Beef Board CEO Focuses on Millennials, Moving Forward with Checkoff Contractors 

With the change in the fiscal year, Polly Ruhland, chief executive officer of the Cattlemen's Beef Board, has been looking back and looking forward. She has been examining what has worked over the past year and ways to make those efforts more productive in the future. She spoke at length with me at the Summer Beef Industry Conference in Denver. 

She said there are a number of tools at the beef board's disposal to evaluate plans brought by contractors for the coming year.   They include an industry scan and an overview of trends seen in the spring. One of the most helpful tools is the Beef Demand Determinant Study. Armed with as much information as they can get, she said the board tries to decide which programs should be continued and which new ones should be launched.  

In looking at last year, Ruhl said there are several success to be proud of and expanded into the coming year. She said one of the biggest successes was last year's advertising campaign which is carrying over into a new campaign this year.

"Producers have probably not had a lot of chance to see that campaign yet, it's just rolling out now and I'm very excited about it because it takes a new target in older Millennials with children. We know the Millennial Generation is going to be extremely important and this campaign is targeted directly at those folks who are making family meal decisions."

Ruhland said another program that has proven to be very effective for beef producers is the focus on value cuts.

"The beef value cuts are something I always mention because beef value cuts starting with the muscle-profiling research years ago and continuing to roll out new value cuts always adds value to the carcass which returns dollars to producers' pockets." 

Click here to listen to our conversation or read more.

FMD Research Continues Ahead of Plum Island Closure

Work continues on a new foot and mouth vaccine ahead of the planned closure of the Plum Island Animal Disease Center.

 After seven years of research, Agricultural Research Service and Department of Homeland Security scientists developed the world's first molecular foot and mouth vaccine.  It is considered the most significant FMD development in 50 years.

Last June, the USDA granted a conditional license for the new foot and mouth vaccine for use in cattle. 

"This new vaccine-if and when needed-will further ensure food security and livestock production security in the United States." said Edward Knipling, administrator for the ARS.

Scientists estimate it could cost anywhere from $54 million to $690 million to control even a small FMD outbreak-and that doesn't even consider the approximately $4 billion annual loss in export sales of U.S. beef.

Testing on the vaccine still needs to be done, but that is expected to be undertaken at the new National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility under construction in Manhattan, Kansas. Of course, that facility is a LONG way from completion- a recent estimate I saw suggested 2020.

Click here to read more or to listen to an audio version of this story.

Are You Ready for the Fall-calving Season? 

Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Emeritus Extension Animal Scientist, writes in the latest Cow-Calf newsletter:  

Fall-calving season is just around the corner. In fact, the start of the fall calving season may be closer than many producers realize. Now is the time to get the calving kit ready and make certain that the calving shed is clean, in good operating condition, and ready for business.  

Oklahoma State University physiologists studied early fall (August) and late fall (October) calving cows. Data from two successive years were combined for 50 Angus X Hereford crossbred cows. The "early" and "late" fall calving cows had been artificially inseminated in early November or early January, respectively. Semen from the same sire was used for all cows. All cows were exposed to a single cleanup bull for 35 days at 4 days after the AI season. The weather prior to calving was significantly different for late pregnancy in the two groups. The average maximum temperature the week before calving was 93 degrees F. for the "early" fall group. The average maximum temperature the week before parturition in the "late" calving group was 66 degrees F. There was a 100% survival rate for calves in both groups and both groups of cows had very high re-breeding rates (90% and 92%, respectively). The average gestation length for the "early" cows was 6 days shorter (279 days) as compared to the "late" cows (285 days) in year one.

You can read more from Glenn Selk by clicking here. 

Important Crop Insurance Dates for Oklahoma Winter Canola Producers

Oklahoma farmers intending to plant winter canola this fall should remember the following important dates for obtaining crop insurance sponsored by the USDA's Risk Management Agency.

