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Categories Around The Ring FOR SALE From the Passenger Seat Industry News Archives September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 January 2009 Create/Edit a Blog Blog RSS Feed

National Cattlemen Say as Many as 150 Feedlots Will Have to Report GreenHouse Gas Emissions Under New EPA Rules Industry News - Tuesday 29th of September 2009 04:09:08 AM   The National Cattlemen's Beef Association is not thrilled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a final rule on Tuesday to require livestock operations that emit 25,000 tons or more of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) per year from their manure management systems to report those emissions as part of a mandatory greenhouse gas registry. The new rule will affect beef cattle operations that have 29,300 or more head of cattle, about 150- 180 cattle operations nationwide -a much larger number than the 11 operations EPA originally projected to be covered under the proposed rule released in April. NCBA sent comments to EPA in June in opposition to the proposed rule. According to the EPA's Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2007 released on April 15, 2009, GHGs from all livestock manure management systems in the U.S. account for less than 1% (.8%) of all U.S. GHG emissions, and manure management systems from the beef sector emit only .12% of total emissions. NCBA contends that as such a minor emitter, this type of reporting by the livestock sector will not provide data that is useful in addressing EPA's long-term goal of reducing major sources of GHG emissions, and it would be a significant financial and administrative burden on cattle operations. Instead of being regulated, agriculture should be considered a solution to the climate change problem by providing important sources of offsets such as soil carbon sequestration and renewable energy. The general cattle organization says in their weekly newsletter from Washington that "The efficiencies found in cattle feeding are critical to providing a nutritious and affordable food supply. Emissions from beef manure management systems are purely natural, and in no way should be compared to emissions from cars or factories. This is not factory farming; this is efficient food production that enables our nation to feed itself and the rest of the world. It is unfortunate that the Federal government has chosen to cause additional financial hardship to America's farmers during these difficult economic times. "NCBA supports efforts by our land grant universities to gather data to accurately measure livestock emissions and develop best management practices to mitigate them." Respond to this Entry     THIS WILL MAKE YOU MAD! uncategorized - Monday 28th of September 2009 01:37:52 PM   4-H memebers project stabed to death -real new story   http://www.ksbw.com/video/21109062/index.html Respond to this Entry     Ard Ridge Catalog Posted Around The Ring - Thursday 24th of September 2009 10:00:42 AM   Catalog posted on our upcoming events page - Click cover to download Hard copies went in the mail yesterday- NOT ON OUR MAIL LIST? sign up on our Contact Us page- Working on videos now - Should be able to view 1st of the week      Respond to this Entry     The Threat of TH and PHA Industry News - Thursday 24th of September 2009 09:53:48 AM   From the BEEF BLOG__ By Marty Ropp, ASA Director of Field Operations While the American Simmental Association Board of Trustees wrestles with rules and procedures to identify and guard against the proliferation of two new genetic defects within the Simmental popula- tion, it is important that our members be informed and make good decisions to reduce the impacts of these potentially destructive genes.   The defects I am referring to are Tibial Hemimelia, known simply as TH and Pulmonary Hypoplasia with Anasarca also named for its acronym PHA. By far the most frequent and well known of these two lethal genes is TH which is found primarily in cattle of Shorthorn origin. However Maine Anjou, Chianina and our own Simmental populations have individuals which can pass this gene on to their progeny. This gene is always lethal in the homozygous state and the number of carriers in the host populations is substantial. The gene for PHA also causes death in the homozygous genotype, but is found in far fewer individuals mainly in these same open populations. Currently, there is a gene test avail- able for TH and many individuals have been identified both negative and as carriers. The largest available list of carriers and an in-depth description of the two conditions is available on the American Shorthorn Association web-site www.short- horn.org.  This list will grow substantially as Shorthorn begins to move in the direction of mandatory testing.   What does all of this mean to Simmental breeders? It’s simple, but it’s important.  Know the TH and or PHA status of the bulls you are using. Several very highly used club calf sires, already sampled by some of our membership to make percentage cattle, are known carriers of TH.  