News Update
June 16, 2015
NCBA’s 2015 Young Cattlemen’s Conference Recognizes Leaders
More than 50 cattle producers from across the country and across the industry participated in the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) 2015 Young Cattlemen’s Conference (YCC). Representing the Angus Foundation and American Angus Association was Katy Kemp of Bridgeport, Texas.
“The 10-day journey was fast-paced and daunting at times, but I am incredibly blessed and honored to have been selected to attend on behalf of the Angus Foundation,” Kemp says. “There is a reason YCC is going on its 36th year and continues to grow in alumni; it’s simply the premier event for young cattlemen who want to help serve the future of our great industry.”
Kemp is completing her master’s degree in agricultural communications from Oklahoma State University. She grew up active in the American Angus Association, and partners with her dad and brother on the family’s registered-Angus herd.
A graduate of Texas A&M University, Katy earned her bachelor’s degree in animal science. Prior to returning to graduate school, she worked as the beef marketing specialist for ABS Global, Inc. She also writes as a beef industry intern for Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB).
For more information on the YCC, please view the full release on the Association’s website.
Worldwide Appetite for Beef is Up
U.S. beef exports comprise about $7 billion in value for the beef industry, so as a result, ongoing events in other parts of the world have real-world consequences to beef producer profitability. Travis Arp, manager of technical services with the U.S. Meat Export Federation explains some of those world events that have an impact here at home.
He says, during the last five to six years global appetite for beef has been growing, especially taste for high-quality beef. Markets in southeast Asia, South America and the Middle East are opening to U.S. beef exports.
“Decreased overall global beef supplies is going to a main factor in the U.S.’s ability to compete. Our main competitor, Australia, is seeing similar herd liquidation and decrease in exports that we saw over the last five or six years, so that’s going to kind of level the competitive playing field beween us and our largest competitor, Australia,” Arp said.
He also advised keeping an eye out for growing markets like India, which hosts a huge beef supply. View the full interview on this week’s The Angus Report. You can also tune to RFD-TV at 5 p.m. CDT each Wednesday, 1:30 p.m. CDT on Saturday or 7:30 a.m. CDT Monday mornings to catch the show.
Hay Storage
Producers who follow the proper techniques for hay storage will find their crops will retain more value and suffer fewer losses, said a beef cattle expert from the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at the Ohio State University (OSU).
Considering that hay production is very costly, producers may want to take special care to store hay correctly to ensure it retains quality, said John Grimes, beef coordinator for OSU Extension and a member of the OSU Extension Beef Team.
According to the OSU Extension 2013 enterprise budget, at three tons per acre, grass hay costs $112.77 per ton to produce. Alfalfa, at four tons per acre, costs $133.02 per ton, Grimes said.
“Hay is an expensive crop to harvest, and storage losses can be significant,” he said. “Much like corn and soybeans, hay is a valuable crop and should be treated as such.
“Hay is an asset, and with the current hay prices, you can’t afford to have losses," he continues. "If you are losing hay at 10% to 20%, those are real dollars that you are losing.”
Read the full Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
USDA Opens Enrollment Period for
ARC and PLC Safety-Net Programs
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced June 15, that eligible producers may now formally enroll in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for 2014 and 2015. The enrollment period begins June 17 and will end Sept. 30.
“The extensive outreach campaign conducted by USDA since the 2014 Farm Bill was enacted, along with extending deadlines, is central to achieving an expected high level of participation,” said Vilsack.
The new programs, established by the 2014 Farm Bill, trigger financial protections for agricultural producers when market forces cause substantial drops in crop prices or revenues. More than 1.76 million farmers have elected ARC or PLC. Previously, 1.7 million producers had enrolled to receive direct payments (the program replaced with ARC and PLC by the 2014 Farm Bill). This means more farms have elected ARC or PLC than previously enrolled under previously administered programs.
Nationwide, 96% of soybean farms, 91%of corn farms, and 66% of wheat farms elected ARC. Ninety-nine percent of long grain rice farms, 99% of peanut farms, and 94% of medium grain rice farms elected PLC.
For more information about these programs, please view the full release online.
Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course
Features Beef Export Market
The beef export market and its future potential for the United States will be among topics covered during the Aug. 3 general session of the 2015 Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course in College Station.
Dan Halstrom, senior vice president of global marketing and communications with the U.S. Meat Export Federation, will discuss beef export trends during the afternoon general session.
Other featured speakers during the general session will be Darrell Peel, Oklahoma State University livestock economist; Brian Bledsoe, chief meteorologist at KKTV-Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Rick Machen, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist, Uvalde.
The short course is the premier beef educational event in Texas, attracting more than 1,400 attendees annually. It features 20 sessions covering basic practices, new technologies and other important industry topics. These sessions provide participants with an opportunity to choose workshops based on their level of production experience and the needs of their ranch.
For more information, access the complete release online.
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