volume 35 number 06 circulation 8,000 june/july...

THE VIRGINIA CATTLEMAN–JUNE/JULY 2013–PAGE 1

The Virginia CattlemanP. O. Box 9Daleville, VA 24083-0009

Non-Profi tOrganizationU. S. Postage

PAIDDaleville VA 24083

Permit No. 8

Offi cial Publication of the Virginia Cattleman’s Association • PLEASE NOTIFY SENDER IF ADDRESS LABEL IS INCORRECT

What’s InsideWhat’s Inside

Ag Expected To Remain Strong ................................................................. Page 4

VA Cattlemen’s Foundation Scholarships ................................................. 1

What The Industry Learned From Pink Slime ............................................ Page 16

Poultry Pollution Has Been Overestimated .............................................. Page 27

TheThe Virginia CattlemanVirginia CattlemanVOLUME 35 NUMBER 06 CIRCULATION 8,000 JUNE/JULY 2013

The Virginia Horse Industry Council once again hosted a Virginia Legislative Trail Ride the weekend of May 10 – 12th at Montpelier. The Virginia Cattlemen’s Association provided

a steak dinner for ride participants on Friday evening. Pictured above are VCA members Dave Norford,

Lee Duhrer, James Keane and Steve Hopkins.

JUNE/JULY 2013–THE VIRGINIA CATTLEMAN

Opportunities

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Jason Carter,Executive Secretary

The end of spring and the ap-proach of summer in Virginia come over a period of several weeks but there are activities such as haymaking, corn planting and cows not relying on you for their diet every day that we can rely on. Rhythms of our lifestyle such as these provide certain levity for most of us that seem to smooth the unexpected wrinkles of daily life. There was once a rhythm for decades in the cattle business that assured seasonality of market and production cycles. Hard to say that is the case anymore when you look at the last 12 months. Basis in Virginia, or the difference between our cash feeder prices and the composite value in the Midwest, was reliably positive for many years in the spring. The cost of moving calves to feed became less relevant when we were fl ush with calves and grass to stocker through the coming summer. I have always been a fan of fall calving largely because of the

marketing options it offered many cow calf producers due the prom-ise of the spring grass market. It was certainly surprising this year, so far, to see the fed market reach 12 month lows and feeder prices to remain fl at. Not to imply the value wasn’t there, but the basis wasn’t as pronounced as history has accustomed us to. Equally surprising to me was the steady fl ow of calves to the sale barns and a handful of the tel-o-auctions. I would have bet after the fall that we may have seen a downswing in numbers at the market how-ever, weather related issues aside in March, the flow was steady for most barn managers. I don’t want to jump on a bandwagon of change necessarily and say the cattle business in Virginia has a new rhythm but it seems the band sounds different doesn’t it?

Technology, fi nancial planning, partnerships and regulation are equally important as getting them sold now. There will always be a few in our business that own cattle as a byproduct of owning land and they will manage with

whims and convenience. For the rest of the producers in the busi-ness of production these things have made raising cattle a year round enterprise beyond selling in the fall and unrolling round bales in the winter. I have been at work for the Virginia Cattle-men’s Association for nearly a year now and here in Daleville is no exception…the status quo is not working for everybody anymore. I travel quite a bit visiting with individuals and groups alike in the business of cattle production. One thing that has amazed me is how much people want to know what is go-ing on in our busi-ness. What’s com-ing down the road that will affect how we operate? Sure, I get asked about what cattle are go-ing to be worth next week, next month and this fall, but I see more and more producers are keenly aware that they control the

value of their cattle, relative to the market, by knowing what’s com-ing rather than waiting for what happens. This Association is go-ing to grow to meet those needs while still trying to be pretty good at getting those calves the value they deserve as well.

I am going to start calling my piece here each month Opportu-nities rather than Connections any longer. I get the chance to

make a lot of connections here but opportunity for change is where our future is and it is a word that I tell myself several times a day. There are many irons in the fi re in Daleville and I have been very appreciative of the Executive Committee that is driven to foster progress over simply accepting change. Let us know how we can best serve this business and enjoy the summer.


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Lisa Keefe, The Meating Place U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand

(D-N.Y.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced bipartisan legislation that would require a pilot program to look into new data sources on antibiotics used on food producing animals, ac-cording to a release posted on Sen. Gillibrand’s website. The Antimicrobial Data Collection Act would require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to collect more data on antimicrobial drug use, but would not create any new reporting requirements for drug companies, feed mills or farmers,

according to the release. The bill’s proposals would “shed light on information about antimicrobial drugs used in agriculture that are not currently made public, such as dosage form, strength and targeted animals,” the senators said. In February 2013, Congress-men Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) introduced legislation that would require more information be sub-mitted to health regulators on the use of antibiotics given to animals raised for human consumption, called the Delivering Antimicro-bial Transparency in Animals (DATA) Act.

The Virginia 4-H and FFA Youth Cattle working Contest had its 2013 state championship contest held at the Virginia Beef Expo on April 20, 2013. Statewide approxi-mately 60 teams had competed at fi ve regional contests to qualify to compete at the state event. The top ten teams competed in Harri-sonburg with the Orange County team consisting of Robert Nixon, Blake Hopkins, and Zach Swope emerging as the state champions. The other Orange 4-H team con-sisting of Garret Chambers, Kelly Shiffl ett, and John Michael Knight placed second just one point be-hind. The contest has grown in popularity in the nineteen years since its inception when all com-petition occurred at the Beef Expo. Competitors demonstrate their skills in processing young beef cattle for health and productivity and learn the concepts of Beef Quality Assurance.

Competitors in the event planned and then processed three stocker calves. They fi rst complete a Cattle Processing Plan providing information about the products that were used, how they are used,

and where they are administered. This document becomes a perma-nent health record for this group of cattle. If the cattle are sold this document would accompany the cattle, so the new owner is aware of the details surrounding health products administered to the cat-tle. Contestants then process the calves. Calves received three vac-cinations, an injectable dewormer, a growth promotant implant, an insecticide ear tag and had an ear notch sample collected for BVD persistent infection analysis. Scores were given by judges on the correctness of the procedures performed by contestants.

Contestants were also scored on their ability to handle the cattle. Smooth, quiet handling is being sought to minimize poten-tial injury to cattle and people. Points may be deducted for noisy or rough handling and errors in catching heads, moving cattle, etc. Safety was also scored for the teams that competed. Any action that seemed to put the handlers or cattle at risk resulted in a deduc-tion for safety. Time for comple-tion of the processing is part of

Orange County 4-H’ers Place 1st & 2nd In State Cattle Working Championship

the contest as well. To receive maximum score all calves needed to be processed in eight minutes or less. The emphasis is to encourage

the effi cient processing of calves but not to pressure such fast ac-tivity that errors occur and safety is jeopardized. The contest is ad-

ministered by Virginia Coopera-tive Extension, the Virginia Beef Expo and the Virginia Cattleman’s Association.

Steve Hopkins, Robert Nixon, Blake Hopkins, Zach Swope, Virginia FFA Secretary Addie Guthrie

Senators Introduce Antimicrobial Data Collection Bill


The VirginiaCattlemen’s Association

Affi liated with theNational Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc.

P.O. Box 9Daleville, Va 24083-0009

540/992-1009www.vacattlemen.org

Steve Furrow ................................... PresidentRocky Mount

Glenn Wheeler ..........................1st Vice Pres.FEEDER CATTLE

AtkinsJason Pratt .................................1st Vice Pres.

SEEDSTOCKAtkins

Mike Henry ..............................1st Vice Pres.INDUSTRY

AmeliaGene Copenhaver ............................ Treasurer

MeadowviewAlan Spivey .....................................Past Pres.

ArodaJason Carter ........................... Exec. Secretary

Stuarts DraftButch Foster ....................................Fieldman

BristolTroy Lawson ....................................Fieldman

Churchville

BOARD OF DIRECTORSRegion I

Glenn Wheeler, AtkinsRegion II

Chris King, WythevilleRegion III

Barry Price, NarrowsRegion IV

Forrest Ashby, StauntonRegion V

Rick Matthews, BrowntownRegion VI

Steve Hopkins, LouisaTom Nixon, Orange

Region VIILin Jones, New Canton

AngusSteve Furrow, Rocky Mount

CharolaisWilliam Anderson, Altavista

DairymenMark Sowers, Floyd

HerefordCharles Williams, Fairfi eld

SimmentalAlan Spivey, Aroda

MarketsDavid Coleman, Amelia

VeterinariansDr. Bobby Franck, Montpelier

BCIAJason Pratt, Dublin

CattleWomenTerri Doyle, Emporia

Cattle FeedersJerry Burner, Luray

IndustryGene Copenhaver, Meadowview

County Cattlemen Assoc.Mike Henry, Amelia

Brett Stratton, AppomattoxEx Offi cio

Frank GravesBill Jones

VA/NCBA DirectorKevin Powell

The Virginia Cattleman540/992-1011

540/992-4632 - FAXpublished monthly by the

Virginia Cattlemen’s Association

Editor ................................ Jason [email protected]

Issued the fi rst week of each month. Copy deadline the 15th of the previous month.

The Virginia Cattleman is sent to members of the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association. Annual dues are $25/year or

participation in the Association’s Feeder Cattle marketing Program. Complimentary copies are sent to various sup-

porters of the Virginia Cattle Industry.

A Member of:

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Mark Seamon, Michigan State University Extension

It can be tricky to predict the

future, especially when this fu-ture includes factors of weather and world economies. By using specific assumptions, the USDA has developed a “conditional sce-nario” of the future of agriculture in the next decade, according to “USDA Agricultural Projections to 2022.” Overall, this report in-dicates an optimistic future that includes some bumps along the way. A couple of these bumps include the short-term softening of commodity prices which are affected by increased production encouraged by high prices from the drought induced short crops of 2012 and increasing crude oil prices.

The prediction of an optimistic future is formed by the consid-eration of many factors both domestically and internationally. According to the USDA report:

•Global developments of strengthening economies in many countries around the world support demand of agricultural products.

•Improved economies indi-cate an increase in demand for diversified food products (like processed foods, meat and poul-try) as well as increased demand for biofuels.

•World economic growth is projected to occur at 3.3 percent annually while the U.S. economy is projected to grow at a rate of 2.6 percent.

•The U.S. dollar is expected to continue to depreciate, which can be positive for encouraging exports.

The USDA report further ex-plains how energy is expected to continue to be an important factor for agriculture due to these factors:

•Crude oil prices are expected to increase over the next de-cade.

•Domestic corn-based ethanol and biodiesel production will continue at current, or slightly increased, levels.

•Global biofuel production is expected to expand steadily.

•The European Union will re-main the largest importer of bio-fuels, increasing the utilization of feedstocks (wheat and corn).

•Argentina and Brazil will remain the dominant biofuels exporters, increasing the utili-zation of feedstocks (soybeans for biodiesel and sugarcane for ethanol).

An effect of improving global economies is the demand for pro-cessed foods and meat products. In the short term, meat prices may

The Buckingham Cattlemen’s Association’s (BCA) Heifer and Cow/calf sale again featured on-line videos of all lots of cattle sold. These videos were viewed over 900 times. In the past, these videos have assisted buyers from all over Virginia and down the east coast to Georgia and Florida. Consignors in the sale were Berk-Mar Farm, C. H. Morris and Sons, Evergreen Farms, Twilight Farm, Wellwater Enterprises, and Wilmoth Broth-ers. The heifers and cows were sired by and bred to either A. I.

sires Mytty In Focus, Connealy Final Product, Hoover Dam, or above average sons of A.I. sires. These offerings by the BCA mem-bers come from the heart of their herds with incredible emphasis given to growth, calving ease, do-cility, and health. The sale heifers averaged $1650 with the high sell-ing lots being $1950. The cow/calf pairs averaged $2500, with the high selling lot being $3150. The BCA would like to thank all the buyers, as well as all those that attended the sale.

Agriculture Is Expected To Remain Strong In The Coming Decade

rise due to reduced production but as feed costs moderate and meat demand strengthens this sector should realize improved profits. While the factors that were used in developing these projections are critical to the ac-

curacy of the future outcomes, unpredictable factors can have significant impacts on actual performance. One clear example of this is the sharply reduced crop production of 2012 that was a result of a drought.

Buckingham Cattlemen’s Association’s Heifer Sale


Don’t Just Buy a Bull….Invest in a Program

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Dean BryantRoseda [email protected]

Buy or lease a Roseda Black Angus bull and become a partner in an innovative branded beef program. Roseda Farm will purchase your Roseda sired calves at competitive prices plus a premium based on your level of management and record keeping. Bulls start at $1500 with bull leases at $800/season. For information contact:

The Alleghany Highlands Agricultural Center, a year-old USDA-inspected slaughter facility, seeks a highly motivated, people-oriented butcher/manager. The butcher will oversee day to day business operations and services for both the processing facility and the live animal marketing components of the Center. 3-5 years of workplace experience (or equivalent education) required. The qualifi ed candidate will have good managerial, organizational and fi nancial skills, as well as a strong sense of community and customer service. The candidate will have experience with beef, lamb, swine, goat and deer process-ing. Skills with cutting-edge butchering techniques are preferred, but training can be provided. PO Box 674, Monterey, VA 24465. (540) 474-AHAC. [email protected].

