News Update
April 24, 2017
Defining Sustainability
Producers and consumers agree: a sustainable food supply is critical for the future. When it comes to defining the word sustainability, discussions are a bit more complex.
Cameron Bruett, head of corporate affairs for JBS, says sustainability is about continuous improvement — doing better today than you did yesterday, so you have the opportunity to improve tomorrow. He says a more simplistic definition is doing more with less, doing better each day.
“But it’s key for us in our industry to make sure that we address all three pillars, social, economic and environmental,” he adds, “because if we don’t, our critics will pick one issue and label that as sustainability.”
A common problem Bruett says is that marketers getting caught in a trap of shorthand to equate to sustainability: “It’s hormone free, so it must be sustainable, which really has nothing to do with sustainability. Or it’s organic, therefore it must be sustainable.”
Watch Bruett’s full interview on this week’s episode of The Angus Report online. You can also catch the show at 1:30 p.m. CDT Saturday and 7:30 a.m. CDT each Monday morning on RFD-TV.
Angus Cattle Hold Their Value
Certified Angus Beef LLC has been tracking the price paid for straight Angus steers and heifers compared to non-Angus since 1999. That goes back to the decade when the value-based or grid market was emerging for finished cattle.
Those who finished their calves and sold on the grids were happy to see the $20- to $30-per-head premium for any accepted for the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand. Some were motivated enough to find out how to get more than the average 17% to qualify and thus earn more premiums.
However, then as now, most commercial Angus producers did not participate in the finishing phase. They often asked CAB staff, “Where’s my premium?”
That’s when we decided to research the question, working through a network of a dozen cooperating auction markets across the United States on a project dubbed, “Here’s the Premium.” From the start, Angus calves were shown to bring as much or more premium to the ranch as eventually to the feedyard level.
Continue reading the Angus Media news article online.
Vaccinating Calves
Colostrum provides newborn calves temporary immunity from disease via maternal antibodies. After a few weeks, calves must start building their own immunities. Vaccinating calves at the proper time can help. Vaccinating too soon, however, may not stimulate immune response. If the calf still has maternal antibodies in its system, these may interfere with building its own immunities.
Many producers simply vaccinate calves at branding or at some point before weaning, says David Smith, veterinarian at Mississippi State University. “What most people are doing with calfhood vaccines is to stimulate immunity to protect calves at weaning time.”
Also, it’s standard practice to vaccinate against clostridial diseases such as blackleg, malignant edema, redwater, gut infections caused by Clostridia perfringens, etc., because these deadly diseases may be a risk to calves at any age.
For more information, read the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
KDA Seeks Participants for Beef Genetics Trade Mission
The Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) is seeking individuals to participate in an agricultural trade mission to Argentina. Tentatively, the mission will take place July 24-30, 2017.
The goal of this mission is to provide an opportunity for Kansas purebred beef cattle producers and allied industry to develop relationships with livestock producers in Argentina to increase market opportunities for U.S. and Kansas beef genetics.
The primary activity during the mission will be to interact with breeders and promote the use of U.S. beef genetics while attending Exposición Rural (Palermo), the major Argentinian livestock show. Kansas ranchers and related agribusinesses specializing in export of Angus and Hereford genetics are invited to participate.
This trade mission is funded in part by the U.S. Livestock Genetics Export Inc. Selected participants will be eligible for travel stipends for airfare depending upon number of applicants and fund availability. Participants will be responsible for the cost of hotels, meals and other incidental expenses.
Continue reading this KDA news release online.
Hay Day set for May 4 in Young County
The Young County Hay Day sponsored by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will be hosted May 4 in the Young County Arena, 120 Barclay Blvd., Graham.
The program will begin with registration at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at 3 p.m. There will be a $10 registration fee, and a meal will be provided by Young County Farm Bureau.
Those planning to attend should RSVP by May 1 to Justin.rogers@ag.tamu.edu or 940-549-0737.
“Spring is here and it is time to make sure your forage pastures are in the best condition they can be,” said Justin Rogers, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent for Young County. “We wanted to bring in experts on not only field management but also those who can update us on what to expect in the way of legislation and insurance.”
Read the complete AgriLife news release online.
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