The Carolina Cattle Connection - Volume 35, Issue No. 9 (SEPTEMBER 2021)

CC C

arolina attle onnection SEPTEMBER 2021 •

Vol. 35, Issue No. 9

Spotlight on

SANTA GERTRUDIS

ONNECTION 2021 South Carolina Sale Barn Cattle Receipts ..................................................................... page 76 A Message from the CEO — Death and Taxes, by Colin Woodall ....................................... page 65 AgriSafe Launches New Website to Support Safety for Farmers and Ranchers ........... page 63 Amazing Grazing — Adaptive Grazing During the Calving Season,

by Johnny Rogers …............................................................................................................ page 18 American Angus Association News ....................................................................................... page 48 American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges News ........................................... page 37 American Hereford Association News .................................................................................. page 32 Animal Agriculture Alliance News ......................................................................................... page 54 Animal Health & Nutrition Company Rebrands as Axiota Animal Health ..................... page 20 Ashley’s Beef Corner — Beef Remains Hot Across Our State,

by Ashley W. Herring ............................................................................................................. page 16 Beef Checkoff News ................................................................................................................... page 76 Beef Cuts and Recommended Cooking Methods ................................................................ page 74 Beefmaster Breeders United News ....................................................................................... page 52 BioZyme Incorporated News .................................................................................................. page 60 Boehringer Ingelheim News .................................................................................................... page 64 Carolina Cooking — Country Style Bourbon BBQ Short Ribs .......................................... page 43 Carolina Video and Load Lot Monthly Summary ................................................................ page 29 Cattlemen’s Beef Board Update — Your Beef Checkoff Investment - There It Is,

by Greg Hanes.......................................................................................................................... page 56 Changes Ahead for Bartlett’s Statesville Mill ....................................................................... page 50 Director’s Report — A Busy End to Summer, by Travis W. Mitchell ................................ page 3 E.B.’s View from the Cow Pasture — Mrs. Housewife Helps Food Cattle,

by E.B. Harris ........................................................................................................................... page 20 ESA Implementation Creates Ongoing Battleground for Ranchers ................................ page 38 Federation of State Beef Councils Update ............................................................................ page 75 From the Desk of the SCCA President, by Roscoe Kyle .......................................................... page 3 Lacefield Receives the Livestock Publications Council’s Headliner Award ................... page 26 Laurens County Youth Livestock Show ................................................................................. page 30 Letter to the Editor — Ranchers for COVID-19 Vaccination,

by John R. Dykers, Jr. M.D. ..................................................................................................... page 72 Merck Animal Health News ...................................................................................................... page 27 N.C. Weekly Livestock Report ............................................................................................... page 68 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association News ...................................................................... page 66 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President’s Report — Beef Processing Capacity Now Key Concern in Washington, by Jerry Bohn .... page 70 National Farm Safety and Health Week September 19-25 — Farm Safety Yields Real Results ..................................................................................... page 51 New NCCA Members for 2021 ................................................................................................. page 43 North American Limousin Foundation News ...................................................................... page 30 North Carolina Cattle Receipts, Trends, and Prices ............................................................ page 70 On the Edge of Common Sense — The Right Tool for the Job, by Baxter Black ................ page 22 Premier Select Sires News ........................................................................................................ page 39 S.C. Beef Council News, by Roy Copelan ................................................................................. page 54 S.C. Charolais News, by Georgeanne Webb ……….......................................................…….. page 23 SAVE THE DATE — N.C. Beef Cattle Field Day and Trade Show ....................................... page 65 South Carolina Cattle Receipts, Trends, and Prices ............................................................ page 64 The Simmental Trail, by Jennie Rucker ………...............................................................……….. page 25 Tune in to Tennessee Recap ..................................................................................................... page 68 You Decide!, by Dr. Mike Walden ............................................................................................. page 28 Zoetis News ................................................................................................................................. page 44

N.C. Cattlemen’s Association President KARL GILLESPIE 860 Corbin Road • Franklin, NC 28734

Vice Presidents BURON LANIER 2877 Piney Woods Road • Burgaw, NC 28425

The Carolina Cattle Connection Vol. 35, No. 9 SEPTEMBER 2021 Sales & Publication Office

SCOTT WEST 489 Panacea Springs Road • Littleton, NC 27850

2228 N. Main Street Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526

RYAN CLARK 5250 NC 772 Hwy, • Madison, NC 27025

Phone: 919-552-9111 Fax: 919-552-9216 Email: mail@nccattle.com Website: www.nccattle.com

Immediate Past President JEREMY LEE 5153 Battle Run Drive • Catawba, NC 28609 NCBA Policy Division Director - FRED SMITH, JR. NCBA Federation Division Director RALPH BLALOCK, JR.

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is printed on 30 lb recycled newsprint

by BN Printing in Benson, N.C.

Beef Board Director - ROBERT CRABB Secretary/Treasurer - EVERETT JOHNSON Directors At Large MATT POORE • NEIL BOWMAN • TODD SEE

Manager, N.C.

STAFF

BRYAN BLINSON

Manager, S.C. TRAVIS MITCHELL Executive Director

BRYAN K. BLINSON 2228 N. Main Street • Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526 Editor & Advertising Director N.C. Cattlemen’s Beef Council Director of Consumer Information ASHLEY W. HERRING Administrative Assistant - KIM BURDGE

S.C. Cattlemen’s Association

CASEY L. HINNANT

Assistant Editor & Proofreader

KIM BURDGE N.C. Circulation

KIM BURDGE

Executive Director - TRAVIS MITCHELL S.C. Circulation To Be Announced P.O. Box 207 • Saluda, SC 29138 Phone: 803-609-2828 Material in The Carolina Cattle Connection Email: twmitch@clemson.edu is not to be reproduced in total or in part Website: www.sccattlemen.wildapricot.org without the written permission of the Editor. All Executive Committee submissions become property of The Carolina President - Roscoe Kyle Cattle Connection, but we make every effort to 1st Vice President - Timmy Benton return items such as photographs and artwork as nd 2 Vice President - Joe Oswald IV requested.

Secretary - Carol Hendrix Treasurer - Eric Seymour Past President - Thomas Legare

William Brigman, Latta • Joe Oswald, IV, Allendale Roscoe Kyle, Inman • Terry Kirkland, Batesburg Eddie Evans, Easley • Cecil Eaddy, Manning Thomas Legare, Johns Island • Richard Sox, Lexington Carol Hendrix, Westminister • Clay Alexander, Starr Timmy Benton, Walterboro • Michael Bailey, Lancaster Bonnie Cann, Abbeville • Thomas Jones, Marion Lee Haddon, Gaffney • Jack Ferguson, York Drake Yon, Ridge Spring • Gene Crim, St. Matthews

S.C. Beef Council

Executive Director - ROY COPELAN P.O. Box 11280 • Columbia, SC 29211 Phone: 803-917-1119 Email: scbeef@scda.sc.gov Website: www.sccattle.org

The Carolina Cattle Connection, the official publication of the N.C. Cattlemen’s Association and the S.C. Cattlemen’s Association is published monthly by the N.C. Cattlemen’s Association.

A complementary subscription is included with membership to each state’s association. Nonmember subscriptions are $30 per year.

All address changes for NCCA members to: The Carolina Cattle Connection 2228 N. Main Street • Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526 All address changes for SCCA members to: The Carolina Cattle Connection P.O. Box 207 • Saluda, SC 29138

SANTA GERTRUDIS Breeders of the Carolinas Sale Report … page 13 Narrow Bone Creek Farm — Gary Suber, by Scott Sherrill … page 14 Predictability, Pounds, and Profit — STAR 5 Females Offer Commercial Producers Countless Advantages, by Mickey Burch … page 6 Rockin’ B Farm — The Bowman Family, by Scott Sherrill … page 15 Rocking L Farm — Dennis and Amanda Lee, by Scott Sherrill … page 5 Santa Gertrudis Breeders International Hall of Fame Inductee — Bill Cameron … page 4 T&S Farm — Tommy Shealy and Chris Swygert, by Scott Sherrill … page 12 The Right Fit for Any Environment, by Macey Mueller … page 10 The Carolina Cattle Connection

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The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

Director’s Report

By TRAVIS W. MITCHELL, Executive Director, SCCA

A Busy End to Summer August was a very busy month for the S.C. Cattlemen’s Association. Our Annual Meeting and Trade Show was held on August 6 at the T. Ed Garrison Livestock Complex in Clemson.

Members in attendance received numerous educational presentations as well as the opportunity to visit with over 30 vendors at our industry trade show.

This year we were pleased to have the S.C. Angus Association join us for this special event. Our meeting concluded with our annual awards banquet. At the banquet, we awarded our Awards of Excellence and recognized our S.C. Cattlemen’s Foundation scholarship winners. Details and photos of these award recipients will be published in the next issue of The Carolina Cattle Connection. We would like to say a big “thank you” to our associate members who made this meeting possible. The support that our Prime, Choice, and

Select members give to our association is especially appreciated. We would also like to thank Clemson University for allowing us to host our Annual Meeting and Trade Show at the T. Ed Garrison Livestock Complex.

The S.C. Junior Beef Round-Up was also held at the T. Ed Garrison Arena the same weekend as our Annual Meeting and Trade Show. It was exciting to have this event take place right next door, where members could walk over to support the youth exhibiting their beef cattle.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association held its Annual Convention August 10-12 in Nashville, Tennessee.

For those of you who are not members of NCBA, I strongly encourage you to join.

They work tirelessly to protect the interests of the beef cattle industry in the United States. NCBA is our “boots on the ground” in Washington, D.C., and we appreciate all the great work they do for our industry.

From the Desk of the SCCA President

By ROSCOE KYLE Well, it appears most of us have made it through the summer without too many problems. The dog days of summer are almost over, and the month where the tropics really pick up speed is upon us.

The majority of the young people have returned to school, along with our summer help. With all that, we are now facing the Delta variant of COVID-19, which, according to the Biden Administration, is more dangerous than the original. With all that is being said, lately, it reminds me of what my mother used to say, “Believe half of what you see and nothing of what you hear.” I am sure the vast majority of us have found out just how smart our parents are (or were) as things in the world evolve.

Since last I wrote, the SCCA

has been working behind the scene with our state legislators, U.S. Representatives, U.S. Senators, and NCBA on several bills that could affect our industry. I try to keep in touch with the Regional NCBA Rep and my U.S. Representative on matters that concern us. As a reminder, if you are not an NCBA member, please consider joining as there is strength in numbers.

The proof is in the pudding, as the big packers are finding out as they face questions from our congressional leaders regarding transparency in marketing. I had the opportunity to sit down with one of our U.S. Congressmen last month to discuss several matters that are important for the cattle industry in our state.

In the first part of August, the SCCA held its annual meeting at one of the new buildings being built at the T. Ed Garrison Livestock Arena Complex. We were also

there along with the S.C. Junior Beef Round-Up, which I understand had a good turnout of around 100 youths from several states. Also, the S.C. Angus Association joined us for our scholarships and awards banquet and their annual meeting.

For those who are not aware, Dixon Shealy had a fall that resulted in him injuring his right ankle. Hopefully, it will not require surgery and just several weeks of rest. Our thoughts and prayers go out to you, Dixon.

On injury topics, Dr. John Irwin required a few nights in Greenville Memorial Hospital the last part of July but is currently doing well under the watchful eye of his loving wife Elaine and his children. I was unable to attend the NCBA Convention in Nashville, Tenn., but Past President Thomas Legare filled in for me. I am already making plans for

The Carolina Cattle Connection

the next Convention in February 2022 to be in Houston, Texas.

If all holds up and we don’t get put on lockdown, I understand that the fall cow/calf conference will be in October at T. Ed Garrison this year.

Please plan on attending if possible, as this is an event co-sponsored by the SCCA. Please look at the October edition for a list of all our sponsors and vendors who attended our annual meeting this past August. If possible, drop by, thank them, and do a little business with them.

As always, I remain respectfully yours.

P.S. I saw a window decal on the back of a pickup the other day that I think all will enjoy. “Sure you can trust the government. Just ask any Indian.” Stay safe and healthy.

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e Special

Spotlight on

SANTA GERTRUDIS

Section f

Santa Gertrudis Breeders International Hall of Fame Inductee — Bill Cameron The Hall of Fame represents the Santa Gertrudis Breeders International’s (SGBI) most prestigious award and recognizes the unique and significant contributions of individuals to the support, growth, and advancement of the Santa Gertrudis breed. Selected to be inducted into the Hall of Fame during the 2020 SGBI Annual Meeting are William W. (Bill) Cameron, Jr., and John Allen Carleston. Hall of Fame inductions were made during the President’s Dinner on April 18, 2020.

Ranch, Wendt Ranches, and Tinney Farms. While purebred Santa Gertrudis comprise the operation’s foundation, they started a commercial herd in 2005. Today, there are 75 head in the commercial herd.

The family’s purebred herd, which has been significantly reduced in recent years through private treaty sales, currently includes 100 purebred Santa Gertrudis.

The operation also includes a swine production facility, which Bill started in 1995; today, he raises 6,000 gilts.

Bill married his wife, Rhenda Pierce, in 1965. Together the couple has two children: a daughter, Candace, and a son, Bill III. Both competed in the National Junior Santa Gertrudis Shows (NJSGS) and were competitive in the public speaking contests. As a family, the Camerons enjoyed exhibiting their cattle at local, state, and national shows.

Bill Cameron and his wife, Rhenda.

Bill Cameron’s love for agriculture started while growing up on his family’s third generation farm near Raeford, North Carolina. Following graduation from the University of Tennessee, he embarked on an 11 year career as a high school football coach. He coached at a high school in Tennessee for several years before returning to his hometown in 1973, where he was the head coach at his alma mater, Hoke County High School.

Bill got his start with Santa Gertrudis in 1973 when he purchased four Santa Gertrudis heifers, becoming herd No. 3247 in the SGBI registry. In 1976, he resigned from teaching and coaching and was fully devoted to the family’s farming and cattle operation, Double C Farms.

The Double C Farms foundation bloodlines came from Clarendon Plantation, Forked Lightning, and L&L. Over the years, Bill has added genetics from many Santa Gertrudis breeders, including Harris Riverbend Farms, Briggs Ranches, Winrock Farms, Jernigan

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Over the years, Bill has become a leader in the Southeast, promoting Santa Gertrudis and commercial cattle. He was instrumental in bringing a Santa Gertrudis breed show to the N.C. State Fair. He has devoted many years to the National Junior Santa Gertrudis Association, being a long time contributor to the NJSGS, where he has supported the public speaking contests and donated many heifers to class winners over the years.

Bill’s commitment to the agriculture industry has been recognized on several occasions. In 2007, he was selected as the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition Farmer of the Year. That same year, he was named North Carolina Farmer of the Year. In 2008, he received

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, which is the highest award for state service granted by North Carolina’s Office of the Governor. These are just a few of the many awards and recognitions Bill has received. Bill also served as President of the N.C. Cattlemen’s Association.

In addition to being an active Santa Gertrudis breeder, Bill has also been active within the Santa Gertrudis breed, including serving on the SGBI Board of Directors from 2002 to 2004. He joined the Santa Gertrudis Breeders of the Carolinas in 1980 and served on the affiliate’s board of directors for 12 years. In 1987, he joined the Polled Santa Gertrudis Association,

and he has been a long time supporter of the National Junior Santa Gertrudis Association. He has also been active in various other agricultural organizations, including Hoke County Farm Bureau, N.C. Cattlemen’s Association, N.C. Farm Bureau, and the Phillip Morris Agricultural Leadership Program.

In recognition of all he has done to support the Santa Gertrudis breed and agriculture industry, it is a privilege to name Bill Cameron to the SGBI Hall of Fame.

Reprinted from the February 2020 issue of Santa Gertrudis USA

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Spotlight on

SANTA GERTRUDIS

Section f

Rocking L Farm — Dennis and Amanda Lee

By SCOTT SHERRILL Navigating a change in operations or breeds of cattle can be a challenge.

Dennis and Amanda Lee of Siler City, N.C., have jumped into the Santa Gertrudis breed with both feet and unexpectedly found a local network willing to support and help new breeders navigate the challenges of the transition.

Ranch (Tex.) bred bull S.R. Surge 4/19, owned by Wiley Ranch of Louisiana, and Gunsmoke, owned by Grandview Farms, but were also able to borrow JCS Tripp 93/7 from J.C. Sherrill, Jr. Ranch to cover their cows until Red Man, their Red Doc (N.M.) bred bull out of a Jernigan cow can come of age. They were also able to pick up some semen on a few older bulls from Bob Hiss, like DHF Hoosier Daddy 74/3, a national champion.

From 1997 until 2019, Dennis and his mother, Kathie Lee, raised an Angus based herd on the 80 acres of pasture the Lees call home. When his mother retired from the cattle industry, the farm began making the transition from commercial Angus to purebred Santa Gertrudis.

They found the breed through the N.C. State Fair, and have always liked the look and temperament of Santa Gertrudis cattle. Based on their experience and research, they believe that the registered, purebred approach is a more productive use of their land. According to Amanda, “You want to have something out in your pasture that you like looking at.” They generally select for temperament and calving ease but are beginning to give additional consideration to carcass traits as they think about marketing their steers for direct-to-consumer sales.

However, there are still five head of commercial Angus in their operation. The Lees also keep a small group of Corriente longhorn cattle for use in roping. They have been heavily involved with raising, training, and showing performance quarter horses, which have taken them all across the United States.

They found that there were higher barriers of entry to the purebred Angus business and that the heat and humidity of the southeast necessitated incorporating some ear into their herd. Dennis notes, “It’s not uncommon for the dark hided cattle to be standing in the shade, while

the Santa Gertrudis are out in the pasture turning grass into beef.”

The Lees began their acquisition of Santa Gertrudis cattle without consulting with local breeders, but by attending the Santa Gertrudis Breeders of the Carolinas Sale in Chester, S.C., which they found via Google. The first cow they purchased came from Mickey and Josh Bowman’s Rockin’ B Farm in Staley, N.C., which is less than 15 miles from where the Lees live. They quickly connected with the Bowmans in the parking lot and made fast friends. Since then, the Lees have bought 17 head between the Breeders of the Carolinas Sale, the Kentucky National Sale, Alabama Connection Sale, Crimson Classic, as well as some private treaty purchases from Bob Hiss in Indiana. They

are still in growth mode and ultimately will target a stocked size similar to what they previously had with their commercial Angus herd, around 35 head.

They’ve been able to acquire genetics from the Bowmans, Tony Creech, and Flatwillow Farms via Five J’s Farms in North Carolina; Jernigan Ranch of Georgia; Shampain Ranch of Illinois; Grandview Farms of Alabama; and Strickmayer Farms of Kentucky.

They are making use of A.I. to the Strait

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The Lees bring a lot of enthusiasm and new ideas to the Santa Gertrudis breed and our local affiliate and are looking for ways to leverage their marketing and sales expertise to improve the breed’s local positioning and their farm’s profitability.

Don’t get caught napping!

Deadline is 5th of month prior to issue!

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Spotlight on

SANTA GERTRUDIS

Section f

Predictability, Pounds, and Profit — STAR 5 Females Offer Commercial Producers Countless Advantages

By MICKEY BURCH As many Santa Gertrudis breeders know, the STAR 5 program is a three level grading up system designed for herds to progress from a non-Santa Gertrudis base to purebred status. But along the way, purebred breeders and commercial cattlemen alike have found significant value in Santa Gertrudis F1 females.

Santa Gertrudis cattle are becoming well known for complementarity with numerous breeds, as cattlemen understand the value of crossbreeding, heterosis, and combining breeds that excel in different characteristics. Breeders have identified multiple crosses with Santa Gertrudis to meet production and marketing objectives and individual operation goals. Many times, those goals include marketing commercial females and cow/calf pairs.

Texas Oaks Cattle Ranch in Brenham, Tex., had a hot spring sale season, first at the San Antonio All Breeds Bull and Commercial Female Sale, where one of their pens of pairs sold for $3,000. They followed that up with the grand champion pen of females in the All Breeds Range Bull and Commercial Female Sale at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo with a pen of Gert-Hereford cross pairs, which also garnered them $3,000. They rounded out the spring with the champion pen at the Southeast Texas Independent Cattlemen’s Association Bull and Heifer Sale in Beaumont, Texas. Their high sellers at this sale included $2,300 for GertHereford crosses and $2,400 for Gert-Red Angus pairs.

Matt Zibilski, Texas Oaks Cattle Ranch manager, attributes the ranch’s success to the increasing quality of the cattle. “We’re getting the quality to where it needs to be,” he says of producers breeding Santa Gertrudis crosses. “Everybody is doing a better job breeding them.”

Evidence of that is seen in the noticeably improved cattle performance.

Specifically, Zibilski noted the females are docile, sound uddered, and wean a heavy calf. Those characteristics keep buyers coming back, he says. “People are seeing that these cattle are fault free,” he explains. “We can sell cattle like these and top sales for years to come.”

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By and large, Zibilski believes the cattle are bringing what they’re worth.

As a rule of thumb, he quotes a mentor who once told him to multiply the value of a weaned steer by two to come up with the value of a replacement female and multiple it by three to calculate the value of a cow/calf pair. Oftentimes, that equates to $2,000-$2,500 – a price point for many pairs sold this spring.

Those are the kinds of numbers Jim Corporron, Corporron Acres/Pinnacle Cattle Co., Schulenburg, Texas, has been getting for his pairs at public auction.

Corporron has been breeding F1 Red Motts for more than 25 years and has successfully taken those females back to low birth weight Angus and Brangus bulls to create many of his entries at the San Antonio All Breeds Bull and Commercial Female Sale.

Corporron explains that it’s the only consignment auction they attend each year, so they go all out and reserve two pens that consist of five pairs each (ten pairs total) for their Red Mott females with black calves at side.

“There are usually 200 pairs of all breeds at San Antonio,” he points out.

In 2015 and 2016, Corporron Acres consigned the champion Santa Gertrudis influenced pen and was then named grand champion pen of females over all breeds at San Antonio. This spring, the pairs Corporron consigned sold from $2,500 to $3,300 each.

Privately, the Corporron family sells upwards of 50 commercial pairs annually, selling the remainder of their females open, and have recently started marketing Red Mott bulls to commercial cattlemen who put them back on Braford, Charolais, and Brangus females.

“Commercial breeders like heavy weaning weights because the bottom line is profit,” Corporron says of his experience. “These cattle add pounds at the auction barn, and they can retain the females.” Corporron is a true believer that Santa Gertrudis cattle cross with English breeds better than any other Bos indicus breed, creating performance leading cattle.

Regardless of whether a buyer is looking for replacement females, pairs, or even a bull, Corporron likes to

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

concentrate on the relationship being built, sighting his appreciation over the years for repeat buyers among the ever changing cattle industry.

Joe Jones, general manager at Briggs Ranches in Victoria, Tex., has seen the cattle industry change, especially when it comes to making commercial Santa Gertrudis females. For Jones, the primary deciding factor of what breed to cross with a Santa Gertrudis is environment.

“We’ve gotten along exceptionally well with Herefords, but recently have started using Brangus bulls because there’s more demand for blacks and Brahman,” he says of selling cattle north and east out of Texas.

Briggs Ranches holds two production sales annually. The fall sale will see some 200 to 250 commercial females and 100 bulls run through the ring, where Jones notes that straight bred Santa Gertrudis sell for similar money as the crossbreds because commercial cattlemen can take them home and breed them to their bull of choice. Recently, Briggs Ranches held their spring sale where, along with guest consignors, 100 commercial females were sold. Bred females garnered an average of $1,800, while those with calves at side ranged from $2,200 to $2,500. The group of females consisted of a range of crosses, including Red Motts, straight reds that

were Santa Gertrudis-Brangus cross, and black half bloods with black calves at side.

Performance and hardiness are the top reasons Jones believes the sales are successful. “Crossbreeding opens up another market for someone to use a different breed of bull,” he points out.

“And that’s where the money is made – in efficiency.”

Even through dryer conditions, like much of the Southwest part of the country is currently experiencing, the calves are resilient. “The performance is there, we just have to give them a chance to perform,” he says of starting early weaned calves on feed due to drought conditions.

Briggs Ranches also consigns cattle to the sales at San Antonio, Houston, and Beaumont. While Houston and Beaumont were traditional in-person sales this year, San Antonio was virtual due to COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions.

Jones says the sale, held in a real time auction format, was still phenomenal, with commercial Santa Gertrudis cattle bringing record money.

With so many breeds that complement Santa Gertrudis to create a STAR 5, the crossbreeding possibilities are almost endless. “I like a good cow no matter what color she is,” Zibilski concludes. “But these Santa Gertrudis females are good.”

Jim Corporron has been breeding F1 Red Motts for more than 25 years and has successfully taken those females back to low birth weight Angus and Brangus bulls. Photo by Jim Banner, Southern Livestock Standard.

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SANTA GERTRUDIS

Section f

The Right Fit for Any Environment

By MACEY MUELLER From the rolling hills of Indiana, down to the river bottoms of Louisiana, and out to the foothills of Colorado, the Santa Gertrudis breed continues to prove its adaptability and profitability for producers everywhere.

Originally developed to withstand the harsh brush country of south Texas, Santa Gertrudis cattle are now found thriving in a myriad of environmental conditions.

Three cattlemen – with operations in varying climates and landscapes – describe how Santa Gertrudis genetics are adding value to the cattle industry.

Bob Hiss – Indiana - Bob Hiss, a dairy farmer turned cattleman from Columbia City, Ind., wasn’t exactly sure what he was buying when he purchased a set of red, crossbred heifers at the

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auction barn nearly 25 years ago, but he knew he liked their look and was especially excited when they turned out to be excellent mama cows in his new beef cattle business.

After discovering they were Santa Gertrudis influenced, he and his late wife, Margie, bought their first Gert purebreds from a herd dispersal in Texas. With the help of his three grown daughters and other family members, Hiss has since developed a successful seedstock operation on his 250 acre Hiss Family Farms, where he uses rotational grazing practices on fields of alfalfa, clover, brome, and orchardgrass.

Hiss markets his replacement-quality females to other seedstock producers, primarily through sales in Alabama

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

and South Carolina, where he recently consigned the highest selling yearling heifer. He also sells bulls to commercial cattlemen looking to capture the value of hybrid vigor and improve maternal instinct in their herds.

Hiss Family Farms

With an abundant supply of corn silage, corn, and alfalfa, Hiss conditions his steers and culled females to market as freezer beef, which he says “sells itself.”

“I haven’t had to advertise any of our freezer beef for sale,” he says. “We have

e Special many repeat buyers who have spread the word about the quality, tenderness, and taste of our beef, and we usually always have customers waiting.”

Although not extremely common in his neck of the woods, Hiss says his Santa Gertrudis cattle are well adapted to northern Indiana, where seasonal climate conditions are somewhat erratic. Hiss has seen winters that average 25-30 inches of snow and others with only a few nights below freezing. Summer temperatures can reach more than 100 degrees but tend to average in the 80s and 90s. He has been especially impressed with the hardiness of the Santa Gertrudis breed, whether it’s during a hot and dry season or during a polar vortex storm like they saw a few years back.

“We had two days at -20ºF and didn’t lose a single animal; they weren’t even shivering,” Hiss says. “And likewise in the summer, they have very little shade and still manage very well in the heat.”

In addition to climate variability, Hiss says flies can be a major nuisance in his area, but with their characteristic insect resistance, his Santa Gertrudis cattle have very few problems.

“We don’t have to fight pink eye with our cattle like other breeds around us do,” he says. “I am just always amazed at how well these cattle can do in even the harshest conditions. It doesn’t seem to matter what nature throws at them, they stay hardy, stay healthy, and just keep doing their job. Their versatility has really been profitable for our operation.”

Erik Wiley – Louisiana - When Deville, La., producer Erik Wiley and his father, Kim, looked to diversify their row crop operation in 2009, they were especially interested in cattle that would thrive in their hot and humid summers while adding value to their family farm.

They found success with the Santa Gertrudis breed.

“Brahman cattle work well in our area, but we didn’t really like their temperament,” he says. “We chose Santa Gertrudis based on their docility, superior mothering ability, and adaptability to the central Louisiana climate.”

Today, Wiley Ranch is home to nearly 500 Santa Gertrudis cows that run on a combination of native grass, ryegrass, and clover. The family has divided nearly 1,800 acres into 50 acre paddocks and utilizes an intensive rotational grazing program to maximize

Spotlight on

SANTA GERTRUDIS forage quality.

With an annual rainfall of 50-60 inches, Wiley says his area often sees 100ºF summer days, 50-60 percent humidity, and some very muddy winters, but his cows remain tolerant of the conditions.

As the largest Santa Gertrudis seedstock producer in Louisiana, Wiley Ranch genetics can be found in herds across the country and internationally. The family uses both a production sale in September and private treaty sales to market purebred and commercial females and approximately 25 bulls each year. Most of their bulls are used in commercial operations to take advantage of heterosis, and Wiley says many of his customers also retain their Gert influenced heifers to improve maternal characteristics within their herds.

Wiley Ranch

As both a breeder and Santa Gertrudis Breeders International (SGBI) Board member, Wiley says targeted trait improvements being made to meet industry demands, coupled with natural adaptability, have fueled the breed’s growth and popularity with producers across the country.

“All breeds are noticing what we’re doing, especially how we’ve moved from a large frame cow to a more moderate size and how we’ve really cleaned up the underlines,” he says. “The packers are also noticing that these cattle grade well on the grid.

“Their improved performance and ability to thrive in a variety of conditions can really add value to a herd.”

Rafael Miranda – Colorado - As manager of Cherokee Ranch, Sedalia, Colo., Rafael Miranda has had the unique opportunity to develop Santa Gertrudis seedstock that works especially well in the rugged terrain and semi-arid climate of central Colorado and beyond. The ranch was established in 1954 when pioneer cattlewoman Tweet Kimball

Section f

became the first rancher to introduce the breed in Colorado.

“Tweet used to remind everyone that the breed is ⅝ Shorthorn and should not have any problem taking the cold weather, especially if they are acclimated at the right time,” Miranda says. “We try to introduce new animals during the warmer summer months to give them a chance to adapt, and they do a really good job.”

Miranda says the area annually experiences four seasons, with warm temperatures in the summer that often lead into an Indian summer, where temperatures can be abnormally warm for early fall before it begins to cool down.

Average winter temperatures are in the 40s, but March and April usually bring several inches of snow.

“We can get a foot of snow and still see our cows with their noses on the ground, looking for grass,” he says.

“They just figure it out, and the younger calves learn from watching their mamas.”

Despite the snow, Miranda says the average annual precipitation is only 17 inches, and forage is often limited, but the cattle are hardy and willing to travel through the rocky landscape to find food.

“Our elevation goes from 5,800 feet up to 7,000 feet and there are very few meadows,” he says. “It’s really pretty rugged, but the cows still thrive and do very well here.”

Cherokee Ranch markets bulls, semen, and embryos, and Miranda says his Santa Gertrudis females are always in high demand.

While his market has traditionally been stronger in southern states, he has seen increased interest from cattlemen in the North and has recently sold bulls into Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming. Many of his newer customers are kin to original ranch customers who are looking to reintroduce the breed back in their operations.

“Some of our original customers kept detailed records of their success with Santa Gertrudis genetics, and the younger generation is really excited about the feed conversion and other performance traits they’re finding as they go back over them,” he says. “As the climate gets warmer and warmer, some northern producers want to inject the Brahman influence in their cattle to get along better in the feedlots, and they’re turning to Santa Gertrudis because they can adapt and perform so well in different environments.

The Carolina Cattle Connection

Cherokee Ranch

“We use GrowSafe Systems to measure feed efficiency in individual animals and then select for that trait so our cattle can make more beef with less feed, and our customers are seeing a real improvement in the feedlots.”

