Volume XV Number 3 • May/June 2007
Table of Contents

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Editor's Desk -- This is Not Your Grandfather's Cow!
One of the most significant changes in the cattle industry has taken place without explosive notice. Several sources can now offer services for genotyping.
In releases by Merial about their Igenity® program, Igenity recently completed a 50,000 head cattle genotyping project.. ...Read the Story...

Fly Control in Feedlots Requires Integrated Approach
Spring and summer usher in a new season of cattle growth, and along with that, a new season of flies. Although flies can sometimes seem as resolute as death and taxes, feedlot owners can gain ground in pest control – and reduce economic loss – by utilizing comprehensive tactics. . ....Read the Story...

Producing, Marketing Natural Beef Takes Research, Time
Natural Beef. Take a stroll down the meat isle of your supermarket, and you’re likely to see some packages with the “All Natural Beef” label. Like it or not, natural beef is a growing market.
According to the Ag Marketing Resource Center (AgMRC), industry experts estimated there were a total of 375,000 to 425,000 head of cattle in the United States who fit the natural product regime just one year ago. And more and more producers are taking note. Increasingly, the buzz words, “eligible for an all natural program” are seen as part of the description on lot loads of cattle on internet and video sales nationwide... . ...Read the Story...

No Need to Reimplant -- Coming Soon
One of my oldest cowboy friends is Albert Gwyn of Plains Feeders, Burlington, Colorado. “It will be nice if we didn’t have to reimplant,” he said with excitement in his voice when I explained about the new time delay implant Revalor-XS developed by Intervet. .. ...Read the Story...

Cattlemen Voice Concerns About Riding Feed Costs
As corn prices rise due to increased demand, livestock producers across the country are hurting and struggling to find reliable and affordable sources of animal feed. Ernie Morales, a cattle feeder and rancher from southwest Texas told members of Congress in April how cattle producers are trying to deal with impacts of drought, wildfires, winter storms, transportation challenges, shortage of hay and forage, and soaring corn prices......Read the Story...

Parasites Rob Gain, Grade, Profits
Parasites may be little, but they can cause big problems for beef producers. Gary Sides, nutritionist for Pfizer Animal Health, said the pests cut profits in many cattle operations.
“ When you look at parasites from a nutritionist’s standpoint, they do two things that are really detrimental: depress feed intake and depress digestibility of the feed cattle do consume,” he said.   . ...Read the Story...

Distillers Grain...Kansas Cattlemen's Day Report
Cattle people have learned distiller’s grains work in many programs. Research trials at Kansas State University were outlined at the 2007 Cattlemen’s Day “Distillers Grain Symposium.” Details are available at www.asi.ksu/cattlemanday or by contacting the extension staff at KSU... ....Read the Story...

Proper Maintenance and Cleaning Helps Control Stable Flies in Pasture
Spring and early summer populations of stable flies in pastures develop at winter feeding sites of hay, according to Alberto Broce, livestock entomologist with Kansas State University.
In the March edition of Beef Tips, Broce said when hay wasted during feeding is mixed with cattle or horse manure it develops into ideal larval habitats for stable flies. The production of stable flies from these habitats is a function of the amount of wasted hay and the accumulation of the hay/manure medium. .......Read the Story...

Preventing Bad Hires
It occasionally happens. The job applicant comes in, has a good attitude, answers all our questions, appears to have a good level of experience and our “gut” tells us that this person will work out fine. Unfortunately, three weeks later we realize they aren’t reliable, they don’t know which end of the steer goes in the head gate, and all that experience they talked about must have been in their dreams.
We wonder where we went wrong. Our history in hiring people proves that our gut is a pretty good indicator, but what happened this time? . . .....Read the Story...

IBR Prevention -- Better Health, Lower Costs
It is estimated that 37.8 percent of adult cattle have encountered Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis or IBR with some resulting titer present, and 59.5 percent of all cattle operations have Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis titers present. Cattle with IBR titers can be carriers, with the potential to devastate a feedlot by rapidly spreading the disease. Odds are that every load of cattle you buy comes with some IBR carriers.. ....Read the Story...

Will the Choice-Select Price Spread Set a New Record in 2007?
The Choice-Select spread is an important determinant of returns for many carcass merit pricing systems. As a result, it’s important for cattle feeders to be able to anticipate changes in the spread over time to optimize their feeding regimen. Changes in the price spread over time can be indicative of shifts in supply of Choice vs. Select beef, shifts in demand for Choice vs. Select beef, or a combination of the two. And, over longer periods of time, the spread reflects changes in the cost of producing Choice vs. Select beef. Increases in the cost of producing Choice beef, relative to Select beef, are expected to yield an increase in the Choice-Select price spread. And that could be the case in 2007.. ....Read the Story...

Pasture to Plate Cooperation Needed to Please Consumers
A good eating experience for the consumer is the result of efforts across the entire beef industry.
“ We need to control things from the pasture to the plate if we expect to maintain beef quality,” says Fred Owens, Oklahoma State University professor emeritus and research scientist. Owens, with experience at each link in the chain, spoke at a Feeding Quality Forum, co-sponsored by Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) last fall.. ...Read the Story...

Cull Cow Pools Increase Profits
Selling cull cows through pools organized by the National Farmers Organization (NFO) can help cattlemen receive better prices. NFO’s program also helps producers receive premiums for age and source verified cows. . ....Read the Story...

Camp Cooley's New Programs Offer Customers Higher Profit Potential
Camp Cooley Beef of Franklin, Texas, is launching a new era in cattle marketing with two new innovative programs designed to create more profit opportunities for their customers. .. ...Read the Story...

Gain Efficiencies with DNA Technology
High feed costs and uncertain markets mean it’s more important than ever to maximize cattle performance and gain efficiencies at all points in the production chain.
Becoming a more efficient industry — or even individual operator — is no small task. However, with the help of new tools such as DNA profiling technology, it is possible. Until recently, producers and feedyard managers were not able to gain important performance and carcass information until late in an animal’s life. That meant inefficient cattle could produce several generations of subpar progeny before being culled from the herd or that feedyards invested money in feeding an inefficient animal that never had the potential to grade. ....Read the Story...