News Update

News Update
Oct. 22, 2008

Beef Producer Seminar Set for Nov. 6

This year’s edition of the Beef Producers Seminar is slated for Thursday, Nov. 6 at the Nodaway County/Community Fair building in Maryville, Mo. The program begins at 4:30 p.m., and will include a variety of beef industry speakers that will focus on increasing efficiencies in the beef business. Registration is only $10 and is due to the Andrew County Extension Office in Savannah by Nov. 3.

Speakers will include Rob Kallenbach, associate professor in agronomy and University of Missouri State Forage Extension Specialist, who will address, “Maximizing Forage and Beef Production.” Iowa State University (ISU) Extension Livestock Economist and Professor, Department of Economics John Lawrence will present, “Beef in the Bioeconomy: Situation and Outlook in a New Era.”

A panel representing a feedlot, backgrounder and an auction market will conclude the program. Representatives on the panel include Derek Martin, Lane County Feeders, Dighton, Kan.; Terrill Lane, Saint Catharine, Mo.; and Mark Harmon, marketing manager for Joplin Regional Stockyards. Jeff Windett, Missouri Cattlemen’s Association executive vice president, will moderate the panel.

Pfizer is sponsoring this year’s meal. Additional sponsors include VitaFerm®, the American Angus Association® and University of Missouri Extension.

— release provided by American Angus Association

Got MBA? (Master of Beef Advocacy)

The Beef Checkoff has unveiled a new program aimed at helping everyday beef producers better communicate the details of their work and their point of view to the general public.

Called the Master of Beef Advocacy (MBA) program, it comprises six, one-hour core courses in 2009, including beef, safety, beef nutrition, animal care, environmental stewardship, modern beef production and the Beef Checkoff, the group said in a release. The courses can be taken online, and are self-directed.

“Producers who participate in the MBA program will be equipped to communicate those facts to fellow producers and consumers,” said Daryl Berlier Owen, a member of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) and vice chair of the Joint Public Relations Subcommittee.

The pilot program will kick off in Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska and Texas, before being rolled out nationwide. In addition, a full-day MBA course will be held at the Cattle Industry Annual Convention in January in Phoenix, Ariz., and at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Denver, Colo., in July.

Once the program is completed, continuing education rewards are available as producers report on their follow-up communications activities, such as presentations to local organizations or letters to the editor, on the industry’s behalf.

— release provided by Meatingplace.com

NCBA Statement on USDA Loans to Ethanol Plants

“The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) sent a letter to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Ed Schafer today expressing disappointment at his comments outlining Rural Development assistance for ethanol plants hurt by high corn prices. In remarks made in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday, Oct. 17, Shafer stated that, ‘There’s going to have to be some credit applied to companies to buy some lower-priced corn to blend with their higher-priced corn.’

“These higher corn prices are due in large part to extensive federal subsidies for the ethanol industry. The plants in question hedged on the futures markets and are now seeing the consequences of risky business decisions. Schafer acknowledged the questionable business practices, saying, ‘There is some pressure out there by companies that have gotten away from their focus on producing ethanol and started speculating on the commodity markets, and that’s hurt them.’

“Cattle producers, meanwhile, have been facing the hard realities of rising corn prices for quite some time, and have suffered a record $1.5 billion in cattle feeding losses in just the first six months of 2008. In the letter sent to Secretary Schafer (available online at http://www.beefusa.org/uDocs/10-22-08ethanolletter-usdasecretaryschafer.pdf), NCBA explained that over the past two years, ‘producers have seen their operating costs dramatically increase due to government support of the corn-based ethanol industry … These costs are now contributing to lower calf and feeder cattle prices.’

“Much has been made of the importance of ensuring energy security for the United States, which is a worthy objective and one the membership of NCBA fully supports. However, continuing to subsidize the ethanol industry at the expense of other agricultural sectors risks our food production capacity. While energy independence is an important goal, it must be balanced with one of our strongest suits: our ability to feed Americans and the world.

“Corn-based ethanol is a mature technology that should be able to compete on the open marketplace without government intervention to prop it up. While we appreciate that the funds in question are not new money or exclusively available to biofuel plants, the ethanol industry’s need for increased funding after years of subsidies highlights an underlying fault in USDA’s approach to food and fuel policy.

“America’s cattle producers are not asking for a bailout, but we do ask for the chance to compete for corn and commodities on a level playing field, without further government intervention.”

Andy Groseta is a rancher from Cottonwood, Arizona, and president of the NCBA.

— statement provided by NCBA

Fertilize Bromegrass This Fall For Optimal Hay and Pasture

Applying fertilizer in late November or December is ideal for smooth bromegrass fields, as long as the ground is not frozen or saturated, said Dave Mengel, Kansas State University (K-State) Research and Extension soil fertility specialist.

Late-fall fertilizer applications will generally lead to earlier spring greenup and greater forage production than spring fertilizer applications. As nitrogen fertilizer prices have risen while hay prices have remained relatively flat during the past year, producers may want to reevaluate the rates of nitrogen used for bromegrass hay production, Mengel said.

“Traditional recommendations for hay production have been to apply 40 pounds (lb.) of nitrogen per ton of expected hay yield, or about 80 to 160 pounds of nitrogen per acre to unfrozen ground, according to the field’s productive capability,” he said.

With nitrogen fertilizer costs having increased, and hay prices remaining fairly constant, many farmers are questioning how much, if any, nitrogen fertilizer should be applied to bromegrass this winter or next spring. To answer this question, Mengel said he evaluated the results of more than 100 experiments conducted in Kansas since 1975 on the response of bromegrass to both spring and fall-applied nitrogen fertilizer.

Using a price of $0.80 per lb. of actual nitrogen and $60 per ton as the value of hay, the soil specialist calculated the appropriate nitrogen rate this fall to maximize returns would be between 60 and 70 lb. of nitrogen per acre — not the 120 lb. of nitrogen normally recommended for 3-ton hay production.

“While yields will be lower, the economics of using reduced nitrogen rates are much more attractive. But keep in mind that nitrogen prices are volatile right now, and if they drop significantly, nitrogen rates should increase accordingly,” Mengel said.

One issue these calculations don’t consider is hay quality, he added. Protein levels will drop at the lower nitrogen fertilizer rates.

“So where producers are relying on high-quality hay as their primary protein source, they may want to push nitrogen rates a little higher, or be prepared to add supplemental protein to rations,” he said.

If the bromegrass pasture will be grazed instead of hayed, the adjusted recommendations also call for about 60 to 70 lb. of nitrogen per acre, he added.

For phosphorus or potassium recommendations, a soil test is needed. Smooth bromegrass will respond to phosphorus in combination with nitrogen when soil test phosphorus levels are below 15 to 20 parts per million (ppm).

More information is available at county and district K-State Research and Extension offices and in the K-State Extension publication C402, “Smooth Brome Production and Utilization,” on the web at: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/crpsl2/c402.pdf.

— release provided by K-State Extension News

— compiled by Tosha Powell, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.