News Update
May 11, 2018
Transition from Feeding to Breeding
Many bulls purchased at a bull sale have been overfed to some degree and confined during their growing months. Now, they must suddenly adjust to being on pasture and breeding cows. Most of them need a little time to make the transition.
“The first step is to avoid buying a bull that is grossly overfat,” says John Kastelic, veterinarian and professor of cattle reproductive health at the University of Calgary. “He needs to be in reasonable condition, however, since bulls lose a lot of weight during their first breeding season, especially on extensive range pastures. If they are fairly active, they will easily drop 200 pounds or more. You don’t want them going out thin, especially if they are breeding cows early in the spring. That early grass looks lush and green, but has high water content and not enough dry matter,” he says.
You want the bull not too thin and not too fat, and on a mostly forage-based diet before you turn them out. It’s also wise to have bulls in a large enough area to get some exercise.
Continue reading this Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
WASDE 2018 and 2019 Beef/Pork Forecasts
Key highlights from the latest World Agricultural Supply Demand Estimates report:
Beef: USDA made some notable adjustments to its forecasts for 2018 beef production. Gone is the expected 10% jump in second quarter (Q2) beef production that was presented in the April report. Now USDA is forecasting Q2 production to be up 5.4% compared to the previous year. Some of this reflects the slower pace of slaughter in April. Production growth in third quarter (Q3) was revised from 4.3% to 2.9% while fourth quarter (Q4) was revised down from 5.1% to 4.9%. For the year, USDA now is forecasting beef production to be 27.278 billion pounds (lb.), some 424 million lb. less than the forecast presented a month ago. This volume represents a 3.9% increase from year-ago levels. Only minor adjustments were made to import/export forecasts, so the change in per capita consumption is largely driven by the downward revision in production forecasts. Currently USDA is forecasting 2018 per capita consumption on a retail basis to be 58.1 lb. per person, 1.5% less than in last month’s forecast but still 2.1% higher than a year ago.
Read the full report online at www.dailylivestockreport.com.
Danielle Beck Discusses Positive ‘Fake Meat’
Provisions in Pending Legislation
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) Beltway Beef podcast is ready for your listening pleasure and intellectual enrichment. This weekly commentary features NCBA members, leaders, staff and more every week.
This week, NCBA’s director of government affairs, Danielle Beck, discusses language in the U.S. House Agriculture Appropriations bill that would give the USDA jurisdiction over lab-grown “meat” products. She also discusses similar measures moving on the state legislative level in Missouri and Minnesota.
Secretary Perdue Announces Fourth ‘Back to Our Roots’ Tour
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will embark on his fourth “Back to Our Roots” tour next Monday, May 14, to hear ideas and concerns from local farmers, ranchers, producers, foresters, agriculture students, business owners, community leaders and USDA employees. The tour will last through Thursday and include stops in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska. During different segments of the tour, Perdue will be joined by New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture Jeff Witte, Colorado Agriculture Commissioner Don Brown, Wyoming Agriculture Director Doug Miyamoto, Nebraska Director of Agriculture Steve Wellman, and American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall.
“This tour is another great chance to escape Washington and meet face-to-face with America’s farmers, ranchers, producers and foresters,” Perdue said. “We want to take our message directly to the American people and give them an opportunity to express their ideas and concerns. As Congress and the administration continue their work on important issues like rural infrastructure, trade and the Farm Bill, USDA stands ready to give the agriculture community a voice.”
Secretaries Perdue and Zinke Join Forces
to Combat 2018 Wildfire Season
Perdue and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke May 10 hosted a fire briefing for members of Congress at the USDA to hear the forecast for this year’s wildfire season. Following the meeting, the secretaries sent a memorandum to wildland fire leadership highlighting the importance of inter-departmental collaboration to increase firefighter, public and community safety as the 2018 wildfire season approaches. The 2017 wildfire season was one of the most challenging years on record, stressing the need for the USDA and the Department of the Interior to work together in combating this year’s fires.
“As we begin this year’s fire season, we want to remind everyone that the protection of firefighters and public safety is the single highest priority in every fire-management activity and decision that we make,” Perdue and Zinke said. “Last year we lost 14 wildland firefighters who sacrificed their own lives to protect the lives of others, and that is something we hope to prevent this year.”
“Additionally, both departments will continue to collaborate to ensure all firefighting assets are being used in an efficient and effective manner.”
Read the full USDA news release online.
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