Prevention truly is key when it comes to herd health. During the NCBA Trade Show in Phoenix, Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) vets were there to discuss the economic proof points on why stopping problems before they started leads to reduced antibiotic use and higher profitability for producers’ operations. “We are seeing more and more people interested in preventing disease instead of …
Alltech Research Leads to Changes in Mineral Management
Mineral management is changing, thanks to research in nutrition and genomics. Butch Whitman is an Alltech beef nutritionist who was at the 2018 Cattle Industry Convention and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Trade Show in Phoenix. Whitman said research at Alltech’s Center for Nutrigenomics and Applied Animal Nutrition looks at how nutrients impact the expression of genes. That includes what nutrients …
NCBA Recognizes Arizona Ranch for Environmental Stewardship
A third generation Arizona rancher is working hard to leave his ranch land better than he found it for the next generation. The Jim O’Haco Cattle Company is this year’s winner of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association National Environmental Stewardship Award, presented during this year’s Cattle Industry Convention in Phoenix. O’Haco owns two ranches totaling nearly 90,000 acres. “We have …
Perdue Discusses State of Rural Economy
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue briefed members of the House Agriculture Committee Tuesday on the current state of the rural economy and USDA’s farm bill priorities. “We’re in a very different situation than when you last contemplated a farm bill,” said Perdue in his opening remarks. “The state of the rural economy is fragile.” Secretary Perdue was asked about a number …
Five Mineral Myths Busted
Alltech did some myth busting at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Cattle Industry Convention & Trade Show with regards to the latest strategies and newest technologies in trace mineral supplementation. A panel discussion including Dr. Vaughn Holder, ruminant research director with Alltech, conducted a forum where they busted five mineral myths relating to ruminant nutrition. Holder said producers should …
New Pig Farmer of the Year Appointed
The National Pork Board has named Leon Sheets from Ionia, Iowa as America’s Pig Farmer of the Year® for the remainder of 2017-18 program year. He was selected to replace Leslie McCuiston, who had to step down from the role after taking a new position in the agricultural industry where she will not directly work with pigs, which is obviously …
Sustainability a Focus for Beef Supply Chain
Many of those gathered at this year’s Cattle Industry Convention and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Trade Show in Phoenix are working toward sustainability within the beef industry at all levels of the supply chain. “Sustainability, as defined by NCBA, is about producing safe and nutritious beef with economic viability, environmental stewardship and social responsibility,” said Dr. Sara Place, Sr. …
Animal Ag Bites 2/5
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has announced the appointment of five members to serve on the American Lamb Board. A list of board members is available on the AMS American Lamb Board webpage. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has also announced the appointment of three members to serve on the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center Board of Directors. Additional information can be …
Cattlemen Release 2018 Policy Priorities
A number of topics are priorities for cattle producers in the coming year, beginning with the passage of a new Farm Bill. “Everybody is trying to push completion of the Farm Bill before the current one expires, and we are no different,” said Colin Woodall, senior vice president of government affairs with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. “We want to …
CattleFax Predicts Large Supply and Strong Demand in 2018
It appears strong demand will continue to support the cattle industry in the coming year, even though the supply continues to grow. “The cattle cycle is pretty well on track,” said Randy Blach, CEO of CattleFax. “We saw the USDA numbers released yesterday that indicated the herd expanded again in 2017. We expected that would be the case. But it …