News Update

November 17, 2017

American Angus Association Recognizes Top Showring Winners

Many Angus breeders aspire to take home the coveted win in the showring — grand champion of the show. The sires of those cattle are also a key part of the equation. The American Angus Association offers their Roll of Victory (ROV) Show program to recognize show-winning animals and their sires and dams.

Outstanding Angus cattle and their breeders/owners who were winners during the 2016-2017 show season were recognized at the 2017 Angus Convention, Nov. 4-6, in Fort Worth, Texas.

“These cattle are the best of the best in the showring,” said Allen Moczygemba, Association CEO. “They are the trend setters that will influence the types of herd bulls and females that other Angus breeders will look to buy in the coming months.”

The ROV Show Heifer of the Year award was presented to Conley Sandy 5104, owned by David Smith, Boulder, Colo., and Conley Cattle, Sulphur, Okla.

DAJS Special Effects 044 was awarded the ROV Show Bull of the Year award. Special Effects is owned by Doug Satree Angus, Montague, Texas.

Continue reading this Angus news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Sarah Hill, Angus Media.

State of the Beef Industry

Much like the State of the Union address helps Americans keep a finger on the pulse of American policies, the National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) monitors the pulse of the American beef industry. Started in late 1991 to begin to address a decline in per capita beef consumption, the massive research undertaking has served as a benchmark for all segments of the beef community every five years since then, explains Keith Belk, one of the original researchers who worked on NBQA and professor and holder of the Monfort Endowed Chair at Colorado State University.

Notable results from previous studies included many of the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) focus points, like far fewer injection-site lesions and improved quality grades, which both resulted in industry value, says Dan Kniffen, chairman of the NBQA BQA advisory board and extension beef cattle specialist and assistant professor of animal science at Pennsylvania State University (Penn State).

The 2016 audit has similarly impactful results, both in fields of increased, maintained or areas for improvement.

Read this Angus Journal article online.

— Adapted from an article by Kasey Brown, Angus Journal.

Farm Bureau Praises House Tax Bill Passage

In regards to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passing in the House, Zippy Duvall, president, American Farm Bureau Federation, said:

“Today’s passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1) by the House of Representatives puts us one step closer to a tax code that works for all farmers and ranchers. Lower rates combined with the preservation of small business expensing, like-kind exchanges, and the business deduction for state and local taxes are just a few of the things we are pleased to see in this legislation. We look forward to working with the Senate to build on this success in the coming weeks.”

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

NFU Alarmed by House Passage of Tax Reform Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives today voted 227-205 to approve the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a bill that would provide tax cuts and breaks to corporations and wealthy Americans at an estimated cost of $1.5 trillion.

National Farmers Union (NFU), a staunch opponent of regressive taxation, increased federal debt and any legislation that jeopardizes farm program funding, urged House members to vote against the legislation and scored the vote. In response to the vote, NFU Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Communications Rob Larew released the following statement:

“NFU is alarmed by the House’s decision to pass highly flawed tax-reform legislation that has disastrous implications for American family farmers and ranchers. The policies put forth by this bill would increase the tax burden on family farmers and the middle class, and they add a massive $1.5 trillion to our national deficit. On top of that, they potentially put funding for vital farm safety-net programs on the chopping block and jeopardize passage of the Farm Bill.”

For more information, view the full NFU news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Andrew Jerome, National Farmers Union.

In the Cattle Markets

I have been impressed by the strength of feeder-cattle and calf markets through the fall, but what do the technicals say? Very clearly: sell. The feeder-cattle futures have shown weakness early in the third week of October after holding fast last week and rallying to fill the gap down in late September the prior two weeks. In mid-September the market rallied close to resistance formed May and June.

My interpretation of the feeder-cattle futures rally through most of late August and early September was that it was driven by a strong cash calf and feeder-cattle market pricing in a lot of the cheapening feed market. It is possible that all of this has run its course and traditional seasonally weaker calf prices are in the works. Of course, I have been saying that since August.

However, the technicals support my position rather clearly. Feeder-cattle and live-cattle contracts have rallied to levels established in the early summer. The market turned lower in mid-July and is set to repeat that now. All of these fall contracts that have rallied to resistance planes have been turned back. Do we have the fundamental support to hold or push higher?

— Adapted from an article by Stephen Koontz, Colorado State University.

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

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