Miranda, who currently serves on the SGBI Board of Directors, was also involved with the leadership back in the early 2000s when the breed began taking drastic measures to improve performance data and phenotype. Using his background as a commercial cattleman, his interest in DNA sampling and ultrasound, and his expertise in artificial insemination, he has continued that focus at Cherokee Ranch.

Santa Gertrudis were developed for survival and are adaptable to most climates, environments, and terrains, and cattle producers from across the country are starting to take notice.

Reprinted from the July 2021 issue of Santa Gertrudis USA

Regular copy deadline is SEPTEMBER 5 for the OCTOBER issue!

Is there a problem? q SEPTEMBER 2021

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T&S Farm — Tommy Shealy and Chris Swygert

By SCOTT SHERRILL Shealy’s BBQ restaurant, established in 1969, is quite well known, but Tommy Shealy and farm manager Chris Swygert are just beginning to explore the marketing opportunities for registered Santa Gertrudis cattle. Shealy and

Swygert are not strangers to the Santa Gertrudis breed: when you drive to T&S Farm, you can see the Santa Gertrudis logo beside the Tennessee Walking Horse logo on the way in the gate to the event facility on site, which is also a popular wedding venue.

Having seen some Santa Gertrudis at Dr. John Gunter’s in the 1970s, Mr. Shealy really liked the looks of the cattle.

He purchased his first Santa Gertrudis cattle from Jackson Brothers in 1986,

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From a selection standpoint, Swygert and Shealy note that they’re looking for a cow with a good look but want the numbers to back up the performance: good weaning and yearling weight, but also carcass and fertility EPDs that are now being released by Santa Gertrudis Breeders International.

Grey Rocks Ranch of Selma, Ala., in 1987, and Claussen Cattle Company of Augusta, Ga., also in 1987. He also attended the Santa Gertrudis World Congress in 1994. That said, he didn’t buy his first Santa Gertrudis bull until 2002, when he acquired one from Dan Wendt in Bay City, Tex., around the time he began working with Swygert. Shealy was inspired to return to Wendt Ranches for a bull based on what he had seen at the World Congress, and there is a lot of Wendt influence in the T&S Farm herd.

The two of them have made purchases and built relationships nationwide: Tinney Farms in Hanceville, Ala.; Wendt Ranches of Bay City, Tex.; Briggs Ranches in Victoria, Tex.; Red

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

Doc Farm in Belen, N.M.; David Harris of Cleburne, Tex.; Strait Ranches in Corrizo Springs, Tex.; Corporron Acres in Schulenburg, Tex.; Grandview in Hamilton, Ala.; and Quail Valley Farms in Oneonta, Ala., have all been sources for cattle in the past, and Mr. Swygert stays in regular contact with all of these

breeders. Current herd sires represent Wendt Ranch and Tinney Farms genetics.

T&S Farms did not begin significant registering of their calves until about seven years ago and has even branched into the realm of embryo transfer work to try to raise top quality replacement females and herd sires.

Currently, T&S Farms has about 75 mama cows on about 100 acres of Tifton 85 and coastal Bermuda pasture. They use KNS Premium Chelated Minerals and grind most of the feed. Their cows are ⅔ Santa Gertrudis or Santa Gertrudis influence and ⅓ Angus. They calve between September and May. Swygert will A.I. their Angus cows first and then come back with Santa Gertrudis bulls for cleanup. He acknowledges that this is

the opposite of what most people would do, but it allows the operation to produce some very nice Star 5 calves. These are not commercial Angus, but high quality Angus females: T&S Farm sells their Angus bulls at Deer Valley Farm and Gardiner Angus bull sales. They use Ogeechee Farms in Wadley, Ga.; Yon Family Farm in Ridge Spring, S.C.; Deer Valley Farm in Fayetteville, Tenn.; and Gardiner Angus Ranch in Ashland, Kan., genetics in their Angus program. Swygert studies birth weights very hard and hasn’t assisted in calving in seven or eight years.

T&S Farms sells some animals locally to commercial producers in their area. This year, they have gain tested

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bulls and Star 5 Angus x Santa Gertrudis heifers through the Edisto Forage Test as well as through Tinney Farms.

They also participated with their Santa Gertrudis influence in the Savannah River Cattlemen’s Sale in Hephzibah, Ga., in February 2020. They are trying to get more involved in purebred sales moving forward.

Breeders of the Carolinas Sale Report The Breeders of the Carolinas Santa Gertrudis Association sponsored the annual Breeders of the Carolinas Sale on May 8 at the Chester Livestock Exchange in Chester, South Carolina. E.B. Harris was the auctioneer, and Darren Richmond was the sale manager.

• 41 registered females averaged $2,432 • 47 crossbred females averaged $1,735 • 5 bulls averaged $2,980 The high selling lot was a pair consigned by Creech Farms in Zebulon, N.C., and sold to Red Doc Farm in Belen, N.M., & Flying C Ranch in Searcy, Ark., for $11,500.

The high selling bred heifer was consigned by Rockin B Farm in Staley, N.C., and sold to Van Culberson of Siler City, N.C., for $6,250.

The high selling open heifer was consigned by Hiss Family Farm in Columbia City, Ind., and sold to Stephen Perry of Zebulon, N.C., for $3,000.

The high selling bull was consigned by Creech Farms and sold to Morse View Farm in Mountain Grove, Mo., for $4,000.

The high selling Star 5 female was consigned by Creech Farms and sold to Morse View Farm for $2,900.

The volume buyers were Morse View Farm in Mountain Grove, Mo., 4440 Ranch in Hudson, N.C., and Charles Parrish of Clayton, North Carolina.

Alicia and Sanchez of Red Doc Farm and Allison and Tony Creech of Creech Farms

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Narrow Bone Creek Farm — Gary Suber

By SCOTT SHERRILL In the shadow of some large Angus Farms: Yon Family Farms and Edisto Farms, there’s a small Santa Gertrudis breeder finding his niche in the cattle business. Gary Suber encountered the first family of the Santa Gertrudis breed more than 20 years prior to buying his first Santa Gertrudis cow. In the mid to late 1980s, Gary was involved in cutting horses and can tell stories about going to

visit the King Ranch a couple of times and delivering a Shetland pony to Helen Groves’ Silverbrook Ranch in Baird, Texas. He always liked the look of the Santa Gertrudis cattle but didn’t buy his first Santa Gertrudis influence until 2008. He started with Hereford – Santa Gertrudis cross cattle, which he picked up from Nunley Brothers in Sabinal, Texas.

He says his real start was from a woman named Diane in the middle of downtown Aiken, S.C., who had a bunch of older Santa Gertrudis and Star 5 cattle.

Diane had run a Hereford bull on her

He has a lot of experience with several different operating methods: he’s run feeder calves, he grew up with Charolais, but he’s now trying his hand at the registered, purebred Santa Gertrudis.

Suber runs about 20-25 brood cows on 100 acres of coastal Bermuda pastures on the farm he owns in Wagener, South Carolina.

Santa Gertrudis cattle and then come back on the combination with a black bull.

His biggest problem when he first got started was what bull to use on the cattle, and he asked Howard Tinney of Alabama what sort of bull to put on them, and that’s how he really got started. He did very well with his first set of cattle, and his positive experience put him on the path towards increasing his involvement with the breed. He’s observed that the Santa Gertrudis mama cow is about the best there is around.

Beyond his start with the cattle, he purchased from Diane and the Star 5s he picked up from Nunley Brothers, he purchased ten or so head from State and Mary Hartsell of Circle Double H Farm in Townville, S.C., acquired a few from the Jimbo Shaver of Flying S Ranch, dispersal in 2019. He’s made a variety of other purchases from the Santa Gertrudis Breeders of the Carolinas Sale and also the Crimson Classic Sale, as well as from

other breeders local to his area. He’s used bulls from Tony Creech of Zebulon, N.C.; Tinney Farms of Hanceville, Ala.; and David Alderson of Williamsport, Tenn.; but he’s currently using a son of Pistol 28/0 that he raised himself using artificial insemination.

From a selection standpoint, Suber likes an animal with more frame than moderate, with strong hindquarters.

He tells a story about a trip he took to Ireland, and he observed that he went to several farms where they raised old style Simmental cattle and bred them to Charolais bulls. They were able to produce some tremendous animals on a lot lower inputs due to their perennial rye.

He says that the trip really impressed him and shaped his views on cattle.

Don’t put your cart before your horse... advertise that sale ahead of time!

You’ll see positive results.

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The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

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Rockin’ B Farm — The Bowman Family

By SCOTT SHERRILL Josh and Mickey Bowman have gathered a reputation over the past decade for their pasture management and rotational grazing program. They rotate their animals daily and are firm believers in the use of the grazing stick. Moreover, they have a long history with the Santa Gertrudis breed. Mickey acquired his first Santa Gertrudis in 1989-1990.

Mickey was drawn to the breed because of the hardiness and growth ability when crossbreeding.

Josh and his brother Jarod both grew up showing Santa Gertrudis heifers, but Josh has maintained his interest in the cattle through to adulthood and now serves as the President of the Santa Gertrudis Breeders of the Carolinas as of May 2021.

Much of the Bowmans’ current herd comes from other Carolina’s herds like Double C Farms of Raeford, N.C.; Cox Mill Farms of Sanford, N.C.; R.W. Farms of Benson, N.C.; and Creech Farms of Zebulon, North Carolina. Back in the 1990s, the pattern was similar, as they acquired the herd of John Massey of Clayton, N.C., and used bulls from

to the Breeders of the Carolinas Sale and, through that sale and private treaty acquisitions, rebuilt a purebred base.

They used Double C and Creech bulls for their herd sires and steadily increased their usage of A.I. technology in the mid part of the 2010s, cleaning up initially with a Hereford bull.

Double C Farms, Meadows Farms, and Hadley Farms. From the late 1990s through the 2000s, the Bowmans had a more commercial focus, using Brangus genetics to darken their hide color.

In the early to mid-2010s, the Bowmans began renewing their involvement with the Santa Gertrudis breed. They found that the breed worked well with their management style, and they really enjoy the breed. They returned

The usage of A.I. enabled the Bowmans to make rapid genetic progress and take advantage of the latest Santa Gertrudis genetics, including Harris Farms, Cotton Branch Plantation, Red Doc Farms, and Strait Ranches. They’ve also begun acquiring some new females from Shampain Ranch of Illinois and Quail Valley Farms of Alabama.

Currently, the Bowmans run about 50 head of Santa Gertrudis cows on 175

acres and have room to grow. Their goals are to continue to grow the herd and use the best and most modern A.I. genetics available to continue to improve their herd to meet today’s market demands.

From a selection standpoint, the Bowmans target animals that are moderate in size and efficient. All females must breed on time and rebreed, while bulls need to mature early and be very fertile.

The Bowmans have developed a highly marketable product, culminating with one of the high selling lots of the Breeders of the Carolinas Sale in 2021, which went to Van Culbertson of Siler City, N.C., and the high selling Star 5 lots, which went to Wiley Ranch of Deville, Louisiana.

Our breed Spotlight special sections are excellent forums to reach producers and cattle industry insiders in the Carolinas and throughout the Southeast. Advertisers also receive a special discount for placing their message in the Spotlight.

The Carolina Cattle Connection

q SEPTEMBER 2021

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Campbell Camels Football “Beefs” Up - Recently, Nebraska Beef Council staff member Mitch Rippe reached out to us in North Carolina about a potential nutrition program with the Campbell University Football program. Crystal Zabka-Belsky is a nutrition consultant for Campbell Football and works with Nebraska Beef Council. Both Mitch and

Ashley’s Beef Corner

T

Beef Remains Hot Across Our State

Buron and Sara Lanier shared their favorite destination of Bandana’s Family Restaurant & Grille of Burgaw. The casual atmosphere and family feel make

By ASHLEY W. HERRING Director of Consumer Information N.C. Cattlemen’s Beef Council North Carolina Beef Quest Rolls On - Our summer beef foodservice promotion is continuing to highlight local restaurants across this great state. We’ve enjoyed discovering hidden gems and revisiting old favorites. Check out all the stops at the NCBeef.org website. There’s always a great beef destination within arm’s reach no matter where you are in North Carolina!

A few of our beef producers nominated their go-to spots, and we were able to visit those in person. NCAA Vice President and Halifax County cattleman Scott West shared his appreciation for Haggerty’s Steakhouse in Roanoke Rapids. The restaurant opened in 2019 (yes, they made it!) and features a great menu of steaks, burgers, and plenty of options. Their welcoming patio features live music weekly, and the service is fantastic.

West End Precast 276-228-5024 Wytheville, Virginia

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you right at home. The ribeye sandwich is amazing, as well as their Philly Cheesesteak, which is big enough for two! Owned and operated by the Fontana family since 2010, they love serving American food for everyone to enjoy.

Diners are sharing photos on our Facebook Group “North Carolina Beef Quest” and are entered to win prizes. We love seeing all the dishes enjoyed. We want folks to continue dining out and choosing beef all year long.

Crystal visited with the football team for their initial season gathering. I was able to help them in the execution of a beef nutrition event for the 130 players and staff. We focused on helping players learn about beef’s nutritional value in a sports focused program. The players were able to learn how to prepare beef and incorporate it into their weekly routine.

We prepared two recipes that are perfect for batch cooking at the start of the week and portioning out for multiple days to save time.

Pairing beef with veggies and different flavors keeps the meals interesting and tasty while fulfilling the nutritional needs of active athletes.

Strength training and endurance is a key part of football, so beef is an ideal food because it offers protein in a small calorie package.

U or J Bunks - $170-$180 • Calf Bunks - $120

Water Troughs • Pads • Silo Sides Septic Tanks • Reservoirs PAGE 16

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

We had a great question and answer session to help players feel comfortable buying and preparing beef. Mitch shared cost per serving data which showed how eating beef is less expensive than dining out. We are thankful for the time their coaches and staff gave us to work with the players in their busy schedule and look forward to watching the football team do great work this season!

The Carolina Cattle Connection

q SEPTEMBER 2021

PAGE 17

By JOHNNY R. ROGERS Amazing Grazing Program Coordinator

Adaptive Grazing During the Calving Season As I speak with producers across our region, I often receive questions about rotating pastures during key management events like calving and breeding seasons.

Moving cows with young calves can be challenging, and some deviation from scheduled rotations may be in order.

This is why Amazing Grazing promotes adaptive grazing management in pasture systems. This approach requires consistent observations to determine how to use common grazing practices to enhance farm resources and livestock performance. Consideration should be given to the needs of the people involved in grassland management. Many activities

take place on farms/ranches, and grazing management practices can be designed to be flexible and targeted for optimal results. Most well managed grazing systems will move brood cows 2-3 times per week and requires 8-16 paddocks to provide adequate rest between grazing events. This article will focus on a major event for cow/calf operations and how grazing principles/practices can be implemented for success when moving pairs becomes challenging.

For discussion, I will use a fall calving system since that is what we use on our farm and is used on many farms throughout the state. We stockpile

forage in our calving pastures starting in late July (calving starts September 15). These pastures consist of crabgrass, Dallisgrass, and other warm season grasses. Most years, we will apply 30 units of N in July to stimulate forage growth. This small investment can yield significant results with adequate rainfall.

The accumulated forage is strip grazed with new grass provided every 1-3 days (similar approach to stockpiled tall fescue). We start grazing at the water and shade source with no back fence being used. We like to provide abundant shade so cattle can spread out and avoid muddy conditions. If cattle create mud, we will use temporary electric fence to exclude the mud and provide clean shade.

This encourages clean udders and better calf health. One potential challenge with this approach is calves hiding in the tall grass on the opposite side of the polywire.

Occasionally, heat stress can become a problem when calves are left exposed to the sun. Some cows are very good about taking their calves to shade, while others may not. Moving calves to shade can lower heat stress and improve calf vigor.

Good water, shade, and grass lead to healthy, fast growing fall calves.

Fall calving cows grazing stockpiled crabgrass (September 21, 2019).

December 4, 2021 • 12:00 noon Union County Livestock Market • Monroe, N.C.

704-219-1294 PAGE 18

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

feeding is easier during the fall, usually with better weather conditions and less mud. So the grazed forage can be used further into winter. It is important to remember that we could be overgrazing these calving pastures. I say “could be overgrazing” because annual forages like crabgrass only live for one season. These plants can be highly utilized without jeopardizing future production. However, to protect the soil resource, we must maintain adequate surface residue and plant other annual forages to keep a living root in the soil to feed our soil microbes.

An extended rest period may be needed to allow your calving pastures to fully recover.

Fall hay feeding is another practice we use during the calving season to replace the need for frequent rotations.

At first glance, it seems strange to feed hay when grazeable forage is available. However, fall provides a great opportunity to grow tall fescue for stockpiling, and winter annuals could also be planted for high quality pastures.

Feeding hay provides valuable time to allow these forages to grow. The hay

I am not suggesting that rotating pastures must be abandoned during calving. Many operations will continue their rotation with little to no modifications. In some cases, newly born calves and their dams can be left behind, and then they will rejoin the herd once mobile. However, when you consider the biological, economic, and social dynamics that occur on our farms, we must manage with flexibility to meet our goals. The key is planning and consistent observations to find what works for you.

Recognize every year is different, and we need to adapt to changing conditions. We work in an exciting industry so let’s enjoy the stewardship of the resources under our care. Good grazing!

Fall hay feeding allows for more fall forage production and can slow pasture rotations for calving cows.

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PAGE 19

E.B.'s View from the Cow Pasture

By E.B. HARRIS

Mrs. Housewife Helps Feed Cattle Back in the ‘60s, my daddy put up corn silage for the cows. We did it for a while but got out of it and went more to hay and other products. For the last 15 years, we have rekindled the fire. We are making giving some type of silage to all the cattle a full time winter feed.

A friend of mine down in the southwest edge corner of Nash County, close to Bailey, grows sweet corn. Over the past year, we would talk about that sweet corn. I did not ask how many acres he planted because I know he planted over 100 acres. We got to talking about what would be a win-win for everyone concerned. He wanted the stalks gone after he pulled the corn. All the corn in the field does not make it to the grocery store because some are lower on the stalk and don’t quite fill out.

They stay on the stalks and help give a little more kick in the cattle feed.

We made a plan. He would probably pull in the neighborhood of a tractortrailer load of box corn to go out each day starting the end of June and finishing up the last week in July. When corn is ready to come off, a tractor pulling a live bottom trailer goes through the field, and

hand pullers are pulling 12 rows at the time and throwing them into live bottom trailers. It is then taken to the packing shed to pack in boxes and then leaves to go over about seven to ten miles away to Nash Produce at Sandy Cross, where they have the coolers. Cooling tubes will be put in the truck and drop the temperature of the corn down to 40ºF in a few hours and then close the doors and off to the different parts of the country it goes. I don’t need to know where it goes, so I did not ask. I do know it ends up on the grocery store shelf – most of it goes out the same day. Fresh pulled roasting ear corn for the families in the city areas or metropolitan areas to feed the family within 24 hours.

When all of this is done, he has a stalk left out in the field, and he would like those stalks gone, and that’s where Shane and I and all the help on the farm put it together. We go cut that stalk and whatever corn is left and blow it into the walking floors of the trailers and bring it back home (approximately 32 miles) and put it in the silage pit so the cows will have something to eat when the snow gets

on the ground this winter or cold weather comes around.

So next time you are in the grocery store and see fresh roasting ear corn, just think about it – you are getting you something good to eat, and someone’s cattle might be getting a good winter

Animal Health & Nutrition Company Rebrands as Axiota Animal Health Company to serve the cattle industry by preparing cattle to thrive during transition and stress. Animal Health & Nutrition Company, a Paine Schwartz Partners portfolio company and the commercial leader in animal health and nutrition product development and commercialization of nutritional health products, recently announced that it has rebranded as Axiota Animal Health.

Formed in 2019 as an animal health and nutrition platform by Paine Schwartz Partners, Axiota serves the cattle industry through its operating companies, MULTIMIN USA and MS Biotec. Axiota represents key features of the products the Company sells and markets globally. The Greek root “Axi” represents proof, and

“If you have cattle, pastureland, or raise hay like I do, you need to call Donna Byrum. In 10 minutes on the hood of my pickup, she signed me up for a program that I had no idea about.

The next time she came by the farm, she brought me a check! ~ E.B. Harris

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PAGE 20

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

feeding come wintertime. What goes around comes around. Mrs. Housewife in New York City eats well, mama cows in North Carolina eat extremely well, Richard Brantley gets the residue off the land to plant beans, broccoli, and other crops – everyone is a winner.

“ota” represents the biological sciences.

These concepts are foundational elements of MULTIMIN 90 and Lactipro — the products sold by Axiota. MULTIMIN 90 and Lactipro have been extensively researched and are leading products in the animal health and nutrition segment.

“At Axiota, we provide the industry with scientifically proven products with clear modes of action that are backed by peer reviewed research and real world results,” said William (Bill) Weldon, Axiota CEO. “Our products support cattle during challenging production phases and provide cattle producers consumer friendly, non-antibiotic products that contribute to market sustainability and have significant growth potential in the U.S. and internationally. Axiota Animal Health represents two significant innovation platforms in injectable trace mineral solutions and rumen native anaerobic bacteria, creating exciting opportunities for new products in cattle as well as expansion into other animal species.”

About Axiota Animal Health. Axiota discovers, develops, and markets products for beef and dairy producers consistent with market and global consumer demands. The Company delivers best in class animal health products with proven modes of action that help manage risk and support cattle health, performance, and well being across all stages of beef and dairy production. Its nonantibiotic solutions prepare cattle for times of transition and stress and support producers’ goals of optimal health, performance, and animal well being.

For more information, please visit www. axiota.com.

The Carolina Cattle Connection

q SEPTEMBER 2021

PAGE 21

Baxter Black

On the edge of

common sense The Right Tool for the Job

Some might wonder why prehistoric cave drawings weren’t more detailed. Surely there were artists capable of rendering intricate representations of the circulatory system of aurochs or the dentition of a saber tooth tiger drawn to scale.

But what we see on these cave walls are stick figure men chasing antelope shaped quadrupeds, reminiscent of Dick and Jane throwing a bone at Spot. Rather primitive at best.

I think there had to be a Neanderthal equivalent of Norman Rockwell, but he was born without a pencil sharpener, a pencil, or even a Big Chief pad. He didn’t

have the right tools for the job.

How many times have you screwed up a perfectly good latigo, bridle, spur strap, or belt for want of a hole punch?

Have you ever knocked the corners off a hex head nut tryin’ to take it off with a pair of pump pliers?

How ‘bout wirin’ a couple of old board panels across a broken hole in the pen thinkin’, ‘This will only have to hold ‘em till the trucker comes at noon.’

Have you ever fallen prey to the temptation to rope a turn back steer when yer ridin’ a three-year-old trainee? Do you recall using baler twine to repair some

OW Lead Time 6294 Son Sells

temporary break down, hopin’ it will hold until the welder comes?

In Iowa, you can buy a handy little tool made from bent PCV pipe affectionately called a chicken catcher.

It’s like a sheep crook and is commonly used to grab baby calves.

Doug had cornered one of his calves in the barn lot to treat him for pinkeye last June. While a group of his itinerant coffee shop companions watched, Doug attempted several lassoes at the streaking 250 pounder. Finally, the peanut gallery climbed the fence to help. They stepped carefully around the rain puddles and shooshed and waved as the calf ducked and dived between them.

Randy spotted the chicken catcher layin’ with the baby balling gun and empty

box of scour pills. “Maybe I can snag him with this,” he laughed, pickin’ up the chicken catcher. “I’ll catch the calf, then you guys come and help.” It was an even match. Randy weighed about the same as the calf. He shot the hooked implement out and snagged the adrenaline charged calf above the fetlock of the hind leg.

He was jerked off his feet but hung on as the calf jerked, rattled, kicked, and ran, slingin’ mud and cow droplets across Randy’s broad front. Randy went down but hung on as the calf drug him around the pen. His teeth were clacking like a bad valve job when the crew, weak from laughter, dropped a rope over the calf.

Randy looked like the floor of a stock trailer. “You reckon,” he asked, “they make one in a bigger size?”

Regular copy deadline is SEPTEMBER 5 for the OCTOBER issue Spotlight material is due

SEPTEMBER 1 for the OCTOBER issue

FTJ Monticello 1806 Son Sells

FC Forefront 8066

Several Sons & Daughters Sell

October 16, 2021

Heifers presented by:

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PAGE 22

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

e!

ls Or e

and Montana. They are having a terrible drought with temps of 104 for days.

Anything that has not dried up has been eaten by grasshoppers that have invaded

S.C. Charolais News

By GEORGEANNE WEBB

the area. Nothing on the news about that but of course, it has nothing to do with COVID-19, so the news people are not interested.

S.C. Charolais Association

The Charolais folks are really busy getting ready for the Southern Connection Sale to be held on October 9 in Knoxville, Tennessee. There has been a lot of interest in consigning to the sale, so there is going to be plenty to choose from. I am putting in eight head. Wayne Bennett and Mac Coleman are putting in more than 20 head each, not to mention Bryan Killian, Kyle Reeves, Silas Maxwell, Jason Blackwelder, and many, many more.

The sale will have a great group of bulls, including two proven herdsires, one of them being my Cigar son that I just pulled off the herd. If you are looking for a good breeding age bull, Knoxville is the place to be. We also have plenty of females in the lineup. By October, surely the weather will have cooled down, so it will be a pleasant trip through the mountains to

Knoxville. If you need a catalog and do not receive one, contact Dennis Adams or me, and please don’t drool when you are looking at the catalog.

As many of you know, Neil Orth is retiring. I don’t have a name of who is replacing him, but by the time you read this, I should know. I have feelers out to some of my contacts and expect to find out real soon. You know how cattle gossip is.

The AICA is going to have meetings in person this year in Louisville, Ken., in November. At least I will not have to fly to the meetings, because flying is a nightmare nowadays. I can drive to Louisville in one day, no problem.

The good news this month is no one that I know of is sick or having any problems. Everyone is just hot and about to melt. Pray for the folks in the Dakotas

Saturday • October 9, 2021 • 1:00 p.m.

Knoxville Livestock Market • Knoxville, Tenn.

Selling 80 Lots of Quality Charolais Selling 15 tremendous CHAROLAIS BULLS!

These powerful performance bulls are loaded with meat and thickness from calving ease bloodlines! Many ET herdsires and sired by Cigar, Duke 914, Rushmore, Silverstream Evolution, Fargo, M6 New Standard ET, and more...

REAVES MS RESOURCE 2014 (F1295820) Born 2/27/20

Sire - CCC WC Resource 417 P Dam - Reaves Ms Germaine Dunk 345 EPDs - 4.5 • -0.1 • 57 • 101 • 30 • 2.9 • 59 • 0.8 Catalog online at www.outfrontcattle.com.

For catalogs or information, contact Sale Manager:

OHF VANESSA H813 ET

Born 8/13/18 • BW 75

(EF1269934)

DESCO RSHMR RUTH 802 P (EF1269702) Born 3/18/18 • BW 78

Sire - LHD Cigar E46 • Dam - JWK Vanessa G224 ET EPDs - 8.6 • 0.6 • 53 • 86 • 22 • 9.2 • 48 • 0.8

Sire - LT Rushmore 8060 P • Dam - WCR Ms Duke 6025 P/S EPDs - 10.3 • -2.7 • 63 • 116 • 35 • 1.8 • 66 • 1.0

Due November to Welcome Grove Raven 1824 ET, a highly rated RBM Fargo Y111 son!

Due August 26 to ONE Penny Flash 6424 and three embryos full sibs to Ruth!

SELLING

Bulls (including several outstanding herdsires) • Donor Cows • Fancy Open Heifers Super Pairs • Pregnant Recips • Semen • Some Elite Embyos Dennis Adams P.O. Box 10590 • College Station, TX 77842 979-693-1301 • 979-229-4472 - cell outfrontcattle@gmail.com • www.outfrontcattle.com Brett Sayre - 573-881-1876 • Candy Sullivan - 859-338-0170

Two older, top proven herdsires by Cigar and Rushmore sell!

Sponsored by the Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida Charolais Associations Scott Tipton, Georgia President - 706-200-6655 • Wayne Bennett, Georgia - 770-826-9551 The Carolina Cattle Connection

q SEPTEMBER 2021

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The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

THE SIMMENTAL TRAIL

By JENNIE RUCKER Executive Secretary N.C. Simmental Association AJSA Junior National Classic.

Four North Carolina juniors attended the AJSA Junior National Classic held in Grand Island, Neb., this year for seven

Lynae Bowman, winner of the Jim Graham Junior Simmental Scholarship.

packed full days from June 26-July 2.

Our very own Cara Smith completed her term as President of the AJSA, and we are so proud of the good work she has done for the juniors and for the Simmental breed. Cara Smith, Nate Bowman, and Evie and Hagan Jones attended this National Classic and competed in the different events and exhibited cattle. Cara Smith placed 19th in the senior genetic evaluation, and Nate Bowman placed 18th in the junior cattlemen’s quiz. We are so very proud of these youth for representing our state at the national level. We all look forward to seeing them exhibit their cattle this fall here in North Carolina.

Jim Graham Junior Simmental Scholarship Winner. Lynae Bowman of Germanton, N.C., is the recipient of this year’s Jim Graham Junior Simmental Scholarship. Lynae is the daughter of

April and Neil Bowman and is enrolled at Redlands Community College in El Reno, Oklahoma. She is studying animal science there and is a member of the livestock judging team. She has been attending livestock shows and events since she was very small and is very active in the N.C. Angus Association but is adding Simmental cattle to their herd. She plans to be a consignor to the Fall Harvest Sale also. Congratulations to Lynae Bowman!

Hagan and Evie Jones, Cara Smith, and Nate Bowman represented North Carolina at the AJSA National Classic.

Any news from your county? Be sure to share your meetings, sales, field days, etc., with your fellow cattlemen through the Connection!

47 th An Fall Har nual vest Sept Sale emb er 4 • Unio n Gr 12:00 n o ove, For a ca NC on ta log 336- , contac ncsa 468-167 t NCSA @ya 9 dtel. net

N.C. Simmental Association 1341 US Hwy 21 • Hamptonville, NC 27020 336-468-1679 • www.ncsimmental.com • NCSA@yadtel.net Like us on Facebook!

American Simmental Association 1 Genetics Way • Bozeman, MT 59718 406-587-4531 • www.simmental.org

The Carolina Cattle Connection

q SEPTEMBER 2021

PAGE 25

Lacefield Receives the Livestock Publications Council’s Headliner Award Garry Lacefield, University of Kentucky professor emeritus, recently received the Headliner Award from the Livestock Publications Council for his significant contributions to the livestock industry.

During his 41 year career in the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Lacefield was a forage extension specialist. In this role, he helped forage and livestock producers make management decisions to improve their forage production operations and, ultimately, their profitability. He is a world renowned researcher of alfalfa and tall fescue and is the founder of the Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference, Kentucky Grazing Conference, and the Kentucky Forages session during the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association annual conference.

Lacefield was nominated for the award by Carey Brown, publications coordinator for the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association. Lacefield has had a strong

relationship with the association throughout his career. He wrote a monthly column for the association and later, its publication Cow Country News for 30 years. He also helped with their annual forage focused edition.

“Dr. Lacefield is loved by his producers for his practical approach to forages in the livestock industry,” Brown said. “While he is known throughout the world for his research and worked with nearly every forage organization in the country, you will find his largest supporters are those farmers who he worked for each and every day. He was phenomenal at working with them to make changes to their forages to benefit the livestock industry.”

He is the author of more than 300 publications, articles, and papers.

