Texas Tech Research Suggests Death Loss Issues with Beta Agonists 

Even though cattle feedlot deaths are rare, beta-agonists including zilpaterol and ractopamine fed to cattle to improve growth and increase muscle mass appear to increase deaths in feedlots, according to a new research report authored by Guy Loneragan, Daniel Thomson and H. Morgan Scott. Longeragan is on the faculty of Texas Tech University while Thompson and Scott are based at Kansas State University.

The research was prompted by controversy around the use of the zilpaterol brand Zilmax, which was removed from the market last year by maker Merck Animal Health after first Tyson Foods, then others including Cargill, stopped accepting cattle fed the growth promotant. Ractopamine is a less aggresive growth promoter, which is sold under the brand name Optaflexx and is manufactured by Elanco.

In a research paper titled "Increased Mortality in Groups of Cattle Administered the beta-Adrenergic Agonists Ractopamine Hydrochloride and Zilpaterol Hydrochloride," the authors outlined how they arrived at those conclusions.

With the use of beta agonists, cattle require less feed and less water to produce the same amount of beef than if no beta agonists were used. Less land would be used to grow the crops used to feed the animals and, therefore, less fuel to produce the same amount of beef. The improvement in the efficiency of production has meaningful societal benefits.

Click here to read the rest of this story and to find a link to the full manuscript of the research paper. 

No-Till Conference Highlights Partnerships Emerging to Improve Soil Health in Oklahoma

Agricultural producers, extension officials, conservation, and government leaders have converged in Norman this week for the annual Oklahoma No-till Conference. Gary O'Neill, USDA-NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) State Conservationist said "Soil is a living and life-giving substance, without which we would perish. As world population and food production demands rise, keeping our soil healthy and productive is of paramount importance. So much so that we believe improving the health of our nation's soil is one of the most important endeavors of our time."

Ray Archuleta, Conservation Agronomist at the NRCS East National Technology Center, in Greensboro, North Carolina and a speaker at the conference, said, "The No-till Conference made a compelling case that cover crops and no-till will get you more from less: Requiring less fuel, less machinery, fewer chemical inputs and less acreage. These ecological farming practices lead to improved profitability, better soil health, more jobs, improved environmental stewardship and a better quality of life."

Rick Haney, Soil Scientist from the USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Grassland Soil and Water Research Lab in Temple, Texas agrees, and he adds that "Increasing soil organic matter typically improves soil health." Haney is part of a team that has developed an integrated approach to soil testing using new methods that focus on integrating soil biology and chemistry. 

You can catch more of this story on our website and an interview I did with Rick Haney by clicking here.
 

Market Fundamentals Keeping Beef Prices High, Derrell Peel Says

Livestock markets made a run higher in January, backed off a bit and have then trended higher again in March. Dr. Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Market Economist, tells us it boils down to market fundamentals. 

"Obviously, the underlying fundamentals are the very tight supplies and how vulnerable we are in this situation. We've continued to have bad weather which has affected supply and demand... We've taken boxed beef now up above those January highs to new record levels. We've taken fed cattle prices, recently, up above the January highs to new record levels so the rollercoaster continues."

Bad weather has impacted performance of cattle in the feedlots, Peel says, causing packers to try to pull supplies forward hence the rise in beef prices. The bad weather has also kept people indoors and away from the grill and that is not all bad, he says.

"The best way I know to describe beef demand is 'So far, so good,' at this point. We've gone through the winter. We've gone through these challenges where we have had a lot of disruptions. Things that are oftentimes a negative on consumer demand-and if they are negative, we're sure not seeing it at this point in time. Certainly the seasonal demand in grilling season is yet ahead of us."

Click here to read more of this story.  

Attorney General Pruitt Files Charges in Cattle Sale Check Writing Scheme

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt Wednesday filed charges against a Custer County couple accused in a bogus check writing scheme that involved selling cattle at sale barns in 12 different counties.

Barry Lynn Heath Jr., 44, and Neva M. Heath, 50, were charged Wednesday in Custer County District Court with 11 counts of obtaining property by false pretenses and one count of engaging in a pattern of criminal offenses, all felonies, and one count of misdemeanor obtaining property by false pretenses.

According to the charges, the Heaths purchased cattle with bogus checks at auction and then attempted to sell them before the original checks cleared.

