News Update
May 5, 2016
Cattle Market Expectations
Cow-calf margins will continue to be under pressure as the U.S. beef cowherd expands, but producers can mitigate a reduction in profitability by adjusting business plans for the supply increase. An upcoming free CattleFax webinar will address an outlook for the second half of 2016 for the cow-calf segment and entire beef sector.
One of the most aggressive U.S. beef cowherd expansions in the last four decades will increase beef supplies and pressure cow-calf profitability over the next several years. As profits narrow during that time, well-informed producers can maintain healthy margins by adjusting production, marketing and risk management plans with increasing supplies in mind.
The CattleFax Trends+ Cow-Calf Webinar will be at 5:30 p.m. MT, May 25. To participate in the webinar and access program details, producers and industry leaders simply need to register online at www.cattlefax.com/meetings.aspx.
To learn more, view the news article online.
Digital Weed Identification
Weed scientists in the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at Ohio State University (OSU) have developed several digital weed identification and management guides for growers and are now offering them on both Android™ and Apple operating platforms.
The guides, written by members of the OSU Weed Team, help growers identify weeds in order to manage them before they take over their fields, said Mark Loux, an OSU Extension weed specialist.
“The guides were adapted to be added to the Android platform after we heard from farmers that they wanted to have both options,” Loux said. “The Noxious Weeds of Ohio guide was also updated with more photos and descriptions of an expanded Ohio noxious weed list.”
The publications are: the 2015 Ohio State University Guide to Weed Identification, available as an iBook that can be downloaded for $9.99 through Ohio State’s Digital Bookstore.
For more information, view the Angus Journal article online.
RFD-TV and FarmHer
RFD-TV and FarmHer are excited to announce a new unique partnership taking the positive imagery of women in agriculture and bringing it to life on television. As told through the camera lens and FarmHer founder Marji Guyler-Alaniz, the new television series will premiere on RFD-TV this fall and include extended behind-the-scenes footage and digital content as part of the FarmHer online community.
Women have always been an important but mostly unseen aspect of agriculture. In recent years, women are rising to the forefront of agriculture in so many ways as owner/operators, landowners, workers, mentors and much more. According to the USDA, today there are nearly 1,000,000 women farmers in the United States, which accounts for nearly one-third of all farmers.
For more information, view the RFD-TV news release online.
AgriBank Releases Insights Report
Livestock and dairy margins continue to adjust downward from their record levels set in late 2014, as production increases and export demand declines due to the increasing value of the U.S. dollar, according to a new report issued by AgriBank, the Saint Paul-based Farm Credit Bank.
After declining $26.5 billion in 2015, the USDA projects that total U.S. livestock and product receipts will decline another $9.6 billion (-2.5%) in 2016. The report provides an overview of the livestock and dairy sectors across the 15-state AgriBank District and nationally.
- Turkeys are the exception. Receipts are projected to be down in 2016 for all of the major categories with the exception of turkeys, where the rebuilding of flock numbers and prices remaining near historic highs are expected to grow cash receipts by $300 million (+5.3%).
- Eggs: the biggest loser. The largest percentage loser is projected to be eggs (-16.1%), as the industry comes off record growth in 2015 due to the shortage caused by avian influenza and record high prices.
- Many factors at play in 2016. Major themes affecting the livestock and dairy sector in 2016 include domestic production cycles and price response, the U.S. dollar, disease potential and consumer behavior.
For more information, access the AgriBank news release online.
Multi-county Beef Cattle Field Day
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offices in Wilson, Comal, Bexar and Guadalupe counties will host a Beef Cattle Field Day May 13 near New Berlin.
Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the field day will be hosted from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the McAdams 12 Bar Ranch, 323 Church Road, about 1.3 miles north of New Berlin.
Three Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units — one integrated pest management and two general — will be available to pesticide applicators, said Jeff Hanselka, AgriLife Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources in Guadalupe County.
“The program will cover some of the basic principles and management techniques beef cattle producers should know and will show some of the new technology available to them,” Hanselka said.
He said topics to be covered will include stocking rate management, chuteside cattle handling, current market trends and brush management.
For more information, visit the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events.
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