2013 Field DayShenandoah Valley Agricultural Research & Extension Center

128 McCormick Farm Circle, Raphine, VA 24472

The Virginia Tech Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Research and Extension Center will hold their bi-annual Field Day on Wednesday, August 7, 2013 beginning at 12:00 p.m. The Field Day Program is listed below. During the Field Day, researchers will be on-hand to review and discuss their on-going research projects being conducted at the Shenandoah Valley AREC. This is going to be an excellent educational program, especially for producers interested in livestock, forage production, grazing, and forest management. We are asking persons interested in attending the Field Day to contact the Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Research and Extension Center at (540) 377-2255 on or before Friday, August 2nd, 2013 to sign-up to help facilitate meal arrangements.

Field Day Program Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Research and Extension Center

Wednesday, August 7, 2013 12:00 – 1:00 Registration and visit with sponsors 1:00 – 1:10 Welcome, David Fiske, Superintendent, Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Research and Extension Center 1:10 – 1:20 Load wagons and travel to fi rst stop 1:20 – 1:45 Forest & Forage = Silvopasture – Adam Downing, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Dr. John Munsell, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Virginia Tech, Dr. John Fike, Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech and Patti Nylander, Virginia Department of Forestry 1:45– 1:55 Load wagons and travel to Forage Plot area 1:55 – 2:40 Forage Species Demonstration Plots and Warm Season Annual Forages – Matt Booher, Virginia Cooperative Extension, J.B. Daniel, Forage & Grassland Agronomist, USDA-NRCS, and Dr. Ozzie Abaye, Crop and Soil Environmental Science, Virginia Tech View Demonstration and Research Forage Plots 2:40 – 2:50 Load wagons and travel to Big Meadow area 2:50 – 3:10 The Pasture-Based Beef Systems for Appalachia Project: What we’ve Learned – Dr. Terry Swecker, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech and Dr. Ron Lewis, Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Tech 3:10 – 3:25 Nutrient Dynamics in Tall Fescue-based Pastures – Dr. Ben Tracy, Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech and Gordon Jones, Graduate Student, Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech 3:25 – 3:40 Early Weaning Affects Feedlot Performance and Carcass Traits – Jason Smith, Graduate Student, Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Tech 3:40 – 3:55 Strategic Phosphorus Supplementation of Beef Cattle – Deidre Harmon, Graduate Student, Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Tech 3:55 – 4:15 Phosphorus Status of Beef Cattle Farms in Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay Watershed – Dr. Mark McCann, Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Tech and Scott Neil, Graduate Student, Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Tech 4:15 – 5:00 Yield and Botanical Assessments of Forages using Non-Destructive Methods: Yard Stick and Visual Evaluation – Dr. Ozzie Abaye, Crop and Soil Environmental Science, Virginia Tech 5:00 – 5:10 Load wagons and travel back to Bank Barn 5:10 – 6:00 Visit with Sponsors and Poster session – Bank Barn Ultrasound Demonstration (Finishing Barn working facility) – Joe Emenheiser, Graduate Student, Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Tech 6:00 – 6:30 Introductions and Comments from Special Guests – Memorial grounds picnic area Pre-dinner Speaker – Mr. Matt Lohr, Commissioner, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services 6:30 Dinner – Memorial grounds picnic area

To help facilitate meal planning, please contact the Shenandoah Valley AREC at (540) 377-2255 by Friday, August 2nd to register for this meeting.

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services, or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact David Fiske or Amanda Kirby at (540) 377-2255 during business hours (M-F: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm) fi ve days prior to the event to discuss accommodations.

Job OpeningAlleghany Ag Center


Nevil Speer, BEEF Magazine Beef quality grade is inherently

an important metric with respect to overall consumer satisfaction. One of the major criticisms of the current system is the relative inconsistency among the various grades – the variability result-ing from human error by USDA graders. However, new camera technology removes subjectivity, and minimizes the potential for variability across USDA Quality Grades. To validate that perspec-tive, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association recently commis-sioned a checkoff-funded study to investigate the relationships between consumer perception and marbling scores as determined by a camera-based system. The research was led by Daryl Tatum, Colorado State University profes-sor of animal science. The graph below details the relationship between camera-based marbling scores and relative consumer perception.

Tatum explains that, “Results of this recent study suggest that camera-based marbling scores very effectively categorize A-maturity beef carcasses accord-ing to differences in strip loin tenderness, fl avor and juiciness, and provide strong support for USDA’s recent implementation of camera-assisted quality grading. The transition to camera-assisted

Industry at A Glance: The Importance Of USDA Quality Grade

quality grading modernizes the 85-year-old beef grading system and improves the consistency and accuracy of quality grade determi-nation.” The implication is that improved quality grade scores really do matter when it comes to general consumer perception of the beef industry by consumers. Moreover, the current marketing system appears to be fairly effec-tive in segregating that value – as long as the segregation occurs in an objective manner.


Division of Ashby Herd Health Services, Inc.2420 Grace Chapel RoadHarrisonburg, VA 22801

Day/Night (540) 433-04301-800-296-COWS (2697)

Randall H. Hinshaw, D.V.M. (540) 246-2697Sarah S. Whitman, M.S., D.V.M.

Scott Greiner, Ph.D. Extension Animal Scientist,

Beef, VA Tech The 34th Annual Southwest

Virginia Performance Tested Bull Sale sponsored by the Virginia Beef Cattle Improvement Associa-tion was held Saturday, March 23, 2013 at Wytheville. The 134 bulls offered commanded an average price of $2779 per head. Breed averages were as follows: 82 An-gus averaged $2705, 15 purebred Simmental averaged $3000, 12 Simmental Hybrids $3133, 6 Cha-rolais $3083, 5 Gelbvieh Balancers $2680, 7 purebred Gelbvieh $2443, and 7 Polled Hereford at $2714. The BCIA-infl uenced Virginia Pre-mium Assured plus Bred Heifer Sale held in conjunction with the bull sale sold 30 heifers for an av-erage price of $1562 per head.

The top selling Angus bull went to Anson Minton of Gate City, Virginia for $6000. Angus Lot 133 is a January 2012 son of GAR New Design 5050 and was bred by J & M Windy Acres and Mike Con-natser of Maryville, Tennessee. He had a test YW of 1229, ratio 102, along with +11 CED EPD, +0.6 BW EPD, +0.61 MB EPD, +1.01 RE EPD, ratio 109 RE, and a +$35.26 $W. The second-high selling An-gus bull was Lot 132, and was also consigned by J & M Windy Acres and sold to S. Roger Meek of Marion, VA for $5800. This bull another calving ease son of GAR New Design 5050 had CED EPD +10, YW EPD +103, in addition to ADG ratio of 108, test YW ratio of 107, and REA ratio 119.

The high-station indexing Angus bull, Lot 42, was bred by Freddie Mullins of Mullins An-gus Farm in Clintwood, VA. This senior Angus bull is a December 2011 son of WAR Alliance 9126 6006 and posted an ADG of 4.24,

ratio 118, test yearling weight of 1298, ratio 116, and an overall station index of 117, along with a YW EPD of +106 and sold to Mark Givens of Newport, VA for $3500. The senior Angus high-sale order indexing bull was bred by Mt. Yoe and John Archer of Darlington, MD. Lot 28 is a December 2011 son of Weaverland Objective 0T26 909 and had an ADG of 4.69, ratio 131, test YW of 1214, ratio 109, along with +55 WW EPD, +101 YW EPD, and WW ratio of 112. This bull sold to Mark Hoke of Pickaway, WV for $3600. The high-indexing junior Angus bull was Lot 107 bred by Baird Angus Farm and Bill Baird of Bluff City, TN and sold to J. W. Melton of Galax, VA for $3000. This SAV Bismarck 5682 son posted an ADG of 4.20, ratio 114, test YW of 1399, ratio 116, WW ratio 120, along with +62 WW EPD, +104 YW EPD, and +$34.33 $W.

Demand was very strong for the Gelbvieh and Gelbvieh Bal-ancer bulls, which included a sale favorite- Lot 615 consigned by Little Windy Hill Farms of Max Meadows, VA. This September 2011 1/2 Gelbvieh homozygous black, homozygous polled son of KCF Bennett 208 S102 brought $5000 and sold to Rolling Vale Farm of Accident, MD. He posted at test YW of 1186, ratio of 105, along with CE EPD of +12, BW EPD of -0.9, Milk EPD of +33, and a carcass ratio of 116 for %IMF. Little Windy Hill also had the second highest selling purebred Gelbvieh, Lot 606. This homozy-gous black, polled son of DCSF Post Rock Granite 200P2 which commanded $3000 was sold to Bell Plain Farm of Orange, VA. This September 2011 bull had a WW ratio of 110, Milk EPD of +32 and a %IMF ratio of 160.

The high selling Polled Her-

eford bull was bred by Potts Creek Farm, Jasper and Alice Persinger of Covington, VA and commanded $3300 from Sally Run of Wytheville,VA. This February 2012 son of RRH Mr Felt 3008 posted test ratios of 103 and 117 for YW and ADG, respectively, as well as EPDs of +4.3 CE, +54 WW, +97 YW, +0.38 MB and %IMF ratio of 115 and a BMI of +$32 and CHB of +$35. Virginia Tech of Blacksburg, VA consigned the second highest selling Hereford, Lot 208 sired by TH 122 711 Victor 719T, and also sold to Sally Run of Wytheville, VA for $3000. This calving ease bull posted EPDs of +5.0 CE, +66 WW, +92 YW +29 Milk, along with a 114 WW ratio and +$31 CHB.

The strong Charolais sale was led by Lot 307, consigned by Vir-ginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. This February-born son of VPI Free Lunch 708T commanded $4300 from Bamboo Road Farms of Mar-shallville, GA. He posted EPDs of +8.6 CE, -1.6 BW, +37 WW, +66 YW, and +0.38 RE, in addition to ratios of 108 WW and 104 RE. Muncy Charolais of Pipestem, VA consigned the second highest sell-ing lot. Lot 308 commanded $4100 and was sold to Louis White of Cedar Bluff, VA. This LT Southern Rio 3293 P son posted strong test ratios of 107 and 115 for YW and ADG, respectively, along with a carcass EPD of +0.36 for RE, and ratio of 110 for REA.

The Junior high-indexing purebred Simmental bull was consigned by Virginia Tech, Dr. Dan Eversole and Chad Joines, of Blacksburg, Virginia. Lot 410 was sold to KowPoke Cattle Company of North Tazewell, Virginia for $5000. This high performing bull had a test YW of 1319, ratio 108 and a test ADG of 4.11, ratio of 125, in addition to EPD’s of +72

Wytheville Bull Sale ReportWW, +112 YW and +10.8 CEM, in addition to API in the top 10% of the breed and a TI within the top 5% of the breed.

Buster Hounshell of Hounsell Farms in Wytheville, VA was rec-ognized with the Senior Breeder Group Award for their group of fall-born Simmental Hybrids. Their high-indexing Senior Si-mAngus bull commanded $4000 from Chip Ridge Farms of Abing-don, VA. This September 2011 son of PVF-J 4P14 HYB Rookie had test ratios of 111 and 109 for YW and ADG, respectively in ad-dition to EPDs of +82 WW, +138 YW, +0.72 MB, +0.89 RE, along with API and TI of +135 and +92. Another strong Hounshell lot, Lot 433, commanded $4200 from Warner Gibson Farms of Dailey, WV. This calving ease son of GAR New Design 505 posted EPDs of +15.5 CED, -0.9 BW, and +107 YW, +0.77 MB and +0.96 RE, along

with +158 and +85 for API and TI, respectively.

J & M Windy Acres, Mike Con-natser and family, of Maryville, TN was recognized with the Junior Breeder Group Award for their consignment of spring-born Simmental Hybrid bulls. Their Lot 447 led this consignment group, selling for $4600 to Allen Chaney of Sunbright, TN. This son of PVF-J 4P14 HYB Rookie posted +74 WW EPD, +125 YW EPD, along with +72 TI. Lot 448 from J & M Windy Acres commanded $3600 and was sold to Warner Gibson Farms of Dailey, WV.

The BCIA-Influenced Bred Heifer Sale consisted of 30 fall-calving commercial bred heifers. All heifers were designated as Virginia Premium Assured Plus females. Demand was strong and prices steady, as the heifers aver-aged $1562 per head. Hillwinds

Continued on Page 11


Wholesale beef demand was down 4 percent in first quarter 2013, per capita net beef supplies were down 2.3 percent, and the USDA composite beef cutout av-eraged $188.33/cwt. compared to $188.10/cwt. last year. The same can be said for fed cattle demand as fed cattle prices av-

eraged $125.64/cwt. in the first quarter compared to $125.50/cwt. last year. Prices have av-eraged near even with a year ago, while supplies were down 2.3 percent – resulting in lower demand. Including the April estimates, demand will not look as poor compared to last year

due to the lean finely textured beef situation that occurred last year – causing the cutout and fed prices to fall sharply. None-theless, wholesale beef demand has been disappointing so far in 2013. Restaurant traffic remains slow, incomes are barely above year ago levels, and there has

been no growth in total beef exports in 2013.

