News Update

July 21, 2017

National Junior Angus Board
Elects New Officers

Throughout the barns, the prestige of the green jackets is widely recognized. National Junior Angus Board (NJAB) members serve as mentors, friends and the next generation of leaders for the Angus breed. During the 2017 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS), hosted July 9-15 in Des Moines, Iowa, six new junior leaders were elected by their peers to serve on the NJAB.

“Serving on the National Junior Angus Association Board of Directors is something I have dreamed about my whole life,” says Jera Pipkin, Republic, Mo., newly elected NJAB director.

Joining Pipkin on the 2017-2018 NJAB are: Dawson Dal Porto, Oakley, Calif.; Hayley DeHaan, McMinnville, Ore.; Brody Fitzgerald, West Grove, Pa.; Sydnee Gerken, Cashion, Okla.; and Madison Sundsbak, Des Lacs, N.D.

Board members serve a two-year term and travel across the country to various events, promoting the Angus breed and helping young people succeed in the industry’s premier junior organization. Their first official activity is the Leaders Engaged in Angus Development (LEAD) conference in Raleigh, N.C., Aug. 3-6.

For more information, view the Angus news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Morgan Marley for Angus Media.

Charting the Industry’s Course

Data from the 2016 National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) suggest the beef industry continues to improve the quality of its products, but there is still room for improvement. Results from the research were presented at a session during the 2017 Cattle Industry Summer Meeting in Denver July 13.

The research, funded by the National Beef Checkoff Program, has been conducted every five years for the past quarter century, and provides a set of guideposts and measurements for cattle producers and others to help determine quality conformance of the U.S. beef supply. NBQA results through the years have helped lead to improvements in cattle and beef production, including reductions in carcass blemishes and fewer lost opportunities related to branding and other practices.

Among the positive findings in the 2016 NBQA are a significant increase in Choice and Prime carcasses, a high mobility score for cattle entering packing plants, and the fact that the number of blemishes, condemnations and other attributes that impact animal value remain small.

View the full Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.

— Adapted from an article by Melissa Jackson, Cattlemen’s Beef Board.

Daily Livestock Report

USDA released yesterday afternoon its monthly tabulation of livestock statistics for June, and the data contained some interesting insights.

Beef: Total U.S. commercial cattle slaughter in June was 2.858 million head, 5.6% higher than a year ago. There was the same number of marketing days as a year ago, so the rate of growth was the same when calculated on an average daily basis. The last time monthly slaughter surpassed 2.8 million head was in October 2013, but with one extra marketing day back then. More female cattle in the slaughter mix have bolstered slaughter numbers in recent months.

Fed cattle prices declined sharply in the fall of 2016, causing producers to send more heifers into feedlots rather than hold them back for herd rebuilding. As we noted yesterday, this may have not been enough to turn the expansion cycle, but it has certainly slowed it down. There were 151,800 more cattle slaughtered in June 2017 compared to a year ago. Out of this total net increase, there were 82,000 more heifers, up 13.4% and 45,700 cows, up10.3%.

Read the full report online at www.dailylivestockreport.com.

— Adapted from a release by Len Steiner, Steiner Consulting Group.

Plant Turnips in Late July

An old Missouri saying advises, “On the 25th of July, sow your turnips, wet or dry,” said University of Missouri (MU) Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.

This adage sprang into the national spotlight during Harry Truman’s presidency.

“Evidently, the congressional session of 1948 was a particularly rancorous one, with the GOP-dominated Congress refusing to pass any of President Truman’s initiatives,” said Trinklein. Truman called a special session to begin on “what we in Missouri call Turnip Day — July 25.”

The tactic failed when Congress refused to pass any of Truman’s initiatives during the Turnip Day Session (which actually began July 26). However, it reminded the public that late July is a good time to plant turnips in Missouri.

Learn more in the full MU news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Linda Geist, University of Missouri Extension.

Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course

The 2017 Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course general session on Aug. 7 will feature discussions on export markets and a general beef cattle market outlook for the remainder of the year, according to organizers.

The short course is in session from Aug. 7-9. It is the largest beef cattle educational event in the country, according to organizers, with more than 1,600 beef cattle producers from Texas and abroad. The short course is hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the department of animal science at Texas A&M.

“The beef cattle export markets are a very important part of the U.S. beef industry,” said Jason Cleere, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialist and conference coordinator. “We have a full lineup of speakers who will discuss these markets, what trends are happening in the current domestic markets as well as hear from a few who have direct business experience.”

Read the full AgriLife release online.

— Adapted from a release by Blair Fannin, Texas AgriLife Communications.

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