News Update
September 12, 2011
Reserve Your Invitation to the Foundation’s
2011 Supporter Recognition Event
Join the Angus Foundation Saturday evening, Nov. 12, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Louisville, Ky., for its Supporter Recognition Event.
In this final year of Vision of Value: Campaign for Angus, the Angus Foundation will recognize supporters from this past fiscal year to the Angus breed’s ambitious $11 million fundraising drive for education, youth and research. Themed “Champions of the Vision,” this year’s event is designed to recognize and reward those donors reaching the Associate or above contribution level, explains Milford Jenkins, Angus Foundation president.
“We are expecting a large attendance with the noticeable increase in the number of contributions this fiscal year to the Angus Foundation Associate donor level and above,” Jenkins says. “You, too, will want to join us on this special occasion, and you can reserve your invitation by Sept. 30 with a gift of $250 or more to the Angus Foundation.”
All Angus supporters who have contributed $250 this fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2010-Sept. 30, 2011) to the Angus Foundation will be invited to attend.
Angus Foundation and campaign leadership will update event attendees on the progress of the fundraising initiative. Special features of the event will be announcements of significant major gifts toward the campaign’s goal. In addition, American Angus Association registration No. 17 million will be offered at auction, with proceeds of the sale contributing to the campaign.
You can guarantee your reservation by making a gift of $250 or more by Sept. 30. To donate online visit https://www.angusonline.org/Foundation/General/
FdnDonation.aspx. Your contribution, payable to the Angus Foundation, can also be mailed, postmarked by Sept. 30, to the Angus Foundation at 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506.
To confirm your contribution level for this fiscal year, call 816-383-5100.
Significant Cow Culling May Continue This Fall
The U.S. beef industry has experienced historic levels of cow culling in 2011, and while slowed, a significant movement of cows from herds may not be done yet.
Beef cow slaughter in federal Region 6 — Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico — is averaging 150% of year-ago levels for the past few months. Year-to-date beef cow slaughter in the region — which corresponds to the nation’s worst drought area — is 123% above year-ago levels.
Year-to-date beef cow slaughter numbers for all other U.S. regions has declined 6%, resulting in a total national beef cow slaughter rate that is 101% of last year.
However, beef cow slaughter outside of Region 6 is 4.5% more than year-ago levels for the past eight weeks, plus significant numbers of cows have moved out of Oklahoma and Texas to other regions, points out Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University (OSU) Cooperative Extension livestock marketing specialist.
“This likely means that cow culling for the remainder of 2011 will not follow typical seasonal patterns, either within or beyond the exceptional drought area that is federal Region 6,” he said.
Throughout the drought areas, evidence suggests that most of the cows normally culled for age or productivity reasons have long since moved to market and are part of the increased U.S. slaughter rates already documented.
Reports indicate that many younger or still productive cows from drought-ravaged areas also have been sold, either to slaughter or to new owners in other regions who have access to better pasture and hay resources.
“Though most of the normally culled cows already have been sold, continued dry conditions will presumably force additional cow liquidation through the fall,” Peel said. “One would presume that most producers have by now determined if it is feasible to keep cows through the winter or not, and that additional movements might be at a slower pace than was seen during the summer months.”
Unfortunately, some cattle producers are reporting that cow pregnancy evaluations are showing significantly reduced pregnancy rates as a result of drought stress. Peel believes this may lead to additional culling this fall.
Then there is the fact that beef cow slaughter in regions outside the drought areas also increased during the past eight weeks.
“Forage conditions in most of the rest of the country have ranged from very good to average, so increased slaughter is not likely the result of poor forage conditions,” Peel said. “It’s more likely that the movement of animals from drought areas to other regions is changing normal culling patterns.”
Producers with good forage may be culling early to take advantage of the opportunity to trade out cull cows for young cows from the drought zone, or they may be taking in lease cows in need of a new home.
Another factor may be that many heifers held for replacement in the drought zone also have been liquidated, making more replacements available to cattle producers in other regions.
“The availability of heifers and breeding cows from drought-ravaged areas may help accelerate the herd expansion already in place in northern regions of the United States,” Peel said.