There are many factors that impact feeder cattle and calf values throughout a given year. However, it is a near certainty that without steady to growing beef demand, it will be very dif-ficult for cattle prices to push

higher. In the past 15 years, there have only been 2 years where calf prices and the wholesale demand index did not move in the same direction (2001 and 2005). In other words, annual demand index improvements typically result in yearly calf price increases.

Kevin Good, Cattle Fax Seasonally, the fed market is

in the process of trending lower from the spring high into the summer low. Fundamentals will remain fairly positive over the next thirty days with increasing but manageable fed supplies and strong beef demand and usage. Nevertheless look for fed prices to deteriorate more rapidly than the fundamentals would suggest, as cattle feeders will remain willing sellers due to the historically strong basis. This will result in a margin/leverage shift from the cattle feeder to the packer which will result in improved packer mar-gins. Year to date, the wholesale beef demand index is down 3 to 4 percent. Despite this, fed cattle prices are still forecast to aver-age higher in 2013 compared to 2012 due to tighter per capita beef supplies.

Late May-June: Fed supplies and beef production levels will increase through this time-frame. Beef demand and usage should stay strong seasonally, although beef values will de-cline. The price potential will continue to be limited by wide price spreads between beef and the other competitive proteins, and willing sellers due to posi-tive basis with the historically large discount in the June live cattle futures. Prices are ex-pected to trend lower and end

Calf Prices And Beef Demand

Lower Trend Beginsthe month of June in the low $120’s. July-August: Seasonally ample fed cattle supplies will be noted, especially after the el-evated placements in March and April. This coupled with softer beef demand compared to the spring will be noted resulting in a softer fed market. Yes the supply increase is not forecast to be a large as in most years, and the feeding industry is ex-pected to be current due to the discounts in the futures market that will continue to encourage trade. Look for the summer average to be in the low $120’s, with risk back to $116 - $118 for the lows.

HappyFather’s

Day


Felicia G. Roberts, Office ManagerP.O. Box 209 Fishersville, VA

Email: [email protected] Website: www.vaangus.org

We MEAT your needs!!We MEAT your needs!!

W MEAT d !!

Family BusinessSince 1960

703 Woodman Rd.Rock Mount, VA 24151

John Thurman540-493-6025

Jason Thurman540-493-4813

Steve Furrow540-520-4804

Zach, Dara & Dalton Tucker211 Four Locust Lake Lane

Keysville, VA 23947(434) 735-8161 * (434) [email protected]

www.fourlocustangus.com

James D. Bennett(434) 376-3567Jim G. Bennett(434) 376-5760

Paul S. Bennett (434) 376-5675

Brian R. Bennett(434) 376-5309

“Serving the Beef Industry Since 1944”17659 Red House Rd.Red House, VA 23963

f ce 4 4 4 4 Private Treaty Female Inquires Welcomed

**Look for Edgewood Bulls in the BCIA Sale or call us to visit and look at our

On Farm Private Treaty Bulls!**Edgewood AngusThe Pete Henderson Family

Mailing Address:400 Angus Lane, Williamsburg, VA 23188Farm Address: 28225 King William Hwy., West Point, VA 23181

Pete s ell: 5 880 2 4 ete hendersonin . om

rehart

ngusThe Arehart’s

2835 Shutterlee Mill Rd.Staunton, VA 24401

(540) 885-8732Cell (540) 290-2240Cell (540) 290-4251

The Program with A PlanThe Plan with A Purpose

Bulls & Heifers availablePrivate Treaty

ANGUS FARM

Dennis J. Pearson8459 March Wales Road

Warrenton, Virginia 20186(540) 326-2222

Email:[email protected]: www.soldiershillangusfarm.com

PLEASE MAKE A NOTE......

Virginia Angus Association will hold our Annual Meeting on Saturday, February 2, 2013

at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel in Staunton, VA

Virginia Angus i t Sale is A ril 1 , 2013 at the Rockingham Co. Fairgrounds, Harrisonburg, VA. Consignment forms are available on our website

at www.vaangus.org. They have also been mailed with the 2013 membership dues.

NOM NAT ON EA L NE 2 1 2013Form will arrive with dues

UPCOMING EVENTSMarch 8 - 10

MAJAC Show - H’burg, VAMarch 14

Southside Assoc. Ann Mtg, Keysville, VAMarch 16

Headquarters for Hindquarters Sale, Harrisonburg, VAMarch 23

Whitestone Farm Pasture Performance SaleAldie, VA

March 23BCIA Southwest Performance Tested Bull Sale

Culpeper, VAMarch 2

Echo Ridge “Spring Turnout” Bull SaleAtkins, VA

Hill Crest FarmThe John Rucker Family

2394 Deleplane Grade Rd.Delaplane, VA 20144

540-364-2875

Poor House AngusJerry & Connie Hall

PO Box 528Upperville, VA 20185

540-364-2875Fax: 540-364-3315Cell: 540-454-1512

Cattle Available by Private TreatyWatch for our consignments in Virginia Sales

We welcome

your visit

Family owned & operated

CSF Cattle Company7725 North Lee Highway

Raphine, VA 24472C S Fitzgerald, wner 540-4 0- 847

Chance Snyder, Herdsman 540-2 0-0 87 [email protected]

All Cattle Available by Private Treaty!

Quaker Hill FarmCharles and Lee Rosson

5728 oindexter Road Louisa, VA 2 0Farm: 540. 7. 045 Charles: 540.8 4. 52

crosson@ uakerhillfarm.comwww. uakerhillfarm.com

Annual SpringBull & Female SaleLast Friday in April

Annual FallBull & Female Sale

First Friday in November

P.O. Box 209 Fishersville, VA

Email: [email protected] Website: www.vaangus.org

PLEASE MAKE A NOTE......

Buddy Shelton, President

UPCOMING EVENTS

Eastern RegionalJunior Angus Show

Rockingham County FairgroundsHarrisonburg, Virginia

June 21-23

Virginia Angus Breeders ShowChatham, Virginia

July 26-28

Virginia Angus AssociationFelicia G Roberts Office Manager

Virginia Angus Breeders Page


Farm of Dublin, VA consigned Lot 1 to top the sale at $1800 selling to Terrill Smith of Abingdon, VA. This pair of SimmAngus heifers is due to calve in September and was bred to Edgewood EXT 9108. Lot 14 also from Hillwinds Farm sold for $1750 and went to Mt. Vista L & L of Eggleston, VA. These heif-ers were also bred to Edgewood EXT 9108 and due to calve in September.

All bulls and heifers were consigned by members of the Virginia Beef Cattle Improvement Association. Bulls were devel-oped at Hillwinds Farm at Dublin, VA owned and operated by Tim Sutphin. The sale was managed by Virginia BCIA and the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association, and the auctioneer was Mike Jones.

Virginia BCIA and the South-west Bull and Heifer Sale consign-ors would like to thank Abingdon Equipment, ABS, Baker Cattle Company, Brown Insurance, Century 21, Contractor’s Equip-ment, Farm Credit, Farmer Bob’s Campground, First Bank & Trust, Friendship Ford, G & G Livestock, Genex, Giles Farm Bureau Coop-

erative, Handfula Gelbviehs, L & L Construction, Lucas Farms, Mt. Airy Equipment, Performance Feeds, Potts Creek Farm, Select Sires, Snuffy’s General Store, Vir-ginia Gelbvieh Association, and Wythe Livestock Exchange for their sponsorship and support.

Special thanks to all the bull and heifer buyers at the 2013 Southwest Virginia BCIA Sale:

Allen Chaney; Sunbright, TN Anson Minton; Gate City, VA

B & G Farms; Kegley, WV Bamboo Road Farms, LLC; Mar-

shallville, GA Bar D Farms; Chatham, VA

Barry M. Stockner; Hillsville, VA Bell Plain Farm; Orange, VA

Billy C. Henderson; Pearisburg, VA

Blaine Myers; Cedar Bluff, VA Bob Buchanan; Tazewell, VA Bobby and Martha Jackson;

Draper, VA Canaan Land Farm; True, WV Cassell Angus Farm; Indepen-

dence, VA Charles Wise; Bridgewater, VA

Charlie R. Dehart; Christiansburg, VA

Chip Ridge Farms; Abingdon, VA

Clark S. Reece; Hillsville, VA Cloverdale Farm; Gaithersburg, MD

Compton Farm; Rocky Gap, VA Crestone Farm; Warrenton, VA

Dale Wineberg; West Jefferson, NC

Dean K. Pratt; Draper, VA Dempsey L. Goad; Hillsville, VA Denny Jessee; Castlewood, VA

Doug Bunn; Dublin, VA Eddie Rash; West Jefferson, NC Edward M. Byrd; Bluefi eld, VA

Elaine Ollis; Newland, NC Ernest C. Haga;

Independence, VA Flat Creek Farms; Princeton, WV

Frank B. Strader, III; Pearisburg, VA

Gerhard N. Schoenthal; Bland, VA

Glen R. Shipway; Kiawah Island, SC

Hemlock Springs Farm; Atkins, VA

Hillwind Farm; Dublin, VA Hollow Hill Farm; Doe Hill, VA

J. W. Melton; Galax, VA Jackie B. Gibson; Castlewood, VA

James D. Elliott; Ennice, NC James E. Huffman; Fincastle, VA James Gary Munsey; Bland, VA Jeff D. Sullins; Meadowview, VA

Jerry Wayne Edwards; Ennice, NC

Joe A. Pagan; Pulaski, VA Jonathan Kidd; Pearisburg, VA Josh G. McMurray; Bristol, VA

Kegley Farm, Inc; Wytheville, VA King Brothers Farm, LLC;

Wytheville, VA KowPoke Cattle Company;

N. Tazewell, VA L & G Circle T Farm; Christiansburg, VA

Louis A White; Cedar Bluff, VA Lowery Sarver; Athens, WV

M. C. Saunders; Tazewell, VA Madison Marye; Shawsville, VA Mark A. Hoke; Pickaway, WV

Mark Givens; Newport, VA Michael D. Pauley; Bland, VA

Michael W. Witt; Cedar Bluff, VA Mike Goldwasser; Hillsville, VA

Mike Jones; Pulaski, VA Old Dominion Farm;

Scottsville, VA R.L. Blanton; Amelia, VA

Randy L. Dunmon; Pilot Mountain, NC

Randy Lawson; Chilhowie, VA

Raymond A. Campbell; Saltville, VA

Richard Gordon; Radford, VA Robert C. Todd; Elk Creek, VA Robert G. Correll; Tazewell, VA

Roger Martin; Max Meadows, VA

Rolling Vale Farm; Accident, MD Ronald A. DeHart; Floyd, VA

Ronald C. Dillman; Marion, VA S. Roger Meek; Marion, VA Sally Run; Wytheville, VA

Sam R. Crockett; Wytheville, VA Sanderson Brothers; Goode, VA

Stuart G. Pratt; Draper, VA T. Cattle Company; Red Oak, VA

Ted J. Holyfi eld; Elkin, NC Tim B. Snyder; Buchanan, VA TNT Cattle; Parkersburg, WV

Tom Covey; Radford, VA Tommy L. McGee; Lenior, NC Triple B Farm; Pinnacle, NC

Triple R Farms; Pembroke, VA Vance G. Gentry; Shady Valley, TN

Victor Clayton Smith; Ennice, NC

Warner Gibson Farms; Dailey, WV

William B. Cassell; Crockett, VA William Watkins Sanderson, III;

Big Island, VA

Caroline Comyn - $1000 Caroline is a rising sophomore

at North Carolina State Univer-sity studying Animal Science and hopes to become a large animal veterinarian. Caroline grew up in Madison County. At NC State, Caroline is a member of the Ani-mal Science, Poultry Science and Dairy Science clubs. Through these organizations she has been able to volunteer at events such as the North Carolina State Fair and “agvocate” to the general public. Advocacy for animal agriculture is something she has become increas-ingly passionate about. Caroline maintains a 3.33 GPA.

Danny Alley - $1000 Danny is a rising junior at Vir-

ginia Tech transferring from the Agricultural Technology Program there to an Agricultural Sciences degree program. Danny is from New Castle, VA and was named the outstanding senior in the Ag Tech program this year. He has been a consistent member of the Dean’s List, maintaining a 3.96

GPA, and a member of the Col-legiate Young Farmers. Danny interned during the summer of 2012 at the Crosby Ranch in Colo-rado and hopes to return to the family farm upon graduation from Virginia Tech.

Katelyn Belcher - $1000 Katelyn will be a freshman at

Virginia Tech in the fall of 2013 and plans to major in Agricul-tural Economics and Animal Sci-ence. Katelyn is from Washington County, VA and has participated extensively in FFA and 4-H where she served this year as state 4-H President. Katelyn was also ac-tive in Stockman’s and Livestock Judging events. She graduated from high school with a 3.73 GPA, as a member of the National Honor Society, while also taking classes at Virginia Highlands Community College. Katelyn hopes to either pursue a career in agricultural law or become a veterinarian.

Madison Slaven - $1000 Madison will be a freshman at

Virginia Tech in the fall of 2013 and plans to major in Marketing. Madison was raised in Augusta County, VA on her family’s cattle operation and graduated from high school with honors as well as being very active in 4-H and FFA where she served as her Chapter’s President. Madison hopes to pur-sue a career in marketing for an agricultural organization where she can promote education about commodity production. Madison believes that in the information age we live in that advancing knowledge through the effective dissemination of information is crucial for animal agriculture relat-ing to its consumers.

