|
Volume
XIV Number 5 • Sept/Oct 2006
Table of Contents
To
read any of these articles in their entirety,
download
the complete issue of Feed•Lot Magazine
by clicking on this link.
File size: 7 MB -- Please be patient...
Broadband download time: approx. 2 minutes; Dailup: 17 minutes
Editor's
Desk
I recently attended the Cargill Nutrition Conference in Souix
City, Iowa. One of the topics of discussion was Cargill’s
new system to more correctly balance the protein requirements
of beef cattle. This system is very interesting and has the
potential to fine tune rations for better performance and
profitability.
Here’s a little information we gathered at the Conference
on the Max™ Beef Nutrition System..
...Read
the Story...
BVD:
What's All the Fuss About? Part 2
BVD can be spread many ways, mainly by direct contact between
an infected animal and a susceptible one. It can also be spread
by breeding. Reduced conception rates have been reported in
otherwise healthy cows bred to (or inseminated with semen
from) persistently infected bulls. Bulls affected with acute
BVD may shed the virus in semen for a time after being infected.
BVD infection at time of breeding can result in reduced pregnancy
rates due to embryo or fetal loss. .. .
...Read
the Story...
Making
the Math Work
This one is going to be short and sweet, folks. Please
consider the following prices out of Kansas, the week of July
24-28: Fat steers, weighing an average of 1300 pounds are
selling for $79.50. So, 1300# X 0.7950 = $1033.50 Great. 1000#
steers are selling for an average of $105.50 that same week
in Kansas. 1000# X $1.0550 = $1055.00 I am perpetually shocked
that this has to be explained, but here goes: We CAN NOT pay
more today for ten-weight steers than we are receiving for
finished steers going out of the yard today. THAT DOESN’T
WORK. .
...Read
the Story...
Living
Up to Potential Starts Early
Getting cattle to hit the higher quality grades takes effort
at every link in the production system. From the cow-calf
producer to the feedlot, all must be quality conscious for
cattle to gain premiums on a value-based grid. ...Read
the Story...
Producers
Should be Wary of Nitrate Possibility in Corn
This year
many dryland cornfields will not produce enough grain to warrant
combining costs. These fields, however, represent opportunities
for cattlemen for silage, hay or grazing, a Kansas State University
animal scientist said.....Read
the Story...
Adjust
Feeding Times to Regulate Body Temperature
Though it has been little studied, the negative effects of
an inconsistent feeding schedule in feedlots have been known
for years. In a recent study where one farmer-feeder’s
irregular feeding times were replicated, South Dakota State
University (SDSU) found average daily gain was reduced by
a quarter of a pound. ...Read
the Story...
Calves
vs. Yearlings -- Feeding Programs
Cattle feedlots in the past have preferred to purchase and
feed yearling cattle rather than calves. There were many reasons,
but the two most important were: (1) the difference in price
of the calves and (2) the death loss from calves may be higher
than yearlings. . ...Read
the Story...
Mid-Year
Cattle Report Positive for Producers
The mid-year cattle inventory report recently released by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture suggested beef cow numbers
slightly increased during the past 12 months. The twice-yearly
report establishes the size of the U.S. cow herd......Read
the Story...
Reaching
Hispanic Beef Customers
Hispanics are the fastest growing demographic in the nation,
accounting for 12 percent of the U.S. population. As the Hispanic
population continues to increase so does the need for Spanish-language
resources.: . .
...Read
the Story...
Key
Senators Urge Tax Relief for Drought-Stricken Cattlemen
Once again, cattle producers are dealing with drought and
wildfire conditions that have wreaked havoc on their family-owned
businesses for years.....Read
the Story...
Training
Cattle for Easier Handling
Cattle can be readily trained for ease of handling. They are
adaptable, and have excellent memories. They never forget
a bad experience; you can “ruin” a cow or a herd
for future ease of handling if you abuse them or destroy their
trust.. ...Read
the Story...
Course
Focuses on Management Issues
From drought to high fuel and fertilizer prices, beef producers
learned more about maintaining profitability at the 52nd Texas
A&M Beef Cattle Short Course, said coordinator Dr. Jason
Cleere... ....Read
the Story...
Shifts
in Cattle Grading Choice Drive Changes in Choice-Select Spread
One of the surprises of 2006 has been the fact that the Choice-Select
spread remained so strong into early summer. The reason it’s
surprising is the Choice-Select price spread normally weakens
sharply in late spring and early summer. The Choice-Select
spread normally follows a strong seasonal pattern, meaning
that it tends to follow a pattern that repeats from one year
to the next. A seasonal index of the Choice-Select spread
helps illustrate this. ..
...Read
the Story...
BSE
Testing Program Reduced
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will soon begin transitioning
to an ongoing Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) surveillance
program that will sample approximately 40,000 animals each
year. USDA will continue to collect samples from a variety
of sites and from the cattle populations where the disease
is most likely to be detected, similar to the enhanced surveillance
program procedures. ...Read
the Story...
Revisiting
Roughage
The 2006-2007 marketing year is shaping up to be the most
expensive roughage year in decades. The scenario began with
record setting range fires in the spring of 2006. More than
a million acres burned in the Texas Panhandle alone. There
were also significant losses in Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska.
These fires not only consumed countless tons of standing forage,
but also wiped out hay supplies. Prices jumped $40-$50/ton
and the situation became very much “hand-to-mouth.”
As we moved toward summer and new crop supplies, widespread
drought has curbed production. Hay production will be down
and drought-stressed row crops will also produce lower silage
yields. More than 95,000 acres of cotton have already been
abandoned in Texas and the burrs and hulls that would have
been produced are lost. . . ...Read
the Story...
Dealing
with Disgruntled Employees
Sometimes, even good employees begin to complain about everyday
issues. These are not the “Chronic Complainers”
who always have a gripe about something, like the feed truck
driver who begged for a new feed truck, then when the feedlot
bought one he complained about the “hassle” of
having to program his favorite radio stations. . . ...Read
the Story...
Vet
Clinic Embraces New Trend
Thought about looking into a different means of recordkeeping
for your livestock? Electronic identification may be the way
to go. Once the wave of the future, electronic identification,
or EID, also known as RFID (radio frequency identification),
is now becoming a trend of the present. . ...Read
the Story...
Checkoff
Foodservice Partnership Looks Golden
A checkoff-funded foodservice promotional partnership is now
underway at Golden Corral Buffet and Grill, a 480-plus –
unit U.S. restaurant chain that last year sold more than 50
million pounds of beef — its biggest beef year ever.
Based on the first 30 days of this promotion, the chain expects
to increase its purchase of top sirloin by 3. 8 million pounds
through the end of 2006, according to Dick Chase, Golden Corral’s
vice president of purchasing and distribution. . .
...Read
the Story...
|
