News Update

August 10, 2017

Avoid Heat Stress When Breeding Cattle

Julie Walker, beef specialist at South Dakota State University, says working cattle in the hot weather can be detrimental when doing heat synchronization and artificial insemination (AI) programs. Any time you have to move cattle or work cattle, it pays to watch weather forecasts and try to choose a day that won’t be during a heat wave. Sometimes, however, producers need to get cattle in for a heat synchronization program and timing is crucial, regardless of the weather.

More people are going to April-May calving to match forage with nutritional needs of the lactating cow and reduce labor at calving, not having to worry about cold weather in February-March, Walker says, so now they have to deal with the heat instead. They are breeding cows in July and August — which are often the hottest months.

This means that if they are putting CIDRs^® in for synchronization and have to pull the CIDRs at a given time, then they are under the clock and may have to get those cows in when it’s very hot.

Continue reading this Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.

— Adapted from an article by Heather Smith Thomas for Angus Journal.

Daily Livestock Report

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Market News Division constructs a weekly set of cutout (wholesale carcass equivalent values) and underlying primal values for all transactions covered under Livestock Mandatory Reporting legislation. That report is weekly and “comprehensive” in that all transaction types are included (e.g. cash and formula priced). The AMS report is available online. Today, we highlight three graphics constructed on a monthly basis from that report and focus on the five sale categories. Those categories are: 1) Prime grade (summary of the highest USDA quality grade); 2) branded beef (includes Certified Angus Beef^® and other differentiated/branded items); 3) Choice grade (USDA grade); 4) Select grade (the lowest USDA quality grade summarized); and 5) Ungraded.

A cutout value is an aggregation of primal components of a carcass. The primal value is a summation of beef cut prices that make up the primal. Primal components of the beef carcass are rib, chuck, round, loin, brisket, short plate, and flank. The first graphic shows the AMS comprehensive cutout values for recent months. Note that the values are highest for Prime and lowest for Ungraded.

Read the full report online at www.dailylivestockreport.com, and click on Aug. 9.

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

Poll: Tax Reform Needed for Farmers and America

A commanding majority of American voters support tax reform, a nationwide poll shows, while most voters also support tax changes that would benefit America’s farm and ranch families.

The survey conducted by Morning Consult found that seven out of 10 voters agreed passing tax reform legislation should be a priority for Congress.

More than half of voters polled also expressed support for specific tax reform provisions that would benefit farmers and ranchers, such as:

allowing farmers to deduct machinery purchases in the year those purchases are made;
allowing farmers and ranchers to average their income;
decreasing capital gains taxes; and
repealing the estate tax.

“Americans are ready for tax reform, and many know the toll that taxes take on our farm and ranch families,” American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall said. “Congress must take action to provide tax relief, and farmers and ranchers will be sharing that message with their lawmakers until this job gets done.” Tax rates are one key area ripe for reform, according to the Morning Consult poll. For more information, read the FB news release online.

— Adapted from a release by the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Controlling Anaplasmosis with
Medicated Mineral Supplementation

Anaplasmosis is a disease of cattle that tends to occur most commonly in mature cows and bulls during the summer and early fall. We’ve always thought of it as a disease that mostly affects cattle in the southern tier of states, but with an increase in cattle movement over the last decade, the footprint of anaplasmosis has spread.

Anaplasmosis is caused by Anaplasma marginale, a microorganism that invades red blood cells and causes severe anemia. Transmitted through the blood, the disease is spread by biting flies or ticks or infected blood transferred on contaminated needles or other equipment.

Death is a common outcome of cattle developing anaplasmosis. The cattle that don’t die may experience a long recovery time after infection, pregnancy loss is common and bulls may experience infertility. Signs of anaplasmosis can include:

orange-yellow coloration of the mucous membranes;
thin, watery blood;
cattle that are slow, reluctant to move or short of breath;
aggressive behavior shortly before death;
sudden, unexplained death of adult cattle; and
abortions.

— Adapted from an article by Daniel Scruggs, Zoetis.

Texas A&M AgriLife Releases High Plains Wheat ‘Top Picks’ List

Each year, experts with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas A&M AgriLife Research jointly provide wheat producers across the High Plains their “Top Picks” list for varieties with the highest potential before planting time.

The summaries are derived from wheat variety trials coordinated by the Texas A&M AgriLife wheat-breeding program in Amarillo with funding provided by the Texas Wheat Producers Board.

Picks are based on yield performance and consistency from over 30 multiyear, multisite irrigated and dryland trials harvested in 2014-2017. Test sites range from Lamesa to Perryton and west to Clovis, N.M.

In the High Plains, top picks for full irrigation include TAM 113, TAM 114, TAM 304, WB Grainfield, Iba and Winterhawk. Top limited-irrigation and dryland picks are TAM 112, TAM 113, TAM 114, WB Grainfield, Iba, T158 and Winterhawk.

“Pick” varieties with a minimum of three years in the Texas A&M AgriLife High Plains tests continue to yield 6%-10% better as a group than all other varieties in both irrigated and dryland tests, according to the selection team.

View the full AgriLife news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Kay Ledbetter, Texas AgriLife Communications.

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