Mary Katlyn Smith - $1000 Katlyn Smith is from Pulaski

County, VA and plans to enter Virginia Tech this fall as an Animal Science major. Katlyn graduated from high school with honors while attending Governor’s School, was active in her local FFA Chapter and was a student member of the Pulaski Chamber of Commerce

Board of Directors. Katlyn has volunteered many hours for civic service projects that benefi ted her community and maintained a profi table goat enterprise as well. Katlyn hopes to be a large animal veterinarian where she can work not only in service of cattle pro-ducers but also educate producers about responsible drug use which is certainly a high profile issue among today’s consumers.

Morgan Slaven - $500 Morgan Slaven is a rising senior

at Virginia Tech double major-ing in Agricultural Sciences and Communications. She is a repeat recipient of a Virginia Cattlemen’s Foundation Scholarship. Morgan has enjoyed an impressive col-legiate career of academic success and industry related experiences. She currently works for Virginia FFA as the State FFA Offi ce coor-dinator where she trains them in leadership and facilitates their year of service activities. Morgan also serves as President of the Virginia Tech Beef Leadership Council and

writes feature articles for Ameri-can Angus Association media outlets and publications. Morgan is from Augusta County, VA where she grew up on the family beef cattle operation.

Lacey Koontz - $500 Lacey Koontz is a rising junior

at Virginia Tech majoring in Agri-cultural Economics and minoring in Social Change. Lacey grew up on her family’s beef cattle and crop farm in Rockingham County, VA where she was active in 4-H and FFA as well as graduating from high school while also dually en-rolled at Blue Ridge Community College. Lacey is a member of the Virginia Tech Beef Leader-ship Council and the Agricultural Economics Club. Her passion for radio is evident by her employ-ment as a radio DJ since her high school years with local radio sta-tions where she has done many on air jobs. Lacey also recently served as one of 15 student interns at the 2013 National Cattlemen’s Beef As-sociation annual convention.

Continued from Page 8

Wytheville Bull Results

Virginia Cattlemen’s Foundation Gives 7 Scholarships


Virginia Simmental Association

VIRGINIA

SIMMENTAL ASSOCIATIONKathy Penley, Secretary

4311 East Blue Grass TrailBland, VA 24315276-688-6188540-922-3592

[email protected]

www.virginiasimmental.com

PRESIDENTJim Bob Penley

Bland, VA(276) 722-2272

VICE-PRESIDENTKathy WaltersWytheville, VA (276) 686-8448

SECRETARYKathy Penley

Bland, VA(540) 922-3592

TREASURERDana CampbellLowesville, VA(434) 277-9104

JUNIOR LEADERFarrell JonesChilhowie, VA

(276) 759-5581

Kathy Freeman-WaltersWytheville, VA(276) 620-6762

Mark CampbellLowesville, VA(434) 277-9104

Chad JoinesBlacksburg, VA (540) 231-4738

Joe RobinsonMarion, VA (276) 782-1839

Doug LayneMonroe, VA434) 929-4327

Alan BerryRockbridge Baths, VA(540) 348-5123

Jared BurnerLuray, VA(540) 743-3446

Jim Bob PenleyBland, VA (276) 722-2272

Farrell JonesChilhowie, VA(276) 759-5581

David HaulseySugar Grove, VA (276) 677-3055

Samantha MaddoxAmherst, VA(434) 946-5709

Alan HeishmanEdinburg, VA(540) 335-1174

Be sure to check our website often for upcoming events, sale

information, and up to date membership information.

New offi cers and board membersDIRECTORS


Why Buy Minerals When Salt is Only $5

GOOD QUESTIONWe have Answers

CALL SUSAN FOR IDEAS AND QUOTES

1-888-886-2311

Valley Feed Company316 New Hope Rd/PO Box 514

Staunton, VA 24402Email: [email protected]

Toll Free: 1-888-886-2311Mill: 540-886-2311Fax: 540-886-4394

Wes Ishmael, BEEF Magazine The use of pyrethroid products,

if used according to the label, should not interfere with cattle fertility,” reports Hilari French, DVM, PhD, of the College of Vet-erinary Medicine at the University of Illinois (UI). That’s the bottom line of a recent study she and colleagues conducted, following questions raised about the use of pyrethroid products in bulls when applied close to breeding season. The study follows on the heels of a report in fall 2011 by Dietrich Volkmann, of the University of Missouri’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Volkmann contended that several pyrethroids can have “devastating effects on the semen

quality of bulls” if their use wasn’t timed properly.

His contention was challenged at the time by several specialists, a few bull studs, and at least one commercial fi rm that contended it had never received such a complaint in decades of use of its products. Volkmann emphasized his conclusion wasn’t based on controlled studies of the prod-ucts in cattle but observational fi ndings. In addition, some of the referenced controlled studies con-ducted in Asia were performed in rodents in which the chemistries were administered orally (rather than topically) and at extreme dosage levels and frequencies. Volkmann stressed at the time that he isn’t against pyrethroid

Research Finds No Bull Fertility Difference With Pyrethroid Use

products or their use, but merely issuing a call for controlled stud-ies on potential fertility issues resulting from the timing of use of the products on bulls.

Though the Illinois study results are sure to be welcome news to commercial makers of pyrethroid products and their cus-tomers, the work was conducted independently by university scientists. It included 28 bulls, blocked by age and distributed evenly among four experimental groups:

• A control group receiving no pyrethroid product,

• A group receiving two ear tags containing pyrethroid,

• A group receiving a one-time, label-recommended dose of a

pour-on containing pyrethroid, and

• A group receiving two ear tags containing pyrethroid, as well as a one-time, label-recom-mended dose of a pour-on con-taining pyrethroid.

French explains an initial se-men evaluation was performed on all bulls prior to treatment, and then weekly for nine weeks after treatment. Semen was evaluated for motility using computer-as-sisted sperm analysis software to average overall and progres-sive motility. Morphology was assessed by the same veterinar-ian weekly. Blood samples were also taken weekly to evaluate testosterone levels. All results were statistically analyzed. “No

differences were seen between the control group and any treatment groups for motility, morphology or testosterone,” French says.

“We also looked at differences in female conception rates and progesterone levels,” French says. Females (123 head) were broken into two groups: a control group, and another that received two ear tags containing pyrethroid and a one-time, label-recommended dose of pour-on containing pyre-throid. “All were put on the same artificial insemination protocol and blood was taken to monitor progesterone levels,” French says. “Overall, we found no statisti-cal differences between the two groups.”

The March U.S. hay price – ex-cluding alfalfa – increased $1 to $149/ton. Hay prices tend to increase seasonally into May, and the late winter weather across much of the United States will likely support this trend in 2013. Expect U.S. annual highs in the low $150s into late spring and a price break of $10/ton or more into the summer months. The magni-tude of the summer price break will likely depend on spring and summer moisture across major hay-producing regions. December 1st hay stocks in the United States were at lows not seen since the

mid-1950s. Forage markets will continue to be infl uenced by avail-able 2013 inventory. Hay, pasture, and even corn markets tend to move in the same general direc-tion across the country. Prices are better than 80 percent correlated among the different markets on a nationwide annual basis. Pas-ture cash rent prices increased as much as 13 percent in some regions of the country in 2012, while average U.S. hay prices increased 20 percent. The largest increases came in the Corn Belt, Lake States and Northeast. These regions are also major row-crop

USDA Reports Hay Prices Continue To Increase In 2013 production areas and experienced of the highest cropland rental rate increases in 2012. Tighter supplies and increasing competition for land point to higher rental rates

for 2013 pasture and cropland. Of course, regional differences will exist, and quality – as well as availability – will greatly infl uence rates. Cow-calf producers look-

ing to secure additional pasture and forage resources in 2013 will likely need to work hard to secure favorable pricing.


Beef Promotion Update

www.vabeef.orgBeef! It’s What’s For Dinner!®June/July 2013

A Monthly report on your Checkoff Dollars at work from the Virginia Beef Industry Council

Virginia Beef Council • P.O. Box 9 • Daleville, VA 24083 • 540.992.1992

Beef Buzz

Anne Jones, Director of Beef Promotion

What Has Your Beef Checkoff Done For You Lately?

In an effort to motivate sum-mer beef sales, the Beef Checkoff program has planned promotions with the likes of Sam’s Club, La Tortilla Factory, Sutter Home and Weber® Sauces & Season-ings. The promotions emphasize

beef’s value and versatility: As part of the promotion with La Tortilla Factory, for example, the checkoff distributed a syndicated news story to media nationwide, generating 2,184 news articles in 50 different states and garner-ing 3.1 million impressions. The story emphasized beef’s taste and nutrition and shared a steak taco recipe that can be prepared easily on the grill. In May, the checkoff

hosted an online Twitter party to encourage recipe entries for the Build a Better Burger competition and interact directly with consum-ers about grilling beef. More than 800 consumers participated, and #BuildABetterBurger trended second as a trending topic in the U.S. and fourth worldwide!

The Beef Checkoff Program is working with a quick-serve restaurant group to develop new recipes for their sandwiches – fea-turing beef and focusing on new ingredients. The checkoff gener-ated more than 150 concepts for the project, then narrowed that to about 50, based on operational

simplicity, category relevance, and taste. After reviewing the written concepts, the company will submit them for consumer screening. About 10 of the top concepts initially tested will be formally presented to the com-pany for further development, testing and, ultimately, launching into the market.

The Checkoff recently high-lighted opportunities for beef in school foodservice to about 200 decision makers at the School Nutrition Association of Virginia annual meeting. Various culi-nary applications for beef were presented as well as information

about beef’s role in a healthy diet in an effort to boost the amount of beef utilized on school lunch menus.

The Beef Checkoff partnered with North Carolina-based re-tailer Lowes Foods to introduce six new convenient fresh beef items to its shoppers. Lowes Foods also has six locations in Virginia. Developed by the check-off, the 3-Way Beef Cubes Starter Kit, 3-Way Beef Strips Starter Kit, 3-Way Cube Steak Starter Kit, 3-Way Beef Sandwich Starter Kit, Fajita Beef Strips Starter Kit and London Broil Starter Kit respond


From the Flank to the Round, marinate

cuts that need some tenderizing love

or extra flavor.

When in doubt, go for the oldest

recipe there is: Beef, fire and some

ground pepper.

Use a wet or dry rub to add a little personal

flavor to the steaks. Also, adding herbs

and spices before cooking is fine, but

salt can draw moisture out, so always

salt after cooking.

Always defrost your cuts in

the fridge so you’re good to

start cooking from there.

Let your steaks rest for 3 minutes

after taking them off the grill.

To evenly cook kabobs, leave a

little space between each piece.

Cooking over medium heat

browns the outside of a steak

and adds a depth of flavor you

wouldn’t get from too-high or

too-low of a temperature.

Use a spatula for burgers and

tongs for steaks, and never pat

them down—it lets juices out.

That’s how you lose

all the juices, brother.

Funded by The Beef Checkoff

grilling households

in the United States alone.

The charcoal briquette was

invented. Before that it was all cowboy

style: open flame.

The president who liked his

steaks grilled right on the coals.

Eisenhower, of course.

The percentage of people who

find their partner sexier when they’re

working the grill.

The percentage of people who grill

all the way through winter. Succulence

knows not what month it is.

The number of ingredients you need

to make a marinade (Italian dressing,

cilantro and chili powder).


to consumer demand for quick-and-easy meal solutions by pack-aging spice packets and recipe ideas with a fresh beef cut. “We know that consumers are pressed for time, and these beef starter kits offer the perfect solution for getting a home cooked dinner on the table quickly,’ said Ronnie Gleason, Lowes meat director. Market research will evaluate consumer satisfaction with and measure sales results of the new products. Upon completion by June, findings will be shared with other retailers and suppliers to encourage use of convenient fresh beef products to increase beef sales.

Media and retailers are showing growing interest in the updated Uniform Retail Meat Identifi cation

Continued from Page 14

Beef BuzzStandards (URMIS) nomenclature for fresh beef and pork, drawing increased visitation to MeatTrack.com to download the resources for in-store implementation. Reporters from top-tier national media such as NBC, Good House-keeping, Every Day with Rachael Ray and NPR told consumers how the Beef Checkoff is making it easier for them to shop for beef. Nearly 650 people have signed up on MeatTrack.com since the new program launched in February, representing growth of nearly 44 percent year-on-year. The major-ity of users are retailers, followed by packers and processors.

For more information on how your Beef Checkoff dollars are at work in Virginia, please call the Virginia Beef Industry Council at 540-992-1992.

Joe Schuele, U.S. Meat Export Federation

Last year was the best ever for

beef trade with Russia, as U.S. exports topped $300 million. Russian demand for U.S. beef was outstanding, and the U.S. industry capitalized on a larger tariff rate quota that was negoti-ated as part of Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organiza-tion (WTO). Russian customers showed a growing appetite for high-quality, grain-fed U.S. beef. What had once been primarily a market for U.S. beef livers was now purchasing large volumes of round cuts for processing, and a wide range of muscle cuts for its rapidly expanding foodservice and retail sectors.

