Volume XV Number 1 • February 2007
Table of Contents

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Editor's Desk
The National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) has been conducted every five years since 1991. Each audit report is a “snapshot” of the industries quality status and evaluates what producers have done to improve quality.. ...Read the Story...

Kernel Processed Earlage...a Powerful feed
Cattle feeders have a renewed interest in ear corn silage, commonly called “earlage,” because it is now “improved” with kernel processing. This high energy grain and the valuable roughage from the cobs make it an outstanding feedstuff for many feeders. Cattle feeders are not only learning the advantages of the material handling of this harvesting method, but also the benefit as part of the feeding program. The Christensen Partners of Weldona, Colorado, with over 30 years of experience of harvesting and feeding earlage, have found the kernel processed earlage system is more efficient for both harvesting their own grain and neighbors corn than processing at the silo. Eric Christensen, one of the partners, says the earlage is a powerful feed for their cattle. . ....Read the Story...

Retail Beef Prices to Hold Steady in 2007
Consumers can look forward to steady retail beef prices in 2007 as beef demand levels out and cattlemen continue to produce adequate supplies of beef. . ...Read the Story...

Determining "Fair" Pay
Sometimes employees have a hard time understanding the challenge of setting a competitive and fair wage. I once had an employee tell me that he could make a lot more money working as a welder at the local semi-trailer manufacturer. I suggested that he go and take that job, since he would be better off. His response? “Are you kidding, I don’t want to work in all that smoke, and I don’t even know how to weld!” We talked. He continued working at his current pay.. ...Read the Story...

Getting a Handle on Grade
Feeding Quality Forums in North Platte, Neb., and Amarillo, Texas, last November shed light on many of the factors that play a role in delivering higher quality beef to consumers. Opening remarks by cosponsoring Feed•Lot magazine editor Robert Strong set the stage by noting how far technology has advanced....Read the Story...

Searching for Yield Signs -- Online Yield Calculator Can Help
Beef producers now have an online calculator to help estimate subprimal yields and their approximate values, based on current market prices, before their cattle go to market, according to NCBA. The new resource, called the Beef Cutout Calculator (a featured link at www.beefresearch.org), is funded by the beef checkoff and designed by faculty and graduate students at Colorado State University (CSU).   . ...Read the Story...

Understanding Vaccines
Are you following protocols to maximize your calf vaccination results? Here’s a checklist of strategies to consider.. ....Read the Story...

Feeding Efficiency -- Change in the Beef Industry
“If we take new information and adjust our methods of operation, we have changed.” This is not a direct quote from Henry Gardiner but it is exactly what Gardiner Angus Ranch, Ashland, Kansas has done. ......Read the Story...

The Time Has Come
The beef industry has known for years that marketing fed cattle on a live basis leaves much efficiency to be gained. Now it is possible to gain inside information through DNA technology for a growing list of traits of economic importance. A new era of beef production has indeed arrived. . ....Read the Story...

Treason, Heresy and Sedition
Well, if that title doesn't pique your interest, nothing will! Here goes:
We are in the CATTLE business.
We are NOT in the beef business....Read the Story...

Plains Nutrition Council Sets Meeting
The spring conference of the Plains Nutrition Council will be March 29-30, 2007. There is a change in the location from previous years. This year it will be held at the Marriott Plaza in San Antonio, Texas....Read the Story...

Where are Corn Prices Headed
How high will corn prices go this spring and summer and will they plummet when the 2007 harvest gets underway, as they did in 1996? Comparing the two years for similarities and differences might shed some light on what’s likely to happen this year. ...Read the Story...

Don't Overlook Safety During Busy Times
With the fall run of cattle well underway, agricultural operations might unknowingly cut corners in safety in order to get the job done. Although this is probably not intentional, when employees are busy, they sometimes overlook the obvious when it comes to safety. . ....Read the Story...

The "Risks" in High Risk Cattle
The term high risk cattle is nearly as old as the feeding industry itself and yet its definition or components are vague to many. While we could probably get agreement in the general definition that high risk denotes an expectation of an increased animal health challenge, we would find divergence if asking questions such as “Which cattle are high risk?” or “What are the costs associated with high risk cattle?”. ...Read the Story...

BVD: Why Biotype Matters
When veterinarians discuss bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) virus with producers, they often talk about the two different genotypes – BVD Type 1 and BVD Type 2. The two BVD biotypes – noncytopathic (NCP) and cytopathic (CP) – are seldom mentioned. Yet, the NCP biotype causes greater than 90 percent of BVD outbreaks. ....Read the Story...

Winter Herd Health Problems May Be Controlled with Good Nutrition
The cold, muddy, rainy conditions brought on by “Old Man Winter” often exacerbate the potential for health problems in cattle. Winter weather presents a two-fold problem in regard to nutrition and animal health. . . ....Read the Story...

Cows May Need High Concentrate Diets this Winter
After this summer’s drought and hard winter, many cattle producers may have trouble finding enough hay to last all winter. . ...Read the Story...

Top Quality Beef Starts with Potential
In a Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) research review, vice president Larry Corah and supply development director Mark McCully note the effect of genetic selection on carcass quality. . ....Read the Story...