News Update
August 14, 2017
Junior Leaders: Apply to
Become the Angus Ambassador
The National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) is beginning its search for the next Angus Ambassador. It’s an elite position that provides an opportunity for a one-year term as spokesperson for the NJAA’s nearly 6,000 members as the ambassador connects with cattle producers, consumers and industry professionals nationwide. Applications are available online and must be submitted by Sept. 15.
“As the Angus Ambassador, one junior member is given the opportunity to take his or her passion for Angus cattle to the next level by networking with other Angus producers and beef industry professionals, and by traveling to and attending a variety of engaging events over the course of the year,” says Jaclyn Clark, American Angus Association director of events and education.
To be eligible for the Angus Ambassador competition, applicants must be Association members in good standing, between the ages 17-20 as of Jan. 1, who own purebred Angus cattle. They must submit a cover letter, résumé and two essay responses.
For more information, please visit the NJAA website at www.angus.org/njaa.
Crop Production Report
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service recently released its Crop Production Report based on Aug. 1 information.
Corn production for 2017 is forecast at 14.2 billion bushels (bu.), down 7% from last year. Based on conditions as of Aug. 1, yields are expected to average 169.5 bu. per acre, down 5.1 bu. from 2016. If realized, this will be the third-highest yield and production on record for the United States. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 83.5 million acres, unchanged from the June forecast, but down 4% from 2016.
Soybean production is forecast at 4.38 billion bu., up 2% from last year. Based on Aug. 1 conditions, yields are expected to average 49.4 bu. per acre, down 2.7 bu. from last year. Area for harvest in the United States is forecast at a record-high 88.7 million acres, unchanged from the June forecast, but up 7% from 2016. Planted area for the nation is estimated at a record high 89.5 million acres, also unchanged from June.
Cotton production is forecast at 20.5 million 480-pound bales, up 20% from last year.
Wheat production, at 1.74 billion bu., is down 1% from the July forecast and down 25% from 2016. Based on Aug. 1 conditions, the United States yield is forecast at 45.6 bu. per acre, down 0.6 bu. from last month and down 7 bu. from last year.
Read the full USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) report online.
Association Perspective: State of the West
Greetings from Region 11, the states of Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah.
First, I’d like to share what things have been like since last year with my report in the August 2016 Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA.
The best news is that we have finally climbed out of severe drought that lasted for about seven years. The welcome rain and snow last winter was so plentiful, the groundwater table has risen greatly — some breeders say as much as 40 feet. Farmers and ranchers have to rely on irrigation, so that is a welcome relief. Snow in the mountains was also at near-record levels, as much as 150% of normal.
As a result of ample amounts of moisture, pastures have been lush, with above-normal growth levels. Calving is mainly in the fall, especially in California, and weaning weights of calves have increased proportionally to pasture quality. The high desert of Nevada and southwest in Arizona even received above-average moisture. Utah also has followed suit, with abundant snowpack in the mountains and useable moisture in the lower elevations.
For more information, the full Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
Waste Not, Want Not
Making a living raising cattle isn’t as simple as just buying a herd and turning it out to pasture. Cattle require specific diets to maintain proper nutrition and weight gain. How to do this in the most effective and efficient way possible has interested both ranchers and researchers for generations.
Scientists in Texas are interested in how seasonal change affects the digestibility of a type of Bermuda grass, Tifton 85. In a recent study, they found that as the season progresses, the grass becomes harder to digest. However, by supplementing dried distillers’ grains, this effect can be minimized.
Dried distillers’ grains are left over after ethanol production. They are what remain of the ground corn used for fermentation.
“Due to the ramp up in ethanol production over the past few decades, there has been an abundance of this byproduct in the beef industry,” explains Monte Rouquette, a professor with Texas A&M AgriLife Research. “Originally viewed as a waste product of the industry, research began looking into other uses of the byproduct.”
Read this Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online for more information.
Adopting Technology
The beef industry’s greatest challenge and greatest opportunity are actually one and the same, said the University of Missouri’s Dave Patterson at the National Association of Animal Breeders (NAAB) Symposium hosted May 31 as part of the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Symposium in Athens, Ga., May 31-June 3.
Patterson, creator of Missouri’s Show-Me-Select™ replacement heifer program, said the industry’s greatest challenge is producer reluctance to adopt new technology. Its greatest opportunity? On-the-shelf technology not being used — that works.
Nearly 70% of cow-calf enterprises are reported by producers as being a secondary income source. Only 10%-15% of all beef cattle enterprises utilize artificial insemination (AI). That can and should be improved, Patterson said.
“In many respects, it’s a value-added program,” Patterson said of the Show-Me-Select program. AI adds value.
What Patterson called “the technology problem” is well-intended. As more research is conducted, more advanced technology results, leading to greater complexity and sophistication.
Continue reading this Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
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