News Update
January 21, 2013
Herbster Angus Farms Purchases the
2013 Angus Foundation Heifer Package
Herbster Angus Farms, Falls City, Neb., bid $110,000 on Jan. 16 to purchase the 2013 Angus Foundation Heifer Package. This year’s elite and unique heifer offering is “pick” of the 2012 spring heifer crop, donated by Connealy Angus, Whitman, Neb. More than $1.6 million has been raised from this Angus Foundation fundraising activity since its inception in 1980.
Representing Herbster Angus Farms at the auction was Charles Herbster, owner, and Brittany Barker, vice president of marketing. The heifer package was auctioned during the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colo., with all proceeds benefiting the Angus Foundation, the not-for-profit affiliate of the American Angus Association that funds and supports programs involving education, youth and research for the Angus breed and agricultural industry.
For more information and the full release, click here.
NCBA Releases Smartphone App for
2013 Cattle Industry Convention
Those attending the 2013 Cattle Industry Convention and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Trade Show in Tampa, Fla., next month can stay up-to-date on all convention information and events by downloading the smartphone app made especially for the convention.
The app contains the schedule of events, exhibitor listings, national weather forecasts, market data updates and maps, along with floor plans for the convention center and area hotels. There is also an NCBA Trade Show floor plan.
“The Cattle Industry Convention app is a very useful tool for everyone attending the convention and trade show,” said NCBA Executive Director of Meetings and Events Kristin Torres. “All of the important information about the convention can be found in one location, and the app will continually be updated with the latest news and events.”
The free app can be downloaded by searching “CIC & NCBA” in the Apple Store, Android Market and BlackBerry’s App World. For more information on this and the 2013 Cattle Industry Convention, visit www.beefusa.org.
New or Expanding Livestock Operations Need to
Assess Water Needs
Producers who plan to start or expand a livestock operation need to think about water before moving forward.
“Water is one of the critical natural resources needed for a livestock operation,” said Joe Zulovich, University of Missouri Extension agricultural engineer. “I’ve run into more cases than I care to think about where water was an afterthought rather than something built into the preplanning phases of putting an operation together.”
There are three main uses of water in a livestock operation: drinking water, cooling systems and washing of equipment and buildings. Zulovich says the needs vary significantly among the major species of swine, beef and dairy animals.
Typically, beef cattle, sheep and goats aren’t cooled with water, requiring only drinking water. Dairy operations, however, need water for drinking, cooling and washing equipment.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Cold Stress Emergency Coming up for Livestock, Pets
Agricultural meteorologists from the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture warned that arctic cold is headed for the Bluegrass State.
“This is much colder air than we have seen the past couple of winters,” said Tom Priddy, UK agricultural meteorologist. “An Arctic air mass, coupled with north winds will create wind chills in the single digits at the start of next workweek. The single-digit wind chills, which may drop to near zero, will impact much of the area Monday night and Tuesday morning.”
Priddy said the combination of cold air and high winds could put most parts of Kentucky into periods of dangerous and emergency categories for livestock cold stress after the initial system passes through.
Livestock producers should make sure animals have adequate shelter, water, dry bedding and feed to make it through this cold spell. Pet owners should bring pets indoors. UK livestock specialists said animals have a higher requirement for energy in the colder months, so producers should have high-quality grains and forages on hand to meet their needs.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Hay Supplies Tighter than Earlier Reports Due to
2012 Summer Drought
The lingering effects of the early spring freeze and the hot, dry summer of 2012 in Michigan on forage supplies have been tabulated and released in the latest USDA Crop Production Report. Michigan State University (MSU) Extension forage educators have been encouraging livestock owners to secure their winter hay needs before hay supplies all but disappear.
In response, MSU Extension is offering meetings to address this short supply of hay that some feel may linger for more than one year. There are meetings on the Forage Cost of Production for those considering planting new forage acres in 2013. There are also a series of meetings on Feeding the Beef Herd Alternative Feeds in 2013 and Beyond.
The USDA Crop Production Report shows a significant reduction in total tons available in the Michigan-Indiana-Ohio region for ending hay stocks on farms. Findings in October 2012 were pointing to lower production by approximately 8.5% for Michigan. However, when the December 2012 report was released, Michigan was reported to have a 43.3% reduction in the hay supply. This followed the reduced hay inventories of 14.3% coming into the growing season.
According to the USDA, the total hay supplies for the United States are down 16% from 2011, and this is the lowest amount of hay on farms in the United States since 1957.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Livestock Producers Get Income Tax Relief After Drought
Some Midwestern livestock producers might find themselves facing higher income tax bills if the drought forced them to cull and sell more animals than normal in 2012 — but help is available, two Purdue Extension agricultural economists say.
The lack of forages and the high cost of feed led many producers who might normally have carried livestock through the winter to instead sell them at weaning. More sales at weaning usually would mean more taxable income in 2012. However, there is help in the form of income deferment and averaging.
“Federal income tax law may allow farmers affected by weather-related conditions to defer reporting of this income, in some cases, to even out incomes and avoid potentially higher taxes,” said Michael Langemeier, who also is associate director for Purdue's Center for Commercial Agriculture. “Farm income averaging, which was enacted after the weather-related provisions, is another alternative that could result in lower income taxes for producers in some situations.
“Effective tax management involves consideration of several tax years rather than just minimizing the current year's tax bill.”
Producers forced to sell draft, breeding or dairy animals because of weather have a two-year reinvestment period. That means producers don't need to report the income if it is used to buy qualified replacement animals within two years of the end of the tax year in which animals were sold, said George Patrick, who specializes in farm tax management.
For more information and the full release, click here.
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