He is the co-author of several books, including Southern Forages, The Wonder Grass, The History of the International Grassland Congress, Forage Crop Pocket Guide, and Wildlife Pocket Guide.

Southern Forages is the most widely used forage textbook in the world and has been distributed in 56 different countries and translated into many languages.

“I have had the opportunity to work with some of the best producers in the

country and some of the most outstanding scientists throughout the world,” Lacefield said. “I have only succeeded because I have had wonderful people to work with and for.”

A native of Ohio County and a U.S. Army veteran, he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Western Kentucky University and his doctorate degree from the University of Missouri.

He has received numerous honors and awards over the years, including being named a fellow of both the Agronomy Society of America and the Crop Science Society of America. He was Western Kentucky University’s Department of Agriculture Alumnus of the Year in 1989. In 1993, Progressive Farmer magazine named him their “Man of the Year in Agriculture.”

Lacefield continues to be active in the forage industry and the UK forage program.

He serves as an invited speaker, consultant, and mentor to numerous individuals and organizations across the world.

13 th A nnual B ull & R eplacement F emale S ale

November 6, 2021

12:00 noon • At the Farm in Burlington, NC

For more information or to request a sale catalog, contact:

Jonathan Massey

Johnny Massey

jonathan.massey2@gmail.com

johnnymassey.1@gmail.com

336-260-2565

PAGE 26

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

336-214-4144

MERCK

Animal Health News Merck Animal Health Announces New Naming for its Vaccine Portfolio.

Cattle Vaccines Will Lead With the Name, Bovilis ® . Merck Animal Health has announced new naming for its cattle vaccine portfolio, one of the largest and most comprehensive vaccine portfolios in the industry. The goal of the new naming and packaging is to make it easier for customers to recognize the company’s vaccines and to identify specific formulations.

“All Merck Animal Health cattle vaccines will lead with Bovilis followed by the current product name, such as Bovilis Vista, Bovilis Vision, or Bovilis Guardian,” says Scott Nordstrom, DVM, director of livestock innovation and discovery, Merck Animal Health. “In addition, all vaccine packaging will share a new, consistent design and color coding to make it easier for customers to identify the vaccine formulation needed.”

Veterinarians and producers will start seeing the new packaging in the coming weeks, but the switch of the entire portfolio will not happen overnight.

“The vaccines that veterinarians and producers rely on have not changed – only the branding,” explains Nordstrom.

“Customers can confidently use vaccine in the previous packaging through the expiration date.”

New vaccines will be introduced under the Bovilis name. This includes the latest vaccine, Bovilis Nasalgen 3-PMH, the only intranasal BRD vaccine against viral and bacterial pneumonia.

“Our commitment to improve the health and well being of cattle has been the driver to developing new vaccines,” says Nordstrom.

“Merck Animal Health has introduced more vaccines in the last three years than any other animal health company.”

Merck Animal Health Announces WHISPER® ON ARRIVAL. First of its Kind Technology Transforms BRD Control Decision Making for Cattle.

Merck Animal Health and Allflex Livestock Intelligence, a livestock portfolio of digital products within Merck Animal Health, recently announced the release of WHISPER ON ARRIVAL. The breakthrough technology is the only precision tool on the market today that predicts which animals will benefit from treatment for the control of Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD).

“WHISPER ON ARRIVAL offers feedlot managers and veterinarians an

innovative new approach to feedlot management of BRD,” says Jason Nickell, DVM, Ph.D., DACVPM, manager, Professional Services, Allflex Livestock Intelligence. “The transformative technology provides the most complete BRD control case definition available by analyzing an individual animal’s lung sound, heart sound, rectal temperature and weight, delivering actionable data for objective BRD control decisions at the individual animal level.”

Consisting of a new sound collection device and a predictive algorithm, WHISPER ON ARRIVAL is another example of how smart technology is helping cattle operations. The technology was developed exclusively for feedlot and backgrounded cattle on arrival.

Based on individual animal examination, the algorithm calculates each animal’s risk of developing BRD and provides a simple “treat” or “no treat” outcome. The technology identifies which cattle are likely to respond to antimicrobial therapy for BRD control while conversely leaving the remaining population untreated.

“WHISPER ON ARRIVAL is another innovation from Merck Animal Health as we continue to seek new solutions for the cattle industry,” says Paul Koffman, North America lead, Allflex Livestock Intelligence. “The technology has the potential to transform how feedlot managers and veterinarians treat one of the most expensive and prevalent diseases in cattle.

It advances thoughtful antimicrobial stewardship by maintaining the animal health and welfare benefits associated with conventional BRD control practices.

Providing precision targeting of only those animals that will benefit from antimicrobial treatment can result in a reduction in unnecessary use of antibiotics and a positive impact to the bottom line for producers.”

WHISPER ON ARRIVAL is now available as a part of a limited rollout, with plans to expand availability in 2022.

For more information on WHISPER ON ARRIVAL, go to WhisperOnArrival. com.

About Merck Animal Health. For 130 years, Merck, a leading global biopharmaceutical company, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging diseases. Merck Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., is the global

animal health business unit of Merck.

Through its commitment to The Science of Healthier Animals, Merck Animal Health offers veterinarians, farmers, pet owners, and governments one of the widest ranges of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and health management solutions and services, as well as an extensive suite of digitally connected identification, traceability and monitoring products.

Merck Animal Health is dedicated to preserving and improving the health, well being, and performance of animals and the people who care for them. It invests extensively in dynamic and comprehensive R&D resources and a modern, global supply chain. Merck Animal Health is present in more than 50 countries, while its products are available in some 150 markets. For more information, visit www. merck-animal-health.com.

About Allflex Livestock Intelligence.

Allflex Livestock Intelligence is a world leader in the design, development, manufacturing, and delivery of solutions for animal identification, monitoring, and traceability. Our data driven solutions are used by farmers, companies, and countries to manage hundreds of millions of animals worldwide. By putting intelligent, actionable management information into

farmers’ hands, our solutions empower them to act in a timely manner to safeguard their animals’ health and well being while achieving optimal production outcomes for a healthy food supply.

Allflex Livestock Intelligence is a livestock portfolio of digital products within Merck Animal Health. As the largest provider of animal identification technology, we meet growing customer needs by providing over 500 million tags for identifying, tracking, and monitoring animals every year, and we monitor over 5.5 million cows daily, which allows access to real time, actionable data, and insights to help improve or enhance animal management and health outcomes. With over 60 years of experience, we have a global network of experts, each with a great depth of experience and unparalleled knowledge, who provide a valuable resource to farmers, companies, and countries. Allflex Livestock Intelligence has manufacturing and technology subsidiaries in North America, Europe, Israel, South America, China, Australia, and New Zealand.

Our products are distributed in over 100 countries. For more information, visit www.merck-animal-health.com/animalhealth-intelligence/allflex-livestockintelligence/.

LIVESTOCK VIDEO AUCTION - Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m.

SOUTHEAST LIVESTOCK EXCHANGE Waynesville, NC

John Queen: 828-421-3446 SELEXvideo@gmail.com • www.selex-video.com The Carolina Cattle Connection

q SEPTEMBER 2021

PAGE 27

You Decide!

By DR. MIKE WALDEN

William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor Emeritus N.C. State University You Decide: Should Wage and Price Controls Be Brought Back? I was sitting in a summer school class 50 years ago, studying microeconomics.

I had just switched my major from architecture to economics. In order to still graduate in four years, I had to take classes in the summer. I scheduled classes for the morning, so I could continue my warehouse job in the afternoon.

On one particular warm morning in August, the instructor entered the classroom very excitedly. He said the economic and financial worlds had just been turned upside down.

Here’s what happened. In a nationwide speech the previous evening, President Nixon announced two momentous decisions. First, the United States. gold window would be closed.

Foreign countries could no longer convert dollars they held to gold owned by the U.S. Second, for 90 days, there would be a nationwide freeze on prices and wages.

I’ll save a discussion about closing the gold window for another time. Suffice it to say, the gold window has never been reopened, and the trading of currencies is now done just like the trading of any commodity.

The price and wage controls were a reaction to a stubborn rise in inflation.

In the previous five years, the annual inflation rate had doubled – from three percent to almost six percent - and over the previous decade, the yearly rate had jumped sixfold.

The price and wage controls implemented by the Nixon Administration were economy wide. This is different from price controls that regularly are applied to particular industries where there is little or no competition. A good example is the power generation sector.

Due to the large expense of building power generation facilities, one power firm usually serves a geographic area.

Hence, there is no competition to keep prices in line. States, therefore, regulate power prices – such as electricity.

The intent of the Nixon plan was to “cool off” the economy and purge high inflationary expectations from decision making. Initial polls indicated the country backed the price and wage controls. And while the measured inflation rate was

PAGE 28

moderated for a while, the success didn’t last, even after a second round of controls was instituted. Within a couple of years, the inflation rate was higher than ever.

Ultimately, it would reach double digits for three years in a row. It took a deep recession to bring the annual inflation rate back to the low single digits.

What happened? Why didn’t the price and wage controls of the 1970s work? The answer is the controls didn’t address the underlying causes of higher inflation.

Fundamentally, prices rise faster when spending on products and services is growing faster than the production of those products and services. In the 1960s and 1970s, spending rose rapidly due to two factors. There were large jumps in federal spending as a result of the Vietnam War and expanded social programs. Also, the Federal Reserve accommodated this spending by lowering interest rates, particularly in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Nixon plan didn’t directly focus on these issues.

Apart from being ineffective, many economists think price and wage controls create problems for the economy. A big potential problem is shortages. In a competitive market, a price increase can be a signal that consumers want to buy more than is available. Producers act on that signal by making more and therefore satisfying consumers’ desires to have more of the product. If prices can’t rise, then consumers’ wants aren’t met, and shortages of the product result.

There can also be challenges managing price controls. Millions of prices and wages must be monitored.

Creative tactics can be used to avoid the controls. A famous example from the Nixon controls involved plywood. To get around the controls, an innovative company drilled holes in plywood boards. The company claimed the “holey plywood” was a new product and therefore not susceptible to the price controls.

Some economists see today’s economy as similar to the economy fifty years ago. Federal spending surged in 2020 and early 2021 from the numerous COVID-19 relief bills. Spending could rise even more if proposals to address

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

socioeconomic issues like physical infrastructure, climate change, poverty, and education are passed. The Federal Reserve has also kept interest rates at historically low levels and has supported federal spending by expanding the money supply at double digit rates.

So, while I’ve not heard of any proposals for economy wide price and wage controls, don’t be surprised if they emerge. During the last two months, the annualized inflation rate has been running at five percent, well above the average rate this century. Although it’s not yet clear if new spending ideas will be implemented, some say it doesn’t matter because current spending may be enough to keep the pressure on prices. Also, there’s no sign the Federal Reserve will “cool” the economy by raising interest rates.

The conclusion is we may be headed for a new debate over price and wage controls. If higher inflation persists, and if the underlying causes aren’t addressed, at some point, the public may clamor for the controls. Good idea? You decide. And PS: my microeconomics instructor gave us a pop quiz on price controls at the next class!

You Decide: Could the Post Pandemic Economy Be Better? It has become common to hear economists and others say the post pandemic economy will be different from the economy prior to the pandemic. We’ve gone through a major recession, and usually, economies change after recessions. But we’ve also endured a health catastrophe, unlike any in a century, and permanent changes are likely to result.

So, we shouldn’t be surprised a new economy is emerging. Perhaps the more important question is if the new post pandemic economy will be better than the one it replaced.

Here I will examine five major components of the new economy that I and many others see coming. I’ll let you decide if they will lead to a better North Carolina.

The first is remote working. It was a minor yet growing part of our economy before COVID-19, but the lockdowns in 2020 caused it to explode. At the height of the pandemic, over 40 percent of workers were using cyber connections to their jobs.

As lockdowns ended, remote working has declined. Surveys show employees and employers are each divided on their preferences for remote work. Some like it, while others don’t.

Still, there are enough who benefit from remote work that experts forecast 20-30 percent of employees will spend at least some days each week working from

home. This will be between two and three times higher than before the pandemic.

The second component is high speed internet (HSI). HSI is necessary for most remote working as well as other remote activities discussed below. The country has been talking about making HSI universally available everywhere, and there’s a good chance this now will occur.

The big question is whether public or private money will be used. Public funds from federal and state sources could be tapped for the $150 billion needed for universal national HSI availability. Of course, these funds would need to come either from taxes or borrowing.

But there’s a good chance the private sector could be the source for HSI. Several rich entrepreneurs, including Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, are developing a new satellite system for providing universal HSI. I expect either of the two methods – public or private – to get us to universal HSI by the end of the decade.

The remote delivery of services is the third component of the post pandemic economy that will become more common.

Remote education and remote medicine – commonly known as telemedicine – saw their usage expand during the pandemic. Each has had its fans as well as its detractors. Remote education at the college and university levels has been deployed for some time, so both faculty and students have had experience using it. But remote education at the K-12 level during the pandemic was new, and many teachers, students, and parents had issues adjusting to the change. There was a similar response to using cyber visits with doctors in place of face-to-face meetings.

Tech experts think accessing services like education and health care through your computer will significantly improve and expand in the future. In education, programs termed “computer assisted learning” could provide customized learning to students, thus allowing each pupil to advance at his or her pace.

Telemedicine will use regular medical information sent electronically to physicians to allow them to track and evaluate your medical condition. Personal visits will only be needed when the data indicate a situation requiring personal attention. Since travel and use of school and medical buildings will be reduced, remote delivery of these services should reduce their costs.

Cyber ordering of products and delivery of those products to consumers took a big, big jump during the pandemic.

While, again, there will likely be some initial pullback as the economy returns to normal, this way of buying and receiving products is likely on a long run growth path. In the future, look for some

deliveries to be made by drones. Also, expect regular purchases, such as weekly groceries, to be automatically selected and delivered to your home – and maybe even be put on your shelves by a robot!

What ties each of these trends together is their effect on reducing the importance of location. If you can

remotely work, have your children remotely educated, receive medical care remotely, cyber shop, and then have products delivered to your doorstep, then you can live almost anywhere.

Importantly, you don’t have to live in big metropolitan areas where real estate is expensive and congested driving takes

much of your time. Instead, you can consider living in small towns and rural areas, where housing is more affordable, and the pace of life is slower. Hence, the fifth trend we may see in the post pandemic economy is a revival of remote living.

Everyone won’t view these five

trends in the same way. Some will immediately jump on board, while others will take a pass. But the trends will offer new opportunities and options for those who want to try. Therefore, if these trends happen, will they mean an improvement in our economy? Will the post pandemic economy be better? You decide.

Carolina Video and Load Lot Monthly Summary (Weeks ending JULY 6, JULY 13, JULY 20, and JULY 21, 2021)

Carolina Video and Load Lot Monthly Summary of Mid-Atlantic Cattle Sales ending Tuesday, JULY 6 & 20 2021, Southeast Livestock Exchange ending Tuesday, JULY 13, 2021, and WNC Livestock Exchange Cattle Sales ending Tuesday, JULY 27, 2021. All cattle in this report are located in North Carolina and South Carolina. Prices FOB the farm or local scale and many weighed with a 0-2 percent shrink and sold with a 5-12¢ per pound slide on the heavy side only.

Cattle Receipts: 5,114

Last Month: 2,072

Feeders made up 100 percent of the offering. The feeder supply included 61 percent steers and 39 percent heifers. Nearly 83 percent of the run weighed over 600 pounds. Head totals are based on load lot estimate of 49,500 pounds.

FEEDER HEIFERS (Medium 1) Head 59

Wt. Range 825-825

Avg. Wt. 825

Price Range $144.00

Avg. Price $144.00

Delivery

Head 55

Wt. Range 875-875

Avg. Wt. 875

Price Range $137.75

Avg. Price $137.75

Delivery

Avg. Wt. 685 700 717 715 730 735 740 740 750 790 800 822 835

Price Range $150.00 $160.50 $149.50-$154.75 $156.25 $164.25 $150.00 $149.00 $150.00 $163.00 $142.00 $142.00-$145.50 $139.00-$140.00 $152.25

Avg. Price $150.00 $160.50 $152.27 $156.25 $164.25 $150.00 $149.00 $150.00 $163.00 $142.00 $143.75 $139.49 $152.25

Delivery

Avg. Wt. 780 795 800 900

Price Range $148.50 $165.75 $157.25 $141.25

Avg. Price $148.50 $165.75 $157.25 $141.25

Avg. Wt. 660 665 690 690 710 715 723 765 775 835

Price Range $156.25 $153.25 $139.75 $136.50 $137.25-$139.25 $141.00 $148.00-$167.00 $134.50-$135.50 $134.75 $133.50

Avg. Price $156.25 $153.25 $139.75 $136.50 $138.25 $141.00 $157.50 $135.01 $134.75 $133.50

FEEDER STEERS (Medium 1-2)

Head 40 15 35 90 170 83 70 77 76 40 145 145 141

Wt. Range 500-500 530-530 550-550 550-550 570-570 585-585 625-625 630-630 640-640 650-650 660-675 675-680 680-690

Avg. Wt. 500 530 550 550 570 585 625 630 640 650 667 677 685

Price Range $155.00 $156.50 $167.75 $155.00 $171.00-$172.00 $165.25 $156.00 $167.00 $166.25 $144.75 $173.00-$177.75 $146.50-$158.00 $148.00-$154.25

Avg. Price $155.00 $156.50 $167.75 $155.00 $171.50 $165.25 $156.00 $167.00 $166.25 $144.75 $175.36 $152.21 $151.10

Delivery Split Loads Split Loads Split Loads

Natural Unweaned Natural Split Loads Value Added Natural

Head 72 69 272 68 46 67 133 66 65 62 122 120 58

Wt. Range 685-685 700-700 710-735 715-715 730-730 735-735 740-740 740-740 750-750 790-790 800-800 810-835 835-835

Value Added Natural Split Loads

Value Added

Natural

FEEDER STEERS (Medium and Large 1-2) Head 74

35 68 131 130

Wt. Range 665-665 695-695 725-725 750-760 760-760

Avg. Wt. 665 695 725 755 760

Price Range $160.50 $160.00 $149.75 $151.00-$151.25 $150.75

Avg. Price $160.50 $160.00 $149.75 $151.12 $150.75

Head 26 74 182 55 82 30 80 139 76 76 45

Wt. Range 500-500 530-530 530-540 550-550 590-590 600-600 610-610 625-635 640-640 650-650 650-650

Avg. Wt. 500 530 535 550 590 600 610 629 640 650 650

Price Range $140.00 $146.50 $152.00-$153.50 $152.75 $151.50 $132.75 $151.50 $151.75-$162.75 $144.00 $141.00 $135.00

Avg. Price Delivery $140.00 Split Loads $146.50 Split Loads $152.74 Guaranteed Open $152.75 Split Loads $151.50 Value Added $132.75 Split Loads $151.50 Guaranteed Open $157.92 Value Added $144.00 Natural $141.00 Guaranteed Open $135.00 Guaranteed Open

Head 147

Wt. Range 650-695

Avg. Wt. 671

Price Range $142.50-$147.00

Delivery Value Added

Head 63 61 61 55

Wt. Range 780-780 795-795 800-800 900-900

FEEDER HEIFERS (Medium 1-2)

Avg. Price $144.83

Head 25 73 143 70 138 68 134 129 125 58

Wt. Range 660-660 665-665 690-690 690-990 710-710 715-715 720-725 750-780 775-775 835-835

Delivery Value Added Value Added

Delivery Split Loads Natural Guaranteed Open Natural Guaranteed Open Guaranteed Open Value Added Guaranteed Open Guaranteed Open Guaranteed Open

FEEDER HEIFERS (Medium and Large 1-2) Delivery Guaranteed Open

Source: N.C. Dept. of Agriculture - USDA Market News Service, Raleigh, N.C. - 919-707-3156

The Carolina Cattle Connection

q SEPTEMBER 2021

PAGE 29

Proof of Superior Feed Efficiency Utilizing Limousin and Lim-Flex Genetics. The Vytelle Network is an international group of breeders who phenotype their animals and share pedigree information into the Vytelle database.

Vytelle Network partners have exclusive access to the entire EPD database. Vytelle curates the largest multi-breed efficiency database worldwide, featuring 25 breeds, more than 81,000 phenotyped animals, and more than 262,000 RFI EPDs. Limousin places 12 bulls in Vytelle Network 2021 list of the Top 150 Proven bull list for performance and Residual Feed Intake (RFI). Congratulations to Wulf Cattle and the Limousin breeders for providing superior genetics that add real dollars to the commercial cattle business’s bottom line!

To view the Vytelle Network 2021 Top 150 Proven Bull List, visit www. issuu.com/danielle.starr/docs/vy210320_ public_bull_release_issuu.

National Center for Beef Excellence Welcomes Dr. Samantha Cunningham. Dr. Tonya Amen has retired from NCBE and has taken a position with ABS. We are sad to see her go as she has done much for the Limousin breed in bringing about the BOLT system for EPDs and thank her for her service.

Dr. Amen is being replaced by Dr. Samantha Cunningham.

Samantha (Sam) Cunningham, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Animal Sciences at Colorado State University, where she teaches undergraduate animal science courses with an emphasis on hands on learning and livestock experience. Sam currently coordinates the CSU Seedstock Program that involves students in the merchandising and management of the University’s Angus and Hereford cow herds. Students enrolled in the seedstock management and merchandising courses will spend time in the classroom analyzing data and marketing materials, time on the university’s teaching farm working with livestock, time in the field networking with producers and industry professionals, as well as working to plan and execute the CSU Annual Bull & Female Sale. These students are also eligible to participate on the CSU Seedstock Team, where they are involved in managing show cattle that are exhibited in The Yards during the National Western Stock Show, coordinating and managing a booth at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

PAGE 30

Annual Convention and Trade Show, working with the Colorado beef industry, as well as planning and executing an oncampus production sale each spring.

Sam grew up on her family’s farming/ ranching operation in Western Nebraska, where the primary production focus at that time was purebred Gelbvieh seedstock with the integration of corn, wheat, and hay production. Today, they continue to produce corn and hay, although the cow herd has taken a commercial focus.

While at home, she showed cattle, sheep, and hogs and judged livestock in 4-H, and was very active in state and national junior Gelbvieh associations. A livestock judging career at Clarendon College and Texas Tech inspired her to pursue graduate degrees in animal breeding and beef production from Texas A&M. Following graduate school, she spent time working in industry managing data and registrations for a large seedstock producer in Texas. Prior to teaching at CSU, she was on the faculty at Western Illinois University, where she taught animal science courses, managed an oncampus bull test, and coordinated the school’s beef cattle teaching herd. Since coming “home,” Sam has been able to play more of a contributing role in her family’s operation and continues to be active in the agriculture and beef industries.

We are excited to welcome Dr. Cunningham and begin our working relationship with her as we continue to improve our breed. Dr. Cunningham can be reached by email at Samantha@nalf. org or by phone at 979-220-5681.

Quality Pays on the Rail with Commercial Limousin Genetics. To be competitive in the United States beef market, quality needs to be at the forefront of production goals. This begins at the cow/calf level and goes all the way through the feedlot sector.

To set an industry and consumer standard, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has established a voluntary quality grade scale that spans eight categories from Prime through Canner. Beef producers aim for the top two places, Prime and Choice, to maximize profits from the premiums attached to these grades. Ultimately, these higher end grades indicate a product that is superior according to the three universal measures of beef quality. These three measures are tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. Because marbling, the result of both

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

genetic capabilities and proper feeding, contributes to all of these, it is considered a pillar of beef grading and quality.

Another voluntary scale the USDA has in place is the yield grade system based on the cutability of a carcass. This measurement is especially of interest to producers because it indicates the true value of a carcass based on its efficiency or the meat making money when compared to the amount of useless backfat that must be cut off and discarded. Besides an important measure of profitability, yield grade is also an excellent tool to highlight beef efficiency and sustainability when speaking with consumers. This scale goes from Yield Grade 1 (most desirable with the least amount of fat trimmings) down to Yield Grade 5 (least desirable with excessive fat trimmings).

Limousin beef is competitive on both these scales thanks to the breed’s characteristics which combine heavy muscling with low fat. Together, this results in a carcass both highly lean and efficient with a fine marbling and flavor throughout. Consistently, Limousin beef has been lauded for its taste earning numerous awards when compared alongside other breeds.

Not only do these characteristics make the Limousin breed attractive to beef breeders and producers, but they also make for desirable commercial bulls who are extremely marketable when used in crossbreeding programs.

The entire concept of crossbreeding has been explored and utilized for a long time. Geneticists say the “hybrid vigor” of two breeds, especially when they have

Laurens County Youth Livestock Show The 2021 Laurens County Youth Livestock Show will take place October 2 and October 8-9! This show is open to any current 4-H or FFA members.

Shows will include a poster contest show, art show, dog show, rabbit show, beef show, dairy show, market lamb show, and meat goat show. The dog and rabbit show will take place on October 2 at Squealin’ on the Square in Downtown Laurens. The rest of the youth shows will take place on October 8-9 at the Laurens County Exchange Building. Registration is due September 24. Entries will be accepted until October 1 with a $15 late fee.

growth and carcass characteristics that complement one another, makes for a more optimal commercial animal that can add serious benefit to the bottom line.

One such hybrid, the Lim-Flex, which is a Limousin x Angus cross, proves to be an exceptional, superior crossbred.

Earlier this year in June, commercial Lim-Flex steers were harvested at a Tyson plant in Lexington, Neb., after being finished on a commercial feed yard. The group averaged 1,404 lbs. live weight and dressed at 65.2 percent. The entire group graded either Choice or Prime.

Because they were Angus crosses, these animals were candidates for the Certified Angus Beef branded program. In all, 44 percent of the group was eligible for the brand, meaning they were in the upper 2/3 Choice bracket and above. The group ranged from Yield Grade 2 through 4, with 22 percent making an admirable Yield Grade 2.

In July of this year, a group of Limousin heifers was also harvested at the same Tyson plant. The group averaged 1,326 lbs on the hoof and dressed at 63.45 percent.

An admirable 20 percent of this group was Certified Angus Beef eligible, three percent of which were Prime. This group also has exceptional Yield Grades, with three percent scoring a 1 and 25 percent scoring 2.

How do all these numbers pay back the producer? This heifer group met a base market price of $158.42 dressed per hundredweight. But because of the high quality resulting in Certified Angus Beef, the group got a premium of $3.08/cwt. or $25.90 per head, bringing the actual price received at $160.50/cwt.

Limousin Leads the Way in Collecting Carcass Data. Carcass trait EPDs for Limousin and Lim-Flex cattle are now among the most accurate and predictable in the industry, thanks to a cooperative effort between the North American Limousin Foundation (NALF) in Aurora, Colo.; International Genetic Solutions (IGS) in Bozeman, Mont.; and Feedlot Health Management Services, Ltd., Okotoks, Alberta, Canada.

The leap forward comes with the inclusion of more than 45,000 actual harvest data phenotype records from pedigreed Limousin and Lim-Flex influenced cattle into the IGS national cattle evaluation.

“An ongoing challenge in estimating carcass EPDs is the lack of carcass phenotypes,” says Randie Culbertson, Ph.D., IGS lead geneticist. “Considering carcass phenotypes measure the attributes of the actual end product we are focused on producing in the beef industry, improving accuracy of our carcass EPDs is imperative to making genetic improvement in these traits. However,

the collection of carcass data to be used in genetic evaluations remains an ongoing challenge. The implementation of more than 45,000 carcass records into the IGS genetic evaluation represents a 52 percent increase in actual carcass phenotypes in our entire IGS database and will have a significant impact on the accuracy of our genetic prediction for carcass traits.”

“Incorporating this amount of actual carcass data, directly into the National Cattle Evaluation at IGS, is unparalleled,” says Mark Anderson, NALF Executive Director. “What’s even more exciting is the large volume of data we plan to add on a quarterly basis.

The carcass phenotypes generated will greatly enhance accuracy, not only on the EPDs of sires in the NALF herdbook, but also on related cattle throughout their pedigreed bloodlines. This will also greatly enhance carcass progeny equivalents when genomically enhancing cattle and will result in improved predictability in the mating decisions our breeders make, especially as it relates to highly heritable carcass traits.”

Wulf Cattle in Morris, Minn., made the inclusion of the unprecedented number of carcass phenotypes possible. Wulf Cattle is one of NALF’s largest producers of Limousin and Lim-Flex cattle. Besides producing seedstock, the operation also feeds cattle in commercial yards throughout the central United States.

Wulf Cattle has long made a significant commitment to capture carcass records from fed beef cattle purchased from commercial cow/calf operators using their Limousin and Lim-Flex bulls. This same commitment applies to collecting carcass records from the firm’s BeefBuilder™ cattle.1 Other NALF members engaged in cattle feeding are also providing carcass phenotype records for the enhanced genetic evaluation.

“With the initial data set and the expected large monthly flow of new records from the BeefBuilder™ program, Limousin and Lim-Flex cattle are among the best characterized carcass genetics on the planet,” says Robert Weaber, Ph.D., of Kansas State University, a noted industry geneticist. He worked with the IGS science team to usher in this new era of carcass evaluation for NALF and Limousin breeders.

Weaber explains each Wulf Cattle bull in the genetic evaluation represents at least several hundred progeny carcass records, with some having 1,000 or more.

“The new carcass evaluation provides Limousin and Lim-Flex breeders the information necessary to make more precise and predictable breeding and selection decisions than ever before as

they continue their quest to increase profitability throughout the beef value chain,” Weaber says.

“Enhanced data sets like the one we’re creating, enable our breeders to not only create better cattle at an accelerated rate, but provide more consistency and predictability to commercial cow/calf operators and the entire beef value chain,” says Curt Wieczorek, NALF President, a second generation Limousin breeder from Mount Vernon, South Dakota. “This effort is a win for the beef industry and will certainly help solidify our breed’s long standing position as the Carcass Breed,” Wieczorek says.

“The current marketplace demands cattle that can hit consumer driven targets in terms of quality grade while achieving a higher percentage of Yield Grade 1-3 carcasses that deliver improved red meat yield,” Anderson says. “As importantly, current market signals are asking us to do that while simultaneously taking cattle to

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larger out weights without sacrificing feed efficiency.”

Resource 1 BeefBuilder™ cattle from Wulf Cattle are the result of crossbreeding proven Limousin and Lim-Flex bulls with Holstein and Jersey cows. BeefBuilders are high quality grading, consistent, beef type cattle with improved feeding performance and superior red meat yield, compared to strait bred dairy cattle.

About the North American Limousin Foundation. The North American Limousin Foundation, headquartered in Englewood, Colo., provides programs and services, including the documentation of more than 25,000 head of cattle annually, for approximately 4,000 members and their commercial customers. The Limousin breed and Lim-Flex® hybrid offer industry leading growth and efficiency, while being an ideal complement to British breeds.

