LMD Mar 2014

Livestock “The greatest homage we can pay to truth is to use it.”

– JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL MARCH 15, 2014 • www. aaalivestock . com

MARKET

Digest T Volume 56 • No. 3

by Lee Pitts

Don’t worry about biting off more than you can chew.

Your mouth is probably a lot bigger than you think.

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A Real Head Scratcher

NEWSPAPER PRIORITY HANDLING

A good place to start cleaning up the mess is the beef checkoff.

A year ago our government said they looked high and low but could find no instances of mismanagement in the way the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) was spending your checkoff dollars. This was a real head scratcher because in 2010 the Beef Board got in a lover’s quarrel with the NCBA and commissioned an independent accounting firm to review the list of expenses the NCBA had turned into the Beef Board for reimbursement between the fiscal years 2008

and 2010. Lo and behold they found that the NCBA had turned in expenses that had nothing whatsoever to do with the beef checkoff. When they were caught with their hand in the cookie jar the NCBA admitted that they had “mistakenly” submitted improper expenses and they reimbursed $216,944 to the beef checkoff program.

Then the USDA “Investigated” the books for those same

years and came to the conclusion that the Beef Board and NCBA had done nothing wrong? How could that be?

That’s what R-CALF wanted to know, so last April they filed a complaint with the Office of the Inspector General and called USDA’s original report a “colossal whitewash of monumental proportions” and alleged that the report defied “any semblance of logic, impartiality and credibility.”

Not Exactly The reason the USDA could come to their ridiculous conclusion was that one part of the USDA was “investigating” another part of the USDA. It’s like Eric Holder’s Justice Department investigating Fast and Furious or Benghazi. And anyway, paraphrasing Hillary Clinton, “What difference does it make?”

The USDA is charged with providing oversight to all 19 of its checkoff programs through its subsidiary, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). But keep in mind that those checkoffs are also USDA subsidiary programs.

It’s like the Congressional Ethics Committee investigating Congressmen who have none. Ethics that is.

In response to R-CALF’s continued on page two

Idaho Fish & Game kills 23 wolves HTTP://MISSOULIAN.COM

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by LEE PITTS

A Friendly Test

Whitewash! t dawned on me as I was listening to a cafe full of cattlemen complain about the shape our country is in that many of the same things the cowboys were complaining about could also be said about the politics of the cow business, yet nary a word was said about that. And the higher that calf prices go, the less ranchers want to hear about the mucky inner workings of our business. They want to hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil. But as with our country, there will be a high price to pay for our apathy and the time of reckoning will come sooner than you think.

Riding Herd

daho wildlife officials have killed 23 wolves in northern Idaho in an effort to boost the number of elk in the region.

The Idaho Fish & Game announced in late February that the animals were killed by USDA Wildlife Service agents using a helicopter in the Lolo elk zone near the Montana border. It’s the sixth time the agency has taken action to kill wolves in the Lolo zone in the past four years, bringing the total number of wolves killed there to 48. The efforts are part of the state’s predator management plan, which calls for killing wolves when the Fish and Game Department determines they are causing conflicts with people or domestic animals or that they are a significant factor in declining numbers of elk or deer.

Suzanne Stone, an Idaho spokeswoman for the wildlife advocacy group Defenders of Wildlife, said she was disappointed by the news — especially because she said she asked the department earlier this year if they planned any predation actions in northern Idaho.

“I feel like we were deceived because we asked specifically if they had any plans underway to do anything like this, and the answer was no,” Stone said. “You don’t hide this kind

of thing from the public. You have to be straight and forthright.”

The Defenders of Wildlife is part of a coalition of wildlife advocacy groups that sued the state and federal officials in federal court earlier this year, asking a judge to stop a state-hired hunter from using the U.S. Forest Service’s backcountry airstrips to reach and kill wolves in the Frank Church River of No Return wilderness. The federal judge rejected their request for a temporary restraining order, but state officials pulled the hunter out of the region after he killed nine wolves.

The lawsuit is currently on appeal before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Idaho lawmakers in the House voted last week to direct $2 million to help kill problem wolves, over objections from Democrats who say it’s a poor use of the money. The measure, backed by Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter and livestock producers, is now in the Senate.

Idaho has 118 packs and about 680 wolves, according to 2012 figures. This wolf control fund’s proponents argue existing measures by federal trappers and hunters aren’t enough to tackle wolves that prey on sheep, cattle and elk herds coveted by hunters, so this fund is designed to help pick up the slack.

he word “friend” just might be the most overused word in the English language. The word has been diluted like watered wine, a bar drink, and the American dollar.

Take for example a “Facebook friend”. How can someone you have never met, and wouldn’t recognize if you were stuck in an elevator together, be a friend?

Obviously there are different levels of friendship. There are fair weather friends, true blue friends and the aforementioned Facebook friends. Put your friendships to the test by selecting the appropriate answers to these questions.

1. You and your team roping partner, and best friend, have made it to the USTRC finals and all you need to do is rope your last steer in less than nine seconds and you’ll each receive $110,000 plus a gooseneck trailer full of fabulous prizes.

After you miss the heels your partner (a) Slaps you on the back and says, “Let’s go have a beer. (b) Advertises in the next issue of Super Looper for a new partner. (c) Slashes your ropes and your tires and says, “I never want to see you again.”

2. Your wife of 20 years leaves you for someone else.

Your “friend” then asks (a) “Is there anything I can do.” (b) “When are you having the yard sale?” (c) “What’s her phone number. She’s a real hottie!

3. After your friend wins $550 million in the lottery he or she (a) Gives you a million or two. (b) Gives you a sermon on how it would destroy your friendship if any money was exchanged. (c) Invites you to a celebratory dinner at an expensive restaurant and makes you pick up the check.

4. You have hit rock bottom and are begging alongside the road with a sign in your hand that says, “Will work for food.” A friend drives by and (a) Pretends not to see you. (b) Throws a quarter your way and speeds away. (c) Hires you at half the minimum wage to scrub the inside of his septic tank.

5. As a male you ask a female friend if you can borcontinued on page four

www.LeePittsbooks.com

Livestock Market Digest

Page 2

March 15, 2014

Whitewash complaint the Inspector General took only a very brief look at the checkoff shenanigans R-CALF alluded to in its complaint and, lo and behold, they found something really was rotten in Denver after all. So much so that they “corrected” the previous AMS audit that the NCBA had pushed in front of people’s noses and basically said, “See, we really are doing everything according to the book.”

Well, as it turns out, not exactly.

Saps And Suckers

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USDA’s Office of Inspector General not only withdrew its 2013 conclusions that the NCBA had properly expended all beef checkoff funds, the OIG basically said that the only one watching the checkoff henhouse was the fox. The OIG said that “the audit team for the original report did not perform all necessary procedures” and “in respect to R-CALF’s objections the OIG concluded that USDA’s oversight by the Ag Marketing Service “needs improvement”.

OIG also said that “this lack of oversight resulted in agency officials having reduced assurance that beef checkoff funds were collected, distributed, and expended in accordance with the Act and Order.”

Keep in mind, these disturbing discoveries would never have been “discovered” had R-CALF not asked for the Inspector General to take another look. “This is a huge revelation,” said R-CALF CEO Bill Bullard. “No longer does the audit report vindicate the actions by either the USDA or the NCBA, particularly the actions by the NCBA of submitting improper expenses to the Beef Checkoff Program for reimbursement.”

Keep in mind that this OIG audit, by their own admission, “was very narrow in scope as it was only an audit of USDA’s oversight of the CBB, not an audit or investigation of the Beef Board’s operations.” As an excuse for not fully doing their job they said their audit “was performed so as not to duplicate the work performed by other reviewers, such as the independent public accountant that disclosed NCBA’s misappropriation of the $216, 944 in 2010.”

They found that much hankypanky after only reviewing 45 transactions representing approximately $700,000 of expenditures randomly selected from the 983 transactions totaling about $19.2 million.

The plain hard truth of the matter is not that NO ONE has done a complete external audit of the Beef Board and NCBA and the way they have spent your money IN THE 25 YEAR HISTORY OF THE CHECKOFF! And the Beef Board and the NCBA have the gall to ask ranchers to raise the checkoff to two bucks without any evidence that there wasn’t wholesale graft and corruption in the way they spent the first billion dollars?

continued from page one

They must think ranchers are a bunch of saps and suckers.

Funny Business But wait, it gets worse.

According to the OIG, “We found that AMS had not conducted periodic management reviews of the Beef Board, and the agency’s procedures for conducting these reviews could be improved. For example, AMS had not identified weaknesses in the Beef Board’s internal controls over project implementation costs. Sensitivity to these controls is important because the costs are incurred by industry-governed organizations the beef board is required to use.”

Further, “The beef board did not ensure it received detailed information about, for instance, the hourly rate or estimated number of hours that contractors would charge to perform various administrative services to implement a given project. Frequently, with the type of contract that the Beef Board uses, contractors provide a detailed cost schedule up front, such as the hourly rates at which the contractor would invoice the beef board for personnel hours.

However, the beef board received details only after costs were incurred, through the invoice from the contractor.

Thus, reviewers were unable to confirm if estimated rates were reasonable and expenses were appropriate before the board authorized payment. Further, reviewers could not compare detailed estimates to detailed actual expenses.”

In other words, the checkoff’s biggest benefactor by far, the NCBA, had an open checkbook.

Think not? Then listen to what the OIG had to say: “For example, the Beef Board authorized approximately $280,000 to be paid to a contractor to implement the program’s advertising strategy for fiscal year 2010. The Beef Board based this authorization on a document that listed a manager who would implement the strategy and a completion date, but that did not list hourly rates at which the contractor would bill the Beef Board for the performance and supervision of the work. The document also did not list the estimated number of hours the program manager and any other personnel would spend to implement the project.”

Keep in mind, these are the words of the Inspector General, not ours.

As a result of this revelation the OIG recommended that the Beef Board require detailed estimates of project implementation costs, such as salaries, benefits, all applied overhead expenses, and other expenses, before it authorizes the projects.”

That sounds like a reasonable request, don’t you think?

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Although the checkoff has been in place 25 years the Beef Board only requires contractors continued on page three

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

March 15, 2014

Whitewash to retain records for 3 years.

Thus, this casual audit only included fiscal years 2008 through 2010, so we’ll never know how much checkoff money was pilfered in its first 21 years.

DO YOUR JOB! Perhaps the most unbelievable thing the Inspector General found in their glance at the Ag Marketing Service was this: The AMS had not performed management reviews of the Beef Board as required by law.

AMS oversight guidelines require that AMS will conduct periodic management reviews.

“One AMS official informed us” said the OIG, “that agency officials interpreted the guidelines that were in effect during our audit to mean, conduct a review when a complaint or issue arose.”

So the need never arose until R-CALF sent their letter demanding answers. Had they not done so we never would have known the degree to which the USDA was letting the checkoff run wild. The AMS said they never conducted such reviews because “AMS has not developed its standard operating procedures for management reviews to adequately make determinations that beef checkoff funds were collected, distributed, and expended in accordance with the Act and Order, and to ensure transparency.”

Please read that again very slowly. The past 25 years the AMS NEVER conducted these reviews as required by law and did not do their job because “there was no procedure in place to do so.” We wonder, did it ever dawn on them that perhaps it was their job to develop such procedures? Talk about government bureaucrats! And get this. Now that they have been exposed the “AMS officials stated that the agency plans to conduct a management review of the beef checkoff program in the near future.”

Don’t hold your breath waiting for that to happen. And even if it does, how can they be trusted after this big coverup?

Excuses, Excuses For years we have said that the entire checkoff structure was made too complex on purpose.

The OIG came to the same conclusion. “As part of our work,” the OIG said, “we learned that

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Page 3 continued from page two

the relationship between the Beef Board and its contractors is complex.” No kidding? It’s a government program isn’t it? The OIG also seemed to be surprised when their auditors read in the Beef Checkoff Act and Order that the Beef Board could only contract with approved, industry-related organizations that were in existence when the Act was enacted in 1988. Let’s see, when did the NCBA come into being? Wasn’t it 1996 and doesn’t that come AFTER 1988?

