures, the job growth came at a cost of $9 million per job. Source: Robert Bryce, “Obama’s Energy Budget: Misplaced Subsidies, Overlooked Benefits,” Manhattan Institute, February 2012.

TO PLACE YOUR LISTINGS call CAREN COWAN at 505/243-9515, ext. 21, or email caren@aaalivestock.com

Place your Real Estate ad in the 2012 FME (Including the DIGEST 25) 5 0 5 / 2 4 3 - 9 5 1 5

•

Properties and Equities, Inc. Cottonwood, California • 1850-acre winter ranch, barn with custom living quarters, stalls, 200x400 roping arena, creek, reservoirs, $2.2 mil. • 160-acre ranch set in foothills, custom home, large reservoir, custom kennels, views, $795,000. • 409-acre ranch, 1 mi Cottonwood Creek, valley oaks, 40 acres irrigated pasture, $1,750,000. • 5-acre custom lots, views, horse property, $149,000. Red Bluff, California • 80 acres Class II soil, orchard suitable, income $545,000. • 100 acres Class II, in hay, orchard suitable, $795,000. Modoc County, California • 785 ac, 400 ac pivot, 30 ac wheel line, 46 ac flood irrigated, add’l grazing ground, 2 large hay barns, home. $1,250,000 R.G. Davis, Broker, 530/949-1985 Jeff Davis, Realtor, 530/604-3655 Tonya Redamonti, Realtor, 530/521-6054 19855 S. Main St., Cottonwood, CA 96022 530/347-9455 homeranchpropertiesandequities.com

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RANCH & FARM REAL ESTATE

Ben G. Scott & Krystal M. Nelson, Brokers 1301 Front St., Dimmitt, TX 79027 1-800/933-9698 day/night ➤ www.scottlandcompany.com ➤ www.texascrp.com

CHECK OUR WEBSITES FOR OTHER PROPERTIES WESTERN STREET VISTA NORTH: Potter Co, Texas, 10 ac. located 4-1/2 miles north of Loop 335 at the north end of Western Street, with 2- to 3-bedroom, 1-3/4 bath home with horsebarn and pens, domestic well, septic system. VALLEY VIEW RANCH: Lipscomb Co., Texas, 177 ac. with extraordinary 5,404± sq. ft. home overlooking the property with beautiful views of live creek, trees, wildlife (deer, quail, and turkey), covered horse training facilities, stables, excellent cattle working facilities and pens, commercial dog kennels, employee housing. We can divide (10 ac. with main residence or 167± ac. with other improvements)! HWY 1055/303 RANCH: 8-section ranch with new set of pens, concrete bunks, truck/cattle scale and commodity barn, mobile home, watered by subs, mill and pipeline, hour from Lubbock, Texas, mule deer and quail.

Bottari Realty Paul Bottari, Broker, 775/752-3040

New Mexico/ West Texas Ranches

NEVADA FARMS & RANCH PROPERTY

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Antelope Peak Ranch: 5,000+ deeded plus BLM for $2.8 million with equipment Elko River Ranch: 11,000 deeded 300 acres with water rights on Humboldt plus BLM for $2.6 million

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NEED RANCH LEASES & PASTURE FOR 2012 & 2013 DAVID P. DEAN Ranch: 432/426-3779 • Mob.: 432/634-0441 www.availableranches.com

KEVIN C. REED Ranch Sales & Appraisals Ranchers Serving Ranchers TX & NM

Office: 325/655-6989 • Cell: 915/491-9053 1002 Koenigheim, San Angelo, TX 76903 www.llptexasranchland.com • email: llp@wcc.net

Texas: 7,670 acres east of El Paso. Quality mule deer and exceptional quail.

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Texas: 7,360 acres Brewster Co. ct tra Con nderranch Uhunting Remote with beautiful vistas.

