News Update
February 04, 2015
Cattlemen Gather in San Antonio
for the 2015 Cattle Industry Convention
More than 7,000 cattlemen and women from across the country are registered to attend the 2015 Cattle Industry Convention and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Trade Show, which kicked off today at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. The convention, which will run through Feb. 7, is the largest annual gathering of the beef industry.
NCBA President Bob McCan said this year’s convention in his home state of Texas will not disappoint.
“I’m happy to welcome everyone to the great state of Texas, and San Antonio is a historic town full of culture and great sights. This week we will highlight some of the great successes of the past year and set the course for what lies ahead,” McCan said. “Today, Cattlemen’s College® kicked off convention with over 20 different classes, kick-starting a great week with many opportunities for cattlemen and women to hear directly from the experts about how to grow and improve their operations.”
This year the Trade Show features two education areas, including a demonstration area with live animals to provide hands-on instruction. NCBA’s Learning Lounge is back, featuring 30-minute educational sessions to provide attendees valuable educational tips from industry experts in informal, face-to-face, technology-friendly classroom settings.
In addition to Cattlemen’s College, exciting keynote speeches, and a record-breaking trade show, convention attendees will have the opportunity to attend committee meetings and take part in the grassroots policy development.
For the Angus Journal’s coverage of the event, visit the newsroom at www.4cattlemen.com.
West Coast Port Dispute Affecting Meat Industry
A long-running labor dispute has created a big backup of products moving through West Coast ports. Stacks of shipping containers sit at the ports, and many ships are anchored offshore waiting to unload their cargo.
A University of Missouri (MU) Extension agricultural economist says the slowdown is affecting the U.S. meat industry.
“We exported about 21% of the pork, 10% of the beef and 19% of the chicken produced last year,” says Ron Plain. “In total, over $5 billion worth of meats went out through those ports last year. At the rate we’re going, not near that amount is going to get shipped this year.”
Japan is the largest importer of U.S. beef, and most of that beef ships as fresh, chilled product. With the slowdown, a lot of that beef will have to be frozen, which, Plain says, will mean a large dock in value. Plain also says that many Pacific Rim customers may turn to other countries if the United States can’t supply their beef needs quickly enough.
The situation at the ports has resulted in a shortage of rail cars and refrigerated trucks and a reluctance to send meat to the coast, Plain says.
“It is impacting the revenue that comes to packing plants, and therefore impacting what packing plants are willing to bid on livestock for slaughter,” he says.
Other affected agricultural exports include cotton and nuts.
Plain says that while there has been progress in the negotiations of the labor dispute, the snarled mess at ports will continue to hinder exports.
“Even once an agreement is reached, it will take quite some time before backlogged product can be moved through those ports and we can get back to the normal shipping time.”
Beef Expansion is Under Way
The nation’s cattle producers are expanding the herd at a somewhat faster rate than had been anticipated. In the semi-annual update of cattle numbers, USDA said that the total number of cattle and calves had increased by somewhat more than 1%. According to a Purdue University Extension economist, this is the first increase in the cattle inventory since 2007. The declining cattle numbers from 2007 to 2014 were due to poor brood cow margins as a result of high feed prices and a lack of pasture and forages in the Southern Plains from extended drought.
“There were multiple incentives to expand in 2014,” said Chris Hurt. “These were led by record-high cattle prices, with finished cattle averaging near $155 per live hundredweight (cwt.) and Oklahoma 500-550 pound steer calves averaging $250 per cwt. The other part of the incentive was more abundant feed due to a retreating drought in the Central and Southern Plains that restored range conditions and to favorable feed crop production in 2013 and 2014, which lowered corn and protein feed costs.
“The most significant expansion is under way in the beef herd, where beef cow numbers are up 2% from year-ago levels,” Hurt said. “The number of beef heifers being held back to enter the breeding herd is up 4%. Significantly, the number of those retained heifers that will calve this year is up 7%. This means that 61% of the beef heifers that have been retained to enter the breeding herd were already bred at the start of this year,” he said.
Hurt continued, saying that producers in all areas of the country are expanding beef cows except in the northeastern region and the western region, where the drought and thus forage supplies remain a concern. There were 610,000 new beef cows added across the country in 2014. The Southern Plains had lost the most cows since 2007 and is now the strongest region to rebuild. The Southern Plains expanded its cow numbers by 375,000 head in 2014, representing about 60% of the country’s expansion. Texas cow numbers were up 270,000 head (7%), and Oklahoma cow numbers were up 105,000 head (6%).
The western Corn Belt added 96,000 cows, led by Missouri with 61,000 cows, and Iowa with 25,000 cows. The Central Plains were led by Kansas with 63,000 new cows and by Colorado with 35,000 new cows. Eastern Corn Belt beef cow numbers expanded by 3% (40,000 cows), and the southeastern United States added 32,000 head.
“Although producers expanded cow numbers more than expected in 2014, the expansion of the beef herd is likely to continue for multiple years,” Hurt said. “It’s common for the beef herd to be in expansion for four to six years. With 2014 registering as the first year of expansion, expansion could continue through most of this decade. If so, peak beef production on this cycle would not be expected until early in the next decade.”
For more information, please view the full release here.
Local Filmmakers Win World Ag Expo’s Video Contest
Scott Sargeant and Brian Keith, who submitted a video on behalf of Revolier Films, based out of Visalia, Calif., have won World Ag Expo’s “Where Would We Be Without Farmers?” video contest. In the video, Sargeant and Keith feature a local farmer and his wife from Tulare, Calif. The farming couple, Scott and Anna Rogers, are thanked by strangers, friends and family alike.
Entrants from all over the world depicted different ways in which farmers impact our everyday lives, most choosing to focus on the hardworking farmers and their families and the lengths they go to in order to feed and clothe the world. Entries were evaluated by a panel of judges and the top videos were posted on World Ag Expo’s website, where the public voted for their favorites.
“We hoped to get a variety of creative takes on the theme this year, and we were not disappointed,” said Jerry Sinift, CEO of the International Agri-Center. “The different depictions submitted were a great way to raise awareness about the necessity of farmers and the contributions they make to the world — day in and day out.”
The video can be seen at www.worldagexpo.com/top-video. Filmmakers Sargeant and Keith, musician Chris Allen, and assistant director and high-schooler, Ciara Daniel, will be recognized at World Ag Expo’s Media Day on Feb. 9, where they will be presented with a $3,000 check.
Register Soon for Farm-Ranch Estate, Transition
Planning Workshops in Sidney and Bridgeport, Neb.
The workshops will discuss business, family and tax issues involved in passing on the family farm or ranch, and the legal tools that are used to address issues such as how to get ready to make a plan; how to review an existing plan; how to be a good consumer of legal and estate planning services; what others have done; and how it has worked.
The program will be presented by Dave Goeller of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Joe Hawbaker, agricultural law attorney.
Dates and locations:
Feb. 24, Bridgeport, Neb. Prairie Winds Community Center
Feb. 25, Sidney, Neb. Cheyenne County Community Center
For site information, other questions or to register, call the Rural Response Hotline at 1-800-464-0258. The workshop will run from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at each location. There is no charge, and lunch will be provided. Registrations should be made two days in advance of the workshop you want to attend. Walk-ins will be accepted, but meals and materials are not guaranteed for unregistered participants.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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