Cattle Industry News
American Cattlemen's Cattle Industry News highlights news and stories about cattle production along with farm and ranch related topics.
Farm Safety - Fire! Probably no word generates more fear
That’s especially true in forage fields, where a spark can quickly wipe out a crop, as well as any equipment that may be in he field.
Field fires cause more the $30 million in equipment losses each year, not counting crop losses resulting from downtime and personal injury.
Not only is equipment part of the loss in a field fire, it can actually be the source of a fire.
Equipment is designed and engineered to protect against causing fires however, sparks from a faulty exhaust system as well as grease, oil or crop buildup around the engine can greatly increase the chance of a fire.
Here are some tips to help reduce the risk of farm equipment causing a fire in the field:
Don't Delay Assisting at Calving Says Livestock Specialist
MT. VERNON, Mo. — Cow-calf farmers should be arranging their schedules in the next couple of months to devote more time to their cow herds. This is especially true for those who calve in late winter-early spring.
"The expected, favorable cattle prices throughout 2011 and beyond should make every calf saved a big plus for the bottom line," said Eldon Cole, a livestock specialist with University of Missouri Extension.
Close observation, especially of first-calf heifers, should be a must. It is impossible to be with the herd 24-7 but frequent checks will pay off with more live calves on the ground.
The use of low-birthweight, calving ease bulls helps save calves from heifers and even cows sometimes.
Beef Cattle Producers Want Out - How High for Prices?
URBANA - A smaller beef herd reported in USDA's Jan. 1 Cattle inventory estimates has provided the cattle markets with even more bullish news. Beef cow numbers continue to fall as producers seem to want out of the business, said Purdue University Extension economist Chris Hurt.
"The continued decline is related to multi-year financial discouragement due to high and volatile feed prices, shortages of pastures in some areas last summer, and developing dry conditions in the Southeast and the central and southern plains. Beef cow numbers at 30.9 million head are down 2 percent over the past year and down 6 percent since 2005," he said.
NORAC, Inc. Acquires Agricultural Scales Inc.
NORAC, Inc. is pleased to announce that they have acquired Agricultural Scales Inc., a Texas-based scale manufacturing company that has been manufacturing weighing equipment for the agricultural industry for the past six years.
“This purchase, provides an opportunity to increase our distribution system in the southern United States,” said Bill Strelioff, CEO. “As NORAC has historically been strong in the northern states, this is an excellent collaboration. Our distribution is strengthened throughout the country and we are now positioned as the leader in agricultural scales worldwide.”
BeefTalk: The Future of Beef - Consumer Issues and Demand
Consumers and producers always have been entwined. The simple fact is that without consumers, there is no need for production. In the past, the consumer base was the producer and perhaps a few neighbors, but as transportation and worldwide access expanded, the consumer base also has expanded.
So where are all the cows going? The connect remains between the producer and consumer, and so does the vested interest of consumers and the reality of the beef business. There is no business unless the consumer is involved in the formula for the future. How that reality connects to the producer who is thinking of selling cows probably is a loose fit. However, consumer thoughts need to be integrated with production expansion or contraction.
KIOTI Introduces The Ultimate Transport Vehicle
Wendell, NC – With an extensive and solid line of over thirty field-proven tractors providing a solid example of KIOTI ingenuity and quality, KIOTI is pleased to announce their new Ultimate Transport Vehicle™ for work and recreational uses.
Following years of design and both factory and field testing, these new UTVs are now available to the North American marketplace. The new MECHRON® is pure UTV, offering more combined productivity features for either work or recreation than any other UTV in North America.
Farm Safety - Involves Everyone
Look for Healthy Outlets When Winter Stress Builds
The snow is piling up. The temperature is going down. There is no starting your car and there is no stop in shoveling the snow. Your pulse is racing and your blood pressure is up.
Stress is taking its toll.
Stress becomes more severe as one stressful episode after another occurs, such as when winter snowstorms hit one after another then adding cold temperatures, cabin fever, stalled cars, farming difficulties, financial woes and other winter-relate concerns and stress can build at a rapid rate.
Cattle And Beef Market Signals 'Quite Obvious'
STILLWATER, Okla. – Cattle and beef markets across the board have jumped sharply in the past several weeks and both Live Cattle and Feeder Cattle futures prices suggest that the industry is in for an extended period of largely unprecedented cattle prices.
If allowed to work freely, markets will provide whatever signals are needed to take care of any market situation. Right now, the signals are quite obvious: Calf prices will continue to rise until there is sufficient incentive to increase cow-calf production.
Morethanawoodsplitter
Why is it more? What makes it different? It Cuts, It trims, and it processes firewood. It is more than a wood splitter because of the design. It is inverted or upside down. That is not new; they have been around for a while. What makes it different is the blade technology. All wood splitters have a splitting wedge or maul that they push the wood through or push through the wood.
CAB partners on Kansas Angus feeding project
The Kansas Angus Association is working with Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) to better reward members or their customers as they learn more about carcass merit in their herds, or at least five representative spring-born steers. The 2011 Carcass Data Project (CDP) $5-per-head enrollment deadline of Dec. 15 allows participants couple of weeks for Dec. 28-30 delivery to the CAB-licensed McPherson County Feeders, near Marquette, Kan.
Steers must be sired by a registered Angus bull or bulls and carry individual identification such as ear tags. They must be weaned at least 45 days, backed by an approved vaccination program.