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

March 15, 2012

THE LIVESTOCK MARKET DIGEST

Missouri Land Sales

Real Estate GUIDE New Mexico Ranches Just 35 miles southeast of Santa Fe: 4,530 deeded acres, 4,835 state lease acres, treed and open country, 5 shallow wells, great access – paved, NUMEROUS SCENIC VIEWS

Great Mule Deer Hunting: 25 miles southeast of Mountainair, joins Gran Quivira Monument, 3,300 all deeded acres, small residence, good well and pipeline system

TERRELL LAND & LIVESTOCK COMPANY 575/447-6041

AGUA NEGRA

RANCH 16,400 Deeded Acres Santa Rosa, New Mexico

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❙ Running Water ❙ Springs ❙ Pre-Conditioning Facility ❙ Rolling Hill Country ❙ Sub-Irrigated Meadows ❙ Water Rights (Ditch and Sprinkler) ❙ Deer and Antelope Hunting

CHARLES BENNETT

www.ranch-lands.com

United Country / Vista Nueva, Inc. 575/356-5616 • www.vista-nueva.com

QUIET HILLS RANCH Approx. 3,871 acres. First time offered in three generations. Located about 15 miles west of Corning, CA south of Red Bluff. Excellent winter range. 5 reservoirs, fenced and cross fenced. All fences, reservoirs, and ranch roads in A-1 condition. This ranch has excellent hunting for black tail deer, quail, pigs, wild turkeys, dove hunting, and bass in the reservoirs. $3,815,000.

SHASTA LAND SERVICES, INC. 530/221-8100

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Cottonwood Andy Groseta Paul Groseta 928-634-8110

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TEXAS & OKLA. FARMS & RANCHES • 735 acres Paris, Texas, excellent pasture, paved road frontage, huge lake, mansion home. $2,750,000. • 274 acres in the shadow of Dallas. Secluded lakes, trees, excellent grass. Hunting & fishing, dream home sites. $3,550/ac. Can add 300 more acres, only 30 miles out of Dallas. • 1,700-acre classic NE TX cattle & hunting ranch. $2,750/ac. Some mineral production. • 256 Acre Texas Jewel – Deep sandy soil, highrolling hills, scattered good quality trees, & excellent improved grasses. Water line on 2 sides rd., frontage on 2 sides, fenced into 5 pastures, 5 spring fed tanks and lakes, deer, hogs & ducks. Near Tyler & Athens. Price $1,920,000. Make us an offer! • 146 horse, hunting cattle ranch N. of Clarksville, TX. Red River Co. nice brick home, 2 barns, pipe fences, good deer, hogs, ducks, hunting. PRICE REDUCED to $375,000. • 535 ac. Limestone, Fallas, & Robertson counties, fronts on Hwy. 14 and has rail frontage water line, to ranch, fenced into 5 pastures, 2 sets, cattle pens, loamy soil, good quality trees, hogs, and deer hunting. Priced reduced to $1,750 per ac. • 10 Wooded Acres with a 6-bedroom, 3.5 bath and a 2-car garage and shop for $199,000. • 134 acres Wortham, Texas, $1,750/ac. Hunting and cattle. Fronts FM Hwy.

Joe Priest Real Estate 1205 N. Hwy 175, Seagoville, TX 75159

972/287-4548 • 214/676-6973 1-800/671-4548 www.joepriest.com joepriestre@earthlink.com

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Bar M Real Estate Presents . . . EAST RANCH: 22,000 deeded acres, 4,500 lease acres located in southeastern New Mexico, north of the Capitan Mountain range. Excellent wind energy development opportunity. $285 per deeded acre. MOATS RANCH: 12,000 deeded acres, 8,000 lease acres located in southeastern New Mexico, approximately 30 miles north of Roswell, N.M. $200 per deeded acre.

SOLD

POKER LAKE RANCH: 12,000 deeded acres located on the north slopes of the Capitan Mountains in southeastern New Mexico. Call for price.

Bar M Real Estate

Page 21

SCOTT McNALLY, Qualifying Broker Cell: 575/420-1237 Office: 575/622-5867

Roswell, N.M. 88202 • www.ranchesnm.com

See all my listings at:

paulmcgilliard.murney.com ■ 675 Ac. Grass Runway, Land your own plane: Major Price Reduction. 3-br, 2ba home down 1 mile private land. New 40x42 shop, PAUL McGILLIARD 40x60 livestock barn, over 450 ac. in grass. (Owner runs over 150 Cell: 417/839-5096 cow/calves, 2 springs, 20 ponds, 2 lakes, consisting of 3.5 and 2 ac. Both 1-800/743-0336 stocked with fish. Excellent fencing. A must farm to see. MSL #1112191 MURNEY ASSOC., REALTORS ■ PRICE REDUCED! 160 ACRES M/L: Hunters Dream. Farm/ SPRINGFIELD, MO 65804 Recreational or ideal for a retreat. Secluded but easy access off State Hwy. 76, 65+ miles east. Abundant deer and turkey, 40% open, 60% timber (large pines), spring, 2-br, 1-ba home/cabin. Needs to be completed. MLS #1106771. Old price: $229,900; NEW PRICE $199,900 ■ 483 Ac., Hunter Mania: Nature at her best. Don’t miss out on this one. Live water (two creeks). 70+ acres open in bottom hayfields and upland grazing. Lots of timber (marketable and young) for the best hunting and fishing (Table Rock, Taney Como and Bull Shoals Lake) Really cute 3-bd., 1-ba stone home. Secluded yes, but easy access to Forsyth-Branson, Ozark and Springfield. Property joins National Forest. MLS#1108090

