Volume XVI Number 5 • Sept/Oct 2008
Table of Contents

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Editor's Desk
Cattlemen learned that a global view is required for the industry, according to speakers at the NCBA Cattle Industry Summer Conference. With the new trade agreement with South Korea, plus exploration of exports in other markets, beef exports continue to climb. The prospects for selling quality beef to the rest of the world is now a reality. Exports in May were up 32 percent over last year, and were the largest since 2003......Read the Story...

Replacing Corn with Corn C-Products -- Roughage a Key Factor
At Cargill’s 2008 Feedlot Seminar, Dr. Pablo Guiroy, nutrition scientist for Cargill Nutrition, discussed the importance of roughage when substituting corn with corn by-products in feedlot rations. He reminded cattle feeders that the first step is efficient use of corn by (1) proper feed processing, (2) use of implants, (3) feeding ionophores (Rumensin etc.) and (3) a balanced ration. ......Read the Story...

Understanding the Drying Cost of Distiller's Grain
As distiller’s grains are rapidly becoming available to cattle feeders across the Great Plains and the Midwest, the feeder is often faced with a choice of buying a wet product or a dry product. In order to make an intelligent decision, the feeder only needs to know the cost and dry matter of each product. In order to bargain effectively, however, the feeder should have a good general concept of what it will cost the plant to dry the wet product.. . . ...Read the Story...

Feedyard Finds Success with "White Cow Market"
With the increasing opportunities for profit in the White Cow market, cattlemen are taking note. Some feeders in the Tri-County Steer Carcass Futurity Cooperative feed out cows on high-concentrate rations for premiums offered in the White Cow market....Read the Story...

Cattlemen Join Forces at Conference to Address Industry Concerns
Members of NCBA voted to oppose government intervention in the renewable fuels marketplace and to support immediate efforts to significantly reduce the impacts of that intervention on the cattle industry. ......Read the Story...

New Direct Fed Microbial Combination by Lallemand
Micro-Cell Gold is a new combination direct fed microbial (DFM) developed by Lallemand. It was formulated to be fed with distillers grains and other feeds with a high content of hemicellulose. These include feedlot rations with distillers grains but also corn gluten feeds, according to Dr. Ryan Mass of Lallemand Animal Nutrition. Dr. Mass is Lallemand’s Beef Product Manager and is a livestock nutritionist and a former consultant... ...Read the Story...

Not Just Any Fat...
Marbling has become one of the least understood concepts in the beef-consuming world. No wonder, with all the competing and contradictory messages from “experts.” .......Read the Story...

Study Shows Parasite Control Pays
In hard economic times, cutting corners can become a rule instead of an exception. As the cattle industry faces rapidly rising input costs, producers should make every dollar count. According to a recent study from Iowa State University, one place producers cannot afford to cut is in their parasite control program. The study concluded that parasite control is the most economically important practice in beef production.. . .....Read the Story...

Market Notes
Record high live cattle futures prices are here, but is the cattle producer losing the demand battle? If we take a look at the relationship between cutout values of beef versus pork, we find that the ratio currently favors pork... .....Read the Story...

Reducing Energy Waste in the Feedyard
Block heaters are good, but can consume lots of electrical energy and need to be managed.
Concerning equipment that will be used daily, have a timer energize the power circuit an hour before people report to work. You can take this a step further by incorporating both a thermostat and a timer into the control circuit. That way you will turn on the block heaters at 6:00 a.m. if the outside temperature is below 40 degrees F, as an example.  ...Read the Story...

Consider Differences in a Variety of Weaning Systems
Weaning time is drawing near for cattle producers who calve in the late-winter season according to Eldon Cole, a livestock specialist with University of Missouri Extension. “Most will wean when the calves are between six and eight months of age,” said Cole.... ...Read the Story...

The New Labor Pool
Local retailers, manufacturers, medical offices and nearly all companies that recruit employees have one thing in common—they hire people that have no prior work experience. In fact, this has always been the case for these types of businesses. It was accepted as a normal part of the selection and training process that they had to teach each new entry-level employee everything they needed to know. ... ....Read the Story...

Feeding Quality Forum Dates Set
The 2008 Feeding Quality Forum, sponsored in part by Feed-Lot Magazine, is set for November 11 in North Platte, Neb., and November 13 in Amarillo, Texas. . ... ...Read the Story...

Saving Money on Stock Tank Deicers
It will soon be time to put the electric deicer back into the stock tank, but with energy costs on the rise, here are some ways to reduce your electric bill... ... ...Read the Story...

Use of Ultrasound with EPDs
If you’re looking for a new bull, likely you’ve plenty of homework ahead of you. Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) are still the only selection tool that truly allows a buyer to compare one sale catalog to the rest in the stack. Unfortunately, Carcass EPDs are not always readily available as you flip the pages from one lot to the next. So what do you do?.... ...Read the Story...