News Update
April 12, 2018
Angus Foundation
to Host Annual Golf Tournament
The weather is finally warming up, and it is time to get reacquainted with your favorite golf clubs. The Angus Foundation is set to host the 18th annual golf tournament Monday, July 9 at Pleasant View Golf Course in Middleton, Wis., in conjunction with the 2018 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS). This event helps fund educational opportunities, research initiatives and Angus youth.
“Year after year, we continue to have excellent turnout from our Angus Foundation supporters at the annual golf tournament, and we appreciate their ongoing support of our mission,” said Milford Jenkins, Angus Foundation president. “The Angus Foundation Golf Tournament is an enjoyable opportunity to fellowship with Angus friends during the NJAS.”
This year’s tournament sponsor Merck Animal Health purchased the package during the 2017 National Finals Angus Sale Dec. 10 to benefit Angus youth, education and research. Two hole-in-one prizes will be featured in the tournament, including $10,000 sponsored by the Hill family and an automobile sponsored by Behlman Carnection.
Additional sponsorship options are available to state and regional Angus associations, individuals, and farms and ranches.
For more information, please view the full release here.
President Trump’s Executive Order
on Reducing Poverty Promotes Economic Independence
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue April 10 applauded President Donald Trump’s Executive Order (EO), titled “Reducing Poverty in America by Promoting Opportunity and Economic Mobility,” which calls for lifting American citizens from welfare to work, from dependence to independence, and from poverty to prosperity.
Perdue said in regards to the announcement:
“I commend President Trump today for his leadership on moving Americans back to work. At the Department of Agriculture, we are responsible for administering programs which help people access nutritious food for themselves and their families, but we also know that long-term government dependency has never been a part of the American dream. Providing people with the training and skills they need to find gainful employment will help place them on the path to self-sufficiency and restore the dignity of work. It’s the right thing to do for our people, just as it’s the right thing to do for American taxpayers.”
USDA administers 15 food and nutrition programs that total nearly $100 billion annually in spending. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) alone is responsible for $70 billion each year.
For more information, read the USDA news release online.
Farmers and Lenders Urge Congress
to Protect Loan Funding for Beginning Farmers
On April 11 the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) joined with a broad coalition of farm organizations — including National Farmers Union, Rural Advancement Foundation International, and the National Young Farmers Coalition, among others — and agricultural lenders on a letter urging Congress to oppose a proposed across-the-board increase to Farm Service Agency (FSA) loan limits in the upcoming Farm Bill. The 19 signatories caution Congress that such an increase would seriously threaten beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers’ ability to access FSA loans, and urge that they take a more prudent and targeted approach.
“Congress’ first priority when considering possible changes to FSA loan programs should be to do no harm,” said Juli Obudzinski, deputy policy director at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. “FSA is the lender of first opportunity and last resort for family farmers and ranchers, and Congress should be doing everything in their power to ensure that this critical source of funding remains accessible to our most in-need producers.”
Discussions about whether and how to change FSA lending programs have increased on Capitol Hill over the last few years as commodity prices have remained low, and Congress has struggled to find better risk management solutions for farmers.
Learn more in the full news release online.
Livestock Feed Cost Trends
Hog feed costs so far in 2018 have traced a path similar to a year go. Winter quarter hog ration cost is almost the same as in the prior winter and was up 5% from the last quarter of 2017. Poultry rations during the first quarter increased by 8% from the last quarter of 2017 and were 3% higher than a year earlier due to the higher proportion of soybean meal in these rations vs. hog feed formulations.
Hay prices have followed contrasting paths depending on the type of hay. Alfalfa hay prices received by farmers, as reported by USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service (NASS) for January and February were 21% higher than a year earlier, which is a tough pill to swallow for dairy farmers that require a higher quality of hay when prices for milk have been plunging. Prices for other types of hay, mostly suitable for beef cattle are only up 3% from a year ago.
Corn prices started out the year nearly identical to a year earlier, but began to post increases by late February and early March.
Read the full report online at www.dailylivestockreport.com.
April 19 Webinar by Genetics Experts to
Give Cattlemen Guidance on Creating the Best Herd
This year’s edition of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Cattlemen’s Genetics Webinar Series comes to a close April 19, with a special presentation that puts a focus on honing bull selection. The NCBA teamed up with six genetics specialists from across the country to offer this series, which kicked off Jan. 18.
The Genetics Webinar Series was designed for producers who would benefit from genetics knowledge, from the experienced seedstock breeder to someone who might be new to the cattle industry and needs to better understand genetics. It is being coordinated by the NCBA producer education team. Earlier webinars were “The 4 S’s of Crossbreeding: Simple, Structured, Successful and Sustainable,” “Show Me the Money! Are there EPDs for Profit?,” and “Fake News: EPDs Don’t Work.” These webinars can be accessed at www.NCBA.org under the Producer Education tab.
Titled “Putting the Tools to Use: Buying Your Next Bull,” the April 19 webinar puts the genetic concepts covered in the first three seminars to work, as attendees will go to a virtual bull sale and select the best bull from a sale catalog for two distinct production scenarios.
For more information, read this NCBA news release online.
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