News Update
October 28, 2015
Angus Genetics Command
Record Prices in Fiscal 2015
Driven by a quality-focused market, the nation’s Angus breeders are enjoying one of the most successful years on record, according to recently released figures from the American Angus Association. During fiscal year 2015, sale averages for Angus genetics soared, total registrations grew and the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand achieved its ninth consecutive year of record sales.
“No doubt, it’s a profitable time to be in the cattle business, but it’s also an even better time to be involved with the Angus breed,” says Rich Wilson, the Association’s interim CEO and chief financial officer. “Progressive breeders across the Angus business are continuing to offer premium genetics that command attention in the marketplace.”
The membership organization reports registered Angus bulls averaged more than $6,700 per head in fiscal year 2015, which ran Oct. 1, 2014, to Sept. 30, 2015. That’s a 35% increase of more than $1,500 per head from the prior fiscal year. Sales of registered-Angus females reported to the Association averaged $5,300 per head, an increase of more than 45%.
Read the entire news release for more year-end highlights from the American Angus Association.
Big Data Brings Farmers New Rewards, New Risks
Farmers and ranchers see tremendous benefits with technology but can’t turn a blind eye to the privacy concerns that remain, Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst told the House Agriculture Committee Oct. 28. Hurst, a board member of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), was asked to testify on innovation and its implications for agriculture.
“The big data movement — and the innovative technologies and analytics it yields — could lead to at least as much change in agriculture as the Green Revolution and the adoption of biotechnology did,” Hurst said. “Farmers are reporting higher yields, fewer inputs, more efficiency and higher profits thanks to technology.”
While farmers are eager to adopt these groundbreaking tools, they are not willing to simply hand over their sensitive business information — nor should they have to. Farmers have the right to know what information is collected, how exactly their data is used and who else has access to it.
For more information, please visit the newsroom at www.fb.org.
Heifer Development: Same Challenges, More Options
Producing replacement females is one of the most important and costly enterprises for cow-calf operations. Generally speaking, producers want to develop replacement heifers in a way that will make them productive members of the breeding herd for a long time.
“We all have some limitations, based on our environment and feed resources, but we still enjoy a lot of flexibility in how we can develop heifers,” said University of Idaho animal scientist John Hall during this August’s Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle (ARSBC) conference.
Reminding his audience that nutrition is the area of management most controlled by the producer, Hall offered food for thought regarding both pre- and postweaning nutrition. He advised producers to start early to prepare replacement candidates to become pregnant early in their first breeding season.
Read the full Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
Texas Breeders Name Angus Foundation as Primary Beneficiary of their Estate
It was a quiet, calm and humid April evening in central Texas as we arrived at J&S Ranch of Gatesville, home to Joe and Susanne Bush. In an instant their love for this country was evident.
The United States and Texas flags blew in the wind at the front gate as one large and five rather small guard dogs, all of which were rescues, greeted us. The Bushes welcomed us into their home with open arms. They expand their love through the land, cattle, horses and people within their lives. This love brought them to the Angus Foundation, though they began the journey to Angus very differently.
Joe and Susanne find pride in helping youth when they can. They also believe in the lessons learned from being in the agricultural community. “You can differentiate the people who grew up in 4-H and agriculture,” he observes. “We like to be supportive of the junior functions.”
Read more about the couple in the October Angus Journal.
USDA Issues Safety-Net Payments
The USDA announced that beginning Oct. 26, nearly one half of the 1.7 million farms that signed up for either the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs would receive safety-net payments for the 2014 crop year.
“Unlike the old direct payments program, which paid farmers in good years and bad, the 2014 Farm Bill authorized a new safety-net that protects producers only when market forces or adverse weather cause unexpected drops in crop prices or revenues,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “For example, the corn price for 2014 is 30% below the historical benchmark price used by the ARC-County program, and revenues of the farms participating in the ARC-County program are down by about $20 billion from the benchmark during the same period. The nearly $4 billion provided today by the ARC and PLC safety-net programs will give assistance to producers where revenues dropped below normal.”
For more information, please view the full USDA news release.
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