However, trade slowed dra-matically toward the end of 2012 as Russia stepped up enforce-ment of its zero-tolerance policy for residues of the livestock feed additive ractopamine. Despite diplomatic efforts to address this issue, the Russian market formally closed to U.S. beef on Feb. 11. Not surprisingly, the impact on 2013 beef exports to Russia has been dramatic. When compared to 2012, fi rst-quarter

U.S. Beef Industry Working To Regain Beef Access In Russia

exports sank 87% in volume to 1,858 metric tons and 96% in value to $2.3 million. “Although Russia’s position on ractopamine has been on the books for some time, they really only started enforcing it last fall,” explains


Virginia Angus Association & Virginia Cattlemen’s Associationinvite you to the

2013 Virginia Cattle Industry Field Dayheld in conjunction with the

52nd Annual VA Angus Association Breeder’s ShowSaturday, July 27 & Sunday, July 28

Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex19783 U.S. Hwy 20 South

Chatham, VA 24531

Open and Junior VA Angus Shows • Cattle DisplaysEquipment Displays • Trade Show

Cattle working demonstration and value added beefCarcass seminar headlined by Certifi ed Angus Beef

Junior and Adult Stockmen’s ContestCAB lunch-burgers & beef hotdogs - Saturday

Breeder’s Show Banquet (contact VA Angus for registration)

Rain or shine in Olde Dominion’s state of the art livestock barns and53,000 sq. ft. enclosed arena

Demonstrations and Seminars - Saturday, July 27Cattle show and trade & equipment show

Saturday, July 27 and Sunday July 28

For more information contactVirginia Angus Association 540-337-3001

Virginia Cattlemen’s Association 540-992-1011


Joe Moore, President • 540-569-6219

WHY?In order to improve the traceability of animal disease in the United States, USDA recently released a new

Animal Disease Traceability Rule (ADT Rule) that requires all dairy steers born after March 11, 2013 to be tagged with offi cial identifi cation when they are transported across state lines.

THE CHALLENGE… Most adult dairy breeding stock and heifers are already offi cially identifi ed through other programs,

but typically steers have not been consistently tagged with offi cial ID. Tagging steers at livestock markets or buying stations is logistically diffi cult due to the large number of animals collected for sales, places ad-ditional stress on the animals and may incur additional costs to producers for tagging services.

THE SOLUTION. The best solution appears to be to get these cattle tagged on the farms of origin before they are transported

to markets or across state lines by dealers or other buyers. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Offi ce of Veterinary Services will provide offi cial USDA metal tags and tag applicators at no cost to dairy producers for tagging steers on their farms. Tags should be placed in the right ear of the animal and should not be shared with other farms. There is no reporting requirement for producers. Producers may request tags from any of our three regional offi ces.

QUESTIONS? If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the VDACS Regional Offi ce of Veterinary Services

closest to you.

Joe Roybal, BEEF Magazine It was a year ago now that the

issue of “pink slime” exploded into the national consciousness. One of the U.S. beef industry’s shining success stories in carcass utilization quickly became a huge industry black eye in terms of consumer perception following a relentless social media attack regarding lean finely textured beef (LFTB). The furor was pre-cipitated by a series of sensational reports by ABC News, which ulti-mately drew a defamation lawsuit brought by BPI, the dominant maker of LFTB. In the interim, a boycott of LFTB by major retailers forced the closure of three of four BPI processing plants and the layoff of 700 workers. But the ten-tacles of that media furor reached farther than that. When Cargill closed its Plainview, TX, process-ing plant in January 2013, the culprit most cited was drought-induced cattle liquidation that had exacerbated the effects of an existing overcapacity in the pack-ing business. But in an interview with FoodNavigator-USA in early April, Michael Martin, Cargill director of communications, said a contributing factor to the plant idling that laid off 2,000 workers was the reduced production of LFTB at the plant.

Most industry watchers predict that LFTB will make a recovery in time. After all, how can a hungry planet turn its nose up at the recovery of up to 15 lbs. of lean beef per carcass that the LFTB process allows? Follow-ing the media fury, a lot of folks opined that the industry’s failing had been a lack of transparency about the process. However, that

was never the intent, says Rus-sell Cross, head of Texas A&M University’s Animal Science De-partment. What changed was the consumer, he says. As head of USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) from 1992-1994, Cross approved the use of LFTB in 1993. That approval defi ned LFTB as meat, which allowed its use in ground beef without being labeled, he says. It was in 2001, after Cross had left FSIS, that the use of ammonium hydroxide in BPI’s production process was approved as a pH control agent. Cross says LFTB was, and still is, a process based on good science. “I’m not sure how much more BPI could have done back then; the consumer wasn’t calling for the type of transparency that today’s consumer is. The ball just moved on them.”

James Dickson, Iowa State Uni-versity professor of meat science, concurs. “I’m not sure what else BPI could have done, and that’s onething that has puzzled a lot of folks. BPI was very open for a food company as far as visitors and plant tours. They were much more open than most food compa-nies in general, and an awful lot of meat companies, in terms of what they were doing. It doesn’t seem that they were trying to conceal that from the public. “Eldon Roth (BPI CEO) is pretty proud of his operation and he wanted people to see it. I can tell you that as an academic trying to take students on plant tours, there aren’t many places that will let you in. BPI didn’t quite have an open-door, take-all-comers approach, but it was pretty close. Just about any-body who asked for a tour or visit was let in,” Dickson says.

Tagging Dairy Steers On The Farm

WYTHEVILLE LYNCHBURG HARRISONBURG

Dr. Thach Winslow Regional Veterinary Supervisor Wytheville Regional Laboratory 250 Cassell Road Wytheville, VA 24382 Telephone: (276) 228-5501 [email protected]

Dr. Chris McNeill Regional Veterinary Supervisor Lynchburg Regional Laboratory 4832 Tyreeanna Road Lynchburg, VA 24504 Telephone: (434) 200-9994 [email protected]

Dr. Don Hopson Regional Veterinary Supervisor Harrisonburg Regional Lab 261 Mount Clinton Pike Harrisonburg, VA 22802 Telephone: (540) 209-9120 [email protected]

What The Industry Learned From Being “Pink Slimed”


Thad Lively, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) senior vice president for trade access. “Russia contends that it closed the market because the U.S. government did not come forward with a program for shipping beef from cattle that hadn’t been fed ractopamine. Rus-sia has imposed new requirements and restrictions on beef from other suppliers as well, but the extreme step of closing the market only applies to the U.S.”

Lively says USDA officials have been working closely with the U.S. beef industry in recent weeks to develop a plan for re-suming exports to Russia. Great care must be taken, however, to ensure that the proposed program is feasible and economically viable before it’s presented to Russian veterinary offi cials. Though some fi nal details are still being worked out, Lively expects this process to move forward soon. “After much consultation with USDA and

representatives of the U.S. cattle and beef industries, USMEF is comfortable that the program be-ing developed will satisfy Russia’s requirements,” he says. “We also feel it’s workable for packers that are able to develop a source of ractopamine-free cattle – and this is critical, because there is no point in declaring that Russia has reopened to U.S. beef if exporters who produce ractopamine-free beef are still not able to access the market. The U.S. industry had built Russia into a destination that delivered a strong return for U.S. beef, and that’s the environment we need to restore.”

The next step is for USDA to present the elements of this pro-gram to their counterparts at the Russian Veterinary and Phytos-anitary Surveillance Service. It’s too soon, however, to speculate on when shipments will actually resume.

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C O T T O N W O O D Commerc i a l

Continued from Page 15Beef To Russia

Despite China’s continuing ban on U.S. beef since BSE in 2003, the country is important to global and U.S. beef trends. China has the second largest beef cowherd in the world at 46.2 million head, between Brazil at 56.7 million and the United States at 30.2 million head. However, the United States is No. 1 in global beef production

China And U.S. Beef due to better production effi cien-cies, while China is the world’s fourth largest beef producer at roughly half of U.S. levels. China is relevant to U.S. cattle and beef production in a variety of ways:

• China is the largest buyer of U.S. agriculture products – valu-ing US$25.9 billion in 2012.

• Total beef imports into China,

Hong Kong, Vietnam and Macau – all common entry points for beef into China – exceeded 2 billion pounds and $US2.55 billion of value in 2012. This is a seven-fold increase from just 6 years earlier.

• The re-gion is the second larg-est destina-tion for beef g l o b a l l y , between the United States and Japan.

• India is the largest beef supplier to this region followed by Brazi l and the United States.

• Chinese per capi ta b e e f c o n -sumption is

at 9 lbs., and imports account for 14 percent of consumption.

• Forecasted 2013 U.S. beef shipments to Vietnam and Hong Kong exceed 426 mil. lbs. This

would be the third largest market for U.S. beef behind Canada and Japan-surpassing the volumes to both Mexico and South Korea.


Gelbvieh Breedersof Virginia, Inc.

6916 Peppers Ferry Rd.Max Meadows, VA 24360

President: Nathan Haver - 540-997-5376Vice President: Tom Lavelle - 276-223-4488Secretary: Joe Wilson - 276-628-4163Treasurer:Judith Sweeten - 276-228-6347

LAST CALLGELBVIEH

Tom Lavelle, DVM2984 Peppers Ferry Rd.Wytheville, Va. 24382

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Flowing Spring Gelbvieh6235 Lee Hwy.

Atkins, VA 24311

SOUTHFORK FARMSGELBVIEH &

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LITTLE WINDY HILLFarms

Doug & Sue Hughes6916 Peppers Ferry RoadMax Meadows, VA 24360

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REGISTERED POLLEDGELBVIEH

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Roger L. Morris(434) 574-6592(434) 315-4294

17462 Fenton DriveAbingdon, Va. 24210

Dr. Daryl Wilson/Tyler Wilson(276) 676-2242

Joe & Gwen Wilson(276) 628-4163

[email protected]

James D. Bennett Paul S. Bennett(434) 376-3567 (434) 276-5675

17659 Red House RoadRed House, Virginia 23963

Offi ce (434) 376-3567Fax (434) 376-7008

Jim G. Bennett Brian R. Bennett(434) 376-5760 (434) 376-5309

2157 Black LickRural Retreat, VA 24368

Judith A. SweetenRegistered No. 48890

Home: 276-228-6347Cell: 401-714-6812

Registered GelbviehRed and Black Polled Bulls

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“Our cows work for us; so our bulls will work for you!”

McDonald Farms2070 Walnut Springs Road

Blacksburg, VA 24060540-552-2520 * 540-552-2947

www.mcdonaldfarms.comBLACK POLLED SIMMENTAL and ANGUS CATTLE

Private Treaty Sales ofbulls, heifers, cows & embryos

TRIO FARMS, INC.3070 US HWY BSN 340

Luray, VA 22835Jerry Burner (540) 743-3446

SUPPLYING QUALITY CATTLE SINCE 1971

YEAR

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www.triofarmsinc.com

McIntireCattle Company

Andy McIntire(540) 955-0066

P.O. Box 103Berryville, VA 22611

Main Anjou • Show Calves • Breeding CattleTop Sires Distributor • Renaissance Livestock Minerals

EXCEPTIONAL BULLS FOR SALE

Blue Ridge HerefordsIncrease your cow herd’s fuel mileageUSDA Line1 Bulls for Black Cow Herds

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cowherd retention makes for a strong case to utilizeHeterosis in the many Black cowherds of Virginia.Polled Hereford Bulls with complete performance

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ROANOKE-HOLLINSSTOCKYARD

HOLLINS, VIRGINIA

Sales Every Monday2:00 P.M.

QualityFeeder Cattle

Graded Steers, Bulls and Heifers WeeklyChris Theimer, Manager

540-992-1112

US Meat Export Federation

Apparently absence truly does make the heart grow fonder – at least in the case of U.S. beef and its fans in Japan. The Feb. 1 expansion of access for U.S. beef to product from animals 30 months of age and under has been greeted with extreme interest and excite-ment. Television stations have turned out to capture dis-plays of American beef at trade shows, and retailers, food ser-vice operators and processors are reacquainting themselves with the taste of bone-in beef and delicacies including beef tongue. Most important of all, consumers are calling for it. “American beef has been very popular among Japanese chefs, and this change will surely increase the opportunities for us to develop new menus us-ing prime, Angus and T-bone steak cuts,” said the president of the All Japan Chefs Asso-ciation. On the retail front, nationwide supermarket op-

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder For U.S. Beef In Japanerator Ito Yokado has conducted U.S. beef promotions at outlets in Tokyo that it is expanding to other stores around the country. Ito Yokado has indicated that it intends to double the share of U.S. beef products it sells – from 10 percent of all beef to 20 percent.”

“After years of efforts in this market, it is really gratifying to see this high level of interest in U.S. beef,” said Greg Hanes, USMEF assistant vice president for international marketing and programs. “Our work with the large retailers is really paying off as they plan to greatly ex-pand their offering of U.S. beef. And with greater supplies, we can expand our reach out to the regional retailers and other

segments that didn’t have access to the product earlier.” One seg-ment of the Japanese restaurant industry that has been eagerly anticipating the increased ship-ments of U.S. beef is the yaki-niku industry.

