U.S. Red Meat Exports Close 2013 on a Mixed Note 

Exports of U.S. beef, pork and lamb closed 2013 on a mixed note. Beef exports eclipsed the $6 billion mark for the first time, setting a new annual value record. At the same time, pork exports declined below 2012's record highs while lamb sales rose in value on lower volumes according to statistics released by the USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

Beef exports continued their surge in December, surpassing year-ago totals by nearly 13 percent in volume and 20 percent in value led by growth in sales to Japan, Mexico, Hong Kong and Central/South America. Totals for 2013 were up 3 percent in volume to 1.17 million metric tons (mt) and 12 percent in value ($6.157 billion) - breaking the 2012 value record.

Pork exports exceeded $6 billion for the third consecutive year, but declined 5 percent in volume and 4 percent in value behind 2012's record pace, finishing at 2.14 million mt valued at $6.05 billion. Mexico, Central/South America and the ASEAN region posted strong results in December to bring the month's totals up slightly from year-ago levels.

U.S. lamb exports closed with double-digit increases in volume and value in December to finish the year up 7 percent in value ($28.1 million) on 6 percent lower volume (12,332 mt). Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean continue to be the top lamb export markets.

"2013 presented a new set of challenges," said USMEF President and CEO Philip Seng. "Last year, the closure of the Russian market to U.S. red meat products and our continued absence from the dynamic beef market in the People's Republic of China stand out. And there were challenges in other markets, ranging from Indonesia to Saudi Arabia. The industry is focused on these challenges and USMEF is targeting the markets where we have the best chance of succeeding and creating a positive return for American producers and exporters." 

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USDA Says Net Farm Income Forecast To Fall 26 Percent in 2014

• The projected $3.9-billion (1.1 percent) decrease in total production expenses in 2014 would be only the second time expenses declined in the last 10 years.

• Livestock receipts are expected to increase 0.7 percent in 2014, largely due to a 7-percent increase in dairy receipts.

• Crop receipts are expected to decrease more than 12 percent in 2014, with an almost $11-billion decline in corn receipts and a decline in soybean receipts of more than $6 billion.

• The elimination of direct payments under the Agricultural Act of 2014 and uncertainty regarding enrollment and payments during calendar-year 2014 result in a projected 45-percent decline in government payments.

• Farm equity is projected to reach another nominal record, despite the substantial slowdown in asset growth and the expectation of higher debt levels.

• Farm financial risk indicators are expected to continue at historically low levels.

Pork Checkoff Study Shows America's Love for Pork Continues to Burn Strong

Results of a new consumer tracking study released today by the Pork Checkoff find that more American consumers are reporting an enduring love for pork. Key research findings show more U.S. consumers rate their enjoyment of pork higher than in previous studies. Additionally, consumer-buying habits measured by the U.S. Department of Agriculture also show more consumers are buying pork.

"People are becoming more passionate about their consumption of pork," said David Newman, chair of the Pork Checkoff domestic marketing committee and a pig farmer from Fargo, ND. "These two studies confirm that consumers are eating more in recipes and as a menu item because of its value, flavor and versatility."

Consumers taking part in the Pork Checkoff study were asked to rate pork cuts on a 10-point scale, resulting in a demonstrated increase in the volume of consumers who rank pork as an eight or higher.

Click here to read more.

 

RFA's Bob Dinneen Applauds New Farm Law, Urges EPA to Protect Ethanol Blend Volumes

President Obama signed into law the Agricultural Act of 2014 last Friday. Bob Dinneen, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, issued the following statement:

President Obama and Congress are to be applauded as the Farm Bill of 2014 becomes law. The President is absolutely correct to champion the economic benefits of this legislation on rural America. Creating jobs and economic opportunity is most challenging in rural communities, which is why the President has long supported and appreciated the value of the American biofuels industry...

To build on the success of the Farm Bill, we call on President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency to protect the RFS and restore the 2014 conventional ethanol requirement to its statutory level. The President is right to champion rural America and the time to fight for the RFS is right now. If the EPA's proposal to decrease the conventional ethanol portion of the RFS becomes a reality, rural America will be hit the hardest. Farm income will fall, corn prices will sink, and land value will fall. Much like the Farm Bill, it may be a long and hard fight but we will continue fighting for American farmers, consumers and rural communities.

You can read more of Bob Dinneen's statement by clicking here.

 

FAPC to Hold 14th Annual Research Symposium

Oklahoma State University's Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center, together with the Institute of Food Technologists-Oklahoma section, are sponsoring the 14th annual FAPC/IFT-OK Research Symposium to highlight food and agricultural products research conducted by FAPC and other OSU researchers.

The symposium will be held Feb. 18 in room 201 of FAPC from 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. and will feature oral and poster presentations and two speaker presentations.

"The event will provide an opportunity for graduate students to make presentations of their work and for researchers to network with others in the food and agricultural field and possibly foster future collaborations among colleagues," said Peter Muriana, FAPC food microbiologist and chair of the symposium.

For more details and registration information, please click here.

 

Technology, Data Privacy Concern Farmers and Ranchers

One of the most important issues related to "big data" goes directly to property rights and who owns and controls farm-level data that may be collected, the American Farm Bureau Federation told Congress today. Risks to privacy that farmers face are of great concern, according to Farm Bureau.

"For years, farmers have used technology advances to better match varieties of seeds, production inputs and management practices with specific field characteristics," said Brian Marshall, a farmer and Missouri Farm Bureau member testifying to the House Small Business Committee on behalf of AFBF. Further, noted Marshall, "While farmers have been experimenting for well over a decade, only now is the industry starting to consider all the uses of this transformative technology."

Farmers are right to be concerned about data privacy, Marshall said, in part because the information collected is valuable to companies. Also of concern are the risks to privacy that farmers could face related to the release of information about pesticide use or biotech crops, which are accepted farming practices that have been dubbed politically unpopular.  

You can read the rest of this story on our website.  Click here to go there.  

This N That- OALP Grad Brags on Value of Program, Big Iron Wednesday Closings and OCIA Meeting This Weekend

As Class 16 of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program prepares to leave for their capstone international travel experience to South Africa this week, we look back at a graduate of the program and ask what the program has done for him. John Pfeiffer of Orlando, Oklahoma was a member of Class One of the program. We caught up with John at the Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville this past week- and asked him about how the program changed his view of US agriculture and its place in today's world.

Check out John's comments on OALP and the value it has had in his professional life- click  here to learn how John values that experience in Class One of the OALP way back in the 1980s.

AND remember- we will be updating you on how Class XVI gets along in South Africa over the next couple of weeks here in our daily email as well as on our website.

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Big Iron's weekly no-reserve auction features 332 items this week.  Items will begin closing at 10 o'clock this morning.  Click here to check out the lineup of this week's sale.  Each item is described and thoroughly pictured on the website, and includes the owner's phone number if you have further questions.

If you have more questions about buying or selling on BigIron.com, give District Manager Mike Wolfe a call at 580-320-2718  and he will give you the lowdown on how Big Iron can work for you.

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The 2014 annual meeting of the Oklahoma Crop Improvement Association is set for Friday and Saturday of this week at the Embassy Suites on the west side of Oklahoma City.   

Click here for more details- looks like an excellent meeting that OCIA has planned- which will also include the Ok Genetics Inc. annual meeting as well.