For more information about NALF, please visit www.nalf.org.

q SEPTEMBER 2021

PAGE 31

Check out the

North Carolina Hereford Advantage at

www.nchereford.com 4B FARMS, LLC Shelby, NC Bryson, Wren, Beau, Belle, Bonnie & Bennet Westbrook 980-230-4868 • brysonw@thewestbrookco.com

McCOY CATTLE FARM Cove City, NC Myron & Charlie McCoy 252-229-4602 mccoycattlefarms@gmail.com

4K RANCH Nelson, VA Rick & Linda Kern 919-272-6124 4kranch@bellsouth.net

MITCHEM’S FARM 3C Vale, NC Wayne, Crystal, Regan & Jordan Mitchem 704-472-4369 mitchemsfarm@bellsouth.net

AWC CATTLE COMPANY Winston-Salem, NC Andie & Wes Carpenter 336-970-1655 • jcarpenter@alphagraphics.com www.windmillacresfarms.com

NORTH PINO LAND & CATTLE COMPANY Mocksville, NC Kevin Robinson 336-940-2547 • kevrob1@aol.com

BLINSON POLLED HEREFORDS Lenoir, NC Keith & Peggy Blinson - 828-310-4526 Bryan & Beth Blinson - 919-422-9108

TAYLOR’S MILL FARM Zebulon, NC J. Brent Creech 919-801-7561 tmfherefords@icloud.com

DOUBLE J FARM Traphill, NC • Earlysville, VA John Wheeler 910-489-0024 • doublejfarmllc@yahoo.com www.doublejfarmllc.com

TERRACE FARM Lexington, NC Jim, Linda & Chad Davis 336-247-1554 jgdavis101@yahoo.com

FIVE J’S BEEF & CATTLE COMPANY Clayton, NC Jody & Angela Standley Kim Prestwood (Manager) • 828-320-7317 - Kim jodystandley@gmail.com

TRIPLETT POLLED HEREFORDS Statesville, NC James Triplett 704-902-2250 triplettmarble@bellsouth.net

GRASSY CREEK FARM Bullock, NC Scott, Pam, Hailee, Lillee & Elizabeth Bissett 919-482-1176 Bissettsp1@gmail.com

W&A HEREFORDS Providence, NC George, Tammy, William, & Andy Ward 434-251-3637 waherefordfarm@comcast.net

HEREFORD HILLS Greensboro, NC Bill Kirkman III 336-382-9635 ST Genetics Representative

NCHA Secretary/Treasurer

LOOKABILL FAMILY LIVESTOCK Lexington, NC Reggie, Patty, Tyler & Noah Lookabill 336-240-2142 rlookabill6015@gmail.com PAGE 32

Myron McCoy

252-637-4995 nchereford@yahoo.com www.nchereford.com

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

New Information of the Potential Genetic Carrier Update. As of July 13, the American Hereford Association is now publishing animals with an unbroken chain to carrier ancestors and labeling them as a potential (P) carrier. To aid in eliminating the number of potential carriers in your herd, members can choose to test the individual animals or go back in the pedigree as far as possible and find foundation genetics that are still active and test these animals. Testing foundation animals such as the prominent cow lines in your herd can not only eliminate the potential carrier status of these females but also any progeny, grand progeny, or great grand progeny of these females.

AHA members can run a defect carrier report in MyHerd to identify animals that are potential carriers for any known abnormalities. For further information or questions, contact AHA customer service.

Answering the Call to Quality.

Despite current challenges, cow/calf producers raise the bar on furnishing consistent, efficient, high quality beef.

When retail markets climbed last year in the wake of food service restrictions, beef took center plate as the protein of choice. While the beef industry emerged from the pandemic stronger, more roadblocks are in store for American farmers and ranchers. According to CattleFax, drought conditions and high corn prices are causing a liquidation of the U.S. beef cow herd.

“We’re in a La Nina weather pattern, which means the bulk of the Western U.S. is both warm and dry,” explains CattleFax Vice President of Industry Affairs Kevin Good. “So unfortunately, we started to see some cow culling through the fall of last year, and we would expect that trend to continue through 2021.”

Corn and bean supplies are also tight this year, resulting in higher prices and presenting major headwinds for producers on productions costs.

Still, there is a bright story for beef quality. When demand shifted from food service to retail last year, beef market share increased by 2 percent. This compares to a 20 year period where beef gained 6 percent of the market.

“We went from 40-46 percent of the dollar spent between 1998-2019, and that jumped 2 percent last year alone,” Good says. “We took market share away from both pork and poultry.

News

According to Good, this data is a positive. “It tells us we’ve got a higher quality, more consistent product, and consumers are willing to pay a wider price premium for beef compared to pork and poultry.”

He stresses that cow/calf producers make improvements to get top dollar for their cattle. “If you’re involved in the industry and you’re not making the changes, you’re not improving your herd or what you’re producing. Over time, instead of getting average or premiums, you’re going to start to get discounts and bigger discounts,” he says.

Over the last decade, the American Hereford Association (AHA) reports a 150 percent growth in marbling and an 86 percent growth in ribeye area. The Association’s feedout programs give producers data to make more informed breeding decisions.

AHA field representative Clint Brightwell says these programs are crucial to bettering the industry from the ground up. “The Hereford Feedout program is a great way for purebred producers to get involved in feeding cattle at a low risk way and doesn’t take a lot of financial commitment,” he shares. “They will get the information back on their cattle to make better genetic improvements.”

Brightwell adds, “It goes back to putting themselves in the commercial cattleman’s shoes, learning more about feeding cattle and how the whole segment works, to then go back to their purebred cows and make their selections, always thinking the next step ahead.”

When it comes to making improvements at the cow/calf level, Good stresses three areas in which to invest.

“Those that are doing a better job typically are willing to pay more for animal health, nutrition, and genetics. They know that dollars spent in those three avenues bring back more dollars at the bottom line. They’re able to improve efficiency and reproduction, so they have a higher percentage calf crop, and they also have heavier weaning weights — there’s more calves and more pounds to sell.”

Hereford Youth From Across the Country Focus on How to Improve Themselves at Faces of Leadership. On July 28-31, 81 members of the National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) from 22 different states attended Faces

of Leadership in Oklahoma City, Okla., to learn about innovations in the industry and how to improve themselves as better leaders.

After a scheduling issue that almost derailed the conference, it was relocated from Columbus, Ohio, to Oklahoma City, and the focus was to bring junior members together to help them find their why, become a better version of themselves, and “Improve You.” In the opening session, attendees enjoyed motivational speaker Kelly Barnes, talking about “Finding Your Why,” followed by an evening of leadership mixers and workshops led by the NJHA Board. A highlight on the schedule was a day on campus at

Oklahoma State University visiting the Range Cow Research Center to learn about cow herd efficiency and the Purebred Beef Center to focus on using all of the tools available when it comes to seedstock marketing.

Campus sessions also included a message about telling your story from the agriculture communications department as well as a taste and tenderness panel at the Food Animal Processing Center.

An evening at Express Ranches, Yukon, was another highlight along the way, and the final day was spent discovering Oklahoma City and discovering individual leadership styles.

Attendees got to walk across the catwalk at the historic Oklahoma National Stock

Yards and got a close up look at what goes on behind the scenes at the world’s largest stocker and feeder cattle market and last national stockyards in the country.

Faces of Leadership participants had the opportunity to hear from the staff at the Oklahoma Youth Expo, Cattlemen’s Congress, and the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association. In this panel discussion was a very inspiring message for the young attendees about how to be successful as a young leader in the industry, and at the same time, continue to push the industry forward in the nation.

The closing evening, Aric Jackson’s keynote message to “Live Boldly” and his innovative approach to leadership was not lost on the juniors as he reminded

National Junior Hereford Association members attending the 2021 Faces of Leadership spent a day on the campus of Oklahoma State University learning, leading, and hearing about the latest technology in the industry when it comes to cow herd efficiency, marketing, beef quality, and social media.

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them to not be scared to make a difference and that their futures are now. “Don’t be scared to do you and don’t be scared to do you unapologetically,” Jackson concluded.

About the National Junior Hereford Association. The NJHA is one of the largest, strongest, and most active junior cattle programs in the country. Over the years, members of this association have gone on to earn international and domestic respect as models for youth organizational success. The NJHA, through its extensive educational programs, continues to lay the foundation for the beef industry’s future leaders. The traditions of the past, coupled with the energy of today’s board of directors, have created a progressive approach to further develop a meaningful and educational association focus.

About the American Hereford Association. The AHA, with headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., is one of the largest U.S. beef breed associations. The notfor-profit organization along with its subsidiaries — Certified Hereford Beef (CHB) LLC, Hereford Publications Inc. (HPI), and American Beef Records Association (ABRA) — provides programs and services for its members and their customers while promoting the Hereford breed and supporting education, youth, and research.

q SEPTEMBER 2021

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The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

Lot 64

Cedar Creek Susanna 926 Sire - NJW 84B 10W Journey 53D • Dam - GTW 3018 Susanna 425 MGS - THM 100W Reliable 3018 ET

AI’d on 6-1-21 Behm Cuda Safe

Lot 63

Cedar Creek Sure Thing 906 Sire - UPS Sensation 2296 ET • Dam - CES Sure Thing 63N J120 MGS - TH JWR SOP 16G 57G Tundra 63N

AI’d on 12-2-20 • KCF Noble PE FPH Sensation G163 ET 12-15-20 to 3-1-21 Safe

Lot 66

Lot 67

Cedar Creek C89 021 ET

Cedar Creek 504 024

Sire - Innisfail 4013 ET • Dam - FPH Irene Z8 Hometown C89 ET MGS - NJW 73S W18 Hometown 10Y ET

Sire - NJW Historic 81E ET • Dam - Cedar Creek Miss Boomer 504 MGS - TH 223 71I Victor 755T

The Carolina Cattle Connection

q SEPTEMBER 2021

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The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

A m e r i ca n A s s o c i a t i o n o f Vete r i n a r y M e d i ca l C o l l e g e s

NEWS

National Veterinary Scholars Symposium Showcases Veterinary Medical Research. Almost 900 people convened for the virtual 2021 National Veterinary Scholars Symposium (NVSS), an annual scientific gathering that showcases veterinary medical student research. Hosted by the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, the meeting was held August 4-6. The massive virtual gathering of students, faculty, university, and business representatives heard from a prestigious cast of keynote speakers and attended a variety of informational and networking sessions – all centered around the essential role of veterinary medical research.

Students participating in the program conduct a hypothesis driven research project developed jointly by the student scholar and faculty mentor, which is typically conducted over an 8-12 week period during the summer. The results are then shared in the end-of-summer research symposium. Hundreds of posters and abstracts were available during the event.

“The College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University was honored to host and present the 2021 National Veterinary Student Symposium,” said Dr. Dan Grooms, the Dr. Stephen G. Juelsgaard Dean of Veterinary Medicine at the Iowa State University CVM. “The work presented by veterinary students was incredible and no doubt will help to answer important questions that will impact animals, humans, and the environment. Importantly, their experiences will have a profound impact on their future success as a proud member of the veterinary profession.”

The annual showcase of veterinary medical research was sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The American Veterinary Medical Association sponsored the production of the 370 page abstract booklet.

“Boehringer Ingelheim is delighted to continue our long standing support of veterinary research by sponsoring this National Veterinary Scholars Symposium that will enable veterinary students and young researchers to share the results of their summer research, and we especially welcome this year ’s Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Scholars,” said Eric

Haaksma, Head of Animal Health Global Innovation, Boehringer Ingelheim. “Now more than ever we realize the importance of developing and nurturing scientists with the skills and training to fulfill our needs for comparative animal research, animal and human food safety, and drug development if we are to continue to advance biomedical research.”

Registrants heard from three respected keynote speakers throughout the three day event.

• Dr. Kathryn M. Jones, associate professor in the Departments of Pediatrics, Section of Tropical Medicine, and Molecular Virology and Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, discussed “Addressing the Global Burden of Chagas Disease.”

• Dr. Jim Roth, a Distinguished Professor in the ISU-CVM, National Academy of Medicine member, and former National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity member, discussed “Infectious Disease Control Through Research, Policy Development, and Education.”

• Dr. Liara Gonzalez, associate professor of gastroenterology and equine surgery at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine and American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) Diplomate, discussed “Intestinal Regenerative Medicine: Targeting Key Stem Cells to Enhance Intestinal Viability.”

The meeting featured a variety of breakout sessions that provided students with a chance to obtain career advice from experts regarding academic programs and career pathways leading to careers in academia, government, and corporate practice, as well as opportunities in various areas of veterinary medicine and science.

A special Combined Degree Colloquium with programming specifically designed for students pursuing dual professional and Ph.D. programs was held in conjunction with the event.

Six leading veterinary researchers were recognized with 2021 AVMA Excellence in Research Awards and Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Research Awards during the event.

“The AAVMC is proud to collaborate with Iowa State University on the presentation of the 2021 National

Veterinary Scholars Symposium,” said American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) Chief Executive Officer Dr. Andrew T. Maccabe. “We’re especially grateful to Boehringer Ingelheim for their continued and generous support of this symposium, and we appreciate our partnerships with the National Institutes of Health and the AVMA, which sponsored the symposium proceedings. We share an appreciation for the important role this event plays in helping our students gain experience, develop their skills, and consider careers in this vital area of our profession.”

The AAVMC would like to acknowledge the planning committees and other volunteers that worked so hard to produce the symposium. Members of the National Planning Committee included Dr. Qijing Zhang, the Clarence Hartley Covault Distinguished Professor and associate dean for research and graduate studies at Iowa State University; Dr. Brad Blitvich, interim assistant dean of graduate studies and research training at Iowa State University; and Karen

The Carolina Cattle Connection

Barker, grants specialist, Iowa State University.

The 2022 National Veterinary Scholars Symposium will be hosted by the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

About the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges. The member institutions of the AAVMC promote and protect the health and well being of people, animals, and the environment by advancing the profession of veterinary medicine and preparing new generations of veterinarians to meet the evolving needs of a changing world. Founded in 1966, the AAVMC represents more than 40,000 faculty, staff, and students across the global academic veterinary medical community.

Our member institutions include veterinary medical colleges and schools in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as departments of veterinary science and departments of comparative medicine in the United States.

q SEPTEMBER 2021

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ESA Implementation Creates Ongoing Battleground for Ranchers Cattle producers will sacrifice time, money, safety, and sleep to make sure that each one of their cattle is healthy and well cared for. The needs of their herd always come first — but there’s a fluctuating list of other animals jockeying for attention as well.

Wildlife conservation and management is an ever present concern for operations across the country, and with a new administration underway, many producers have renewed questions about how the implementation and enforcement of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) may impact them.

Codified in law nearly 50 years ago, the ESA was intended to provide an avenue for identifying species at risk of extinction and funding the tools to recover them. This critical and worthwhile mission, however, has grown less and less effective over the years.

When the ESA passed, four distinct phases — identification of at risk species, listing as “threatened” or “endangered,” recovery efforts to repopulate the species,

and delisting when the species is fully recovered — were all equally important parts of the process to protect America’s wildlife. Since then, out of 1,660 species listed as “threatened” or “endangered,” less than three percent have achieved recovery and delisting under the law.

Failure to develop recovery plans, unclear or constantly changing population targets, and inefficient procedures within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) have caused species to languish on the list long after FWS has publicly declared them as recovered. This wastes time and prevents limited taxpayer funds from going to the animals that truly need help and protection.

“The ESA was enacted with the clear directive that once a species is determined to be recovered, it should be delisted and responsibility for managing the species should revert back to states,” said NCBA Executive Director of Natural Resources Kaitlynn Glover. “The fact that this so rarely happens under ESA is an indication

2021 Spotlight Issues Schedule

Most of the breed associations in North and South Carolina have stepped forward and renewed their contracts for Spotlight sections in The Carolina Cattle Connection for 2021. If your breed is not featured as a Spotlight section and you would like to inquire on any open months please feel free to contact me. Below is the tentative schedule for the upcoming year.

2021 Reserved Spotlight Issues

JANUARY CHAROLAIS FEBRUARY FORAGES MARCH ANGUS APRIL PEST MANAGEMENT MAY BRAHMAN JUNE HEREFORD JULY GELBVIEH AUGUST SIMMENTAL SEPTEMBER SANTA GERTRUDIS OCTOBER YOUTH NOVEMBER SHORTHORN DECEMBER RED ANGUS For more information about your breed’s Spotlight Issue, contact:

The Carolina Cattle Connection 2228 N. Main Street • Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526 919-552-9111 • mail@nccattle.com PAGE 38

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

of how far this law has strayed from its original intent. The lack of delisting does not reflect the good work and success we’re seeing on the ground.”

The flaws with the ESA are not just a matter of bureaucratic inefficiency – they have real consequences for cattle country.

The law has often been used as a tool by extreme activist groups to block activities and management practices that have an outsized impact on farmers, ranchers, and their lands.

“Rural Americans and livestock producers live with the consequences of ESA decisions, but their voices are cut out of the process. When decisions are made by people with a removed or nonexistent perspective on working these lands, managing this habitat day in and day out, the decisions rarely work in tandem with the significant investments ranchers are already making to protect wildlife species,” Glover said.

No voice in the process - In March, FWS recommended that grizzly bears remain listed as “threatened” under the ESA, despite a five year assessment that found robust, recovered populations of bears across the entire species range. The announcement leaves the door open for future reintroduction of the species in the North Cascades ecosystem — a move that would directly contradict years of input from local communities.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) joined with the Public Lands Council (PLC) in immediately announcing their opposition.

“The announcement is a perfect example of how the voices of local officials, rural towns, and cattle ranchers get dismissed by FWS, and that is why NCBA is so determined to continue engaging and fighting on this issue,” Glover said. “The announcement disregards communities who have done everything right to support the wildly successful recovery of grizzly bears, even when that work came at great personal, financial cost.”

What does NCBA want to see done differently? Glover is crystal clear.

“Work with communities to achieve lasting success. Listen to their firsthand experiences with these lands and these species. Stop continually moving the goal post and exploiting the ESA as a long term management tool when that responsibility clearly lies with state and local teams who are closer to the issue.”

No recourse when apex predators claim cattle - Liesa Priddy knows firsthand how badly ESA implementation can go awry when the needs of the agricultural community are ignored.

Priddy, who is the third generation operator of a commercial cow/calf ranch

in Florida, has long worked to implement best practices on her land that cut down on invasive vegetation, improve the flow of water across the property, and conserve wildlife habitat. She went back to school to earn a degree in environmental studies.

“I served six years on the board of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission,” Priddy explained. “I was appointed by the governor because I expressed an interest in being able to represent agricultural producers like myself, that not only had ESA issues but had that interest in habitat conservation.”

Her work exemplifies the old adage that farmers and ranchers are the original conservationists.

“If you don’t take care of the land, it’s not going to support the growing of your product, whether that’s a plant product or livestock,” she said.

Unfortunately, Priddy’s work — like thousands of ranchers across the country — has been impeded by the ESA more often than it has been supported.

“The ESA has been very restrictive.

The most visible animal we deal with on our property is the Florida panther,” Priddy said. “There’s really no workable compensation program for ranchers who lose animals to panthers. When you have a big apex predator like a big cat, that’s a lot more difficult to deal with.”

Priddy estimates that she loses as much as ten percent of her calves each year to panthers.

“There’s really nothing that we’ve been able to do,” she said.

Priddy has participated in research projects with the University of Florida and Naples Zoo by introducing different breeds into her existing herd that are supposed to be more protective of their calves against predators. So far, she’s seen little to no improvement.

On the other side of the United States, producers grapple with similar losses to the gray wolf. NCBA has been leading the fight in court to have the gray wolf – a recovered species – delisted under the ESA. In supporting documents to NCBA’s court case, cattle producer Joe Wilebski of Minnesota said that he lost 26 calves to wolf attacks in a single year, and more cattle were permanently maimed.

“In addition to the outright killing and maiming of calves, gray wolves have a stressing effect on my remaining cattle that reduces their economic viability,” Wilebski stated. “Waking up in the morning, I often wonder how many cattle are dead or missing due to gray wolf depredation. It has been a nightmare.”

So, where are cattle producers

supposed to go from here? How can predator species be recovered in a way that doesn’t destroy the livelihood of farmers and ranchers?

Priddy believes financial compensation is crucial.

“Right now, my thoughts are to pursue two avenues — one is to try and [raise this issue with] some of the higher levels of [Farm Service Administration] management under the new administration, see if there’s any room there for improvement. And the other is to talk about, spread the word about, the need for payment for ecosystem services.

I think there is a much more transparent program we need to have for landowners to take advantage of,” Priddy said.

She envisions a program that repurposes Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) funds to pay landowners a set amount per acre based on the type of habitat they are conserving and providing for endangered species. She says this would be much more workable for producers than the current system of paying compensation per calf lost. When dealing with predators like panthers,

calves that are taken can be impossible to track or visualize after the fact, and producers are almost always underpaid for the true number of animals killed.

“It’s not a brand new idea, there’s a lot of supporters for it,” Priddy said.

“It would just be a lot more beneficial to landowners that have habitat for endangered species.”

Success through voluntary conservation efforts - Despite challenges with implementation, the majority of cattle producers are not opposed wholesale to the intent behind the ESA. Indeed, cattle farmers and ranchers have long been the ones on the ground, implementing management strategies and investing in improvements to their land that benefit livestock, native plant species, and wildlife alike. This long heritage of voluntary conservation work is something that NCBA would like to see better encouraged and incentivized by the ESA. “The ESA should be updated to voluntary conservation, not punish the same people who are investing the most in those species and the habitat they live on,” Glover said.

NEWS

Premier Select Sires Offers Seven Percent Credit on Semen Purchases Through September. Premier Select Sires, Inc. is excited to announce that the cooperative will offer seven percent additional savings to member-customers who purchase semen through the month of September.

To enjoy this special benefit, Premier member-customers must simply purchase genetics from their sales team member during the designated months. Premier will offer the same superior genetics at the same competitive prices, but when invoices are prepared at the end of the month, a seven percent credit on all semen purchases will be applied to reduce the total amount due. The only requirement is that accounts must be current on their balance to qualify.

“Our board of directors is always looking to maximize the return on investment that a Premier owner earns from the cooperative,” said Mark Carpenter, CEO of Premier Select Sires. “Earlier this year, they encouraged us to implement this special credit if the company financials allowed us to do so. I am pleased that our strong sales for 2021 have again allowed us to pass along this seven percent credit.”

NCBA’s member approved policy stance is that the ESA should be improved to ensure the agency weighs all appropriate factors in listing decisions – including economic and ecological data – to incentivize voluntary conservation, increase coordination among land managers at all levels, require specific recovery goals, and ensure that, once recovered, a species can be efficiently delisted.

A perfect case study for the importance of that voluntary buy in from producers is the lesser prairie chicken.

In May, FWS announced that they would be listing the lesser prairie chicken under the ESA. One population segment was designated as “threatened” and the other as “endangered.”

Under an ESA designation, producers can face financial penalties or even jail time for making improvements to their land and wildlife habitat with a federal permit. The designation of the prairie chicken directly disincentivizes the continuation of a successful, decades long conservation partnership between public entities, private landowners, and local conservation advocates. Collaboration with agricultural producers is pivotal to the recovery of the species because 95 percent of the lesser prairie chicken’s

habitat is privately owned.

“The designation tells those private landowners that their considerable private investment doesn’t count,” Glover said.

“This is a terrible message to send at the very moment when the administration is seeking to enlist our industry’s help with a broad slew of conservation goals that can only succeed with strong public-private partnerships.”

By FWS’s own admission, millions of acres of land have been enrolled in voluntary conservation measures across the lesser prairie chicken’s range.

The path forward - The road ahead is not without challenges. ESA reforms are necessary to encourage and incentivize voluntary conservation efforts – and NCBA will continue leading that fight. NCBA will also stay on the front line of the court battle for efficient delisting when species are fully recovered, like the gray wolf.

From coast to coast, American cattle producers share a deep commitment to wildlife conservation and the health of the ecosystems they live and work in. Farmers and ranchers think not just in terms of seasons or years but in generations.

Investing in wildlife conservation helps ensure that healthy, balanced landscapes and iconic American wildlife are around for children and grandchildren to enjoy.

The seven percent credit will provide Premier Select Sires customers an opportunity to purchase semen at an even lower cost and maximize the genetic improvement in the herd. As a farmer-owned cooperative, Premier strives to provide value and benefits to its member-owners through high quality products and services.

About Premier Select Sires. Premier Select Sires is a farmer owned cooperative that serves beef and dairy producers in its 23 state member area. Dedicated to providing its members with all they need to achieve success, Premier provides: • Industry leading genetics from the Select Sires, Accelerated Genetics, and GenerVations brands • Effective herd health and management products, as well as artificial insemination supplies • Reliable services and programs backed by years of success • Knowledgeable industry experts who are easily accessed for consultation, advice, and on-farm assistance Together with its five sister cooperatives across the United States, Premier owns and controls Select Sires Inc., the world’s most recognized name in bovine genetics.

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• Join one of the largest mineral buying groups in the Southeast • Trial opportunities available • Delivery available in most areas of North Carolina • Make your own buying group in your area

THE BARN LOFT

1475 National Highway • Thomasville, NC 27360 Store - 336-886-1737 • Cell - 336-250-0572 www.thebarnloft.com PAGE 42

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

New NCCA Members for 2021

In 2007, members of the Membership Committee passed a resolution to recognize all NEW members of the NCCA in The Carolina Cattle Connection at the NCCA Annual Conference in Hickory. A new member is defined as someone who has never been a member or someone

who has rejoined after a brief break in membership. The new members are identified in this new members section by name and county of residence.

Below is a list of NCCA’s new members for the last month:

Out-of-State Aubyn Kugler – South Carolina Emily Wessinger – South Carolina Bertie County Wesley Daniels – Daniels Family Farm Caldwell County Makayla White – Animal Science Program

Carolina Cooking

Catawba County Mike Royal Cumberland County Jason Britt – JL Britt Farms Gaston County Blair Gribble – Gribble Cattle Company

Country Style Bourbon BBQ Short Ribs

Guilford County Dustin Soddy – Soddy Farms

Total Cooking Time - 3 hours, 55 minutes

Henderson County Ricci Corn Donna Herman Lincoln Maybin Alexa Nesbitt Brandon Perry

2 lbs beef country style ribs 2 Tbsp bourbon 1 Tbsp vegetable oil 2 tsp minced garlic 1 cup diced yellow onion 2 Tbsp tomato paste 2 tsp paprika 2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp kosher salt 2 tsp cracked black pepper 2 bay leaf 3 cups beef stock 2 Tbsp liquid smoke 2 Tbsp molasses ¼ cup ketchup ¼ tsp cayenne pepper 4 Tbsp pickle relish Preheat grill to medium heat.

Season ribs with salt and pepper to taste and place on preheated grill. Grill for 2 minutes on each side, remove and set aside. Next, preheat skillet over medium heat. Add vegetable oil and onion to the skillet and cook until onions are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste and combine, then add the paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper and combine.

Cook’s Tip: If you cannot find country style ribs, boneless beef short ribs can be substituted.

Deglaze skillet with the beef stock scraping the bottom of the pan. Add in the Ribs, bay leaf, and liquid smoke and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover for 2.5-3.5 hours or until fork tender.

Cook’s Tip: Avoid lifting the lid, which releases valuable heat and moisture and can significantly increase

Johnston County Duval Smith – FSC Ranch LLC Mitchell County Ben Bryant – Bryant Farm Randolph County Adelaide Henry Rowan County Mike & Shannon Watt – Watt Farm Transylvania County Ephraim Arsenault Emma Brown Julia Ubaldo Wake County Dr. Michael Martin – NCDA&CS Wanda Pierce – Bowden’s Bend Cattle Farm Lilly Smith Steve Bowden

cook time.

Once the ribs are fork tender, remove from the pan and return to the grill over low heat. Grill for 1.5 minutes on each side, remove from the grill, and set aside.

Meanwhile remove the bay leaf from the sauce and bring sauce to a boil. Add in the bourbon, ketchup, molasses, and cayenne pepper and continue to cook until sauce becomes thick. Plate each rib and top with ¾ cup of BBQ sauce. Garnish with 1 Tablespoon of pickle relish and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Country Style Bourbon BBQ Short Ribs

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NEWS

New Draxxin KP, a Combination Treatment for Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) From Zoetis. Draxxin® KP (tulathromycin and ketoprofen Injection) Injectable Solution now available to both treat BRD and control fever in one treatment. Zoetis recently announced a new combination product to treat bovine respiratory disease (BRD) and control related fever (pyrexia): Draxxin KP (tulathromycin and ketoprofen injection) Injectable Solution.

It’s a new single treatment option for beef and dairy producers.

Draxxin KP includes the well known effectiveness of Draxxin (tulathromycin injection) Injectable Solution and adds ketoprofen, a fast acting nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID), in a single treatment approved for use in beef steers, beef heifers, beef calves two months of age and older, beef bulls, dairy bulls, and dairy replacement heifers.

“With BRD, there can be an underlying fever, which can progress quickly and lead to appetite loss,” said Shawn Blood, DVM, managing technical services veterinarian at Zoetis. “Using an NSAID together with an antibiotic can aid treatment response and reduce the fever that typically comes with BRD compared with using an antibiotic treatment alone.

Draxxin KP provides the option and convenience to have two powerful, effective ingredients working together.”

One Shot, Two Effective Ingredients - In one subcutaneous injection, Draxxin KP starts working fast — both products have a rapid onset1 — against fever and four major bacterial pathogens associated with BRD: • Control fever: Because Draxxin KP includes an NSAID, it controls the fever that typically comes with BRD. The fast acting anti-inflammatory, ketoprofen, has been demonstrated to reduce temperatures

in as little as one hour.2 • Treat four major BRD pathogens: Draxxin KP provides the same long acting antibacterial activity that Draxxin has against four major bacterial pathogens (Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, Histophilus somni, and Mycoplasma bovis) associated with BRD for up to 14 days.1 Fast Facts About Draxxin KP (tulathromycin and ketoprofen injection) Injectable Solution • One shot, administered subcutaneously • Treats BRD and controls fever in beef steers, beef heifers, beef calves two months of age and older, beef bulls, dairy bulls, and dairy replacement heifers • Low volume dose of 2.5 mg tulathromycin and 3.0 mg ketoprofen/kg or 1.1 mL per 100 pounds body weight • Short meat withdrawal of 18 days • Draxxin KP has the same dose size and viscosity as Draxxin, so you should expect the same year round syringeability as Draxxin.

• Maintains therapeutic level of tulathromycin for approximately 14 days1 Demonstrated Fast BRD Recovery in Multisite Studies - Draxxin KP was demonstrated in two multisite studies in the United States and EU: • A fast treatment for BRD related fever - Studies found Draxxin KP demonstrated a significant reduction of BRD associated fever from one hour up to 24 hours after treatment compared with Draxxin alone.2,3 • An effective BRD treatment Studies showed Draxxin KP had a significantly greater BRD treatment success rate compared with calves treated with saline and similar treatment success rates with calves receiving Draxxin alone.1,2 “When cattle get sick, fast and successful treatment is crucial,” Dr. Blood said. “Draxxin KP is demonstrated to treat BRD and control fever effectively, which can help cattle feel better and improve overall well being.4,5* Additionally, first treatment success can help reduce the

need for subsequent and overall antibiotic treatments,6 which helps ensure important antibiotics remain effective into the future.”

The addition of Draxxin KP enhances the leading portfolio of BRD treatment options from Zoetis.7 To learn more about Draxxin KP, contact your veterinarian or visit www.draxxinkp.com.

Resources *Draxxin KP animals showed a numerically improved attitude and respiratory scores compared with saline treated and Draxxin treated animals.6 1 Data on file, Study Report No. A431N-US-16-418, Zoetis Inc. 2 Data on file, Study Report No. A136R-US-16-508, Zoetis Inc. 3 Data on file, Study Report No. A131C-US-17-531, Zoetis Inc. (U.S.) 4 Poulsen Nautrup B., Van Vlaenderen I., Decker M., Cleale R.M. Antimicrobial drug use for control and treatment of bovine respiratory disease in U.S. feedlot cattle: A meta analysis. Bov Pract.

2017;51(1);1-13.

5 F re e d o m of Information Summary. NADA TBD — Draxxin KP (tulathromycin and ketoprofen Injection).

Food and Drug Administration; 2020.

6 Data on file, Study Report No. A131C-XC-17-528 and Report Amendment 01, Zoetis Inc. 7 Animalytix Ruminant Segments MAT, ending May 2021.

