News Update
March 16, 2016
Calf Health Down the Road
Purdue University’s Mark Hilton is a veterinarian who would prefer that business was not quite so good. He recommends that cattle producers implement solid nutrition and management practices to eliminate treating sick animals in order to raise healthy calves that perform to their genetic potential.
That kind of mind-set, he says, begins even before the calves are born.
“The goal should be zero sick animals every single year. Are we going to hit that every year? Of course not; we’re going to have a case of pinkeye or foot rot,” Hilton says. “But I have herds that I’ve worked with for 18 years in Indiana at Purdue that have never had a calf scour.”
He lists dam nutrition, calving environment, a vigorous calf that nurses its fill of colostrum as crucial aspects of calf health later down the road. He encourages producers to sit down with their veterinarians to discuss the best vaccinaation programs for their herds.
Learn more of Hilton’s tips in the full interview on this week’s The Angus Report. You can also watch the show at 1:30 p.m. CST each Saturday and 7:30 a.m. CST Monday mornings on RFD-TV.
National Ag Day
The United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA), along with industry and organizations across the country, celebrated National Ag Day March 15.
USCA President Danni Beer, Keldron, S.D., commented on the celebration, “USCA likes to think that as producers, we celebrate agriculture each and every day. However, given the need to continue to promote and tell our story, we are encouraging our members to post and promote their daily activities on social media this week as a means to continue to highlight the industry and our way of life.”
USCA Secretary Whitney Klasna, Lambert, Mont., commented on the significance of the day, “This week isn’t just about celebrating farmers and ranchers; it’s about celebrating how far we have come in food production.”
For more information, please view the full USCA news release online.
Along the Trail: March 5
Along America’s Angus Trails joins ranchers around the world in in the struggle to keep up with the pace of change and innovation in the way we do things: but it’s sped up again. The bright new idea of a few months ago — to use helicopters and drones to manage your cattle out on the range — is passe.
As your grand kids might say: “Aw Gramps, that’s from way back in the olden days.”
Down under, in the Big Empty of Australia, you can now access data put out continuously from the satellites of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration on your laptop or cell phone, and watch your cows from your easy chair, while on vacation on the Hawaiian Beach or virtually anywhere else, to your heart’s content — grounding your drones in the rafters of the barn, if you will.
Read more online on the Angus Media website.
A New Tradition
Denver’s historic stockyards have been home to livestock trading for more than a century. It is a marketing venue that has stood the test of time, as proven by the swarms of people bustling through the pens on a crisp January day.
Under the backdrop of the prominent Livestock Exchange Building, Angus breeder Brian Stoller displays his pen of three registered-Angus heifers. His ranch, Bear Mountain Angus, is among the first participants in the Angus Heifer Pen Show during the National Western Stock Show (NWSS).
“You get to see new people and old faces every year, and we try and let people see what we’re doing,” Stoller says. “There’s as many cattle people here as you could find in one place, so it’s just a good marketing tool.”
Read more about the first-ever NWSS Angus Heifer Pen Show.
Missouri CattleWomen Host Conference
The Missouri CattleWomen’s Association (MCW) announced it will host the American National CattleWomen (ANCW) Region III and VII Conference June 2-4 at The Elms Hotel and Spa in Excelsior Springs, Mo. ANCW Regions III and VII are represented by women from Missouri, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.
“We are excited to be hosting Regions III & VII of ANCW here in Missouri. The program is shaping up with engaging presenters and opportunities to network with some of the most dynamic women in the beef industry today,” said Marsh Corbin, conference coordinator.
Conference highlights include presentations by the Missouri Beef Industry Council and the American Hereford Association; Marylin McCray, author of Canning, Pickling, and Freezing with Irma Harding; VanTill’s Family Farm and Vineyard; Jennifer Allwood, The Magic Brush Lady; Restore, Renew, Refresh- Enjoying The Elm’s Amenities; and ANCW state-by-state highlights and business session.
Registration is $100 per person for the full conference and $50 per day if received by April 20. Registrations will be accepted after April 20 at $150 per person.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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