MARKETING...
MU senior research specialist Daniel Mallory works with his mentor David Patterson on fine-tuning AI protocols within the Thompson Farm Angus herd, Spickard, Mo. High-quality beef and predictable replacement heifers are two important results of their work.
Sara Snider
The Source
Carcass Challenge winners announced for second quarter.
Once again, the results of the AngusSource® Carcass Challenge are outstanding! It is amazing what known/documented Angus genetics can do when managed to target the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand. While the age-verification premiums are an added bonus, it is the outstanding carcass quality of the calves that paid big for these producers.
A couple of regulars once again took top honors for the Northeast and North Central regions. Osborn Farms, Savannah, Mo., owned and fed 38 steers that set a new ASCC record — 100% CAB and Prime! With 36.8% reaching Prime. How can you top that? John Osborn and Pete Mitts have now set a new goal of increasing the percentage of calves to reach Prime.
Beller Feedlot, Lindsay, Neb., had a group of 39 heifers go 76.9% CAB and Prime. Mike and Terry Beller have consistently fed winning pens in the North Central region and were the first feedyard to receive coverage through the AngusSource PVP feedyard umbrella.
These producers were joined at the top by newcomers from the University of Missouri who fed their calves at Irsik & Doll Feed Yard.
Congratulations to all of our producers and feedyards. Click here to read the announcement of the winners provided by CAB's Supply Development team.
AngusSource Surpasses Half-Million Mark
The American Angus Association's AngusSource® program reached an important milestone this week, surpassing 500,000 head enrolled since the age-, source- and Angus genetic-verification program became a USDA Process Verified Program (PVP) in 2005.
Since that time, more than 1,600 producers have enrolled in AngusSource, helping fuel the program's steady tradition of annual growth — including this year's 18.2% increase in number of head enrolled. Read more.
Dillon Feuz
In the Cattle Markets
Cull cow marketing
As we approach late summer/early fall, it is a good time for cow-calf producers to start thinking about their culling decisions. Should you wean calves early and cull early? Should you cull and sell in October/November? Should you feed the cull cow from November into February or March? Three factors should be considered when making the culling decision: 1) seasonality of cull cow prices, 2) price differences between slaughter grades and number of cows in each grade (their body condition score), and 3) cost of feeding cull cows. Read more.
Competition in the Livestock Industry
USDA, DOJ announce registration for Aug. 27 Livestock Workshop in Colorado.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Aug. 2 additional details for the Aug. 27, 2010, public workshop in Fort Collins, Colo., which will examine competition in the livestock industry. The workshop will be at Colorado State University, the main ballroom of the Lory Student Center, 1101 Centre Ave. Mall, Fort Collins. Read more.
Quality Cast
Looking for opportunities in a high-quality beef target market.
Host Laura Nelson visits with Ted Schroeder, livestock marketing economist at Kansas State University, who moderated a panel at the annual meeting of the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association. The symposium focused on vertical coordination in the evolving high-quality beef market. Schroeder summarizes comments by the panel relative to where demand from quality beef originates, what profitability enhancement opportunities there are at the feedlot level, and what opportunities there are at the cow-calf level to shoot for the high-quality beef target.
Click here to listen to this month's "Quality Cast."
For more information about the symposium or to look at the slides presented by the panelists, visit http://www.naiber.org/Presentations.html.
A Market with Momentum
Symposium focuses on the economics of meeting quality beef demand.
The economic evidence says there's profit to be made for cattlemen who understand what consumers want. A symposium at the recent Agriculture and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) meeting in Denver, Colo., examined trends that document a desire for high-quality beef.
Kansas State University (K-State) Livestock Marketing Economist Ted Schroeder served as moderator for the event, "Vertical Coordination in the Evolving High Quality Beef Market," which he indicated is no niche.
"This is a market segment with true momentum behind it," Schroeder said. "If the consumer is being responsive to this high-quality product — and we've good evidence that is the case — then we have to start addressing issues with respect to targeting and coordinating the entire beef chain toward producing for that market." Read more.
Locavore Movement Reconnects
Consumers, Farmers
Until a few weeks ago, Jason Edmonds had not eaten beef in nearly three years. Citing concerns over animal welfare, his personal impact on the planet, and added hormones and antibiotics, Edmonds adopted a vegetarian lifestyle for years, until finding access to local farmers who share his concerns.
Now the Starkville resident is a locavore, choosing to eat vegetables and meat produced locally. Locavores are part of a growing movement of consumers who purchase food from local food producers and have a knowledge of and a voice in the production process.
This movement provides small farms a way to market goods directly to consumers who are willing to pay higher prices if they know exactly what they are buying. Read more.
Better Beef Trend Explored
The first half of 2010 has been a wild ride in the cattle business, but the trend toward higher quality beef continues, according to Paul Dykstra, beef cattle specialist with the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand. He tracks variations in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) harvest and grading reports in the weekly e-newsletter column, Rearview Mirror on Quality.
"Relatively attractive prices for cull cows and bulls beefed up overall supplies since last winter, the number of all cattle harvested being up 1.8% over 2009," Dykstra says. "That's ironic, considering the U.S. cow herd is still shrinking at an annual rate of about 2%. It also means we are likely to see fewer of these culls on the market the rest of this year." Read more.
Angus Calendar
To view the Angus Calendar, a complete list of
Angus sales, click here.