The Virginia Cattleman THE VIRGINIA CATTLEMAN–JANUARY...

THE VIRGINIA CATTLEMAN–JANUARY 2013–PAGE 1

The Virginia CattlemanP. O. Box 9Daleville, VA 24083-0009

Non-Profi tOrganizationU. S. Postage

PAIDDaleville VA 24083

Permit No. 8

Offi cial Publication of the Virginia Cattleman’s Association • PLEASE NOTIFY SENDER IF ADDRESS LABEL IS INCORRECT

What’s InsideWhat’s Inside

Virginia’s Breeding Cattle Import Requirements ........................................ Page 5

Rising Dressing Percentage Implies Structural Change ............................. 4

Long Term Outlook .......................................................................... Pages 20-21

VCA Convention Schedule & Highlights .................................................. Page 25

TheThe Virginia CattlemanVirginia CattlemanVOLUME 35 NUMBER 01 CIRCULATION 8,000 JANUARY 2013

Wintertime

JANUARY 2013–THE VIRGINIA CATTLEMAN

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Jason Carter, Executive Secretary

As I sit here on New Year’s Eve there are several events coming over the next day that, if you follow the popular press, could give some cause for angst. The big one of course is the so called “fiscal cliff”. Following suit with the Post-al Service, annually on the verge of fi nancial collapse, our federal government now has seemingly instituted a tradi-tion where we are all left to anticipate Washington hanging a CLOSED sign on its prover-bial front door at the end of the year. It’s folly to think that our country could actually stop functioning when you consider the multitude of ways that gov-ernment is vested in our lives either fi nancially or otherwise. While it is unfortunate that words such as bipartisanship and compromise often predi-

cate a speech describing just the opposite, the government will move forward despite this and some temporary fi x will be in place by the spring in order to shape planks for the accusatory platforms that politicians now stump from in election years. The irony of the “fi scal cliff” terminology is that most of us, particularly farmers, live like that all the time. Investment and downsizing are decisions that we all must make to grow in agriculture. Financial un-certainty is a way of life for those in production, yet we think ahead and pay attention to the past in order to survive. Cultivate what is profi table and cull what is not…a simple rule of agriculture that has become infi nitely complicated through policy and for our leaders in Washington.

February 1, 2013 will be the annual convention of the Vir-ginia Cattlemen and Dairymen

in Roanoke, Virginia. I hope that many of you will be able to attend and look further into this issue of the Virginia Cattle-men to see details about what we plan to offer. I have been on the job for six months now and still certainly have a lot to learn. However one thing that I am sure of, and have appreciated for some time, is the value of information sharing that an As-sociation offers. I think we have a pretty good program lined up for the day that should provide both good information as well as cause for self-assessment. I also want to thank Farm Credit and First Bank & Trust for being major sponsors of this event. They are important to the cattle business in Virginia and we appreciate their support of our Association.

New Year’s also reminds us to prioritize what is important in our lives and for our personal wellbeing. The cliché is forming resolutions that may not always become lifestyle decisions, but I am going to offer a brief list of things we should resolve to do every day anyway. First, be thankful. Humility is an

REGISTER TODAYREGISTER TODAYfor for

VCA CONVENTIONVCA CONVENTIONFebruary 1, 2013February 1, 2013..

Call 540-992-1009Call 540-992-1009

essential ingredient of success. Second, take time to give. Gen-erosity is an essential ingredient of happiness. Third, do some risk assessment. It is a dynamic world we live in with changing markets and opportunities. You may not lose what wasn’t yours to begin with but you certainly won’t gain anything without

creating options either. Finally, always contemplate change. Consider new products or ser-vices you can offer or receive to improve and then implement them. They may not always work but it is a lot harder to grow when you plan not to try something new. Hope to see you February 1st.


The VirginiaCattlemen’s Association

Affi liated with theNational Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc.

