News Update
Dec. 11, 2008

Angus Foundation Heifer Package to Sell Jan. 15

Chris McCutchen, owner of Limestone LLC, Perkins, Okla., will donate the 2009 Angus Foundation Heifer, set to sell in January 2009 at the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) in Denver, Colo.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for Angus breeders to add outstanding Limestone genetics to their herds, while simultaneously supporting the future of the Angus breed,” Angus Foundation President Milford Jenkins says. “We are extremely grateful to the McCutchen family for their generous donation and commend their dedication to supporting education, research and the next generation of Angus breeders through the Angus Foundation.”

Limestone Rita T754 is chosen to represent the Limestone LLC program and is a daughter of the featured Limestone LLC and Express Ranches sire BC 7022 Raven 7965, a leading young sire for ribeye area (REA).

The dam of Rita T754 is a direct daughter of Prime Time 2409, sired by Rito 1I2. Rita R379, the dam of this special donor prospect was the $220,000 open heifer selected by Monarch Farms and Collins Angus through the 2006 Limestone LLC Sale.

Rita T754 was A.I.-serviced by SAV Pioneer 7301 on Nov. 27, 2008. Pioneer, a Final Answer son, was the $65,000 top-selling bull in the 2008 Schaff Angus Valley sale. Updated breeding information will be available from the block on sale day.

The sale of the Angus Foundation Heifer Package, an annual fundraising tradition initiated in 1980, supports the Angus Foundation, the not-for-profit affiliate of the American Angus Association that funds and supports programs involving education, youth and research in the Angus breed and agricultural industry.

In addition to the heifer, the buyer receives:

• 30 days of free insurance from American Live Stock Insurance Co., Geneva, Ill.;
  
• free transportation to the buyer’s ranch provided by Lathrop Livestock Transportation, Dundee, Ill.; and
• an Advanced Reproductive Technology Package from Trans Ova Genetics, Sioux Center, Iowa.
  

For more information about the heifer package or ways you can contribute to the Angus Foundation, contact Milford Jenkins, president of the Angus Foundation at 816-383-5100, or visit with any regional manager.

— Release provided by the Angus Foundation.

EPA Won’t Push ‘Cow Tax’

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it is not proposing a “cow tax” in order to reduce methane emissions, Brownfield Network reports. Rumors of future astronomical taxes on cattle producers’ stirred emotions in recent days, but, according to Brownfield, the agency said it doesn’t have the authority to do so.

The agency is currently reviewing comments received during a public comment period following a Supreme Court ruling that greenhouse gases are air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. The comment period ended Nov. 28.

Irish Cattle Test Positive for Dioxin

Cattle from three farms in Ireland have tested positive for a cancer-causing chemical, Irish officials announced Dec. 9. According to The Associated Press (AP), dioxins were found in the animals after they were fed tainted feed from Millstream Power Recycling Ltd., where fumes from an oil-fired burner infused feed with the chemical.

The dioxin issue has already contaminated, and as a result, devastated much of the country’s pork industry. However, officials said they wouldn’t yet recall any beef since, AP reports, “the level and extent of dioxin found so far in cattle is much lower.”

Feedgrains Marketing Workshop, Jan. 7-8 in Amarillo

Next year promises to be one of the most challenging ever for feedgrains producers in the wake of a stock market decline, rapidly falling oil, ethanol and commodity prices, said a Texas AgriLife Extension specialist.

A two-day workshop Jan. 7-8 is scheduled to help producers gain a better understanding of the fundamentals affecting the feedgrains market for the upcoming year, according to Steve Amosson, AgriLife Extension economist and coordinator of the program.

The program will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 6500 W. Amarillo Blvd., in Amarillo.

Topics to be covered in the course include the relationships between oil, ethanol and corn prices and the renewable fuel standards, Amosson said. Attendees will look at cost of production, fundamentals of ethanol, feed use and exchange rates on exports, basis, technical analysis, cash and contract seasonality and marketing strategies.

“The ultimate goal of the workshop is for the producers attending to develop a written marketing plan for the 2009 crop,” Amosson said.

Amosson said it is critical for producers to understand what is expected for the upcoming year, and what marketing tools/strategies they have available to them to develop a sound marketing plan.

Preregistration is required by Jan. 5. Attendance is limited to 50. The cost of the workshop is $125 per participant and will cover the costs associated with instruction, breaks, meals and materials, he said.

For more information or get a registration form, contact Jane Planchon at 806-677-5600. Mail registration forms to Planchon, 6500 W. Amarillo Blvd., Amarillo, Texas 79106.

— Provided by Texas AgriLife Extension service.

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