Texas drought losses to
agriculture approach
$1.5 billion. API unveils
redesigned website
offering resources to
assist cattlemen dealing
with drought.
Preliminary estimates of
Texas drought losses have
reached $1.2 billion and are
expected to escalate
higher
this year as
livestock
producers continue to sell off
herds and crop conditions
deteriorate, according to
economists with the Texas
AgriLife Extension Service.
"Each day without rainfall is one in which crop and livestock losses mount," says David Anderson, AgriLife Extension livestock economist. "Even with the severity of the current drought, estimation of economic losses is difficult given that we are still early in the growing season."
Livestock losses due to drought are an estimated $1.2 billion from November 2010 through May. Those losses include increased feeding costs and lost value of wheat-pasture grazing, Anderson says. Read more.
All Roads Lead to Georgia
Texas drought losses to
agriculture approach
$1.5 billion. API unveils
redesigned website
offering resources to
assist cattlemen dealing
with drought.
Preliminary estimates of
Texas drought losses have
reached $1.2 billion and are
expected to escalate
higher
this year as
livestock
producers continue to sell off
herds and crop conditions
deteriorate, according to
economists with the Texas
AgriLife Extension Service.
"Each day without rainfall is one in which crop and livestock losses mount," says David Anderson, AgriLife Extension livestock economist. "Even with the severity of the current drought, estimation of economic losses is difficult given that we are still early in the growing season."
Livestock losses due to drought are an estimated $1.2 billion from November 2010 through May. Those losses include increased feeding costs and lost value of wheat-pasture grazing, Anderson says. Read more.
Map your way to Athens, Ga., for the 2011 National Angus Conference & Tour, set for Sept. 6-8.
The American Angus Association and
the Georgia Angus Association will host the 2011 National Angus Conference & Tour (NAC&T), themed "All Roads Lead to Georgia," Sept. 6-8 in Athens, Ga. Land O'Lakes Purina Feed LLC is sponsoring the event.
"We've put together a great lineup of speakers to address a variety of top-of-mind topics like family farm succession and speaking out about agriculture. You definitely will want to hear our headliner, Bruce Vincent," says Shelia Stannard, Association director of activities and events. "Following the conference, Georgia byways and backroads will take us to scenic Angus farms. Don't miss this annual opportunity to see old friends and make new acquaintances." Read more.
Matt Caldwell
Association Perspective
Don't leave money on the table.
In today's record cattle market, even the bottom end of the calf crop will bring a lot of money. So why go to the trouble of keeping records and tagging calves? If you are selling load lots of calves and you aren't taking advantage of age- and source-verification programs, you are leaving money on the table.
Data collected by Superior Livestock Auction and Pfizer show a $2.58-per-hundredweight (cwt.) premium for AngusSource® calves over calves that are not age- and source-verified. If you are selling one hundred 600-pound (lb.) calves, this would equate to a $1,548 return on a $150 basic tag cost. With the cost of feed, fuel and fertilizer, we don't need to let that money lie around. Read more.
Leaders in Beef Improvement Gather in Bozeman
Angus Productions Inc. (API) is headed to Bozeman, Mont., June 1-4 for the 2011 Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Annual Meeting and Research Symposium. This will be the 10th year we have provided event coverage for the BIF symposium at www.BIFconference.com.
Approximately 600 cattlemen, academia and allied industry representatives are expected to attend the event. Seedstock and commercial cow-calf producers, university specialists and breed association leaders will gather to explore innovative technologies and management practices to improve beef production for the benefit of seedstock and commercial producers. Online registration ends May 25. Read more.
FWS Proposes to Delist the Gray Wolf
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is proposing to delist biologically recovered gray wolf populations in the Western Great Lakes and the Northern Rocky Mountains.
The Department of the Interior (DOI) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced May 4 a proposal to delist biologically recovered gray wolf populations in the Western Great Lakes, and, in a move to implement recently enacted legislation, to reinstate the Service's 2009 decision to delist biologically recovered gray wolf populations in the Northern Rocky Mountains. Read 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:
- Cow Camp Chatter: Taking care of business
- Tips to Prevent Cattle Theft
- Beef Talk: Where is the grass?
- WDGS & E Coli: Is There a Connection?
- Care For When They're Down
- Watch for Foot Rot
- Weather Affecting Most Every Aspect of U.S. Cattle Market
- Cattle Producers Join Forces for Better Sales
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 the newsrooms of the American Angus Association and Certified Angus Beef LLC and the Angus e-List archive.
Scholarships Available
Pfizer, AABP call for veterinary student scholarship applications.
Pfizer Animal Health and the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) are now accepting applications for the 2011 AABP Foundation-Pfizer Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship Fund.
The AABP Foundation-Pfizer Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarships are funded through a unique partnership with veterinarians, animal health suppliers and dealers. Scholarships are awarded to beef and dairy veterinary students to help offset the cost of veterinary school. In 2010, 29 students each received $5,000 scholarships through the AABP Foundation-Pfizer Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship Fund, for a total of $145,000 in awards.
Scholarship applicants must be students graduating with their veterinary degree in 2012, and must be enrolled in colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States. Eligible students can visit www.foundation.aabp.org/pfizer for additional details regarding the scholarship program and to access the online application form. Applications are due through the AABP website by Wednesday, June 15.
Natural Tick Control Tested
Nootkatone, a component of essential oil in grapefruit peels and other sources, is used in many food, beverage and personal-care products because of its clean, citrusy taste and smell.
Now, nootkatone may find another use: repelling blacklegged deer ticks that spread Lyme disease. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entomologist Bob Behle is investigating the possibility with Kirby Stafford, an entomologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) in New Haven, Conn. Read more.
[Click here to go to the top of the page.]