About Zoetis. As the world’s leading animal health company, Zoetis is driven by a singular purpose: to nurture our world and humankind by advancing care for animals. After nearly 70 years of innovating ways to predict, prevent, detect, and treat animal illness, Zoetis continues to stand by those raising and caring for animals worldwide — from livestock farmers to veterinarians and pet owners. The company’s leading portfolio and pipeline of medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, and technologies make a difference in over 100 countries. In 2020, Zoetis generated revenue of $6.7 billion with ~11,300 employees. For more, visit www.zoetis.com.

Our advertisers are “Champions” too. For expert A.I., superior genetics, the best in purebreds and outstanding farm supplies, check the Classifieds in this issue!

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ANGUS NEWS Angus members achieve one million genotypes. Angus members’ efforts make Angus Genetics Inc. milestone possible. Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI), a subsidiary of the American Angus Association, has reached its one millionth mark in Angus genotypes. This was a monumental accomplishment for the Angus breed, says Kelli RetallickRiley, president of AGI. “It has taken just a little over a decade for Angus breeders to reach this impressive milestone,” said RetallickRiley. “This is a testament to the pioneer mindset Angus breeders have always hung their hats on. The early adoption of genomic technology has led Angus to this point and will lend to future tools designed specifically for users of registered Angus genetics.”

AGI began including genomics in the genetic evaluation in 2010 with the

idea of using this technology to enhance accuracy, evaluate for traits at earlier ages, and predict difficult to measure traits for Angus breeders. In addition to its large genotype database, the American Angus Association is home to the largest beef cattle breed phenotype database in the world. With that knowledge, the pace of adoption of genomic technology has increased.

In the first four years of collecting genomic samples, AGI hit its first milestone of collecting 100,000 genotypes. In 2018, AGI had another breakthrough of accumulating half a million genotypes. While it took eight years to collect the first 500,000 genotypes, it only took three years to collect the next half of a million.

Currently, around 3,000 genotypes enter the evaluation each week.

As for the future of genomic

SPRINGFIELD ANGUS Bull Sale December 11, 2021 • 12:00 noon Featuring:

40 Yearling Bulls 30 Two-Year-Old Bulls

testing at AGI, the company has hopes it can continue to make significant advancements to further enhance the beef cattle industry economically. With this amount of data in hand, AGI is looking at ways to leverage this database to create novel solutions to real-world problems.

Retallick-Riley says Angus producers should be excited about what the future holds.

“The value of genomics is here,” said Retallick-Riley. “While we continue to optimize these solutions to ensure accurate genetic tools, I have no doubt that the next ten years with genomics will only continue to drive genetic progress and profitability for our independently owned farming and ranching families.”

To learn more, visit www.youtube. com/watch?v=6fTXhcIHcEU. Stockman Award recognizes three young ladies at NJAS. The annual contest recognizes all around winners from three contests. The announcer’s voice boomed through the arena and met every set of more than 800 ears with anticipation. Tapping feet, sweaty hands, and pounding hearts filled the arena as junior Angus members anticipated their names being called for the Angus Stockman Award. Three of those anxious hearts belonged to exhibitors Molly Hansen of North Dakota, Lauren Wolter of Illinois, and Lynae Bowman of North Carolina. They were soon to be honored as the 2021 National Junior Angus Show Stockman Contest winners in their respective divisions at the 2021 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) in Grand Island, Nebraska.

This year Molly Hansen won junior stockman, Lauren Wolter took home the intermediate stockman title, and Lynae Bowman was named the senior stockman at the 2021 NJAS hosted in Grand Island, Nebraska. The path to

Performance Tested • Ultrasound and 50K Evaluated Registered Angus Bulls

SPRINGFIELD ANGUS

104 Springfield Lane • Louisburg, NC 27549

Phil Goodson - 919-880-9062 (cell) Email - philgoodson2@gmail.com For a complete listing or additional information, contact Springfield Angus. Please visit www.springfieldangus.com .

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The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

The 2021 NJAS Stockman Contest award senior division winner was Lynae Bowman of North Carolina.

success requires grit, preparation, and goal setting. These practices are well known by the three winners of the 2021 National Junior Angus Show Stockman Contest.

Both Wolter and Hansen have won the Stockman Award previously. As a junior, Wolter won the Stockman contest and was thrilled to be named as the intermediate winner this year.

Wolter said she vividly remembers winning her very own National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) padfolio at her first NJAS. Shortly after winning her padfolio, those pages became the script outlining the goals Wolter was then and still is determined to achieve. Of the many goals she has checked off, this year she was able to check off her second title as the intermediate stockman contest winner.

The stockman award was created in 2017 to recognize juniors who were all around successful in contests outside of the ring. The Overall Angus Stockman Award recognized three juniors who topped the judging contest, quiz bowl written exam, and skill-a-thon.

“I set the goal initially that the stockman contest was something I wanted to win,” said Wolter. “I just love that this is a contest I can train for and push myself and work at.”

The Stockman Award aims to encourage youth of all ages to expand their knowledge in all aspects of the cattle industry. This, coupled with the goals of the National Junior Angus Association, to encourage both personal and professional growth of junior members while developing the future of the Angus breed, makes it a sought after award.

“When I set a goal, you are not going to get in my way — I’m going to do it, and make it my mission to achieve it,” Wolter said.

This is the type of young people the NJAA is passionate about developing — individuals like Hansen, Wolter, and Bowman. For more information on the contest and other NJAA opportunities, visit NJAA.info.

Six new National Junior Angus Board directors. During the 2021 NJAS closing ceremonies, six new board members were announced. Raising and showing cattle is a big component of the NJAA. However, the leadership skills developed through the NJAA are second to none. One area to grow as a leader in the NJAA is through serving on the junior board of directors. During the closing ceremonies at the 2021 National Junior Angus Show, as six members retired, six new board members were announced on July 16.

Running for the National Junior

North Carolina Angus Association ANGUS MEANS BUSINESS Backed by the world’s largest and most reliable genetic evaluation program.

Registered Angus genetics deliver better calving ease, more growth, and superior marbling.

These six individuals were elected to serve on the National Junior Angus board of directors during the closing ceremonies at the 2021 National Junior Angus Show in Grand Island, Neb., on July 16. Pictured from left are Avery Dull of Westminster, Md.; Nicole Stevenson of Joliet, Mont.; Marcie Harward of Richfield, N.C.; J. Gordon Clark of Gretna, Va.; Kathryn Coleman of Modesto, Calif.; and Kinsey Crowe of Eaton, Ohio.

Angus Board is an intense, thorough process that starts months before the NJAS with an application and interview.

During the week of the NJAS, candidates meet with members and delegates from across the country. Once elected, members serve a two year term; the first year on the board of directors and the second as officers of the junior association. Over the two years, members will travel to shows and conferences, plan educational events for junior members, promote the Angus breed while assisting the National Junior Angus Association in other membership outreach.

At the closing ceremonies, the new officer team was announced. Alex Cozzitorto of Olathe, Kan. and Eric Schafer of Owaneco, Ill., will lead the team as the Chairman and Vice Chairman, respectively. Those two are supported by Angus Foundation Director Josh Jasper of Nicholasville, Ken.; Communications Director Walker McDermott of Wiota, Iowa; Education Director Cutter Pohlman of Hereford, Tex.; and Events Director Garret Schuering of Thompson, Missouri.

The newly elected board members are talented individuals who are passionate about the Angus breed and will do all they can to serve the Association and its junior members.

The six new members include J. Gordon Clark of Gretna, Va.; Kathryn Coleman of Modesto, Calif.; Kinsey Crowe of Eaton, Ohio; Avery Dull of Westminster, Md.; Marcie Harward of Richfield, N.C., and Nicole Stevenson, Joliet, Montana.

Get to know the new National Junior Angus Board - J. Gordon Clark is an Angus enthusiast from Virginia and currently an animal science undergraduate student at Kansas State University. Clark was mentored through his time in the junior program by Alex Rogan, previous National Junior Angus Board director, as Clark believed Rogan embodied the true

meaning of the “Angus Family.” Gordon hopes to showcase similar traits as he works with junior members from coast to coast during his two year term.

“Each of our fellow members, old and young, have a story to tell and I cannot wait to get to take the time to learn and listen from them,” Clark said. “Getting to have adventures with members from all over the country will create more memories than I can count.”

Kathryn Coleman was born and raised in the Sunshine State of California on her family’s Angus operation.

Coleman followed in both her father and brother’s footsteps showing and being involved in the NJAA. Ever since her first NJAS in Kansas City in 2013, Coleman’s passion and love for the breed is showcased through her state involvement.

This fall, Coleman will be a sophomore at Kansas State University majoring in animal science with a business option.

Following her time in Manhattan, Kan., Coleman wants to attend Texas Christian University to get a master’s in farm and ranch management.

“As previous Green Coats have made a positive impact on me, I cannot wait to give back to the organization that shaped me,” Coleman said.

Kinsey Crowe is an Ohio native that is attending Oklahoma State University, majoring in animal science. Crowe grew up on a small cattle and crop operation that led to her involvement in junior and state associations. Livestock and the NJAA have taught Crowe significant life skills that she will use during her two year term on the junior board. Following her junior and senior year at OSU, Crowe aims to work in pharmaceutical sales for the cattle industry.

“I am very excited to serve on the

Continued on the next page

4K FARMS/TARHEEL ANGUS Richard D. Kirkman, DVM Siler City 919-742-5500 info@tarheelangus.com 455 GORE FAMILY ANGUS Mark & Lori Gore Tabor City 702-401-8005 455goreangus@gmail.com www.455farms.com BACK CREEK Joe & Robin Hampton Mt. Ulla 704-880-2488 (Joe); 704-880-3572 (Robin) robinbackcreek@att.net Facebook: Back Creek Angus BB ORGANIC FARM NC, LLC Bob & Elissa Miller Louisburg 919-414-7753 BILTMORE ESTATE Kyle Mayberry - Manager Asheville 828-768-1956 livestock@biltmore.com www.biltmorelivestock.com BRIDGES BEEF CATTLE Eddie, Cindy, John, & Crystal Bridges Shelby 704-692-2978 bridgesbeefcattle@gmail.com BRITT FAMILY FARMS James Britt Calypso 919-738-6331 jrb4070@hotmail.com C-CROSS CATTLE COMPANY Duane Strider Asheboro 336-964-6277 ccrosscattle@yahoo.com www.ccrosscattle.com FOUR S FARMS Kim & Connie and Jason & Robin Starnes Luther Lyerly - Manager Salisbury 704-640-5875 kim-4sfarms@carolina.rr.com G&G FAMILY FARMS Darren & Paul Gore Tabor City 843-458-2970 goreangus1@gmail.com goreangusfarms.com GENTRY HOMEPLACE ANGUS Howard & Donna Gentry King 336-413-6698 whgentry@windstream.net H&H FARMS Buddy & Jennifer Hamrick - Owners Bly Hamrick - Manager Boiling Springs 704-472-1912 jennham@bellsouth.net HILL ANGUS FARM Dr. Gary M. Hill Hendersonville 229-848-3695 gmhill@uga.edu JACK KNOB FARMS Karl, Janet, & Logan Gillespie Franklin 828-371-2220 karl@jackknobfarms.com www.jackknobfarms.com

The Carolina Cattle Connection

KNOLL CREST FARM The Bennett Family Red House,VA 434-376-3567 knollcrest@knollcrestfarm.com www.knollcrestfarm.com LANE ANGUS Roger & Bundy Lane Gates 252-357-1279 ritalane@embarqmail.com PANTHER CREEK FARMS John C. Smith, Jr. Pink Hill 252-526-1929 JohnSmith3982@embarqmail.com S&J Farms Steven & Julie Lung Nathan Lung - Manager Carthage 910-947-3414 sandjfarms2013@gmail.com SMITH CREEK ANGUS FARM Marty & Lynne Rooker Norlina 252-213-1553 mrooker@mrookerlaw.com SPRINGFIELD ANGUS Phil Goodson Alex Askew Louisburg 919-880-9062 (Phil) 910-260-2899 (Alex) philgoodson2@gmail.com www.springfieldangus.com TRIPLE LLL ANGUS Greg Little Monroe 704-219-1294 greg.little@ATImetals.com UWHARRIE RIDGE FARMS Mark Wilburn Asheboro 336-953-0521 uwharrieridgefarms@gmail.com VANDEMARK ANGUS Keaton & Janie Vandemark Spring Hope 252-885-0210 keaton@vandemarkfarms.com WINDY HILL FARMS, LLC Michael A. Moss Will Moss - Manager Ramseur 336-549-0070 michaelmoss@rtmc.net WINSLOW GENETICS Ben & Kathleen Winslow Halifax 252-578-5487 winslowgen@gmail.com WOOD ANGUS FARM, LLC Russell Wood Willow Spring 919-275-4397 rwood4400@gmail.com www.woodangus.com

Sharon Rogers

NCAA Executive Secretary 336-583-9630 Email: ncaa.sec@gmail.com Website: www.ncangus.org

q SEPTEMBER 2021

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Angus News continued from the previous page National Junior Angus Board where I will get to meet more juniors across the country and work with them at shows and leadership conferences,” Crowe said.

Avery Dull is a Maryland native, which is home of Blue Crabs, Old Bay, and Board Walk French Fries. As Dull takes on this leadership role, she aspires to promote the Angus breed and the agricultural industry by encouraging member involvement and by providing meaningful opportunities to junior members. Dull will be a sophomore this fall at Kansas State University, where she is an animal science pre-vet student who hopes to attend veterinary school following her undergraduate degree.

“My goal while on the junior board is to use all the knowledge I have learned from the Association and use it to further improve a member’s individual experience in the NJAA,” Dull said.

Marcie Harward hails from the state of North Carolina as a beef enthusiast

who grew up involved in several different segments of the industry.

From raising and selling registered cattle to video auctions, Harward is knowledgeable but also an active leader in her community. Currently, Haward is heading into her sophomore year at N.C. State University, working toward her degree in agricultural business management. From there, she plans to become a veterinarian focused on animal genetics and reproduction.

“As I start my two year term, I am excited to see how I can make an impact on juniors in my new role as a junior board of director,” Harward said. “I am excited to make new connections and be able to make a difference on juniors as junior board members did for me!”

Nicole Stevenson is a fourth generation Angus breeder from the Big Sky State of Montana. Throughout her years in the business and show ring, Stevenson has learned the value of a

McMahan Farm & Hancock Angus Annual Registered Angus Bull Sale November 20, 2021 • 12:00 noon at the farm in Mocksville, N.C.

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

Sons from these A.I. sires: Black Hawk • Way Up Dark Fire • Peyton

*All bulls will have passed a BSE exam before the sale* * Bulls are forage fed with little supplement*

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

McMahan Farm

Steven • Becky • Cassidy • Taylor • Blake 299 Applewood Road • Mocksville, NC 27028 336-998-2695 (home) • 336-909-1494 (cell)

Hancock Angus

Mark Hancock • 336-909-1082 (cell)

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The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

strong work ethic, commitment, and leadership. As a junior at Montana State University, Stevenson is working to finish her bachelor’s degree before she pursues a career in the cattle industry and helps her family operation.

“During the next two years, I’m excited to make connections with juniors across the United States,” Stevenson said.

“I hope to share my enthusiasm for Angus cattle with young members and help them pursue their interests.”

To learn more about the National Junior Angus Board or the National Junior Angus Association, visit www. angus.org/NJAA. About the Angus Foundation.

Established as a 501(c)(3) organization in 1980, the Angus Foundation remains

focused on its mission to support Angus education, youth, and research. The organization has distributed more than $3.1 million in youth scholarships since 1998 and has also invested more than $1.3 million in beef cattle research in the past decade.

Angus Means Business. The American Angus Association® is the nation’s largest beef breed organization, serving close to 25,000 members across the United States, Canada, and several other countries. It’s home to an extensive breed registry that grows by more than 300,000 animals each year. The Association also provides programs and services to farmers, ranchers, and others who rely on Angus to produce quality genetics for the beef industry and quality beef for consumers.

Changes Ahead for Bartlett’s Statesville Mill Bartlett, a Savage Company, is pleased to announce its feed mill in Statesville, N.C., is now an ionophore free feed manufacturing facility and a producer of certified organic feeds. The facility is one of the few feed manufacturing plants that can offer a complete line of organic feeds packaged in bags or sold in bulk. Just north of Charlotte, N.C., the Statesville mill is optimally located to serve the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

“We’re excited to be one of a small number of ionophore free manufacturing facilities producing animal feeds on the East Coast,” said Bob Pike, Business Manager at Bartlett’s Statesville facility. “While we’ve always employed safeguards to separate different animal feeds, having a production facility and mixing systems that are completely free of ionophores provides an added level of comfort for horse owners. Additionally, our ability to produce certified organic feeds of all types will benefit our customers now and in the future as demand for organic feeds continues to increase.”

Bartlett produces and delivers a wide range of specially formulated feeds for beef and dairy cattle, horses, swine, poultry, sheep, dogs, game birds, rabbits, deer, and goats. Its feeds are available at retail outlets throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, including at Bartlett distribution centers in Goldsboro and Shelby, N.C.; Florence, S.C.; and Rustburg, Virginia. The company offers custom feeds in addition to toll milling for commercial feed users.

The Statesville mill is one of eight Bartlett milling facilities in the midAtlantic states and the Midwest producing flours for bakeries, distribution centers, restaurants, and other customers, and is the company’s sole mill producing animal feeds for livestock and pets. Recently, it was announced that Bartlett will be investing to expand its facility in Wilson’s Mills, N.C., to add a new production line that will primarily process area farmers’ soft wheat crops.

Bartlett also operates a grain merchandising network with 17 grain facilities throughout the U.S. and Mexico.

About Bartlett. Established in 1907, Bartlett joined the Savage family of companies in 2018. Its diverse agribusiness is focused on the acquisition, storage, transportation, processing, and merchandising of grain, and the company is a leading U.S. exporter of grain to Mexico. Bartlett supplies all classes of wheat, feed grains, food grade corn, and soybeans to millers and processors and produces a full line of commercial patent flours and animal feeds. For more information, visit www.bartlettandco.com.

National Farm Safety and Health Week September 19–25 — Farm Safety Yields Real Results

By MARION BARNES Clemson University Each year since 1944, the third week of September has been recognized as National Farm Safety & Health Week.

This recognition was initiated by the National Safety Council and has been proclaimed by each sitting U.S. President since Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the first document. National Farm Safety and Health Week is intended to remind rural communities that agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations in this country, and farm injuries and fatalities are preventable. The most recent data (2019) from the U.S. Department of Labor indicates the agricultural sector is still the most dangerous in America, with 573 fatalities or an equivalent of 23.1 deaths per 100,000 workers. This year’s theme is Farm Safety Yields Real Results.

Those promoting farm safety know that education is a key component in reducing injuries and fatalities on farms. Getting the proper message about safe farming practices to farmers is challenging but can yield real results.

Understanding the dangers on and around the farm can make hazards easier to recognize and avoid, therefore less likely to occur. Some of the most common causes of injuries and fatalities on farms are tractors and machinery, livestock, and falls. Farmers are exposed to these as well as numerous other risks on a daily basis. One question we all

need to ask ourselves is, “What can I do to improve safety on my farm?” We can start by increasing safety awareness and making a conscious decision to prepare for emergency situations that may potentially arise on our farms. Pay particular attention to hazards that may affect children, less experienced workers, and senior farmers.

For example, if you have young children on the farm, do they have a safe and secure play area away from farming activities? Children are vulnerable to many of the same hazards as adults who live and work on farms but are far less capable of understanding those hazards.

Although farm parents cannot completely childproof a farm, they need to make it as safe as possible.

Each summer, many youths seek employment on our nations farms and ranches. Although some live and work on farms, youths are usually less experienced with many of the chores and activities they are tasked to complete. Balanced against the positives of youth working on farms (such as the development of work ethics and self esteem, earned money), there are serious safety risks. If you have youths working on your farm, make sure they are knowledgeable of safe farming practices and properly trained in the activities they will be performing, whether it is operating a piece of

equipment or working with livestock.

Take time to point out the hazards and discuss proper operating procedures.

The National Children’s Center of Rural and Agriculture Safety and Health has released a set of guidelines to help determine if a youth is ready to perform a job and ready to learn more about hazards and keeping working youth safe. These guidelines can be found at wwwcultivatesafety.org/work.

According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), when it comes to work related injuries, older workers are at a disadvantage compared to their younger counterparts because older workers are more susceptible to injuries and typically require longer recuperation periods (NIOSH 2009). Senior farmers are typically at higher risk for work related injuries and fatalities due to the effects of the aging process. Senior farmers and workers may face challenges in areas such as reduced reaction times, changes in cognition levels, decreased visual keenness and perception, and hearing loss. At some point and time, these and other age related challenges can affect the work senior farmers can do safely.

Agricultural producers and family members may need to consider ways of making adjustments and modifications to better accommodate the needs of their senior farmers.

Farm safety is a fundamental part of farm management and should not be overlooked. A person’s attitude toward farm safety plays an important role in injury prevention. Farmers and livestock producers are often pressed for time due to weather, equipment breakdowns, and other delays, especially during planting and harvest season. Taking shortcuts or being in a hurry can lead to injuries.

Being aware of the hazard and focusing on the task at hand is a simple yet important part of farm safety.

When it comes to farm safety, setting a good example will go a long way with family members and workers. Completing tasks in a safe manner may take a little extra time and effort, but in the long run, it will pay dividends if a hazard is eliminated or an injury prevented. This is especially true when working with youths and less experienced workers.

They are looking to you for guidance, and performing tasks safely is an important part of their training. An example would be always using three points of contact

The Carolina Cattle Connection

when mounting and dismounting tractors and other equipment. This simple procedure, when performed correctly, can eliminate injuries from falls.

Are you, your family, or your workers prepared to handle an emergency situation on your farm? Most farmers are counting on never having an emergency situation or calling 911 in case they do.

An emergency response plan is a road map for how to address a broad range of emergencies or disasters you may face on your farm. A comprehensive plan identifies key people, their responsibilities, evacuation routes if necessary, emergency contacts and communication during an emergency, response, and recovery. Simply put… the best plan is to have a plan. In an emergency or disaster, seconds count.

Having a well though out emergency response plan can save lives. Taking the time to sit down with family members and workers to develop a farm safety emergency and disaster response plan can yield real results.

Developing a safer lifestyle on the farm is not an easy task. Changing old habits and attitudes takes time and determination. Let’s make it a point during National Farm Safety and Health Week this year to take a closer look at our farming operations and try and improve our safety practices and incorporate them into our daily activities. Remember, Farm Safety Yields Real Results!

Y’all have stumbled on the best place to advertise expert A.I., superior genetics, the best in purebreds and outstanding farm supplies.

Check the Classifieds in this issue! q SEPTEMBER 2021

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NEWS Beefmasters in Nicaragua. BBU Nicaragua had its first cattle show at EXPICA in Nicaragua! Our Director of International Programs, Jon Garza, assisted with the show and promoting the breed. We also hosted a clinic on how to properly handle and transfer semen. Our BBU delegation was Lauren Lyssy, Steve Anderson, and Jon Garza. The Delegation had meetings set up with FAS and the two cattle associations UPANIC and FAGNIC, promoting the breed. It was a great trip to Nicaragua!

Sign Up for Online Access! We encourage you to sign up for the BBU Online Registry System. Having online access to your BBU Account will allow you to register animals online, view your billing information, transfer A.I. certificates, complete WHR or IBR inventory, give natural breeding agreements, enter weaning/ yearling weights, and so much more! Before you can log in, you must have a temporary

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password. To receive your temporary password, please email Donna your name and membership number at dhenderson@ beefmasters.org. You must submit a request by email. If you call the office, the staff will direct you to send an email. We encourage you to watch the how-to video at https:// beefmasters.org/purebred/registration to learn more about how to access the BBU Online Registry System. Or you can read step-by-step instructions that are also available on the registration page.

Beefmaster Commits to Sustainability with Efficiency EPDs. Beefmaster Breeders United is pleased to announce the development and release of their Residual Feed Intake (RFI) Expected Progeny Difference (EPD) and Feed Efficiency Index ($FE). Beefmaster breeders and commercial cattlemen now have the most powerful Beefmaster selection tools at their fingertips.

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“Both of these efficiency EPDs will assist producers to select animals that are feed efficient and fit into the ever increasing demand for sustainability in the beef industry,” said Lance Bauer, BBU Director of Breed Improvement.

Residual feed intake is a measure of feed efficiency. RFI is the difference between an animal’s actual intake and expected intake based on the size and growth of an animal on a feed test. The new Beefmaster RFI EPD utilizes ultrasound measured rib fat in the calculation to help select for animals that will grow and maintain optimal condition.

When examining this EPD, it is important to notate that an animal with a lower RFI EPD is expected to eat less and be more efficient when compared to an animal with a higher RFI EPD. The new Feed Efficiency Index is referred to as $FE and balances post weaning growth (the growth from weaning to yearling) with the RFI EPD. This index is designed to select for animals that excel in feed efficiency and post weaning growth.

The new RFI EPD and $FE Index will join an already extensive and powerful group of EPDs and indices that are available to the progressive cattlemen

who utilize Beefmaster genetics in their seedstock and commercial cattle operations.

Not only do these tools improve feed efficiency, but also global beef sustainability. Beefmaster Breeders United is committed to producing beef that is socially responsible, environmentally sound, and economically viable. We are devoted to supplying a beef product that prioritizes planet, people, and progress.

“Through implementing these new genetic tools, we are announcing our commitment to support our membership and cattle producers in growing and harvesting sustainable beef products around the globe,” said Collin Osbourn, BBU Executive Vice President.

For more information about BBU and Beefmaster genetics, please contact the office at 210-732-3132 or visit www. beefmasters.org.

About Beefmaster Breeders United.

Beefmaster Breeders United, located in Boerne, Texas, is a not-for-profit breed registration organization that provides programs and services for its members.

Beefmaster, Beefmaster Advancer, and E6 cattle are selected on the “Six Essentials” of disposition, fertility, weight, conformation, milk production, and hardiness.

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S.C. Beef Council News

By ROY COPELAN We are into September, and a few things have changed. Schools are back in session, the days are a little shorter, and fairs, shows, and sales have started. Even the weather has begun to change, and in a few weeks, fall will arrive. Oh well...

The summer months have passed at a fast pace. Our Summer Grilling campaign was a little short this year (still due to the virus) with about 24 activities. We were able to continue to tell the consumers the facts about beef!

Now, on to our fall Tailgating theme from September 8-November 20. If you know of stores or community events, please contact me.

South Carolina had five entries in the Sutter Home Build a Better Burger recipe contest this year. Good luck to each of those entries! Regional winners will compete this fall and then on to nationals.

The S.C. Beef Council was a sponsor with the S.C. Farm Bureau Annual Ag in the Classroom project.

All presentations were virtual this year.

There were 15 participants involved with the cattle tour featuring Dickie Harper of York on July 14. Many questions were asked and answered by Dickie and myself during the presentation.

Governor McMaster proclaimed June as Beef Month, as well as Dairy Month. He hosted a reception in cooperation with the S.C. Department of Agriculture on June 29. Numerous food and beverage products from these two ag sectors were served to the 125 people attending the event. What a grand time of recognition and presentations!

The S.C. Beef Council has been participating with the southeastern states of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee in a Summer Grilling Campaign from June 3- September 13 to encourage consumers in the southern states to choose beef for their outdoor grilling meals.

The campaign has had over 48 million engagements (video views, audio listens, and clicks) across the platforms (YouTube, Spotify, and Google). A full report of the total results will be available by the end of September. Combining resources in our eight southeastern states has proved very successful.

The S.C. Junior Beef Round-Up was held last month at the Clemson Garrison Arena. The S.C. Beef Council was a sponsor of this very important youth project. Over 100 youth showed 150 head of cattle.

What a grand outing for our future beef producers!

Stay safe, and I’ll look to see you at sales, shows, and fairs this fall.

Until next month...

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NEWS

Promote agriculture online and in your campus community this fall!

Dairy Management Inc. premier sponsor of College Aggies Online scholarship competition. The Animal Agriculture Alliance’s annual College Aggies Online (CAO) scholarship competition kicks off on September 13. The program is open to undergraduate, graduate students, collegiate clubs, and classes who will receive nine weeks of interactive and educational content to learn how to engage about food and agriculture online and in their communities. Last year students were awarded more than $20,000 in scholarships.

The continued success of the CAO program would not have been possible without the support of Dairy Management Inc. (DMI). “Being involved with College Aggies Online gives us the opportunity to work with Gen Z agriculture experts, who can be effective at delivering our story of responsible food production to their peers,” said Don Schindler, senior vice president of digital innovations. “The students involved with this program are the leaders and advocates of tomorrow, so it’s important to the dairy industry and our farmers that we help foster and develop their communications skills to help make sure this next generation of consumers understands where their food comes from and who produced it.”

College Aggies Online helps students become confident and effective communicators on behalf of agriculture and has been doing so since 2009, featuring an individual and club competition. The individual competition is a completely virtual experience. Students receive guidance from industry experts and farmer mentors on how to write blog posts, create viral social media posts, design eye catching infographics, and so much more. The club competition provides both in-person and virtual engagement opportunities for college clubs and classes to engage with peers on campus about agriculture.

Collegiate clubs and classes have ten challenge categories available to choose from to earn points for the club competition.

In the “Undeniably Dairy” challenge sponsored by DMI, clubs are encouraged to partner with local dairy farmers and checkoffs to share the nutritional benefits of dairy and how its produced with students on campus who may not be familiar with agriculture. Additional examples of club challenges include a farm tour, hosting an “Ask a Farmer” panel, bringing agriculture to a local K-12 class, collaborating with the campus dining community, and much more.

All club challenges can be adapted to inperson or virtual formats.

Students interested in becoming confident and effective communicators for agriculture are invited to sign up at animalagalliance.org/initiatives/collegeaggies-online/.

The CAO program would not be possible without the generous support of our 2021 sponsors. In addition to Dairy Management Inc., this year’s sponsors include CHS Foundation, Iowa Pork Producers Association, National Corn Growers Association, Institute for Feed Education and Research, Domino’s Pizza Inc., Ohio Poultry Association, and Culver’s Franchising System. To become a sponsor of the program, contact Casey Kinler, director, membership, and marketing, at ckinler@animalagalliance.org.

About the Animal Agriculture Alliance. The Alliance safeguards the future of animal agriculture and its value to society by bridging the communication gap between the farm and food communities. We connect key food industry stakeholders to arm them with responses to emerging issues. We engage food chain influencers and promote consumer choice by helping them better understand modern animal agriculture.

We protect by exposing those who threaten our nation’s food security with damaging misinformation.

BE A WINNER!

Join your local cattlemen’s association AND your state or regional breed association.

Beef Promotion and Research Program

PRIVATE TREATY SALES CHECKOFF INVESTMENT FORM Information is required by (7 CRF 1260.201). Failure to report can result in a fine.

Information is held confidential (7 CRF 1260.203).

Today’s Date: ________________ Seller’s Name: ____________________________

Buyer’s Name: ____________________________

Address: _________________________________

Address: _________________________________

City: ________________ State: ____ Zip: ______

City: ________________ State: ____ Zip: ______

Seller’s Signature: _________________________

Buyer’s Signature: _________________________

Both the seller & the buyer are responsible for making sure that the $1.50 per head assessment is collected and remitted to the Beef Promotion & Research Board.

Total Number of Cattle Sold: ___________________ x $1.50 Per Head = $ _______________________ Date of Sale: __________________

Person remitting assessment form:

Seller

o

Buyer

o

* State of Origin of Cattle: ______________________

* If the cattle purchased came from another state within the last 30 days, indicate from which state the cattle were purchased.

