News Update
June 24, 2016
Arkansas Family Honored
for Historic Angus Herd
Tommy Hill was teaching vocational agriculture in the early 1960s, wanting to start a herd, when one of his students set the ball rolling. The student’s father was selling 10 head of Angus cows from the O.B. Macintosh herd, and Hill jumped at the opportunity. That was the official beginning to Hill’s registered-Angus herd, which is still in operation 52 years later.
To recognize their longstanding dedication to the Angus breed, the American Angus Association is proud to name Hill Angus Farm as a Historic Angus Herd. The award is presented to Angus breeders or immediate families who have been in continuous production of registered-Angus cattle for 50 years or more.
When Hill was growing up, his family worked with Angus cattle and he’d shown an Angus heifer while in high school. Years later, thanks to his student’s prompting, he purchased his own Angus cows for nearly $250 per head. Soon after, he purchased a bull.
To continue reading, view the Angus news release online.
AFBF President on GMO Labeling Legislation
“There are no — and never have been any — documented health risks from genetically engineered food in the marketplace. The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) continues to oppose mandatory food labels that are not necessary for health or safety reasons. We also oppose a patchwork of state-by-state labeling rules. We are reviewing this legislative proposal and over the next few days will determine how it fits with our policy. We will also assess its impact on farmers’ abilities to use modern agricultural technology to produce more, high-quality food.”
“We appreciate Chairman Roberts’ diligence in taking action prior to the Vermont law’s going into effect. This deal clearly seeks to prevent a 50-state mismatched quilt of differing labeling standards. But the mandatory feature holds significant potential to contribute to confusion and unnecessary alarm. Regardless of the outcome, we continue to believe a national, voluntary standard remains the best approach. Our board will deliver a decision soon.”
Livestock Slaughter
Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 4 billion pounds (lb.) in May, up 5% from the 3.81 billion lb. produced in May 2015. Beef production, at 2.03 billion lb., was 5% above the previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.51 million head, up 6% from May 2015. The average live weight was up one lb. from the previous year, at 1,333 lb.
Veal production totaled 6 million lb., 9% below May a year ago. Calf slaughter totaled 35,500 head, up 7% from May 2015. The average live weight was down 49 lb. from last year, at 286 lb.
Pork production totaled 1.95 billion lb., up 5% from the previous year. Hog slaughter totaled 9.18 million head, up 5% from May 2015. The average live weight was down one lb. from the previous year, at 283 lb.
Lamb and mutton production, at 13 million lb., was up 9% from May 2015. Sheep slaughter totaled 185,300 head, 9% above last year. The average live weight was 140 lb., down one lb. from May a year ago.
For more information, view the complete NASS report online.
Voice of Conservation Heard on Wild Horses
The National Association of Conservation Districts made the voice of conservation heard at a June 22 House subcommittee hearing on the issue of wild horse and burro overpopulation on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands.
Callie Hendrickson, executive director for the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts in northwest Colorado, told the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands that excess wild horses and burros have caused considerable ecosystem degradation on the Western range — shrinking available acreage for livestock grazing, complicating native wildlife management and costing the taxpayers a small fortune.
According to the latest numbers from the agency, there are more than 67,000 wild horses and burros living on BLM land across 10 states today, when by law — the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 — there should be fewer than half of that number.
To read more, access the news release online.
Texas AgriLife: Annual Forage Crop Insurance Deadline
Although recent rains have livestock producers looking at green pastures, most know it can turn dry quickly and may want protection against drought loss on annual forage crops, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist.
The first deadline to sign up for the Rainfall Index — Annual Forage Insurance plan, known as RI-AF, is coming in July, said DeDe Jones, AgriLife Extension risk management specialist in Amarillo.
The risk policy is designed to allow livestock producers to look at possible future weather conditions and buy protection against losses due to a lack of moisture, Jones said.
The sign-up deadline for RI-AF is July 15 for the fall growing season, Sept. 1 through March 31, 2017. Dec. 15 is the deadline for the spring season, which is March 1-Sept. 30, 2017.
Read more in the AgriLife news release online.
Editor’s Note: The articles used within this site represent a mixture of copyrights. If you would like to reprint or repost an article, you must first request permission of Angus Productions Inc. (API) by contacting the editor at 816-383-5200; 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506. API claims copyright to this web site as presented. We welcome educational venues and cattlemen to link to this site as a service to their audience.