News Update
Jan. 29, 2010

Exit on Beef’s Fast Lane?

Cattlemen know marbling is important, and they keep hearing about ways to give it a head start. Early weaning onto a high-starch grain ration sounds promising, but could it be risky? The price of corn and potential for lighter carcass weights keep some producers from taking that route.

But what if there were a way to rev up the marbling motor, then coast for a few months of cost savings before putting the pedal to the metal for a strong finish? Preliminary data from an ongoing tri-state study suggests a way for top-grading carcasses to be higher yielding.

Researchers from the University of Wyoming (UW), South Dakota State University (SDSU) and the USDA-Agriculture Research Service (ARS) in Mandan, N.D., hope to quantify the economic benefits in the equation.

“The hypothesis is this: If we stimulate the calf’s marbling development early in life, then, even if we take a break from that, we can re-fill those adipocytes later in life. We can still have carcasses that grade just like early-weaning cattle, but they will have bigger, heavier carcasses,” says Scott Lake. The UW livestock specialist says that combination is vital to profitability. Read more.

Beef Cattle Need Water

Recent snow and ice storms and power outages have been brutal for livestock and livestock producers.

Those conditions have kept livestock from getting enough drinking water. Beef cattle, for example, need 8 to 10 gallons (gal.) per day.

Producers might be tempted to think their cattle can survive by eating snow as a water source, but even when a lot of snow is available, beef cattle need water, according to North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension Service veterinarian Charlie Stoltenow.

“By and large, cattle do not adapt to eating snow as a water source very quickly,” he says. “Wildlife have learned how to paw, scrape and eat ice and snow for their water needs. Cattle can do the same, but not overnight or in a two-week period. To successfully adapt a herd of cattle to consuming snow for their water needs actually takes years.”

However, not all cows can make the transition, he notes.

Plus, the current icy conditions make getting water out of the snow especially difficult for animals.

“The real issue with this right now is that the snow is in wind-packed drifts and/or has been rained on or melted and now is refrozen,” says Greg Lardy, head of NDSU’s Animal Sciences Department. “You will not get cattle or many other livestock species to consume this kind of snow as it is too hard on their mouths.”

Cattle producers will need to be resourceful because they will need to figure out how to get water to their cattle herds, Stoltenow says.

“If cattle stop drinking or have severely reduced levels of water consumption, they also will reduce their feed intake, and this will lead to disaster in this very cold weather,” he adds. “Cattle need to keep eating to produce enough energy and heat to keep from suffering frostbite and hypothermia.”

A generator is one option for restoring power to pumps and heated livestock watering systems. But producers need to keep safety in mind, says Tom Scherer, an NDSU Extension agricultural engineer.

He advises people not to operate generators in an enclosed or partially enclosed building because gasoline or diesel engines produce deadly levels of carbon monoxide.

“Carbon monoxide gas is tasteless, odorless and colorless but is very toxic to humans and animals,” he says.

Choosing a generator that provides power at the voltage the pumps and watering systems require is important, as well. For example, some wells require 110 volts of alternating current (AC) power and some cattle watering systems with heaters require 220 volts of AC power.

People also need the proper connections if their pump or watering system isn’t wired for a generator, and they must be careful if they are installing that wiring, Scherer says.

When using a generator, also make sure to shut off the main switch in the power panel to prevent supplying power to other parts of the farm, and shut off all breakers supplying power to other nonessential circuits.

Another option for getting water to cattle is to melt snow in a metal water tank. Scherer suggests burning wood in a barrel weighted down in the tank or using a propane heater to melt snow and ice.

“However, snow and ice need to be continually added to the water tank as what’s in it melts,” he says. “This requires a large supply of snow or ice, which may have to be hauled to the water tank.”

— Release by NDSU Extension Service.

Kansas Congressman Urges Taiwan to Repeal Block of U.S. Beef Imports

On Thursday Jan. 28, Rep. Jerry Moran urged Taiwan’s parliament to allow imports of U.S. beef products.

“U.S. beef is the safest, highest quality beef in the world,” Moran said in a letter to parliament President Wang Jin-pyng. “This decision is purely political and not based on sound science. Taiwan must live up to its international trade obligations.”

Taiwan’s parliament recently decided to block U.S. imports of ground beef and beef offal. In addition, the parliament approved a non-binding resolution that calls for U.S. beef imports to be restricted to products that come from cattle 30 months of age and younger.

Moran asked the Taiwanese government not act on the non-binding resolution and adhere to its trade agreements with the U.S. Moran also stressed that failure to repeal the decision to block could endanger future trade agreements between the U.S. and Taiwan.

— Release by the American Meat Institute.

Marketing plan seminar scheduled for Feb. 8-9 in Amarillo

A two-day short course, “Selecting, Developing and Working a Marketing Plan,” will take place Feb. 8-9 at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Amarillo, located at 6500 W. Amarillo Blvd.

The focus of the course, taught by Alan Brugler, president of Brugler Marketing and Management LLC, headquartered in Omaha, Neb., is learning how to select an appropriate marketing plan for an individual operation and guidelines for executing the plan.

Brugler will discuss different types of marketing plans, the drawbacks of each, and how to set the rules on when to abandon or modify the plan. This involves a combination of time and price-based targets, seasonals, probability and charts, among other things, said Steve Amosson, AgriLife Extension economist in Amarillo.

During the course, he will also talk about how to interpret Commodities Futures Trade Commission data, the role of index funds and swaps dealers in the markets today and how to identify their footprints.

“Alan is a very popular speaker on the Master Marketer program and brings in a world of experience. He was director of market analysis for DTN and is a regular guest on the U.S. Farm Report,” Amosson said.

The course runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. both days. The registration fee is $125 and includes the cost of instruction, materials, lunch and breaks. Registration is limited to 50 participants on a first-come basis, so preregistration is required, he said.

For more information and the registration brochure, go to the Master Marketer web site, http://mastermarketer.tamu.edu/or contact Jane Planchon at 806-677-5600 or JAPlanchon@ag.tamu.edu.

Checks and money orders should be made payable to Texas AgriLife Account No. 222100-60021 and sent to Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center, attn: Jane Planchon, 6500 W. Amarillo Blvd., Amarillo, Texas 79106-1796. For credit card payments, go online to register at http://agrilifevents.tamu.edu/.

— Release by Texas AgriLife Research and Extension.

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