Derrell Peel Says Lack of U.S. Cattle Data Beginning to Impact Markets

DataDerrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, writes in the latest edition of the Cow-Calf Newsletter:

The lack of federal government data collection has already impacted livestock markets. The impacts will grow exponentially if the situation persists for many more days. The most significant initial impacts are on business arrangements that base beef and cattle transactions on USDA price reports. While the "last available data" suffices for a few days, it becomes less and less valid with more time. Agricultural markets rely, to a much greater extent than most industries, on publically supported data collection and dissemination and for very good reason; there is tremendous public value in assuring smoothly functioning agricultural markets and reliable food supplies.

For the cattle market broadly, the impacts have not been too severe so far but will grow dramatically in the coming days. Not having the flow of daily and weekly data is like driving with no headlights into the ever-increasing blackness of twilight. Price determination becomes more uncertain and price discovery becomes more labored and inefficient in the growing vacuum of market information. The impacts of no data are many and widespread. Without price reports, cow-calf producers are uncertain of the value and market trends for calves; stocker producers cannot assess cattle markets in order to plan stocker purchases for winter grazing. Futures prices become less reliable and likely more volatile. Cash settled contracts, like the Feeder Cattle futures, will be unable to terminate properly without market reports. The lack of daily and weekly slaughter data makes it impossible to assess the impacts of withdrawing Zilmax from the market; or to assess indications of herd expansion with cow and heifer slaughter. The monthly Cattle on Feed report may be delayed, cancelled or decreased in accuracy, even if the shutdown is over before the release date because it is based on surveys that should be in progress at the current time. There are many more current examples and many more will arise if the situation persists. 

Click here for more from Derrell Peel.  

Dozens and dozens of people work to make successful junior livestock shows on the county, district, state and even national levels. When it comes to Oklahoma, there are a few individuals who rise to the top, especially those that work both at the Tulsa State Fair in the fall and at the Oklahoma Youth Expo in the spring.

One of those individuals is Jerry Fitch of Oklahoma State University. He was honored recently at the Tulsa State Fair. He has been working the fair now for 25 years. He says the years have passed quickly and it's his pleasure to do something of such importance for the youth of Oklahoma. 

"These young people are the future of agriculture. I grew up in the 4-H and FFA programs. Most of my colleagues that I work with and most of the individuals out there in farming and ranching grew up in the show program somewhere and it's where we got our start. And, basically, we are building the future leaders of agriculture with every one of these kids who comes through here."

You can read more of this story or listen to my conversation with Jerry by clicking here. 

DuPont Pioneer Agronomist Points Out What to Watch for During Harvest 

The bird's-eye view from the combine cab can give growers a better perspective for scouting crop health and evaluating field conditions. The season-long interaction between equipment, nature and management comes full circle at harvest and brings in a lot of information to consider and evaluate.

"Those hours on the combine give you an opportunity to pay close attention to field conditions while you have the time," says Kelli Bassett, DuPont Pioneer field agronomist. "While harvest marks the end of this season, it signals the transition to the next growing season and an opportunity to plan some changes for improved productivity."

Generally more productive soils produce healthier, robust stalks, bigger ears and higher yields. Less productive soils, such as areas with poor drainage, tend to produce spindly stalks along with smaller ears and reduced yields. Bassett has spent numerous hours evaluating fields with growers and has some suggestions about what to scout for from the combine cab.

Click here to read Bassett's recommendations.
 

Upcoming Symposium Focuses on Hoop House Utilization

High tunnel hoop houses are playing an increasingly important role in horticulture.

Hoop houses are low-cost, non-heated greenhouse structures used by hobby and market gardeners to extend the growing season and manage weather-related production risks. To help market and hobby gardeners better use these structures, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation will host a two-day Hoop House Symposium on Wednesday, Oct. 23, and Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013. This symposium will consist of a workshop on day one followed by a tour of local hoop house operations on day two.

