News Update
March 8, 2016
Adding Value to Cattle
There’s only one certainty in the beef cattle market: change is just around the corner. The current market cycle has left many producers wondering how they can add value and command more dollars for their calves. Larry Corah with Certified Angus Beef (CAB) LLC says it centers on three drivers: growth, health and grade.
“There are three big areas that we add value to cattle. They have to have the ability to grow once they hit that feedlot or even before they hit the feedlot, on the cow. They have to be healthy. Health is of such huge economic importance in the industry today. And finally, they have to create a quality eating experience for the consumer,” Corah said.
He also explained that during the last five to eight years, demand for high-quality beef has been increasing, and Corah believes that trend will continue.
Catch the full interview on this week’s The Angus Report. You can also watch the show on RFD-TV at 1:30 p.m. CST Saturday and 7:30 a.m. CST each Monday morning.
Simple Steps to Profitable Pastures
“The easiest and cheapest way to improve profitability is to improve pastures,” Dow’s Scott Flynn told attendees during a Learning Lounge session at the 2016 Cattle Industry Convention & National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Trade Show. Flynn estimates that, particularly in high-rainfall areas, landowners give up about 30% of their pasture’s potential due to lack of weed control.
“Pastures are a cheap source of feed for cattle,” he added, making them worth the investment to renovate or improve.
With that said, pasture improvements are not something accomplished in a single day, Flynn emphasized. “It may take a year of planning or a few growing seasons to plan and address issues before you are ready to plant.”
Among the important considerations for pasture improvements, Flynn noted that the needs of the operation should first be identified before forages are selected. Additionally, soil fertility issues and invasive species control should be evaluated.
Read more the full article online.
Minimize Feeding Costs
With high input costs and lower prices for finished cattle, it is imperative feedlot producers reduce expenses to increase profits and to remain competitive, says Jason Hartschuh, Ohio State University (OSU) Extension coordinator in agriculture and natural resources, explaining the vision behind a four-part webinar series focused on minimizing costs when feeding livestock.
“The recordings will allow producers to pick up valuable information across several key topics — from the management of feedlots and nutrients to how different handling practices impact yield and grade to offering strategies for weaning that affect the animals’ health,” Hartschuh says. “The focus of the entire program is to offer insights that can impact a livestock producer’s bottom line while improving profitability and becoming more efficient.”
You can access highlights from the recordings in this Angus Media news article online.
Terminal Breed Indexes Available from Angus
The objective for beef cows is to produce a calf. About 15%-20% of the calves are destined as replacements, so the remaining 80%-85% of the calves go to the feedyard as terminal cattle. Given that fact, breed associations have developed selection indexes that help producers select bulls destined to sire terminal calves.
Selection indexes correlate production and financial outcomes by combining performance records with economic weightings. They are reported as dollar values ($Values) to indicate the amount of profit or savings the producer could expect when utilizing that index. This sounds complicated, but indexes do work. The following terminal index definitions are from the respective breed association websites (with some edits):
- • The American Angus Association $Beef Value ($B) index is expressed in dollars per head and is the expected average difference in future progeny performance for postweaning and carcass value, compared with progeny of other sires.
- • The American Angus Association produces two additional terminal indexes: $Feedlot ($F) and $Grid ($G). $F, expressed in dollars per head, is the expected average difference in future progeny performance for postweaning merit, compared with progeny of other sires.
Read the full Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
USDA Celebrates 50 Years of School Breakfast
As schools around the county take part in School Breakfast Week celebrations this week, the USDA commemorates the 50th anniversary of its School Breakfast Program by shining a light on the positive impacts of school breakfast.
Over the course of this administration, participation in school breakfast programs has increased by almost 27%; over 14 million students are now eating school breakfast each day.
To help support the ongoing success of the School Breakfast Program and other child nutrition programs, Agriculture Undersecretary Kevin Concannon announced March 7 that USDA will award up to $6.8 million in competitive Team Nutrition Training Grants to help schools and child care sites sustain the successful implementation of the healthier meals made possible by the bipartisan Healthy Hunger-free Kids Act of 2010.
For more information, please view the full USDA news release online.
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