John Maday
Cattle on feed down 6 percent
Friday’s USDA Cattle on Feed report shows February 1 inventories in U.S. feedlots with 1,000-head capacity or more at 11.1 million head, down 6 percent from a year earlier. January placements, however, gained 6 percent over those during January 2012. January marketings also moved upward, showing a 6 percent increase over those during January last year.
FULL STORY »
New BSE status should boost exports
Earlier this week, the Scientific Commission for the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) notified USDA it is recommending the United States’ BSE risk be upgraded from “controlled” to “negligible,” the lowest risk level in the OIE’s rating system.
FULL STORY »
USDA projects higher beef exports
The USDA’s Trade Outlook report, released February 21, projects U.S. exports of agricultural products for fiscal year 2013 up $6.2 billion from FY2012. The report raises the forecast for FY 2013 livestock, poultry, and dairy products by $300 million to a record $30.1 billion, with gains in poultry and beef outweighing reductions in pork.
FULL STORY »
Ag Secretary responds to AMI regarding inspector furloughs
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack still argues that some USDA meat inspection will need to shut down if Congress does not act to prevent sequestration by March 1. Earlier this month, several livestock organizations including NCBA and the American Meat Institute (AMI) challenged Vilsack’s announcement that severe budget cuts would require the agency to temporarily furlough meat inspectors from some plants.
FULL STORY »
Number of U.S. farm operations continues to decline
The number of U.S. farms and acreage in farmland continued to decline in 2012, although larger operations grew in number and acreage according to an annual report from the USDA. The number of beef-cow operations, listed at 729,000, was down by 1 percent, and dairy, swine, sheep and goat operations also declined somewhat.
FULL STORY »
New farm Cats
At the NCBA trade show in Tampa, Caterpillar representative Jason Becker shows off the company’s latest lines of loaders and skid-steer machines for use on feedyards and ranches.
FULL STORY »
Stop BVD
Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) remains one of the costliest of cattle diseases, and a persistently infected (PI) animal can cause devastating losses at any production stage. To address the problem at a national level, NCBA has teamed with Animal Profiling International, launching a BVD surveillance program during the Cattle Industry Convention in Tampa. The program offers BVD testing at a reduced rate of $2.25 per head for NCBA members with no minimum.
FULL STORY »
Get BQA certified – for free
Anytime is a good time to undergo Beef Quality Assurance training and certification, but the next few weeks offer a perfect time for you, your family members and employees to obtain or renew your BQA certificate. That’s because Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc (BIVI) has partnered with the BQA program to offer the training at no cost to participants through March 15.
FULL STORY »
A little goes a long way.
The relationships between animal nutrition, health and performance are complex, and scientists continue to discover new interactions. We know, however, that small amounts of key nutrients can make a big difference. At the NCBA trade show in Tampa, we sat down with Troy Wistuba, beef research manager for Novus International to discuss some of those interactions.
FULL STORY »
Creative beef cutting
As beef-carcass weights get heavier, processors need to change the way they fabricate some cuts to provide appropriate portion sizes while retaining palatability and preferred cooking methods.
FULL STORY »
NCBA accomplishments and challenges
At the Cattle Industry Convention in Tampa, outgoing NCBA president J.D. Alexander discusses the organization’s achievements over the past year and his plans for the future.
FULL STORY »
- Commentary: New rules un-COOL
- Former Eastern Livestock CEO, CFO sentenced for federal crimes
- TSCRA works with sale barns to catch Houston cattle thief
- More beef cows in worst drought regions than a year ago
- Post-tornado composting a solution for disposal of dead livestock
- NASA backs 3D food printer to feed growing population
