Ranching.com is your weekly dose of trending news, seasonal tips, and community content put together by our team of ranchers.

NEWS

🥩 Know More, Eat More

🥩 Know More, Eat More - New research reveals people who understand the red meat industry tend to consume more red meat. The survey of 1,501 city residents shows a positive perception of the Australian beef and lamb industries, with 63% and 60% respectively viewing them favorably. Knowledge about the industry correlates with higher trust and better perceptions, including beliefs in humane animal treatment and environmental care. Most Australians see the industry as vital to the economy and want more education on it, with 73% supporting industry education in schools. The study highlights the importance of community engagement and education in shaping positive views of the red meat sector.

📈 LMR Dashboard - USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has launched the Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) Live Cattle Data Dashboard, providing easier access to live cattle market information. This new tool, part of AMS's efforts to make USDA Market News more user-friendly, allows producers to access data on net premiums, discounts, and quality grade price distribution. These advancements aim to give producers better access to crucial market information, promoting a fairer and more competitive marketplace.

🐄 Milk Matters - A study at McNay Research Farm explored the impact of creep feeding on calves based on their dam's Milk EPD. Calves with ad-libitum creep feed access had the highest weight gain, especially those from high Milk EPD dams. Interestingly, cows with lower Milk EPDs and no creep access produced the most milk, while high Milk EPD cows with unlimited creep feed produced the least. The study shows that creep feeding boosts calf performance but may influence milk production.

🔀 Inaction is the Wrong Action - According to NCBA President Mark Eisele, the U.S. cattle industry needs to adopt USDA's new electronic ID (EID) tags for better disease traceability. The upgrade from metal tags improves tracking speed and accuracy, crucial for managing outbreaks like foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Despite concerns about privacy and costs, embracing EID technology is essential for protecting the industry and ensuring a rapid response to emergencies.

🐂 Stockyard Study- A Darling Downs feedlot trial found that the methane-reducing feed additive asparagopsis, used in SEAFEED, increased weight gains by 19.7 kg and reduced methane emissions by 51.7%. Conducted over 200 days, the trial showed similar eating quality to conventional beef, though cost recovery and carbon credit methodology are still issues for commercialization.

🍔 Meat Industry Scapegoat - Vice President Kamala Harris will propose new economic measures this week, including a federal ban on price gouging in the food sector, price controls on groceries, and expanded housing and tax relief. Critics argue that these measures could disrupt markets and exacerbate shortages, while the meat industry disputes claims of price gouging, citing broader economic factors for high food prices.

RANCHING KNOW-HOW

Selecting for Hair Shedding

Selecting cattle with heat tolerance can significantly boost profitability for producers, especially in regions prone to heat stress, such as the Southeast. The University of Missouri Extension's updated publication on hair shedding scores provides a tool for identifying cattle better suited to hot environments. By choosing cattle that shed their winter coats earlier, producers can reduce the impact of heat stress, which costs the beef industry over a billion dollars annually. Hair shedding scores not only indicate heat tolerance but also provide insights into an animal's nutritional needs, aiding in more informed management decisions.

Cashing in on Your Calf Crop

As we near the feedlot fall run, record-high calf prices make each pound of gain more profitable. Producers should focus on management and nutritional strategies that fit their operations. Data from Merck Animal Health and Superior Livestock Auction shows that genetics, health protocols, and value-added programs like Superior Progressive Genetics can significantly impact calf prices. Strategies like using suckling calf implants and creep feeding can boost weight and profitability. With tightening cattle supplies, these practices are essential for maximizing value in future calf crops.

Managing for Resilience

What strategies are you implementing on your ranch to enhance its resilience against drought or severe winter weather? On this episode of Working Ranch Radio Show, Dr. Paul Beck from Oklahoma State University, will discuss this topic, highlighting three key areas producers can manage to strengthen resilience in their ranching operations. It's no surprise that this discussion will naturally lead to talking about the profitability of your cow herd. Today’s talk isn’t about anything fancy—just a practical conversation on how ranchers can make a positive impact on their ranches and the industry as a whole.

RANCHING AROUND THE WORLD RECAP

🇿🇦 Insight from Africa: Why livestock farmers are key to the future (and must be supported) [Beef Central]

🇻🇳 Vietnamese-owned Vermelha Station in the NT could make +$40m [Beef Central]

CATTLE COMMUNITY

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK

READER POLL

LAST WEEK’S RESULTS

THOUGHTS FROM VOTERS

Significant Impact

• “Feral hogs cause thousands of dollars of lost income and damage on my property each year. From predation on lambs and kids to damaged water lines, water trough float valves, loss of precious drinking water, and damaged fences, feral hogs are just one of the many critical challenges we as ranchers have to face everyday.”

• “The wild pigs in our area are hard on fences and water gaps etc., destroy lots of deer and quail feeders, and tear up crops.”

Moderate Impact

• “Currently it's not as bad as in the past, but it fluctuates. They destroy crops, fences and damage areas to the point you have to bring in heavy equipment to clean it back up. Then they will be gone for several months; then they circle back through and cause issues. We are a small hobby farm, but the damage they do to us is not much different than to bigger operations. They don't just graze the pasture land/crops down to the ground - they destroy it in the process - all the fences and terraces, etc.”

• “I harvest hay from parts of my ranch, and the hogs have made hay harvest more time consuming and impossible, in some cases.”

Minimal Impact

• “We have been fortunate to have minimal damage to our property. There are many others in our county who have had a significant impact and are in a constant battle of keeping up with the will hogs in their pastures and fields.”

• “We have very few areas on us, but adjacent to us are corn and soybeans, and they seem to have gone after those areas. We do have plenty of acquaintances that have extensive damage from them.”

No Impact

• “Glad that wild pigs are not a problem at our ranch, but as a community, we are very concerned regarding when, not if, they are going to move in.”

• “They are all around me, just not here yet!”

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