Rivalé Ranch Realty LLC Raymond Rivalé Broker / Qualif ying Broker BARNEY RANCH: West of Clayton, ~3,010D, ~680 NMSL, in the canyons. Very scenic, good water with a variety of big game. $650/acre, taxes ~$.055 SEDAN: ~320D exceptionally good native grassland with excellent water and potential irrigation water available. $900/acre, taxes ~$2.12/acre KIOWA MESA: ~616D nestled in the beautiful volcanic outflows of northeast New Mexico with excellent deer hunting, and small cabin. $525,000 QUINTANA RANCH Southeast of Raton ~2,400D, ~880 NMSL in the Pineys. Excellent hunting and grazing with good water and very beautiful landscape. P. O. Box 217 • Des Moines, N.M. 88418 • rivale@bacavalley.com • 575/207-7484

Livestock Market Digest

Page 22

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March 15, 2012

Heterosis IS Reality by KIM HOLT Photos courtesy of Charolais Edge

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The addition of Charolais genetics helps this Kansas producer broaden bull customer base, customers build feeder-accepted genetics

To place your ad, contact Caren at 505/243-9515, ext. 21 or caren@aaalivestock.com

ansasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ken Stielow has a unique advantage when it comes to breeding and marketing seedstock: he thinks # T UOMS-A DE 4O - TC AH like a commercial guy. 9 UO R "RAND )DENTI FI CATI ON

â&#x20AC;&#x153;To do business with a purebred guy, who at least in his past EL EC T R I C

F R EEZ E OR has run considerable numbers of F I R E HEA T ED BR A NDER S I N commercials and fed a lot of catA NY S I Z E

S HA PE OR DES I G N tle is dealing with someone who has a different perspective on the 7E A L S O MA KE NUMBER industry,â&#x20AC;? he says, referring to BR A NDS T HA T A R E G R EA T F OR himself. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a mindset.â&#x20AC;? PR ODUC T I ON T ES T I NG The Stielow family runs their Bar S Ranch, Inc., in north cen&OR MORE INFORMATION CALL WRITE tral Kansas near the town of ParaOR CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE AT dise. Kenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grandfather, a young 4 ( 3 4 German 3 immigrant, % homesteaded the quarter - ! . $ ! . . $ section where the ranch headquarters is located, and his father began the familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legacy for high-quality cattle production in the 1940s. This cattle family steers clear of genetic fads. Their concentration is on the breeding and marketing of â&#x20AC;&#x153;useful cattleâ&#x20AC;? that have the greatest economic value to their commercial customers. In fact, Bar S markets only the top one-half of its bull calf crop as breeding stock; the remainder has been finished as steers for more than 30 years. Ken owns a minor share in a feeding company and their registered cows are managed very similar to their commercial cows, without pampering. He says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The average commercial cowman treats his cows much the way a farmer would treat his fields. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to plant the crop thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to give him the best return and net income in the end. And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the way a lot of commercial producers see it â&#x20AC;&#x201D; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a business.â&#x20AC;?

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A balancing act The Stielow family takes a similar approach to seedstock production. They listen to and keep in mind the needs of their commer-

cial customers and, in doing so, added registered Charolais in 1999 to their established Angus herd. Ken explains, â&#x20AC;&#x153;For a long period of time, I felt like the U.S. cowherd had gotten very black. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not bad at all in my estimation, but the reality is there is heterosis. And heterosis canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t and wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be ignored by all producers for a long period of time. I felt like the one real outcross that was accepted by feeders was the Charolais outcross, and that was a logical way for an Angus producer to broaden his bull customer base.â&#x20AC;? His decision to add Charolais was also encouraged by several major bull customers who told him they were going to add this breed of bulls. They preferred to buy from Stielow because they already had an established genet-

ic-supplier relationship with this family-run operation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So I knew I had a minimum customer base when I first started in Charolais,â&#x20AC;? Ken says. But he still had to find a niche. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That takes time. We have grown our customer base slowly. By far the large part of our business is Charolais bulls used on commercial Angus cows. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our major customers are large cattle operations who maybe run several hundred or thousand cows and terminally cross those for a certain endpoint-type feeder calf,â&#x20AC;? Ken explains. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Almost all of those retain ownership of calves, and still maintain a certain amount of their herd Angus so they can raise their own replacement heifers.â&#x20AC;? He points out that not every operation can do this however. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It

