Boost Value with Backgrounding
Backgrounding can add value, flexibility to feeder calves.
Getting maximum value when marketing cattle is a constantly evolving process that takes careful planning.
Data reported in 2017 by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service indicate 70% or more of beef calves are born in the spring. Come fall, this leaves the glut of 550-pound calves at a price disadvantage compared to contemporaries retained and sold after the first of the year.
Backgrounding calves can open gates to new revenue paths, though not without risk. When more cattle are sent to the grazing fields or grow yards, there’s a shift in the seasonal pattern of the market and more opportunity to take advantage of better prices.
News & Notes
Industry tidbits from around the country.
Bacteria Affect Aging?
Study suggests scientists may need to rethink which genes control aging.
To better understand the role of bacteria in health and disease, National Institutes of Health researchers fed fruit flies antibiotics and monitored the lifetime activity of hundreds of genes traditionally thought to control aging. To their surprise, the antibiotics not only extended the lives of the flies but also dramatically changed the activity of many of these genes. Their results suggested only about 30% of the genes traditionally associated with aging set an animal’s internal clock, while the rest reflect the body’s response to bacteria.
Early Weaning: Benefits and Drawbacks
Research project reveals benefits to supplementing the pair rather than weaning early.
Weaning age often varies due to environmental conditions, calf prices, feed prices, available feed, goals for the calves, goals for the cows, etc.
When producers are short on grass, one option is to pen cows off pasture and feed something else, said Terry Klopfenstein, former professor emeritus at the University of Nebraska. But should you remove the calves?
Association Perspective
Are you using your regional manager as a resource?
The American Angus Association is recognized as the nation’s largest breed organization, serving more than 25,000 members across the United States, Canada and several other countries. In Fiscal Year 2020, it registered more than 305,000 head of cattle. The Association also holds the distinction of having the largest field staff of any beef breed organization. It employs 13 full-time regional managers who travel extensively in their respective territories throughout the year while representing the American Angus Association and its membership. While knowledgeable of the Angus breed and the beef cattle industry, these individuals possess a thorough understanding of the Association and its five entities, rules and policies, and all programs and services offered by the organization.
Gazda Honored by Livestock Marketeers
Long-standing American Angus Association regional manager inducted into the Livestock Marketeers Hall of Fame.
David Gazda, American Angus Association director of field services and regional manager, was inducted into the Livestock Marketeers Hall of Fame June 15. The informal fraternity of livestock fieldmen, auctioneers, sale managers and related livestock business leaders recognized Gazda at their 56th annual banquet, which was hosted in Saint Joseph, Mo.
Understanding Inflation
Is this inflation transitory or the new normal in the post-pandemic economy?
During the past couple of weeks, we’ve been talking about the increased prices of commodities in the United States — lumber, computer chips, cars, houses. These rising costs could be a sign of a more troubling trend. Inflation is the highest it’s been in more than a decade, and some economists worry it could spin out of control. What’s behind the current rise in inflation?
