News Update
February 26, 2014
Beef Producers Stay Educated
to Stay Profitable
Academic and industry professionals will put cattle producers through their paces at the Beef & Beyond workshop March 21-22. Sponsored by the Illinois Beef Association (IBA) and the University of Illinois (U of I), this interactive educational program offers insight into all aspects of the cattle industry and management tips that can help producers stay profitable. The program will take place at the U of I in Urbana–Champaign.
Hands-on activities will offer participants a chance to learn new skills and sharpen existing ones related to genetic selection, feed efficiency, carcass quality, and general cattle management. Speakers will focus on creating value through improved management techniques.
“We are excited to bring this educational opportunity to Illinois cattlemen,” said Shelia Stannard, IBA director of industry programs. “Beef & Beyond is designed for all producers, and the subjects covered are vital for success in today’s industry. The workshop will also give producers the opportunity to share ideas with one another.”
A carcass grading selection skills lab will take place Friday morning to allow producers to roll up their sleeves and evaluate live cattle to determine quality and yield grades. Participants will also view various units used to conduct beef research at U of I including the ultrasound station, GrowSafe system, and metabolism lab.
Friday afternoon breakout sessions will allow producers to learn more about genetic selection for carcass improvement, beef’s impact in a global economy, and feed efficiency and research findings at the U of I.
Saturday morning brings exciting hands-on demonstrations related to meat safety, carcass fabrication and new beef cuts, and determining quality and yield grades on the rail.
There will be a cattle-handling demonstration Saturday afternoon.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Rebuilding Drought Conditions Threaten
Oklahoma Beef Cow Herd Expansion
Although data indicate the rebuilding of Oklahoma’s beef cow herd is happening, herd numbers are still down 10.5% from Jan. 1, 2011, meaning the process is only in the beginning stages.
“Herd expansion plans currently in place are the result of significantly improved drought conditions in the second half of 2013,” said Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension livestock marketing specialist. “Though 2013 started dry, much of the state received close to average precipitation during the year.”
Forage conditions improved and the final weekly crop condition report in late November had range and pasture conditions rated 40% fair and 40% good to excellent. Hay production in Oklahoma recovered significantly in 2013 compared to the two previous years, with hay stocks on Dec. 1, 2013, up 34% compared to the same time in 2012.
“Improved range and pasture conditions and having sufficient hay on hand to support increased cow and heifer inventories really helped out,” Peel said.
Oklahoma was among a few states on Jan. 1 showing clear indications of beef cow herd rebuilding, up 2.9% this year compared to last year — an increase of 51,000 head — and second only to Kansas and Missouri in terms of absolute increase in cow numbers.
The Oklahoma inventory of beef replacement heifers was up 45,000 head, a 16.1% increase this year compared to last year and the largest state increase in the nation.
“Unfortunately, drought conditions have re-emerged across central and eastern Oklahoma,” Peel said.
In early February, pasture and range rated good to excellent had dropped from 40% to 24%. The areas of D3 and D4 drought have increased to 12.5% since the beginning of the year.
For more information, please view the full release here.
An Animal Welfare History Lesson on the Five Freedoms
Fifty years ago, Ruth Harrison, a British woman, wrote Animal Machines, which described intensive livestock and poultry farming practices. The outcry of the British public regarding the information in the book prompted the British government to appoint a committee to look into the welfare of farm animals.
In 1965, the committee, chaired by Professor Roger Brambell, presented the 85-page Report of the Technical Committee to Enquire into the Welfare of Animals Kept under Intensive Livestock Husbandry Systems, which became known as “The Brambell Report.”
The report stated that animals should have the freedom “to stand up, lie down, turn around, groom themselves and stretch their limbs.” These freedoms became known as “Brambell’s Five Freedoms.”
As a result of the report, the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Committee was created to monitor the livestock production sector. In 1979, the name was changed to the Farm Animal Welfare Council.
The Five Freedoms are used as the basis for the actions of professional groups, including veterinarians, and have been adopted by representative groups internationally, including the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Most of the animal welfare audits developed for implementation on farms and in processing facilities are based on the Five Freedoms.
Today, animal welfare is considered a science. At Michigan State University (MSU), there is an Animal Behavior and Welfare Group (ABWG) that offers undergraduate, as well as graduate courses geared toward training individuals to assess animal welfare and animal behavior. The goals of the MSU ABWG are to discover solutions to practical problems facing animal related industries and assist with implementing these solutions in socially responsible and sustainable ways.
For more information, please view the full release here.
AgriLife Extension to Offer Ag Days in Upton,
Reagan Counties March 19 and March 20
Far West Texans have two chances to catch up on the latest range related news in as many days during Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s County Ag Days set for Upton and Reagan counties on March 19 and 20, respectively.
Both programs will start at 8:30 a.m. The Upton County program will take place in the Upton County Extension Meeting Room, 1000 N. State Highway 329, Rankin, and the Reagan County program will take place in the AgriLife Extension office, 1430 N. Ohio St. in Big Lake.
Three Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be available for private applicator license holders at each program.
Individual registration is $15 for the Upton County event and $10 for the Reagan County ag day. The fees include lunch. For an accurate lunch count, both programs require an RSVP by March 14. To RSVP to the respective sites, call the AgriLife Extension office in Upton County at 432-693-2313 or the AgriLife Extension office in Reagan County at 325-884-2335.
Both programs share the same speakers and general format, but their topics will be somewhat dissimilar.
The speakers will include Alyson McDonald, AgriLife Extension range specialist at Fort Stockton; Bill Thompson, AgriLife Extension economist at San Angelo; Ken Cearley, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist at Amarillo; Tiffany Dowell, AgriLife Extension agricultural law specialist at College Station; Stephen Zuberbueler with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS); and Jed Hruska with the Farm Service Agency (FSA), both headquartered at Big Lake.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Editor’s Note: The articles used within this site represent a mixture of copyrights. If you would like to reprint or repost an article, you must first request permission of Angus Productions Inc. (API) by contacting the editor at 816-383-5200; 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506. API claims copyright to this web site as presented. We welcome educational venues and cattlemen to link to this site as a service to their audience.