Send Report and Remittance to:

SOUTH CAROLINA BEEF COUNCIL P.O. Box 11280 Columbia, SC 29211 According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0581-0093. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 1.8 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disbility, sexual orientation, marital or family status, political beliefs, parental status, or protected genetic information. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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Cattlemen’s Beef Board Update

By GREG HANES, Cheif Executive Officer

Your Beef Checkoff Investment — There It Is I’ve heard some producers say that they don’t know how their Checkoff dollars are spent. In fact, I heard one say that once they pay their money, “POOF, it just disappears.” Really? Well, they must not have looked very far or very hard.

The one stop shop for everything Beef Checkoff is the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) website, DrivingDemandforBeef.com. Everything a producer needs to know about where their Checkoff dollars are invested is right there. This includes program proposals with budget summaries, program updates, board and committee information, and more. Producers can get even more program information by subscribing to The Drive, a complimentary quarterly publication.

Of course, the best way to get informed is to participate. There’s no substitute for getting involved and attending local and national meetings.

In fact, this is the busiest time of year for planning/funding activities and meetings, and these were on full display at the annual Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. In addition to celebrating the Beef Checkoff’s 35 th Anniversary, this gathering focused on the proposed programs being considered for Checkoff funding for the upcoming fiscal year.

Here’s how the process works: During the past months, a diverse group of contractors has been developing a wide range of project funding requests known as Authorization Requests (ARs).

These ARs are based on strategies outlined in the current Beef Industry Long Range Plan.

The AR’s first stop is the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB), where a preliminary version of the proposal is reviewed and vetted. Next, the AR is forwarded to the appropriate Beef Checkoff Program Committee(s) for assessment at the Summer Business Meeting during the Cattle Industry Convention. There, the contractors present their proposals to the producer led committee(s) and answers questions. Committee members score the AR and provide feedback, which the contractors use to revise and finalize their ARs before presenting to the Beef Promotion Operating Committee (BPOC) in September.

Responsible for approving and funding Checkoff work each year, the 20 member, all volunteer BPOC is one of the most important groups in the beef industry. Its producer and importer representation is evenly divided between state and national members: ten from the CBB and ten from the Federation of State Beef Councils. This group will meet September 9-10 in Denver to hear detailed presentations from all potential contractors and make final funding

decisions.

It’s important to note that all of these meetings are open to all Checkoff paying producers and importers and provide great insight into how the whole Beef Checkoff program works and what your Checkoff dollars will be doing! It’s also important to know that producer and importer volunteers from around the country are calling the shots every step of the way — and laying it all out there plainly and publicly for fellow producers to see. The Beef Checkoff program has been and continues to be fully accountable, fully transparent, and fully available for producers to check out any time they want. So, POOF, there it is!

NOTICE

Letters to the editor are welcome and we appreciate your input.

HOWEVER, letters that are not signed will not be considered for publication.

Contact these RAAC members to learn more about Red Angus genetics and how they can fit into your herd.

HARDROCK BEEF CATTLE Ronnie & Donna Holman 4613 Hickory Nut Ridge Road • Granite Falls, NC 828-302-8659 ronnie@hardrockbeefcattle.com JK RED ANGUS Jeff Banfield & Madison Adams 331 Tee Jay Farm Road • Aberdeen, NC 910-315-3821 jkredangus@gmail.com LANGDON RED ANGUS & SIMMENTAL John & Eileen Langdon 7728 Raleigh Road • Benson, NC 919-796-5010 johnlangdon5@gmail.com ROGERS CATTLE COMPANY Johnny & Sharon Rogers 945 Woodsdale Road • Roxboro, NC 336-504-7268 rccbeef@gmail.com PRESNELL RED ANGUS Jonathan & Jacob Presnell 368 Whitaker Road • Shelby, NC 704-473-2627 (Jonathan) • 704-616-8775 (Jacob) BULL HILL RANCH Jim & Alvina Meeks • Raymond Prescott, Manager 1986 Trinity Church Road • Gray Court, SC 864-682-3900 • 864-682-2828 bullhill2@mindspring.com

Terry Boyles, President - twinbfarm1@gmail.com

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COUNTRY BOY FARMS David Miller 316 Key Road • Edgefield, SC 706-840-3709

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NEWS BQA Leads to Responsible, Thoughtful Cattle Management. Cattle producers are the original stewards of the land. Taking care of the land helps provide valuable nutrients to their cattle, which in turn provides safe, wholesome beef for the world. Not only do the majority of cattle producers take great pride in taking care of their land, but they also take great pride in taking care of their animals. This is the basis for BQA or Beef Quality Assurance.

“People are prideful on how they care for their cattle. They take care of the animals the best they can, so the animals live a healthy, productive, high performing life. In turn, those animals take care of the producers from a financial standpoint and the consumers by providing a safe and wholesome product,” said Travis Meteer, University of Illinois Extension Beef Specialist and Illinois BQA Coordinator.

BQA is a voluntary educational program for beef producers funded by

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the Beef Checkoff and governed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

It offers cattle producers, backgrounders, and feedlot operators a set of suggested guidelines on how to properly care for their animals. As consumer demand for more information has evolved, so have the BQA standards. What started as a program that reviewed injection sites and how to avoid injection site blemishes has advanced into more comprehensive strategies to help producers steer their production and management to produce safe, wholesome beef products.

“BQA gives producers a playbook.

Any successful rancher or ball team coach knows what plays work, but they have documentation and are able to switch it up, too. BQA is a good playbook to go by. There are certain times some things work better than others, but overall BQA offers best management practices, or the guidelines that producers should be following anyway,” Meteer said.

Meteer conducts several in-person

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BQA training sessions each year across the state of Illinois, so its beef producers can stay certified. The certification lasts three years – standard across most all states. In addition to in-person training, producers can also receive their BQA certification online. Both methods consist of instruction and a quiz. Certification trainers are also provided training, so the program is standardized across the country.

The BQA trainings provide general information on animal care, health, nutrition, and even transportation. Meteer said he also teaches a lot about pasture management, which circles back to cattle nutrition and health. He applies the principle that healthy soils grow healthy plants, and healthy plants grow healthy cattle. In addition, cattle behavior and handling are important parts of BQA. “Everything is so dynamic in the cattle business. The least amount of change happens on the cow/calf operation, where we might keep a cow for 10 years, and turn them out to the same place each year and handle them the same. For feedlot guys or in a stocker setting, those groups of cattle change, the pastures change, so there are lots of moving pieces in terms of how we move cattle, so just understanding animal behavior is something I’m trying to talk more about. Then we apply animal behavior to handler qualities and facilities. We can have the best facility in the world, but if we don’t understand how animals respond, then we won’t understand how we’re supposed to help handle them or position ourselves or what gives a positive reaction or negative reaction from animals; we can still mess up a good facility,” he said.

BQA certification is important to the producer; however, another group it is becoming increasingly important to is the packer. Several packers are requiring BQA certification to source their fed cattle supply. Meteer said the certifications must be on file directly with the packer or with the auction market the cattle are sold through.

Consumer acceptance is likely more favorable because they are more aware of how their meat is raised and are thankful for producers who take the time to become BQA certified, showing they believe in responsible, thoughtful cattle management.

“Surveys show that consumers like to know that producers are using BQA as a continuing education program, and they feel better about what they are consuming if they know how beef is raised,” Meteer said.

Taking care of animals and the land, so they take care of you is care that comes

full circle. To learn more about becoming BQA certified in your specific state or online, visit BQA Certification for more information.

Consider Management Alternatives During Drought. Unpredictable and often extreme weather conditions are just some of the many challenging obstacles that beef cattle producers across the United States regularly contend with while working hard to supply food to a growing population.

Throughout 2021, many cattle producers have been feeling the effects of extremely dry conditions that have had a negative impact on production outcomes.

These drought conditions have resulted in decreased pasture resources and overall forage and feedstuff availability, while further compounding the record high feed prices the industry has witnessed over the course of the last year. This article aims to shed some light on nutrition and management strategies for producers to consider in order to make the best of drought conditions. While it should be noted that every operation is unique, and what works for some operations may not be the answer for others, there are still many considerations that are widely applicable and worth reviewing.

Historically, feed costs on a typical beef enterprise account for 50-70 percent of production costs, and with the elevated prices of feed inputs during this time, it is reasonable to expect that percentage has grown. As such, it is important to closely consider the concept of efficiency and make sure that as a producer, you are doing everything possible to ensure your cow herd is making the most of your resources. This includes having genetics that match your production environment as well as employing other technologies such as Amaferm into your nutritional program. Amaferm is a research proven prebiotic that optimizes digestibility and absorption of nutrients and is available as part of the products in the BioZyme portfolio. While these considerations can have a positive impact year round, the benefits of increasing efficiency are magnified during drought conditions when feed resources are limited.

Producers may also want to consider the use of alternative feedstuffs at this time. Thinking outside the box and considering feedstuffs that may not normally be a part of your supplementation plan can certainly pay off. When doing this, feed testing is very important in order to understand the dynamics of the feedstuff and plan to optimize its use. Further, matching available feedstuffs to the nutritional demands of the cow herd is also important. Depending on the stage of

production, consider utilizing your lowest quality forages during times when cows have the lowest nutritional requirements, such as when not lactating or during early to mid-gestation, and save more desirable forages for times when nutritional requirements are high, such as late gestation through peak lactation.

Another consideration and perhaps one that requires more time to execute and may not be of immediate benefit during extreme drought conditions but is certainly worthwhile is to consider seeding an annual crop as a forage source to supplement the continued grazing of perennial pastures. Further, when rotating pastures during drought stricken conditions allow for more rest time between grazing periods in order to give the forage stand more opportunity for regrowth. Grazing failed crops or hay stands can also be worthwhile, but keep in mind that stressed plants can be more likely to accumulate high levels of toxic compounds such as nitrates or prussic acid. It is best to monitor cattle closely when grazing, and if suspected, remove cattle from access and consult the advice of your nutritionist and veterinarian.

Creep feeding is a practice that aims to directly supplement calves while they

remain nursing at the side of their dam.

By supplementing calves directly, it can help to overcome some of the nutritional shortfalls that calves face with lowered milk production due to limited nutritional availability to the cow. There are a host of BioZyme products that can play a role in your creep feeding scenario, and it might be wise to consult your local BioZyme dealer or Area Sales Manager to discuss options. Alternatively, early weaning calves has proven to be beneficial and is a topic with a significant amount of research to credit its viability. Not only can early weaning lessen the nutritional burden on the cow herd to lactate, but it can also minimize the strain on pastures by reducing the stocking density. If feed resources are available for calves, this can be beneficial. There are several BioZyme products that benefit early weaned calves, such as the Vita Charge line of products, which are fast acting supplements for use during stressful times when cattle need protection or assistance in recovery. Also, Gain Smart is a line of vitamin and mineral supplements for beef cattle with the Amaferm advantage that promotes economically produced pounds by maximizing the natural energy and protein available in forage and has several

formulations that can benefit young and growing cattle following weaning.

As previously mentioned, one of the most important considerations during periods of limited feed availability is focusing on efficiency. VitaFerm Conserve is an economical line of vitamin and mineral supplements for cattle that allows for producers to conserve costs while still improving performance of the herd and making the most of available feedstuffs. This is achieved through the inclusion of Amaferm as well as a complete vitamin and mineral pack.

Further, VitaFerm Conserve is available in six different formulas, each with unique features tailored to different challenges that producers face.

All in all, there are numerous cattle management strategies that can be considered during periods of drought to benefit producers and their cow herd. Be sure to reach out to your local Area Sales Manager or BioZyme dealer to discuss the options that may be right for you.

BioZyme is proud to provide solutions and be of service to the cattle producers that help to feed the world. Learn more about products and services at www. vitaferm.com.

Advocacy Starts with Sharing your

The Carolina Cattle Connection

Story - Part 1. To create advocates in agriculture, we must first be advocates in our industry. Perhaps the best way to create the next generation of spokespeople is to share our story of what we do every day within our own families and operations. Those stories can be shared with peers at school or other organizations or with other groups of people either by the written or spoken word.

Jennifer Shike has been sharing her story while helping build advocates for the agricultural industry for more than two decades. Through a career that started as the director of junior activities for the National Swine Registry, she was able to develop the National Junior Swine Association, leading an organization of young people, many of which are now young parents developing skills within their own children. Most recently, Shike is the editor of Farm Journal’s PORK, where she has the knack for sharing stories about hog producers around the country. However, perhaps her greatest strength is developing the three advocates who live in her own household, children Olivia, 15, Hunter, 13, and Harper, 7,

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BioZyme News continued from the previous page along with her husband Dan. “I think that kids are the best advocates we have for agriculture because they see it in a pure light; they are not bogged down by politics and other people’s beliefs as much. Kids see things for what they are, and I think they are more trusted and more believable to other kids,” Shike said. “There is no more influential time in a person’s life than when they are a child. That’s when they are forming those foundational beliefs and thought processes. It’s easier to influence a young child who has an open mind than it is to influence someone who is older and set in their ways. And there is nobody better to talk to kids than kids.”

The Shike family has engaged in youth livestock projects to teach Olivia, Hunter, and Harper the value of agriculture and how to share that agricultural story that has been part of their heritage. Through showing livestock, the kids have learned responsibility, work ethic, and taking care of animals that ultimately will become part of the food chain. They have also learned how to share what they do with others, both within and outside of their ag

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circle.

“Our kids get asked questions all the time from teachers, staff, people in our community and other adults about what the kids do and why they do what they do.

They also get asked about issues in the industry. Whether it’s Harper teaching her first grade teacher the difference between barrows and boars or Olivia talking to her social studies teacher about African swine fever and his wife’s concerns about feeding their kids pork, those are some pretty powerful positions that they find themselves in simply because they show pigs. When I think about that, I get a little choked up. That’s a big responsibility.

How do I equip them to answer those questions? It’s a unique opportunity and I think it’s so important to provide them with the right information to have those conversations,” Shike said.

Resources and Mentors - Although all kids mature at different rates and build their confidence at different times, Shike believes if a youth is able to hold a pig whip and drive a pig into the show ring, he or she should be able to answer some basic questions about its care. Educating the young people who show livestock

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

should start at home with the parents, and even with the parents having varying experience levels, there are many advisers available to them.

“There are a ton of mentors and resources out there. Get involved and engaged in organizations like the National Junior Swine Association, Team Purebred, 4-H and FFA. There are a plethora of ways kids can learn and be exposed to important information,” she said.

Once parents are armed with the knowledge they need, they can better prepare the next generation of young advocates, according to Shike. There are many ways for young people to gain information from reading industry magazines, searching the internet, and talking to peers; however, the parents need to be the funnel for that information and make sure that the information is accurate and appropriate for the age level of the kid. They also need to make sure that their children are relaying the messages accurately.

“As a parent, it starts with you,” she said. “Remember, these are not pets; they are animals that will be entering the food chain. It is up to the parent to guide the kids and pave the way.”

Shike encourages her kids to manage their time wisely and to invest their resources in ways so that they can grow their knowledge base about the swine industry or any other topic of interest at the time in a way that will benefit another area. For example, Olivia was enrolled in the Vet Science 4-H project and focused a project on African swine fever so she could gain valuable information that would benefit her as a swine exhibitor and spokesperson for the industry, something that came in useful when talking to her social studies teacher. Both Olivia and Hunter have written papers and presented speeches at school that tie into their agricultural passions.

Becoming Mentors - In addition to sharing their ag stories, it is important for the Shikes to serve as mentors to those who are interested in getting involved in livestock projects – not only in their local community but everywhere they show.

For the second year, they have hosted a swine clinic at their home to demonstrate proper showmanship, feeding, and fitting techniques. Olivia and Hunter also talk about some basic key issues relevant to the industry in terms that their peers can understand.

It is also imperative that the Shike kids set a good example at shows, at the local, state, and national levels. This includes encouraging involvement in contests and cheering on friends before

and after they show.

“You always think of your kids looking up to other kids, but you don’t think of other kids looking up to your kids. Last year at the National Junior Show, someone told me her kids looked up to my kids and that stopped me in my tracks,” Shike said. “People are watching what I do –people are watching my kids, too. My kids are being role models by the practices they implement when working with their pigs.”

Sharing your story can start with the simple task of explaining the difference between a barrow and a boar. And with experience, those stories evolve. It’s important to share your agriculture story to keep the history and heritage alive and to keep the production practices of a safe, wholesome product on top of consumers’ minds. It starts with one conversation. It starts with you.

“When you’re passionate and you truly love something, it just comes out of you. My advice to young people about sharing their ag story is to make sure you love it. If you simply love it and care about it, you’re going to do the extra work, go to the extra meeting, do the extra research or take the extra steps to get it done well. I believe that passion fuels success. The kids that impress me most simply have that passion in their veins and that attracts people and brings them in,” Shike said.

Share your passion. Share your story. Talk to your peers and talk to their parents. Make sure that our industry is around for even the next generation to talk about.

For more resources about building advocates in agriculture or for the next installment in this series, visit www. surechamp.com.

About BioZyme ® Inc. BioZyme Inc., founded in 1951, develops and manufactures natural, proprietary products focused on animal nutrition, health, and microbiology. With a continued commitment to research, BioZyme offers a complete line of feed additives and high density, highly available vitamin, mineral, trace mineral, and protein supplements for a variety of animals, including cattle, pigs, poultry, sheep, goats, horses, and dogs. BioZyme brands include Amaferm ®, VitaFerm®, Vita Charge®, Sure Champ®, Vitalize®, DuraFerm® and Backyard Boost™. With headquarters in St. Joseph, Missouri, the company reaches a global market of customers that stretches into countries across five continents. For more information about BioZyme, visit www. biozymeinc.com.

AgriSafe Launches New Website to Support Safety for Farmers and Ranchers AgriSafe Network has been well positioned for the past 20 years to provide health and safety information to agricultural communities and their families. Recently, AgriSafe launched a new website that integrates its learning management system that includes fact sheets, webinars, and safety information for health professionals with health topics for farmers and ranchers. An important new feature of the website is specifically targeted to agricultural producers, “Health Topics.” Farmers and ranchers are constantly navigating a variety of occupational risks, and this new topic page is their home base for trusted and reliable information on health and safety issues. Sarah Dauterive, Web Technologies Librarian for AgriSafe, states that “Finding trusted health information can be difficult, especially when you need information specifically for the occupational hazards associated with farming. This new space serves as a hub for the people working in agriculture to find specific information to their needs, both from AgriSafe and our trusted partners.”

Additionally, the website includes a “Learning Opportunities” section which

features content produced by AgriSafe for health and safety professionals and rural healthcare providers. This work is largely credited to the Network of the National Library of Medicine’s Region 3 Medical Library, which funded our investment and integration of agriculture and safety resources. This is important because farmers are at very high risk for fatal and nonfatal injuries. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), agriculture ranks among the most hazardous industries.

Recent statistics state that every day about 100 agricultural workers suffer a lost-work-time injury. Approximately two million full time workers were employed in production agriculture in the U.S. in 2018.

“If you’re looking for health and safety information for farmers and ranchers or the health professionals who care for them, AgriSafe’s new website is the place to visit online. Our resources and training calendar are up to date, if you can’t find something; we can also assist you,” said Mrs. Dauterive.

Additional features will launch in early fall; AgriSafe is exploring options to offer an enhanced membership platform

for our paid members, which will include membership forums and access to special content.

AgriSafe is proud of its history to “Protect the People Who Feed the World,” through programming targeted towards rural health professionals, ag producers, and health and safety professionals. To visit our website, go to www.agrisafe.org and be sure to check out our social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn at AgriSafe Network. For questions about the new website, please contact Sarah Dauterive, Web Technologies Librarian, at sdauterive@agrisafe.org. To explore options for sponsoring AgriSafe initiatives, please contact Natalie Roy,

AgriSafe Executive Director, at nroy@ agrisafe.org.

About AgriSafe Network. AgriSafe is an international 501©3 organization representing health and safety professionals who strive to reduce health disparities found among the agricultural community. Our mission is to support a growing network of trained agricultural health and safety professionals that assure access to preventative services for farm families and the agricultural community. AgriSafe is impactful across the globe because we use web based technology to deliver the best trainings by experts in the field. For more information, visit www.agrisafe.org.

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PAGE 63

Te s t Yo u r K n o w l e d g e o n Trichomoniasis. Are you up to speed on trich prevention and management best practices? When it comes to trichomoniasis, also referred to as trich, the more you know about the disease – the better you’re prepared to prevent a costly outbreak. In fact, producers with little to no understanding of trich are over three times more likely to have an infection in their herd.1 To ensure you’re up to speed on trich prevention and management best practices, test your knowledge below.

True or False? Trich is only found in certain regions of the United States.

False.”Today we’re finding trichomoniasis in cattle all over the country,” said Jody Wade, DVM, Boehringer Ingelheim.

Even though trich used to be known as a “Western disease,” that’s far from reality now. With the increase in moving cattle over the years, trich infections have been identified in states from coast to coast.

True or False? An infected bull can cut a calf crop in half. True. Breeding to a trich-infected bull can impact between 25–30 percent of pregnancies in the first year, resulting in early term abortions and prolonged infertility in beef cows.1 However, it’s typically the second or third year of a trich infection that really causes the economic losses. With multiple infected bulls breeding cows, you can see more than 50 percent of your cows open, which results in a huge reduction in production and profitability for a cow/calf producer.2

NEWS

The impact of this venereal disease in a cow herd is further felt through lower weaning weights due to delayed breeding, testing of potentially infected bulls, and replacement of infected cattle. Beyond replacing cattle, ongoing surveillance to ensure the herd is trich-free costs producers money, too.

True or False? The importance of vaccinating against trich varies by herd.

True. Dr. Wade mentions that producers who have consistently trich-negative herds can get by without vaccinating. However, he cautions that it’s better to be safe than sorry. Oftentimes, it takes experience with a trich outbreak and the devastating losses that come with it before the value of vaccination is realized.

“What surprises me most about this disease is where it shows up. Really great managers who maintain closed herds and proactively test bulls have had to deal with the consequences of a trich infection, simply because a neighbor’s bull happened to get into their pasture and breed a few cows,” said Dr. Wade.

True or False? Testing bulls annually is recommended. False. Dr. Wade says that a best practice is to test bulls twice a year.

• Pre-breeding: Testing bulls 30 days prior to turnout will ensure you do not introduce trich into your herd. Leased bulls can be a problem as they are often not tested in between the movement of cow groups.

• Post breeding: Even though the bulls will not be breeding cows for a while, testing at this time will tell you if you had any trich-infected cows in the

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herd at the end of the season.

It’s important to note that the risk of developing a trich infection varies among herds, so effective prevention and management protocols do not look the same for every operation. Furthermore, trich testing regulations vary by state.

Producers are encouraged to work with their local veterinarian to design a comprehensive trich prevention plan.

References 1 Rae D.O., Crews J.E., Greiner E.C., Donovan G.A. Epidemiology of Tritrichomonas foetus in beef bull populations. Theriogenol 2004;61(4):605–618.

2 Clark B.L., Dufty J.H., Parsonson I.M. The effect of Tritrichomonas foetus infection on calving rates in beef cattle.

Aust Vet J 1983;60(3):71–74.

About Boehringer Ingelheim.

Improving the health and quality of life of patients is the goal of the research driven pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. The focus in doing so is on diseases for which no satisfactory treatment option exists to date. The company, therefore, concentrates on developing innovative therapies that can extend patients’ lives. In animal health, Boehringer Ingelheim stands for advanced prevention.

Boehringer Ingelheim is the second largest animal health business in the world. We are committed to creating animal well being through our large portfolio of advanced, preventive healthcare products and services. With net sales of $4.4 billion and around 10,000 employees worldwide, we are present in more than 150 markets. For more information, visit www.boehringeringelheim.com/animal-health/overview.

S.C. Cattle Receipts, Trends, and Prices for the Month of JULY 2021 Cattle Receipts: 7,478

•

Previous Month: 10,316

Feeder supply - 29% steers • 41% heifers • 30% bulls SLAUGHTER CLASSES

Avg. Wt. Price

Cows - % Lean

Breaker 1,516 $67.79

Boner 1,215 $70.24

Lean 989 $64.77

Bulls - Yield Grade 1-2

1,632

$96.42

FEEDER CLASSES

FEEDER STEERS (Medium and Large 1-2) Wt. Range Avg. Wt. CWT Avg. Price 400-450 427 $155.41 $663.60 450-500 472 $147.18 $694.69 500-550 525 $142.87 $750.07 550-600 571 $142.46 $813.45 600-650 619 $137.36 $850.26 650-700 669 $133.10 $890.44

FEEDER BULLS (Medium and Large 1-2) Wt. Range Avg. Wt. CWT Avg. Price 400-450 421 $146.56 $617.02 450-500 466 $142.02 $661.81 500-550 522 $136.46 $712.32 550-600 571 $132.79 $758.23 600-650 620 $127.76 $792.11 650-700 672 $124.19 $834.56

FEEDER HEIFERS (Medium and Large 1-2) Wt. Range Avg. Wt. CWT Avg. Price 400-450 424 $134.53 $570.41 450-500 472 $132.64 $626.06 500-550 519 $130.16 $675.53 550-600 569 $128.76 $732.64 600-650 619 $122.14 $756.05 650-700 664 $119.52 $793.61

Source: S.C. Dept. of Agriculture - USDA Market News Service, Columbia, S.C. - 803-737-4491

PAGE 64

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

A Message from the CEO

By COLIN WOODALL

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Death and Taxes Benjamin Franklin is the most well known source of the line that the only two certainties in life are death and taxes, and here in the United States, being taxed upon your death is a battle we still fight. NCBA has been the leader among agriculture groups in working to protect cattle producers from harmful tax policy. Over thirty years ago, NCBA helped form the Family Business Estate Tax Coalition to actively fight these burdens. We also helped coin the term “Death Tax” to get the attention of Congress on what the estate tax truly is.

Over the years, we have been successful at making the Death Tax less of a burden and even achieved one full year of repeal.

Like every policy issue, however, each new Congress and presidential administration wants to tackle the issue again.

There are several bills in Congress that

will directly impact you, your family, and your operation. The Sensible Taxation and Equity Promotion (STEP) Act sponsored by Senator Chris Van Hollen from Maryland would eliminate the stepped up basis.

Senator Bernie Sander’s For the 99.5 Percent Act would decrease the Death Tax exemption to $3.5 million per person or $7 million per couple. With the current COVID land rush we are seeing across the country, you do not have to own a very large operation to have assets in excess of $3.5 million. The Agriculture and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M analyzed the impact of these bills by using their database of 94 representative farms in 30 states. If both pieces of legislation passed to fund President Biden’s initiatives, 92 of the 94 representative farms would incur additional tax liabilities of $1.43 million per farm at

SAVE THE DATE N.C. Beef Cattle Field Day and Trade Show Join us for the 2021 N.C. Beef Cattle Field Day and Trade Show on October 9 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Butner Beef Cattle Field Laboratory in Bahama, North Carolina. This event is sponsored by the N.C. Beef System, comprised of representatives from the N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services research stations, N.C. State University Department of Animal Science, and the N.C. Cattlemen’s Association.

The trade show and registration will begin at 9:00 a.m. Dr. Todd See, Department Head of Animal Science, will kick off the 2021 North Carolina Beef Cattle Field Day with a welcoming address and provide a brief history of the research station and introduction of new personnel at 9:30 a.m. Attendees will have the option to participate in station tours starting at 10:00 a.m. to provide an overview of livestock and forage research being conducted within the N.C. Beef System or visit with other producers at the trade show. Station tours will feature topics on animal selection, reproductive strategies, soil health, nutrition, forage options, and much more. Everyone will gather for lunch provided by N.C. State University and North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Following lunch, there will be an “Ask the Experts” open panel discussion, in which the morning presenters will address any questions you may have on beef cattle production.

We hope you will consider joining us and participating in the 2021 N.C. Beef Cattle Field Day and Trade Show. For more information on this event, please visit the N.C. Cattlemen’s Association website at www.nccattle.com.

the time of generational transfer. Most operations do not have that kind of cash to pay anything close to that in taxes.

The President has made it clear that climate change is one of his top priorities, and I have written many times in this column about how farming and ranching are a part of the solution when it comes to sustainability. We cannot be that solution if we have to sell off portions of our operations to settle our tax debt. The President’s tax approach is completely counter to his climate goals. If we must sell our land, it is doubtful the next owner will put cows on it. For those of you close to urban areas, you can guarantee that the next crop growing on that land will be houses, and that will be the last crop it grows. Fortunately, we have Democrats and Republicans who see the folly in this approach and are helping us by speaking out against these proposals and introducing their own legislation to help protect us.

NCBA will continue to lead the charge in fighting against additional tax burdens.

When it comes to generational transfer of your operation, it is more than just a discussion about federal tax policy. It is a discussion about taking proactive steps in developing your plans and expressing your wishes with your family. It is not

a conversation anybody really wants to have, and that is why so many times the conversation takes place after it is too late. As someone who is going through a generational transfer, I am learning these lessons firsthand. I have heard presentation after presentation at cattlemen’s meetings about the need to plan early. I thought I still had plenty of time to talk about the future, but that ended up not being the case. While my family had done quite a bit of planning to ensure the transition, I found I had not asked enough questions nor gained enough understanding of the plan. Now I am paying our attorney more money to protect the continuity of our operation. That is money I could be putting towards improvement of the land had I just not procrastinated.

I have full faith in our NCBA team’s success in protecting you from tax increases, but generational transfer is about more than the taxes. I implore you to gather your family together and have the dreaded talk.

It probably will not be fun or comfortable, but you must do it for the sake of your operation’s future. Now, like many of you, I am challenged with making a commercial cow/calf operation work, but first, it is off to invest in a new chainsaw because I have a lot of cedar trees to get rid of.

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q SEPTEMBER 2021

PAGE 65

NCBA News

House Agriculture Hearing Echoes NCBA Push for More Hook Space.

Recently, the U.S. House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture held a hearing to examine urgent challenges within the beef supply chain. After hearing testimony from agriculture economists, land-grant university faculty, and cattle industry stakeholders, many members of Congress echoed the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) longstanding call to expand processing capacity.

Members also noted the need for greater transparency in cattle markets to create conditions that support both a reliable, affordable supply of U.S. beef and the continued financial viability of American cattle farmers and ranchers.

“The roadblocks that are depressing profits for our cattle producers and endangering the steady supply of affordable beef have really captured the attention of lawmakers,” said NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. “The continued momentum we are seeing on expanding processing capacity, both on Capitol Hill and at USDA, is a positive sign. We are grateful to Chairman Costa and Ranking Member Johnson for prioritizing this issue. We look forward to continuing to work with members of the House Agriculture Committee to advance

PAGE 66

solutions like the Butcher Block Act that would alleviate some of the chokepoints that are hurting our producers.”

Cattle industry concerns have seen increased attention recently from both sides of the aisle as NCBA has advocated for commonsense solutions that address the most urgent challenges facing producers. In recent months, NCBA has engaged with Congress and the administration to: • Secure the introduction of legislation to help small, independent processors expand capacity and improve marketing options for cattle producers.

• Reform the “Product of the USA” beef label in a way that benefits both consumers and producers.

• Defend family farms, ranches, and rural communities against devastating proposed tax hikes.

• Deliver critical progress on much needed flexibility under hours-of-service regulations for livestock haulers.

• Ensure that the “America the Beautiful” or 30x30 conservation plan prioritizes the input of agricultural producers and respects private property rights.

NCBA Pleased to See Legislation Recognizing the Needs of Ranchers on the Border. Recently, Representative August Pfluger (R-Tex.) introduced

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

the bipartisan RAPID (Reimbursing Agriculture Producers for Immigration Damages) Act with Representative Vicente Gonzalez (D-Tex.), Representative Henry Cuellar (D-Tex.), and Representative Tony Gonzales (R-Tex.) to create a reimbursement program for agricultural producers that incur losses caused by illegal border crossings.

