News Update
Nov. 12, 2010

Blank’s Will Address Beef’s Position in the Restaurant Sector

Ranchers, feeders and dairymen will hear how beef is faring from the foodservice perspective during the Kansas Livestock Association (KLA) Convention, Dec. 2-3 in Wichita. Cargill Foodservice Vice President of National Accounts Keith Blanks will reflect on restaurant beef sales and project what lies ahead as part of Beef Industry University, sponsored by the Farm Credit Associations of Kansas.

Blanks will explain how the restaurant sector has adapted during the economic downturn and how that has affected beef. He also will share how he sees top foodservice companies addressing issues with customers such as sustainability, animal care and nutrition, and how this interaction will apply to beef producers.

A complete schedule, hotel information and registration form can be found by clicking here. To save money, fill out the registration form and send it to the KLA office before Nov. 19. Convention headquarters at the Wichita Hyatt are full, but rooms remain at two other nearby hotels with KLA room blocks.

— Release by KLA.

2010 ISU Farm Income Tax Schools Still Accepting Registrations

The Iowa State University (ISU) Farm Income Tax Schools are experiencing record attendance at sessions this year. The 2010 Farm Income Tax Schools are two-day training sessions for tax professionals, including attorneys, accountants and enrolled agents, who have farm clientele. The program, sponsored by the Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation (CALT), is expected to reach over 1,200 practitioners on recent law changes and updates in tax legislation.

Roger McEowen, ISU agricultural law professor and Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation director, presents the first day program at all locations. He is supported in those presentations by Joe Kristan, Roth & Co. CPS, and Kristy Maitre, IRS senior stakeholder liaison for Iowa.

Neil Harl, ISU economics professor emeritus, presents the program on day two at several of the schools. Three Iowa tax attorneys — A. David Bibler of Algona, James Goodman of Marshalltown and Lee Wilmarth of Decorah — conduct the second-day program at the remaining locations.

CALT is still accepting registrations for the remaining three Farm Income Tax Schools to be held in Muscatine, Griswold and Ames.  The registration fee is $210, which includes tuition, meals and workbook materials. The program runs from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.

Dates of the remaining tax schools and the host communities are:

• Nov. 22-23: Holiday Inn, Muscatine. McEowen/Kristan (Day 1); Harl (Day 2)
• Dec. 6-7: Griswold Community Center, Griswold. McEowen/Kristan (Day 1); Bibler/Goodman/Wilmarth (Day 2)
• Dec. 13-14: Quality Inn & Suites, Ames.  McEowen/Kristan (Day 1); Harl (Day 2) 

To register for the tax school, contact Tiffany Kayser at 515-294-5217 or tlkayser@iastate.edu. More information on the tax school is available at http://www.calt.iastate.edu/taxschool.html.

— Release by ISU Extention.

Time to Inventory, Purchase Hay

Due to dry conditions, the majority of Kentucky livestock producers are already into their winter feeding programs which some began as early as September. Producers need to inventory their hay supplies now to ensure they have enough to last through the winter.

If they find they're short, buying additional hay now can save them a lot of headaches later, said Tom Keene, hay marketing specialist with the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Agriculture.  

The good news is Kentucky forage producers had prime haymaking weather earlier this year and were able to get good yields due to adequate springtime moisture.

“During a normal season, we would have had a surplus of hay,” Keene said.

However, the timely rains diminished in July for some areas of the state and haven't returned in significant amounts in most places since then. According to the most recent Kentucky Weekly Crop and Weather Report , about 90% of the state's pastureland was rated either poor or very poor.

“Even if we got some much needed rain, it is unlikely that pastures will recover enough to provide very many grazing days before cold weather sets in during December and January,” he said. “So those currently feeding hay will probably be doing so through March of 2011.”

When calculating whether additional hay is needed, producers should consider their current supply, how much they feed their livestock each day, and account for feeding and storage losses. If producers have trouble determining these calculations, they can get assistance from their county Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources.

If the calculations show a need for additional hay, producers should go ahead and purchase some, Keene said.

“By buying hay now, producers will have a bigger selection of quality hay, be more likely to find hay close to home and in the packaging they want,” he said. “The longer it’s put off, the more trouble producers will have meeting these criteria. The cost is also going to be better now.” 

To get the most out of current hay supplies, producers should have their hay tested. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture offers a forage testing program.

“Hay testing helps producers feed the correct amount of hay with the right amount of supplements to meet their animals’ nutritional needs,” Keene said. “It can help producers feed hay more economically and efficiently.”

For more information on the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s testing program or hay for sale across the state, visit http://www.kyagr.com/marketing/forage/index.htm.

— Release by UK College of Agriculture.

Beef Cattle Competition Teaches Youth Farm to Market Management Techniques

The best quality steaks that consumers demand at the grocery store start with the right beef cattle management techniques on the farm, and Ohio youth can learn what it takes to be successful in the livestock industry through a “real world” Ohio State University (OSU) Extension beef cattle production competition.

The Beef Performance and Carcass Quality Contest, which begins in December and culminates at the Ohio State Fair the following August, teaches Ohio 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) youth the various management aspects of bringing a calf to market that exhibits the characteristics the industry looks for in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) quality and yield grade beef.

“The goal of the competition is to take a 500-pound or 600-pound beef feeder calf and raise it to the market standard weight of about 1,200 pounds to 1,350 pounds and have it meet the industry quality standards of choice or prime grade, while limiting excess back fat, which the industry frowns upon,” said Carrie Pickworth, assistant professor and coordinator of beef and sheep production at Ohio State University’s Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster, Ohio. “It teaches youth what it takes to be successful in the industry while rewarding them for traits that add value to a market beef animal.”

The Beef Performance and Carcass Quality Contest has been held since 2006 with about 20 entries judged each year at the Ohio State Fair as part of the Junior Beef Show. The entries are based on a combination of growth performance and carcass characteristics and are determined using a grade vs. yield grid. Final ranking is based on the carcass value gained per day per industry expectations.

Pickworth said that about $2,000 in premiums have been awarded to the top 10 exhibitors.

“We really look to the exhibitors as future role models in the livestock industry,” said Pickworth. “They want to be involved in the industry and they want to do the right thing when it comes to following the steps of proper livestock management.”

Youth interested in participating in the 2011 competition can contact Pickworth at 330-287-1375 or e-mail pickworth.3@osu.edu, and check their local OSU Extension county office for weigh-in information for the 2011 competition. Weigh-ins begin on Dec. 1. For more information, log on to http://fairfield.osu.edu/news/beef-performance-carcass-quality-program-offered-at-ohio-state-fair.

— Release by OSU Extension.

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