News Update
Nov. 15, 2010

Annual Meeting, Show Coverage Available

American Angus Association members are meeting in Louisville, Ky., this weekend for annual Angus events in conjunction with the 2010 North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE).

The NAILE junior show took place Sunday in the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center (KFEC) Freedom Hall. John Rayfield, College Station, Texas, judged the show.

For complete show results, visit www.angus.org/showresults, which may also be accessed through mobile phones, depending on phone capabilities.

The NAILE Super-Point Roll of Victory (ROV) Angus show was this morning in the KFEC. The bull show took place Monday, as well as the crowning of Miss American Angus. The open female and cow-calf shows will begin Tuesday at 8 a.m.

Jeff Dameron, Normal, Ill., will determine ROV show winners, with assistance from associate judge Gary Dameron, Lexingtn, Ill.

ROV show results will also be available at www.angus.org/showresults.

For those at home wanting to watch the show, the NAILE will again provide live Webcam coverage online at www.livestockexpo.org.

On Monday, Angus delegates will meet for the 127th Annual Convention of Delegates to conduct Association business and to elect five new members to the Board of Directors. Officers will also be announced.

Visit www.angus.org for complete coverage including photos and results following the NAILE.

After the convention, tune in to AgDay beginning the week of Nov. 22 for national television coverage and Angus highlights. Following the show, producers may also visit www.angusjournal.com/louisville for show coverage provided by Angus Productions Inc. (API).

Angus Genetics Inc. to Accept Pfizer Animal Genetics® Samples

Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI®), a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Angus Association®), announces a new agreement with Pfizer Animal Genetics.

The agreement will allow Angus breeders to submit Pfizer test samples to AGI for eventual incorporation into genomic-enhanced expected progeny differences (EPDs).

“There is still work to be done to incorporate Pfizer’s High-Density 50K genomic predictions into the American Angus Association National Cattle Evaluation,” says Bill Bowman, AGI president and Association chief operating officer (COO). “We are excited to make the Pfizer technology available to the industry as part of our selection tools, and we encourage breeders to visit our website, www.angus.org, as more details are available.”

Samples will be accepted at AGI for the Pfizer test beginning Dec. 1, 2010. Read more.

U.S. Red Meat Exports Continue Positive Trend

The global appetite for U.S. beef and pork continued to grow in September, with American red meat exports maintaining solid momentum through the first nine months of 2010, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

Beef exports continued their torrid pace in September with a 30.2% jump in value over year-ago levels while volume climbed 16.6%. For the month, the U.S. exported 86,182 metric tons of beef valued at $339.3 million. For the year, beef exports are up 16% in volume and 27% in value to 766,791 metric tons valued at $2.9 billion.

The pork export story also is positive. For September, the value of pork exports climbed 10% over 2009 totals to $382.6 million even though the volume of exports slipped 3.6% to 148,416 metric tons. Over the first nine months of the year, export volume is up 2% to 1,392,754 metric tons valued at $3.5 billion — a 9% hike in value compared to 2009.

“We are finding a very positive and receptive audience for U.S. red meat in the international market,” said Philip Seng, USMEF president and CEO. “The challenge is to sustain this aggressive growth pace and continue to diversify our markets.

“To that end, USMEF has been working closely with the exporting community to identify new opportunities in the global marketplace — whether it be new niches within existing markets or entirely new regions — to ensure that exports continue to grow and producers continue to see a healthy return,” Seng added.

The impact of exports

The value of beef exports in September equated to $151 per head of steer and heifer slaughtered and accounted for 11% of total U.S. production. This compares to $118.17 per head in September of 2009 when exports were 9.5% of total production. For the first nine months of 2010, the value of exports per head is $145.07 per head, which is $8.60 more than values in 2003, prior to the discovery of BSE in the United States.

Virtually every major U.S. beef export market is showing double-digit growth this year, and September continued that trend. Only Mexico, which continues to struggle with economic woes and a weak peso, is behind 2009 levels.

For the year, the top five beef export markets in terms of value remain Mexico, Canada, Japan, the ASEAN region and South Korea. During September, the top five markets were Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea and the Middle East — the latter led by Egypt.

Beef exports to Canada in September jumped 8.4% in value to $65.6 million, slightly surpassing exports to Mexico that were valued at $63.4 million, a 14.2% decline from last year. Japan was third with beef exports valued at $58.9 million, a 52% spike.

The trend in South Korea is even more promising, with September exports up a startling 250% to $38.4 million, while the Middle East showed a 93% hike for the month, registering at $22.5 million.

“We’re continuing to see steady progress in Korea, and we’re working hard to sustain that as we prepare to launch Phase 2 of USMEF’s ‘Trust’ imaging campaign that has been very well-received,” said Seng.

While exports to the ASEAN region are down 16.6% in value from year-ago levels, they are up sharply from August, showing positive momentum. September exports to Russia were up 91.5% in value compared to 2009 levels. Muscle cut exports to Russia for the year are up 652% to 21,102 metric tons, already setting an annual record and essentially filling the 21,700 metric ton tariff rate quota.

Exports to Taiwan also set an annual value record of $149.5 million, already shattering last year’s mark of $141.1 million. For the year, exports to Taiwan are up 42% in volume (27,625 metric tons) and 52% in value.

Through September, the United States has also increased its net exporter status, with net export value of $577.6 million for the first nine months of the year, up from $80 million in the same period last year.

— Adapted from a USMEF release.

UNL Beef Short-Courses Give Cow-Calf Producers Valuable Information

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s (UNL) 2010-2011 Beef Short-Course program, “Staying Competitive in an Ever-Changing Beef Cow-Calf Industry,” will be broadcast on NET 2 in December and January.

Each session will be broadcast at 7 p.m. Dec. 16, Jan. 13, 20 and 27. Each presentation will end at 8 p.m. and be followed by a question and answer session.

The short-course series is designed to help cow-calf producers remain competitive in an industry that is constantly changing.

“The cow-calf enterprise is a complex production system,” Rick Rasby, UNL Extension beef specialist. “For producers to be competitive, they need to integrate human, financial and feed resources in their operation.”

Rasby said the programs will help producers integrate resources and increase the profit potential of their cow-calf enterprise.

The Dec. 16 session will focus on “Animal Identification and Using Ear Tag Technology as a Management Tool.” Presenters during this session will be Rasby, Nebraska Department of Agriculture’s Lynn Gordon, producers Mark and Bonnie Wagner and Midwest Microsystems’ Tim Davis.

The session on Jan. 13 will cover “Working with Your Banker in Tough Economic Times: What to Include and how to Get Your Financial Portfolio Ready.”

“Optimum Cow Size: Matching Cow Size and Milk Production and Your Resources” will be one of two topics covered Jan. 20 with Rasby and Matt Spangler, UNL Extension beef cattle specialist. The other topic is “Getting Your Bull’s Battery Ready for the Breeding Season.”

The final session on Jan. 27 with Rick Funston, UNL Extension beef cattle reproductive physiologist, will focus on “Managing Calving Interval and Its Impact on Profit Potential” along with “Estrous Synchronization Protocols for Beef Cows and Heifers.”

To get involved with the question and answer sessions, call 1-800-562-1576 or 402-472-0638 on the nights of the sessions.

— Release by UNL.

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