News Update
Jan. 26, 2011

Virginia Angus Association Announces Memorabilia Collectors’ Opportunity

The Virginia Angus Association will hold its annual meeting and banquet Feb. 4-5, 2011, at Natural Bridge, Va. The program includes an awards banquet; an auction for preferred handbook ad space, embryos and semen; as well as an educational discussion with William Herring from Pfizer Animal Genetics. In addition to the normal array of rare semen and embryos from the country’s leading producers, this year’s auction will include a rare opportunity for Angus memorabilia collectors.

Ken and Nancy Barnhart, the former owners and operators of Angus Semen Service have generously donated three framed pen-and-ink drawings done by Galen Struve, Blue Springs, Mo., which were used as the cover art for the Angus Semen Service catalogs through the years. The drawings were done mostly in the 1990s and include specific bulls and scenes from the owners’ ranches. For more details, and to reserve your dinner tickets, contact Felicia Roberts, Virginia Angus Association office manager at 540-337-3001.

— Release by the Virginia Angus Association.

Seminar to Address Cattle Feeding Strategies of the Future

The future of Midwest cattle feeding will be discussed at the 2011 Cattle Feeders Day Feb. 16 at the DeKalb County Farm Bureau in Sycamore, Ill.

This seminar, sponsored by Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), the Illinois Beef Association (IBA), and the University of Illinois (U of I) Extension, will highlight new cattle feeding strategies, feedstuff availability in the future, and new research on feedlot feed efficiency.

“We want to help cattle producers develop strategies that will allow them to feed cattle competitively in the future,” said Dan Faulkner, U of I Extension beef specialist and professor in the U of I Department of Animal Sciences.

The conference will start at 9:45 a.m. with a welcome by Mike Baroni, ADM vice president of economic policy, discussing “Cattle Feeding and the New Vision of Agriculture.” Other speakers include Mike Cecava of ADM Research Division with an update on coproducts and ag residues; Maralee Johnson of IBA presenting an association update; Dan Loy of Iowa State University discussing feeding strategies for coping with high commodity prices; Galen Ericson of the University of Nebraska on corn replacement feed — coproducts and ag residues; and Faulkner discussing beef cattle feed efficiency — genetic selection and feed management. The conference will conclude by 3 p.m.

Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. Preregistration is not required, and there is no fee to attend. For more information, contact Dan Faulkner at 217-333-1781, Mike Cecava at 217-451-6817, or Maralee Johnson at 217-787-4280. A complimentary lunch will be prepared by the DeKalb-Kane Cattlemen’s Association.

— Release by U of I Extension.

Key In on Heifers’ Heifers

Most everyone in the beef business is excited about the shortage of beef cows and the low rate of retention of heifers to be made into cows, said Eldon Cole, a livestock specialist with University of Missouri (MU) Extension. “The hope is those factors will translate into higher cattle prices and more profit for local farmers.”

That also makes the selection of which heifers to keep as replacements a key decision.

“If the cow herd owner is doing a good job of selecting his bulls and heifers, the best genetic package on the farm will be the heifer calves out of heifers,” said Cole. “Some folks also need to be reminded that the biggest heifer is not always the best replacement prospect.”

With the expanded use of expected progeny differences (EPDs) a producer should be able to find direct calving ease combined with acceptable growth, satisfactory milking potential for a specific management system, calving ease maternal, mature cow size, stayability and heifer pregnancy rate. This is especially true for producers who use artificial insemination (AI) to breed their first-calf heifers.

“As for size and puberty, there’s not as much of a problem as we had when heifers were weaning off a heifer at 400 pounds or less at 7 months of age. Many heifers are now bred at least a month prior to the cow herd and [that] gives the heifers’ calves a 50-pound or so advantage,” said Cole.

For herds split with both February-March and September-October calvings, producers may choose to delay breeding until the heifers are 20 months or so old.

“This delay should not be necessary if your forage program is well-managed,” said Cole. “There could even be merit in saving a heifer’s heifer because she didn’t get overly fleshy as a nursing calf. Fat heifers do not always develop into the best nursing mothers.”

 Concludes Cole, “It is okay to keep a first-calf heifer’s daughter for a replacement if you’ve done your homework.”

For more information, contact any of the MU Extension livestock specialists in southwest Missouri, including Eldon Cole in Mount Vernon, 417-466-3102 or Dona Goede in Cedar County, 417-276-3313.

— Release by MU Extension.

2011 Tri-State Agriculture Summit Slated for February

Farmers, landowners, agri-businesses and local processors are invited to spend a morning with some of the most knowledgeable agriculture experts in the Midwest. Iowa State University (ISU) Extension, U of I Extension and MU Extension are presenting the 2011 Tri-State Agriculture Summit Wednesday, Feb. 16, at the Holiday Inn Express (4th and Main) in Keokuk, Iowa.

The 2011 Tri-State Agriculture Summit will provide an outlook of land values, grain markets, technology and inputs. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. with the program starting at 9 a.m. Continuing Education Units (CEU) will be offered for certified crop consultants.

The program includes four highly-regarded agriculture experts.

• Melvin Brees, MU Extension ag economist, will provide insight into the volatile grain markets of 2010-2011, the impact of world grain supplies, trade conditions and potential shifts in 2011 planting intentions.
• Gordon Roskamp, well-known for his expertise with weed resistance and integrated pest management at the University of Western Illinois, will share his thoughts on new herbicides and weed resistance to help producers make the most of crop input dollars.
• ISU Extension economist Mike Duffy will share the findings of the 2010 Iowa Land Value Survey and highlight some of the historical data related to land value trends.

The program will conclude with remarks from Keith Fuller, president of Fuller Fertilizer, with recommendations for interpreting yield maps and using the data generated for maximum yield and return. 

Cost of the program is $15, which includes lunch, refreshments and meeting materials. To register for the program, please call the following Extension offices by Friday, Feb. 11: In Iowa, Lee County, 1-800-211-9328; in Missouri, Marion County, 573-769-217; in Illinois, Adams County, 217-223-8380 or Hancock County, 217-357-2150.

— Release by ISU Extension.

— Co mpiled by Mathew Elliott, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.