Here’s how to make your cowherd more profitable

If you were to put together a top 10 list of the profitability factors for your operation, what would be on it? Controlling costs and maximizing revenue, certainly. Would it look like the Top 10 list that Robert Wells, a livestock consultant with the Noble Foundation in Ardmore, Okla., recently came up with?

Number one on Wells’ list is don't buy average or inferior bulls. “Spending as little as $750 more on a known, better bull could net you an additional $1,475 more per bull, annually. This is accomplished by purchasing a bull that will excel in growth traits that allow the rancher to sell the maximum pounds of weaned calves off the ranch,” he says.

Click here for more profitability tips.

Seng tells producers: Don’t let protectionism get in the way of your success

"Protectionism is the enemy of the producer," says Phil Seng, president and CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation. "Anything that we can do to roll back protectionism, anything that we can do to have access to these markets, continue that access - it's important,” he tells Ron Hays with the Oklahoma Farm Report. 

Seng uses Korea as an example, which at one time was closed to U.S. beef. But just last year, Korea increased U.S. beef imports by 38%, replacing our long-time competitor Australia as the Asian nation's top beef supplier. Asia is home to many of the fastest growing markets in the world, he says. Even China has expressed interest in re-opening its doors to U.S. beef.

"Anything that would create barriers, anything that would impede product flow, this has to be stopped. So, protectionism is something we all have an interest in fighting."

Click here to listen to Seng’s complete interview.

East meets West at BBQ Socials in Taiwan

“To say that barbecue has become a big part of the Taiwanese culture would be an understatement: Barbecue restaurants from all over the world have established themselves here,” explains Alex Sun, USMEF marketing manager in Taiwan. “The barbecue culture in Taiwan is very different from other kinds of food culture in that it’s a channel for the young generation.

“Taiwan’s younger consumers worship celebrities and stars, especially from Japan and Korea, and the barbecue cultures from these two countries are gaining traction in the Taiwanese foodservice market. This trend has attracted American barbecue establishments, which are becoming a popular choice for young Taiwanese people.”

To tap into that, USMEF invited Fabio, a celebrity icon in Taiwan, to participate in a special program titled “Fabio Comes to My Home” to promote U.S. beef barbecue, Feedstuffs reports.

A video starring Fabio was produced and posted on Facebook and YouTube to attract foodservice operators and pique consumers’ curiosity about U.S. beef. The video shows Fabio choosing U.S. beef at a retail meat case and later preparing a meal for a Taiwanese family. That video can be seen on YouTube.

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Supreme Court ruling favors private property rights

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled recently in favor of a landowner fighting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for incorrectly claiming jurisdiction over private property citing the WOTUS rule under the Clean Water Act to justify their action, according to the Oklahoma Farm Report.

In March 2016, NCBA filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court to support the Hawkes Company's private property rights and argue that jurisdictional determinations should be reviewable by courts. In a resounding victory, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of Hawkes, setting a precedent that landowners may challenge the Corps' jurisdictional determinations. The case was then remanded back to the district court for a final decision on the facts, which found the Corps failed to prove that a WOTUS was present on Hawkes' land.

Get the full story on the Hawkes case victor, by clicking here.

Wanna save money? Don’t overfeed protein

It’s well known that crude protein is important in a cow’s diet. More importantly than crude protein however, is rumen degradable protein which is necessary for the bacteria in the rumen to adequately digest the forage she consumes.

Most producers assume that if the forage is less than 8% crude protein, then additional protein needs to be supplied. However, prairie hay that is 6.5% crude protein with 62% of that being rumen degradable and containing 50% TDN would meet the requirements for a 1,200-pound, non-lactating cow, reports onpasture.com

Click here to see the math on how to meet a cow’s protein needs.