News Update

September 7, 2016

Live Coverage: Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle Workshop

The premiere national event in beef cattle reproductive management is being hosted for the first time in Iowa this week, and you are invited to watch live-stream coverage of the conference sessions.

The 2016 Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle (ARSBC) Workshop will include information for cow-calf producers, bovine veterinarians, industry representatives, extension personnel and students. The Sept. 7-8 event is brought to you by Iowa State University, Iowa Beef Center and the Beef Reproduction Task Force and will highlight the latest information on reproductive technologies in beef cattle.

The Angus Media communications team will also provide comprehensive coverage online at www.appliedreprostrategies.com.

For more information, view the Angus Media news article online.

— Adapted from an article by the Beef Production Task Force.

‘The Angus Report’ Celebrates Five Years on RFD-TV

The American Angus Association launched the weekly broadcast of The Angus Report in September 2011 as a way to deliver news and information to cattlemen and women nationwide. Through its distribution on RFD-TV, The Angus Report reaches more than 70,000 households across the United States and ranks among the network’s top agriculture news programs.

“As we celebrate our fifth year on RFD-TV, we’re grateful to all our members and viewers who trust our team for their beef cattle news and information,” says Crystal Albers, Angus Media communications director, and The Angus Report producer and co-host.

The broadcast airs at 7:30 a.m. CST each Monday morning and at 1:30 p.m. CST Saturday. The Angus Report is produced at the Angus TV studio in Saint Joseph, Mo., by a team of videographers, writers and editors. The 30-minute program provides timely headlines to cattle producers across the country, and serves as a leading source for broadcast news in the beef cattle business.

— Adapted from a release by JD Rosman, Angus Media.

GeneMax Advantage Update

GeneMax^® Advantage™, a genomic test for prospective commercial-Angus replacement females, has been updated with new genomic information from the most recent Angus calibration. The improved test — available from Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI) and Zoetis — now includes genetic data from more than 100,000 Angus cattle.

Dan Moser, president of AGI, says genomic test results on Angus replacement females can help minimize risk in decision making.

“The value proposition for genomic testing runs long term,” Moser says. “There’s the opportunity to select the heifers that are genetically superior for things like heifer pregnancy, so using that selection can result in[a] higher conception rate.”

By knowing the genetic worth of a heifer, Moser says cattlemen can perpetuate those superior genetics for generations to come. He also suggests using the genetic data on heifers as a way to earn a premium for steers.

For more of the interview, tune into this week’s The Angus Report. You can also watch the show at 1:30 p.m. CST Saturday and 7:30 a.m. CST each Monday morning on RFD-TV.

— Adapted from The Angus Report.

Commercial Production Benchmarks for 2016

The typical Cow Herd Appraisal Performance Software (CHAPS) program beef producer is weaning calves from 90.5% of all cows exposed to the bull at 553 pounds (lb.) at 193 days of age. Those calves are grazing summer pastures alongside their mothers and gaining 2.5 lb. a day. Those numbers are reflective of beef operations today and are the result of producers setting and achieving goals.

Goals are very much a part of moving the beef industry forward. Goals need outcomes. Words such as “achievable,” “reachable” and “forward-thinking” imply that the producers setting the goals know where they are for each specific desired outcome. Is that true? Is the outcome measurable?

Take herd reproduction for instance. How many beef producers know how many cows calve within the first 21 days of the calving season?

— Adapted from an article by Kris Ringwall, North Dakota State University Extension.

The Best Plans Can Change

2011 kicked off some busy years for the Lawson family. That was the year daughter Kay Leigh returned full-time to the family farm and commercial cattle operation after being away at Purdue University. She joined parents Donnie and Tammy Lawson, uncle Danny Lawson and cousin Ben, who was also just returning from Purdue. The brothers began farming at the Thorntown, Ind., operation decades earlier with their parents. As the family grew, so did Lawson Farms LLC, eventually farming 3,500 acres, calving 100 cows and feeding more than 300 fat cattle annually.

With the passing of their parents in 1998, the brothers knew that plans should be laid to prepare the operation and their families for a positive transition. With Kay Leigh coming back and Ben returning to his own operation, they decided to separate Lawson Farms LLC in 2013 and create another company, Lawson Land Co. LLC.

Donnie says their interests had changed enough — Donnie and his family specializing in cattle and Danny and his family specializing in row crops — that splitting Lawson Farms LLC made sense.

Continue reading in the Angus Journal feature story online.

— Adapted from an article by Kasey Brown, Angus Media.

— Compiled by Paige Nelson, field editor, Angus Media.

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