Arkansas Cattle

at ARcattle.com

The State Agriculture Department has started a quality systems assessment program for the state’s livestock producers. Arkansas will be the second state in the US to have the program. The voluntary program will identify the source and age of cattle. The identies are verified by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. International customers want beef from cattle younger than 20 months of age because of fear about mad-cow disease in older animals. Many countries banned U. S. beef after bovine spongiform encephalopathy was discovered in the US in 2003. “If we don’t have this program in place, we’re looking at a discount instead of a premium for cattle in our state,” Bell said. This quality systems assessment program will allow ranchers to sell beef at higher prices overseas to such countries as Japan. “We have got to track our cattle on age and source if we’re going to play in the international market,” Bell said. The program is voluntary, but participants will be subject to audits. Arkansas provides the beef industry with feeder cattle that are finished in other states feedyards. The state has about 1. 9 million head of cattle. Beef that can be verified by age and source is in demand internationally and also in supermarkets on the East and West coasts, said Claude “Tubby” Smith, executive director of the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association in Little Rock. The age and source verification will be a market boon “for all producers, both large and small,” he said. The cattle program will be administered by the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission. ...more

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Cattle Today
Articles about the production of beef cattle and livestock.

PROTECTING YOUNG BUCKS INCREASES HERD POTENTIAL
Mississippi State University research has found that protecting young bucks improves herd health and creates a better hunting experience.
GRID PREMIUMS SHOW BENEFITS OF VALUE-BASED MARKETING
When you get a bonus on grid cattle, sometimes it's easier to count your blessings than to ask why.
AUGUST PORK AND BEEF EXPORTS DOWN FROM 2008
While selected markets performed very well, the global pace of U.S. pork and beef exports lost ground in August compared to 2008, according to statistics released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation.
BEEF INDUSTRY NEEDS MORE FEED-EFFICIENCY DATA
Feed accounts for 65 percent to 80 percent of total beef-production costs. With grain prices at their highest levels ever, finding a way to lower those costs is important to cattle producers.
DEMAND FOR CAB HAS HELD UP WELL
When times are lean, sales of luxury items are typically the first to fall off. However, when it comes to beef, it appears that consumer demand for the higher quality and pricier Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB®) brand held up better than that for USDA Choice or lower grade beef.
RESEARCH PAPER LOOKS AT UPSWING IN QUALITY GRADES
Three years ago, a 30-year decline in beef quality grades was apparent, with only half of fed cattle grading USDA Choice. The Choice/Select spread hit record highs in 2006, but today the picture is much different. July figures show 60.1 percent of the harvest mix graded Choice the first half of this year, but why?
SECOND ANNUAL DUCK RIVER ANGUS CLASSIC HELD OCTOBER 17
The Second Annual Duck River Angus Classic was held October 17, 2009 in Columbia, Tenn.
AS COWS EAT, SO GROW THE CALVES
Your cowherd checklist might look pretty sparse after the calves are weaned and rebreeding is confirmed. Maybe the cows regained some condition and they're coasting now on crop residue. Next item would be, what, calving?
SOUTHERN SOURCE ANGUS SALE HELD SEPTEMBER 26
The Southern Source Angus Sale was held September 26, 2009 in Cullman, Ala.
CATTLE GRAZING BEHAVIOR CAN BE USED TO MANAGE CATTLE
Cattle are grazers and browsers, eating a wide variety of grasses, forbs and leaves/bark from shrubs and trees. Not having upper front teeth, cattle can't nip off plants as a horse does but use their flexible tongue to wrap around a "bite" and break it off with a movement of the head. They bite short grass with the lower teeth and hard upper palate, but cannot graze as closely as a horse or sheep.
CREATIVE ADVERTISING BENEFICIAL FOR TAX PURPOSES
Advertising and promotion are important for any ongoing business or service, even if you have significant good will and public recognition of your product or service. This is true for farmers, ranchers and horse owners just as in other businesses.
IT'S THE PITTS -- THE CHECK IS IN THE MAIL
When I was a little boy my father put me on a chair and said, “Jump and I'll catch you.” I did and he didn't. As I gathered myself up off the floor he said in a stern voice, “Let that be a lesson to you. Don't ever trust anybody.”
MYCOTOXINS ARE A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE IN GRAINS AND FEEDS
Every year about this time cattlemen are taking a serious look at how they are going to feed/supplement their cattle through the winter. In many if not all cases there is a focus on how this can be done as cheaply as possible.
COMMODITYINSITE.COM
The Gross Domestic Product report for the 3rd quarter showed US economic growth rising a brisk 3.5 percent. The data was above expectations and the best showing in two years.
HUNTIN' DAYLIGHT -- WAITING FOR THE ECONOMIC SUN
“Net returns have been pressured again in 2009, as input costs remain rather high compared to historical norms while calf prices have struggled,” say analysts with the Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC). “Calf prices are forecast to be slightly higher in the fourth quarter of this year than in 2008, however for the year, calf prices will still be the lowest since 2003.”

Arkansas Cattle Links

Ag Universities

University of Arkansas
Graduates use the skills they acquire on the farm, in industry, business, teaching, research and human development.
http://pigtrail.uark.edu/depts/dbcafls/
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