P.O. Box 9Daleville, Va 24083-0009

540/992-1009www.vacattlemen.org

Alan Spivey ..................................... PresidentAroda

Steve Furrow ...........................President ElectRocky Mount

John Goodwin...........................1st Vice Pres.FEEDER CATTLE

SomersetJasper Persinger .........................1st Vice Pres.

SEEDSTOCKCovington

Terry Hudgins ...........................1st Vice Pres.INDUSTRYBuckingham

Gene Copenhaver ............................ TreasurerMeadowview

Bruce Stephens ................................Past Pres.Wytheville

Jascon Carter .......................... Exec. SecretaryStuarts Draft

Butch Foster ....................................FieldmanBristol

BOARD OF DIRECTORSRegion I

Glenn Wheeler, AtkinsRegion II

Chris King, WythevilleRegion III

Barry Brice, NarrowsRegion IV

Forrest Ashby, StauntonRegion V

Rick Matthews, BrowntownRegion VI

Steve Hoplins, LouisaJohn Goodwin, Orange

Region VIILin Jones, New Canton

AngusSteve Furrow, Rocky Mount

CharolaisWilliam Anderson, Altavista

DairymenMark Sowers, Floyd

HerefordCharles Williams, Fairfi eld

SimmentalAlan Spivey, Aroda

MarketsDavid Coleman, Amelia

VeterinariansDr. Bobby Franck, Montpelier

BCIAJason Pratt, Dublin

CattleWomenTerri Doyle, Emporia

Cattle FeedersJerry Burner, Luray

IndustryGene Copenhaver, Galax

County Cattlemen Assoc.Mike Henry, Amelia

Brett Stratton, AppomattoxEx Offi cio

Frank GravesBill Jones

VA/NCBA DirectorKevin Powell

The Virginia Cattleman540/992-1011

540/992-4632 - FAXpublished monthly by the

Virginia Cattlemen’s Association

Editor ................................ Jason CarterBusiness Mgr. ....................... Kim Ward

[email protected] the fi rst week of each month. Copy deadline the

15th of the previous month.The Virginia Cattleman is sent to members of the Virginia

Cattlemen’s Association. Annual dues are $25/year or participation in the Association’s Feeder Cattle marketing Program. Complimentary copies are sent to various sup-

porters of the Virginia Cattle Industry.

A Member of:

LPCLIVESTOCK PUBLICATIONS COUNCIL

The European Commission re-ceived the green light to authorize the use of lactic acid to reduce microbial surface contamination in beef carcasses, a move sought by USDA. At a meeting of the European Union Agriculture and Fisheries Council this week in Brussels, ministers failed to reach a majority decision either for or against the proposal, which allows the commission to fi nal-ize a regulation permitting use of the antimicrobial treatment. The commission’s proposal fol-lows an application from the U.S. Department of Agriculture seek-ing approval to use lactic acid to reduce surface contamination in beef. Lactic acid is widely used by U.S. beef industry.

The European Food Safety Authority this summer backed the use of lactic acid as a safe and effective antimicrobial treatment on beef carcasses, concluding the treatment would not be a safety concern provided that the substance used complies with EU specifi cations for food addi-tives. In July, the EU opened an increased import quota for beef not treated with hormones. Au-thorization of the use of lactic acid would allow the United States to fi ll this export quota.

EU Council Paves Way For Lactic Acid Use In Beef

On December 20, 2012 the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a fi nal rule establishing general regulations for improving the traceability of U.S. livestock moving interstate. The notice of the fi nal rule for animal disease traceability is ex-pected to be published sometime in early January 2013 in the Fed-eral Register and implemented 60 days thereafter. The fi nal rule for animal disease traceability ap-plies to sexually intact bison and cattle over 18 months, dairy cattle of any age, event and rodeo cattle of any age, cattle and bison of any age used for shows or exhibits when they move into interstate commerce. USDA APHIS gives

USDA Authorizes Rules for Animal Disease Traceabilityauthority to States and Tribes for what they accept within their jurisdiction in order to meet inter-state requirements.

