U.S. Pork, Beef Exports on Record Pace Through June 

U.S. pork and beef exports remained strong in June, pushing export value for both products to a record first-half pace according to statistics released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).


June pork exports totaled 181,531 metric tons (mt), up 7 percent from a year ago, while export value increased 25 percent to $585.1 million. In the first half of 2014, pork export volume (1.15 million mt, +9 percent) and value ($3.4 billion, +17 percent) achieved record highs.


Beef exports were up 5 percent in volume (106,609 mt) in June and set a new monthly value record of $631.7 million (+12 percent). First-half export value also set a new record of $3.27 billion (+16 percent). Export volume was 585,953 mt in the first half, up 8 percent from a year ago but trailing the 2011 record.


Despite intense competition, U.S. pork performing well in Asia


Pork export value per head slaughtered was a record-high $72.24 in June, up $15 from a year ago. The percentage of U.S. production exported was 25 percent for muscle cuts and 29 percent when including both muscle cuts and variety meat - up from 24 percent and 28 percent, respectively, in June 2013.


With European pork absent from the Russian market for the past six months due to an impasse over African swine fever, competition has intensified in key Asian markets. But U.S. pork still achieved first-half increases in South Korea and Japan. 

Click Here to read more about growth of US pork, beef and lamb exports in 2014.  

Two of America's best export customers for US beef are next door with Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The continued heartburn that Canada and Mexico have with the US over Country of Origin Labeling has not gone unnoticed by the organization responsible for promoting beef and pork into those countries.  US Meat Export Federation President and Chief Executive Officer Phil Seng says the divide over COOL will impact beef exports into those nations.


"This is a major issue that's out there and obviously from the standpoint what this means to the US its very important that this is addressed and from the USMEF standpoint we're very interested in making sure we are as WTO consistent as possible," Seng said.   


We recently visited with Seng at the Summer Cattle Industry Conference in Denver and these comments in this latest Beef Buzz comes from that conversation.  Looking ahead, USMEF's biggest concern is trying to avoid any retaliation from Mexico and Canada. Any retaliation will have an impact on US exports. Seng believes retaliation will be a wake up call for Congress. Mexico is the largest export beef market for the United States and Canada is in the top five. Seng said both of these countries are critical as a export destination. Both of these countries are also beef producers as well.


"Mexico is an exporter of beef, but their beef exports this year are down four percent, so .......they need the product and they need our product and our proximity to both countries is very advantageous for us," Seng said. "The more that we can have a harmonious working relationship with these countries the better its going to be." 

Get this Beef Buzz by going here to listen to Seng's comments on how retaliation of COOL could impact exports in the near future.    

Vesicular Stomatitis Increasing Concern For Oklahoma

Texas and Colorado are seeing a growing number of cases of Vesicular Stomatitis in predominately horses and cattle. The first case was diagnosed on May 23, 2014 by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa. The lab confirmed a vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) infection (New Jersey serotype) on an equine premises in Kinney County, Texas.


To date, a total of 110 VSV-positive premises have been identified in Colorado (69 premises) and Texas (41 premises). In the latest report from the US Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 173 cumulative positive cases have been identified and there have bee 3,726 cumulative susceptible cases in Colorado and Texas. Of that total of susceptible cases, 1,564 are horses, 2,054 are cattle, three are hogs, 48 are sheep, 49 are goats and 8 are other ruminants.


Oklahoma State Veterinarian Dr. Rod Hall released a statement on the state's regulations on livestock from states with VS are: Livestock (equine, bovine, porcine, ovine, caprine, or cervidae) entering Oklahoma from a county where Vesicular Stomatitis has been diagnosed within the last 30 days or a county that contains a premises quarantined for Vesicular Stomatitis shall be accompanied by a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) dates within five (5) days of entry containing the following statement: "All animals identified on this certificate have been examined and found to be free from signs of Vesicular Stomatitis and have not originated from a premises which is under quarantine for Vesicular Stomatitis.

Click Here to learn more about VS and for the link to the latest APHIS report.  