“Yakiniku consumes a tremen-dous amount of U.S. beef ribs and plates as well as tongues, outside skirts and intestines,” said Mizukami. “Those com-panies have been anxiously awaiting the expanded offerings so they can have a wider range of cuts and quality of products to choose from.” USMEF-Japan was heavily represented at the recent National Yakiniku Busi-ness Fair, which attracted more than 250 companies and 13,000 visitors. Once again, U.S. beef

was the main attraction as all the top importers and distributors featured U.S. beef, including processors’ high-grade branded items.

The increased demand for U.S. beef is expected to signifi -cantly drive up exports to that key market in the coming year. Japan’s beef imports from all sources for the fi rst two months of 2013 were down slightly from last year as importers anticipated the availability of under-30-month U.S. beef, but weekly U.S. beef export data through March shows Japan as the top destination as the year progresses. “The abil-ity to leverage USDA Market Access Program (MAP) funds with support from the industry

was critical in our long-term efforts to reestablish this incred-ibly important market,” added Hanes. “Without maintaining our marketing efforts over the last decade, we would not see the type of excitement we are seeing now.” In 2012, Japan was the No. 2 value market and No. 3 volume market for U.S. beef exports, purchasing 152,763 metric tons (336.8 mil-lion pounds) of product valued at just over $1 billion. Even though the expanded range of U.S. products did not begin arriving in Japan until March, U.S. exports to Japan through February were already running 12 percent higher in value than last year’s totals on 3 percent larger volumes.

Have a Happy

Father’s Day


VIRGINIA CHAROLAIS ASSOCIATION

Charolais bullsfor the most

discriminating buyer

124 Kindig RoadWaynesboro, VA 22980

Walt Winkler(540) 943-6144

CrossMountain Cattle Co.

Robert Farmer8030 Greenwich Rd.Catlett, VA 201195

540-270-3886Gerry Scott 540-379-1975

Cell 540-968-1987Fax 540-962-7508

BreedingPolled-Registered

Performance CharolaisWilliam and Agnes Anderson

P.O. Box 304Altavista, VA 24517

(434) 369-5366

“Keeping the commercial producers in mind”

River Croft Charolais CREWS FARMS

Registered Charolais

784 Payneton RdChatham, VA

Billy Crews, Barry CrewsBilly C. Crews, Brent Crews

(434) 656-2361(434) 656-3771

2013-2014VCA Offi cers

Bill Thompson – President1295 Park AvenueClifton Forge, VA 24422540-968-1987

Kaitlin Smith – Vice President454 Old Farm RoadLexington, VA 24450540-463-6778

Deidre Harmon – Secretary1445 Pipers Gap RoadGalax, VA 24333276-233-8852

Walt Winkler – Treasurer124 Kindig RoadWaynesboro, VA 22980540-943-6144

Rob Farmer – Past President8030 Greenwich RoadCatlett, VA 20119540-270-3886

Chad Joines –Southwest DirectorJunior AdvisorVirginia TechDept of Animal & PoultryScienceBlacksburg, VA 24061540-557-7263

We would like to invite anyone interested in becoming a member of our association to call one of the offi cers listed above.

Our next Sale 13th Fall Herd

Improvement Sale at Virginia Tech

on Saturday,Nov 2nd 2013

Thanks to bidders and buyers at our EXPO sale. The Charolais sold to AL, KY, MA, MD, PA, TX, VA, and WV. Cattle lots grossed $58,000 for 24 lots averaging $2,417. Lot 8 was highest selling bred heifer at $3,300 and was also overall top selling lot from Crews Farm, VA by BHD Reality and bred to Cooley Royce; sold to Aultman Charolais, TX. High selling pairs $3,000: Lot 7 from Disco Charolais, PA by LT Wyoming Wind with heifer calf; sold to Glenmary Farm, VA. Lot 10 from David Clark, MD by M6 Big Top with bull calf sold to Darrel Newton, KY. Lot 19 from Cross Mt Cattle, VA by SSF Corks White Squall with bull calf; sold to Glenmary Farm, VA. High selling open heifer $2,900 also awarded “People’s Choice Award” Lot 6 from Virginia Tech, VA by VPI Free Lunch; sold to Low Oak Farm, VA. High selling bull $3,000 lot 2 from Macy Meadows, MD by LT Bluegrass; sold to Brian Kemp, MA. Semen lots grossed $1,080 for an average $56.84.

All members of the Virginia Charolais Association are entitled

to join all the sales we sponsor.


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Dwayne Klassen, The Wall Street Journal

Canada’s Agriculture Minister

Gerry Ritz concluded his trade mission to the U.S. Tuesday, where he advocated for measures that would bring the U.S. into full compliance with its WTO obligations on the mandatory Country-of-Origin Labelling law. “Our government is focussed on ensuring that Canadian producers will be able to gain and maintain broader access to diverse markets,

to bolster the Canadian economy. COOL continues to have a nega-tive economic impact on the Ca-nadian livestock industry and we are standing with Canadian cattle and hog producers against unfair mandatory Country-of-Origin La-belling in the U.S.,” said Mr. Ritz. “Our government will consider all options, including extensive retaliatory measures, should the U.S. not achieve compliance by May 23, 2013, as mandated by the WTO.”

In Washington, Mr. Ritz met

Canada Advocates U.S. COOL Compliancewith his counterpart, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, to ex-press Canada’s strong disap-pointment with the proposed Country-of-Origin Labelling regulatory changes put forward by the U.S. Mr. Ritz said the proposed changes won’t bring the U.S. into compliance with its WTO obligations and will further increase discrimination against exports of cattle and hogs from Canada, increasing damage to Canadian industry. Mr. Ritz and Secretary Vilsack also discussed opportunities for collaboration and the integrated nature of the Canada-U.S. agriculture and food supply chain that supports jobs and growth on both sides of the border. They both instructed their offi cials to work on ways to further enhance collaboration in a number of thematic areas, in-

cluding adoption of science-based standards, new technologies and agricultural innovation. Over the past three years, approximately $38 billion in agricultural trade has crossed the Canada-U.S. bor-der annually.

“As each other’s largest trad-ing partners, we need to work together to ensure trade is con-tributing to the productivity and competitiveness of the sector for the benefi t of our farmers,”

said Mr. Ritz. “The fl ow of cross-border trade is essential to our economic growth.” Mr. Ritz met with key decision-makers on the Senate Agriculture Committee and with congressional represen-tatives to convey Canada’s stance on COOL. He also met with the American Meat Institute and livestock industry stakeholders who expressed their support for Canada’s position and are advo-cating for changes to COOL.

Kevin Good, Cattle Fax Fed cattle prices have continued

to trade in a range from $122 to $129 over last seven months. Since the fi rst of the year the live cattle futures have been in a down trend (April live cattle are $12 lower). The result has been improvement in live cattle basis. A strong spot live cattle basis, coupled with high costs of gain and the discounts in the June and August live cattle are all encouraging cattle feeders to be willing sellers. This despite the fact that fed cattle are losing on average of over $100/ head cash to cash. Although this trend will limit price potential near term, it is positive longer term to improving currentness.

Fed cattle supplies are at their tightest levels and will gradually increase into the summer. Beef demand and usage will pick up seasonally over the next sixty days. Although, year over year declines in demand are projected to continue due to smaller con-sumer paychecks, abundant lower

priced proteins and concerns about the overall economy. Lon-ger term, the fed market is still projected to average higher in 2013 than 2012 due to projected tighter per capita beef supplies. Beef demand should improve seasonally through May. The price potential continues to be minimized by heavy weights, a large carryover, and costs of gain exceeding the value of fed cattle in some regions, resulting in will-ing sellers. Prices are expected to trend lower from the mid to upper $120’s early to $122 to $124 late in May.

From June-August expect sea-sonally increasing fed supplies, coupled with softer beef demand compared to the spring will be noted, resulting in a lower trend-ing fed market. Yes the supply increase is not forecast to be as large as in most years, but look-ing at years with similar supply changes would still put the fed market back between $117 and $119 at the low sometime in July or August.

Improved Basis Encourages Trade


MARTIN MACQUEEN

101 Pioneer Road • Covington, VA 24426 • 540.965.2199www.highroad.photorefl ect.com

HIGH ROADLIVESTOCK

PHOTOGRAPHY& VIDEO

a few excellent bulls. We only feed 5-6 lbs. grain ration per day over winter and they must reach 1000 lbs. by spring or be culled. Fertility is a main selection criteria. A large calf alone does not keep the cow in the herd. For these bulls: Birth EPD

2.0-4.5, weaning EPD in 40’s and yearling 70-80’s. Fertility tested, accrediated, certifi ed herd, vac., wormed.

Covenant Farm inCovenant Farm inSouthwest Virginia offersSouthwest Virginia offers

Farm in Wytheville, VirginiaJared Sawyers mgr., cell - 540-230-0269Southard Jones owner - 302-834-0165

Fax 302-834-45353116 Crockets Cove Rd., Wytheville, VA 24382

Rita Jane Gabbett Late May wholesale Choice beef

prices hit $209.51 per hundred-weight, the latest of several record levels reached as pent-up demand from a delayed grilling season met concerns about future beef supplies. Analysts expect more records ahead. “I have felt for some time that when we broke through the $200-per-hun-dredweight barrier for Choice boxed beef that we might see a fairly quick run up to the $210 to $212 range,” said Oklahoma State University Livestock Marketing Specialist Der-rell Peel. “That said, this is a late run and we may be close to a top for the fi rst half of the year.”

Livestock economist John Na-livka, principal of Sterling Market-ing, cautioned, however, that future

Narrows Livestock MarketNarrows, Va.

Annual July Calf SaleSaturday, July 13th

(along with our regular sale)

Selliing 350-450 steer and heifer calvesWeighing 450# - 700#

Cattle will be grouped and sold in owner lotsAlso selling:

-1 board load 6 wt heifers(grades & weight available sale day)

For more information540-726-2152 market • 540-599-0825 Barry

(Saturday State Grading starts August 24th)

Wholesale Beef Prices Smashing Records; More May Be On The Way

prices also depend on what con-sumers decide to put on their grills this summer. “With the summer grilling season still ahead, seasonal demand would suggest that higher beef prices lie ahead. However, the beef industry may be pushing a string with consumer demand when looking for a typical seasonal boost in prices from current levels. Consumers are still price conscious and there is still good pork and

poultry values for grilling ... De-mand will determine where prices go from this early seasonal price jump,” said Nalivka.

Ron Plain, Professor of Agricul-tural Economics at the University of Missouri, said he expects the beef cutout to hold above $200 until later this month then drop back below $200 in June, with Choice cutout going back above $200 in


Christopher Doering, Gannett Washington Bureau

When diners at an exclusive food

tasting recently noshed on sesame green beans and flame-roasted redskin potatoes, they weren’t celebrating at the area’s newest cu-linary hot spot. Instead, they were in a high school cafeteria sampling nearly 40 delicacies that could soon become permanent items for thou-sands of children who eat lunch and breakfast in this Northern Virginia school district each day. The annual tasting show, a popular event for Prince William County officials to showcase new foods and collect input from students, parents and school staff, has taken on added signifi cance following new U.S. Agriculture Department nutrition standards approved last year. School districts must now limit the calories that students consume, phase in whole grains, gradually lower sodium levels, and offer at least one fruit or vegetable per meal, among other require-ments. For each food item, we look and say “can we afford this, is it good for them, does it meet all the new food requirements, those kind of things, but what’s really important is are they going to buy it if we put it out there,” said Serena Suthers, director of school food and nutrition services in Prince Wil-liam County, located southwest of Washington, D.C.

School meal programs feed nearly 32 million children each day, according to the USDA. The new nutrition guidelines were put in place at the beginning of the 2012-13 school year, starting with changes to the lunch program, to address the childhood obesity epi-demic. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 17% of children and adolescent obesity has tripled since 1980. The new standards require lunches each week to average from 550 to 650 calories for kids in elementary school, 600 to 700 calories for those in middle school and 750 to 850 calories for high school students. An example of a typical elemen-tary school lunch before the new standards had cheese pizza, canned pineapple, tater tots and low fat chocolate milk. Today it would be replaced by whole wheat cheese pizza, baked sweet potato fries, grape tomatoes, applesauce and low fat milk.

Schools Hungry To Improve Taste, Nutrition Of Lunches The new school lunch regula-

tions have been widely criticized by students, parents, lawmakers and administrators for being too costly and not providing enough fl exibility. Opponents have argued the lunches are too small and lack enough calories for active children, especially high school students who are involved in sports and other activities. “You could have a 70-pound freshman in high school on the same diet as a 250-pound high school football player and obviously both of them would need a different level of calories,” said Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, a vocal critic of the new guidelines. “The school lunch program was established in order to ensure that kids had a nutritious diet so they could learn and now (USDA is) using it to put them on a diet. I think they have overreached on this substantially.”

Those attending the tasting at the Prince William County high school were given a one-page form to evaluate whether or not they liked the food items they tried and provide any comments. During the two-hour event, students, parents and school staff were able to visit as many of the eight food stations as they wanted before sitting down at round tables in the cafeteria to eat. USDA offi cials, who were in attendance, regularly go to tasting events around the country put on by schools. They also visit cafeterias

during the day to talk with kids and staff about the food and identify growing trends.

Increasingly, the foods offered by the USDA and put on the menu by schools are being shaped by what children eat and see at home. Government offi cials in charge of ordering and buying food for the school lunch program said as the popularity grows of Thai cuisine, intense fl avors like buffalo wings

and vegetarian options, kids have started asking for the items to be served in their cafeterias, too.

