News Update
February 14, 2014
2014-2015 Henry C. Gardiner Scholarship Winners Announced
The Henry C. Gardiner Scholarship is designed to identify the brightest minds at Kansas State University (K-State) with the greatest potential to make a difference in the future of the beef industry, and provide financial assistance in support of their education.
Three outstanding students have been awarded Henry C. Gardiner Scholarships for the 2014-2015 school year at K-State. Among those scholarship winners were two National Junior Angus Association members, Esther McCabe and Lindsay Upperman.
Esther McCabe, Elk City, Kan., has been involved in the Angus breed through her family’s registered seedstock operation and her involvement in the National Junior Angus Association. Esther recently concluded her year-long commitment as Miss American Angus, a national ambassador for the American Angus Association. Her future plans are to continue postgraduate studies in animal breeding or genetics. Ester is a 4.0 GPA student and also plans to teach at the university level.
Lindsay Upperman, Chambersburg, Pa., has been honing her livestock-judging skills since the age of five and is currently a member of the K-State Livestock Judging Team. In addition, she is vice president of the Collegiate CattleWomen and serves on the board of the National Junior Angus Association. Lindsay will complete a summer internship with Dan Thomson, Jones Professor of Production Medicine and Epidemiology, for STEC-STEP Cap Program implementing E. Coli research. Lindsay plans to continue her education after graduation with the ultimate goal of obtaining a doctorate and applying her education through research.
Brady Jensen, Courtland, Kan., was also awarded the Henry C. Gardiner Scholarship.
For more information, please view the full release here.
CAB Momentum Pays Record Premiums
Market premiums paid for cattle that earn the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand trademark more than doubled recent annual totals to reach the neighborhood of $50 million.
The brand’s 10 years of increasing demand and seven years of sales records left some Angus producers wondering how that affects their bottom line. Results from the biennial survey of CAB-licensed packers in January shine a halogen beam on the answer.
There were plenty of hints. In 2011, a 45% increase in grid premiums to $32.3 million did not in itself constitute a trend. USDA’s mandatory reporting, never known for overstating, showed 2012 starting with a CAB premium of $8 per hundredweight (cwt.).
Apparently, that mark was often revisited in 2012 to bring about the 60% single-year further increase to a record $51.6 million paid. The previous record of almost $40 million was 10 years earlier in a turbulent world market affected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and trade barriers.
The $47 million in CAB premiums paid in 2013 was more than double the $22.9 million paid in 2010.
All of the data comes from CAB’s “Here’s the Premium” project that has surveyed packers to gather total dollar grid premiums paid since 1998. They report totals for the aggregate, and although Certified Angus Beef LLC tracks volume sold by packer, it does not know the share of cattle each buys on a grid.
The top four CAB packers produced more for the brand in each of the past two years and paid record amounts to producers. Even as cattle numbers have declined, more and more sell on value-based grids that pay direct CAB premiums. The share of live cash trade to grid, contract or formula pricing moved from a balance in 2005 to 67% grids by 2011 and last year CattleFax reported that number at 76.9%.
For more information, check out the full article in the March Angus Journal.
Obama Administration Announces Additional Assistance to Californians Impacted by Drought
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack joined President Barack Obama in Fresno, Calif., Feb. 14 to announce that the USDA will provide additional assistance to help farmers, ranchers and residents affected by severe drought in California. At Obama’s direction, USDA has made implementation of the 2014 Farm Bill livestock disaster assistance programs a top priority and plans to have the programs available for sign up by April15.
“President Obama and I will continue to do everything within our power to support California farmers, ranchers and families living in drought-stricken areas. This assistance, coupled with other aid being made available across government, should provide some relief during this difficult time,” said Vilsack. “Thanks to the newly-signed Farm Bill, we are now able to offer long-awaited livestock disaster assistance, which will provide needed stability for California livestock producers impacted by drought.”
USDA has declared 54 counties in California as primary natural disaster areas due to drought.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Enough is Enough When It Comes to the Food Security Debate
Elanco introduced Enough: The fight for a food secure tomorrow, a report focused on the realities and solutions available to achieve global food security. The report, written by Elanco President Jeff Simmons, advocates for farmer access to innovative tools in order to feed a growing global population and reduce natural resource use.
During his presentation at “Feeding the World 2014: Sustainable solutions for a world crisis” hosted by The Economist, Simmons shared the main messages of the report, explaining that innovation, choice and trade will be the core solutions to tackle food security.
Simmons laid out today’s food security realities: The world’s middle class will more than double in size to nearly 5 billion as the world population grows to 9 billion by 2050 However, the fastest part of that growth will actually occur between now and 2020. This means billions of people demanding access to better diets, including an increased consumer demand for meat, milk and eggs.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reports we’ll need 60% more meat, milk and eggs to meet demand by 2050. However, we’re already overusing the Earth’s resources; it currently takes 1.5 years to regenerate 1 year of resource use, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
“We are currently on the fast track to a crisis and a global shortage of basic foods such as meat, milk and eggs. For example, today, we are meeting global milk demand primarily by adding cows. On this path, we will need 40 million more dairy cows in order to meet consumer demand for dairy products in 2050. This is simply not sustainable,” Simmons said.
For more information, please view the full release here.
‘Agricultural Applications of Tablets and Smartphones’ Workshops Set in March, April
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will conduct two workshops to train farmers and ranchers to use their iPhones and iPads or other tablets and smartphones to make decisions to increase their bottom lines.
“Agricultural Applications of Tablets and Smartphones” classes will take place from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. March 4 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 6500 W. Amarillo Blvd. in Amarillo, and on April 3 at the Roberts County Annex, 122 Waters St. in Miami.
The registration fee is $20 for each workshop, to be paid at the door by check, said DeDe Jones, AgriLife Extension risk management specialist in Amarillo. Workshop materials, refreshments at breaks and the noon meal are included in the registration fee.
Seating is limited to 30 participants at each location, so advanced registration is requested, she said. To register, contact Jones by calling 806-677-5667 or or dljones@ag.tamu.edu.
The workshop is designed to teach participants how to use mobile technology to make quick decisions in the field, in the pasture, on the tractor, in the auction barn or in the pickup, Jones said. Each participant will have access to iPads with apps already installed. They will learn how to obtain data and do calculations that will improve their price and production risk management skills.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
K-State’s Cattlemen’s Day is March 7
Kansas State University (K-State) will host the 101st annual Cattlemen’s Day Fri., March 7, in Weber Hall in Manhattan.
The day starts at 8 a.m. in Weber Arena with a commercial trade show and educational exhibits; the program will begin at 10 a.m. in 123 Weber Hall.
In the keynote address, “The Future of Beef Export Demand,” Paul Clayton, senior vice president of export services for the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), will discuss the changing landscape of beef exportation, including barriers to foreign trade, maintaining current markets, the creation of new marketing channels, and the importance of beef exports for the future of the U.S. beef cattle industry.
“The Cattle Industry Outlook,” presented by K-State agricultural economists Glynn Tonsor and Ted Schroeder, will focus on the cattle and beef market outlook and the economic implications of production and animal health technologies. Tonsor and Schroeder will address evolving regulations and the expectations of customers and consumers, as well as economic issues related to the reintroduction of zilpaterol and impending antibiotic restrictions.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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