Bar S Focuses on Quality, Moderation, Customer Needs n the Stielow familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bar S Ranch, only the very best registered stock is kept and increased in order to meet their customer demand for black and white bulls. In doing so, the Stielows market the top half of their bull calf crop, feeding the remaining Angus and Charolais calves, along with smokie calves that result from A.I. clean-up bulls. While they keep data on calves, they havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t put much weight into comparisons due to management differences and mixed group feeding. Ken does know for certain though that the group, as a whole, performs above industry averages. The Stielow family markets registered bulls through their annual production sale and private treaty. The bulk of these sell into about a 10-county area, and into west Texas. Ken estimates that 75 percent or more of these bull customers are repeat buyers and include operations on both smaller and larger ends of the spectrum. Charolais-wise, they offer 30 to 40 yearling, 18-month-old and 2-year-old bulls. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve tried to keep up our quality, which means you maybe donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t grow bull sale numbers as fast as cow numbers,â&#x20AC;? he explains. With the advent of more and better data, people are pretty picky when it comes to bull buying, Ken says. But one thing all customers in his area are deathly on is birth weight. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t

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March 15, 2012 takes a minimum size of a cowherd to efficiently do that type of a program. We’ll sell a few bulls to the one and two bull herds. But the primary growth has been with the guys buying five to 10 bulls at a time.” Ken says these guys keep coming back to buy more Charolais bulls — “which kind of tells me something just in itself. They’re not the kind of people who shoot their foot off.” It’s been interesting, he says, to see that some people — espe-

“The bulk of the industry is still commercial feedlots that want fast-growing, good converting cattle that will sell on the generic market.” cially one and two bull operations — are worried about labor requirements with a large-breed terminal cross program, especially during calving. “But in selling to these larger operations, they have used Charolais bulls and have no qualms about that,” he assures. A past president of the Kansas Livestock Association and the 2007 Cattlemen’s Beef Board Chairman, Ken says that producers have decisions to make that affect how they’ll manage a cowherd and what markets they’ll target. And these aren’t easy decisions. They require knowing if you’ll raise just one breed and keep replacements, or if you’ll use a terminal cross, sell all heifers and replace them with purchased females. Or, are you big enough that you can use a terminal cross plus a replacement heifer program in the same herd? A producer may be more inclined to go with a Charolais bull and a terminal cross if the target market is the conventional feeder who is not necessarily shooting toward the high-premium, high-marbling market, but continued on page twenty-four

Page 23

Charolais — The Big Meaty Option by CAREN COWAN

he Charolais originated in west-central to southeastern France, in the old French provinces of Charolles and neighboring Nievre. The exact origins of the Charolais are lost, but they had to have been developed from cattle found in the area. Legend has it that white cattle were first noticed in the region as early as 878 A.D., and by the 16th and 17th centuries were well known in French markets. Selection developed a white breed of cattle which, like other cattle of continental Europe, were used for draft, milk and meat. The cattle were generally confined to the area in which they originated until 1773, when Claude Mathieu, a farmer and cattle producer, moved to the Nievre province, taking his herd of white cattle with him. The breed flourished there, so much so that the improved cattle were known more widely as Nivemais cattle for a time than by their original name of Charolais. One of the early influential herds in the region was started in 1840 by the Count Charles de Bouille. His selective breeding led him to set up a herd book in 1864 for the breed. Breeders in the Charolles vicinity established a herd book in 1882. The two societies merged in 1919. The French have long selected their cattle for size and muscling. They selected for bone and power to a greater extent than was true in the British Isles. The French breeders stressed rapid growth in addition to cattle that would ultimately reach a large size. They wanted cattle that not only grew out well but could be depended upon for draft power. Little attention was paid to refinement, but great stress was laid on utility. Thus the Charolais in France are white in color, horned, long bodied, and good milkers with a general coarseness to the animal not being uncommon.