 Final date for obtaining winter canola crop insurance is August 31, 2013. To be eligible for crop insurance and to establish a good stand, winter canola should be planted between September 10 and October 10. Canola planted earlier in this 30 period usually gets off to a better start, according to research conducted by Oklahoma State University agronomists.

 Production reporting deadline for the 2013-14 canola crop is 45 days after August 31. 2013. 

Click here to read more of this article.

Parents Projected to Spend $241,080 to Raise a Child Born in 2012, According to USDA Report

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its annual report, Expenditures on Children by Families, also known as the Cost of Raising a Child. The report shows that a middle-income family with a child born in 2012 can expect to spend about $241,080 ($301,970 adjusted for projected inflation*) for food, shelter, and other necessities associated with child-rearing expenses over the next 17 years. This represents a 2.6 percent increase from 2011. Expenses for child care, education, health care, and clothing saw the largest percentage increases related to child rearing from 2011. However, there were smaller increases in housing, food, transportation, and miscellaneous expenses during the same period. The 2.6 percent increase from 2011 to 2012 is also lower than the average annual increase of 4.4 percent since 1960. 

"As the economy continues to recover, families are naturally cost conscious. This report gives families with children a greater awareness of the expenses they are likely to face," said USDA Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Under Secretary Kevin Concannon. "The report is also a valuable resource for courts and state governments in determining child support guidelines and foster care payments."

You can read more by clicking here.

President Signs Executive Order Seeking Ammonium Nitrate Regulations?

An executive order signed this month by President Barack Obama directs federal agencies to examine "new options" to address the safe storage of ammonium nitrate.

The order directs the secretaries of Homeland Security, Labor and Agriculture to develop a list of potential regulatory and legislative proposals within 90 days for the safe storage, handling and sale of ammonium nitrate.

Regulations governing the safety of ammonium nitrate fertilizer storage currently fall under a patchwork of regulation, the head of the Chemical Safety Board told a June 27 Senate panel called in the wake of the April 17 explosion at a West, Texas fertilizer distribution center that killed 15 and flattened most of the town.

The order also directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to identify a list of chemicals "including poisons and reactive substances" that could be added to the list of substances covered by the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program, a DHS effort to have private sector chemical facility operators adopt security controls. CFATS has come under considerable congressional skepticism for its slowness and what critics say is inadequate risk methodology. 

You can read the full story and find links to the executive order and a fact sheet by clicking here.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Considering Changing Protocols They Demand of Beef Suppliers Regarding Antibiotics 

Chipotle Mexican Grill may change its standards to allow beef treated with antibiotics into its restaurants. The restaurant chain known for its burritos has long touted its use of naturally raised meat. Chipotle is evaluating the use of meat from cattle treated with antibiotics because of an illness. Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said the company still wouldn't use beef from animals given antibiotics to prevent disease and promote weight gain. According to Co-Chief Executive Officer Steve Ells - many experts believe animals should be allowed to be treated if they are ill and remain in the herd. Ells says Chipotle is willing to consider this change - but will evaluate what is best for Chipotle's customers, suppliers and the animals. 

According to a news release on the Chipolte website- "At this time, Chipotle's protocol allows the use of antibiotics to treat sick animals, but those animals must be removed from Chipotle's supply. The company is currently evaluating if this strict "never-ever" antibiotic protocol is best for the animals, or whether animals can be treated when necessary and allowed to remain in the herd."

To read the full release about where this fast food chain is on antibiotics these days- click here.

I do wonder about the thought process on a policy like this one-  if you started carrying this out to the extreme- you might have to start firing anyone who works for you if they had ever used antibiotics to fight an infection- or perhaps start throwing out customers who admit they have ever used antibiotics as well- it's kinda a slippery slope and I think that brown stuff you are sliding down looks a lot like the fabled Mount Hitch, which Paul Hitch used to talk about as a Panhandle Tourist Attraction  which would be built from the by products of the family's feedyards. Oh well- that's a discussion for another day!