SOME DIFFERENCES TO THE FINAL RULE FROM PROPOSED RULE:

· Beef cattle under 18 months of age, unless they are moved interstate for shows, exhibits, rodeos or recreational events, are exempt from the offi cial identifi ca-tion requirement in this rule. The specifi c traceability requirements for this group will be addressed in separate rulemaking.

· Accepts the use of brands, tattoos and breed registration as official identification when ac-cepted by shipping and receiving States or Tribes.

· Maintains the use of backtags as an alternative to offi cial eart-ags for cattle and bison moved directly to slaughter (for slaughter in 3 days).

· Accepts movement documen-tation other than an Interstate Certifi cate of Veterinary Inspec-tion (ICVI) for all ages and classes of cattle when accepted by the shipping and receiving States or Tribes.

· Clarifies that all livestock moved interstate to a custom slaughter facility are exempt from the regulations.

· Extends the phase-out period for manufacturer-coded Animal identification numbers ( AINs) from 12 months to 24 months from rule publication to make the transition less burdensome for producers.

· Revises the offi cial eartag and adding a new defi nition of offi cial eartag shield. These changes will allow the State or Tribal postal ab-breviation or codes within the US Route Shield in lieu of “US”.


Candace Sipos,Harrisonburg Daily News

Record

The statewide competition to determine the Virginia Beef Ambassador will be held for the fi rst time in Rockingham County next year, thanks to Hinton stu-dent Stephanie Shank. Shank, a 19-year-old sophomore at Blue Ridge Community College and graduate of Turner Ashby High School, was chosen to represent the state as the current beef ambassador at Virginia 4-H Congress in June. She competed against 21 other state represen-tatives in Sacramento, Calif., in the national contest at the end of September. While she didn’t make the fi ve-person national team, she did come back with ideas about how Virginia could improve its statewide com-petition, which has been less than popular the last few years. In 2009, Brad Copenhaver of Washington County made the national team, but since then, state involvement has been on the decline. For the last three years, Virginia has not had a beef ambassador. The state beef ambassador competition used to be a separate event until it was blended with the Foods and Nutrition contest at Virginia 4-H Congress, fewer students were showing up to compete, ac-cording to Debbie Snead, who’s headed up the state beef ambas-sador efforts since 1990.

After returning from Cali-fornia, Shank contacted Dara Booher, head of the 4-H program for the Rockingham County Virginia Cooperative Extension offi ce, requesting help overhaul-ing the competition. The pair got permission to switch to Rocking-ham from Jason Carter, execu-tive director of the Virginia Beef Industry Council. The council, which includes Snead, sponsored Shank this year and has agreed to sponsor next year’s competi-tion as well. The Virginia Beef Ambassador competition will take place at the Virginia Beef Expo next spring at the Rocking-ham County Fairgrounds. “Dara and Steph could localize that [information] and put it into the

beef territory of the beef expo,” Snead said. “It just fi ts perfectly into that component.”

Shank said she was “kind of out of the loop” at the national contest, which takes contestants through four levels of competi-tion in one grueling Saturday. The Virginia challenge, on the other hand, involves judges eval-uating a 10-to-15-minute speech and poster regarding the beef industry. “Now we’re trying to revamp the state contest,” Shank said. “We’re kind of working to change the contest to mock the national one … [and] bring the contest back to its former glory.” Shank is hoping to continue the project during her transition from a 10-year member of Day-ton-based Creative Chefs 4-H Club to a 4-H volunteer.

