Export Sales- Value and Volume of Beef, Pork and Lamb All Higher in January

U.S. beef, pork and lamb exports all opened the new year on a positive note, although market conditions suggest 2014 could be a challenging year for U.S. red meat exports, according to statistics released by the USDA and compiled by USMEF.

Beef exports continued the strong performance set in 2013, rising 13% in volume and 16% in value for the month of January, bolstered by double-digit growth to Mexico, Japan and Hong Kong. Pork exports rose 3% in volume and 2% in value for the month, driven by growth to Mexico, while lamb exports increased 7 percent in volume and 9 percent in value.

While price is just one of many factors that affect red meat trade, higher U.S. pork and beef prices will create challenges for American red meat exports in the months ahead, particularly in markets where customers are more price sensitive.

"In pork, there are a number of recognized challenges on the production side as well as unresolved access issues," said Philip Seng, USMEF president and CEO. "In addition, we are also seeing increased competition in the form of higher marketing budgets and favorable prices for the EU, Brazil and Canada."

Seng also noted that with U.S. beef production expected to drop 5 percent this year, and already running below last year's levels, it will be challenging to maintain export levels.

Click here to read the full story. 

New EPA, Army Corps Proposal Amounts to 'Land Grab,' Says NCBA Environmental Counsel 

Is the proposal made last month by the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers to expand the scope of waters covered by the Clean Water Act really good for agriculture? In the latest Beef Buzz, Ashley McDonald, an attorney specializing in environmental issues with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, gives the proposal an emphatic thumbs down.

"The agencies are stating that this is actually a clarification of the definition of waters of the United States which, if you simply look at the proposed rule which is 371 pages, I think that gives you a good idea of exactly how 'clear' this rule is.

"A farmer out there on his property is going to have to read through 371 pages just to see if his ditch is covered or not. There's three different types of ditches, two of which are exempted, some of which activities are exempted on, but they're going to have to look at all of those to understand if they need a federal permit-and what type of federal permit-just to do routine activities that happen to impact that ditch.

"I think that underscores the clarity that this rule provides to farmers and ranchers across the country."

Click here to catch more of my conversation with Ashley or to read more of this story.  

Steve Swigert, agriculture economic consultant, writes in the latest Ag News and Views newsletter from the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation:

Since recent droughts have caused a lack of available forage in many areas, the incentive to retain heifers and purchase cows has been very low. This situation is coupled with the high value of heifer calves after weaning, preconditioning or the stocker phase. It makes the decision to retain or purchase females extremely difficult. As a result, the cattle inventory has declined to levels not seen since the 1930s and 1940s, and the value of heifer calves has risen to all-time record highs.

With low cow numbers, historic high prices for weaned calves and the cost of cows at record highs for the foreseeable future, this means good, young, producing cows are going to be hard to find. Prices will consistently exceed $2,000 per cow.

How much could cows be worth? Based on $550 annual cow cost, 88 percent calf crop and $180 per hundredweight average price for a 525-pound calf over seven production years, a $2,150 cow/calf pair purchased in the spring of 2014 would have a 10 percent return on investment.

You can read the rest of Steve's analysis by clicking here.

NRCS: New Web Pages, Updates Help Meet Farmers' Conservation Needs

For generations, children have been singing about the farmer, his wife and kids, and even the mouse and the cheese. But today, a modern farmer is more likely to be using the mouse on his computer (or more realistically, a smartphone or tablet) than dancing around a small wooded valley with his family and farm animals.

The website of USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, nrcs.usda.gov, has been evolving to keep pace with the needs of today's farmer. Its mission is to provide American farmers, ranchers and other visitors with the tools and resources they are looking for on a site that is easy to use and navigate.

The most effective websites combine clear and readable text, usability, functionality and simple navigation.  The text is written for targeted audiences, which includes farmers and ranchers as well as people who use online tools, such as Web Soil Survey, PLANTS database and COMET-Farm.

Recently, the new Get Started with NRCS page was created. This new webpage helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners learn how they can make improvements to their land with conservation. 

Checkoff Calling for Nominations for Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Awards

Award applications for the seventh annual checkoff-funded National Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Award are now being accepted. The 2015 National BQA Awards recognize four winners in the area of beef, dairy, marketing and education:

The beef and dairy awards recognize producers that best demonstrate animal care and handling principles as part of the day-to-day activities on their respective operations.

The BQA Educator Award is open to individuals or companies that provide high quality and innovative training to individuals that care and handle cattle throughout the industry chain.

The BQA Marketer Award is open to livestock markets, cattle buyers and supply-chain programs that promote BQA to their customers and offer them opportunities to get certified.

For more of this story and a link to the application, please click here. 

Red Flag Warnings Stretch West to East Across Oklahoma Today

Thursday's weather outlook shows that the National Weather Service people have elevated into a Red Flag warning several Oklahoma counties from west to east.

The Red Flag warning is the highest level of concern that can be raised about fire danger out across the countryside- here are the counties impacted during the day and down into the evening tonight, starting with Norman NWS area:

Beckham County, OK
Caddo County, OK
Canadian County, OK
Cleveland County, OK
Garvin County, OK
Grady County, OK
Hughes County, OK
Lincoln County, OK
McClain County, OK
Oklahoma County, OK
Pottawatomie County, OK
Seminole County, OK
Washita County, OK

And in the Tulsa NWS service area:

Creek County, OK
Hughes County, OK
McIntosh County, OK
Okfuskee County, OK
Okmulgee County, OK
Pittsburg County, OK 

Click here for an excellent graphic from Jed Castles from News9(as well as the details from the Red Flag warning as released by the NWS offices) which shows when and where the fire danger will be across the region.

This N That, Ag Townhall Coming Saturday, Superior Video Sale Looking Good for Friday and Time to Signup for OALP Class 17!

TODAY is the opening day of the Oklahoma City Farm Show- and we invite you to stop by our booth no matter which day you come and sign up for YOUR CHANCE to win the Priefert Round Pen we will be giving away on Saturday afternoon- it's the Round Pen being used in the Horse Training Sessions offered by Scott Daily.

On Saturday morning- we hope you will come and join us for an hour long Ag Townhall meeting with the Chairman of the House Ag Committee, Frank Lucas.  It will be happening at 10 AM in the Carriage Hall at State Fair Park.  Come join us as we will be talking with Congressman Lucas about the evolution of the 2014 Farm Law, it's implementation, livestock disaster signup, crop insurance and more.  First come first served on seating- see ya then!

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This Friday's Superior Video Livestock Auction is shaping up to be a good one- with 38,500 expected to be sold.  That includes 10,700 yearling steers;  5,900 yearling Heifers; 11,850 weaned calves;  9,400 calves on Cows; 500 replacement heifers, Bred Heifers and Bred Cows and Cows & Pairs.

Call 1-800-422-2117 or click here for the Superior Website for details.

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In today's Farm News- Click here to listen- we feature comments from the newest member of the Oklahoma Ag Hall of Fame Rodd Moesel.  Rodd is the first OALP Alum to become a member of the Ag Hall of Fame- he was a member of Class V and credits OALP for a lot of the success he has enjoyed since going through the program.  Take a listen and Rodd mentions that now is the time for folks interested in going through the program to sign up- applications are now open for Class 17- click here for the OALP website and get to work on that application- it is due on May first.