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Click here for our coverage of the 2007 Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show in Nashville.

On this page- we will be featuring coverage of the 2008 Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show in the Biggest Little City in the World-
Reno!!!!

February 11- We have the full audio segment (about 6 minutes) of the special recognition provided to Paul Hitch of Guymon for this years of service to the cattle industry and the NCBA. Click here to listen to our recorded tribute to Paul, followed by remarks by NCBA President John Queen, Terry Stokes and finally Paul himself in response.

From this past Friday- here’s Colin Woodall of the NCBA Washington staff- and his take on the farm bill follies in Washington...

February 9- Here’s a news release from NCBA on some of their policy initiatives as they wrapped up their annual meeting. They first included policy that would have had the organization on record for an increase from one dollar up to two dollars per head as a checkoff- but on Saturday, they dropped the specific dollar amount of increase they would see as an objective. Click here to read more about the policy actions of the Saturday meetings of the NCBA...

February 8 10:00 am-The NCBA honored Paul Hitch for his service to the cattle industry this morning and Paul was here and gave a brief response- truly classic Paul Hitch! Click and listen- it will bless you.
The group also heard on this Friday morning from Ed Schafer, the brand new Secretary of Agriculture in his first policy address since assuming the office. He told reporters that he is hopeful that the new South Korean President will help open that market fully to US beef. Click and take a listen to his answer.
Secretary Schafer was also asked about the downer cattle video that has been touted by the Humane Society of the US- specifically he was asked if it damages consumer confidence in the safety of our food supply- he said there is damage but assures all who will listen that this is not about food safety- it is about the humane treatment of animals- and this group did not lived up to  their responsibility of their name- to make sure animals did not suffer. Click and listen to his comments on the negligence of the HSUS.

February 8- Howdy Neighbors and Good morning to you!!! We continue our coverage of the NCBA and Cattle Industry meeting today with Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer coming to Reno to make an appearance.
“As Far as the Eye Can See” That’s the terminology that Greg Doud used as we talked about high grain prices- perhaps the subject at this year’s Cattle Industry Convention. In fact, Doud says that the corn price is not really the leader right now- it’s demand for soybeans that will end up stealing acres from corn this year- making it necessary to get a lot of those acres back in 2009.And he adds that if we have a weather problem in 2008- all bets are off on how high prices could get.With that said, the implication that Doud is saying is that the Bob Stallman explanation from New Orleans that this imbalance that is causing corn prices to be high right now is not an inbalance, it’s the new playing field as he points out that corn futures are above $5 a bushel way out into the 2010 time frame- almost “as far as the eye can see.”  He seems to be saying the old adage “high prices cure high prices” may not be applicable.Seems to me that has implications in farm policy as written by the Congress…Click here to listen to a part of my conversation with Greg Doud, Chief Economist of NCBA

February 7 7 pm- Region IV of the NCBA held their caucus and elected Ford Drummond of Pawhuska as the new Region IV Vice President for the coming year. They also passed a resolution honoring Paul Hitch for this service to the beef cattle business.

February 7 4 pm- From today’s Cattlefax Market Outlook Seminar- here’s the audio of Art Douglas of Creighton and where he sees weather going now through summer- all under the influence of La Nina. Click and listen.

February 7 at 10:30 am- We ran into the AFR delegation as the Cattlefax Market Outlook seminar wrapped up and here’s our conversation with President of the group Ray Wulf- click and take a listen!

February 7 10:00 am- We have just got out of the Cattlefax Market Outlook Seminar- and everything said in that session came back around to feed grains. We have three audio hunks for you to listen to from Kevin Good of the Cattlefax staff, click on each segment for his audio comments- First of all, Kevin Good offered his Fed Cattle market outlook calling for an average fed cattle price in 2008 of $92 to $94 dollars per hundred with a range of $85 to $102 during the year.
Good then turned his attention to Feeder cattle market predicting an average for a 750 pound steer of $104, with a range of $94 to $116.
Finally, Good gives us the Cattlefax guess on Calf prices- expecting an average of $115 this year and a range of $110 to $125.

February 6- 9 pm- Here’s our final post of the day- a conversation that we had on this Wednesday with John Queen, current President of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Click here to listen to Ron and John talk about the HSUS Video caper, international trade and even comments by about Paul Hitch, who resigned this past fall from this post of President Elect to devote his full attention to battling cancer.

February 6 1:pm- Here is a sneak audio peek of the Beef Buzz for Thursday from the Cattle Industry Convention here in Reno- featuring comments from Rob Cannell of McDonalds USA- he is the Supply Procurement Manager in charge of securing beef and pork for the Golden Arches. He talked with producers here about being proactive in educating consumers about cattle production practices- as well as the huge question of cloning and how the fast food giant may come down on this issue. Click here to take a listen to our Thursday Beef Buzz from Reno with Ron and Rob.

February 6 midday- We covered a couple of the sessions of Cattlemen’s College this morning- and heard from Randy Blach of Cattlefax. on how to survive in this new world of the cattle business.Blach told producers that “The cattle cycle that we all grew up with is on life support.  It may well be gone.” He adds we are producing more beef with fewer cows and calls today’s beef production a result of a “technology cycle.”  He pointed out that cattle prices have lagged even as input costs have soared. Since 2000, Hay prices are up 58%, corn prices are 92% higher, the value of pasture is up 121%, crude oil is 152% higher but a 750 pound yearling steer ready to go into the feedlot is 23% higher.  Blach says that the way to counter higher costs is better marketing and grabbing what he calls in some cases “free money” by doing the book keeping that qualifies you for animals that are age and source verified. He adds the premiums are real in providing performance history on cattle, pre-conditioning weaned calves and checking out natural and premium programs.

February 6- Howdy Neighbors- it is VERY early here in Reno as I write this- but we are up getting some things in place for you before we go and cover the Cattlemen’s College for 2008. Last night, we sat down with Jay Truitt and had a wide ranging conversation with the Head of the Washington office for NCBA. We may highlight a few of things that Jay shared with us as the day goes by- but for now, we will allow you to take a listen to the full conversation- keeping in mind it was darn late as both of us were functioning well after our bed times. Click here to listen to Ron and Jay talk Beef issues from Reno!!!

February 5- Howdy Neighbors- we are here in Reno for the Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show. We caught up with a couple of Oklahomans on this day when most folks are just starting to get here. The American National Cattle Women have been holding a lot of their meetings today and we visited with Tammi Didlot of Oklahoma City who is one of the Oklahoma Cattlewomen who are going to be busy this summer and fall getting ready for the National Ambassador Competition that will be held this coming October in OKC. Click here to listen to our conversation with Tammi on this opportunity to showcase Oklahoma!

We also visited with Bob Drake who is one of the cattle producers who represents Oklahoma on the Cattlemen’s Beef Board. Bob says a couple of big topics is the future of the beef checkoff- it’s his opinion that we need a second dollar to make up for inflation of the past twenty years that has cut the value of the Dollar Per Head Beef Checkoff in half. Bob also talked with us about the video being promoted by the Humane Society of the US that shows serious animal abuse in one packing plant in California that processes mostly old dairy cows. Click here to listen to our conversation with Bob Drake on these issues.

We will be updating this page several times each day the rest of this week as the NCBA Convention unfolds. Check back often!!!

January 25- This morning, we are talking with Scott Dewald about the issues that Oklahoma cattle producers have on their mind with the 2008 convention now about ten days away! Click and listen to Ron and Scott!

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