Jackie Lohr, one of the state’s first beef ambassadors and daughter of Shank’s 4-H lead-er, Lena Osborne, encouraged Shank to get involved with the program this year. Much of Shank’s time as ambassador has been spent preparing for the national contest, which re-quired her to give a presentation to three local organizations, as well as promote beef at a local supermarket before she even crossed the California state line. She gave presentations to local 4-H groups and Girl Scouts, and championed beef at Red Front Supermarket and the Rockingham County Fair. Once in the Golden State, she had to provide a written response to a current news issue — this year, it was about grass-fed versus grain-fed beef. She was also re-quired to participate in a mock media interview and consumer promotion and discuss with judges her presentations. Shank says she owes much of her first-hand farm knowledge to her parents, Sheldon and Bar-bara Shank. She’s lived on their dairy farm, Double “S” Dairy, since the day she was born. She hopes to transfer to JMU after she graduates from BRCC this spring and plans to major in el-ementary education. Her dream is to teach second grade at a local school and stay involved with Rockingham County 4-H, which

4-Her Fosters State-Level Changeshe says has helped to mold her over the last decade. “4-H has literally done so much for me; I cannot even explain in words,”

she said. “Some people would rather die than speak in public; [public speaking] comes easily to me, and that’s because of 4-H.

It was really hard, but I pushed myself and, with the help of my peers, it’s opened up so many doors for me.”


It can be quite dizzying to keep up with the vast array of regula-tions that affect either directly or indirectly the business of beef cattle producers in Virginia. In today’s world particularly there is increasing vigilance among those charged with protecting the health of our food animals in the Commonwealth to assure that we remain free of potentially devas-tating infectious diseases. We are fortunate in Virginia to have a con-scientious group of veterinarians working under the guidance of Dr. Richard Wilkes of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that strive to work proactively with cattle pro-ducers seeking to conform to the import requirements for breeding age cattle in this state. While these regulations can be confusing, it helps to understand that many of the requirements that relate to cattle health are increasingly tied to a federal expectation for animal

identifi cation that provides reli-able traceability in the unfortu-nate event that we do experience a serious animal health threat in this country.

Since August 15, 2012 Vir-ginia has required that breeding age cattle, 18 months and older, coming into Virginia must be tuberculosis test negative and properly identifi ed. Virginia has a long history of TB free status and compliance with testing for TB and Bangs, however the proper identification component now has different meaning than once may have been acceptable in the past. Through the Virginia animal identifi cation program, VDACS has been offering electronic tags that are numbered beginning with the “840” prefi x that comply with USDA expectations for proper identifi cation. These tags can be assigned at any time during the life of cattle, but once applied, are the identity of that animal for fu-

ture commerce and identifi cation within a Certifi cate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI). A complete list of offi cial identifi cation methods can be viewed on the VDACS website and it is important to remember that breed registry brands and tattoos are no longer acceptable forms of permanent identifi cation.

The Virginia Beef Expo, which takes place April 19 – 21, 2013, will model breeding cattle import requirements that include both appropriate testing as well as proper identifi cation. The Beef Expo requirements listed next should serve as a model for the train of thought that Virginia beef producers will need over the com-ing years to aid Virginia to comply with USDA animal traceability rules. Abbreviated Beef Expo requirements are as follows:

1. Cattle shall be offi cially iden-tifi ed with an 840 button issued by state or federal health offi cials

and entered on the Certifi cate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) issued by an accredited veterinarian within 30 days.

2. The CVI shall list each ani-mal’s lot number, 840 RFID num-ber, age, sex, breed, Brucellosis vaccination status and test results with test dates.

3. All cattle over 6 months shall be TB negative within 60 days of the Expo.

4. All Brucellosis non-vaccinates over 8 months of age and vacci-nates over 14 months of age shall be negative to Brucellosis 30 days prior to the Expo.

5. All of the above information shall be listed on the animal’s CVI.

6. Cattle originating from cer-tain states must be tested free of Blue Tongue and Anaplasmosis.

7. Animals must be free of con-tagious diseases including Ring-worm, Warts and Pinkeye.

8. “Pending” test results are not

acceptable for movement of cattle into Virginia.