Doesn’t that clearly show that the NCBA WAS NOT in existence when the Act came into being and therefore is not eligible to be a checkoff contractor, let alone the biggest one?

According to the OIG, of the 81 million dollars collected in each year they looked at, the NCBA got their hands on 53 million of it. In fact, 82 percent of NCBA’s money came from the checkoff.

Does anyone think that cattleman would have approved this structure in 1988 when they finally voted in the checkoff after two previous failures?

Then there is this: beef checkoff funds may not be used for lobbying, or for “influencing government action or policy.” And yet we had the NCBA urging Congress not to pass the recent Farm Bill because they and their foreign packer backer’s did not like the fact that it would leave country of origin labeling in place. The NCBA states that it maintains a “firewall” within its two divisions but how do we know that for sure since no one is periodically auditing them?

Fun and Games If it weren’t for R-CALF no one would be asking these embarrassing questions. For example, R-CALF recently requested an investigation to determine the legality of using checkoff funds to help Wendy’s promote and advertise “North American beef”. R-CALF says that the Montana Beef Council maintains an advertisement on its website promoting Wendy’s use of “100 percent pure North American beef” and R-CALF cited a newspaper article that stated that $5,000 obtained from the $1-per-head beef checkoff fee will be used to pay for the “North American beef” promotional campaign.

R-CALF’s CEO Bill Bullard, says that “United States cattle

producers are not allowed to use beef checkoff program funds to promote or advertise beef based on where it originated. If U.S. cattle producers are prohibited from using Beef Checkoff Program funds to promote their beef that is derived from cattle exclusively born, raised, and slaughtered in the United States, then it is patently unlawful for Beef Checkoff Program funds to be used to promote their competitors’ beef — beef from cattle that were NOT born, raised and slaughtered in the United States.”

R-CALF urged government

officials to investigate their complaint and if they find that Beef Checkoff Program funds are being unlawfully expended, “We ask that you prosecute the perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law.”

Bullard summed it all up best in saying that “Now that the OIG’s audit report has been corrected to remove the many errors contained in the original report, we intend to go back to the U.S. Ag Secretary to renew our request that he begin performing his managerial function of protecting U.S. producers' beef checkoff funds from the

NCBA that not only has abused the Beef Checkoff Program, but that is also fighting against the interests of a majority of U.S. cattle producers by trying to eliminate the widely popular country of origin labeling (COOL) law both in Congress and in U.S. courts.

“It is unconscionable that our U.S. Secretary of Agriculture refuses to put a stop to this corruption,” said Bullard.

Like we said, if you want to get this country on the right track again, the best place to start might be in our own backyard.

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Livestock Market Digest

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March 15, 2014

Finding and Using the “Right Kind” of Females MARCY WARD LIVESTOCK EXTENSION SPECIALIST NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY

he devastating drought in the Southwest has resulted in heavy herd liquidation.

With cows leaving the states of New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona; so too did years of genetic selection designed to work in arid environments. For some, the much needed rains of the summer of 2013 created a sense of relief and also question.

If the moisture continues through the winter and the grass shows signs of recovery, what is the next step? If restocking is warranted, what kind of females will work in a challenging environment? Where will the replacement heifers come from?

Considering the bulk of the cow herd is gone, there are few replacements available to retain.

Therefore, producers are now in a situation of having to buy females in order to restore their herd. There are three basic options. Buy as yearlings in the spring, buy as bred heifers (120 days pregnant), or buy weaned

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heifers. Buying heavy bred heifers or pregnant aged cows are also options, but availability is too low to justify. There are two things to consider when buying replacements, purchase price and adaptability. Currently the price of bred females and yearling heifers has become very inflated due to demand. Though they may generate income sooner that upfront cost will extend the time required for them to pay for themselves.

In terms of genetics and adaptability there are several points to consider as well. If cows are managed on dormant grass through the winter, heifers should be developed in similar conditions. Current research suggests young heifers have the ability to adapt, breed, and remain productive with few inputs. Heifers whose nutritional status changes abruptly, from a high plane of nutrition to a lower one tend to have lower pregnancy rates. Though those fleshy well conditions heifers have eye great eye appeal, the change in nutrition may result in poor performance. reproductive

Research has also shown that heifers that were developed under rapid growth conditions tended to have lower pregnancy rates as three year olds.

A system of purchasing young heifers (500-600 lbs) could provide Southwest producers an opportunity to develop females in their environment and diversify their operation. Provided adequate grazing is available, the system entails buying weaned calves in the fall and offer only supplemental feed through the winter.

The goal would be to buy moderate framed females that come from similar altitudes, climates, and terrains. For example, English crossed cattle out of the high desert of Wyoming should transition easily to central New Mexico. As terrain levels out, cattle type and adaptability becomes less critical. Avoid extremes. Cattle have a more difficult time adjusting to big changes in altitudes. The other thing to consider when sourcing cattle is climate.

Cattle coming from humid conditions should adapt well to dryer climates, however they must be the type that can also handle extreme cold.

Breed all heifers as they approach a year of age. Check for pregnancy early; 45 to 60 days from bull turn out. Those that are not pregnant still have added value and can be sold as replacements or as feeders. Those that are pregnant show signs of good fertility and adaptability. Selling the open heifers in July will allow producers to take advantage of the traditional market upswing at that time. Seven hundred pound calves are very desirable to most feeders. These females also have the potential to fit as replacements for a fall calving system.

Nutritional Considerations Meeting the nutritional requirements for low to moderate growth in young heifers should include a protein supplement with added fat (5 %<) along with adequate forage. Data suggests improvement in conception rates in heifers fed an added fat sup-

plement. Commercial products containing 20 to 32% crude protein with 5-12% crude fat are fairly common. Free choice mineral and salt should always be provided. Heifers offered this type of nutrition should only be expected to gain ½ lb to 1 lb per day. When the cool season grasses start to come in, gains should improve and the additional nutrition from the grass will only help boost reproduction.

Table 1. Total capital investment of two different heifer replacement systems

Year 1 Bred Yearling Weanling

Cost

Feed

Calf

Replace

Net

($18,000) ($9,000)

($3,650) ($3,290)

$7,500 0

$1,850 $2,000

($12,300) ($10,290)

Financial Considerations The financial component of this system should be considered (Table 1). This is a financial comparison of two replacement purchase options.

Assumptions For Table 1.

– Year 1 for 10 head SCENARIO: n Bred yearlings wean 9 out of 10 calves in the fall n The bred yearling group had an 80% conception (2 open in fall) n Weanlings generate no calf income in year 1 n Weanlings have an 80% conception rate (2 opens sold in July) n Total feed cost in the weaned heifer group is slightly less due to the early culls n Weigh up pricing based on 2013 fall averages from Clovis and Roswell Livestock Auctions COSTS: n Average bred female price fall 2013 = $1,800 (Superior Livestock Auction sale averages) n Average feeder heifer price = $900 (Fall 2013; Clovis and Roswell Livestock Auctions) n Feed Cost ONLY average = $1.00/head/day INCOME: n Calf price based on 475 lbs

Riding Herd row a dress you happen to like, and beg her not to tell your little secret that you love to bake chocolate chip cookies, have a pedicure, sleep with body pillow, and go shopping. Your socalled friend (a) Still likes you anyway. (b) Only tells her husband and every member of the local Cattlewomen club. (c) Puts a picture of you in the dress on her Facebook page.

6. You are thrown in jail and you use your one phone call to phone a friend. Does he or she (a) Let the answering machine pick up. (b) Bail you out but then blackmails you by demanding special favors. (c) Send you books of crossword

mixed calves @ $1.75 n Replacements values based on current weigh up prices • #1100 Cows = $0.83 • #750 Heifers = $1.35 Summary From a financial standpoint, overall cost between buying bred yearlings versus weaned heifers are similar. There are other advantages and disadvantage with both systems to consider.

In the bred yearling system, calf income will come within a year

of purchase of the animal. Currently, however, this specific market has become very inflated due to low cow inventory. Additionally, getting heifers bred in that second year may be challenge. If they lose condition before calving, there will likely be high cull rates as three year olds. The weaned heifer system has a much lower upfront investment, but there will be no calf income for another 18 months. There are, however, several advantages to this system for Southwest producers. Lighter heifers require less intake, which means they will utilize less forage in a recovering pasture. If the drought persists into the summer, these types of cattle are still very desirable to both the feeder and replacement sector. Selling them as bred heifers may prove the most profitable. If conditions allow for retention, the heifers will have had a chance to adapt to the environment, and should handle the subsequent winter well. Evidence also suggests improved longevity in these types of females with continued adequate nutrition. The combination of lower upfront investment and improved longevity should result in long-term profitability.

continued from page one

and Sudoko puzzles and one titled 150 Ways To Play Solitaire In Your Spare Time.

7. You call a friend to help you work calves but this year, instead of roping them, the calves will be worked on a calf table. Your friend (a) Shows up, but is wearing a disguise. (b) Tells you they’d love to come but that is the day they have to dust the rutabaga plants (c) Never speaks to you again.

8. You tell your friend that the doctors have just advised you that you only have six months to live. Your friend (a) Gives you a kidney that will save your life. (b) Asks if they

can come early to your estate sale to get a jump on the dealers. (c) Shares a good cry and then asks if he can have your season tickets for the next football season since you won’t be using them.

Answers: If the answer was (a) in most cases, Congratulations! You have that rare and precious rare commodity: a true blue friend.

If (b) was the answer most of the time you are fair weather friends.

If the answer was (c) you are what are commonly referred to as Facebook Friends. I’d watch my back, my spouse and my pocketbook if I were you.

March 15, 2014

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

Rebuild With Santa Gertrudis Power

BY JOHN FORD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SANTA GERTRUDIS BREEDERS INTERNATIONAL, KINGSVILLE, TEXAS

ommercial cattlemen have numerous breeds to consider when building or rebuilding the cowherd.

Publications, websites, and countless other outlets tout the attributes of the various breeds available today. Often times attempts are made to tie hide color to profitability. Currently, some industry members are implying that marketing straightbred cattle through a branded program has greater value to a commercial producer than heterosis.

However, knowledgeable cattlemen understand that heterosis, not color, influences profitability.

After all, a large percentage of the nation’s cattle are sold over the scales and commercial cattlemen recognize that pounds do matter. Years of research have continually shown that maximum heterosis is obtained when mating animals of breeds that are completely unrelated, such as a British and/or Continental Breed with a breed containing Bos indicus bloodlines.

Cattlemen looking for genetics that supply added heterosis, with the added bonus of exceptional maternal traits capable of producing a highly competitive feeder calf, do not need to look any farther than Santa Gertrudis. Not only does the Santa Gertrudis breed include Bos indicus in its genetic package, the breed was the first composite, a standardized and very predictable blend of Shorthorn and Brahman genetics.

Santa Gertrudis genetics ensure that cattle will thrive in a wide variety of climates, from the hot and humid Southeast, across the nation to the arid Southwest. There is no better way for a commercial cattleman to capture or increase hybrid vigor than through the use of Santa Gertrudis genetics. Unlike the majority of breeds available for use in the commercial sector, the versatility of the Santa Gertrudis breed allows for marketing flexibility. Few breeds provide the industry with the genetic capability to produce the highly sought after F1 replacement female as well as an efficient competitive feeder calf.

The Santa Gertrudis F1 female is extremely versatile and can be incorporated into a wide variety of breeding programs. She is known for her productivity and longevity.

Santa Gertrudis influenced females are fertile, gentle, and most importantly consistent producers of a calf that is viable and competitive in the beef industry. University conducted test verify that Santa Gertrudis influenced calves are efficient feeders that produce

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high quality lean carcasses.

Recently, 1,000 head of Santa Gertrudis steers were evaluated in the National Steer Feedout.