The investigation involved the Attorney General's Multicounty Grand Jury Unit and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture. 

Agriculture Committee Approves Budget Views and Regulatory Burdens Reduction

The House Agriculture Committee met yesterday to consider the budget views and estimates letter for the 2015 fiscal year, H.R. 935, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act, and a resolution commemorating the Smith-Lever Act, which established the nationwide Cooperative Extension System.

"The Agricultural Act of 2014 contributes substantially to deficit reduction while simultaneously making historic reforms to every facet of farm, nutrition, and conservation policy. With its enactment, the committee will rightly focus on its oversight role ensuring that the Department of Agriculture is administering food and nutrition programs in a fiscally responsible way and implementing the reforms of the new farm bill as Congress intended. Additionally, the committee will reauthorize the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) while continuing its vigorous oversight of CFTC regulations to ensure they're not harming economic growth and job creation. Reducing regulatory burdens on our farmers and ranchers will remain another top priority for the committee. I am pleased that we approved H.R. 935, which is necessary to address the negative economic consequences of a misguided court ruling. I am also proud the committee formally recognized the success and contributions of the Cooperative Extension System to agricultural research and education," said Chairman Frank Lucas.

Click here to read the rest of this story.

 

Grassley Says No to Japanese Demands in TPP Talks

Senator Charles Grassley (R - Iowa) held a press conference yesterday to discuss the ongoing Trans - Pacific Partnership negotiations with specific focus on Japan's unwillingness to negotiate on all agricultural products, including beef and pork.

"Japan seems to believe that they're entitled to keep five sacred agriculture products off the table," said Grassley, stating his strong opposition to Japan's negotiation position. "The third largest country in the world can't make protectionist moves like that without it having a ripple effect."

Accompanying Sen. Grassley were speakers from American Farm Bureau Federation, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council, National Oilseed Processors Association, and U.S. Wheat Associates. 

You'll find the rest of this story on our website by clicking here.  

This N That- OYE Judging Gets Underway in the Hog Arena, Rainfall Amounts Trending Up and Bake and Take Month in Roadgear 

The first animals to be judged will walk in front of Purebred Gilt Sift judge Tim Marek at 8 AM this morning at the 2014 Oklahoma Youth Expo.  The animals he likes will then make the main show ring, where Shanne Brinning will be making the choices.   

The purebred breeding gilt show will conclude by sometime this afternoon, with the Commercial breeding gilts to follow with an all day performance on Saturday.  Judges for the commercial gilts will be Ben Moyer as the lead judge, with Garry Childs handling the sift duties.

Beef Heifers will hit the show ring on Sunday at high noon as the opening weekend of the show belongs to the breeding animals.

Our coverage of the 2014 OYE is powered by Devon Energy and by the title sponsor of the 2014 show- McDonald's.  

Click here for our Blue Green Gazette page, where we will be posting several stories daily- including one this morning on the biosecurity that is being emphasized in the hog barns here in 2014.

**********

Rainfall predictions moved up a notch or so in the forecast model for this weekend- and we have the latest possible rainfall amounts ahead for this weekend courtesy of Jed Castles of News9, KWTV.  Click here for the map he shared with us via Twitter.  

Rainfall could roll in at half inch levels in western counties, an inch in central Oklahoma and more than 2 inches in parts of eastern Oklahoma- we'll take it!

**********

Finally- it's a great day to remind you that the entire month of March is Bake and Take Month.

The purpose of the Bake and Take promotion is to encourage participants to bake a product made from wheat and take it to a neighbor, friend or relative, said Renée Albers-Nelson, who is a  milling and baking specialist at the OSU Food and Ag Products Center.

"The Bake and Take promotion is a wonderful way to get our young people to experience the joys of baking and understanding the importance of the cereal grain and wheat, grown in our state," Nelson said. "I encourage individuals who want to participate in the promotion to purchase Oklahoma-milled flour."

Bake and Take began in 1970 by the Kansas Wheathearts, an auxiliary organization of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, as a community service event to celebrate the wheat harvest in Sumner County, Kan. Even though the Kansas Wheathearts disbanded in 2001, Kansas Wheat continues these efforts today. 

Click here to read more about this wonderful tradition- and you can also click here for the recipe that the Oklahoma Wheat Commission has made famous- the recipe that produces the delicious bread samples they offer at shows around the country.