The transition to permanent and proper identifi cation of all the breeding age cattle in Virginia will no doubt be a process that requires both time and patience as produc-ers, sale barn managers and cattle buyers become educated about the procedures. The main thing to remember is never fail to ask if you are not sure. The interstate shipping regulations for cattle of any age and purpose are listed under the regulatory section of the Virginia Department of Ag-riculture and Consumer Services web page and the VDACS Offi ce of Veterinary Services can be con-tacted during the business hours at (804) 786-2483 for questions. The state veterinarians offices may be charged with enforcement of animal health regulation but they are proactive and really are “from the government and here to help”.

Understanding Virginia’s Breeding Cattle Import Requirements


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Continued expansion of brand-ed beef programs and cattle herds with black hides are several trends identified in the 2011 National Beef Quality Audit, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Research meat scientist. Dr. Jeff Savell, one of the audit’s principal investiga-tors and holder of the Manny Rosenthal chair in the department of animal science at Texas A&M University, provided an overview of the audit’s fi ndings before fac-ulty members recently.

Savell said the audit revealed cattle with predominantly black hide color increased from 45.1 per-cent to 61.1 percent since the 2000 audit. There was also a signifi cant reduction in the amount of mud and manure on hides, he said, as the industry has maximized cattle cleanliness to reduce the threat of potential contaminants coming into plants. Among the trends are that branded beef programs con-tinue to increase. “There are 6.4

programs per processing plant,” according to Savell. Plants have also modifi ed the way they sort cattle as a result of these branded beef programs. “What used to be pretty common was to bring cattle in, harvest them, and then sort them after they had been chilled and graded some 36 to 48 hours later,” he said in a news release. “Now they are doing a lot of pre-sorting for age and source and various branded beef programs, and have specialized days of harvest for them due to the respective requirements by these programs.”

Of the many national meat pro-cessing plants that were studied, Savell said harvest fl oor data in-dicated that individual electronic identifi cation reached 20 percent compared to 3.5 percent in the 2005 audit. Also found was 15.7 percent having metal clip tags

Branded Beef Programs On The Rise For saleFor sale

For sale private treaty....For sale private treaty....Angus hybrid bullsAngus hybrid bulls

Offered by

Sire is GOON Mr Shakey bull...2nd place ChiAngus 2012 NAILE

Begoon Hanibal

Sires are Upgrade andGOON Mr Shakey

(out of a Duff Basic Instinct)

Begoon FarmJT Begoon

Grottoes, VA540-430-1716 • [email protected]

Hanibal on an Angus 9FB3 offered for sale at the 2013 VCCP Eastern Elite Sale at

Pano’s Restaurant in Harrisonburg,VA on Saturday, January 26, 2013 at 6:30 pm.

She is bred to Begoon Farmspromotional/herd bull “Get on Board”.She is bred due to calve in the spring.

Continued on Page 15



Scott GreinerExtension Animal Scientist,

Beef, VA Tech

The Virginia Beef Cattle Im-provement Association hosted the 55th Annual Culpeper Senior Bull Sale on Saturday, December 8, 2012 at Culpeper Agricultural Enterprises near Culpeper, Vir-ginia. Fifty-three fall-born bulls representing the top end of the 86 bulls tested sold for an average price of $3160. The sale included 43 Angus bulls which averaged $3047, 2 Purebred Simmental bulls at $2,050, 6 SimAngus bulls at $4617, 1 Purebred Gelbvieh bull at $2100 and 1 Gelbvieh Balancer bull at $2600.

The high-selling bull was a SimAngus, Lot 407, consigned by Quaker Hill Farm of Louisa, Virginia. Kowpoke Cattle Com-pany of North Tazewell, Virginia became partners with ABS Gobal, purchasing ½ semen interest and full possession for $14,500. This homozygous black September 2011 son of Ellingson Legacy had a test YW of 1148, ratio 107, and test ADG ratio 122 along with +14.8 CED EPD, -1.1 BW EPD, +30.9 Milk EPD, MB EPD of +0.40 and RE ratio of 113. His API and TI indexes were 139.0 and 71.0 respectively, placing him in the top 10th percentile of the breed.