At any rate, drought conditions ensure that beef cow slaughter this year will rival or perhaps be greater than year-ago levels on a national basis.
“America’s total beef cow herd will decrease by 2% to 3% this year,” Peel said. “The regional impacts will be more dramatic, with herd growth likely in the northern Great Plains states and northern Rocky Mountain regions and double digit reductions in Texas and Oklahoma.”
MU Thompson Farm Field Day, Sept. 20, Will Report Added Value of Calf Genetics
The Thompson Farm Field Day, Sept. 20, will feature talks on “Capturing Value from Genetic Improvements.” The program at the University of Missouri (MU) research farm west of Spickard, Mo., starts with registration at 8:30 a.m.
The program offers a free lunch at noon and herd tours at 2:30 p.m. Speakers will be available afterward for questions, said Rod Geisert, Columbia, superintendent.
More than 15 years of research at the farm has developed breeding protocols to make superior calves that sell for more at market time. Fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI) has been the result. All cows in a herd can be bred by appointment on one day.
David Patterson, MU Extension beef reproduction specialist, led the research at the farm. He will explain results from using the protocols, now used nationwide for breeding cows and heifers.
He will be followed by Mike Kasten, beef producer from Millersville, Mo. Kasten has records on the payoff received from the Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program. He will tell how estrus synchronization and fixed-time AI led to his success.
Kasten forms alliances with neighboring beef herd owners. He provides AI breeding and management. Then he buys the calves at a premium from the cooperators.
Scott Brown, MU Extension beef economist, will tell of the growing demand for high-quality beef in domestic and international markets. He will explain how grid premiums work in the high-quality market.
Mark Sebranek, manager of the Irsik & Doll Feed Yard, Garden City, Kan., will tell how he manages high-quality cattle for added value. He has been feeding calves from Thompson Farm. Those calves have won the AngusSource® Carcass Challenge (ASCC) for the last two years. They topped all feedyards in the central states.
In a shift to international competition, Dan Mallory will tell of his trip to Brazil last year as an intern. He and Ky Pohler joined AI teams in breeding cows on large ranches. They came back amazed at the progressive attitude of beef producers in South America.
Megan Rolf of the MU Division of Animal Sciences will talk on efficiency of genomic evaluation. In the future, DNA tests can aid beef producers on the farm.
Craig Payne, MU Extension veterinarian, will explain needed vaccination programs in beef herds.
Linda Hickam, veterinarian with the Missouri Department of Agriculture, will describe the trichomoniasis outbreak in Missouri cattle. New laws control the sale of bulls in the state.
The program is free and open to the public. The farm is located at the end of Highway C off Highway 65, west of Spickard, Mo. Visitors traveling to the farm are cautioned to watch for Amish buggies on the narrow highways.
A national Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle (ARSBC) conference in Joplin, Mo., recently featured the research from the Thompson Farm. Coverage of that meeting can be found online at http://www.appliedreprostrategies.com/2011/
Joplin/newsroom.html.
OARDC to Unveil Unique Ag Safety Facility Sept. 16 in Wooster: Public Invited
Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) will unveil Sept. 16 a unique, highly secure bio-containment building aimed at enhancing its nationally and internationally recognized research programs on infectious diseases of plants and animals — and further safeguarding Ohio’s $90-billion-plus agricultural industry.
The $22.2 million Plant and Animal Agrosecurity Research (PAAR) Facility will enable scientists on the Wooster campus to work with infectious agents classified by federal standards at the BSL-3 (biosafety level 3) and BSL-3 Agriculture safety levels. PAAR will be the first facility in Ohio and one of only two nationally with capacity for both plant and animal research at such safety levels.
“PAAR is a unique facility that will allow Ohio State to proactively address plant and animal pests that threaten our food and green industries in Ohio,” OARDC Director Steve Slack said. “We will now be able to initiate research to provide solutions on new and emerging problems before they cause significant losses, and will be able to attract the resources necessary to develop these solutions.”