The bill would allow producers to receive reimbursement for livestock losses, damage to fences or physical structures, or property losses, all of which currently occur at the border due to those crossing the border illegally.

NCBA thanks Representative Pfluger and this bipartisan group of members for supporting policies that protect cattle farmers and ranchers who are simply trying to raise not only their livestock but their families on this land.

“Texas ranchers are facing significant hardships amid a flood of illegal border crossings and must continually fix cut fences and damaged infrastructure,” said Hughes Abell, president of the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association.

“We commend the bipartisan legislation filed today to help these hardworking men and women recoup some of the costs they bear, and urge Congress to quickly pass this much needed assistance.”

“As stewards of large sections of the Southern Border, ranchers suffer a disproportionate share of the burden associated with illegal border crossings,” said NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. “Not only do illegal border crossings damage property and livestock, but they also endanger ranchers and their families. We are extremely grateful to Representatives Pfluger,

Gonzalez, Cuellar, and Gonzales for their bipartisan support for ranchers whose land and livelihood have been harmed by the border crisis.”

Illegal border crossings pose a critical danger to ranchers and their families who often live in remote locations on our Southern Border. This legislation finally provides much needed relief to those who face the challenges and damage to their property that illegal immigration causes every day. NCBA will continue advocating for the needs of American cattle producers and urges Congress to pass this important legislation.

Outstanding Woman in Business Joins NCBA Team. Jennifer Nealson Hired as Senior Vice President, Global Marketing and Research. Jennifer Nealson of Denver has been hired as the new Senior Vice President of Global Marketing and Research at NCBA. Nealson is responsible for directing program strategy, development, and integration through marketing, research, and science disciplines in an effort to increase the demand for beef.

“We are happy to have Jennifer join our team in this key role,” said NCBA CEO Colin Woodall. “She is a proven leader with a passion for building teams, inspiring people and growing market share. I look forward to her using her talents at NCBA to promote beef.”

One of Nealson’s primary duties is to direct the development and execution of NCBA’s Beef Checkoff funded promotion and research programs, including managing the iconic Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. campaign. She is also tasked with developing partnerships with beef industry stakeholders to leverage beef producers’ Checkoff dollars for maximum impact in the marketplace.

“I’m thrilled to join the talented team at NCBA and work with cattle producers around the nation. I am excited to work together to develop compelling programs that shine a bright light on beef and all of its benefits,” said Nealson. “We will continue the good work of NCBA, while also finding ways to innovate and engage to make an even greater impact in driving beef demand.”

Nealson has 25 years of experience uncovering new ways to market and sell that result in increased revenue. Before serving as CEO at EMERGE Strategy, a consulting practice focused on growth strategy for middle market companies, Nealson enjoyed a successful career with fast growing firms, many of which experienced transformative growth. She has been the Chief Marketing Officer with a broad range of companies - from fintech start-ups to non-profits to private

equity. Most recently, she was the Chief Marketing Officer at SALT Blockchain Asset Management, where she oversaw the company’s expansion into nine global markets.

Nealson is deeply involved in the Denver community and currently serves, or has served, on numerous boards, including Vectra Bank, VISIT Denver, Economic Development Corporation, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce Leadership Foundation, and was the president of the Business Marketing Association.

Nealson was recently named a 2021 Outstanding Woman in Business by the Denver Business Journal and was honored as one of the Top 25 Most Powerful Women by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

Nealson earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska in Organizational Communications and a Certificate in Finance from the University of Colorado.

NCBA, recognized by the Denver Post as one of the 2021 Top Places to Work, is the oldest and largest national association of cattle producers and works to create new markets and increase demand for beef. For more information, visit www.ncba.org.

USDA Adopts Market Transparency Policies Backed by NCBA. The U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA-AMS) announced recently that it will begin publishing a National Daily Direct Formula Base Cattle report, which will provide greater information into the foundational prices used in cattle market formulas, grids, and contracts, and a National Weekly Cattle Net Price Distribution report, which will show the volume of cattle purchased at each different level of pricing within those formulas, grids, and contracts. NCBA has long urged USDA to adopt policies that increase transparency in the cattle markets and applauds this effort to provide producers greater insight into cattle transactions.

“USDA’s announcement is a significant step toward increasing transparency in the cattle markets,” said NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. “As Livestock Mandatory Reporting awaits congressional reauthorization, it is encouraging to see the Administration taking proactive steps to broaden the scope of this critical information tool.

NCBA remains committed to maximizing market transparency and looks forward to building on this momentum to shed more light on the fed cattle trade.”

The formula bucket is a catch-all for transactions that do not fit the definition

of either a negotiated cash, negotiated grid, or contract trade. Most formula pricing agreements utilize a base price from which premiums are added and discounts subtracted. However, the base prices for these transactions are determined through means other than direct, buyer-seller negotiation. The National Daily Direct Formula Base Cattle report will share national base price information of formula agreements.

The National Weekly Cattle Net Price Distribution will report what levels (price and volume) trade occurred across the weekly weighted average price for each purchase type – negotiated, negotiated grid, formula, and forward contract.

The addition of these new publications will allow producers to better compare their marketing arrangement to others and allow them to make more informed business decisions on their operations.

NCBA is the leading voice in Washington on the need for greater cattle market transparency, including the establishment of a cattle contract library and eliminating cumbersome rules of confidentiality. USDA began publication of the National Daily Direct Formula Base Cattle report on August 9 and the National Weekly Cattle Net Price Distribution report on August 10.

Senate Infrastructure Package is a Step in the Right Direction.

NCBA issued the following statement in response to the Senate passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: “We are pleased to see the Senate has passed an infrastructure package that will benefit American cattle producers.

Investments in infrastructure are critical to ensure that those in rural America, including farmers and ranchers, have the necessary resources to operate the businesses that serve as the backbone of rural economies,” said Executive Director of Government Affairs Allison Rivera.

“We see this legislation as a step in the right direction and will continue working with Members of Congress to ensure that the needs of cattle and beef producers are included in a final infrastructure bill.”

CattleFax Forecasts Record Beef Demand; Prospects for Tighter Supplies. The beef cattle industry is bouncing back from the pandemic, and continued progress is expected in 2022.

Beef prices are near record high, and consumer and wholesale beef demand are both at 30 year highs as the U.S. and global economy recover. While drought remains a significant concern with weather threatening pasture conditions in the Northern Plains and West, strong demand, combined with higher cattle prices, signal an optimistic future for the

beef industry, according to CattleFax. The popular CattleFax Outlook Seminar, held as part of the 2021 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in Nashville, shared expert market and weather analysis.

According to CattleFax CEO Randy Blach, the cattle market is still dealing with a burdensome supply of marketready fed cattle. The influence of that supply will diminish as three years of herd liquidation will reduce feedyard placements. As this occurs, the value of calves, feeder cattle, and fed cattle will increase several hundred dollars per head over the next few years.

Kevin Good, vice president of industry relations and analysis at CattleFax, reported that the most recent cattle cycle saw cattle inventories peak at 94.8 million head and that those numbers are still in the system due to the COVID-19 induced slowdown in harvest over the past year.

“As drought, market volatility and processing capacity challenges unnerved producers over the past 24 months, the industry is liquidating the beef cow herd which is expected to decline 400,000 head by January 1 reaching 30.7 million head,” Good said.

The feeder cattle and calf supply will decline roughly 1 million head from its peak during this contraction phase.

Fed cattle slaughter will remain larger through 2021 as carryover from pandemic disruptions works through a processing segment hindered by labor issues, he added.

“While fed cattle slaughter nearly equals 2019 highs at 26.5 million head this year, we expect a 500,000 head decline in 2022,” Good said. “This, combined with plans for new packing plants and expansions possibly adding near 25,000 head per week of slaughter capacity over the next few years, should restore leverage back to the producer.”

Good forecasted the average 2022 fed steer price at $135/cwt, up $14/ cwt from 2021, with a range of $120 to $150/cwt, throughout the year. All cattle classes are expected to trade higher, and prices are expected to improve over the next three years. The 800 lb steer price is expected to average $165/cwt with a range of $150 to $180/cwt, and the 550 lb steer price is expected to average $200/ cwt with a range of $170 to $230/cwt.

Finally, Good forecasted utility cows at an average of $70/cwt with a range of $60 to $80/cwt and bred cows at an average of $1,750/cwt with a range of $1,600 to $1,900 for load lots of quality, running age cows.

Consumer demand for beef at home and around the globe remained strong in

The Carolina Cattle Connection

2021, a trend that will continue in 2022, especially as tight global protein supplies are expected to fuel U.S. export growth.

Aftershocks from the pandemic continue to keep domestic demand at elevated levels not seen since 1988.

Government stimulus and unemployment benefits are fueling the economy, with demand outpacing available supplies as restaurants and entertainment segments emerge from shutdowns.

According to Good, the boxed beef cutout peaked at $336/cwt in June, while retail beef prices pushed to an annual high at $7.11/pound. “Customer traffic remained strong at restaurants and retail – even as those segments pushed on the higher costs, proving consumers are willing to pay more for beef,” he said.

Wholesale demand will be softer in 2022, as a bigger decline in beef supplies will offset a smaller increase in beef prices, with the cutout expected to increase $5 to $265/cwt. Retailers and restaurants continue to adjust prices higher to cover costs. Good added the retail beef prices are expected to average $6.80/lb in 2021 and increase to $6.85/lb in 2022.

Global protein demand has increased, and U.S. beef exports have posted new record highs for two consecutive months, even with high wholesale prices. The increases were led by large, year-overyear gains into China, and Japan and South Korea remaining strong trade partners for protein. “The tightening of global protein supplies will support stronger U.S. red meat exports in 2022.

U.S. beef exports are expected to grow 15 percent in 2021 and another 5 percent in 2022,” Good said.

Mike Murphy, CattleFax vice president of research and risk management services, expects summer weather patterns – and their effect on corn and soybean yields – to be the focus of market participants.

“As China rebuilds its pork industry following their battle with African Swine Fever, they are looking for higher quality feed ingredients, such as corn and soybeans,” Murphy said, “Exceptional demand from China is leading U.S. corn exports to a new record in the current market year, and strong demand for U.S. soybeans has elevated prices in the last 12 months.”

Spot prices for soybeans are expected to be $13-$16 per bushel for the remainder of the next 18 months, along with spot corn futures to trade between $4.75-$6.25 per bushel in the same time frame.

Continued on the next page q SEPTEMBER 2021

PAGE 67

NCBA News continued from the previous page Murphy noted that drier weather in the Northern Plains and West will pressure hay production and quality in the 2021 season – supporting prices into the next year. “May 1 on-farm hay stocks were down 12 percent from the previous year, at 18 million tons. The USDA estimates hay acres are down 700,000 from last year at 51.5 million acres. So expect current year hay prices to average near $170/ton, and 2022 average prices should be steady to $10 higher due to tighter supplies and stronger demand,” he said.

All session panelists agreed that weather is a major factor impacting the beef industry and agriculture as a whole in 2021 and going into 2022. A forecasted return of La Niña this fall would lead to intensifying drought for the West and Plains into early 2022, according to Dr. Art Douglas, professor emeritus at Creighton University. Douglas indicated that the precipitation outlook in the fall of 2021 going into the early part of 2022 could see drought push harder in the Pacific Northwest with above normal precipitation across the inter-mountain West – leaving the Midwest drier and less tropical storm activity to reduce Southeast rainfall into late fall. Also, the western half of the country will be drier into early spring with a returning La Nina.

Blach concluded the session with an overall positive outlook, expecting margins to improve as cattle supply tightens and producers gain leverage back from packers and retailers, beef demand to remain solid with expected export growth, and utilization and packing capacity to improve over the next few years. He also noted that the economy has made gains in 2021 and should stay stronger with low interest rates and government stimulus fueling consumer spending.

Cattle Industry Commits to Climate Neutrality by 2040. NCBA recently solidified U.S. cattle ranchers’ commitment to environmental, economic, and social sustainability with the release of U.S. cattle industry sustainability goals.

Beef producers in the United States are already the global leader in sustainable beef production. The setting of these goals will further enhance the sustainability of the U.S. system and set targets that demonstrate to the world that producers are committed to continued improvement. The goals for the U.S. cattle industry include: • Demonstrate climate neutrality of U.S. cattle production by 2040.

• Create and enhance opportunities that result in a quantifiable increase in producer profitability and economic sustainability by 2025.

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• Enhance trust in cattle producers as responsible stewards of their animals and resources by expanding educational opportunities in animal care and handling programs to further improve animal well being.

• Continuously improve our industry’s workforce safety and well being.

“Cattlemen and women have demonstrated their commitment to sustainability for generations. They work tirelessly to protect the land, water, and air resources in their care.

Through countless improvements in genetics, grazing management, manure handling, and the adoption of many other technologies, this is just the next step on our industry’s path,” said Marty Smith, a Florida cattleman, and NCBA past president. “Producers deserve recognition for their use of cutting edge practices and technologies that minimize environmental impact. By setting goals, we’re publicly committing to continuous improvement and setting targets that allow us to measure and document those efforts.”

These goals are the culmination of a grassroots, rancher led process. The Sustainability Goals Task Force was formed in 2021 to evaluate the current state of U.S. beef cattle sustainability, determine which improvements are most critical, and help share the story of progress. Members of this working group – cattle farmers and ranchers from across the U.S. – led the process and made all decisions, including setting the sustainability goals.

“Sustainability is, and will continue to be, an incredibly important part of what we do, and I’m proud that my fellow leaders across the cattle industry have taken these important steps,” Smith said.

“As our country and the world examine risks associated with climate change and other sustainability challenges, our commitment to sustainability positions us to play an even bigger role in mitigating these risks in the future.”

To learn more about the cattle industry’s sustainability goals, go to ncba. org/sustainability.

About the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. NCBA has represented America’s cattle producers since 1898, preserving the heritage and strength of the industry through education and public policy. As the largest association of cattle producers, NCBA works to create new markets and increase demand for beef. Efforts are made possible through membership contributions. To join, contact NCBA at 866-BEEF-USA or membership@beef.org.

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

P A EC

R Thousands Gather in Tennessee for Annual Cattle Industry Convention.

Attendees Excited to Meet in Person.

The largest annual beef industry event began in Nashville on August 10, where more than 6,000 cattle producers, industry partners, and stakeholders will gather for the 2021 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show. The event, which continued through August 12, provides a platform for education, policy development, and networking.

“I am pleased that cattlemen and women can come together in person once again,” said National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Jerry Bohn.

“Producers from across the country and their families look forward to convention every year, but I think it means even more following the pandemic’s disruptions.”

Carrie Behlke, winner of the 2021 NCBA National Anthem Contest, opened the convention in patriotic style by singing the “Star Spangled Banner.” The convention then kicked off in Music City fashion with country music singer and songwriter Kix Brooks. Brooks, who was recently recognized as the National On-Air Personality of the Year by the Academy of Country Music, talked about his experiences in country music as well as his passion for creating award winning wines.

Over the following days, convention participants gained insights on market trends during the CattleFax Outlook Seminar, heard a “State of the Industry” update from NCBA, learned about the cattle industry’s role in sustainability, and wandered through the NCBA Trade Show – the industry’s largest, with more than 350 exhibitors on more than seven acres.

Annual meetings of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, American National CattleWomen, CattleFax, and National Cattlemen’s Foundation were also held. In addition, the National Environmental Stewardship Award winner was honored at a special reception on August 10, and winners of the Beef Quality Assurance awards were recognized on August 12.

The final day of the convention included two general sessions, one of which offered a panel discussion on sustainability. Sustainability continues to be a hot topic, with environmental

stewardship often making the headlines, but economic viability and social responsibility play roles as well. Session speakers discussed how the cattle industry offers solutions to the climate change conversation.

The Closing General Session featured speaker Jason Brown, a former professional football player who turned in his cleats for a tractor. Brown left the NFL to serve others through farming, and he talked about his life changing journey from the football field to the vegetable field.

Additional educational opportunities included the Learning Lounge, which offered classroom sessions on the trade show floor providing busy attendees valuable educational tips.

The Stockmanship and Stewardship demonstration arena provided unique educational experiences featuring live animal handling and horsemanship demonstrations. And, back by popular demand was the Chutes and Scales Showdown, where producers could watch cattle run through chutes, side-by-side, then get hands on experience with the equipment. Campfire Chats also provided attendees the opportunity to engage with fellow producers and industry leaders in interactive roundtable discussions.

Entertainment also abounded throughout the event, including a NashBash BBQ on August 11 and

N.C. Weekly Auctions Report

(Week ending AUGUST 05, 2021) Feeder Cattle - Medium and Large 1-2 Kind Avg. Wt. $/lb Steers 300-400 $134.00 - 187.00

400-500 $130.00 - 166.00

500-600 $127.00 - 156.00

600-700 $120.00 - 148.00

700-800 $118.00 - 140.00

800-900 $-------- - 118.00 Heifers

300-400 400-500 500-600 600-700 700-800 800-900

$124.00 - 156.00 $119.00 - 144.00 $111.00 - 140.00 $104.00 - 129.50 $95.00 - 119.00 $------- - 88.00

Slaughter Cows: (over 850 lbs) Breakers (70-80% lean) $62.00 - 73.00 Boners (80-85% lean) $61.00 - 75.00 High Dressing (70-85% lean) $66.00 - 81.00

Source: N.C. Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services - USDA Market News, Raleigh, N.C. • 919-707-3156

Cowboy’s Night at the Opry on August 12. The exclusive event at the Grand Ole Opry featured country music’s brightest stars and greatest legends, including Mark Wills, Crystal Gayle, Ashley McBryde, Ricky Skaggs, and Lauren Alaina.

“This is a great time to come together and not only conduct the business of the industry, but also to reconnect and network with one another,” Bohn concluded.

Cattle Producer Education Experience Draws Big Crowd. Popular Education Event Precedes Annual Convention. Hundreds of cattlemen and women attended the 28th annual Cattlemen’s College, which was held before the Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show. Cattlemen’s College, sponsored by Zoetis, is one of the cattle industry’s premier educational events and brings stimulating sessions that can help generate better returns for operations.

The first day included four workshops featuring hot topics selected by producers themselves, such as parasite and dewormer resistance, factors affecting breeding success in heifers, making effective decisions, and vaccination strategies in beef cows. Speakers also addressed risk management and informed producers how they can capitalize on opportunity, manage marketing decisions, and start the discussion on Livestock Risk Protection.

In addition, the live animal demonstration focused on genomic tools for heifer selection, breeding, and marketing decisions. Dr. Tom Short and Dr. Kent Andersen provided this thought provoking demonstration about genomic technology and offered insights to help better inform selection decisions with genetic selection tools that enhance production efficiency throughout the beef supply chain. The day wrapped up with a Taste of Tennessee reception, with beef provided by Certified Angus Beef.

Day two started with keynote speaker Dr. Jayson Lusk from Purdue University, who discussed industry impacts from COVID-19 and keeping beef at the center of the plate. Lusk also provided the latest research regarding the potential impacts of emerging alternative proteins and current challenges facing the cattle industry.

The second day also featured 18 sessions and six educational tracks for producers to choose from, including making better decisions for better outcomes, cattle breeding and selection, maintaining a healthy herd, practical nutrition, sustainability, and hot topics such as preparing for activist threats. The event concluded with a networking lunch where producers had the opportunity to

engage with speakers and each other.

“Every year we work with producers to identify the best topics, then invite industry leaders to provide valuable information,” said Josh White, executive director of producer education and sustainability with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. “The wealth of information offered not only helps current producers, but future generations as well.”

On demand videos from Cattlemen’s College will be available online for registered attendees and for a fee to non-attendees following the 2021 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show at convention.ncba.org/eventsmeetings/cattlemens-college.

Best of Beef Honored at Annual Convention. Producers, advocates, students, and organizations representing the best of the beef industry were recognized through a variety of scholarship and award programs during the annual Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show.

Environmental Stewardship Award Program National Winner The Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP), which annually recognizes outstanding stewardship practices and conservation achievements of cattle producers, honored Beatty Canyon Ranch, located in Kim, Colo., with the 2020 National Award.

ESAP is generously sponsored by companies and federal agencies that share the cattle industry’s commitment to caring for the environment and protecting natural resources. Sponsors including Corteva Agriscience, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, McDonald’s, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partner with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) in an effort to promote environmental stewardship throughout the beef supply chain.

Masters of Beef Advocacy Program Advocate of the Year - Kiah Twisselman Burchett was honored as the 2020 Advocate of the Year for her work helping mainstream Americans appreciate the cattle industry and feel good about enjoying beef. This award, given by the NCBA’s Beef Checkoff funded Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA) program, recognizes an outstanding beef advocate for their success in reaching and educating consumers about cattle and beef.

Beef Quality Assurance Awards The National Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Awards, funded in part by the Beef Checkoff program and sponsored by Cargill, annually recognize outstanding beef and dairy producers, marketers, and educators. Winners not only demonstrate

high quality animal care and handling principles as part of their day-to-day operations but also express a strong desire to continually improve their operations through BQA. The 2021 honorees include Cow/Calf Award winner Deseret Cattle & Citrus, St. Cloud, Fla.; FARM Dairy Award recipient Willow Behrer Farms, Spruce Creek, Pa.; Feedyard Award winner Imperial Valley Feeders, California; Educator Award recipient Dr. Steve Boyles, Ohio State University; and the Marketer Award presented to The Livestock Exchange, LLC, Brush, Colorado.

W.D. Farr Scholarships Emily Melchior, New Mexico State University, and Luke Fuerniss, Texas Tech University, were each awarded a $15,000 W.D. Farr Scholarship by the National Cattlemen’s Foundation (NCF).

The annual W.D. Farr Scholarship program was established by the NCF in 2007 to recognize outstanding graduate students who plan to pursue careers in meat science and animal agriculture.

Melchior and Fuerniss were selected from 24 applicants based on their academic achievements, leadership, and commitment to the advancement of the beef industry.

CME Group Beef Industry Scholarships - Ten students pursuing careers in the beef industry were awarded $1,500 scholarships for the next school year by the NCF. The CME Group Beef Industry Scholarship program recognizes talented and thoughtful students emerging

as industry leaders. The 2021 CME Group Beef Industry Scholarship recipients include: • Sydney Bowman, Fort Lupton, Colo., Kansas State University • Kinzie Burtrum, Stillwater, Okla., Oklahoma State University • Rebecca Coombe, Grahamsville, N.Y., Cornell University • Christian Cummings, Nowata, Okla., Oklahoma State University • Dominic Gittlein, Fort Lupton, Colo., University of Nebraska Lincoln • Allie Herring, Franklin, Texas, Texas Tech • Kyli Kraft, Fort Collins, Colo., West Texas A&M • Carsten Loseke, Columbus, Neb., University of Nebraska Lincoln • Lauren Mosher, Liscomb, Iowa, Iowa State University • Brooke Vyvlecka, Jourdanton, Texas, Texas A&M University NCBA Top Hand Club - The Top Hand Club is NCBA’s member driven recruitment program, developed to recognize those NCBA members who continually give their time and effort to recruit new members. First place was awarded to Don Schiefelbein, representing the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association; second place to Melody Benjamin, representing Nebraska Cattlemen; and third place to Mark Lacey, representing the California Cattlemen’s Association.

For more information, visit www. ncba.org.

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The Carolina Cattle Connection

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PAGE 69

NCBA

President’s Report

By JERRY BOHN

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Beef Processing Capacity Now Key Concern in Washington NCBA’s top policy focus throughout this year has been improving the business climate for cattle producers and increasing opportunities for profitability across the board. Issues like competitive markets and accurate labeling tend to get more than their share of media attention, but another topic is quickly catching up – processing capacity. Our members continue to tell us that a lack of processing capacity is a significant obstacle to their business. Depending on where you are in the country, you may be struggling to schedule a harvest date with your processor in the next several months.

This bottleneck creates serious problems for our beef supply chain. We have long known that packing facilities are the squeeze point between cattle in the field and beef on the plate. Consumer demand for our product is very strong, both at home and overseas; 2021 is forecast to be a record year for U.S. beef exports. We have the supply of live cattle to meet this demand, but a persistent lack of hook space is hurting producers’ bottom line.

A recent study by Rabobank found that the cattle industry could economically accommodate an additional 5,700 hooks per day of processing capacity or an additional 1.5 million head moving through the system per year.

Unfortunately, growing our capacity to reflect that need is expensive. The average start-up cost for a beef processing facility is roughly $100,000 per hook -- meaning that someone trying to open a modest 25 head-per-day facility needs at least $2.5 million in financing just to turn on the lights. Beyond the start-up costs, existing facilities face a shortage of qualified workers. Between incentives created by pandemic unemployment benefits and slower line speeds caused by social distancing protocols, the past year has heavily impacted the availability of skilled employees to harvest beef.

For months now, NCBA has been working with Congress, USDA, and the White House for the resources to expand processing capacity. We are proud that,

PAGE 70

in response to our efforts, the Biden administration and leaders in Congress have acted to not only increase capacity but to do so through small, independent, and local plants.

You have probably heard about President Biden’s executive order, “Promoting Competition in the American Economy.” As a result of the executive order, USDA is committing $500 million to expand processing capacity, in addition to addressing the accuracy of the “Product of the USA” label and launching rulemakings to support fair, transparent, and competitive markets. USDA also announced that it will make over $150 million in grants available to small and local processing facilities to help them expand capacity, recover from COVID-19 challenges, and compete with the Big Four in the marketplace.

At the end of June, NCBA secured the introduction of the bipartisan Butcher Block Act in the U.S. House. The legislation would establish a loan program through USDA that would support small, regional, and independent processing facilities.

This bill still has a long way to go before it becomes law, but NCBA is working every day to garner bipartisan support on both sides of the Capitol and advance this legislation to the president’s desk.

Earlier in June, USDA announced the creation of two new, competitive grant funding opportunities for small, regional, and independent meat processors using funds NCBA fought hard to secure at the end of last year. Of those funds, $55.2 million will go toward the critical need for greater beef processing capacity. The grant program will support small facilities making improvements to achieve a Federal Grant of Inspection or to operate under their state’s Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program. These grants are another important win for beef producers, and NCBA is thankful to see USDA respond to our repeated pushes with rapid interest in the processing capacity issue.

Many of these efforts rely on increasing the number of processing

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

facilities available, but processors still face a critical shortage of skilled workers.

In a letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, NCBA backed reforms to the H-2A temporary visa program to include year round workers. Currently, the program only allows farms and ranches to hire immigrant workers for temporary or seasonal jobs. What works for seasonal farmers, like row crop producers, does not meet the needs of a year round industry like livestock. NCBA continues to urge Congress to expand this program and provide the necessary employment flexibility to producers and processors.

I’m highlighting these successes — the executive order, the Butcher Block Act, and the USDA grants — because I want you to know that NCBA’s around-the-clock work has led to real progress for producers

in every segment of the supply chain. The current situation is unsustainable, and increasing hook space is an essential step toward producers gaining back the lack the leverage to receive higher live cattle prices.

“Black swan” events like the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2019 fire at a Tyson Foods plant in Holcomb, Kan., have underscored this urgent need, but the roots of the problem precede either of those events.

At the end of the day, our goal is simple: boost your bottom line and keep Americans well fed with beef. NCBA works every day to make sure your interests are protected in Washington. We will continue the pressure on lawmakers to help expand processing capacity, and we hope that by doing so, we will alleviate a critical chokepoint and get more U.S. beef onto the plates of consumers in the U.S. and around the world.

N.C. Cattle Receipts, Trends, and Prices for the Month of JULY 2021 Cattle Receipts: 12,613

•

Previous Month: 18,647

Feeder supply - 29% steers • 41% heifers • 30% bulls SLAUGHTER CLASSES

Avg. Wt. Price

Cows - % Lean

Breaker 1,385 $68.54

Boner 1,179 $68.02

Lean 945 $56.15

Bulls - Yield Grade 1-2

1,535

$94.49

FEEDER CLASSES

FEEDER STEERS (Medium and Large 1-2) Wt. Range Avg. Wt. CWT Avg. Price 400-450 423 $142.83 $604.17 450-500 474 $145.04 $687.49 500-550 522 $141.75 $739.94 550-600 569 $140.21 $797.79 600-650 627 $134.98 $846.32 650-700 672 $136.96 $920.37

FEEDER BULLS (Medium and Large 1-2) Wt. Range Avg. Wt. CWT Avg. Price 400-450 423 $145.54 $615.63 450-500 474 $138.63 $657.11 500-550 524 $128.01 $670.77 550-600 570 $130.11 $741.63 600-650 621 $122.92 $763.33 650-700 669 $114.08 $763.20

FEEDER HEIFERS (Medium and Large 1-2) Wt. Range Avg. Wt. CWT Avg. Price 400-450 426 $129.46 $551.50 450-500 472 $128.83 $608.08 500-550 522 $124.34 $649.05 550-600 570 $122.75 $699.68 600-650 623 $117.82 $734.02 650-700 669 $115.50 $772.70

Source: N.C. Dept. of Agriculture - USDA Market News Service, Raleigh, N.C. - 919-707-3156

The Carolina Cattle Connection

q SEPTEMBER 2021

PAGE 71

Letter to the Editor — Ranchers for COVID-19 Vaccination

By JOHN R. DYKERS, JR. M.D. New Hope Farm, Siler City, N.C. As a cow/calf producer, vaccination has always been a crucial part of our herd’s health, even our early days running cattle together with Sam Fields and the county agent hauling portable scales as we started the BIP, Beef Improvement Program, and began performance testing on a mixture of Angus, Hereford, Shorthorn, Jersey, and guesses with a 3/4 Charolais bull.

As New Hope Farm transitioned to a purebred Charolais herd, vaccination became even more important. Breeding bulls and brood cows left here to become the foundation for new herds. Healthy starts were vital, and introducing preventable illness into other herds was a major no-no.

If we can vaccinate our calves for shipping fever, we can surely vaccinate ourselves and our families for COVID-19.

John Will Headen has transitioned even more. He started with 30 goats and soon blossomed into a herd of over a hundred. They did wonders for our pastures. Gone are the hackberry, crimson I used to call ‘woody weed,’ and even

the horsenettle, and 2-4D has devastated the yellow crown beard. Horsetail and Canadian thistle are still a problem in spots.

Then the coyotes started eating the kids before dark on the first day, and he sold the goats. Brought in were sheep and a big dog to protect them, and now they are over 120.

He thinks he already had COVID-19, maybe twice! His wife, Tisha, has been vaccinated. Jackson just told me he has not, and he does not know about his sister, Avery, or his cousins. I don’t know about Cole or Haley. About ten in the family are going to Topsail for a week, and I am scared that they may have a spreader and not even know it until one of them is in the ICU. This delta variant is five times more contagious than the first COVID-19. Delta hits younger people, and they are sicker quicker. I would not dream of going to an in-person classroom school not vaccinated, even the young and healthy. We “old farts” group have all been vaccinated and just began again to gather for a meal once a week after a year

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on Zoom. A few met inside at Virlie’s twice but not me. Delta spiked, and Larry bailed to go outside. The rest realized the wisdom, so we ate on the shady patio at Mi Cancun yesterday. All the staff had been vaccinated, and some also wore masks when waiting tables. There was a good breeze, and I felt safe.

Most of us do much of our work either outside with the cows or alone on the tractor so that COVID-19 can seem distant. But it only takes one bull with Brucellosis or Trichomoniasis to infect the whole cow herd, so going inside in public for a hamburger at lunch can be all it takes.

Carry it home to your bubble, and they have it too. You may not know about that infected bull until the cows don’t breed or slip a calf no bigger than a grapefruit. You ever seen one of those along the cow path?

