News Update
March 18, 2009

EU May Double U.S. Beef Quota

The European Commission is offering to double the preferential quota for beef imports from the United States in an effort to end a decades-old dispute over beef trade, EU (European Union) sources familiar with the plan told Reuters.

The sources said the bloc is offering to double its quota from the current 11,500 metric tons, an amount the Unites States shares with Canada, in exchange for the elimination of about $116 million worth of U.S. sanctions against EU products. However, the plan reportedly does not include an end to the EU’s ban on beef treated with hormones.

European Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton was scheduled to discuss the proposal with counterparts in Washington this week, according to Reuters.

Late last week, Washington decided to delay by 30 days the imposition of additional duties on EU products as negotiations continue.

The EU bought a total of 20,660 metric tons of U.S. beef in 2008 valued at $99.7 million, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Currently, the EU imposes a reduced tariff of 20% on the value of the first 11,500 metric tons of beef that the United States and Canada ship into Europe. For any amount of beef above that, they must pay a combined tariff of 12.8% duty and 3,000 euros (US $3,877) per ton.

— Release provided by Meatingplace.com.

South Dakota Department of Agriculture Announces Changes to the South Dakota Certified™ Program

The South Dakota Department of Agriculture (SDDA) recently announced changes to the rules administering the South Dakota Certified Enrolled Cattle™ program. These changes reflect an effort to strengthen the program while providing greater flexibility for producers.

Bryce Baker, livestock development specialist with the SDDA, said the new rules are the result of the department’s continued effort to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. “Changes to the enrollment process and feed requirements will allow greater opportunities within the program without sacrificing the high standards people have grown to expect,” Baker said. “We will continue to look at opportunities for program development.”

The recent rule changes seek to strengthen the South Dakota Certified Enrolled Cattle program by improving accessibility, while maintaining the program’s integrity. The SDDA will continue to work with the beef industry and cattle producers to help meet their source and age verification needs.

For more details on the specific changes, visit www.sdcec.sd.gov, follow the link to Program News, and click on South Dakota Certified Enrolled Cattle™ Producer Rule Change Letter, or find the letter directly at http://www.sdcec.sd.gov/press%20releases/producerletter.pdf. Contact the South Dakota Department of Agriculture at 1-800-228-5254 or 605-773-5436 with any questions.

— Release provided by the South Dakota Department of Agriculture.

Don’t ‘Pug’ Your Pastures

“Don’t pug your pastures” is the advice a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert offers producers who received much-needed rain last week on recently burned pastures.

Wayne Hanselka, AgriLife Extension range specialist at Corpus Christi, said pugging is a term used when too many cattle or other livestock are kept too long on wet pastures with limited or no forage. The result is intensively trampled soil, which leads to soil compaction, poor plant growth and greater fertilizer requirements on tame pastures.

He said if the practice continues, the damage would increase to the point that pastures start to rapidly decline in quality, sometimes permanently.

“All of Texas is suffering from months of no rain,” Hanselka said. “Recent rains across a wide swath of Texas last week followed by warm weather this week has producers as eager for spring green-up as are their cows. But just because it rained once doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods yet. Those unfortunate enough to have suffered the ravages of a fire this winter must realize any grass they have left has little or no stored nutrients in its root system.

“Grazing the first green on burned pastures could easily kill the grass or weaken it so a continuing drought would kill it. Stressed grass needs time before it is grazed and the necessary soil nutrients must be added if cutting hay is the intent.”

Hanselka advises producers to keep feeding on well-drained, heavily turfed areas or if no such area is available to drylot the cows, providing selling the animals is not a consideration.

Hanselka said cutting losses by destocking is the most logical way out when no other pasture is available. But when years of herd genetics are at stake, he concedes that for some producers this is not an option.

He said the sparse green, which the recent rains will soon bring to many decimated pastures will not be enough to keep cattle fed.

“A cow needs 35-40 pounds of dry forage a day just to maintain her,” Hanselka said. “What little they are getting now is hurting the grass far more than it is helping the cattle.”

“Cows typically waste as much forage through trampling, dunging and other activities as they eat,” he said. “There are also losses due to insects, plant maturity and decay. So just leaving cows in a damaged pasture can be devastating whether there is anything for them to eat or not.”

Hanselka said when the rains finally do return, erosion and subsequent leaching and loss of topsoil are other serious problems producers who overgraze will face.

“Look down the road,” he said. “When it looks like it can’t get any worse, just know when it comes to poor pasture management, it can.”

For more information contact Hanselka at 361-265-9203 or c-hanselka@tamu.edu.

— Release written by Steve Byrns and provided by Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

— compiled by Mathew Elliott, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.