The average daily gain was 3.49 lbs. with an average WarnerBratzler Shear Force (tenderness) measurement of 6.25 lbs., a figure well under the 7 lbs. that consumers consider as tender If pounds over the scale are critical, added heterosis essential, exceptional maternal traits valuable, profitable feeders vital, and consumer pleasing results significant, Santa Gertrudis genetics are the ideal fit for any breeding scheme.

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Livestock Market Digest

March 15, 2014

Over $50,000 Raised in Raffle for Injured Young Cowboy inners were announced on Saturday, February 15 in Clovis in a drawing for two works of art donated in a raffle to raise money for the family of an injured young Lea County cowboy.

Six-year-old Sterling Decker was severely injured at his family’s ranch in October, and New Mexico artists Curtis Fort and Gary Morton contributed works, a bronze sculpture and a painting, for a raffle to assist the family with the enormous bills associated with Sterling’s medical care and long-term rehabilitation.

Although he still has a long road ahead to get back to his original self, Sterling has taken many big steps toward his full recovery, and he and his family were on hand for the drawing which was held at Joe’s Boot Shop, a western store in Clovis.

On hand with Fort, Morton, and store owner Coli Hunt,

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Sterling and his little sister Stoney drew the two winning tickets which belonged to to Jennifer Weatherford of Hobbs, New Mexico, and Stewart Bogle of Dexter, New Mexico.

Tickets were purchased from individuals in several states, many of the contributors from agricultural and rural communities, and sales almost Sterling Decker is back to practicing his cowboy skills. totaled $54,000, all of the money going to Clovis is managing the Decker Jeff, and many friends and wellthe Decker family for Benefit account, and bank presi- wishers of the Deckers.

In addition, up-and-coming Artists Gary Morton (l) and Curtis Fort (r) the care and rehabili- dent Mac Langford was on hand tation of young Ster- for the drawing at noon on Sat- young country singer Will Baniswith Stoney (l) and Sterling Decker (r) at ter and his band from Clovis urday.

Joe’s Boot Shop in Clovis for the drawing ling.

The American Also on hand were Sterling’s were present performing country for the Morton painting and the Fort bronze.

Heritage Bank of mother and father, Jenna and and western songs.

ESA Report May Lead To Congressional Action he Endangered Species Act (ESA) Congressional Working Group, led by Representatives Doc Hastings (WA-04) and Cynthia Lummis (WY-at large) and consisting of eleven other Republican Members representing regions across the country, recently unveiled its final Report, Findings and Recommendations. The Recommendations, in particular, include targeted reforms to improve the ESA so it works better for species and people. Some of the recommendations will likely be included in measures that will be introduced soon, so stay tuned on that front.

The report is the culmination of the Working Group’s eightmonth effort to examine the

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ESA from a variety of viewpoints and angles, receive input on how the ESA is working and being implemented, and how and whether it could be updated to be more effective for both people and species. The report reflects hundreds of comments from outside individuals and testimony from nearly 70 witnesses who appeared before a Working Group forum and House Natural Resources Committee hearings.

The report concludes that “After more than 40 years, sensible, targeted reforms would not only improve the eroding credibility of the Act, but would ensure it is implemented more effectively for species and people.” The report specifically rec-

ommends constructive changes to the ESA in the following four categories: n Ensuring Greater Transparency and Prioritization of ESA with a Focus on Species Recovery and Delisting; n Reducing ESA Litigation and Encouraging Settlement Reform; n Empowering States, Tribes, Local Governments and Private Landowners on ESA Decisions Affecting Them and Their Property; and n Requiring More Transparency and Accountability of ESA Data and Science Read the full report at: http://esaworkinggroup.hastings.house.gov/uploadedfiles/finalreportandrecommendations-113.pdf

Legacy-seeking politicians preach the gospel of global warming

BY RON ARNOLD WASHINGTONEXAMINER

hat is all this frantic climate change noise that’s suddenly emerging from the deathbed of global warming hysteria?

Pew polls still rank climate change next to the bottom of the top 20 issues facing the nation. Even with big media blaming the recent horrific cold weather on global warming, the public just chuckles and watched the snow-challenged Olympics without a second thought. Have America’s bigwigs had some kind of intimate visitation from the ghost of crazes past?

Not really. It’s actually just a few die-hard climate sales-

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men with political motives.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack took advantage of recent bad weather to make a big climate splash by opening “the first ever Regional Hubs for Risk Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change.”

That’s an impressive name, but the seven agricultural “climate hubs” — in Iowa, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Colorado, Oklahoma, Oregon and New Mexico — are just propaganda spigots about helping farmers and ranchers with “increasing risks such as fires, invasive pests, devastating floods, and crippling droughts,” but they never say how.

Vilsack said that the hubs are “part of [President Obama’s] Climate Action Plan to

responsibly cut carbon pollution, slow the effects of climate change and put America on track to a cleaner environment.”

Farmers and ranchers are scared to death of these climate hubs. Steven Wilmeth, a southern New Mexico rancher, said, “It’s another one of those ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help’ deals. All I can say is, ‘Don’t help me.’ We hear the talk, but they’re not telling us what regulatory burdens these climate hubs will add to the overwhelming load we already carry.”

Then there’s zillionaire hedge fund maestro Tom Steyer, who says he’s ready to spend $100 million of his pockcontinued on page sixteen

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

March 15, 2014

Page 7

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. to Sponsor Free BQA Certifications Until April 15 Beef Quality Assurance certification gives producers tools to provide the safest and highest quality beef to consumers. ] or the second year, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. (BIVI) is excited to partner with the checkoff-funded Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program and sponsor BQA certification for all producers who enroll from February 3 through April 15.

BIVI will pick up the $25 to $50 certification fee for beef or dairy producers who are interested in becoming certified or recertified during this period. Visit www.BIVI-BQA.com to take advantage of the open certification period. BQA is important to the cattle industry as it gives producers a set of best practices for producing a safe and highquality beef product. It also gives consumers the assurance that the beef they eat is both healthy and wholesome.

“Some of the challenges that beef producers face is having all of their employees become BQA certified,” says Dr. Jerry Woodruff, Professional Services Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. “BIVI’s partnership with BQA helps offset some of those expens-

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es, and we encourage producers and their employees to use the web-based training programs.”

The BQA certification modules are customized to fit each segment of the cattle industry – cow-calf, stocker, feedyard and dairy operations. The program

covers best management practices such as proper handling and administration of vaccinations and other products, eliminating injection site blemishes, and better cattle handling principles.

“We have seen good evidence that a calmer animal stays healthier and provides a much better product in the tenderness of the meat,” Dr. Woodruff adds. “In addition to those practices listed above, BQA also covers better record keeping, better management of feedstuffs, etc. Those things also make for a much better product in the end. Those are all part of the very extensive best management practices that are taught in the BQA program.”

More than 3,500 producers took advantage of BIVI’s BQA certification sponsor-

Record Snowfalls ship in 2013. Ryan Ruppert, senior director of Beef Quality Assurance, says, “We partnered with BIVI because we believe their Prevention Works platform fits well within the BQA mission.

And, sponsoring certification shows their dedication to the future of the industry.”

BIVI’s sponsorship also includes financial support of the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University, which developed the certification module. BIVI is also sponsoring the National Beef Quality Assurance awards and the Educator of the Year award.

“We are honored to be able to support the cattle industry through this partnership,” says Dave Korbelik, Director of US Cattle Marketing for BIVI. “BQA education aligns with Prevention Works, our focus of preventing disease in cattle.

We do this because it is the right thing for the animal, for the producer and for the consumer.”

To become BQA certified, or learn more about the program, visit www.BIVIBQA.com.

“W

e can expect to see extreme cold with increasing frequency as global warming continues.” The President’s science and technology advisor - January 11, 2014.

I cringe at how ludicrous global warming climatologists must feel these last two winters. Nature is pooping in their nest. Did he mean “extreme heat” instead of cold? Can they have it both ways? However, they shouldn’t be making excuses. They should be elated that winter seems to be coming back with a vengeance. But what if it continues? It puts them in the position of hoping for bad news. It’s called schenfreude.

I make the distinction between accredited climatologists and the teleclimatite believers who worship at the feet of Al Gore. The same people who continue to think that cows flatulate methane and fossil fuels should be banned as a source of energy. They have the credibility of a left-handed duck doing surgery on your prostate.

To the credit of the science of climatology, it has come a long way in predicting weather patterns. It is common of them to predict the weather one to two weeks in advance with some accuracy. But the further into the future their predictions, the less accurate they become. It is at that point they start trusting ‘computer models,’ until it becomes a guessing game. Their predictions lose their statistical significance.

How far ahead did they predict Hurricane Sandy? Frozen Atlanta? New

York’s power outage? Iced over Dallas?

A week? Two weeks? At 30 days you might as well have been looking at the Farmer’s Almanac.

As a medical person I can empathize with their position. Vets and doctors are forced to give a prognosis on the future of illnesses, surgeries or procedures. We apply our expertise, experience, history and judgment; as in “a 50% chance of pulling through.” Sometimes we are right and sometimes we are wrong.

I have great respect for the weathermen. They do a great service to us all.

They continue to expand their abilities.

They give us the facts when possible, but they have the responsibility to remind us that their predictions are simply that; educated guesses whose validity declines daily, monthly and yearly over time. The last two winters have demonstrated that.

The problem arises when C.E.O.s, talk show hosts, self-appointed environmentalists, activists and carbon credit panhandlers tempt real scientists into their shell game. Winters like this damage the good guy’s global warming credibility.

And probably the best or worst example of the tainting of their reputation is the desperate, blatant grasp of changing the name of the threat from GLOBAL WARMING to the transparent, meaningless, shameless CLIMATE CHANGE. I guess when money comes in, science goes out.

Livestock Market Digest

Page 8

Cowboys, Horseshoes, & Corporations

BY BARRY DENTON

sn’t it amazing how a ranch can be running along smoothly, operating at a profit, and then the owner has to retire or has a change of mind. Naturally the ranch gets sold and when new owners take over things are bound to change.

They do not always change for the better. It seems that since there is not a large profit margin on a ranch anymore that corporations like to buy them so they can lose money and write it off. While this may be a good business tactic it often has tough consequences for loyal long time employees.

Now Jack Wood was approaching 55 and had been a cowboy since he was 16. He loved what he did and applied himself very well to his job as cow boss for the Smith/Wynn outfit in central Arizona. You could ask anyone for miles around who ran the best outfit and they would answer Jack Wood. Besides that his men loved him as he was a cowboy’s cowboy.

He worked harder than any of his men and always set a good example.

Jack’s kids were grown and it was only he and his wife Ruthie that still lived at headquarters.

Ruthie loved that large adobe house and took care of it with

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pride. After all she and Jack had been there many years and it was the only home their kids ever knew.

The house sat up on a knoll that overlooked the corrals and barns.

The yard was protected by a tight ocotillo fence and when you opened the gate you were privy to one of the most beautiful gardens you have ever seen. It was a testament that place was to the folks that lived there. Even though it belonged to Jack’s bosses he ran it like it was his own.

With the inevitability that comes with age, his bosses’ decided to sell to a California corporation. The bosses’ children had no interest in keeping the ranch and would rather have the income.

Jack’s employers were good to him and appreciative of his long and loyal service. They did recommend Jack to the new owners. However, the new owners had their own ideas and believed that a new broom sweeps clean. Needless to say they wanted Jack to teach the new man the ropes, but Jack didn’t see any value in that so after 39 years Jack and Ruthie decided to move on.

Some of the cowboys that worked for Jack Wood decided to move on with him. The others that stayed were very eager to meet

their new boss or so they thought.

Jack and Ruthie left on a Saturday and the new boss was supposed to arrive on Monday. Of course the new boss didn’t arrive until the following Saturday, but the remaining cowboys were quite capable.