sell a high-birth-weight bull. Birth weight is king.” Once you get past birth weight though, not everyone has the same bull-buying criteria, he says. The Stielows try not to follow fads and, instead, breed cattle that will, in Ken’s words, “do no harm” to a customer’s cowherd. Bar S is known for moderation, and has a loyal following of customers who come back year after year for genetics that help facilitate moderate, problem-free cows with longevity. Bar S offers customers value-added opportunities, such as selling customer replacements in their production sale and sponsors two fall feeder-calf sales at the local auction barn. Ken has feeding ties to ILS, Inc., based out of Great Bend. “I visit with them a lot and I know the kind of cattle they like to feed,” he says, so he can help customers who want to retain or partner on calves. Most recently, they’ve added a fall female sale primarily to help market the additional Charolais females they breed. The last couple of years they’ve sold from 40 to 60 females into eight states. “We’ve been able to control our Charolais female numbers that way and sell some to people who are doing them some good,” Ken says. He is also a good resource for replacement heifers, and says this past fall he had several calls from producers looking for open and bred half-blood Charolais-Angus heifers. He is finding there is a growing demand for half-blood females like these, particularly in the grass-growing areas of Missouri and Arkansas.

Introduction to the U.S. Soon after the First World War, a young Mexican industrialist of French name and ancestry, Jean Pugibet, brought some of the French cattle to his ranch in Mexico. He had seen the Charolais during the War while serving as a French army volunteer and was impressed by their appearance and productivity. He arranged for a shipment of two bulls and 10 heifers to Mexico in 1930. Two later shipments in 1931 and 1937 increased the total number to 37 — eight bulls and 29 females. Not long after the last shipment, Pugibet died and no further imports were attempted. The first Charolais came into the U.S. from Mexico are believed to be two bulls, Neptune and Ortolan, which were purchased from Pugibet by the King Ranch in Texas and imported in June 1936. Later imports of bulls were owned by some of the early “pioneers” in the industry: Harl Thomas, Fred W. Turner, C.M. “Pete” Frost, M.G. Michaelis Sr., and I.G. “Cap” Yates, all of Texas, J.A. “Palley” Lawton of Louisiana, and others. In the mid-1940s an outbreak of Hoof and Mouth Disease occurred in Mexico. As a result, a treaty between the United States, Canada and Mexico set up a permanent quarantine against cattle coming into any of these countries from Europe or any country in which Hoof and Mouth Disease was known to exist. This barred any further importation of French Charolais on this continent until 1965 when Canada opened the import doors via rigid quarantine both in France and in Canada.

Development in the U.S. Until the mid-1960s, all the Charolais in Mexico, the United

States and Canada were descendants of this initial Pugibet herd. Due to the limited number of original animals and the import restrictions which were in place, they have been crossed on other cattle in an upgrading process. Because of the use of the upgrading process few of the Charolais cattle currently found in the U.S. are of pure French breeding. With the lightening of the import restrictions in Canada in the mid-1960s fullblood Charolais were again imported from France. This allowed for the importation of new bloodlines from France. This meant new genetic material for tightlybred Charolais pedigrees of the time. Several breeding herds were estabilished in Canada, as well as a few other countries. Offspring from these herds were later imported to the U.S. It wasn’t long after that 1960 infusion of genetics that Lloyd Grau, Grady, New Mexico sought out the value the Charolais breed could add to his cattle breeding operation. He had purchased what he considered to be the best two bulls of his then current breed from the Champion Carload at the National Western Livestock Show in Denver. The disappointment he felt as he weaned the offspring of those two “champion” bulls led him to the bigger and beefier Charolais and never looked back. More than 50 years later his sons, Wesley and Lane, maintain the Charolais tradition and the family has built an international reputation and demand for Grau genetics. They have populated not only numerous states in the U.S. with rugged, quality white cattle, but they have shipped well over 1,500 bulls into Mexico to enhance what was started there nearly a century ago.

