News Update
May 14, 2015
In the Cattle Markets
All market classes of beef cattle are at record-high levels for this time of the year, but they are lower than the all-time record highs established in the last half of 2014. Slaughter-cow (85%-90% lean) prices in the Southern Plains peaked in August 2014 at an all-time record high of more than $131 per hundredweight (cwt.). Cow prices then declined seasonally to average about $115 per cwt. in fourth-quarter 2014. First-quarter-2015 cow prices have generally ranged above last year, from $103-$115 per cwt.
Support for cow prices has come from lower slaughter. Total cow slaughter in the first quarter was down about 5% from last year. Beef cow slaughter was down about 15% as herd rebuilding that began in 2014 continued. Dairy cow slaughter was more than 4% higher as milk prices have waned from last year’s record highs.
Even though slaughter numbers were lower, a number of fundamental factors combined are keeping cow prices in check. Increased production of competing meats, more lean beef imports, and lower byproduct values are all affecting cow prices.
Read the full article on Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA website.
Webinar for Producers with Value-Added Calves
Seasoned cow-calf producers recognize the calf market’s record-high prices are likely to decline as cow herd expansion brings additional supplies. Producers can maintain higher profitability by recognizing this shift and quickly adjusting management and marketing strategies.
CattleFax will discuss these topics during its next Trends+ Cow-Calf Webinar at 5:30 p.m. MDT, June 10. To participate in the webinar and access program details, producers and industry leaders simply need to register online.
The one-hour session will include a variety of relevant topics for the cow-calf audience:
- A second half 2015 price outlook for the cattle and feedstuff markets;
- Expectations for 2015 value-added premiums in the calf market; and
- Considerations for estimating returns on value-added management practices.
The Trends+ webinar is designed to inform cattle producers about current market realities and provide producers with decision-friendly information to assist in making intelligent marketing decisions. More than 2,000 producers have benefitted from the analysis and strategies shared through the webinar series since fall 2013.
Elanco Animal Health is sponsoring the webinar — making it free for all cattle and beef producers to participate.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Farmers’ Guide to Value-Added
Producer Grant Funding, $30 Million Available This Cycle
In conjunction with the May 8 announcement by the USDA inviting applications for funding through the Farm Bill’s Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) Program, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is releasing a new, updated version of its Farmers’ Guide to Value-Added Producer Grant Funding.
In addition to the $30 million notice of funding availability for 2015, USDA also released the final rule for the VAPG program incorporating changes from the 2014 Farm Bill. NSAC’s newly updated VAPG Guide includes those farm bill changes while also providing helpful hints to improve a producer’s chances of obtaining funding from the highly competitive program.
The Guide provides clear information on the program’s application requirements, including a step-by-step description of the application and ranking processes. The Guide is available for free on the NSAC website.
Administered by USDA Rural Development, the VAPG program since 2001 has provided competitive grants to producers and producer groups to acquire working capital or to fund business and marketing plans, as well as feasibility studies needed to establish viable value-added businesses.
For more information on the NASC VAPG Guide, please view the full release.
Animal Agriculture Alliance Announces New Staff Members
Animal Agriculture Alliance President and CEO Kay Johnson Smith announced May 13 the addition of two new staff members: Allyson Jones-Brimmer, membership and marketing manager, and Casey Whitaker, communications coordinator.
As membership and marketing manager, Jones-Brimmer is responsible for facilitating membership and sponsorship development by promoting the Alliance and its activities to relevant stakeholders, as well as producing all member communication and marketing materials.
Whitaker joins the Alliance as communications coordinator after serving as communications intern since January 2015. In her new role, Whitaker will work with Alliance communications director Hannah Thompson to implement communication strategies that enhance the Alliance’s mission to connect key food industry stakeholders, engage food chain stakeholders, and protect consumer and producer choice. Her key responsibilities will include social media engagement, written and graphic content production and maintenance of the Alliance website.
Both Jones-Brimmer and Whitaker will be based in the Alliance’s Arlington, Va. office. Learn more about their new roles within the Alliance in the full news release online.
Beginning Rancher Educational Program
Scheduled June 9-10 at Texas A&M
A Beginning Rancher Educational Program is scheduled June 9-10 at the O.D. Butler Jr. Animal Science Complex at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
The free workshop is open to those who have entered the ranching business during the past 10 years.
The Texas Beef Council, AgriLife Extension and Prairie View Cooperative Extension are workshop sponsors. The workshop will begin at 5 p.m. June 9 at the Butler Complex with a dinner sponsored by the Texas Beef Council.
Joe Paschal, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist, Corpus Christi, and Kellye Thompson, Prairie View Cooperative Extension, will discuss the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program and the role it plays in cattle production. Kimberly Ratcliff, president of 100 Ranchers, a nonprofit organization, will also discuss the benefits of the program and its impact on her own operation.
On June 10, workshop activities begin at 8 a.m. at the G. Rollie White Visitors Center inside the Butler Complex. Marketing cattle will be the focus of the program featuring Paschal, Ratcliff, Thompson and several additional speakers.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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