About 3:00 on Saturday afternoon the cowboys heard a terrible awful noise approaching and saw a large cloud of dust. Here was their latest new boss stepping out of his used to be beige 1967 Plymouth Valiant that sagged a little due to a broken shock. As he rose from the battered automobile, Houston Canoe made an astonishing first impression. Houston stood about five foot eight with tattoos up and down each arm. His scraggly hair hung below his shoulders from under his ten dollar brown cowboy hat.

He was friendly at first, but there was something you didn’t like about him. Come to find out Houston was the prodigal son of the corporation’s certified financial officer. He had just returned after years of drug abuse. Becoming a cow boss was part of his recovery plan and he was proud of it!

The seasoned cowboys were very disenchanted, but this was the wrong time of the year to hire out to a new outfit. They decided among themselves to tough it out for another couple of months until the other ranches started hiring.

Houston started officiating right away and his cowboys were resenting him pretty fast.

March 15, 2014 He would not ask how things had been done before and preceded with his bombastic ideas. Each night in the bunkhouse was spent trying to figure out a way to foul this guy up.

My part in the whole thing was that I kept about 60 head of ranch horses shod up for these guys. Yes, they did do some of there own shoeing as well, but I came in and shod before each roundup and usually once in between. The ranch had a big barn with a hitching rail made from six-inch well casing that ran down the length of the barn.

They would bring out about ten horses at a time and tie them to that rail. I always brought two helpers with me out there. One guy would pull shoes and knife out the sole. I would trim the feet and get the shoes nailed on and the third guy would clinch and finish the feet. It was a good system that could get several horses shod in a short time.

One day when I was out there we were shoeing horses tied to the rail and a desert storm came up.

There was an empty pole barn on the end of the main barn that they used for hay storage. We strung a picket line across the pole barn and tied the horses to that.

While we were shoeing under the pole barn the storm became more violent with high winds and lightning. Needless to say we stopped shoeing the nervous horses and decided to wait until the storm passed. All the cowboys

rode back in and tied their working horses in the corral and got under the pole barn with us.

We were all watching the rain come down in torrents as it was too loud to visit with each other.

Our cool-hand-hippie-cow-boss Houston was at the end of the barn with his leg propped up against a pole smoking a cigarette.

About that time there was another cloudburst that washed a big coach whip snake off the roof.

Thanks to the wind it landed right on Houston Canoe’s shoulders.

Well you never saw a more interesting war dance than the one Houston was doing trying to remove the snake from his shoulders. Obviously he panicked and the harder he tried to get the snake off the tighter it got around his neck. By now he was out in the thunder and lightening whooping and hollering. Of course all of the cowboys were falling down with laughter and no one would help him. Finally after about five minutes one of the cowboys couldn’t take it any more and went and helped him.

I have never seen anyone as panicked as Houston. He was trembling all over and the cowboys said it took him about three days to calm down. About three months later when I went back to shoe the horses again, Houston had moved on. They had made one of the cowboys the new cow boss and everything was peaceful once again at the Smith/Wynn outfit.

LeValley Earns Prestigious Stow Witwer Award at the 2014 National Western Stock Show he 108th National Western Stock Show presented the 2014 Stow Witwer Award to Dr. Steve LeValley at the conclusion of the Junior Market Beef Show. For 32 years, Steve has been the Beef, Junior Market Beef, and Jr. Beef Breeding superintendent at the National Western Stock Show. Steve has also been lead superintendent of the open breeding cattle shows for much of this time period.

Dr. LeValley has overseen the Colorado State University Extension as a Youth Agent and Regional Livestock Specialist. His current responsibilities as the Extension Sheep and Wool Spe-

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cialist, includes providing leadership for the industry in Colorado, and to advance resources for youth projects. By coordinating educational programs, as well as evaluating and interpreting current information for sheep and wool producers, Steve has played a critical role in communications for these producers.

Dr. LeValley is also the Project Leader for the National Sheep and Wool Quality Assurance and Food Safety Project under the USDA, the Project Head for Colorado State University Sheep Integrated Resource Management Program, the Test Coordinator for Colorado Ram Test, the

Livestock Superintendent for the Junior and Open Show at the National Western Stock Show, in addition to the Superintendent for the National Western Fed Lamb Contest and the Test Coordinator for Western States Meat Goat Test.

“Steve’s dedicated service to the National Western Stock Show and to Colorado youth in agriculture are greatly appreciated. His tireless work has earned him this award and we look forward to his continued work with us at the National western Stock Show,” stated National Western Stock Show, President & CEO, Paul Andrews.

Smartphone app for livestock producers now available TEXAS AGRILIFE EXTENSION SERVICE

ivestock producers pondering stocking rates now have an app to help them determine that ratio, according to experts.

GrazingCalc is a new mobile smartphone application developed by personnel at Texas A&M University’s department of wildlife and fisheries sciences, ecosystem science and management units of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

“One of the most common problems livestock managers deal with is determining the best number of livestock to have on the land without harming their resources,” said Blake Alldredge, an AgriLife Extension

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associate in College Station. “That task has just become easier with the release of this new app.”

GrazingCalc is now available for iPhone and other Apple devices at the iTunes Store at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stock ing-rate-calculatorfor/id814140174?mt=8, Alldredge said.

“Being overstocked beyond what the land can handle may lead to overgrazing,” he said, “resulting in issues such as decreased forage production, erosion problems and degraded wildlife habitat,” GrazingCalc is applicable anywhere because it is based on actual forage production as measured by the rancher, said Dr. Megan Clay-

ton, an AgriLife Extension range specialist in Corpus Christi who, with Alldredge, developed the content of the app.

“Ranchers may need to do some work to obtain forage production on their property,” she said, “but it is easily done, and a video within the app demonstrates how to obtain this forage production value from their land.”

GrazingCalc allows ranchers to manipulate the number of types of animals, grazing months and remaining available forage.

Funding for the development of this app was provided through a Renewable Resources Extension Act grant from the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources.

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

March 15, 2014

Page 9

THE LIVESTOCK MARKET DIGEST

Real Estate GUIDE To place your Real Estate Guide listings, contact RANDY SUMMERS at 505/243-9515

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1301 Front Street Dimmitt, TX 79027 Ben G. Scott – Broker Krystal M. Nelson NM Qualifing Broker 800-933-9698 day/eve. www.scottlandcompany.com www.texascrp.com

PICK THE SIZE RANCH YOU WANT – let’s divide this 10,432 ac. +/- ranch in north central Texas, large lake w/permits for dam & right-to-impound in place to add tremendous aesthetic value to the ranch together w/hunting, boating, fishing, commercial & residential development potential. Can be bought by the pasture or in multiple pastures.

STATE OF THE ART! – Improved to the hilt, 9,385.81 ac. +/-, w/homes, barns, cutting horse training facilities, excellent fencing, extremely well watered by wells ranging from 10ft to 209ft, equipped w/mills & subs, extensive pipeline system, springs & earthen dams, w/abundance of old grass to start the season, on pvmt. w/paving to the headquarters (approx. 25 mi. from Santa Rosa Ranch – 13,358.ac. +/-).

OCEANS OF GRASS –East Central NM – Almost 200 sections, mostly deeded, well improved w/homes, barns, several sets of pens w/scales, watered by solar & electric powered subs, windmills, an extensive pipeline system, springs, spring-fed draws & canyons, earthen dams & river frontage, on pvmt.

OLD HWY. 66. – Santa Rosa, NM – 12,718 ac. +/- deeded, 640 ac. state lease, this ranch is well improved & watered by springs, subs, windmills & earthen dams in an excellent location w/frontage on three different hwys. (development potential).

SANTA FE, NM – 60,250 ac. +/- permitted for 522 cows plus bulls year-round, two large sets of pens (one w/scale), two sets of improvements, good country in a beautiful setting just off I25 on an all-weather road.

12 MI. OF THE PENASCO RIVER - East Slope of the Sacramento Mountains , Brown & Rainbow trout fishing, mule deer, Barbary sheep & turkey, beautiful, new custom-built home w/exceptional landscaping, guest house/office newly remodeled, nice employee housing, barns, steel pens, woven + barbed wire fences, 35,309 ac. +/- (deeded, state & BLM leases) on pvmt.

ADA OK. AREA -3,120 ac. +/- of choice grassland w/houses, barns & steel pens, lays in 3 tracts, priced separately!

POTTAWATOMIE CO., OK. – 1,200 ac. +/-, 600 ac. +/- of corn for 2013, cheap pumping from two pumping stations on the little river, pivot sprinklers, balance in choice grassland, barn w/apartment, steel pens, on pvmt., 800 mature pecan trees, very scenic.

Please check our website for info on these ranch es, other ranch es in NM, Texas & OK & irrigated, dryland & CRP fa rms!

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SOCORRO COUNTY HORSE FARM In the Rio Grande Valley.

Custom-built home with 100 acres of irrigated land. House has approximately 3,700 sq. ft., 4 bedrooms, and 2 baths. One hour from Albuquerque Int’l Airport.

Close to 5 racetracks: Sunland, Ruidoso, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Farmington.

1100 ACRE RANCH in San Antonio, NM $335,000. BLM allotment

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Bottari & Associates Realty -& "*, /' *.. ,% ,*&!, 111 *.. ,%,! '.3 *(

Missouri Land Sales 675 Ac. Excellent Cattle Ranch, Grass Runway, Land Your Own Plane: Major Price Reduction. 3-br, 2-ba home down 1 mile private lane.

New 40x42 shop, 40x60 livestock barn, over 450 ac. in grass. (Owner runs over 150 cow/calves, 2 springs, 20 ponds, 2 lakes, consisting of 3.5 and 2 ac. Both stocked with fish. Excellent fencing. A must farm to see. MSL #1112191

See all my listings at: paulmcgilliard.murney.com

PAUL McGILLIARD Cell: 417/839-5096 1-800/743-0336 MURNEY ASSOC., REALTORS SPRINGFIELD, MO 65804

113 acres SOLD / 214 acres REMAINING: “Snooze Ya Loose.”

Cattle/horse ranch. Over 150 acres in grass. 3/4 mile State Hwy. frontage. Live water, 60x80 multi-function barn. 2-br, 1-ba rock home. Priced to sell at $1,620 per acre. MLS #1204641 GREAT INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY CLOSE TO SPRINGFIELD. El Rancho Truck Plaza. MLS #1402704; Midwest Truck Stop MLS #1402703; Greenfield Trading Post MLS # 1402700. Owner retiring. Go to murney.com, enter MLS #, CHECK THEM OUT!!!

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P.O. Box 145, Cimarron, NM 87714 • 575/376-2341 • Fax: 575/376-2347 land@swranches.com • www.swranches.com Good inventory in the Miami, Springer, Maxwell and Cimarron area. Great year-round climate suitable for horses. Give yourself and your horses a break and come on up to the Cimarron Country.

Miami Horse Training Facility. Ideal horse training facility w/large 4 bedroom 3 bathroom approx 3,593 sq ft home, 248.32± deeded acres, 208 irrigation shares, 30' X 60' metal sided shop/ bunkhouse, 8 stall barn w/tack room, 7 stall barn w/storage, 10 stall open sided barn w/10 ft alley, 2 stall loafing shed, 14 11' x 24' Run-In Shelters, 135' Round Pen, Priefert six horse panel walker. Many more features & improvements. All you need for a serious horse operation in serious horse country of Miami New Mexico. Additional 150 acres available on south side of road. Miami is at the perfect year round horse training elevation of 6,200. Far enough south to have mostly mild winters. Convenient to I-25. $1,550,000.

REDUCED! Miami Horse Heaven. Very private approx. 4,800 sq. ft. double-walled adobe 4 bed., 3 bath home w/many custom features, 77.5± deeded acres & 77.25± water shares, large 7 stall horse barn, large insulated metal shop, large haybarn/equipment shed, all for

$1,375,000, plus an additional 160+/- deeded acres w/142 water shares avail. $560,000 (subject to purchase of 77.5± deeded acre parcel.)