Items do get dropped by USDA if they get too expensive to purchase or not enough schools demand them. Batter-breaded chicken and sloppy joes are some of the most recent casualties. In their place, new items are added to the menu. Later this year, USDA is consider-ing letting schools purchase string

cheese in a single serve pack, frozen spinach and fruit cups for grab and go lunches and breakfasts. Casey Tran, a high school senior, said at the recent tasting the food he sampled was fresher and there were more fl avors than he’s used to. “It’s pretty good compared to the stuff we have currently. I wouldn’t throw it away,” said Tran, a 17-year-old who buys lunch every day. “I’ll eat it but it can’t compare to home cooking.”


5C Farm and Home SupplyPulaski

540-994-5566

Big M Farm SupplyMeadowview276-944-5431

Cattlemen’s SupplyWeyers Cave540-908-0421

CFC Farm and Home CenterCulpeper 540-825-2200Marshall 540-364-1533

Rappahannock 540-987-8555Morrisville 540-439-3254Warrenton 540-347-7100

Dodds Farm Supply LLCCharlotte Courthouse

434-542-5901

Farmers FeedNorth Tazewell304-320-4126

Frank WaltonRoseland

434-944-1830

Freeze LivestockElkton

540-405-2826

G&E FarmsGretna

434-489-4458

Galax Farm SupplyGalax

276-236-3721

Laurens Southern Statesand Ace Hardware

Lawrenceville434-848-4124

Leggett Town and CountryDanville

434-797-9300

Lucas FarmsBlacksburg

540-449-5997

Lynchburg Livestock MarketRustburg

434-821-5956

Maddox Feed StoreLouisa

540-967-0669

Moneta Farm and Home Center

Moneta540-297-5558

Mountain View FeedsRocky Mount540-263-1021

Page Co-OpLuray

540-743-5194

R.G.Cattle Company LLCCheck

540-651-8626

Roberts Farm CenterMcKenny

804-478-4004

Smoky Slope FarmStanton

443-553-7292

Spaulding EquipmentCompany

Clover434-735-8161AW Tomlin

Madison Heights434-316-3054

Washington Farmers Co-OpAbington

276-628-9135

West End FeedsWytheville

276-228-5024

Winchester Co-OpWinchester

540-662-0375

Please Visit one of the Following Virginia Dealers

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The Southwest Virginia Angus Association “Double Header Sale” was held on April 20, 2013 at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Abingdon, Virginia. The fe-males were in good demand they grossed, $148,400 to average $2,005 on 74 lots.

The eight fall calving pairs grossed $23,450 for an average of $2,931. The top selling fall pair was consigned by Lucas Farm of Blacks-burg, Va. She was a three-year old daughter of HARB Pendleton 765 J H bred to KCF Bennett Upward W538 and she sold to Ruben Ras-nick of Saint Paul, Va. for $2,800. Her 9-18-12 bull calf by SydGen Mandate also sold to Ruben Ras-nick of Saint Paul, Va for $900, Total for the pair was $3,700. The second top selling fall pair was a consign-ment of RX Angus of Blountville, TN. She was a three-year old daughter of S A V Net Worth 4200 bred to Connealy Final Product and she sold to Sheldon Epperly of Moneta, Va. for $2,350. Her 9-3-12 heifer calf by S A V Bismarck 5682 also sold to Sheldon Epperly of Moneta, Va. for $900. Total of this pair was $3,250. The third top selling fall pair was a consignment of Mullins Angus Farm of Clint-wood, Va. She was a three-year old daughter of S S Objective T510 0T2 bred to HARB Pendleton 765 J H and she sold to John Hodges of Bulls Gap, TN. for $1,900. Her 10-12-12 bull calf by MAF 11D16 also sold to John Hodges of Bulls Gap, TN. for $1,250. Total of this pair was $3,150.

The 18 spring calving pairs grossed $42,200 for an average of $2,344 The top selling spring pair was a consignment of Mullins Angus Farm of Clintwood, Va. She was a 3 year old daughter of HARB Pendleton 765 J H with a 11-20-12 heifer by MAF 11D16 and sold bred back to WMR Timeless and she sold to Charles Emmert of Bristol, TN. for $3,100. The co-second top selling spring pair was a consignment of West Wind Farm of Blountville, Tn. She was a two-year old daughter of S A V 8180 Traveler 004 with a 4-7-13 bull calf by West Wind Marathon Lad 1411 who sold for $2,600 to Troy Absher of Pounding Mill, Va. The other co-second top selling spring pair was a consignment of Hawkinscrest Farm Chilhowie, Va. She was a fi ve-year old daughter of H A Im-age Maker 0415 with a 11-26-12 bull calf by Hoover Dam and she sold pasture exposed to HC Upward

107729. This pair also brought $2,600 and sold to Mike Pauley of Bland, Va. The fourth top selling spring pair was a consignment of West Wind Farm of Blountville, Tn. She was a three-year old daughter of West Wind Advantage 5807 with a 3-24-13 bull calf by West Wind Marathon Lad 1411 who sold for $2,550 to Troy Absher of Pounding Mill, Va

The 15 bred heifers grossed $29,350 for an average of $1,957. The two top selling bred heifers were a consignment of Lucas Farm of Blacksburg, Va. A Connealy Refl ection daughter bred to G A R Prophet, sold for $2,600 going to Ruben Rasnick of Saint Paul, Va. and selling for $2,450 was a daugh-ter of Connealy Impression bred to G A R Prophet She sold to Crab Creek Cattle Co. of Christiansburg, Va. The third top-selling bred heifer was a consignment of Poor Valley Farm/Larry Rhoton of Hiltons, Va. she was a daughter of T C Ab-erdeen 759 bred to Rito 9M25 and she sold for $2,250 to Cress Angus Farm of Concord, N.C.

The 27 open heifers grossed $41,800 for an average of $1,548The four top selling open heifers all brought $2,000. Two of the heifers were a consignment of Lyn-Lew Farm, Radford, Va. Both heifers are daughters of S S Fast Track M719 and they both sold to Richard Bran-don of Greenville, Tn. The other two top selling open heifers were consigned by Osborne Livestock, Nickelsville, Va. Both heifers are daughters of K C F Bennett 589 T361 and they both sold to Chris Browning, Castlewood, Va..

Five bred cows grossed $7,625 for an average of $1,525, the two top-selling bred cows were con-signed by Triple C Farm of Mead-owview, Va. a daughter of C R A Bextor 872 5205 608 bred to G A R Ingenuity brought $2,150 and sold to Ronald Lefl er of Marion, Va Also a G A R Ultimate daughter bred to Connealy Confi dence 0100 brought $2,050 also selling to Ronald Lefl er of Marion, Va.

This was the fi fteenth annual Southwest Virginia Angus Asso-ciation Performance Test Bull Sale. Fifty-three yearling Angus Bulls went through the sale ring for a gross of $125,750 and an average of $2,373. The top-selling bull was a Sitz Identity 2575 son He had a 205 day adj. weight of 883 lbs. test gain of 5.20 and a yearling weight of 1533 lbs. He was consigned by Graystone Farm of Wytheville, Va.

Southwest VA Angus “Double Header Sale”and sold for $5,100 to Locust Level Farm/Mike McDowell of Vernon Hill, Va. The second top-selling bull was a VT Objective son DAF 802 consigned by Lucas Farm of Blacksburg, Va. He sold for $3,700 to King Terry of Glade Springs, Va. The third top-selling bull was also a consignment of Lucas Farm of Blacksburg, Va. He was also a son of VT Objective DAF 802 who sold for $3,300 going to Banks Farm of Hillsville, Va. Tied for fourth top selling bull was a GDAR Game Day 449 son consigned by Graystone Farm, Wytheville, Va. who sold for $3,200 to John Rich-ardson of Bassett, Va. Also selling for $3,200 was a G V F Forward 9042 son consigned by King An-gus Farm Piney Flats, Tn. and he was purchased by Jimmy Kidd , Ceres, Va.

We had 74 buyers from the 176 people who registered for a bidder’s number. Cattle sold into Virginia, North Carolina, Tennes-see and West Virginia. The sale gross was $274,150 on 127 lots for an average of $2,159. Volume female buyers were Spruce Gap LLC/Alan Leet Eggleston, Va., Richard Brandon of Greeneville Tn..and Mike Pauley of Bland, Va. Volume bull buyers were Paramont Ranch of Abingdon, Va. who bought four bulls and ABC Land and Cattle Co. of Lebanon,

Va. who also bought four bulls. This was a good sale, attended by a large crowd of active bidders for good Angus Seedstock. Smith Reasor of Rural Retreat, Virginia was the Auctioneer and George T. Johnstone, Jr. of Wytheville, Vir-ginia was the Sale Coordinator.

The next sale for the Southwest

Virginia Angus Association will be the 41st Anniversary of the fall sale “More for Your Money Sale” on October 19, 2013 in Wytheville, Virginia. Call 276-620-4901 for information about this sale or on the Southwest Virginia Angus As-sociation. We also have a website, check us out at swvaangus.org


POTTS CREEK FARMJASPER & ALICEPERSINGER, JR.

2917 POTTS CREEK ROADCOVINGTON, VA 24426

[email protected]

HARRY & BARBARA KNABE

2074 Gravel Hill Rd.DILLWYN, VA 23936

(434) 983-31102.2 MI. EAST ofU.S. 15 on 617

FAUQUIER FARM6470 BEVERLYS MILL ROAD

BROAD RUN, VA 20137HOME 540-347-4343

OFFICE 540-347-7188NORTHERN VA areaCATTLE FOR [email protected]

CEDAR PLAINS FARMR.E. BALTIMORE, OWNER, MANAGER, FIELD HAND

150 Cartersville Ext.Cartersville, VA 23027

(H) 804-375-3071(O) 804-399-7409

“All Cattle Made In America”

BAY BROOK FARMRODNEY & BARBARA PHILLIPS

4277 FACTORY MILL ROADDABNEYS, VA 23102

[email protected]

“Hereford Bulls for saleat all times.”

KNOLL CREST FARMJAMES, PAUL, JIM, BRIAN BENNETT

17659 RED HOUSE RD.RED HOUSE, VA 23963434-376-3567 OFFICE

434-376-7008 FAXJAMES BENNETT - 434-376-7299

PAUL BENNETT 434-376-5675JIM BENNETT 434-376-5760

BRIAN BENNETT 434-376-5309

DEER TRACK FARM3320 Deer Track Rd.,

Spotsylvania, VA 22551BOB SCHAFFER

540-582-9234 (FARM)[email protected]

HICKORY SPRINGS FARMJOHN BRASUKRT. 2 BOX 211-A

FAIRMONT, W.VA. 26554304-363-5918

[email protected]

NORVUE FARMJACK SHEEHAN

4442 Factory Mill Rd.Dabneys, VA 23102

Telephone: 804-556-4947email: [email protected]

FROGTOWN ACRESJERRY & REBECCA FUNKHOUSER

417 Frogtown LaneEdinburg, VA 22824

Home: 540-984-8833Jerry Cell: 540-333-1019

Rebecca Cell: 540-333-1019email: [email protected]

MEADOW RIDGE FARMS, INC.

DOUG & MELISSA HARRISON2184 Hillyard Drive

Broadway, VA 22815540-896-5004

[email protected]

DUNROVINDON & SHEILA RICHARDSON

3473 DUNROVIN FARMCROZET, VA 22932

434-823-4438e-mail: [email protected]

attractive, thick cattle with great carcass traits using

DR WORLD CLASSCOMPLETE (A TOP 774 SON)

DIAMOND “W” FARMKen & Doris Worley

25052 Rich Valley Rd.Abingdon, VA 24210

276-944-3458cell: 276-356-3458

[email protected]

WILLINGHAM FARMALTON & BETTE WILLINGHAM

P.O. BOX 148REMINGTON, VA 22734

540-439-8666located on Rt. 656 between

Remington & Bealeton

ROLLING HILLS FARM420 NORTH HAYFIELD RD.WINCHESTER, VA 22603

Sid & Dorothy RogersHOME - 540-888-3134CELL - 540-539-3352

[email protected]

MAPLEWOOD FARMJOHN AND KAREN FLEISHMAN

DANIEL AND ELIZABETH5442 Daniel Cupp Road

Dayton, VA 22821John - 540-421-9511

Daniel - [email protected]

MOUNTAIN LION MEADOWTODD, LYDIA, LAYLA AND LILLY SCOTT

1191 Spring Mill RoadConcord, VA 24538

434-665-1224434-993-2502

OAK CREEK FARMBILLY AND JACKIE KOONTZ25840 Independence Road

Unionville, VA 22567540-854-6567

[email protected]

ROCK MILLS HEREFORDSPAUL AND KIM NOVAK

240 THUNDER VALLEY LANE Castleton, VA 22716

[email protected]

STONE RIDGE MANORDAN AND SETH SNYDER654 COLD SPRING ROAD

Gettysburg, PA 17325717-642-9199

[email protected]

P.O. Box 014059Kansas City, MO 64101

816.842.3757www.hereford.org

COTTAGE HILL FARMMIKE TAYLOR

20 Cottage Hill RoadPetersburg, WV [email protected]

304-257-1557 (home)304-668-0580 (cell)

PIONEER FARMSCHARLES, MEREDITH AND

OLIVIA WILLIAMS485 Hereford Crossing

Fairfi eld, VA [email protected]

540-460-8803

VIRGINIA HEREFORD ASSOCIATION10420 RUMSEY LANEDAYTON, VA [email protected]

THANK YOUThe Virginia Hereford Association would like to thank you for your participation in the Spring Bonanza Hereford Sale, Bull Sale and Baldie/Commercial Replacement Heifer Sale at the Virginia Beef Expo. Without great participation from everyone, this sale would not have been possible.

