News Update
December 11, 2015
Expansion During High Demand
When it comes to beef cattle prices, it’s important to keep things in perspective, according to CattleFax Market Analyst Lance Zimmerman.
As the market begins to transition from record-high levels, there’s still opportunity for cow-calf producers who meet the growing demand for quality.
“Really every single expansion that we went through in the 1980s, 1990s and the limited one we had in the 2000s came as demand was declining,” Zimmerman says. “This was the first time we have the opportunity to expand the beef cow herd in an increasing demand environment, really the first time since the 1970s.”
He predicts that cattle prices at the cow-calf level will soon begin to fall as the market responds to the expanding cow herd. At the retail end, he expects prices to grow, especially for high-quality beef.
Although prices will be down for cow-calf production, Zimmerman says they don’t have to be as low as some producers might think, as long as they can continue to increase demand both domestically and internationally through producing a high-quality product.
Watch the full interview on this week’s episode of The Angus Report online.
KLA Membership Sets Direction on Key Issues
Members of the Kansas Livestock Association (KLA) approved resolutions on animal identification, taxes, noxious weeds and other issues affecting their business interests during the group’s annual business meeting Dec. 4, in Wichita. The organization’s policy process started with member input in committee and council meetings and ended with final approval from the general KLA membership.
“Broad member input and constructive debate strengthen KLA policy and give clear direction to the officers and staff,” said KLA President Matt Perrier, a rancher from Eureka.
The membership approved a new resolution supporting the beef industry long-range plan. Developed by a national task force that included two KLA members, the plan is built around the single objective of increasing the wholesale beef demand index by 2% annually from 2016 through 2020.
For more information, please view the full KLA news release online.
$40 Million Available to Restore Sage Grouse Habitat
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Dec. 10 the availability of $40 million to help ranchers and other partners in 11 western states restore and protect sagebrush habitat for greater sage-grouse on privately-owned land. This investment is part of USDA’s four-year, $211 million Sage Grouse Initiative 2.0 through the Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) partnership. The WLFW partnership uses seven focus species, including sage grouse, to steer public and private conservation investments that improve struggling landscapes and strengthen agricultural operations.
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) uses the Sage Grouse Initiative to build on the success of $296.5 million invested with farmers and ranchers in 11 Western States for sage grouse habitat conservation from 2010-2014.
For more information, please view the full USDA news release online.
Tenth Class of KLA Young Stockmen Graduates
This marks the 10th year for the KLA Young Stockmen’s Academy (YSA). The class of 21 graduated Dec. 4 at the close of the KLA Convention. Merck Animal Health is the exclusive sponsor of the program. This class brings the total number of YSA alumni to 200.
Attending the KLA Convention was the final session for this year’s class and provided these young producers the opportunity to interact with KLA members from across the state and gain more industry knowledge. YSA members got a firsthand look at the inner workings of the association by attending the KLA Chairmen’s Circle meeting. Immediately prior to the convention, the YSA class received their Masters of Beef Advocacy degrees, following an in-depth spokesperson training session with National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Senior Executive Director of Communications Daren Williams.
For more information, please view the full KLA news release online.
AFBF’s 2016 Annual Convention
Election of a new president and vice president to lead the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), great speakers and dynamic educational workshops will highlight the organization’s 2016 Annual Convention & IDEAg Trade Show in January. The event takes place Jan. 9-12 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
Nearly 7,000 Farm Bureau members from across the nation are expected to gather to hear from distinguished leaders and participate in a grassroots policy-setting process that will guide AFBF through 2016. During the annual convention’s business session, voting delegates will select new leaders for the nation’s largest farming and ranching organization.
Farm Bureau members may choose from two dozen workshops covering a variety of topics and issues on Sunday, Jan. 10 and Monday, Jan. 11. Topics covered will include environmental regulations, the latest ag technology trends, trade, food safety and transparency, economic issues affecting today’s farmers, and skills and ideas leaders can take home and apply at their county and state Farm Bureaus.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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