Krause Ranch. 939.37 +/- deeded acres. 88 Springer Ditch Company water shares. Mostly west of I;25, exit 414. Big views. $725,000.

Miami Mountain View. 80± deeded acres w/80 water shares & house. $540,000.

Miami. 10± deeded acres, awesome home, total remodel, awesome views $295,000.

Miami WOW. Big home in Santa Fe Style great for family on 3 acres. $249,000.

Miami Tangle Foot. 10.02± deeded acres w/water shares & meter. $118,000.

Maxwell. 19.5± deeded acres, water, outbuildings, great horse set up. $234,000.

Canadian River. 39.088± deeded acres, w/nice ranch home & river. $279,000. CONTRACT PENDING

O’NEILL AGRICULTURAL, LLC “Offers computer-generated color custom mapping service on digital USGS base maps.

Hang a map in your office that looks like your ranch, w/water lines, pastures & roads etc. Put your ranch on one piece of paper.”

Ranch Properties now available through Bottari & Associates Realty, Inc #&, ( ## / % ( ) 8+5* 17'3 #%3'4 8#5'3 3+)*5'& #0& +33+)#5'& 8+5* # )3#7 +5: (.18 4:45'/ (31/ 53'#/ (.18 #0& (31/ 4'7'3#. 60&'3)3160& +33+)#5+10 8'..4 %%'44 10 2#7'& 31#& #0& ,645 /+.'4 165* 1( "'..4 '7#&# 0' $'&311/ $#5* *1/' 3+%' + / ## / ( ) & - ! ''(&. ( ) , - * ( (! *) 0 2#7'& 5#5' 5 0.: /+065'4 (31/ .-1 11& 46//'3 3#0)' 3+%' #"& & -!* ( 0!% ' ($!* *'4' 23+7#5' 4'%5+104 #3' +0 5*' %*'%-'3$1#3& #3'# #0& #3' +05'3/+0).'& 8+5* 26$.+% .#0&4 *' 3#0%* *#4 *+4513+%#..: $''0 # 23+0) *''2 3#0)' *' 2'3/+5 +4 10.: 26$.+% .#0&4 3+%' +0%.6&'4 1( 5*' /+0'3#. 3+)*54 10 #.. $65 #%3'4 ! ! " $ " " # ! 3+%' #%3' 3 104+&'3+0) #&&+0) 5*' 2312'35: $'.18 51 +5 51 /#-' # :'#3 #3160& 60+5 #"& & +$ &# * !, ( (&' (*/ #%3'4 .1%#5'& $'58''0 5*' :0&10 #0& 4+01 9+54 10 *+4 2312'35: *#4 17'3 #%3'4 1( 463(#%' 8#5'3 3+)*54 165 1( 5*' 6/$1.&5 +7'3 *' 2'3/+5 (13 5*' #%3'4 #$17' +4 # 4*135 &+45#0%' (31/ 5*+4 2312'35: 8+5* # 451%- &3+7'8#: 10 5*+4 2312'35: 3+%' /+..+10 %* &+%* !% % 22319 &''& #%3'4 +0 5#33 !#..': +%' .#3)'3 *1/' 10 2#7'& 31#& 2.64 /1605#+0 %#$+0 3'#5 46//'3 3#0)' 8+5* 8#5'3 (31/ 06/'3164 %3''-4 #0& 4''24 *+4 3#0%* +4 /#&' 1( 62 1( 17'3 4'2#3#5' 2#3%'.4 +( # $6:'3 8'3' /13' +05'3'45'& +0 07'45/'05 2312'35: 74 )3+%6.563#.

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Bottari Realty and Associates PAUL D. BOTTARI, BROKER www.bottarirealty.com • paul@bottarirealty.com 775/752-3040 • Cell: 775/752-0952 • Fax: 775/752-3021 Bottari Realty & Associates • 1222 6th St., Wells, NV 89835

Livestock Market Digest

Page 10

March 15, 2014

Angus Announces Plans for Expansive Communications Center New venture will create unified platform for expanded breed communications, marketing he American Angus Association® (AAA) announced a historic move that unifies the organization’s communications efforts and expands the marketing platform for the nation’s Angus cattlemen.

The Association’s public relations department, producers of Angus TV, and Angus Productions Inc. (API), publisher of Angus Journal® and Angus Beef Bulletin®, will unify to form one cohesive communications center.

As part of the unification plan, longtime API President and General Manager Terry Cotton will be named vice president of sales.

Cotton will also represent Region 12, serving Angus breeders in California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah.

Eric Grant, AAA director of public relations since 2009, will serve as API President and General Manager, effective May 1, 2014.

The unification plan brings all Association communications, advertising and public relations assets — including magazines and sale books, websites, social media and breed advertising as well as television and radio programs — into Angus Productions, Inc. The decision also brings together a team of more than 30 talented professionals — editors, writers, graphic designers, web developers, photographers and videographers — dedicated to

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advancing the Angus breed.

Most notably, it marks the first time in the Association’s 130plus-year history that all aspects of breed promotion and communications will be under one roof and management.

“By unifying these various components, we will strengthen the Angus brand and message, eliminate confusion and improve the effectiveness of each individual media platform, all of which points back to increased strength for Angus breeders and their customers,” says Bryce Schumann, chief executive officer (CEO) for AAA. The communications center will also benefit the Association’s many programs and services.

“Today’s rapidly evolving genetic selection tools and other technological advancements require effective communications with members and others in the beef industry,” says Bill Bowman, Association chief operating officer (COO). “Only through coherent communications to and from our members can we improve the understanding and application of Association programs and tools.

This move toward a more unified communications effort will greatly assist us in accomplishing that goal.”

Association President Gordon Stucky of Kingman, Kan., says the announcement represents the

next step in a decades-old tradition in breed communications excellence.

“We believe this is a pivotal move for the Angus breed — one that will allow us to better communicate the many advantages of registered Angus genetics to all sectors of the beef business, from seedstock to cow-calf producers, from feeders to consumers,” Stucky says.

Background: Cotton and Grant Cotton was named general manager in 1986 by Dick Spader, Association executive vice president, following a successful tenure as a regional manager and as manager of API Special Services.

Under Cotton’s watch, API’s revenue has grown by nearly 500% since 1986, reaching a peak of $9.7 million in FY 2008.

Today, the Angus Journal (circulation 14,000) and the Angus Beef Bulletin (circulation 68,000) are collectively the industry’s largest-single source for information, producing more than 1,500 pages of editorial, 600 breeder sale books brochures, and nearly 4,000 pages of advertising each year. Angus Productions Inc. also manages nearly 300 breeder websites, and each day distributes news updates through its various digital channels.

“We would not be here today

without Terry’s leadership and record of achievement,” says Schumann. “It is because of Terry that we are now unifying these entities – and preparing to meet the opportunities of the future.

We are deeply grateful for his service to the Angus breed and fortunate that we will continue to benefit from his leadership.”

A 28-year ag communications veteran, Grant has made noteworthy contributions to the field, spanning nearly every media platform. He began his writing career with Simmental Shield in 1986 and served as assistant editor for National Cattlemen and Beef Business Bulletin for the National Cattlemen’s Association. Later, he served as contributing editor and photographer for Beef Today, Range and American Cowboy magazines, among others. Grant joined AAA in 2007, first as manager of API’s Creative Media Division, and then as director of public relations in 2009.

Under his supervision, the Association successfully launched The Angus Report and I Am Angus®, two popular television programs on RFD-TV. More recently, the department created Angus Talk, a 30-minute talk show on Rural Radio Channel 80 on Sirius XM Satellite.

In addition, Grant also brought the breed’s national advertising campaign into the

public relations department, the first time in more than 50 years that all advertising functions were conducted in-house and not by an outside agency. On top of distributing more than 140,000 news releases last year, the department also produces weekly radio news releases and weekly TV news releases.

“The Angus Journal and API enjoy one of the storied legacies of the cattle business, and we believe Eric’s leadership will strongly position us for the future,” remarks Schumann. “He has a track record for innovation within the beef business, and no one is better suited to lead this venture into new marketing endeavors.”

History Until today’s unification announcement, AAA-PR and API have operated independently for nearly a century.

The Aberdeen-Angus Journal was founded by publisher Fred Hahne of Webster City, Iowa, in 1919. It remained in the Hahne family until 1979, when the magazine was purchased and renamed Angus Journal by the American Angus Association.

Over the years, the publication has not only claimed numerous awards for writing and graphic design, but also has been home continued on page eleven

Shorthorn Association names Director of Communications & Marketing he American Shorthorn Association (ASA) welcomes Megan BottcherBrehm to the organization as the Director of Communications & Marketing. Brehm will

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be responsible for breed promotional efforts through advertisements, social media, and public relations strategies.

Brehm joins the American Shorthorn Association staff with a lifetime of experience in the agricultural industry. In addition to industry experiences gained as a cattle producer, Brehm brings a wealth of knowledge to the position gained while at Slagle Communications, a private agricultural communications and marketing contracting service in Brock, Nebraska. “I am sincerely

honored to take this position at the American Shorthorn Association,” Brehm commented, “The Shorthorn breed has so much to give the beef cattle industry; I am thrilled to be in a position where I will be able to promote this great breed of cattle at a national level.” Montie Soules, Executive Secretary/CEO of the American Shorthorn Association, when asked for comment, noted that theassociation is “very fortunate to have someone like Megan as a part of the Shorthorn team. Her passion for agri-

culture and history with the breed will be a tremendous asset.”

Brehm is a native of Talmage, Nebraska, where her family owns a Vermeer Hay Equipment dealership, farms, and operates a small Shorthorn based cattle herd. Brehm holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Peru State College in History with a concentration in Business Marketing. She resides with her husband Randall, and daughter Lauren on their farm near Syracuse, Nebraska.

Hauser Elected Vice Chairman at NLPA Annual Meeting oug Hauser, Kingfisher, Oklahoma, was elected as the new Vice-Chairman of the National Livestock Producers Association (NLPA) at the association’s annual meeting held January 2014 in Charleston, South Carolina. Hauser replaces Gary Smith, Glenwood, Iowa, as Vice Chairman as Smith moves into the office of Chairman of the Board. Former Chairman, Stan Mannschreck, Anadarko, Oklahoma, stepped down after five years and reaching the organization’s term limit.

Hauser is a Farm Bureau agent in Kingfisher and is the representative of the National Livestock Credit Corporation, Oklahoma City, to the NLPA. Hauser has been on the National Livestock Commission Board for over 20 years.

He also farms with his son Doug and father Gene, raising wheat, rye and canola, has a cow

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herd and grazes stocker cattle on his wheat and rye pastures.

“As a representative to NLPA, we have a great board and an opportunity to help out the livestock industry and our patrons at home,” said Hauser. He and his wife, Karen, have three children.

Other Executive officers installed at the annual meeting were Gary Smith, Producers Livestock Marketing Association, Omaha, Nebraksa, as Chairman; Chuck Adami, Equity Cooperative Livestock Sales Association; Darrell Ailshie, Tennessee Livestock Producers, Inc.; William Beeman, Empire Livestock Marketing, LLC; Jack Hanson, Tri-State Livestock Credit Corporation and Rick O’Brien, Producers Livestock Marketing Association, N. Salt Lake, Utah.

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

March 15, 2014

Angus continued from page ten

for some of the most colorful and influential people in the beef industry.

Hahne is credited with reinvigorating interest in the Angus breed in the mid-20thCentury, notably playing a pivotal role in preserving the Earl Marshall bloodline, from which almost all contemporary Angus cattle trace.

Visionary livestock marketer and communicator Michael Sweet was named the Journal’s first General Manager following the Association purchase in 1979. Sweet was not only known for his communications prowess, but also for pioneering the marketing of cattle via satellite TV. Longtime publisher and editor Dale Runnion served as acting general manager in the early 1980s; notably, he hired Cheryl Oxley, who was the publication’s production manager for more than 30 years. Runnion was inducted into the Livestock Publications Council Hall of Fame in 1987; Oxley in 2003.

