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February 1, 2008

Cover Story

Desert Doer

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Joe Roybal Editor

It was Thursday, Dec. 6, and Andy Groseta was bouncing between phone calls in his office after returning from Tucson, AZ, where he'd addressed an international...

The Man Who Would Be President

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Burt Rutherford Senior Editor

Paul Hitch had set his mind to become the next president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA). It was his dream, his goal, the culmination...

Features

A Change In The Lineup

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Alaina Burt Managing Editor

If you head south from Ellendale, ND, past the community baseball field and a mile into South Dakota, you'll find the ranch headquarters of Bruce and...

Fast-Forward Genetics

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Wes Ishmael Contributing Editor

When it comes to genomics and genetic evaluation, the sum is more powerful than the parts, at least for now, apparently. It's called whole-gnome selection...

Passing The EPD Torch

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Alaina Burt Managing Editor

Each day he goes to work, beef geneticist John Pollak crosses his fingers. Why? The Cornell University professor and head of the National Beef Cattle...

Multi-Breed Genetic Evaluation

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Wes Ishmael

Imagine being able to directly compare the genetic merit of seedstock, no matter what breed or breed combination. It would be the pinnacle of genetic-evaluation...

10 Hot Tips

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Burt Rutherford Senior Editor

Creating value in your calves Jim Lerwick with Lerwick Bros., a cattle and grain operation at Pine Bluffs, WY, says there are several areas where producers...

Livestock Diplomacy

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Kenna Rathai

In a mountainous region in Afghanistan, along the Pakistan border, fighting and drought had decimated the animal population. What was once a thriving...

Q&A with Lt. Col. Sam Barringer, DVM

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Joe Roybal

Q How did this program come about? A The program is still ongoing, and we must recognize that there are 100+ people involved in this and I was just the...

Holy Cows

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Diana Barto

Holy cows. That's what Greg Spradlin calls the 78 cows he has on 21 different farms in the northwest corner of Georgia. Each year when the calves from...

Hiring Immigrants

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Phillip M. Perry

Hiring immigrants has long been a valued American way of getting the job done. Today, however, employers need to tread more carefully over what's become...

Brazil Slapdown

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Meghan Sapp

The European Union (EU) has restricted nearly all imports of Brazilian beef on animal health concerns, but EU farmers' groups think only an outright ban...

How To Build & Repair Fences & Gates

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM

Billed as the essential tool for building the right fence the right way, this 130-page manual features 200 color photos and illustrations, and provides...

BEEF Feeder Features

A Glimmer Of Hope

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Larry Stalcup

Like wolf tracks in the snow, the warning signs have been unmistakable. There's risk out there in the market big risk. Price volatility in the cattle...

Beyond The Pond

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Burt Rutherford Senior Editor

If you manage a feedyard, you manage runoff. Historically, a retention pond that captures and holds runoff from feedyard pens has been the way managers...

News Makers

Tracking Cloned Livestock

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Alaina Burt

In December, livestock cloning companies ViaGen, Inc. and Trans Ova Genetics introduced a supply chain management program to identify cloned animals as...

Editor's Roundup

The golden age of agriculture?

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, by Joe Roybal editor

Economist Bill Helming says he's generally bearish on the overall U.S. economy and expects it to suffer a serious and painful recession within the 2008-2009...

BEEF XPress

This month in brief

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM

Recently, Chipotle Mexican Grill, a national restaurant chain, unveiled an advertising campaign that includes billboards that read: Get antibiotics from...

Health report ready

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM

The 2006 annual report on U.S. animal health is available at: www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/content/printable_version/06_AHReport_508.pdf....

Order your seed early

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM

Spring frost, summer drought and competition for land have reduced the supply of many forage seeds for next spring. So if you expect to plant new pasture,...

Bison charge ahead

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM

After three straight years of double-digit increases in bison meat sales, the National Bison Association (NBA) says it's poised to continue the run in...

And Nebraska makes 10

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM

Nebraska is the 10th state to register at least 50% of its livestock premises under the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). Meanwhile, USDA's...

NAFTA is now 100%

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was fully implemented Jan. 1. Thus, the last remaining trade restrictions were removed for U.S. exports...

Animal care meeting

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM

Animal Care and Well-Being: Facts Not Fiction is the theme of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture's 2008 annual meeting, April 1-3, in Indianapolis,...

Vets' Opinion

Dangerous perceptions

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, by Dave Sjeklocha contributing editor

Several years ago, McDonald's quit using foam packaging and switched to using paper and cardboard for wrapping its food products. The fast-food giant...

Reader's Viewpoint

Let the market work

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM

In regard to Tom Peters' letter, Accept change and get on with it (page 8, January BEEF), what the ethanol issue comes down to is theft by policy. And...

Market Advisor

Price forecasting part II

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, by Harlan Hughes contributing editor

Ranching's economics are changing. Preliminary data suggest the cost of running a beef cowherd has increased 15-20% in the last two years. Altered production...

Cattle Economics

Populist destruction

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, by Wes Ishmael contributing editor

You come to us and tell us that the great cities are in favor of a gold standard; we reply that the great cities rest upon our broad and fertile prairies....

Grazier's Page

Five steps to winter savings

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, by Jim Gerrish contributing editor

Whether you're out feeding in the cold or just looking out your window at cows eating hay at a cost of $2/cow/day, it should be a wake-up call for all...

My Perspective

Should we just accept and adapt?

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, by Troy Marshall contributing editor

Accept and adapt has certainly been the rallying cry of leading management gurus regarding the government-created ethanol boom. These experts have a valid...

BEEF Tech

Beef Tech

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, compiled by Alaina Burt managing editor

Deep trough waterer Ritchie Industries adds the Deep 54 waterer to its WaterMasters series. The Deep 54 holds 54 gals. and serves 200 beef or 100 dairy...

Research Roundup

DNA testing in range settings

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, compiled by Alaina Burt managing editor

DNA paternity identification (ID) and progeny testing may be profitable for open-range beef cattle operations with bull-culling rates of 20% or greater,...

BEEF Basics

EPDs provide genetic insight

Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, by Clint Peck contributing editor

The beef cattle industry has been using Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) as a selection tool in improving calf productivity for nearly two decades....