For Nebraska's Curtis Koehn, AngusSource® and Gateway program participation is
If Curtis Koehn's teenage son follows tradition, he will be the fifth generation to farm the home place, near Stanton, Neb. It will be up to the youngster to decide what he will do, of course. If it is farming, though, Koehn would encourage his son to consider diversifying his agricultural interests. That, too, is sort of a family tradition.
Koehn and his wife, Denise, have sought their own brand of diversity through crops and cattle. It has worked, too, allowing their operation to grow. Not that it's become a big, fancy showplace boasting high-volume production. It's still modest in size and scale, but production has grown incrementally through the years. Most importantly, the Koehn operation has grown more profitable.
"Cattle have been good to us," Koehn states, with his characteristic grin. "And even though we aren't large producers, we've tried to be efficient and look for ways to add value to the cattle. That's why we used AngusSource® and now Gateway to verify our cattle for source and age." Read more.
Jared Murnin
Association Perspective
Take care of your investment.
Angus bulls have been in high demand this spring bull sale season. Solid averages and record prices were seen throughout the country. Private-treaty sales have been very strong, as well. Commercial producers who use Angus genetics realize the value of a high-quality Angus bull and the impact that sire can have on their cow herd. According to the sales reported to the Angus Journal, Angus bulls have averaged just more than $2,960 per head. We know bulls have the biggest impact on a cowman's herd, so it makes sense to take care of that investment.
I commonly get a lot of questions about herd bull management, especially management questions relating to young bulls. Read more.
Keep Up With Association News
'The Angus Report' delivers Angus news online.
The American Angus Association offers "The Angus Report," a weekly online news program, at www.angus.org. Approximately 3 minutes long, the report summarizes the week's top three stories in a YouTube Video.
Click here to see the May 14 edition of "The Angus Report," featuring Angus producer Lynne Sherrod's comments as a panelist at the White House Conservation Conference, genomic-enhanced expected progeny differences (EPDs) offered through the American Angus Association, and an event organized by Certified Angus Beef LLC and its industry partners to give 100 customers of Associated Wholesalers the agriculture experience.
Recent videos added to the Association's YouTube Channel include (click on title to view):
Ford County Yard Joins CAB Team
Partner status provides access to greater information sharing with customers.
Like all feedlot managers, Danny Herrmann lives and breathes cattle. From farming and ranching to the sale-barn business and the family's Ford County Feed Yard southeast of Dodge City, Kan., Herrmann understands the beef industry.
It takes time and experience to learn what works, but honest communication with producers is the main key to everyone's success, he says. "We work closely with our customers, providing as much feedback on their calves as we can."
The information available has increased recently, thanks to a new level of carcass data the yard now obtains on Angus-type cattle. The 50,000-head feedyard has signed on with the world's largest beef brand as a Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) feedlot partner. Read more.
United Soybean Board Salutes Animal Agriculture
USB-funded analysis shows animal agriculture's benefits extend far beyond U.S. soybean industry.
The farmer-leaders of the United Soybean Board (USB) and soybean checkoff take pride in supporting their partners in the U.S. poultry and livestock industries, particularly during the month of May for Beef and Egg Month. This partnership helps provide the world a safe, affordable and abundant food supply, and generates benefits for the U.S. economy.
U.S. animal agriculture represents the single largest user of U.S. soybeans, consuming nearly 98% of the domestic supply of U.S. soybean meal. The soybean checkoff supports the long-term interests of U.S. poultry and livestock producers in order to improve the stability and success of the U.S. soybean industry.
The Nationwide Economic Impact of Animal Agriculture study funded by the soybean checkoff shows the economic value of animal agriculture to communities. Figures from the most recent analysis show the U.S. animal agriculture industry directly employs nearly 230,000 Americans. Click here to learn more.
What’s Inside …
In this May 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:
• Lung Lesions Deflate Profits
• Value Reduced After BVD-PI Exposure
• What the Choice-Select Spread is Trying to Say
• Supply and Demand Support Cattle Prices
• LMA Offers Training, Certification in Animal Care
• Which Meeting(s) Should You Attend?
News Briefs …
The American Angus Association and its subsidiaries generate a wealth of information to keep members and affiliates informed of what's happening within the industry as well as with the programs and services they offer. Click here for easy access to a summary of recent news and links to the newsrooms of the American Angus Association and Certified Angus Beef LLC and the Angus e-List archive.
Beef Byproducts Fuel Heartland Flyer
Southbound Heartland Flyer prepares to board at Norman, Okla.
Amtrak's Heartland Flyer tests cleaner, renewable fuel for passenger trains.
Amtrak and the Oklahoma and Texas state transportation departments April 20 announced the nation's first-ever test of a cleaner and renewable biodiesel fuel blend to power a daily interstate passenger train between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the use of foreign oil.
Amtrak received a $274,000 grant from the Federal Railroad Administration to carry out the research project in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (Okla. DOT) on the daily Heartland Flyer train operated by Amtrak with state support from both Oklahoma and Texas. The biodiesel blend includes beef byproduct and is provided by a Texas-based vendor. Read more.
Tips To Offset Fatigue
Avoiding fatigue can prevent injuries on the farm
A number of factors determine the length of a farm workday — weather, soil conditions, livestock, equipment. You may be working against any or all of them when timely planting or other time-sensitive tasks are on the line. It's not surprising that farmers will brush fatigue aside to get the job done.
But that's when injuries can sneak in, says Kent McGuire, an Ohio State University (OSU) Extension ag safety educator and Ohio AgrAbility Program coordinator. McGuire offers tips to avoid risk of fatigue. Read more.
Alzheimer's disease
Independent panel finds insufficient evidence to support preventive measures for Alzheimer's disease.
Many preventive measures for cognitive decline and for preventing Alzheimer's disease — mental stimulation, exercise and a variety of dietary supplements — have been studied over the years. However, an independent panel convened in late April by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) determined that the value of these strategies for delaying the onset and/or reducing the severity of decline or disease hasn't been demonstrated in rigorous studies. Read more.
New Ag Degree
New dual degree offers unique emphasis on sustainable economic development and business practices.
In response to the global need for combined expertise in enterprise and supply chain management, agriculture-food processing and economic development, The Ohio State University has launched a dual degree program for graduate students. Fisher College of Business and the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) are teaming up to offer the master of business administration (MBA) and master of science in agricultural, environmental and development economics (a department within CFAES).
Ohio State will merge its global leadership strengths in agricultural and economic development with the dual degree. The program is unique from other dual agricultural-MBA degrees in its emphasis on sustainable economic development and business practices. The program will provide students interested in careers in agribusiness, food processing and economic development with critical business skills in such areas as logistics, supply-chain management and sustainability.
"This program illustrates the multi-dimensional strengths of Ohio State," said Bobby Moser, vice president for agricultural administration and dean of CFAES. "The breadth and depth of programs and knowledge allow for great partnerships like this one that help us prepare graduates to meet real-world demands."
As the newest offering in Ohio State's growing interdisciplinary curricular programs, the dual degrees ensure students in both Fisher and AED Economics receive the most comprehensive and industry-specific educational experience that will prepare them for leadership roles in these important fields.
"Graduates who leave Ohio State with Fisher's MBA and AED Economics master's degrees will be well-positioned to pursue high-impact careers in agricultural and food production businesses or work in economic development programs at public institutions such as the World Bank," said Karen Hopper Wruck, Fisher's associate dean for graduate programs. "This dual degree program fits precisely with our mission as a land-grant institution to educate a workforce capable of managing pressing economic needs even at a global level."
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