The Angus public relations department also enjoys one of the industry’s most celebrated histories.

Tracing its roots to the golden era of advertising in the 1940s and 1950s, the then Chicagobased AAA had access to some of the brightest minds in advertising.

Recognizing the need for more aggressive breed promotions, longtime AAA CEO Frank Richards, whose background was in ag journalism, hired Lloyd Miller to be his “publicity man” in 1946, a responsibility he held for 22 years.

Under Miller’s leadership, AAA recruited a top-flight team of writers and artists, including Harry Barger, a talented ad copy writer, and Frank Champion Murphy, a Chicago-based artist who would spend the next 40 years creating paintings and illustrations of Angus cattle. His vast body of work now comprises the world’s largest single collection of original cattle paintings and illustrations, most of which are on permanent display in AAA offices.

In 1984, the Association launched the “Elephant ads,” arguably the most memorable advertising campaign in the history of the cattle industry. The campaign was created by PR director Keith Evans and Bob Watkins of Fletcher-Mayo Associates.

“We are excited to build on our historical legacy – and to open the next chapter in Angus promotions and communications,” says Cathy Watkins, Middletown, Ind., Angus breeder and API Board chairman.

“Angus breeders everywhere will benefit from our improved efficiencies and the much more aggressive posture we will be taking in promoting Angus and advancing the interests of our breeders.”

Page 11

Hemsted Awarded Outstanding CattleWoman of the Year oan Hemsted was named the 2013 Outstanding CattleWoman of the Year by the American National CattleWomen, Inc. (ANCW) at the Annual Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville, Tenn. The CattleWoman of the Year Award is sponsored by Purina Animal Nutrition, LLC. Hemsted has served many important roles throughout her tenure as a CattleWoman. She was the President of the California CattleWomen, an ANCW Region Director, Chair of the National Beef Cook-offR committee, Co-chair of the ANCW Education Committee and served on numerous regional committees.

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She was a champion for a large ANCW re-structure project as a part of the Focus Advisory Team and created “196 Ideas to Recruit New Members.” With 24 years of ANCW membership, she's attended nine summer conferences, 12 annual conventions and today is still active in CattleWomen, serving as the Budget Chair and local CattleWoman director in California.

Her impact on Beef Education is significant. She has volunteered many hours in elementary classrooms delivering programs like “Music, Literature, Art and COWS!” program and she’s encouraged hundreds of women to become certified

in special ANCW Education projects. Her passion for education carried beyond her work with CattleWomen, proven by her service as the first national chairman of Ag in the Classroom.

The strong relationships Hemsted has built with CattleWomen across the country are remarkable. Barbara Jackson, ANCW President said “Joan has a tremendous talent for engaging members. Whomever she works with-she does it with style and grace AND she gets the job done! Her co-workers (committee) are always happy to have worked with Joan.” Jean Barton fellow ANCW member and California CattleWoman

agreed, stating “Joan’s personality and hugs have created many friends throughout the United States in the beef industry.”

Melanie Fowle, ANCW Vice President and fellow California CattleWoman added “When I think of Joan, it is with awe.

Yes, she is a worker bee, but she also writes encouraging notes when they are least expected.

She nudges, praises, and asks questions at just the right moment.”

Hemsted has been married for 48 years and has two daughters and son, plus several grandchildren. She still fixes lunch for the branding crew, the control burn crew, and visiting ranch tours.

Livestock Market Digest

Page 12

March 15, 2014

Role of Mineral Nutrition on Performance of Ranch Calves ERIC SCHOLLJEGERDES RUMINANT NUTRITIONIST NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY

orbidity in the feedlot can negatively impact animal performance, carcass quality, and overall profitability. Specifically, nontreated cattle garner $95.25 more per head than treated cattle and have greater average daily gains (Waggoner et al., 2007). In young calves, susceptibility to respiratory illness, one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the feedlot, can be linked to the stresses associated with weaning and transport (Galyean et al., 1999).

Secondary to stress, poor nutrition prior to or upon arrival to the feedlot will also suppress immune function (Galyean et al., 1999).

Most often calves entering the feedlot have reduced intake, which has been shown to be related to a higher incidence of morbidity (Hutcheson and Cole, 1986). Likewise, poor nutrition prior to weaning can also have a significant impact on immune function. In addition, it is now coming to light that even before a calf is born, maternal nutrition can impact lifelong health. The thymus, a specialized organ of the immune system, begins to develop in calves around days 27-35 of gestation. In humans, it has been shown that prenatal undernutrition and postnatal environments can affect responses to vaccines well into adolescence (McDade et al., 2001). Therefore, any nutritional deficiency experienced by the dam at that time may impact offspring immunocompetence into adulthood. Likewise, mineral and vitamin deficiency has also been shown to reduce a calf’s ability to respond to vaccination (Bagley et al., 2003). This information suggests that although offspring may seem to be well fed, it is possible that acute nutritional deficiencies experienced during gestation or as neonates may negatively impact the offspring’s ability to mount an immune response later in life.

Minerals hold a paramount role in bodily function. In particular, the immune system relies on specific minerals to maintain

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proper function. This is particularly true in calves as they are faced with the challenges of weaning and transport off of the ranch and in to the sale barn or feedlot, or both. Proper mineral nutrition at the ranch can have long-lasting impact on reproductive success of the cow and her ability to raise a calf each year. This presentation seeks to discuss the role minerals play in cow and calf health and subsequent performance.

MINERALS Macrominerals. Macrominerals are a group of minerals required in larger amounts than microminerals (trace minerals) and are generally expressed as a percentage of the diet dry matter.

Calcium. Calcium (Ca) plays a major role in bone and teeth structure as well as nerve impulses, muscle contractility, cardiac regulation, secretion of hormones and enzyme activation.

Phosphorus. Phosphorus (P) is a component of DNA and RNA as well as energy metabolism. It is also critical for the structure of bone, teeth and cell membranes.

Potassium. Potassium (K) is a component of enzymatic reactions and acid-base balance, muscle contractions, nerve impulses and osmotic pressure.

Magnesium. Magnesium (Mg) is used for enzyme activation, energy metabolism, cellular transport.

Sodium and Chlorine. Sodium (Na) and Chlorine (Cl) are involved in maintain osmotic pressure. Sodium is involved in nutrient transfer in and out of cells.

Chlorine is used for production of Hydrochloric acid in the abomasum (true stomach).

Sulfur. Sulfur (S) is a component of the essential amino acid, methionine, and B-vitamins, Thiamin and Biotin. Sulfur is utilized in certain detoxification processes in the body. Ruminal microbes require sulfur to produce Sulfurcontaining amino acids and B-vitamins.

Microminerals. Microminerals are a group of minerals required in much smaller quantities than microminerals. This group of minerals are generally expressed as parts per million (PPM), which is the same as expressing as mg/kg. Toxic levels

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are generally much lower than microminerals.

Cobalt. Cobalt (Co) is a component of Vitamin – B12, a critical co-factor in energy metabolism by the animal. Generally, ruminal microbes are the primary user of dietary cobalt.

Copper. Copper (Cu) is a component of a number of enzymes involved in amino acid metabolism and control of reactive oxygen species (antioxidant), pigmentation, and nervous and immune system.

Manganese. Manganese (Mn) is an activator of enzyme systems involved in energy and protein metabolism, as well as fatty acid synthesis.

Selenium. Selenium (Se) is a component in glutathione peroxidases, which converts hydrogen peroxide into water. Therefore it protects cellular membranes from damage.

Zinc. Zinc (Zn) is a cofactor in numerous enzyme systems including those that breakdown protein and it is also involved with DNA and RNA synthesis. It is also a critical part of the immune system.

FORAGE AND WATER MINERAL CONTENT In order to accurately assess what minerals are needed, one must assess the basal value of the forage to be grazed. Mathis and Sawyer (2004) conducted forage mineral survey across New Mexico from various regions of the state during the fall (mid-October through mid-December) and late winter (February through early March) of 2001 and 2002. Samples were analyzed for calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, sulfur, aluminum, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, and zinc.

These times were selected to represent samples at the end of the growing season and around the time of complete dormancy. In Figure 1, we observe that the overall state average macromineral concentration in forages rarely meets the National Research Council (NRC, 2000) recommended mineral levels for gestating and lactating beef cows. In other words, only 77% of the samples collected by Mathis and Sawyer (2004) had a calcium concentration great enough to meet the cow’s requirements provided she was able to eat recommended levels of forage. None of the samples collected were able to meet the phosphorus requirements.

This of course is not surprising to most cattlemen, as phosphorus is often our first mineral deficiency observed in dormant native pasture. The authors did point out that the phosphorus content of fall forage was much greater than that of winter. In Figure 2, Iron and Cobalt were adequate the majority of the time, with copper, selenium, and zinc being deficient close to 50% of the time. Interestingly, iron was extremely high in a large number of samples. The authors point out that 32% of the samples collected were at a value high enough to cause a copper deficiency due to the antagonistic

Figure 1. Percentage of samples collected in 2001 and 2002 that meet the NRC macromineral requirements for a gestating and lactating beef cow across the state line of New Mexico.

influence iron can have with copper when the ratio of iron:copper ratio is greater than 100:1. This high level of iron may also decrease zinc absorption. The authors bring up a very important point in that considerable variation existed across the state and timely forage analysis is warranted in order to accurately develop a mineral program that fits the needs of the cattle.

Apart from forages, water mineral content can have a tremendous impact on mineral status of livestock. The water quality in New Mexico can negatively influence the animal’s ability to utilize certain minerals. These are call “antagonisms” and they can have profound effects on animal performance. The most noteworthy antagonism resulting from water in New Mexico is sulfur and copper. With the recent drought, sulfur content of well water has likely increased as wells are not being diluted with rainfall recharge. If total dietary sulfur intake, which includes feed and water, reaches upwards of 0.2-0.3% of total dietary intake, copper availability is reduced (Underwood and Suttle, 1999). Likewise, water hardness and calcium levels are often very high in many of the wells throughout New Mexico. Therefore, testing of water and forages will provide an accurate picture of what the beef cow and her calf consumes and deficiencies can be overcome with mineral supplementation.

MINERAL SUPPLEMENTATION – RESPONSES The following responses to mineral supplementation are by no means all inclusive and many if not all the focus is on the microminerals, in particular copper and zinc. This is not so suggest that the others are of little importance but simply reflects the focus of recent research in this area. The need for proper balance for the macrominerals, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium seems to be well accepted in the ranching community, therefore, this section will focus on recent finding regarding

growth, health, and reproduction in cattle supplemented microminerals.

Nursing calf. Proper mineral intake is critical for adequate immune system function and energy and protein metabolism.

This is particularly true for young nursing calves. However, we often take for granted that the cow is going to provide the calf what it needs to grow properly. Because, it is difficult to determine actual calf mineral intake, data do exist that suggest that calves nursing cow’s supplemented mineral can exhibit improved growth performance. Specifically, Stanton et al.

(2000) reported that calves nursing dams offered a high level of organic trace minerals gained more body weight from birth to weaning than calves nursing dams consuming low and high levels of inorganic minerals. Ahola et al.

(2004) reported that kilograms of calf weaned per cow exposed were greater for cows supplemented inorganic versus organic minerals but overall performance did not differ based on source of mineral supplementation. This variation between experiments is not uncommon in the mineral research arena, but the take home point would be that adequate mineral supplementation is warranted considering the improvement in nursing calf performance.

Feedlot. Ahola et al. (2005) reported that feed efficiency (Gain:Feed) was greater for feedlot cattle fed organic sources of Copper, zinc and manganese as compared to inorganic sources.

This did not coincide with any differences in carcass quality. Richeson and Kegley (2011) reported greater average daily and feed efficiency in newly received cattle administered an injectable trace mineral package upon arrival.

