News Update
December 08, 2017
Young Cattlemen’s Conference Applications Available
Once again, the Angus Foundation will sponsor a young Angus leader to attend the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Young Cattlemen’s Conference (YCC). The application deadline is Jan. 12, 2018, and the application can be found on the Angus Foundation website.
The YCC offers young leaders a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience all aspects of the beef industry firsthand. Attendees participate in a weeklong nationwide tour of the beef production chain from the ranch to the packing plant, through marketing and regulatory affairs, and ending at consumer foodservice. Along the way, they also get to meet other movers and shakers in the beef industry.
“We are thrilled to sponsor one outstanding young Angus breeder to attend the Young Cattlemen’s Conference,” said Milford Jenkins, Angus Foundation president. “I encourage anyone interested in learning more about the beef industry to apply for this unique opportunity.”
The Angus Foundation covers travel costs and registration fees for one attendee. Applicants must be between 25-50 years old, an active member in good standing with the American Angus Association and also must be an active NCBA member.
Continue reading this Angus news release online.
A Passion for Angus
Driving across a newly acquired pasture, American Angus Association President Charlie Boyd’s excitement for the future of the Angus business is obvious. With his eight years serving on the Association’s Board of Directors coming to a close, the 52-year-old son of Kentucky is putting his focus back on the boyhood dream he shares with wife Paula and sons Blake and Logan at Boyd Beef Cattle of May’s Lick, Ky.
Nestled in the state’s rolling hills just 9 miles southwest of Maysville, Ky., and 8 miles west of the Ohio River, which forms the state’s eastern border, the new property joins the farm where they live to another housing their sale facility and headquarters. The opportunity to buy adjoining farms is a rarity in Mason County, and this purchase was very important to move the operation forward.
Besides the convenience, the addition will provide room for expansion for the next generation to continue the family tradition that began in the late 1800s.
“My great-grandfather and my grandfather were Horned Hereford breeders,” says Charlie, explaining that the family’s involvement in raising purebred seedstock began nearly 125 years ago with the formation of the Highview Hereford Farm in 1893.
Read the full Angus Journal article online.
Camera Changes
Many industry participants are aware USDA announced in late October that adjustments to camera carcass grading were necessary. The latest generation of camera, called Gigabit Ethernet, or “Gig E,” had been introduced last winter and deployed by several packing plants early last summer. As a track record developed for the new camera over the summer through October, it became evident to some observers that the new cameras were assigning quality grades more generously than the previous models.
A “sameness test” was conducted to determine if this were true. USDA concluded that an adjustment was necessary to bring the new Gig E camera technology back into alignment. It is important to know that not all packing firms had switched to the Gig E camera and the consequential impact of the adjustment does not apply to all packing plants.
Once the adjustments were announced, some packers elected to discontinue camera use for marbling determinations, at least for now, relying once again solely on the human USDA grader for that judgment call.
Read more of this Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
In the Cattle Markets
The latest trade data released last week showed that impressive export totals continued through the month of September. Total beef and veal exports were 13.95% higher in September 2017 than in September 2016. Year-to-date available, total exports are up 14.46% during the first nine months of 2016. In total, exports are up about 263 million pounds (lb.) year to date compared to last year.
The largest increase was again in exports to Japan. U.S. beef exports to Japan were up nearly 40% compared to September of last year. Japan imported 85 million lb. of U.S. beef in September. On the year, exports to Japan are up 29% compared to 2016 levels. Exports to Canada and Mexico both grew about 8% compared to September 2016. Exports to mainland China totaled a little more than 1 million lb. in September, which made China the 15th largest importer of U.S. beef for the month.
The continued increase in beef exports is taking some of the beef that would have otherwise ended up on the U.S. market out of the country.
Learn more in the full Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
Cattle-feeding Returns Improving
Cattle-feeding profitability has been on a roller coaster ride the last couple of years, according to Purdue University Extension economist James Mintert. Estimated cattle-feeding returns calculated each month by Iowa State University Extension provide insight into the situation Corn Belt feeders face.
“According to the Iowa State data, which assumes that cattle are placed on feed each month with inputs purchased and fed cattle sold in the cash market without any risk management, cattle feeders suffered horrific losses in both 2015 and 2016,” Mintert says. “Losses continued throughout 2016 and still averaged a loss of $117 per head for a typical yearling-feeding program and a loss of $216 per head for a typical calf-feeding program during 2016’s October to December quarter.”
The situation changed dramatically in 2017.
“Relying again on the Iowa State estimates, during the first nine months of 2017, feeding returns for yearlings averaged +$198 per head and +$191 for calves,” Mintert adds. “The turnaround was even more dramatic when the monthly returns are examined, as monthly yearling returns actually reached +$415 and calf-feeding returns climbed to greater than $500 per head during May 2017.”
For more information, read this Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
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