Some have progeny, grand progeny and even great grand progeny registered with the Simmental Association. Know which ones they are, resist using them in the future and test indi- viduals that are potential carriers to clarify their status.   Remember, one half of the individuals sired by these bulls or out of carrier cows are absolutely carriers and the other half are free from the gene. It is as simple as that!  Progeny that test free out of carrier parents, however, are of no threat to pass on the defect.   It is, however, difficult to believe that individuals who consider themselves “breeders” would knowingly propagate genes that generate the potential gruesome deformities and mortality associated with these conditions. Most of the carrier bulls are unknowingly used by folks just trying to produce cattle for a specific market. If that is your goal, please take the time to research the bulls you choose to use this spring and use only those free from these genes.   The future also holds new rules and eventual expense for those registering potential carriers in our Simmental herd book. But, because of the available gene test for TH, we do have options regarding the registration of suspect and known carriers that would not exist if no accurate test was available. Further financial burdens on the membership are not something to look forward to, but the threat to our gene A realistic explanation of new and potentially ugly dangers to the genetic health and welfare of the Simmental breed. pool and customer base is such that we can ill afford to neglect this or any serious genetic defect for that matter. We are fortunate in that the majority of the offending individual animals in our herd book originate from a relatively few sires almost all of which are being used to produce club calves and not mainstream commercial progeny. If, however we are not diligent about identifying and reducing the frequency of these genes in our members’ herds, all Simmental breeders will eventually suffer. ASA Policy for Monitoring Tibial Hemimelia (TH) Effective April 1, 2006 1. ASA will pay to test, at least, the top 50 sires based on the number of progeny reported in the previous calendar year and thereafter any new sire entering the top 50 sires list. 2. Progenyout of registered suspect parents, will not receive registration until the suspect parent is DNA tested for both TH and parental validation (fees are responsibility of owner). 3. A suspect parentis an animal who: a) is out of a TH carrier and has not been tested free, or b) is registered with ASA, not been TH tested, and has 1/8 or more Shorthorn, Maine Anjou or Chianina blood. The American Simmental Association has made testing arrangements with AgriGenomics, Inc., the only lab offering DNA evaluation for the presence of TH.  The following out- lines ASA members’ options for testing: •Contact either ASA or AgriGenomics and make arrange- ments to send samples for TH testing ($27 per sample).   •Unless the AgriGenomics order includes sending the DNA sample on to Igentiy (ASA’s official lab for parental valida- tion, $45 per sample), the results of the AgriGenomics sample will not satisfy ASA’s policy to clear progeny of suspect parents for registration.   •If you order the sample to go on to Igenity for parental validation, all progeny of this parent (sire or cow) can receive a registration certificate.   •Progeny will receive registration certificates regardless of the TH status of the parent (THC = carrier, and THF = free). •Progeny of THF parents require no further testing.   •Progeny of THC parents will be required to complete the above process when their progeny are registered.   •ASA will denote TH status on official documents. AgriGenomics, Inc. 2399 N. 1000 East Rd Mansfield, IL 61854 217.841.0813 Respond to this Entry     LOT ONE From the Passenger Seat - Tuesday 22nd of September 2009 11:33:13 PM   If you have not got one ..... Get ahold of one! NICE JOB LiveAuctions.TV Brad and his staff (MM) did a GREAT JOB ..LOVE IT   Cowboys, cruze over to his site and check it out- Respond to this Entry     Embryonic Test For Bovine Genetics Industry News - Monday 21st of September 2009 09:44:50 AM   Embryonic Test For Bovine Genetics Looking at the genetic makeup of cattle to determine their value is nothing new. An examination of a small sample of hair or blood can reveal if a calf has any genetic diseases that will lower the market price. Now, a team of clinicians and diagnosticians and genetic researchers at Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine are looking to test those calves earlier...before they are born...even before their mother is pregnant. Dr. Jim West and Dr. Paul Plummer are researching a method to determine if a bovine is genetically sound when it is still an embryo prior to being implanted in its mother. This process, if successful, would allow producers to select which embryos are valuable before spending the time, effort and expense of producing a calf only to find out that it has genetic defects that render it of little value. Until now, the problem has been biopsy samples of embryos are so small -- only a few cells - that it was impossible to accurately read the genetic information. "There were limitations to the process," said West, director of Food Supply Veterinary Medicine. "You can't take very many cells when you do the biopsy. You have to leave enough cells to get a pregnancy." GA_googleFillSlotWithSize("ca-pub-5440138744487553", "News_Main_300x250", 300, 250); New technology may allow West and Plummer to get accurate genetic information from samples as small as two to three cells and still keep the embryo viable, even if it is frozen for long-term storage. "Our research is looking at the ability to biopsy the embryo, freeze it and then do a variety of tests on the sample after only seven days from when it was conceived," said West. The study is being funded by a Grow Iowa Values Fund Grant. The goal of the grant program is to support development of technologies with commercial potential and to support the growth of companies using those technologies. The researchers are working with Ames Center for Genetic Technologies, Inc. as their corporate partner. Testing for traits can be very simple or more complex. Checking the sex of a calf intended for dairy production is very important. Males have little value for dairy producers. More complex testing can also screen embryos for genes that will indicate whether calves will carry traits for beef tenderness, feed efficiency, nutrition and more than a dozen others. "Testing is going to happen," said West. "Right now the testing happens on animals that are already born. This test will allow us to go back a generation and only select those that have the desirable traits." The new process will offer producers many advantages, according to Plummer, a clinician in Food Supply Veterinary Medicine. "First, the new test allows very small samples," he said. "Also, it is affordable for the producer. It is also modular, so we can test for different traits. Finally, it is adaptable. When new diseases are identified we can change it." West and Plummer see many possibilities in this new technology. Overseas markets have specific preferences for how their beef and dairy taste. This new technology will allow producers to market embryos with specific traits to the markets they best fit, according to Plummer. Another benefit is that embryos already in storage can be thawed and tested for diseases that may have not previously been detectable. These types of tests may allow many diseased cattle to be avoided. Other members of the research team include Dr. Patrick Halbur, chair of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine; Dr. Rodger Main, director of operations at the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory; and Marianna Jahnke, Embryo Transfer Unit. --- On the Net: Iowa State University Respond to this Entry     ARD RIDGE UPDATE Around The Ring - Friday 18th of September 2009 08:55:00 AM   The LOOK Vol I. sale book is done done! ... check back though the day it will be posted on our upcoming events page... Respond to this Entry     Brad Hook / Larry Campbell uncategorized - Thursday 17th of September 2009 08:30:03 PM   Check out Brad Hooks video about the man behind the bull http://www.youtube.com/jbradleyhook Respond to this Entry     Cattle Producers Have a Good Story to Tell- They Just Need to Learn to Push Back With That Story Against Those Who Hate Animal Agriculture Industry News - Tuesday 15th of September 2009 10:23:00 AM   FROM RON_ON_RON Cattle Producers Have a Good Story to Tell- They Just Need to Learn to Push Back With That Story Against Those Who Hate Animal Agriculture ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ben Wileman is a beef cattle clinician in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University- and he believes that cattle producers have "credibility" with consumers that we have failed to take full advantage of in answering critics of animal agriculture. We talk with Wileman about how to be proactive in telling our story to today's consumers about how we care for our animals. He says that we have nothing to fear- and we need to understand that critics of animal agriculture are not going to leave our business alone- and that we must learn to answer them aggressively. Wileman adds that we are doing the "right" things in taking care of our animals- how we feed them, care for them when they are sick and watch carefully when our mama cows are giving birth to their calves. It's a matter of letting consumers have a glimpse of the fact we do these things and more in raising beef. link below to hear the whole interview http://oklahomafarmreport.com/wire/beefbuzz/00000_Buzz09152009_182757.php Respond to this Entry     Beef Buzz with Dr Glenn Selk of Oklahoma State Industry News - Monday 14th of September 2009 11:16:13 AM   from RON_ON_RON We visit with him about being able to transition bulls ranchers are buying during the fall purebred sales from the buyer to the new environment that young bull faces on your home ranch when your truck pulls across the cattle guard and you are ready to unload him. Dr. Selk says most bulls have received a