News Update
March 15, 2017
Contribute to Wildfire Recovery
Racing across the prairie, recent wildfires left a painful mark on hundreds of thousands of acres of grassland in four states. High-level winds and dry conditions fueled the flames that quickly spread across Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado — scorching pastures and offering little time for cattle ranchers to attempt to rescue their stock.
In the weeks and months that follow, recovery efforts will be ongoing for the many producers affected, and immediate needs include hay and feed donations, and monetary support, as communities begin to discover the true extent of the wildfire’s destruction.
Upcoming Angus sales offer ways to contribute to recovery efforts:
March 15 — Woodbury Farms near Quenemo, Kan., will donate a registered Angus heifer during their annual bull and female sale at Overbrook Livestock Commission Company.
March 15 — Flat Iron Angus, Inc. of Haddam, Kan., will also be donating the proceeds from the sale of an open registered heifer.
March 18 — Alcove Cattle Co. and Springhill Herefords, both of Blue Rapids, Kan., will contribute 5% of all bull sales from their On Target Bull sale.
March 21 — Hinkson Angus of Cottonwood Falls, Kan., will donate the proceeds from a 3-year-old commercial cow-calf pair to sell during their annual production sale.
March 23 — McCabe Genetics of Elk City, Kan., will donate 25% of the proceeds of two bulls selling in their annual bull and commercial female sale.
Go online for more information on disaster relief efforts in the affected states.
Cattle Market Predictions
Beef production was up 1.5 million pounds (lb.) year-over-year last year, Kevin Good told his audience at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville, Tenn., on Feb. 2. With poultry and pork production added in, that number increased to 3 million lb. Good, a senior analyst with CattleFax, addressed the audience at Thursday’s opening session.
Beef cattle production was up 14%, but at a level that suggests the herd is still expanding, Good explained. Total cattle inventories in the United States have increased nearly 5 million head in three years, totaling 93.4 million head in 2017.
The country’s beef cow inventory has grown to 2.2 million head in three years, and an additional 400,000 head are expected to be added to that inventory in the next two years.
Good reminded the audience that it’s important to note this expansion is largely due to herd rebuilding after the extreme drought in the Southern Plains. Texas added 550,000 head; Oklahoma added 300,000 head; and Kansas added 150,000 head.
Continue reading in the Angus Media news article online.
Building Beef Demand Takes a Long-term View
Winters can add some interesting challenges for a ranch in a mountain town where snowfall can reach 400 inches in a year, but we’ve discovered firsthand that animals and humans alike adjust to their surroundings.
Spring calving is complicated by the deep snow, but we’ve also found certain advantages: We can pull that calf out into some clean snow to process and tag it. It takes the mama cow a while to plow her way to her baby, so that gives us time to do what we need to quickly and without a lot of interference.
We’re the third generation on this ranch, and our son, Pat, and his family recently returned to run the ranch and is the main partner as of January.
Just like we look out for the long-term viability of our beef operation, I find the Beef Checkoff Program to be critical to the long-term viability of the beef industry.
For more information, view the Beef Checkoff news release online.
Know Your Requirements
If you don’t first address the energy and protein requirements of your cattle, minerals aren’t going to matter, Beth Kegley, professor of animal science at the University of Arkansas, told her audience at the Cattle Industry Convention Feb. 1. Kegley spoke as part of the 24th annual Cattlemen’s College® in Nashville, Tenn.
“The digestive tracts of these animals are never 100% efficient,” said Kegley, professor of animal science at the University of Arkansas. “They’re never absorbing 100% of what you feed them. That percentage varies dramatically based on the chemical form of the mineral.”
One of the most complicating factors surrounding mineral nutrition in cattle production today is that mineral requirements at each stage of the production chain can be vague.
Read more in the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
Texas Cattle Fever Ticks are Back with a Vengeance
Texas cattle fever ticks, which made Texas longhorns the pariah of the plains in the late 1800s, are once again expanding their range with infestations detected in Live Oak, Willacy and Kleberg counties, said Texas A&M AgriLife experts.
As of Feb. 1, more than 500,000 acres in Texas are under various quarantines outside of the permanent quarantine zone.
Pete Teel, Texas A&M AgriLife Research entomologist at College Station, said the vigilance and cooperation of regulatory agencies, namely the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), the USDA and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), in collaboration with the livestock and wildlife industries, are needed to detect, contain and eliminate cattle fever ticks.
For more information, view the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
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