News Update

April 27, 2017

The Lobster Tail of Meats

The growing beef supply won’t automatically find more room in the meatcase, but it can earn its way with differentiated quality.

“We can’t be as efficient in production as pork and poultry so therefore we’re not going to be as cheap,” said Sam Hands, managing partner of Triangle H, Garden City, Kan. “We know that.”

Addressing producers at Cattlemen’s College last February in Nashville, Tenn., he said, “If we were gearing up for a party and wanted fish, we’d be thinking about lobster tail, because that’s the ultimate goal. At the meat counter, we are the lobster tail, so we have to make sure we’re the best.”

That’s within reach for beef, thanks to genetics that lifted cattle above load-lot anonymity, back when “there was no discrimination, no difference between good and bad.”

Continue reading this Angus Media news release online.

— Adapted from an article by Laura Conaway, Certified Angus Beef LLC.

President Trump Issues Executive Order on Agriculture

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue joined President Trump for a “Farmers Roundtable” at the White House on April 25 to address issues facing the American agriculture community, as the president signed an Executive Order establishing an Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity. The roundtable discussion allowed representatives from all corners of American agriculture to raise concerns and share ideas, just as the task force begins its mission “to promote economic development and revitalization, job growth, infrastructure, innovation and quality of life issues for rural America,” according to the president’s order.

The session capped a busy first day in office for Perdue, who was sworn in by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Clarence Thomas as the 31st U.S. Secretary of Agriculture before greeting employees at the USDA and travelling to the White House for the roundtable.

“The people who are on the front lines of American agriculture don’t have the luxury of waiting to tend to their crops and livestock, so there was no better time to convene this meeting of the minds than on my first day,” Perdue said.

View the full USDA news release online.

— Adapted from a release by the USDA.

Important First Step to Reining in the Antiquities Act

The Public Lands Council (PLC) and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) applaud the executive order signed April 26 that calls for a review of designations made under the Antiquities Act by previous presidents.

Dave Eliason, PLC president, said while the Act was intended to preserve Native American artifacts and areas of historical importance, Presidents have instead used the Act to bypass Congress and local communities to place heavy restrictions on massive swaths of land. Most recently, President Obama boasted of using the Antiquities Act more than any previous president — locking up 256 million acres of land and water in 30 separate designations.

“Western communities have been calling on Congress for years to address the continued abuse of the Antiquities Act. Elevating millions of acres to monument status without local input or economic analysis results in unrecoverable losses to the local communities.”

Read the complete NCBA news release online.

— Adapted from a release by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

Spring Weather Hurt Fescue Growth,
but Second Cutting Possible

This may be the year for two cuttings of tall fescue hay. That’s good news. The bad news: The first cutting will make lousy hay, says Craig Roberts, University of Missouri (MU) Extension forage agronomist.

Erratic weather caused fescue to set seed early. Under stress, grass made seed instead of leaves.

“Those early seed stems must be cut to make good hay later in the second cutting,” Roberts says.

The story came out during a weekly MU teleconference. Regional and state extension specialists trade what they see during the growing season.

Todd Lorenz, extension agronomist at Boonville, said farmers see their fescue setting seed at least two weeks early. “There’s just no undergrowth there.”

Unfortunately, farmers who fertilized pastures for early growth are hit hardest. Roberts saw some fescue make seed a month early because of weather. Lorenz said pasture growth is similar to 2007, when late cold weather stressed grass growth.

Learn more by reading the MU news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Duane Dailey, University of Missouri Extension.

Culver’s Kicks Off Second Year of #FarmingFridays

Following the success of last year’s #FarmingFridays social content series, Culver’s has again invited agricultural influencers to share photos and videos depicting their passion for and knowledge about agriculture. #FarmingFridays is part of Culver’s Thank You Farmers initiative, which recognizes the hard work and commitment of the farmers who feed the nation.

New for this year, #FarmingFridays will extend throughout the spring, summer and fall seasons on five different Fridays, beginning on April 28 and ending on November 3.

“Culver’s is committed to teaching our guests more about agriculture and the hard work of the people in this industry,” said Jessie Corning, senior marketing manager at Culver’s. “We’re excited to again provide a platform for agricultural leaders to share their stories and educate our guests.”

For more information, please read the Culver’s news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Becca Vollmer, Culver’s.

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