The Graus acknowledge that buyers are really buying belief in the Grau program and the wisdom of the family as genetic producers. “Great genetics come from line breeding herd or owning herds of seedstock for about five decades. If you can’t look at a bull and remember his greatgreat-great-great-great-grandsire, you can’t really know what kind of offspring he will throw,” explains Wesley. “The neat thing about our cattle is their linebred coefficiency. When they are crossed with anything else, they have extra hybrid vigor and the are predictable. The Charolais came into widespread use in the United States cattle industry at a time when producers were seeking larger framed, heavier cattle than the traditional British breeds. The increased use on the range indicates that the cows have performed well under a variety of environmental conditions. Their ability to walk, graze aggressively in warm weather, withstand reasonable cold, and raise heavy calves has drawn special praise from many that have them. Bulls have developed a well-earned reputation when used in gradingup for herd improvement. This is especially noted when they are used in herds where size and ruggedness are lacking. New Mexico’s King Family has long been known for their political prowess as well as their tremendous Hereford cattle. While they maintain that Hereford herd, they have added Charolais to their mix. “Charolais seemed to be a good logical outcross for black or white-faced cattle, especially if you are going to the feedlot,” explained Bill King. Editor’s Note: Thanks to H.M. & D.M. Briggs and the Modern Breeds of Livestock. Fourth Edition. Macmillan Publishing Co. 1980 as well as Carol Wilson and the American-International Charolais Assoc. for background material for this article.

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Page 24

Heterosis is Reality needs big, growthy, low-cost, highly efficient kinds of animals. On the other hand, Ken points out, some people believe they will give up quite a bit in their selling opportunities if they don’t have a straight black calf. In these types of scenarios, he recommends producers ask themselves: ‘Do I have a program that I’m selling into that gives me a realistic premium for that all-black calf?’ He admits: “You have fewer decisions to make in a one-breed cowherd, especially if the operation is smaller,” but “everything comes at a cost.” Heterosis might get a producer more pounds, but it requires different decision making and management. “It’s a bal-

continued from page twenty-three

ancing act,” he states. “We sponsor calf sales and there are people there strictly to buy the very best high-gradingpotential type cattle. And they’re probably not going to bid on a really good set of smokie calves for that reason.” But Ken says you can “absolutely” always find buyers for smokie cattle. “When you really look through the figures, it would appear the smokie calves still have a lot of demand and probably still sell, depending upon individual group quality, right with the very best black calves too. They just probably have a different person bidding on them.” He concludes, “You have peo-

ple who specifically feed for the very high-marbling niche market – and there are Angus breeders who have really refined and can do a very predictable job of producing genetics that will produce really high-quality cattle.” However,

March 15, 2012 “the bulk of the industry is still commercial feedlots that want fast-growing, good converting cattle that will sell on the generic market.” ARTICLE REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM CHAROLAIS EDGE.

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Obama’s Budget Proposes to Increase Federal Lands Grazing Fee resident Barack Obama’s proposed budget includes elements such as an effective increase in the public lands grazing fee assessment, which would force family-owned ranches to shell out more cash to Uncle Sam. Dustin Van Liew, PLC executive director and NCBA director of federal lands, said increasing the grazing fee through an arbitrary tax is unwarranted and is further evidence that the president and his administration are out of touch with production agriculture. “From the president’s estate tax proposal to his plan to add a tax to increase the grazing fee and make extreme cuts in the BLM and U.S. Forest Service range funding, this budget proposal is further proof that this administration does not understand American agriculture. Federal lands ranchers are and always have been willing to pay a fair price to graze livestock on public lands. They willingly invest significant amounts of money to manage and improve the range,” Van Liew said. “The current grazing fee is fair. In fact, most public lands ranchers already pay more than market price for their federal permits, considering factors such as added regulatory costs, increased predation, ownership of water rights, maintenance of improvements and the difficulties of managing livestock in rough, arid rangelands. Arbitrarily increasing the grazing fee via a tax will do nothing more than impose unnecessary costs on the ranchers working every day to produce safe and affordable food and fiber.” Specifically, the president’s budget calls for the BLM to impose a $1 per animal unit month (AUM) increase above the grazing fee to cover administrative costs. Van Liew said that ranchers should not bear the burden of paying for “bureaucratic administrative costs” that are out of their control. He also noted that the current administration denied petitions to change the grazing fee structure as recently as last year. Van Liew said the president’s budget outline is just a proposal and that it is up to Congress to determine final budgetary allocations. “The president’s lack of understanding for the federal lands grazing industry, as evidenced by his proposed 74 percent tax on federal land ranchers, is extremely disappointing. Effectively increasing the grazing fee during these times of economic uncertainty will unnecessarily increase burdens on livestock producers and hamper their ability to create jobs and generate economic growth in their communities. We are not going to stand by and let that happen,” Van Liew said. “PLC and NCBA will continue working with members of Congress to do what’s in the best interest of ranchers.”