News Update
February 6, 2018
Women Connected Conference
Accepting Applications
The American Angus Auxiliary is excited to announce that it is hosting its fourth Women Connected Conference bringing together Angus cattlewomen, Auxiliary members and other women involved in the Angus industry. Twenty women will be selected from applications to join the 10-member Auxiliary executive committee April 18-20, 2018, in Excelsior Springs, Mo., at the historic Elms Hotel. The theme for this biannual conference is “Engaging Minds, Renewing Spirits.” Attendees will participate in networking activities, educational workshops and tours.
“The Women Connected Conference is a time for women involved in the Angus industry to get together to network and learn with and from each other,” said Anne Lampe, Women Connected Conference chair. “It’s a great opportunity to bring together women from all demographics and backgrounds to improve our industry.”
An application is available online and is due Feb. 15. For more information, contact conference chair Anne Lampe at alampe@wbsnet.org or 620-874-4273. Selected applicants will be notified by March 1.
Registration costs, including lodging and meals, will be provided through the generous support of the Angus Foundation; participants will be responsible for transportation to and from the Kansas City International Airport if flying and Excelsior Springs if driving.
Continue reading this Angus news release online.
Many Factors Impacting Domestic Beef Demand
Beef quality, consumer incomes, attention to beef in health articles in medical journals and the general media, and shifts in race composition of the U.S. population are key determinants affecting beef demand in the long term.
So concludes a newly released study commissioned by the Beef Checkoff Program called “Assessing Beef Demand Determinants.” The study summarizes the current knowledge of consumer demand for beef and identifies the best opportunities for the industry to influence demand positively.
Authors of the report include Glynn Tonsor, professor of livestock marketing at Kansas State University (K-State), Jayson Lusk, distinguished professor and head of the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University, and Ted Schroeder, professor of livestock marketing at K-State.
“The information gathered and analyzed for this comprehensive report is invaluable to the beef industry, in general, and to the Beef Checkoff Program, in particular,” said cow-calf producer Jackie Means, a member of the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion & Research Board and chair of the Joint Evaluation Committee that commissioned the research for the checkoff. “Members of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and directors of the Federation of State Beef Councils will be asked to use the information in this report in making decisions about how to invest checkoff dollars in fiscal year 2018 and beyond.”
For more information, read the news release online.
Equities, Beef Market Sales and Lower Belly Prices
The sharp correction in the equity market may wreak havoc with livestock futures trading Feb. 6. The main issue in our mind is what the correction in equities signifies. If the selloff signifies slower growth going forward, it could be problematic for strong demand assumptions built in current cattle/hog prices. On the other hand, if the selloff simply reflects a correction for an equity market that was getting a bit ahead of itself, then the demand implications are not as severe. Volatility has been quite high in recent months and that does not look like it will change. A few other points looking at recent data:
- Beef sales data for last week show a modest slowdown, but overall trends remain positive. The four-week average of beef loads sold for delivery in late February and March is in line with last year’s pace and well above what we saw in 2015 and 2016. Retailers are still counting on selling more beef, which should help product movement in the near term.
- Data show beef packers had to purchase more cattle in the negotiated/spot market last week.
View the full report online at www.dailylivestockreport.com.
USDA Launches MARS, Delivering Market Data
to Agricultural Producers Around the Globe
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Jan. 31 announced the launch of a new electronic data platform to deliver market price information to the commodities industry. The new web-based platform, Market Analysis and Reporting Services (MARS), uses state-of-the-art technology to present detailed data sets in a more customer-focused way to better support competitive markets for producers and help stabilize food prices for American families.
“USDA Market News is the most relied-upon source of unbiased agricultural market data,” said Greg Ibach, under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs. “USDA’s on-site market reporters gather, analyze and publish unbiased data all day long to ensure fair food prices for consumers across the country and around the world. The MARS project applies the best data-management practices to make that data available when and where farmers, packers and processors need it.”
As Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue promised last summer, USDA staff are using the latest technologies available to deliver the most effective, most efficient, customer-focused service in the federal government. MARS improves the transparency, speed and accuracy of USDA Market News, and facilitates the flow of data from more than 3,600 markets to AMS analysts and ultimately to producers, industry and the public.
Learn more in the USDA news release online.
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