News Update

News Update
Oct. 23, 2008

Bulletin Readers …

Please help us improve the Angus Beef Bulletin by filling out the survey inserted in the October issue or by completing the online version available at www.apisurvey.uark.edu. Complete the survey by Dec. 1, and you will be eligible for a drawing for $2,500 in prizes, including two $500 cash awards.

We are working with the University of Arkansas to do a top-to-bottom evaluation of the publication to ensure we stay on track to meet your needs. Surveys will be submitted to and analyzed by the University of Arkansas, ensuring your anonymity.

Journal Readers …

There is still time for you to give us your input for improving the Angus Journal. Complete the online version of the Angus Journal survey at www.apisurvey.uark.edu by Nov. 20 to be eligible for a drawing for $2,500 in prizes, including two $500 cash awards.

Remember, no one’s opinion means more to us than yours, so don’t wait another week. The time you take to complete and return the survey could be the best investment you make this fall.

Curly Calf Syndrome FAQs Online

The American Angus Association posted a list Oct. 17 of frequently asked questions regarding curly calf syndrome (CCS). Available at www.angus.org/ccs_info.html, both the questions and the answers are based on the operating assumption that CCS will be identified as a genetic defect with a simple recessive pattern of inheritance and that Dr. Jon Beever, University of Illinois, will develop a test that determines whether an animal is a carrier of the gene or free of it. Visit www.angus.org/ccs_info.html for more information.

JBS Completes Purchase of Smithfield

Smithfield Foods Inc. announced today it has completed the sale of Smithfield Beef Group Inc. to JBS S.A. for $565 million.

According to Smithfield, the sale included 100% of Five Rivers Cattle Feeding LLC, which was previously owned jointly with Continental Grain Co.

Smithfield expects the net proceeds of the JBS transaction, including an additional $150 million in net proceeds from the sale of retained cattle inventory, to be used primarily for debt reduction.

OSU Extension Tool Helps Farm Budgeting

With the economy still in flux and agriculture production inputs like fertilizer still historically high, budgeting farm enterprises is even more essential to remaining profitable and sustainable. Ohio State University (OSU) Extension is offering producers a budgeting resource tool to help guide them through the decision-making process of committing resources to the most profitable enterprises on the farm.

The 2009 Ohio Corn, Soybean and Wheat Enterprise Budgets was developed by OSU Extension agricultural economists with the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics. The enterprise budgets are compiled on downloadable Excel spreadsheets that enable users to input their own production and price levels to calculate their own budget numbers.

The enterprise budgets can be found at: http://aede.osu.edu/Programs/FarmManagement/Budgets. Enterprise budgets updated so far for 2009 include corn-conservation tillage, soybeans-no-till, and wheat-conservation tillage.

The materials have a new look with color-coded cells that will enable users to plug in numbers to easily calculate bottoms lines for different scenarios. Detailed footnotes are included to help explain methodologies used to obtain the budget numbers.

Budgets will be updated periodically throughout 2009 as changes in price and costs occur. Budgets for 2008 are still available in Excel and PDF formats on the OSU Extension Farm Management Budget web site at: http://aede.osu.edu/Programs/FarmManagement/Budgets/.

— Adapted from an OSU Extension release.

— Compiled by Crystal Albers, associate editor, Angus Productions Inc.