ration that includes a good bit of grain to help him have that sale day "bloom" which helps generate bids in the sale ring. The reality is that when you load them up and haul them home, all you are thinking about in most cases is which set of cows are you going to turn him out with as soon as you unload him. Selk says that's not a good idea- but rather, you need to give him four or five weeks to get acclimated in his new home- as well as to give you a chance to jump him over from a grain based diet to one that is mostly or all forage based. http://oklahomafarmreport.com/wire/beefbuzz/5279988_Buzz09142009_213459.php Respond to this Entry     May We Never Forget From the Passenger Seat - Friday 11th of September 2009 09:52:10 AM   Courtesy of Wikipedia- here are some things to remember from that day in 2001 that I doubt any of us will soon, if ever, forget. "The September 11 attacks (often referred to as September 11th or 9/11) were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by Al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and many others working in the buildings. Both buildings collapsed within two hours, destroying nearby buildings and damaging others. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville in rural Pennsylvania, after some of its passengers and flight crew attempted to retake control of the plane, which the hijackers had redirected toward Washington, D.C. There were no survivors from any of the flights." "In total 2,993 people, including the hijackers, died in the attacks. The overwhelming majority of casualties were civilians, including nationals of over 90 countries. In addition, the death of at least one person from lung disease was ruled by a medical examiner to be a result of exposure to dust from the World Trade Center's collapse.[ In browsing through the many You Tubes available of that fateful day- when lives were lost and our lifestyle was impacted- I have linked one that you might find insightful as we remember those who needlessly died so that the 19 hijackers discovered that there were no virgins waiting for them- only a Holy and Righteous God who saw their sin and punished them for it- eternally. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv4s3fn8jDc Respond to this Entry     Cattle prices to rise due to lack of suppy uncategorized - Wednesday 9th of September 2009 09:13:31 AM   from Beef Magzine .com With more people eating at home as a result of the recession, an improved economy could encourage consumers to spend more money eating out in the coming months, which could be good news for cattle producers later this year and into 2010, said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service livestock economist. “Do you think a new trend has been started with fewer people eating out and more eating at home?,” asked Dr. David Anderson, AgriLife Extension Service livestock marketing economist at the recent 55th Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course. “Some of my colleagues think so. If the economy rebounds, I think not. That’s going to lead to higher cattle prices when taking into consideration fewer overall cow inventory numbers.” Cattle prices will continue to their seasonal lows this summer, an expected pattern as producers sell off calf crops. But there's higher volume at auction markets in certain parts of the state due to drought. From Austin extending throughout South Central Texas, ranchers are coping with one of the worst droughts ever, Anderson said. The southern region of the country is in the most extreme drought area, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, and accounts for 6 percent of the nation’s total beef supply (more than 2 million beef cows are in the area) as ranchers further reduce herds, Anderson said. AgriLife Extension economists have estimated $3.6 billion in losses, and that number could eclipse the $4.1 billion mark set in 2006. The only alternatives for ranchers who don’t have grass is either to move animals to rented pasture where forage is sufficient or sell herds that have taken years to assemble. Respond to this Entry     Issue 2 would decide who regulates animal care in Ohio's biggest business uncategorized - Wednesday 9th of September 2009 09:09:22 AM   Issue 2 would decide who regulates animal care in Ohio's biggest business Sunday, September 6, 2009 3:59 AM By Alan Johnson THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH JOHNSTOWN, Ohio -- Jim Heimerl is among relatively few people in Ohio who know what State Issue 2 is about. That's because Heimerl, 52, has a 2,500-acre, family-owned hog and cattle farm outside of Johnstown. He says his farm would be severely affected if a livestock-standards constitutional amendment is not approved in the Nov. 3 election. Heimerl said he fears more-restrictive animal-care standards advocated by the Humane Society of the United States could be enacted, crippling agriculture, Ohio's No. 1 industry. "I've become very involved in this," he said during an interview last week at his farm in rural Licking County, 23 miles from Downtown Columbus. "I've been in this business for 