However, the reason for this improvement in performance is not clear, as it could be due to either improved mineral status or reduced morbidity. Morbidity during the first 14 days of the receiving period can reduce overall average daily gain over the continued on page thirteen

March 15, 2014

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

Mineral Nutrition

continued from page twelve

Figure 2. Percentage of samples collected in 2001 and 2002 that meet the NRC micromineral requirements for a gestating and lactating beef cow across the state of New Mexico.

entire receiving period (Graves et al., 2013). Ward and Spears (1997) reported that copper supplementation improved feedlot steer average daily gain and feed efficiency during the finishing phase compared to steers fed a copper antagonist (Mo) and improved USDA yield grade.

Likewise, cattle provide additional levels of Zn irrespective of source had greater average daily gain during the growing period and improved carcass quality (Spears and Kegley, 2002). These experiments reflect the benefit of proper balance of mineral supply during the finishing phase and these responses are likely due to the myriad of metabolic processes that these minerals participate in the animal.

Immunity. Calves supplemented organic Zn during the finishing phase had greater Immunoglobulin M concentrations and antibody response to immune challenge than steers offered inorganic trace minerals (Dorton et al., 2007).

Conversely, Ahola et al. (2005a) reported that the health status of calves given organic versus inorganic mineral sources over their lifetime did not differ during the growing and finishing phases.

However, in a study by George et al. (1997), heifer calves subjected to an immune challenge during the growing period did have a better immune response when provided 3 times NRC recommended levels of microminerals compared to NRC levels. Stabel et al. (1993) reported that copper deficiency reduces a calf’s ability to mount an immune response to pasteurella hemolytica challenge. This could be problematic in the event that a calf is being nursed by a dam that is deficient in copper as there is a strong correlation between a cow’s copper status and her offspring.

Likewise, this would also hold true in calves entering the feedlot that are deficient in copper. Work has been shown to suggest that an injectable trace mineral upon arrival to the feedlot can aid in the calf’s ability to mount an immune response to vaccination (Arthington and Havenga, 2012) and decreases morbidity due to bovine

Page 13

respiratory disease (Richeson and Kegley, 2011). The influence these microminerals have on health is relatively new and is cause for great excitement in the cow/calf and feedlot sector. It would appear that proper mineral programs at the ranch will provide the calf with a better ability to mount an immune response at weaning and at the feedlot. This could be particularly useful for naïve New Mexico calves being shipped straight to the feedlot.

Reproduction. Although high levels of supplemental micro minerals rarely exhibit an improvement in cow body weight gain, improvement in reproductive success is most often reported. Total luteinizing hormone (LH) release after gonadotropin releasing hormone administration was greater for heifers receiving Cu supplementation (Ahola et al., 2005b), which is of great benefit to reproductive success in heifers and cows. This can be supported by the research that has shown that supplemental minerals can improve reproductive performance. Specifically, Stanton et al.

(2000) reported that cows conceiving to artificial insemination were improved by 15% when offered a high level of organic minerals compared to low and high levels of inorganic minerals; however, overall pregnancy did not differ across treatments. This agrees with Ahola et al. (2004) who reported cows fed organic versus inorganic mineral sources had 15% greater conception rates to artificial insemination, yet overall pregnancy rates were not different across mineral source but were numerically higher (5%) compared to controls fed marginal levels of minerals. It should be pointed out that the organic sources of minerals are more biologically available than inorganic sources, so many of these responses could likely be achieved if inorganic sources were provided at a higher level.

Although the published experiments reported above appear to draw a strong conclusion towards the advantages of mineral supplementation, the relative treatment differences (control treatments

versus mineral treatments) can in some cases be small. In many instances, the experiments were designed to observe differences between animals that were deficient and those that were well fed.

However, in experiments where differences were not observed the controls were in adequate mineral status.

FEEDING OF MINERAL The high cost of mineral and variation in intake often causes concern to livestock producers. If one were to assess the total cost of mineral supplementation based on an average cost of mineral being $880/ton with an intake of 3 oz per head per day (0.19 lbs/hd/d) this would come out to be $0.08/hd/d ($880/ton = $0.44/lb; $0.44 * 0.19 lbs of intake/hd/d = $0.08/hd/d) or $30.51 per year per cow. For the rancher to justify this added cost, one can consider any of the above improvements in performance (calf growth, reproduction, immune function). For example, let’s start with calf weaning weight. Stanton et al. (2000)

reported that calves nursing dam’s supplemented organic minerals had an 11 lb weaning weight advantage (460 versus 471 lbs). If that calf were sold at weaning with a current market price being $2.15/lb that additional weight would garner an additional $23.65, which is close to covering the cost of supplementing the cow for the year, now combine that with the improvement in conception to artificial insemination, which would mean that those calves would be born earlier in the season as compared to those bred naturally and would wean at a higher body weight. Specifically, the calves born earlier in the season would only have to wean 3.1 lbs heavier than later born calves to cover the cost of the mineral program for the year.

The high cost of mineral can be a scary purchase but considering all the benefits it seems that year-round mineral supplementation is relatively cheap insurance.

RESEARCH EFFORTS AT NMSU

DigestClassifieds

At New Mexico State University, we are working on research that investigates the interactions between ranch mineral programs and subsequent calf health in the feedlot. In addition, we are determining the most appropriate mineral program for newly received feedlot calves in order to overcome intake issues and mineral status of New Mexico calves. It has been our observation to date, that many ranchers do not consider the value of mineral feeding to their cows because they do not see any major issues with their cow herd, and their calves seem to do alright in the feedlot or in some cases many do not know how well their calves do in the feedlot. It is possible that the health of these calves can be jeopardized due to lack of proper mineral supplementation to the cow prior to weaning and shipment to the feedyard, setting their calves up for a higher incidence of morbidity. Stay tuned for the results of this multi-year project.

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Page 14

February 15, 2014

Tim Cox: Determined to Keep the West Alive

BY SHARON NIEDERMAN

wo centuries ago, English Romantic poet John Keats might have intuitively described Western painter Tim Cox’s work when he penned “Ode on a Grecian Urn”: “Truth is beauty, beauty truth/That is all ye know on earth and all ye need to know.”

Keats Romanticism was inspired by the unspoiled English countryside; whereas, Tim Cox records the daily life of the traditional contemporary cowboy in what can only be called “God’s country.”

“I hope that people can see the beauty of the American West and experience a little of the lives of the cowboys that I have portrayed,” Cox says. “I would like them to feel as if they have stepped into a frozen moment of time.”

Cox’s representational paintings of cowhands, horses, and wildlife in settings that celebrate the essence of western skies, weather, open range, river crossings, and seasonal transformations reveal the bedrock truth of authentic experience. His work is as inspiring as it is beautiful.

The depth and complexity of his eye for color, composition and perspective as well as his convincing, realistic execution make it almost impossible to believe he was self-taught. He is a perfectionist when it comes to portraying the realm of the real life working cowboy. His love for the landscape emanates from the gathering clouds in his storm skies, and from the sparkle of golden autumn leaves reflected in flowing creek water.

The paradox of his work is that his acute realism evokes a reverence for the paradise he creates.

Every painting is an invitation to enter his Eden of ranchers, cutters, team ropers and ranch horses in the perfect solitude or harmonious community of an unspoiled West, a world away from traffic, pollution, noise, and crowds. The background song might be Merle Haggard’s

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“Big city, turn me loose and set me free . . . somewhere in the middle of Montana . . .”

Cox explains his lifelong dedication: “I portray the cowboy

because it is what I have known all my life, as far back as I can trace my family tree. It is the

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feeling of freedom, space, the outdoors, the magnificent landscapes, the light, the honesty and values of the western spirit and family. I couldn’t paint anything else. This is my passion and it is what I know and love.

“I paint the details because, in the agriculture business, it is the small details that make the difference between

drawing horses on whatever material was available. I have always drawn western subject matter, and my mom saved a great part of them from the time I was about five and put them into a huge scrapbook.”

Classic Western artists Charlie Russell, Frederick Remington, and Frank McCarthy were big influences on him. Artist Bill Owen came into his life as a “huge help, influence, and friend.” Ruidoso master Gordon Snidow had Cox come stay in his guesthouse one winter and he helped a lot. Also critical to

profit and loss; survival or failure. I paint for the people that live this life.”

Born in Safford, AZ in 1957 and raised in the small town of Duncan, AZ on the New Mexico border, this fourth generation Arizonan is one of the best-known and most treasured western artists of our time. His great-grandparents had a ranch in Douglas, Arizona, and Tim grew up in this desert country. From the time he was eight years old, he worked on ranches. While he was in school, his artistic talent was nurtured by his community.

“From kindergarten all through school, the town of Duncan, Arisona supported me in my art,” he recalls. “I was always asked to do class projects for sports events, holidays, and the county fair. In high school, they bent the rules so I could study art all four years, even though two years were the credited limit. I was allowed to take industrial arts and one of my years of typing as art classes,” he says.

Says Cox, “I sold my first painting when I was 12. People that worked with my dad, kids in school and others would buy paintings. My earliest memories are of lying on the kitchen floor

his artistic portrayals are his cowboy influences, Mack Hughes, the stockman for the San Carlos Indian Reservation for 30 years and Jim Grammer who ran the T-Link Ranch on Blue River.

Painting professionally since 1975, Cox found early recognition for his work. He recounts that, “Grant Speed introduced me to Candice Bedner, who was the director of Trailside Galleries in 1975, and I have been in major galleries and art shows ever since.” Trailside Galleries of Jackson and Scottsdale are among the premier, highly influential Western galleries and take pride in dealing in the finest representational contemporary artists.

Cox’s work is much loved and widely collected. In 1986 he began producing his popular cowboy calendars. Today sales number more than ten million.

His work has appeared on more than 300 magazine covers, including Southwest Art, Western Horseman, and Art of the West. It is fair to say he is one of the best-known western artists.

In fact U.S. Art’s gallery owners survey named Cox one of two top popular Western print artists of 1999.

Of his many awards and honors, he is especially proud of his “Ayudando Siempre Alli Award” from the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association for contributions to agriculture.

He is honored to have won the 2003 Prix de West Award and two “Express Ranches Great American Cowboy Awards” from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

True West Magazine’s 2011 readers’ poll named him the Best Living Western Painter.

In a 1975 high school English class essay, he wrote that one of his fondest wishes was to be a member of the Cowboy Artists of America. His wish was granted in 2007 when he was invited to join the prestigious group, and he has since served as CAA’s president.

Today, Tim lives outside Bloomfield, NM, with his wife Suzie and daughter, Calla. He also raises cattle, trains horses and coaches young riders in cutting competitions and other competitive events. He recently began working in a specially constructed studio that is a separate building with 12 foot ceilings. The main workspace is a 16' X 24' room with a library and office to the side.

His best working conditions are when it is quiet and at night, and he is known to stay up all night painting until dawn. He describes his work methods as follows: “I draw out my paintings on a panel or a canvas, using hundreds of photographs that I have taken and a lot out of my head. Using photographs for reference has been done for hundreds of years by the majority of artists.

“Then I block in the basic shapes and colors to create my composition. I go back and put in the details and refine the images. It takes six weeks to two months of 10 to 12 hour days, seven days a week, on average to finish.”

“Going out to work on the ranches refreshes me,” he says.

He and his family own 20 head of horses that they train and ride. They raise cutting and performance horses. They are lucky enough to own a share of the 2007 American Quarter Racing Champion Three-YearOld Gelding, Little Bit of Baja, who went to the Champion of Champions race an unprecedented three times.

“I am drawn to the culture and traditions of the contemporary West and the cowboy way of life. I feel it is important to record accurately the things that I have seen and experienced for the generations to come. The older I get, the more important it is for me to put down in print the places and things in the West that I have seen before they disappear.

“I am depicting the reality of people that I know and events that I have experienced.”

Sharon Niederman is a writer and photographer living in Colfax County, NM. She is the author of sixteen books of NM history, travel, cuisine, art, folklore, and fiction. She serves on the board of directors of the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum.

