A Systematic Approach to Bull Buying
The bull you buy will have a considerable affect on your herd for years to come. Here are some things to consider before you invest.
With the onset of bull-buying season, having a systematic approach to finding and identifying the "right" bull is imperative. Bull selection is the most critical factor for genetic improvement in cow-calf herds, as the influence of the bull affects both the immediate calf crop as well as future calf crops through the performance (and costs) of his daughters. Consequently, bull selection warrants careful planning and preparation, well in advance of any sale or visit from an artificial insemination (AI) representative. Consider these tips offered by Virginia Tech animal scientist Scott Greiner before you buy. Read more.
RBCS XXI coverage:
Provide Proper Bull Management, Nutrition
Once you've put money on the line buying bulls, it only makes sense to ensure your purchase with proper care.
South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension beef specialist Julie Walker complimented cattle producers for doing an excellent job of selecting bull genetics for their herds, but she reminded them not to forget about nutrition and management of those bulls once they get them home. Walker addressed producers during the third and final day of the 2009 Range Beef Cow Symposium in Casper, Wyo., Dec. 1-3.
She offered several management reminders for beef producers to consider to ensure a successful breeding season. Read more.
Jerry Cassady
Association Perspective
Sire selection tools are available.
Purchasing the right herd bull or selecting an artificial insemination (AI) sire to create the next generation for your program is a process that should not be underestimated. Sire selection is the single, most important factor to consider when trying to improve the genetics of your herd. Not only will the sire component represent one-half of the genetic makeup of your next calf crop, the paternal impact on your program will be felt for many years as daughters kept as replacement females enter the herd. Therefore, careful decision-making and planning relative to sire selection is imperative. Your American Angus Association has a full complement of tools to assist you with this process. Read more.
NAIS Abandoned
USDA announces new framework for animal disease traceability
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Feb. 5 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will develop a new, flexible framework for animal disease traceability in the United States, and undertake several other actions to further strengthen its disease prevention and response capabilities.
"After concluding our listening tour on the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) in 15 cities across the country, receiving thousands of comments from the public and input from states, Tribal Nations, industry groups and representatives for small and organic farmers, it is apparent that a new strategy for animal disease traceability is needed," Vilsack said. "I've decided to revise the prior policy and offer a new approach to animal disease traceability with changes that respond directly to the feedback we heard." Read more.
Tips for Keeping Personal Financial Records
A few tips on what you should keep and for how long.
Is it time to plug in your paper shredder? Few financial records need to be kept more than a decade, but it can be confusing to determine what to keep and what to toss.
Ohio State University (OSU) Extension offers tips for recordkeeping in its fact sheet "Household Recordkeeping Tips." It offers guidance on keeping financial and other types of family records. Here's a synopsis of what records should be kept permanently or semi-permanently. Read more.
Cattle Industry Convention Coverage:
Changing for the Better
NCBA members elect officers and approve new organizational structure concept, policies for 2010.
The annual Cattle Industry Convention concluded Jan. 30 with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) board of directors meeting and annual membership meeting. During the meetings, members voted on leadership and policies to ensure the organization's success in 2010. More than 6,000 people attended this year's convention in San Antonio. Read more.
Click here for additional coverage of the 2010 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show.
Click here for coverage of the Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle (ARSBC) workshop conducted during this year's convention.
What’s Inside …
In this February edition of the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, you'll find valuable articles devoted to the management, marketing, and health and nutrition of your beef enterprise. Select from the tabs at the top of the page to access this month's entire offering by category. A few select features include:
• Control Parasites This Spring to Head Off Pasture Buildup
• In a Pinch, Coffee-Syrup Mixture Can Give Newborn Calves a Start
• Back to Basics: Calving Heifers
• Igenity Profile for Angus Goes HD
• Beef Talk: Genomics Lead to a Better Beef Business
• The Source: No NAIS. Now What?
• Consumer Desires Guide Cattle Plans
• Corn Crop Questions Affect Feedgrain Outlook
• Kitchen Helping Farmers To Diversify, Add Value
News Briefs …
• Obama Administration Details Healthy Food Financing Initiative
• Argentina May Limit Beef Exports
• USDA Addresses Veterinary Shortages with Education Loan Repayment Program
• USDA Issues Final Rule on Organic Access to Pasture
• Yamaha Motor Co. To Transfer ATV Production to U.S. by 2013
• Producer Survey Shows Continued Approval Of Beef Checkoff
• Daily News Update Archive for Angus e-List
When injury or advancing age make it hard to work on the farm, the Texas AgriLife Extension Service has a program that may help. Texas AgrAbility can help assess needs and find assistive technology for producers, their families and their employees.
Giving a Leg Up
Program helps aging or injured producers get 'back in the saddle.'
Chronic pain, arthritis, heart conditions or injuries from accidents don't necessarily have to curtail life on the farm. AgrAbility, a four-year project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is gearing up in Texas to help find ways to make farms and ranches accessible despite one's disabilities.
"Texas AgrAbility is designed to assist farmers, family members or their employees who have acquired a disability or chronic health conditions and need assistance returning to work in production agriculture," said Rick Peterson, Texas AgriLife Extension Service family life specialist. Read more.
Truth in Food
Tell us a tale, Katie Anne.
Those who disapprove of CBS News anchor Katie Couric were handed one more reason to cry liberal bias when the network devoted nearly a quarter hour in early February to an investigative series on the next "Ticking Time Bomb:" Antibiotics in American livestock and poultry.
"... as with the ABC News "Nightline" piece two weeks ago," wrote Dairy Herd Management magazine editor Tom Quaife the morning after Part 1 of CBS' antibiotics exposé, "you have to look for the hidden clues of media bias. Certainly, Katie Couric's liberal use of the term 'factory farm' is one such clue."
But agriculture hasn't caught on yet to the fact that Couric's politics are only the sideshow, a distraction from the real issue. The real danger commercial farming faces isn't the FDS-scented progressivism that America's attack poodle undeniably brings into nearly every one of her CBS reports. History teaches us the public quickly builds immunity to that. There's a much bigger challenge agriculture faces in responding effectively. This new threat — which is in fact an old, old one — was betrayed by what Couric said in a phone interview reported by Orlando Sentinel TV critic Hal Boedeker: "I'm having a ball ...," she told Boedeker. "All I think about is doing the best broadcast every night. It sounds like Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney: Let's put on a show." Read more.
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