30 years. This is about our livelihood, my family's livelihood." Issue 2 would set up the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board. The governor and legislature would appoint members, including family farmers, veterinarians, a food-safety expert, a representative of a local humane society, members of statewide farm organizations, the dean of an Ohio agriculture college and two consumers. The state agriculture director would lead the panel. While Issue 2 might sound banal, even boring to Ohioans not involved in agriculture, it's far from that. Behind the scenes, it's a high-stakes, big-bucks financial battle that showed a flash of political intrigue this year when the Ohio General Assembly acted at lightning speed to put the issue on the ballot. Read More Ohio family farmers have worked hard to put together Issue 2. In order for them to stay in business they must be afforded some sort of protection from Washington DC lobbyist groups swooping in and putting them out of business. In farming and ranching, you need to plan for several years down the road and this will allow them to do that. The passage of this bill by the citizens of Ohio will tell Wayne Pacelle and his anti-animal agriculture group to quit trying to put family farmers out of business. Respond to this Entry     Internet bidding on calf prospects From the Passenger Seat - Tuesday 8th of September 2009 09:45:00 AM   You may have heard about agri-marketing groups interested in selling for a commision, club calves on the internet.... I too offer that service with some reservation..... I say with resrvation because of the value so many of these cattle hold and other issues that can arive in the world of selling club calves....if you want to know more call me...937-533-0169  BUT BOY OH BOY can the right site help you sell calves and help your customers in buying them when so many each year are offered!!!!  Below is a reponse I posted to a blog over to CYBER FRIEND--- JEFF@CATTLE.COM  guess I should put it on my own site.... One club calf site I i found after i was at his place sorting calves was JOE SULLIVANS -Sullivan cattle company... Check it out .... after going though those calves and 15 other places the pics and video sure "helped" a persons memory on which calves were which. His calf viewing part of his site was set up by some one local to him AND IT WORKS AWESOME. GREAT. YOU CAN SORT BY SEX, SIRE, PRICE and others items best video playing of them all check it out !!!! Read more: http://www.cattle.com/read.aspx?id=268#ixzz0QWPaF5K2   I guess this site and the one Jeff speaks of shows what I consider the best ways to allow the internt to suppliment your current sale...... Check back latter for more updates  Respond to this Entry     JUST Thnigs / Labor day weekend Part 3 BID OFF CALL BACKS From the Passenger Seat - Monday 7th of September 2009 10:37:00 PM   Well as I write this you can bet the phone lines are hot and heavy with the club calf bid offs takeing place  ...a friend of mine has got call backs on several ...it goes like this steer A at place number 1--- 10K with 14 folks bidding and your out .... Steer B, 8K with 10 folks bidding and your out  .....farm number 2 steer C at 12,350 with 9 folks in and Steer D at 11,750 with 12 folks in...and your out  ....Farm number 3 steers E & F at 8K and 10K with 12 & 19 still on ...and your out .... get the idea?????   The best of all is the great red one we saw was at 26,750 with 27 folks still in ..at 9:15 EST time ... ok my friend stayed in  ....next call back $41,000 with 15 potential buyers still in play ....9:56 EST PM... and they say times are tough.... Respond to this Entry     JUST Thnigs / Labor day weekend Part 2 RC UPDATE Around The Ring - Sunday 6th of September 2009 12:49:00 AM   Lot 1 - 10K Lot 2 -26K  Lot 16 Angus, 10,500 top end sold real good! lot 13 $,8250 Respond to this Entry     JUST Thnigs / Labor day weekend Part 1 From the Passenger Seat - Saturday 5th of September 2009 11:54:00 AM   Well I am leaving for the RC Early Bird Auction in a few hours, sure to be a good sale, however before I left wanted to update folks who follow this of a few things 1.    Keep our friend Larry Campbell and his family and crew at KOPP in your prayers, they will need lots of them in the next while as Larry battles some serious health issues. 2.    Please be safe as your traveling the next few days looking at prospect calves those who are out and about!  3.    I got back at 3:00 from a quick trip to Iowa, made eight stops and WOW! Keep your eyes and ears posted for the high ones out of John Sullivan and Steve Downing’s! John has one of the best beasts I have laid eyes on, a red WHO DA MAN, I believe full sib to the ones last year. Steve has a great set and 3 steers who I think are unreal! ….also hit Pryor --- check out his red appendix horn out of his bull Hollywood. 4.    Internet Calf Sales …. Check out Joe Sullivan!!! The best I have seen yet! Plus he is running it himself. Great set of good feeding prospects in volume. I will have some pics up later this weekend and more reports on stops made….. Respond to this Entry