BALDIES WANTEDWe are already busy preparing for the Virginia Hereford Association’s Mid-Atlantic Fall Bonanza on November 9, 2013! We are on target to sell over 125 females, including Hereford seedstock and Black Baldies as well as having a Bull sale.Consider this sale in your marketing plans.

If you want to market your Baldie replacement heifers through this sale in November please contact Bob Schaffer at (540) 582-9234 or [email protected] to consign cattle.

Virginia Hereford AssociationSale Committee

“Virginia Finest” Performance Tested Bulls for sale.

VirginiaHereford

AssociationSummer Field

Day atKnoll Crest

FarmRed House, VA

August, 24, 2013


President’s Report

Virginia Cattlemen’s Association, (540) 992-1009Virginia Dept. of Agriculture Livestock Market

Services, (804) 786-3935

VIRGINIA FEEDER CATTLETel-O-Auction On-Farm Sales

Direct Merchandising of Load Lots of Virginia Cattle

JUNE/JULY 2013 SALE DATES

June 10 ..............6 p.m.June 24 ..............6 p.m.

Gelbvieh, Balancers& Angus

H [email protected] 276-620-4271

QUALITY GELBVIEH,

BALANCER AND ANGUS CATTLE

Steve FurrowI just fi nished reading an email

from a Task Force committee and in the email was a detailed blueprint of a mentor program beginning to take shape within the Young Producer Council of the NCBA. The opening paragraph began like this: “It is no secret that the beef industry will need to nearly double production in the next 50 years in order to meet global protein demand. In order to achieve this growth, we must start developing the leaders of tomorrow, today. In a contract-ing industry experiencing record

fi nancial losses and drought, the average age of US producers con-tinues to creep upward. These circumstances amplify the need to continue to strengthen the leader-ship talent bench for the Young Producer Council (YPC), National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the beef industry as a whole.” Does the paragraph create a sense of urgency and get you excited about creating op-portunities or does it make your eyes glaze over and you begin to think about the last article you read indicating there would not be enough food in 50 years?

late September. Jim Robb, director of the Livestock Marketing Infor-mation Center, predicted wholesale beef prices may actually peak for the year in the fourth quarter, “if the economy growth is anywhere above anemic.” Peel agreed, saying $215 per hundredweight for Choice boxed beef in the fourth quarter would be feasible.

While rebuilding the cattle herd will take years, even starting that process might be delayed as continued drought in the western United States and fears over a de-

layed corn-planting season have ranchers concerned about expan-sion, according to the analysts. Plain expressed concern about late corn planting and its impact on cattlemen’s restocking decisions, saying, “ The economics says cattle-men should be expanding the cow herd [but] the feed supply says not yet.” In the rain-soaked Midwest, farmers had planted just 28 percent on the U.S. corn crop by May 12, well behind the fi ve-year average of 67 percent by this time on aver-age over the past fi ve years.

Continued from Page 22Beef Prices

I hope you join me with ur-gency and excitement. I listen to people tell me I’m crazy to be in agriculture. “Why would you want to work so hard,” they say. I respond, “Because I love it.” I have a chance to work with some of the best people and feel that we are creating a great product, BEEF. I watch Jason Carter, Anne Jones and the rest of the VCA and VBIC staffs accept new challenges every day. They accept those challenges with excitement and enthusiasm while looking at new ways to address some old chal-

lenges as well. I recently heard a VCA Board member reference the “shot in the arm” the Public Policy and Advocacy Fund has been to the Cattlemen’s Foundation and think about the opportunities we are creating for the talent bench of Virginia. I can only hope the Fund auction participants realize the dif-ference they are making. Are you excited yet?

I hope you will join me in the excitement at the Virginia Cat-tlemen’s Field Day in Chatham, VA on July 27th. The Field Day crew is working hard to bring you educational and networking opportunities. Every cattleman dreams of the taste of a great steak and those dreams will be fulfi lled

with Certifi ed Angus Beef being a major sponsor. Bring the family and your enthusiasm to what will be a great event. For additional details, check out our website at www.vacattlemen.org .

If my ramblings above appear to be scattered and random state-ments, remember these next two. The Virginia Cattlemen’s objectives are to promote the profi t potential of Virginia’s cattle industry, pro-vide a voice to the legislature on state and local issues, and provide educational opportunities for the public. If we, VCA staff and Board members can be of service, please let us know.

Sincerely, Steve Furrow, President

July 15 ...............6 p.m.July 29 ...............6 p.m.


A Special Thanks goes to the Mike McDowellFamily at Locust Level Farms, Vernon Hill, VAfor the purchase of the $5,100 top selling bull

Graystone Identity 462BW 76 lbs. WW 883 Gain 5.20 YW 1533 Frame 6.6 SC 38.5

CED +11 BW -.2 WW +63 YW +126 M +2414.1 adj RE 7.82 adj. IMF

at the April 20th SWVAA Doubleheader sale.

Eleven bulls averaged $2,850.We would like to extend our thanks to these

additional bull buyers at the sale.• Paramont Ranch - Abingdon, VA• John & Michael Richardson - Bassett, VA• Michael Cox - Kingsport, TN• Jimmy Kidd - Ceres, VA• Ben Bundy - Cedar Bluff, VA• David Gilmer - Lebanon, VA• Steve Ballangee - Peterstown, WV• Brian Alexander - Rural Retreat, VA

• Larry Banks - Hillsville, VA

Watchfor our

consignments atthe 41st Annual

SWVAA Sale October 19th,Wytheville,

Virginia

Grade and Yield Your Fed Cattle HERE. Call For Details!

Double J Livestock LLCWEEKLY BUYING STATION MON & THUR

4176 Silling Rd., Dayton,VA540-879-BULL (2855)

Direct Agents forSlaughter & Feeder Cattle Sales

Mike Allen • 540-476-4680 - Load LotsJames Housden • 540-476-0269 • Feeder/FatsBarry Wilkins, Jr. • 540-607-6032 • Feeder/Fats

JBS FED Cattle Buying Station

STEERS STEERS STEERSWE NEED 800 - 950 LB. BEEF AND

HOLSTEIN STEERS

Tod Kalous, Cattle Fax So far in 2013 total U.S. beef

production is basically fl at with 2012. Fed slaughter is down 2%, cow and bull slaughter is up 2%, and carcass weights have averaged 10 pounds heavier than a year ago. Cow slaughter continues to run well above early year forecasts as the drought continues to take its toll. And while part of the increased cow slaughter is due to increased cow imports from

Canada after a packing plant in Quebec closed last year, even ac-counting for this change, domestic cow slaughter is at a liquidation pace. Most recently, since mid-April 2013, beef cow slaughter has seen a much larger rate compared to last year, averaging nearly 8,000 more per week.

Looking at the summer supply situation, total beef production is forecast to be down 3% versus a year ago in June, July and August. Keep in mind this forecast still presumes cow and bull slaughter will decrease signifi cantly in the coming months if the drought will allow. Cow and bull slaughter is currently forecast to be down 140,000 head (-8%) in June, July and August versus 2012. If you assume no relief in the drought this summer and that cow slaughter tracks at least even with a year ago, total beef production this summer would only be down 1%.

Summer Supply Update Total steer and heifer slaughter is forecast to be down 190,000 head (-3%) in June, July and August compared to 2012. Based on Cattle-Fax member data, available fed supplies are expected to increase seasonally into the summer with a peak in July, but remain below a year ago. Based on this slaughter forecast, the cash fed market is not expected to decline as much as the seasonal 14% break from spring high to summer low.

Bottom Line: Larger cow slaugh-

ter has been the biggest surprise so far in 2013 in terms of beef produc-tion. If it continues at the current pace, the beef cow herd will see another significant decline on January 1, 2014. On the fed cattle side, summer supplies appear very manageable with slaughter levels forecast below a year ago. Total cattle slaughter is forecast to average 631,000 head per week in June, July and August, which is the smallest weekly average in over 24 years. Weights are forecast

to average 8 pounds heavier in the summer, which will offset some of the decline in production from smaller slaughter levels. Beef production in June, July and August is forecast to average 509

million pounds per week, which is the smallest since 2005. All of this suggests a lower trend to fed cattle prices into the summer, but the average seasonal break of 14% is not expected.


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Lucas FarmsJoe Lucas

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Moneta Farm & Home Center

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Crop Production Services

David BrankleySouth Hill, VA434-447-7603

PB FarmsLaurel Fork, VA(704) 425-7114

Don PriceCrewe, VA

434-294-1772

R.G. Cattle CompanyRandell Gearhart

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A.W. TomlinMadison Heights, VA

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Frank WaltonAmherst, VA • 434-944-1830

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Jeff Montgomery, The Delaware News Journal

Federal environmental pro-

grams have drastically overes-timated poultry industry con-tributions to water pollution, according to a University of Delaware-led study that could trigger changes to river and bay cleanup plans across Del-marva and around the country. James L. Glancey, a professor in the university’s Bioresources Engineering and Mechanical Engineering departments, said that a multi-state study, based on thousands of manure tests, found that actual nitrogen levels in poul-try house manure are 55 percent lower than the Environmental Protection Agency’s decades-old, lab-based standards. The results -- a nitrogen difference of 20.8 million pounds a year for Sussex County, Delaware alone -- could lead to a formal proposal as early as next month for changes to the Chesapeake Bay Program’s six-state pollution forecasting model, used to guide a feder-ally backed attempt to restore the bay’s health and ecosystems and assign cleanup goals. “I think this is a precedent-setting kind of thing, but we’re not quite sure how it’s going to propa-gate through the United States,” Glancey said after giving a brief-

ing on the fi ndings at the state Department of Agriculture this morning. “Everyone’s watching it, there’s no doubt about it.

In a statement released late Tuesday, the EPA said that the agency has been aware of the studies for more than a year, and that a committee with “diverse participation” had been formed to settle the issue in a timely way. “While we await submittal of additional data needed, we are hopeful the collective data will show that industry efforts to reduce nutrients in poultry litter is having a positive result,” the statement said. “Any decision regarding the use of this infor-mation would be made by the Chesapeake Bay Partnership. “ Federal and state environmental agencies have focused heavily on pollution from animal manures and “factory farms” across the country as a big part of efforts to eliminate bay and river dead zones and harmful algal blooms in recent decades. The Delmarva Peninsula’s poultry industry be-came an early, major battleground for the issue during the late 1990s. Sewage treatment plants, septic system and suburban runoff also are significant polluted runoff sources, but researchers argued that overuse of poultry manure on farm fi elds sent huge amounts of nutrients into groundwater and

Poultry Pollution Has Been Overestimatedsurface streams. That contributed to conditions that can deplete oxygen levels in water bodies like Delaware’s inland bays and the Chesapeake Bays.

Individual farms, major pro-ducers and state and federal tax-payers have spent tens of millions on agricultural control programs, studies and monitoring. Delaware eventually formed a separate Nu-trient Management Commission to oversee certifi cation of manure and fertilizer producers and us-ers and subsidize manure ship-ments out of stressed areas. “Are the EPA’s goals really valid and realistic?” Delaware Agriculture Secretary Ed Kee asked Tuesday. “In the little bit of expertise and experience that we had, we knew something wasn’t right with poul-try manure” assumptions. “I think farmers will welcome this,” Kee added. “We’re not as big a problem as the world thought we were.”

Glancey said that research in Sus-sex County concluded that poultry houses there generated 261,723 tons of manure for one year stud-ied, far lower than the nearly 1.5 million tons assumed using EPA models. Genetic improvements in birds, improved growing environ-ments and other moves to limit waste and pollutants all have had an effect on the industry’s environ-mental footprint.

Bill Satterfield, who directs Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc., said that members of his organiza-tion have been aware of Glancey’s work for about a year. “The as-sumptions being used today are based on conditions not relevant to how chickens are being raised today,” Satterfield said. “The amount of pollution attributed to chicken manure, if the Delaware numbers are correct, are way off base.” Chris Bason, director of the Center for the Inland Bays,

said that he had not seen the UD figures but supports research aimed at verifying the assump-tions of scientifi c models used to guide regulations. “It is clear that poultry science has signifi cantly reduced the amount of nutrients in manure over the last decade and a half or so.” Bason said in an email. “If the EPA was using old data then this would not have been refl ected.”

Delaware’s inland bays, like the Chesapeake Bay, have nutri-ent levels that exceed federal stan-dards and that have been blamed for losses of habitat and changes in aquatic life. Regulations ap-proved in 1998 set limits on nitrogen and phosphorus fl ows into the bays, with those limits in turn used to support a variety of reforms, ranging from septic system elimination and upgrade programs to “best management practices” for farms.


CONCEPTION

volume 35 number 06 circulation 8,000 june/july...

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