While technical negotiations wrap up between the United States and China regarding the protocols necessary for the exportation of beef, we are figuring out that American producers have one program already in place that can be used to address traceability concerns harbored by China's government. Beef Cattle Specialist Gant Mourer described to me recently, an age and source verification program used once before when Japan required younger cattle from the US, on fears of BSE in older carcasses. He says this could be easily rolled out once again to serve our new Chinese customers.


"Age and source verification was an extremely hot commodity," he said, explaining that the program eventually went by the wayside after Japan began accepting older cattle later on. "That may be the future of one traceability element - is to age and source verify those animals again."


Mourer says that it is difficult to determine what premiums such beef would bring, but he recalls prior cases of it demanding $4 to $5 per cwt. While this presents perhaps a great opportunity for producers, it would be an easy process to implement, too, with the infrastructure already established and many cattlemen familiar with it already.


"Really, if a producer wants to get involved in that," Mourer said, "they can call the Oklahoma Department of Ag and get a premise ID for their cattle. They can also use a phone audit, which is actually very simple to do to audit those calves with the age and source verification."


Listen to Mourer and I discuss the age and source verification program more in depth and how it could potentially help with the transition of supplying US beef to China, on yesterday's Beef Buzz - click here.

In an op-ed piece authored earlier this week by the folks at Farm Policy Facts, a steady uptick in new farm equipment sales has been attributed to optimism in the marketplace generated by discussions surrounding positive policy reform in Washington.

Recent talks alluding to the potential of tax and regulatory reform circulating around DC has apparently lifted spirits in rural areas enough that farmers and ranchers are taking the policy promises at their face value and are opting to upgrade their equipment.

With weak commodity prices weighing heavily on the rural economy, many experts are seeing this development as positive news, perhaps a signal that the ag economy is on the rise.

These experts agree that if Congress continues to work towards sound policy measures that bolster the attitudes of rural citizens, the momentum could stand the chance to keep building.

"It's a mixed bag out there right now,' explained Larry Combest, the former Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. "Good crops last year have helped many farmers out, but they are right on the edge and it is high stakes. A lot of guys are still struggling mightily with low prices and bad weather. Others are starting to see some improvement and despite detached budgets and the political flack, they are excited about what they're hearing in Washington."


Combest said one of the best ways to help all growers turn the tide is by combining legislative certainty on the farm policy front with lower taxes and continued reductions in regulatory burdens.


"We're gearing up for a new farm bill right now, and once again farm policy critics are looking to gut key safety net provisions like crop insurance and assistance that kicks in when prices fall,' he said. 'We need stronger policies right now, not weaker ones, and if lawmakers can provide that kind of certainty, farmers are poised for a comeback."

Consumers want to know more about what they're buying, and certainly what they're eating. There's a term for what they want to know.


"Credence attributes are those things that a consumer, when she picks up a product in the meat case, that she can't necessarily determine with a naked eye," said Leann Saunders, of Where Food Comes From Inc. "It moves beyond price and packaging and color of product to things like how are the animals treated, what was the environmental impact. All of those questions that consumers have today about how their food was grown and how it gets to them."

Ninety-five percent of people being removed from agriculture has increased demand for the full story, to the point that buyers will pay more for it. That gives producers a chance to put more dollars in their pockets.


"The great opportunity today we have in the beef industry is consumers want choices and they want transparency and they want information," she said. "So, there isn't one size fits all, so that provides great opportunity for each producer to really look and say, 'Okay, what do I want to do?'"


As a baseline, Saunders says proven, quality genetics are essential. Then it's about record keeping and opportunities to build.

Keep reading this story or watch a video clip featuring Leann Saunders, of Where Food Comes From Inc., on how she aims to help cattlemen get the most for their cattle through verified programs, by clicking over to our website.

A bill passed by Maryland's legislature makes the state the nation's second to ban routine use of antibiotics in livestock- joining California. The Keep Antibiotics Effective Act prohibits administration of antimicrobial drugs to cattle, swine and poultry that are not sick, a practice some public health experts claim can fuel the spread of drug-resistant bacteria. The law passed without the state's governor's signature and will go into effect on January first. 

The laws in Maryland and California go beyond U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines, which prohibit the use of antibiotics for growth promotion in animals. In 2015, Maryland ranked ninth among states in the number of broilers, or chickens raised for their meat, with 303 million birds produced, according to the Maryland Department of Agriculture. The state was also home to some 190,000 head of cattle, and more than 45,000 hogs and pigs.

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