Jeff Edwards Says Planting Wheat for Maximum Forage in Fall Takes Different Mindset

On Saturday, Extension Small Grains Extension Specialist Dr. Jeff Edwards faced a different audience than he usually faces in extension meetings that he holds across the state. The meeting was the 24th Annual Southern Plains Beef Symposium in Ardmore and the room was filled with cattle producers from southern Oklahoma and northern Texas. But Dr. Edwards won them over rather easily as he talked about the value of wheat forage, which many of them already knew- and offered some very practical things that can be done to maximize wheat forage as early as possible for cattle producers who have little interest in harvesting for grain next June. 

Edwards says that it all starts with the planting rate. One bushel is simply not enough if you are going for early forage production for your cattle. Ninety pounds is better, but Dr. Edwards told producers that he thinks that two bushels per acre is probably the sweet spot in planting wheat.

Dr. Edwards talked with us about a number of forage producing strategies for those planting wheat in the coming weeks across the region. You can hear our full conversation by jumping to our featured story from the Southern Plains Beef Symposium found here.

   

Canola Conference 2014- Planting Decisions with Mike Stamm

Farmers and researchers alike learned a lot about growing canola during the trying year of 2014. Speaking at the recent 10th Annual Canola Conference, Kansas State University Canola breeder Mike Stamm said this past year presented a unique challenge with one of the coldest winters on record along with extreme drought conditions. He told us that he believes there is enough winter hardiness already bred into varieties, but farmers will be have to be more selective in choosing varieties that have proven winter hardiness.


"I am pretty confident that we do have levels of winter survival that will get us through the winter, we just need the moisture in addition to the hardiness when we have years like we just had," Stamm said.


Conditions at planting and in the early part of the growing season are critical to the crop. Fall rains are imperative to the shallow seeded crop in getting the crop established. 


"Soil moisture in the planting zone is very important," Stamm said. "For canola to get through the winter it needs six to eight inches of top growth and six to eight true leaves that help it store up carbohydrates within the plant tissue and those carbohydrates help it get through the winter months." 

Click Here to read or to listen to Stamm's about some new varieties coming out from K-State and his recommendations for planting.  

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Advance Agriculture

Written By Corey Moffet, Research agronomist and assistant professor as part of the Agricultural Division's Agricultural Research Team at The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. 

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), more commonly referred to as drones in a majority of media outlets, have played an important role in U.S. military operations. These sophisticated flying machines have proven their utility in this arena, albeit at a huge price. Now the UAV industry is looking to expand into the civilian world, and the agricultural sector is expected to play a large role in this expansion.


Currently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is determining how unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) might be safely integrated into the national airspace system. The FAA uses the acronym "UAS" to include the UAV and all the associated support equipment, such as control stations, data links, telemetry, communications and navigation equipment. Often the image that comes to mind when thinking about UAVs or drones is something like the iconic Predator with its nearly 60-foot wingspan and a loaded weight of more than 1 ton. This type of UAV will occupy the same airspace routinely used by general and commercial aviation.


The challenge the FAA has in figuring out how to safely integrate these large UAVs into the national airspace is not trivial. However, agriculture can benefit from UAVs much smaller than the Predator. A system with a takeoff weight less than 55 pounds is classified as a small UAS by the FAA, and the agency has made it a priority to propose new rules governing their use. These UAVs are more of the scale and type that are legally flown now at elevations of 400 feet above ground level and lower by hobbyists for recreational purposes. Many of these UAVs, like the one pictured, can be easily disassembled and transported in a case the size of a large briefcase.

Click Here to read more how UAV's will be adopted to aide agriculture in the future.
 

US Farmers Promoting Soy Nutrition in Africa

In conjunction with last week's Africa Summit, in which leaders from 51 African nations gathered in Washington to discuss the continent's economic advancement potential, representatives from the American Soybean Association's World Initiative for Soy in Human Health program (WISHH) met with key officials to detail the successful work of the program to date in Africa, and new projects on the horizon.


WISHH Executive Director Jim Hershey met with U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service officials focusing on agricultural development in Africa and discussing the future of projects and larger efforts through which U.S. farmers help to sustain and develop emerging markets in Africa.


Also part of the summit was the U.S. Africa Business Forum, at which the White House underscored the importance of trade with Africa and the significant potential that fast growing economies and talented entrepreneurs represent for U.S. goods and jobs. Speakers at the summit encouraged the expansion of trade to more African countries through trade missions, financing programs and larger teams on the ground to facilitate business between the U.S. and Africa. 

Click Here to read more about WISHH is helping provide improved nutrition in Africa.