News Update
March 3, 2016
Cattle Inventory Report
The annual USDA Cattle report contains new numbers on cattle inventories and significant revisions to the 2015 numbers. It’s important to consider the revisions when interpreting the new numbers. In general, the report confirms, as expected, that cattle inventories in the United States grew in 2015. However, the magnitude of the changes is somewhat different than expected in some cases and reflects the impacts of the revisions in last year’s values. It’s important to look back at how the 2014 story changes as a part of understanding the 2015 story.
The latest report pegs the Jan. 1, 2016, all cattle and calves inventory at 92.0 million head, up 3.2% from one year ago. This increase was larger than expected, but the 2015 total was revised down by roughly 650,000 head, implying that total herd growth in 2014 was 0.7% rather than the previously reported 1.4% year-over-year increase. The overall increase during the two-year period is close to expectations, but the report now says that more growth occurred in 2015 and less in 2014.
For more information, view the full Angus Media news article online.
Breaking Down the Numbers
Numbers are everywhere. They matter to a rancher, so they matter to the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand. From 120 million to -2.26, each one tells a story of how even the seemingly random and only slightly related are intertwined to impact profitability.
Every number has a story — take, for example, $204.10.
The number is $204.10, but it could have easily been 36.8% or $83.88 or 16.2%. Those figures are all different ways to illustrate this truth: Cattle health is important — to your bottom line, to carcass quality, to consumer perception.
Yet in recent years, treatment rates in the feedyard have increased, almost doubling in some cases.
Of course, markets are always changing, but last year geneticist Holly Neibergs of Washington State University shared that the cost per animal treated for bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is $204.10. Somewhere around 16.2% of feedlot cattle suffer from BRD.
For more information, view the full Angus Media news article online.
Association Perspective: Genetic Consistency
After coming home from the National Western Stock Show in Denver, there is always a lot of excitement about the new bulls and different sire groups that everyone had the chance to see. This show is often the best chance producers have to see genetics from different parts of the country all at the same place to help compare them. This is also a chance to remember what works best for your operation and to be consistent with what you are trying to accomplish.
At the end of the day, being profitable is the goal of every cattle operation, but there are many different ways to achieve that goal. The best way to achieve this is to have goals and try to be consistent with what you are selecting for. This can be especially true when selecting the next genetics for your operation by means of bull selection.
To read more, view the full Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
Intro to Washington, D.C.
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) staff members from Washington, D.C., offered policy updates to cattlemen and women gathered in San Diego, Calif., for the Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show Jan. 28.
Colin Woodall, NCBA vice president of government affairs, broke down the Omnibus Appropriations Bill, which included “a lot of tremendous victories for us in the cattle industry,” he said.
The bill included reform to the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Thanks to bipartisan support in Washington, lean meat remains an important part of an American’s healthy diet.
The omnibus brought significant wins for the industry on the fronts of foreign animal disease and tax reform. On the highly debated Waters of the United States (WOTUS) front, Scott Yager, environmental counsel for NCBA, said Congress failed to pass anything to stop the rule.
For more information, read the full Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
Cross Timbers Brush Management Symposium
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has a regional brush management program planned for May 12 in Stephenville.
James Jackson, AgriLife Extension range program specialist at Stephenville, said the Cross Timbers Brush Management Symposium is meant to educate landowners on the new brush-management materials and methods available today.
“This event will also highlight where the future of the industry is headed,” Jackson said. “We’ll be addressing the economics of brush management on rangelands, looking at brush management for wildlife, offer industry updates and suggest alternative management practices.”
The event will run from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at Stephenville City Hall at 1907 E. Washington St.
For a list of topics and speakers, visit the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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