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

March 15, 2014

New Mexico Wins Conservation Leadership Award

(l) Jason Weller, USDA NRCS Chief, (ctr) Brent Van Dyke, and (rt) Earl Garber, National Association of Conservation Districts President

he National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD)/Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Olin Sims Conservation Leadership Award was presented to Brent Van Dyke, Hobbs, New Mexico. This annual award recognizes an individual, district or organization for superior service to the conservation community in promoting and leading conservation on private lands. Van Dyke, second vice president of NACD, is a retired agriculture education teacher and FFA advisor, and has worked for the U.S. State Department/ U.S.A.I.D. for more than 15 years as a contract advisor for agriculture projects in Eastern Europe and Asia.

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“Brent Van Dyke is known and respected across the Southwest for being an outstanding leader in conservation, and has shared his knowledge and experience with conservationists in Eastern Europe and Asia,” said NRCS Chief Jason Weller.

“Van Dyke truly is a conservationist without borders. It is an honor to recognize him with this award.”

The New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts (NMACD) Executive Director, Debbie Hughes, stated that “New Mexico is very proud of our Government Affairs Director, he has a passion for agriculture and conservation and is very deserving of this prestigious recognition.”

Alex Dees Recognized by SWBBA lex Dees, Yuma, Arizona, was presented the “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the recent meeting and sale of the Southwest Brangus Breeders Association. Dees has been involved in the Brangus breed for over 50 years. He started as herdsman for Floyd Newcomer, owner of Yuma Valley Cattle Co. in 1960. While there he was instrumental in

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developing the famous “Yuvalle Black Duke” bloodline. In 1968 that herd was purchased by John Todd and Dees continued working for Mr. Todd until the herd was dispersed. At that time Dees returned to the family farm and began his own business of fitting, showing and raising registered Brangus cattle. One of his heifers, AD Miss Maybelle was named national grand

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SWBBA Awards Scholarships aylin Tibbetts and Elizabeth McCormick were each awarded $500 scholarships at the recent meeting of the Southwest Brangus Breeders Association in Marana, Arizona.

Caylin, a junior honor student at San Simon High School is in her second year of showing a registered Brangus heifer. Elizabeth, also an honor student, attends Yucca Middle School in Clovis, NM and was showing her first heifer. Both Caylin and Elizabeth, along with nine other juniors, showed their heifers at the Arizona National Livestock Show in Phoenix in December, 2013.

Young people from the southwestern states are eligible to participate in the SWBBA heifer program. Heifers and feed are provided by Westall Ranches, Parker Brangus, and Lack-Morrison Brangus. Students halter

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break, feed, groom, and finally show the heifers at the ANLS. Each student submits a record book and story to enter the com-

petition for scholarships. Scholarship awards are based on work with the heifer, school activities, records, and need.

Cattle Raisers Expo Kicks Off in San Antonio April 4 early 200 exhibitors will showcase their products and services to cattle producers across the state at the 37th Annual Cattle Raisers Expo during the Cattle Raisers Convention April 4 through 6 in San Antonio.

“The Cattle Raisers Expo is the largest expo in Texas and Oklahoma designed specifically for ranchers,” said Pete Bonds, TSCRA president. “We invite those with ranches of all sizes to come and experience this special opportunity to visit with other ranchers and learn more about the tools they need on their home ranches.”

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Thousands of ranchers will have the opportunity to interact with companies selling the latest products and services for cattle managers, landowners, and wildlife and pasture management. In addition to equipment and management tools, western wear and jewelry, attendees can also learn more about different products and services including animal health products, animal identification, herd management, real estate, veterinary services, seed products and more.

Meat cutting demonstrations, the Special Ranger Silent Auction, youth contests, Kids Korral and team roping contests cour-

tesy of Dragsteer will also take place in the expo, as well as breakfast Saturdayfor all attendees.

The Cattle Raisers Expo runs from noon to 7 p.m. Friday, April 4, and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 5, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in downtown San Antonio. The expo is open to the general public. Day Pass admission is $10.

Free day passes will be available on the TSCRA Facebook site at www.facebook.com/tscra.

For more information visit the Cattle Raisers Convention website at www.tscra.org/convention.

champion at the 25th anniversary celebration of the Brangus breed. For the next decade he hit every show from the West Coast to Houston.

Dees gained national status as a professional judge and judged many national and international shows for Brahman and Angus

cattle as well as Brangus. Dees is well known for his courtesy, honesty, and professionalism, not only in the showring, but in his everyday life and business dealings. He has served as a teacher and mentor to hundreds of other breeders across the nation.

In 2010 Dees was presented the “Pioneer of the Year” award by the International Brangus Breeders Association. It is with love, respect, admiration and honor the Southwest Brangus Breeders Association presented the “Lifetime Achievement Award” to Alex Dees.

Soil Conservation Districts Sue U.S Fish & Wildlife Service

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oday marks the day that local governments, including soil and water conservation districts are standing up for their constituents,” stated Aubrey Dunn, one of the Supervisors of the Chaves Soil and Water Conservation District in New Mexico. On January 29, 2014, the Chaves Soil and Water Conservation District; Sierra Soil and Water Conservation District; Hagerman/Dexter Soil and Water Conservation District; Dona Ana Soil and Water Conservation District; Deming Soil and Water Conservation District; Otero Soil and Water Conservation District; Grant Soil and Water Conservation District; Penasco Soil and Water Conservation District; Central Valley Soil and Water Conservation District; Salado Soil and Water Conservation District; Quemado Soil and Water Conservation District; ClaunchPinto Soil and Water Conservation District; Upper Hondo Soil and Water Conservation District; Carrizozo Soil and

Water Conservation District; and Carlsbad Soil and Water Conservation District filed litigation in the New Mexico Federal District Court against the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) because the FWS is refusing to allow soil and water conservation districts to participate in the Mexican wolf 10(j) rulemaking as “cooperating agencies.” Being a “cooperating agency” does not give local governments a veto power over the federal government in this or in any other federal decision making process, but it does give local governments who represent the people most impacted by federal agency decisions, a seat at the table to help shape federal decisions and to ensure that the federal agencies fully understand the impact of their decisions on the local environment and the citizens who live there.

“The litigation that was filed by the districts was really a last resort,” said Dunn.

The districts have tried writing letters requesting a seat at the table, making

calls, requesting reconsideration and even seeking help from the Congressional delegation, all to no avail. The FWS would either simply ignore the request, or tell the local governments that they were relegated to the status of “general public” during the comment period. For the districts, that meant that their participation in the Mexican wolf management decisions would have no more impact than someone commenting from New York City who had never seen New Mexico, let alone a Mexican wolf, and who did not have to live with the daily impacts.

There is no question that the new Mexican wolf rule proposal will have a significant impact on much of New Mexico. For example, the original experimental non-essential (ENE) designation for the Mexican wolf only allowed release of captive born Mexican wolves into an area known as the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area (BRWRA), in Arizona (no Mexican wolves were released in New Mexico).

Also, under the original program, Mexican wolves were only allowed to disperse into the BRWRA. If wolves traveled outside the BRWRA, they were trapped or captured and returned to the BRWRA. However, under the new proposal, wolves will be released directly in New Mexico on lands within Sierra, Grant and Salado conservation districts. Additionally, wolves will be allowed to expand into almost all of the southern two-thirds of New Mexico south of I-40. This expanded acreage includes land within the boundaries of Plaintiffs Chaves, Sierra, Hagerman/Dexter, Dona Ana, Deming, Otero, Grant, Penasco, Central Valley, Salado, Quemado, Claunch-Pinto, Upper Hondo, Carrizozo, and Carlsbad Soil and Water Conservation Districts. The law allows local governments to be directly involved in federal decision-making processes under NEPA; certainly these significantly impacted local governments should not be ignored in this process.

Livestock Market Digest

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Legacy-seeking politicians et change on attack ads against candidates who support the Keystone XL pipeline in the coming midterm elections — against even key Democrats such as Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, an oil and gas state where Steyer’s attack would probably help her.

He’s annoying Democratic election officials with a new and misleading poll he paid for to counteract numerous legitimate polls showing that Americans strongly support the XL. The Obama White House crew is said to wish Steyer would go away.

With the tide clearly turning and climate panic subsiding, it’s worth asking what motivates the remaining strident climate crowd. Robert Gordon, senior adviser for strategic outreach at

the Heritage Foundation, thinks the motives rank on a 1-2-3 scale from money to power to faith.

Employing a colorful metaphor, he said, “The dog of imminent apocalyptic global warming just won’t hunt. Perhaps for the promise of power or money or a faith-based devotion to the cause, some just refuse to accept that.”

The motive is obviously power for Secretary of State John Kerry, who is chanting his old “church of climate catastrophe” mantra again and calling skeptics the Flat Earth Society. Recently, he told college students in Jakarta, Indonesia, “When I think about the array of global climate, of the global threats, think about this: terrorism, epidemics, poverty,

March 15, 2014 continued from page six

the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”

After that, I think about the State Department as a mental hospital with no doctors or nurses. When you hear such “don’t listen to any opposing views”, you know you’re listening to a con — that is, deceptive persuasion, manipulation or swindle, take your pick. What’s Kerry’s con?

I asked Marc Morano, publisher of Climate Depot and former staff of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. As usual, he had a superbly insightful answer: “After more than 40 years in public life,” Morano said, “John Kerry is still seeking a legacy, and he has chosen global warming as his ticket. Kerry is steering the

Obama administration’s international focus to embarrassingly bad man-made climate fears.

“Kerry has his sights set on committing the U.S. to a new U.N. global climate treaty in Paris in 2014. And he is using his pulpit as secretary of state to entangle the U.S. into a sequel to the Kyoto Protocol.”

Admiring Morano’s realism, I pondered the motivations behind climate worship another moment and decided that it’s really all faith, the kind of googly-eyed faith that even if global warming is false, making the world prepare for the illusion is the right thing to do.

RON ARNOLD, a Washington Examiner columnist, is executive vice president of the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise.

FWS Signs Key Component of Lesser Prairie-Chicken Conservation Agreement n February 28, 2014 the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) quietly signed the Range-wide Oil and Gas Industry Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances for the Lesser Prairie-Chicken (CCAA), along with an accompanying environmental assessment.

This agreement between USFWS, WAFWA, and the five range states allows private landowners who develop oil and gas on their lands to voluntarily enroll into the CCAA. Upon entering the CCAA, participants will pay mitigation fees when they perform certain actions that impact the lesser prairie-chicken or its habitat. These fees will then be used for conservation purposes.

Western Caucus Chairman Steve Pearce and Western Caucus Member Randy Neugebauer responded to the announcement with the following statements: “I want to commend FWS for working with the five range states to approve the Lesser PrairieChicken Oil and Gas CCAA,” said Chairman Steve Pearce. “This decision will provide certainty for private landowners as they continue to exercise their rights to develop the resources on their lands.

Listing the lesser prairie-chicken as endangered threatens the economic stability of our communities.

Fortunately, conservation and development are not mutually exclusive goals. FWS must continue to work with the five range states to fully implement the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Range-Wide Conservation strategy, which they endorsed last October. This plan added over 1.5 million acres of habitat to millions of acres already enrolled through other FWS approved conservation programs.

Energy, agriculture and other industries have proven that they will put in the effort to ensure that the species will survive, and preclude the need for an endangered or threatened listing. I look forward to working with FWS, WAFWA, the range states, and my colleagues in Washington to save the lesser prairie-chicken and the jobs our communities so desperately need.”

“I’m really pleased the Fish and Wildlife Service heeded our request to finalize the Range-wide Oil and Gas Industry Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances for the Lesser PrairieChicken,” added Congressman Neugebauer. “This is an important step toward giving the range-wide conservation plan a chance to succeed, preventing a costly and unnecessary listing. Farmers, ranchers, energy companies, and landowners can work together with state wildlife agencies to preserve habitat and protect the Lesser Prairie Chicken, without federal intervention.”

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