News Update

April 4, 2016

USDA Prospective
Plantings Report Bearish

“The best thing a landowner can do when negotiating an oil-and-gas lease is to negotiate terms that best protect your surface,” said Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agricultural law specialist, Amarillo.

If you’ve acquired land but not the mineral rights, an existing lease may have been executed in the 1950s or even earlier, Dowell Lashmet said. The best time to negotiate a surface agreement is when the oil-and-gas company needs something from you.

When negotiating an oil-and-gas lease, there are multiple items to consider, including payment for seismic holes shot on the property. If there is a water well on the property, seismic activity can possibly affect the formation, water quality, etc. A landowner/mineral owner should specify how many feet the oil-and-gas company can shoot holes, Dowell Lashmet said.

For more information, view the March Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article here.

— Adapted from an article by Blair Fannin, Texas AgriLife Communications.

Cargill Plans to Reduce Antibiotic Use by 20%

Antibiotic use is also a focus in the feedyard as Cargill announces an effort to eliminate 20% of certain antibiotics — those deemed important for human medicine and farm animals — from its cattle-feeding business. According to a company statement, Cargill plans to reduce its use of shared-class antibiotics across its four feedyards in Texas, Kansas and Colorado, as well as four additional yards operated by business partner Friona Industries.

The change will involve a reported 1.2 million head of cattle annually, and comes after Cargill evaluated both third-party and company-conducted research regarding reduced antibiotic use. Cargill also plans to increase its sourcing of cattle from Beef Quality Assurance (BQA)-certified feedyards to 90% by 2018.

Catch more on this week’s The Angus Report. You can watch the show at 7:30 a.m. CST each Monday morning at 1:30 p.m. CST Saturday on RFD-TV.

— Adapted from The Angus Report.

Texas BEEF Team Encourages Ranchers
to Participate in Million Mile Month

The checkoff-funded Texas BEEF Team is inviting Texas farmers and ranchers to join their team for the Million Mile Month™ (MMM) challenge beginning April 1. The MMM challenges individuals and groups to join together as a global community to complete 1 million miles of physical activity during the month of April, and to engage in a huge cause: their health.

“This is a great opportunity for our Texas BEEF Team and beef community stakeholders to come together for a common goal of greater health and wellness by getting active and achieving miles together,” said Jennifer Matison, TBC senior manager of consumer information. “This challenge is great because it’s not just for athletes and it’s not just for running. It’s about moving. Activities like walking, running, cycling, yoga, gardening and physical work on the ranch all count towards miles.”

The Texas BEEF Team welcomes everyone — young or old, BEEF Team member or not — to participate in the challenge. The team has set a goal of 50,000 miles during the month of April. To join the team and participate in the challenge, register online at http://millionmilemonth.org/mmm2016.

After selecting your registration level (bronze, silver, gold, or platinum), continue through registration until you reach the “Edit Your Profile” page. Near the bottom of the “Edit Your Profile” page, choose “Beef Team” from the “Select your Organization” drop down menu. Then choose “Texas Beef Team” from the “Select Group/Team” drop down menu. Complete all other blanks on this page and click “Save Profile.”

From April 1 to April 30, visit the website from any device (phone, tablet, laptop, desktop) and log your physical activities in your profile to track your personal stats and help the team reach the top of the leaderboards. You can connect a Fitbit or Map My Fitness account within your profile for automatic mile logging (optional), but a fitness device or wearable is not required as each person’s profile includes a logging tool that accepts activity by minutes or miles.

— Adapted from a release by the Texas Beef Council.

Lorna Marshall Joins Select Sires
as Vice President of Beef Genetic Programs

Select Sires has hired Lorna Marshall as vice president of beef genetic programs. She will be responsible for overseeing the development and facilitation of the Select Sires beef genetics program, including beef sire selection, marketing programs, progeny testing and administration. Marshall will work from her home office in Burlington, Colo.

“I am truly excited to be joining the very dedicated and talented group of people on the Select Sires beef team,” says Marshall. “There is tremendous opportunity in both the beef cattle and AI (artificial insemination) industries. The value of genetics and the opportunity to capture that value throughout the entire production chain has never been greater. Select Sires is uniquely positioned to play a key role in helping its customers be more profitable through superior genetics and customer service.”

Marshall comes to Select Sires with more than 20 years of industry experience. She has spent time in the AI industry acquiring sires, driving marketing decisions, training and recruiting sales representatives and developing initiatives to grow and add value to beef genetic programs. Before her time in AI, she served as special services manager for the American Gelbvieh Association. Marshall, her husband Troy and their three children, operate Marshall Cattle Co., a medium-sized purebred beef operation.

For more information, please read the full release here.

— Adapted from a release by Danielle Brown, Select Sires.

Pond Management Workshop Set for April 23

A pond management workshop is set for 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 23, at the University of Missouri Forage Systems Research Center (FSRC) at Linneus.

Topics include watershed management, pond construction, managing existing ponds, stocking ponds, and fish and aquatic plant management, says MU Extension agronomy specialist Valerie Tate.

A number of MU Extension publications on fisheries and aquaculture are available for free download at http://extension.missouri.edu.

For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library Calendar of Upcoming Events.

— Adapted from a release by Linda Geist, University of Missouri Extension News.

Beef Symposium at McNeese State University

A beef symposium April 9 at McNeese State University’s Cowboy Stadium, in Lake Charles, La., will feature Kelli Retallick, Angus Genetics Inc. genetic service director; Robert Bergner of Hitch Enterprises; and Cooper Hurst of Hunthill Cattle Co.

Retallick will speak on genomic-enhanced expected progeny differences (GE-EPDs) and genetic selection. Bergner is slated to speak on positive experiences feeding Brahman-influenced cattle and current topics in the feedyard industry. Hurst will speak on forage-based ranching from conception to carcass. Additionally, there will be an overview of the McNeese bull development program using winter forage cover crops at the McNeese Farm following lunch.

The symposium will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the Cowboy Club Room. To reserve your place, please call or text Darrin Goodwin at (337) 526-0381.

— Adapted from event flier from McNeese State University.

— Compiled by Kasey Brown, senior associate editor, Angus Media.

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