A dedication ceremony is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 16, from 11 a.m.-noon, at the corner of Williams Road and Ferguson Drive on the OARDC campus, located at 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster. Tours of the PAAR facility will be given between noon and 6 p.m. For security purposes, no backpacks, large purses or cameras are allowed inside PAAR; use of cellphone cameras is also prohibited inside the facility.
In addition to two BSL-3 labs, the PAAR facility will include four BSL-3 Ag isolation rooms, which are needed to work with large animals, such as cows. Under federal guidelines, all facilities handling potentially infectious agents must adhere to strict procedures to ensure containment of these pathogens. Depending on the ease with which microorganisms can be transmitted, they are classified as BSL-1, BSL-2, BSL-3 or BSL-4, with BSL-4 carrying the highest risk of infection.
Ohio State operates several BSL-3 labs on its Columbus campus, but this is the first to be built on the Wooster campus — and the first BSL-3 ag lab at the university with capacity for work with livestock.
The PAAR facility is expected to significantly boost research on a number of disease organisms and pests capable of causing billions of dollars in losses to crops, trees and livestock. These include emerald ash borer, an invasive insect that is projected to cause $3 billion in economic loss to Ohio communities over the next decade; soybean rust, a devastating disease that could jeopardize Ohio’s $1-billion-a-year soybean industry; and avian influenza, which threatens the state’s $93 million turkey industry.
Animal-borne diseases such as avian influenza can sicken humans as well, so the research conducted by OARDC scientists at PAAR is also expected to contribute to advancements in public health. However, no human studies will be conducted at this facility.
PAAR is also expected to enhance OARDC’s ability to attract highly competitive faculty and grants to the state. Moreover, PAAR will add to infrastructure critical for the BioHio Research Park — a project currently being developed on the Wooster campus that seeks to establish public-private business partnerships and spur job creation in the agricultural biosciences in northeast Ohio.
The new BSL-3 facility will comply with all federal regulations governing BSL-3 and BSL-3 ag labs. It will be physically isolated and constantly monitored. Access to the area will be limited and tightly controlled. The building will be constructed to be airtight, with outgoing air filtered to trap microorganisms and prevent them from spreading into other sections of the facility or the surrounding environment.
Funding for PAAR came from the state of Ohio capital funds, OARDC funds and federal grants.
More information about the facility is available at http://oardc.osu.edu/paar.
The largest university agricultural bioscience research center in the nation, OARDC is the research arm of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
NFU Kicks Off Fall Legislative Fly-In
Farmers Union members heard from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack at a briefing this morning to discuss the 2012 Farm Bill. The briefing marked the beginning of the National Farmers Union (NFU) Fall Legislative Fly-In, where nearly 250 members from across the country will meet with legislators and discuss organizational priorities for the upcoming Farm Bill.
“Agriculture is a bright spot in our economy, with exports and net farm income at record highs and total farm debt declining,” said Vilsack. “This is a major achievement and a testament to our farmers and ranchers, who continue to work hard, innovate and make smart business decisions in these challenging times. As we work to create jobs and strengthen small businesses, we need a Farm Bill that maintains a strong safety net and gives America’s farm and ranch families the support they need to continue to thrive and outcompete the rest of the world.”
Farmers Union members will highlight the importance of including a strong safety net in the next Farm Bill.
“We will likely not have as much money to write the next farm bill as we have for previous farm bills,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “Because of that, we have to focus on our top priorities, like protecting family farmers and ranchers during difficult times. Having our grassroots members meet with the policymakers face-to-face is invaluable because it gives family farmers and ranchers an opportunity to discuss the real problems they face on a daily basis. These are the people that farm programs should be designed for, and they are the reason it is so important to ensure that we maintain a strong safety net.”
During the fly-in, NFU will also unveil a study by the University of Tennessee that suggests policy initiatives that would reduce government payments to farmers and ranchers without reducing their safety net.
“This study will be extremely important in helping guide the policy discussions as we look ahead to the next Farm Bill,” said Johnson. “With today’s budget situation, we must find creative solutions to protect farmers and ranchers. Some of the key findings from the study, like price stability provided by farmer-owned reserves, will help reduce commodity price volatility.”
Fly-in participants will hear from other USDA officials and White House officials, and visit every member of Congress during the three-day event.
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