Heartbreaking and too late, the healthy herd is gone. Shipping fever when crowding calves from the sale barn makes it easy to understand the risk of sending the kids back to school not vaccinated.

Remember the kids going to kindergarten and all coming home sick those first few weeks? This virus spreads the same way, but faster and sicker quicker.

Be vaccinated, preferably Pfizer or Moderna, but any is better than nothing, and any is better than COVID-19. I recently talked with Ashley Herring and Bryan Blinson, and they have both been vaccinated. Bryan also worked at two mass vaccination sites helping others be vaccinated. I brag on them and the whole vaccinated staff so we can go into the office, wear our masks to be polite to them indoors, and know we all have the

best protection for the situation. I hope to go to the football and basketball games this fall. I hope vaccination is required for others to be in such a crowd with me.

I will wear a mask anyway and ask my fellow fans if they have been vaccinated.

We all do it for measles and whooping cough; why not COVID-19?

So much is changing about COVID-19. We can easily be disgusted by changing messages. I remember the anxiety I felt when I stopped vaccinating infants for smallpox; it had been eradicated by vaccination.

I remember the joy when we finally had a vaccine for polio, just a drop in the baby’s mouth! Polio is almost gone worldwide.

I stopped seeing children with whooping cough or measles or mumps or chickenpox as vaccines made them ancient history.

Life is a great journey. Please don’t let COVID-19 make yours miserable or short. There were 300,000,000 doses administered in the U.S. alone in July. It takes two, so only half of us are vaccinated. Maybe by the time this appears in September, all of us will be vaccinated, and this will be ancient history.

The vaccine is safe and effective, paid for already, and easy. Nancy and I vouch for no effect on the first and two days mildly sore with second. She received Pfizer at the ag center, and I received Moderna at Chatham Primary Care. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines should be fully approved

by FDA by the time this is printed. The delay is time and bureaucracy. The experience is way beyond what is needed for sound judgement versus this illness. Be vaccinated. You will feel better.

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The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

Spotlight material is due SEPTEMBER 1 for the OCTOBER issue

The Carolina Cattle Connection

q SEPTEMBER 2021

PAGE 73

CHUCK

SHANK

CHUCK

BRISKET

RIB

PLATE

LOIN

SIRLOIN

ROUND SHANK

FLANK

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INGEDIENT CUTS

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LEAN

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BRISKET LEAN

LEAN

PLATE & FLANK LEAN

LEAN

KEY TO RECOMMENDED COOKING METHODS GRILL or BROIL PAN BROIL/ SKILLET

BRAISE/ POT ROAST

LEAN

These cuts meet the government guidelines for lean, based on cooked servings, visible fat trimmed

STIR-FRY

ROAST

SKILLET TO OVEN

* MARINATE BEFORE COOKING FOR BEST RESULTS

A cut of cooked fresh meat is considered ‘lean’ when it contains less than 10 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat, andless tahn 95 mg of cholesterol per 100 grams(3½ oz) and per RACC (Reference Amount Customarily Consumed), which is 85 grams (3 oz.)

PAGE 74

INDIRECT GRILLING

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

Federation of State Beef Councils Update Sustainability Continues to Be Top of Mind for Consumers and Producers. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, is continuing its efforts to educate consumers that cattle are part of the climate change solution and not the problem. The campaign began in the spring and will continue into the fall through a variety of advertorials and public awareness components. The goal of the campaign is to help consumers continue to feel good about how beef is raised by highlighting the commitment of farmers and ranchers to raising beef safely, humanely, and sustainably.

To defend against Epicurious’ decision to no longer include beef recipes in the magazine’s properties, NCBA, on behalf of the Beef Checkoff, partnered with Food & Wine magazine to tell beef’s sustainability story. In a full page advertorial, sustainability, nutrition, and beef’s incomparable taste were highlighted, defending beef’s rightful place at the center of the plate. Print and digital versions of a beef centric advertorial were featured in the June issue and reached more than 913,000.

Additionally, NCBA partnered with celebrity chef Lamar Moore and Dr. Tryon Wickersham, associate professor of animal nutrition at Texas A&M University, to pen opinion editorials (opeds). Moore’s op-ed, which defended beef’s rightful place in cooking and dining, was featured in L.A. Weekly. Dr. Wickersham’s op-ed explored the science behind and benefits of cattle’s upcycling ability and was published in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and in Yahoo! News Canada. Both op-eds reached more than two million people each.

With financial support from the Federation of State Beef Councils, a comprehensive public awareness campaign on sustainability was also launched for both consumers and producers. A special edition of the television show “Cattlemen to Cattlemen” was filmed at Feddes Red Angus in Manhattan, Mont., and featured a panel discussion about sustainability.

Panelists included Chaley Harney, executive director of the Montana Beef Council; Dr. Tryon Wickersham; Clay Burtrum, producer and 2021 NCBA Federation Division chair; and Jake Feddes with Feddes Red Angus. Panelists discussed why sustainable practices and

sharing your sustainability story are vital to the industry. The conversation also focused on how the beef community is already – and has been for decades – implementing sustainable practices and why it matters. Perhaps most importantly, panelists talked about how sustainability is profitable. The television show, which has an average monthly viewership of 1.58 million, will air on RFD-TV in September.

Producer outreach was also the focus of an effort promoting sustainability through a full page ad and editorial from Clay Burtrum. The two page spread was placed in more than 30 publications, including Successful Farming, Drovers, and state affiliate and breed association magazines. This effort continues through the end of September and will reach a potential audience of nearly three million.

The Federation funded consumer component runs through September and will include digital, audio, and print advertisements in the New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, reaching a potential audience of nearly ten million.

An annual event to “accelerate climate action,” Climate Week NYC will take place September 2026. To proactively defend against misinformation that may arise during the event, public awareness efforts will include a Times Square billboard, digital and audio components, and an article in TimeOut New York. Each of these channels will feature positive information about beef’s role in a sustainable food system and cattle’s important ecosystem services. These efforts will have a potential reach of millions.

Another key component of the reputation management work has been engaging consumers in major metropolitan areas throughout the country to increase awareness of beef sustainability. Each story was written by a local journalist and highlighted sustainability through the perspective of a local producer. So far, these sustainability articles have been published in Denver, Minneapolis, Seattle, Houston, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia and have reached more than two million people.

This comprehensive campaign is successfully educating consumers about the commitment beef farmers and ranchers have to conserving natural resources and protecting the environment.

Farming and ranching families continue

to improve the land for future generations, and the goal of these efforts is to highlight that positive work. For more information, visit www.BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com.

Summer Grilling Campaign Remains Hot. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has all the bases covered with beef grilling messages airing across a variety of advertising platforms. New Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. ads can now be viewed on YouTube and across Smart T.V. channels like HGTV, Fox News, CBS, ESPN, and other popular networks.

And, new audio ads are also welcoming back consumers to the grill, appearing on Spotify and on a wide range of Sirius XM programming, including College Gameday, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, and MLB Roundtrip.

Nativo native advertising, appearing on popular websites such as Taste of Home, Saveur, and Health.com, inspires consumers to build delicious and nutritious beef burgers. Google Search ads will be used to drive traffic to the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.

Summer Grilling landing page, www. beefitswhatsfordinner.com/map, that includes beef grilling favorites and

The Carolina Cattle Connection

producer stories from across all 50 states.

Through Labor Day, beef social platforms on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter will publish exciting recipe content that features each state via inspiring travelogue style recipe content. While the pandemic had limited extensive travel in the U.S., the campaign inspires consumers and instills a feeling of being able to travel to each state via tasty recipes.

Capping off this effort is a robust Food Network cable T.V. advertising buy, with over 200 Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. ad airings on popular shows such as BBQ Brawl: Flay v. Symon, The Kitchen, and the new series, Grill of Victory.

Preliminary campaign results are extremely positive, totaling more than 83 million impressions. Social media giveaways are also engaging consumers with weekly contests running through Labor Day, and to date, have generated nearly 4,400 entries.

Through additional state beef council funding, four state regional media campaigns have also kicked off, working to further ensure that consumers across the U.S. know that beef is, and always will be, King of the Grill!

q SEPTEMBER 2021

PAGE 75

Beef Checkoff News Beef is Delicious and Nutritious Any Way You Slice It. Celebrating 35 Years of Beef Checkoff Successes. As the Beef Checkoff celebrates its 35th anniversary, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, is shining a light on the successful promotion and research programs that drive the demand for beef.

Many consumers recognize the Beef.

It’s What’s for Dinner. brand and iconic “Rodeo” music; however, a lot of work goes on behind the scenes to bring beef from pasture to plate. With 78 percent of consumers agreeing that beef is great tasting and a great source of protein1, no matter how you slice it (across the grain, please), beef is delicious and nutritious.

And, although consumers may be familiar with well known cuts like ribeye, sirloin, and brisket, many may not realize how years of product development research have identified new and innovative favorites such as the flat iron steak and petite tender, adding value to the chuck and middle meats.

The Product Quality Research program includes the study of beef quality, muscle traits and characterization, carcass traits, muscle tenderness and yield, flavor and palatability, and new technologies.

The overall goal of this Checkoff funded research is to improve beef quality, consistency, value, and demand.

“Product development research has been extremely beneficial to producers over the years,” said Dr. Torri Lienemann, Nebraska producer and co-chair of the Safety and Product Innovation Checkoff Committee. “By identifying new cuts and improving the customer experience, overall carcass value has increased, and

that value would not have been captured without Checkoff funding.”

The chuck and round represent the largest portions of the beef carcass; however, in the early 2000s, the value of these two primals was on the decline.

Research was funded through the Beef Checkoff to find ways to increase the use of cuts from these primals, which would subsequently increase their value. An NCBA managed project ranked muscles throughout the carcass by tenderness then tested moist and dry cooking techniques, which helped identify “hidden” cuts that could potentially be marketed to consumers. One of the most popular products to come out of this work was the flat iron steak.

After identifying this new cut, the challenge became getting foodservice and retail buy in, introducing it to consumers, and educating the public. Checkoff funding assisted with those efforts as well with NCBA developing promotions with retail partners, offering cutting charts and videos for the industry, and working closely with foodservice operators to drive demand for the new product.

Since tenderness is one of the primary quality indicators consumers look for in their steak when dining out2, restaurants soon realized that the flat iron, which is extremely tender, well marbled and a flavorful piece of meat that is also affordable for customers, is a good menu option. As the cut drew attention on restaurant menus across the country, consumers started asking for it by name at grocery stores as well. Aided by consumer word of mouth, the cut’s popularity grew organically from there.

January

February

Chester

728

Darlington Laurens

Finding new ways to fabricate the underutilized chuck created more opportunities for profitability across the value chain, demonstrating the power of research and product development. Now the once unfamiliar muscle has a well known name, recognized by consumers on restaurant menus and in meat cases across the country. For more information, visit www.beefresearch.org.

Resources 1 Consumer Beef Tracker; JanuaryDecember 2020; conducted by Direction’s research; analyzed and summarized by NCBA, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff 2 Steak Preferences Report 2020; Dynata Platform; administered, analyzed, and summarized by NCBA, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Iconic Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. Brand Stands the Test of Time. Nothing epitomizes the Beef Checkoff more than the iconic Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. brand. From celebrity voices and images of sizzling steaks on the grill to the familiar “Rodeo” music composed by Aaron Copland, the sights and sounds of the brand are recognized by generations of consumers. As a proud contractor to the Beef Checkoff, NCBA has managed the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. consumer marketing program for more than 27 years, inspiring people to purchase and enjoy beef.

“What has made the brand so successful over the years is the ability to adapt based on changing consumer demographics,” said Becca McMillan, Oklahoma producer and co-chair of the Domestic Marketing Checkoff Committee. “It truly has provided producers, like me, a voice and an opportunity to connect with consumers.”

When Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. was born in the early ‘90s, the brand frequently appeared in television ads that featured familiar voices of well known actors. At a time when there was a handful of consolidated networks, television advertising was an effective

2021 South Carolina Sale Barn Cattle Receipts March

April

May

June

July

308

1,104

919

726

1,454

651

1,090

581

2,432

1,283

866

1,433

915

1,194

1,325

1,964

1,593

1,373

1,892

1,461

830

786

1,123

1,187

959

1,066

651

Saluda

2,056

1,355

3,094

2,482

2,324

3,099

1,761

Williamston

2,812

1,313

2,792

2,255

1,949

1,884

2,033π

Orangeburg

PAGE 76

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

August

September

and logical choice. In today’s ultra fragmented media landscape, there is an endless number of media outlets and advertising opportunities.

Over the years, marketing efforts transitioned to digital and social media, reaching consumers where they find information and make purchasing decisions. Today, the vast majority of consumers use smartphones and computers, accessing popular platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and Google, where Checkoff advertising runs year round. Digital advertising is cost effective, and ads can be strategically targeted to specific consumers. For example, digital beef ads can be fed to consumers looking for alternative meats, reminding them that beef is the protein of choice.

The use of influencers such as chefs, food bloggers, dietitians, and producers themselves also extends the social reach of the positive beef message. These third party endorsers actively engage with their followers, making an emotional connection with consumers, and helping combat misinformation about the industry.

The media world was not immune to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fewer advertisers resulted in lower advertising costs, which opened the door for Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. to return to broadcast television. Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. advertised on the Hallmark Channel in December 2020 to promote beef for the holidays, appeared on Fox Sports during the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race in February 2021, and is currently showcasing beef as the summer grilling choice on the Food Network.

No matter how beef’s story has been shared over the last three decades, one thing remains the same, and that is the need for consumer education. Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. remains a trusted resource for shoppers to learn about beef’s nutritional benefits, find tips for selecting and preparing beef and discover new recipes.

In the last year alone, Beef. It’s What’s

October

November

December

For Dinner. garnered more than one billion impressions, and the brand is recognized by 70 percent of the U.S. population.

The combination of digital and social media and cable television advertising has increased awareness of beef as the protein of choice and has provided the opportunity to directly engage with consumers, ultimately building relationships and inviting them to be part of the conversation. Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. continues to be the platform for promoting beef’s nutrition, taste, and quality, as well as for sharing the stories about the producers behind the product.

At the end of the day, the question on everyone’s mind is “what’s for dinner?” and luckily, there is an easy answer: Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.

For more information, visit www. beefitswhatsfordinner.com.

The 2020 Beef Advocate of the Year Announced at 2021 Beef Industry Convention. Honoree recognized by Masters of Beef Advocacy program for her role in helping health conscious consumers embrace beef. Kiah Twisselman Burchett has been selected as the 2020 Advocate of the Year for her work helping mainstream Americans appreciate the cattle industry and feel good about enjoying beef. This award, given by NCBA’s Beef Checkoff funded Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA) program, recognizes an outstanding beef advocate for their success in reaching and educating consumers about cattle and beef.

The former Kentucky Beef Council employee went viral in 2020 after People Magazine highlighted her weight loss story. Burchett used that momentum to start a business as a life coach and weight loss expert, teaching people how to use their surroundings to better themselves at home or on the farm and to enjoy their favorite foods – especially beef!

Burchett gained a following of both urban and rural women alike by tapping into their shared goals to live their happiest and healthiest lives, to be energetic, and to say ‘Yes’ to life again.

With tens of thousands of followers, the beef loving cattle rancher has been able to reach a new audience of consumers, an impressive feat considering more than 98 percent of the American population has little or no direct connection to farming or ranching, and people tend to be quick to reject what they don’t understand.

Burchett was initially motivated to improve her health a few years ago when she was leading the nutrition program for the Kentucky Beef Council and routinely spoke on the role beef plays in a healthy diet. “I knew all the research I was sharing was true and backed by reliable research but I thought I was doing a disservice to the industry I loved by speaking to the

health benefits of beef while not being an example of that,” said Burchett.

After appearing in People Magazine as the rancher who lost 125 lbs, Burchett was also highlighted in Women’s Health and on Good Morning America, The Kelly Clarkson Show, and Access Hollywood, quickly becoming a trusted authority on what living your happiest, healthiest life looks like while continuing to enjoy the foods and lifestyle you love.

The health benefits of beef, nutritious beef recipes, and sharing what goes into cattle ranching are threaded throughout Burchett’s social media content for her diverse audience, illustrating that beef advocacy is more than what she does; it’s who she is. “My own life has been an example of how lean beef fits into a heart healthy diet and lifestyle and I get to share the ins and outs of ranching to people who are outside of our industry because so much of my following are not from agriculture,” Burchett stated.

Burchett recently launched her podcast “Climbing with Coach Kiah.” In her quest to continue bringing mindfulness, coaching, and providing an opportunity to connect people back with the land through a ranch experience, she plans to begin hosting rural ranch wellness retreats at her family’s ranch in spring 2022.

Burchett’s community – both those within as well as outside of agriculture – is thrilled for the upcoming retreats, and Burchett is thankful she’s been able to provide a platform where women can focus on their shared values and overlook their differing backgrounds. “We’re all walking this journey together it’s just that one person might be going to the gym and one person might be walking her dirt driveway after checking calves in the morning. We’re all so much more alike than we are different.”

Cattlemen’s Beef Board Presents Jo Ann Smith with First Checkoff Visionary Award. Jo Ann Smith of Wacahoota, Fla., was presented with the Cattlemen’s Beef Board’s first ever Beef Checkoff Visionary Award during the 2021 Cattle Industry Convention’s Opening General Session in Nashville, Tennessee.

This honor recognizes an individual in the beef industry who has demonstrated exemplary support of and commitment to the Checkoff’s goals and vision.

“Jo Ann Smith has been a tireless advocate for the beef industry for decades,” said Hugh Sanburg, 2021 Chair of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB). “When national trends and fad diets tarnished beef’s image in the late 1970s and early 1980s, demand fell sharply. That’s when Jo Ann and other beef industry stakeholders worked diligently to win approval for a national Beef Checkoff program. Without

Jo Ann’s efforts, the beef industry might look very different today.”

More than 40 years ago, as cattle prices were plummeting, a group of cattlemen and ranchers came to Smith, asking how the beef industry could help itself and address flagging consumer demand. The question, “What could we accomplish with a national checkoff?” came up during those discussions.

“As a group, we tried to put together a program that would pass so we would have a checkoff,” Smith said. “That was our ultimate goal. We needed enough money to pull together as an industry and get beef’s message out because new consumers are out there every day – and it’s our responsibility to educate them about why they should choose beef.”

In 1986, Smith became the first chair of the newly formed Cattlemen’s Beef Board. Thanks to the strong foundation that Smith and others established during those early days, Beef Checkoff programs have diligently communicated beef’s great taste, value, and nutrition to consumers here in the U.S. and around the world for 35 years.

“Jo Ann’s tenacity, hard work, and

leadership turned the dream of a Beef Checkoff into reality,” said Greg Hanes, CEO of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board. “She has truly been a trailblazer, and all of us in the beef industry are grateful for what she has accomplished – not just in her role with the CBB, but also with the many other local, state, and national beef industry organizations she’s been involved with over the years.

Truly, there’s no one more deserving of our first Checkoff Visionary Award.”

For more information about the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, the Beef Checkoff, and its programs – promotion, research, foreign marketing, industry information, consumer information, and safety – visit DrivingDemandforBeef.com.

About the Beef Checkoff. The Beef Checkoff was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The Checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50¢ of the dollar and forward the other 50¢ per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national Checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.

a

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The Carolina Cattle Connection

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PAGE 77

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ALL Regular Copy for the

LET THIS SPACE MAKE $$$ FOR YOU! PAGE 78

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

SEPTEMBER ISSUE

by AUGUST 5!

ALL Spotlight Material for the

SEPTEMBER ISSUE

by AUGUST 1!

NDEX OF 10th Annual Southeast Bull Expo & Sale .............................................. 44 13th Annual EBS Farms Select Bull & Female Sale ............................... 62 2021 Edisto Forage Bull Test & Heifer Sale ......................................... 21 4K Farms/Tarheel Angus .................................................................... 79 46th Annual Union County Performance Tested Bull Sale .................... 18 All Natural Feeder Calf Marketing Options ........................................ 13 American National Insurance — The Josey Agency ............................ 79 Apple Brandy Prime Cuts ................................................................... 72 Back Creek Angus .............................................................................. 79 Bieber Fever in the Southeast ............................................................ 57 BioZyme - VitaCharge ........................................................................ 61 Black Crest Farm ................................................................................ 79 Black Grove Maternal Influence Female Sale ..................................... 47 Brubaker Family Angus ...................................................................... 79 C-Cross Cattle Company Fall 2021 Female & Bull Sale ........................ 59 Callicrate Banders ............................................................................... 3 Carolinas Animal Health ................................................................... 79 Cedar Creek Farms ............................................................................. 35 Châtel Farms Fall Bull Sale 2021 ........................................................ 46 Childers Concrete Company, Inc. ....................................................... 52 Conquest Insurance Agency, Inc. ....................................................... 66 CPC 2021 Fall Field Day ........................................................................ 2 Creech Farms — Santa Gertrudis for Sale ............................................. 8 Double J Farms .................................................................................. 79 Dura•Cast .......................................................................................... 39 E.B. Harris Auctioneers, Inc. .............................................................. 79 First Choice Insurance — Donna Byrum ............................................. 20 Five J’s Cattle Company — Herefords for Sale .................................... 36 Five J’s Cattle Company — Santa Gertrudis for Sale ............................. 9 Forrest Polled Herefords 17th Production Sale ................................... 34 Fowken Farms .................................................................................... 79 Fred Smith Company Ranch ............................................................... 79 Fred Smith Company Ranch 5th Extra Effort Fall Sale ......................... 24 Hay-B-Gone Hay Mover/Un-Roller ..................................................... 75 Howard Brothers Farms ..................................................................... 79 Hunt’s H+ Brangus ............................................................................ 79

For Your Advertising Needs, Contact: The Carolina Cattle Connection 919-552-9111 The Livestock Advertising Network 859-278-0899

DVERTISERS Hutton & Sons Herefords .................................................................. 79 JMAR Genetics “Quality Over Quantity” Charolais Bull & Heifer Sale ........................................................ 22 Kuhn Equipment Company ............................................................... 10 McMahan Farm & Hancock Angus Annual Registered Angus Bull Sale .............................................. 50 N.C. Angus Association Directory …................................................... 49 N.C. Cattlemen’s Association Membership Application .................... 43 N.C. Hereford Association Directory ................................................. 32 N.C. Meat Suite .................................................................................. 37 N.C. Simmental Association .............................................................. 25 National Beef Checkoff/North Carolina Cattle Industry Assessment ......................................................... 17 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association 2021 Policy Priorities ........ 71 Nationwide® AgriBusiness Insurance — The Wills Agency .............. 79 Nationwide® AgriBusiness Insurance — The Wills Agency .............. 40 Pearson Livestock Equipment ........................................................... 69 Performance Livestock & Feed Company .......................................... 73 Piedmont Custom Meats ................................................................... 79 Red Angus Association of the Carolinas Directory ............................ 56 Rusty Thomson & Family Cattle Fencing and Equipment ................... 19 Santa Gertrudis Breeders International ............................................. 7 SimAngus Solution 13th Annual Bull & Replacement Female Sale ............................... 26 South Carolina Private Treaty Sale Checkoff Investment Form ...... 55 Southeast Brangus Breeders Association Showcase Sale ............... 60 Southeast Livestock Exchange — Upcoming Sale Schedule ............ 27 Southern Connection Sale ................................................................. 23 Springfield Angus Bull Sale ............................................................... 48 The Barn Loft — Purina Wind & Rain ................................................. 42 The Carolina Cattle Connection 2021 Spotlight Schedule ...... 38 The Carolina Cattle Connection Advertising Rates & Sizes ............. 53 TJB Gelbvieh & Balancer Maternal Magic Annual Bull Sale X ......... 58 Virginia Herd Health Management Services — Pat Comyn, DVM .... 77 WANTED — Land to Buy or Rent ........................................................ 79 Watauga Butchery ............................................................................. 31 Wax Company — Marshall Ryegrass .................................................. 41 West End Precast — Feed Bunks ......................................................... 16 West End Precast — Feed Bunks & Troughs ........................................ 63 White Hawk Beef Maker Bull Sale ...................................................... 33 Whitehall Beefmasters ...................................................................... 79 Wilkes Livestock Exchange ............................................................... 65 Yon Family Farms Fall Sale ................................................................. 45 The Carolina Cattle Connection

q SEPTEMBER 2021

PAGE 79

VENTS ANGUS Sep. 17— Black Grove Maternal Influence Female Sale, Newberry, S.C Oct. 16 — Fred Smith Company Ranch 5th Annual Extra Effort Fall Sale, Clayton, N.C. Oct. 30 — Yon Family Farms Fall Sale, Ridge Spring, S.C. Nov. 1 — Châtel Farms Fall Bull Sale, Reidsville, Ga. Nov. 6 — TJB Gelbvieh & Balancer Maternal Magic Annual Bull Sale X, Chickmauga, Ga. Nov. 20 — 10th Annual Southeast Bull Expo & Sale, Asheboro, N.C.

Nov. 20 — McMahan Farm & Hancock Angus Annual Registered Angus Bull Sale, Mocksville, N.C. Dec. 3 — Knoll Crest Farm Total Performance Bull Sale, Red House, Va. Dec. 4 — 46th Annual Union County Performance Tested Bull Sale, Monroe, N.C. Dec. 11 — Springfield Angus Bull Sale, Louisburg, N.C. 2022 Jan. 1 — 13th Annual EBS Farms Select Bull & Female Sale, Norwood, N.C. Feb. 12 — Black Crest Farm Annual Bull and Female Sale, Sumter, S.C. Feb. 19 — Yon Family Farms Spring Sale, Ridge Spring, S.C.

IGHTER A multi-millionaire living in Darwin, Australia, decided to throw a party and invited all of his buddies and neighbors.

He also invited Brian, the only Aborigine in the neighborhood.

He held the party around the pool in the backyard of his mansion. Everyone was having a good time eating, drinking, dancing, and socializing.

Then at the height of the party, the millionaire said, “I have a 15 foot man eating crocodile in my pool, and I’ll give a million dollars to anyone who’ll join him in the pool.”

The words were barely out of his mouth when there was a loud splash.

Everyone turned around and saw Brian in the pool fighting madly with the crocodile, jabbing it in the eyes with his thumbs, throwing punches, head butting it, getting it in choke holds, biting it’s tail and flipping it through the air like some kind of martial arts expert.

The water was churning and splashing everywhere. Both Brian and the crocodile were screaming and thrashing around violently.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, Brian strangled the crocodile and let it float to the top of the pool like a dead goldfish.

An exhausted Brian wearily climbed out of the pool with everybody staring at him in disbelief.

The millionaire said, “Well, Brian, I reckon I owe you a million dollars then.”

“Nah, I don’t want it,” said Brian.

So the millionaire said “Man, I have to give you something. You won the bet.

How about half a million bucks?”

PAGE 80

IDE

“No thanks, I don’t want it,” Brian insisted.

The millionaire said, “Come on, I insist on giving you something. That was amazing. How about a new Porsche, a Rolex and some stock options?”

Once again, Brian said, “No.” Confused, the rich man asked, “Well Brian, then what do you want?”

“I want the guy who pushed me in!” said Brian.

*

*

*

A teenage boy had just passed his driving test and asked his Dad if he could start using the family car.

The Dad said he’d make a deal with his son, “You bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible a little and get your hair cut. Then we’ll talk about the car” The boy thought about that for a moment, decided he’d settle for the offer and they agreed on it.

After about six weeks, the Dad said, “Son, you’ve brought your grades up and I’ve observed that you have been studying your Bible, but I’m disappointed you haven’t had your hair cut.”

The boy said, “You know, Dad, I’ve been thinking about that, and I’ve noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair, and there’s even strong evidence that Jesus had long hair.”

His Dad replied, “Did you also notice that they all walked everywhere they went?”

The Carolina Cattle Connection q SEPTEMBER 2021

BRANGUS Sep. 25 — Southeast Brangus Breeders Association Showcase Sale, Brundidge, Ala. Oct. 30 — Yon Family Farms Fall Sale, Ridge Spring, S.C. Nov. 6 — Brands of Recognition Sale, Columbia, Tenn.

Charolais Oct. 9 — Southern Connection Sale, Knoxville, Tenn.

Oct. 16 — JMAR Genetics “Quality Over Quantity” Charolais Bull & Heifer Sale, Wardensville, W.Va. Nov. 6 — Brands of Recognition Sale, Columbia, Tenn.

GELBVIEH Oct. 23 — C-Cross Cattle Company Fall 2021 Female & Bull Sale, Snow Camp, N.C. Oct. 30 — Yon Family Farms Fall Sale, Ridge Spring, S.C. Nov. 6 — TJB Gelbvieh & Balancer Maternal Magic Annual Bull Sale X, Chickmauga, Ga. Dec. 3 — Knoll Crest Farm Total Performance Bull Sale, Red House, Va. Dec. 4 — 46th Annual Union County Performance Tested Bull Sale, Monroe, N.C. 2022 Feb. 19 — Yon Family Farms Spring Sale, Ridge Spring, S.C. HEREFORD Sep. 25 — Forrest Polled Herefords 17th Production Sale, Saluda, S.C. Oct. 18 — White Hawk Beef Maker Bull Sale, Buchanon, Ga. Dec. 3 — Knoll Crest Farm Total Performance Bull Sale, Red House, Va. 2022 Mar. 26 — 54th Annual N.C. Hereford Classic Sale, Statesville, N.C. red ANGUS Oct. 14 — Bieber Fever in the Southeast, Swainsboro, Ga. Nov. 6 — Brands of Recognition Sale, Columbia, Tenn.

SANTA GERTRUDIS 2022 May 7 — Santa Gertudis Breeders of the Carolinas Sale, Chester, S.C.

SIMMENTAL Sep. 3 — N.C. Simmental Association Annual Meeting, Union Grove, N.C. Sep. 4 — 47th Annual N.C. Simmental Association Fall Harvest Sale, Union Grove, N.C. Oct. 16 — Fred Smith Company Ranch 5th Annual Extra Effort Fall Sale, Clayton, N.C. Oct. 30 — Yon Family Farms Fall Sale, Ridge Spring, S.C. Nov. 6 — 13th SimAngus Solution Sale, Burlington, N.C. Dec. 4 — 46th Annual Union County Performance Tested Bull Sale, Monroe, N.C. OTHER EVENTS Sep. 7 — Mid-Atlantic Cattle Sales Video Auction Sep. 9 — Weaned Graded Feeder Calf Sale, Norwood, N.C. Sep. 19-25 — National Farm Safety and Health Week Sep. 21 — Mid-Atlantic Cattle Sales Video Auction Oct. 5 — Mid-Atlantic Cattle Sales Video Auction Oct. 9 — 2021 Edisto Forage Bull Test & Heifer Sale, Blackville, S.C. Oct. 9 — N.C. Beef Cattle Field Day and Trade Show, Raleigh, N.C. Oct. 19 — Mid-Atlantic Cattle Sales Video Auction Nov. 2 — Mid-Atlantic Cattle Sales Video Auction Nov. 6 — Brands of Recognition Sale, Columbia, Tenn.

Nov. 16 — Mid-Atlantic Cattle Sales Video Auction Dec. 3 — Knoll Crest Farm Total Performance Bull Sale, Red House, Va. Dec. 4 — 46th Annual Union County Performance Tested Bull Sale, Monroe, N.C. Dec. 4 — N.C. BCIP Waynesville Bull Test Sale, Canton, N.C. Dec. 7 — Mid-Atlantic Cattle Sales Video Auction Dec. 21 — N.C. BCIP Butner Bull Test Sale, Oxford, N.C. 2022 Mar. 12 — March Madness Cattle Sale of the Carolinas, Chester, S.C.

Have you forgotten something?

Make sure your cattlemen friends are members of your state association!