"Hoop houses offer growers a multitude of advantages compared to traditional field culture," said Steve Upson, Noble Foundation horticulture consultant. "Hoop houses can extend the growing season for fruits and vegetables to provide marketing advantages. The houses can also reduce production risks associated with insect pests and diseases." 

You'll find more details about the seminar on our website.  Please click here to go there.  

Various Management Approaches Still Produce High-Marbling Calves, OSU Researcher Says

Stocker operators thrive on growing cattle on available feedstuffs. There's no one-size-fits-all plan. Even if they're aiming for a high-quality end target, Oklahoma State University researcher Clint Krehbiel says that's OK.

"I think the good news is, especially if you have really high-quality genetics, there are a lot of different management approaches that you can use to achieve those high quality grades."

The kind of forage doesn't make as much difference as total gain during the growing program.

"Live body weight going into the feedyard is the greatest predictor of a positive marbling score quality grade during closeout. And, so, the bottom line is trying to get the maximum gain out of those cattle during the stocker phase appears to be important to the final outcome-maybe more so than the type of forage that they've grazed or whether or not we supplemented with starch or some other energy source during the stocker phase."

You can watch the video version of this story or read more by clicking here.  

No-till on the Plains has scheduled its 18th Annual Winter Conference for January 28-29, 2014, in Bicentenntial Center, Salina, Kan. The program will feature Dwayne Beck, Dakota Lakes Research Station, Pierre, South Dakota, who will present the keynote address and also lead the Agriculture's Innovative Minds (AIM) Symposium on Thursday, January 30. Troy and Stacy Hadrick, Advocates for Agriculture, Faulkton, South Dakota, will be the featured keynote presenters.  (For more details, please click here.) 

Also on the immediate agenda for the No-till on the Plains group is finding a new director.  Applications are now being accepted through November 1, 2013.  

The primary duties and responsibilities of this position will be strategy and planning; financial management; program development and implementation; personnel management; communications, public relations, marketing; and support for the Board of Directors, Lloyd said.

Qualified candidates will have a bachelor's degree or equivalent; five or more years of progressive management experience; management and oversight of a staff; strong business acumen; verifiable profit and loss responsibility; have demonstrated ability to work effectively with a Board of Directors and multiple stakeholders; and have demonstrated sound business judgment and ability to work successfully with all levels of professionals, backgrounds, and perspectives.  (Click here for more information.) 

 This N That- Thousands of Cattle Die in South Dakota, Woodward  ARS Station Clebration Pushed Back and Ribeye Sales Go Great at Tulsa Fair 

The Rapid City Journal reports that "Tens of thousands of cattle lie dead across South Dakota on Monday following a blizzard that could become one of the most costly in the history of the state's agriculture industry."

They also quote the Exec of the Stockgrowers Association in the state- "Silvia Christen, executive director of the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association, said most ranchers she had spoken to were reporting that 20 to 50 percent of their herds had been killed.

"I have never heard of anything like it," she said. "And none of the ranchers I have talked to can remember anything like it."

Christen says that most cattle were still on summer pastures- in locations further away from the ranch headquarters and more exposed than is normal in winter when storms like this can show up- the problem in this case is that the blizzard showed up a lot earlier than is normal.

The 100 year celebration at the USDA - Southern Plains Range Research Station in Woodward, Oklahoma that was scheduled for next Tuesday, October 15 has been postponed and will hopefully be rescheduled for a later date. (Obviously due to the Federal Government Shutdown/slowdown)   

We can't point you to their website for more information since the USDA folks have blocked access to just about everything that there is to see on the cyber home of the agency. 

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This past Sunday was the final day of the Tulsa State Fair.  The Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association had another great run at the Beef Tent, selling more than 19,600 ribeye steak sandwiches at this year's fair.  Lots of volunteers helped make that a reality- along with thousands of fairgoers lining up and buying beef!