News Update
October 26, 2012
Commercial Red Meat Production Down From Last Year
Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 3.95 billion pounds (lb.) in September, down 6% from the 4.19 billion lbs., produced in September 2011.
Beef production, at 2.02 billion lb., was 9% below the previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.54 million head, down 12% from September 2011. The average live weight was up 33 lb., from the previous year, at 1,311 lb.
Veal production totaled 8.8 million lb., 17% below September a year ago. Calf slaughter totaled 64,300 head, down 13% from September 2011. The average live weight was down 17 lb. from last year, at 235 lbs.
Pork production totaled 1.91 billion lb., down 2% from the previous year. Hog slaughter totaled 9.45 million head, down 2% from September 2011. The average live weight was up 1 lb., from the previous year, to 271 lb.
Lamb and mutton production, at 12.5 million lb., was up 6% from September 2011. Sheep slaughter totaled 174,300 head, 2% below last year. The average live weight was 145 lb., up 11 lb. Accumulated beef production was down 2% from last year, veal was down 10%, pork was up 3% from last year, and lamb and mutton production was up 4%.
September 2011 contained 22 weekdays, including one holiday and four Saturdays. September 2012 contained 20 weekdays, including one holiday and five Saturdays.
Farmers and Ranchers Get More Buying Power at the
Nebraska Power Farming Show
The word is out among farmers and ranchers: The Nebraska Power Farming Show is bigger, better and full of year-end buying specials.
In just its sixth year, the Nebraska Power Farming Show has already become the second largest indoor farm show in the United States. The show has added a fifth building this year after adding the fourth building in 2011. In total, the show will have 9.2 acres (400,000 sq.ft.) of indoor displays.
This year's show — which takes place Dec. 4-6 at the Lancaster Event Center in Lincoln — will feature more than 870 ag-related companies and nearly 2,100 booths, up from 700 companies and 1,700 booths in 2011.
For more information and the full release, click here.
New Crop Management Topics Added to Annual MU Conference, Dec. 18-19
Two days with 36 one-hour sessions only begins to describe the University of Missouri (MU) annual Crop Management Conference, Dec. 18-19.
Under his leadership, Kevin Bradley increased the crop-production topics for farmers and certified crop advisors to select. Bradley, MU Extension weed specialist, will tell new research on increasing problems with herbicide-resistant weeds, particularly waterhemp.
The "Weed, Insect and Disease Management Update" remains one of the most requested topics, Bradley says. He'll be joined by Wayne Bailey, MU entomologist, and Laura Sweets, MU plant pathologist. The session will be repeated to accommodate all.
Bill Wiebold, MU Extension crop specialist, will add a new topic: "Crop Management to Increase Yield Stability."
To bring more new topics for Missouri producers, Bradley invites specialists from land-grant universities in adjoining states.
Mark Hanna, agricultural engineer, Iowa State University, will speak on uniform application of anhydrous-ammonia fertilizer and combine settings to cut grain loss. "That equipment topic is needed because we lost a lot of lightweight corn this year," Bradley said. Too many drought-shrunken ears were lost during harvest.
The keynote speaker, who will open the program at 8:30 a.m., Dec. 18, will be Jon Hagler, director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture. He will speak on "The Future of Agriculture."
The program runs until 4 p.m., Dec. 19. The meeting is at the Holiday Inn Select, Columbia. Call 573-445-8531 for special room rates.
Registration fee of $160 for the two-day conference includes lunches, breaks and educational materials. One-day registration is $105. Late registrations after Dec. 15 increase by $25.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Deadline Fast Approaching for the NCBA Cattle Industry Convention Internships
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) government affairs office in Washington, D.C., is accepting applications for internships during the 2013 Cattle Industry Convention in Tampa, Fla., Feb. 6-9, 2013. The deadline to submit an application for this opportunity is Nov. 4, 2012.
Climate-Related Emissions from Feedyards Monitored in AgriLife Research Study
An accurate estimation of nitrous oxide and methane emissions from beef cattle feedlots is an increasing concern given the current and potential future reporting requirements for greenhouse gas emissions.
Ken Casey, Texas A&M AgriLife Research air-quality engineer in Amarillo, is working on an ongoing study to quantify the nitrous oxide and methane emission rates from pen surfaces at two commercial beef cattle feedlots in Texas.
This research was supported in part by an Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, AgriLife Research and Texas Cattle Feeders Association.
To put these in perspective, nitrous oxide and methane have global warming potentials of 310 times and 21 times that of carbon dioxide, respectively, Casey said. This means these gasses trap more heat within the atmosphere than carbon dioxide per unit weight.
"These greenhouse gases contribute more toward climate change but are not concerns for human or animal health at the concentrations that exist in and around feedyards," he said. "They need to be studied because we need to know how much is being emitted before we can accurately determine what contribution feedyards are making to the national and global inventory of greenhouse gases."
For more information and the full release, click here.
The Ohio State University Dedicates New Cattle Facility
The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute (ATI) has dedicated a new beef cattle handling facility off Apple Creek Road in Wooster, Ohio.
ATI partnered with Grandin Livestock Handling Systems Inc. on the facility, which is designed to meet the needs of Ohio beef producers, as well as Ohio State. The university plans to offer training for current beef industry members through ATI's Business Training and Educational Services.
Temple Grandin's design includes a corral, a dual-chute system with a hydraulic squeeze chute and breeding box, and sorting pens. A system of curved chutes combined with a round crowd pen moves cattle through a 180° turn using their natural behavior while concealing livestock handlers.
Annually, around 45 students enroll in one of the two beef cattle programs at Ohio State ATI, and the university says this new facility will allow them to teach more about safe animal handling and the benefits of integrating animal behavior into livestock handling design.
Drought Devastating to Beef Industry; Herd Numbers Dropping
High feed prices and large financial losses brought on by a combination of multiyear drought in the Southern Plains and the 2012 Midwestern drought will continue their stranglehold on the nation's beef industry in the coming months, a Purdue Extension agricultural economist says.
According to the USDA, September cattle placements onto feedlots dropped a sharp 19% compared with September 2011. July and August also were months of decline.
"Drought has been particularly cruel to the beef cattle industry," Chris Hurt said. "Brood cows remain the last major livestock industry that is land-extensive. So when dryness causes wide stretches of land to be unable to support cow grazing, producers have to buy feed or send cows to town."
The USDA currently lists 54% of the nation's pastures in "poor" or "very poor" condition — the lowest two pasture condition ratings. That lack of quality grazing land means beef producers have to supplement animal diets with expensive feeds.
High feed costs have caused feedlot managers to lose up to an estimated $200 per head, according to Kansas State University.
"U.S. beef cow numbers are likely to be 2%-3% lower in the upcoming January inventory report," Hurt said. "The mid-year estimates were already reflecting a 4% decrease in the national beef cow herd, and that was before the impacts of the 2012 drought began to be felt. The implications are for continued cow reductions until feed and forage supplies are restored."
For more information and the full release, click here.
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