The high sale order index An-gus bull was Lot 64, consigned Edgewood Angus of Williams-burg, Virginia and was sold to Martin Farrier of Newport, Virginia for $4900. This October 2011 son of Rito 2X15 of Rita 8Z22 EXP had a yearling weight of 1338, ratio 121 and an ADG of 3.64, ratio of 104, along with +0.6 BW EPD, +101 YW EPD, +33 Milk EPD, +0.48 RE EPD, and + 70 $B value.

The strong Angus offering also included Lot 7, consigned by Quaker Hill Farm of Louisa, VA, which sold to David W. Cady of Scottsville, Virginia for $4200. This low birth weight, high growth son of GAR New Design 5050 had a CED EPD of +11, WW EPD +59 and YW EPD +104, in addition to +0.75 MB EPD, +0.69 RE EPD and $B value of +$76.82. Lot 58, a GAR Expectation 4915 son bred by Legacy at Pine Hill of Forest, VA sold to Spring Creek Farms of Craigsville, WV for $4100. This bull scanned with a 15.4 RE, ratio 123 along with EPDs of +96 YW, +26 Milk, and +0.53 RE. Another consignment from Edgewood Angus, Lot 65, commanded $4000 and sold to Grape Hill Farms of Warsaw, Vir-ginia. This September 2011 B/R New Day 454 son, had a yearling weight ratio of 113, along with EPDs of +29 Milk, +0.66 RE, +37.69 $W, and +69.31 $B. Edge-wood Angus also sold Lot 63 to Griffi n Farms of Freeman, VA for $3900. This calving-ease son of GAR New Design 5050 posted CED EPD +10, BW EPD +0.2, MB EPD +0.63, RE EPD +0.67, and +73 $B, as well as scanning a ratio of 135 and a 112 on %IMF and RE, respectively.

The high station index bull was awarded to Lot 49, consigned by Lucas Farm, Joe and Timmy Lucas of Blacksburg, Virginia and commanded $2600 from Spring Hill Farm of Marshall, Virginia. This September 2011 born son of HARB Pendleton 765 JH had a test YW of 1257, ratio 114, and test ADG ratio 121 along with +9 CED EPD, +98 YW EPD, and +0.54 MB EPD and scanned a %IMF ratio of 132. The breeder group award was also presented to Lucas Farms for their consignment of

2012 Culpeper Senior BCIA Bull Sale ResultsAngus bulls. In addition to the high station indexing lot, Lots 48, 50 and 51 commanded prices of $2800, $2600 and $3000, selling to C.J. Parsons or Lunenburg, VA, Tom Owen or South Boston, VA, and St. Omer Farm of Mitchells, VA, respectively. This group of bulls averaged an ADG of 3.90 with a ratio of 117, average YW of 1216, ratio 111.

The strong group of SimAngus bulls also included Lot 409 con-signed by Deer Creek Farm of Lowesville, Virginia. This homo-zygous black, polled son of GAR Predestined commanded $3300 from Bar-C Farm of Lebanon, VA. This September 2011 bull posted a test YW ratio of 109, ADG ratio of 106, and scanned a 138 ratio for %IMF, in addition to a +71.5

WW EPD, +114.0 YW EPD, +0.81 MB EPD, and +0.69 RE EPD. Lot 405, another Quaker Hill Farm consignment sold to C.J. Parsons of Lunenburg, VA for $2900.

Quaker Hill Farm of Louisa, Virginia was the consignor of both the purebred Simmental lots featured in the sale. A September 2011 homozygous black, polled son of RCR Stetson T17, Lot 401, EPDs of +11.7 CED, +13.1 CEM, +28.3 Milk, an API Index of 132 and sold to Forrest Miller of Bridgewater, VA for $2000. Lot 402, a September 2011 Triple C Invasion R47K son, sold to ICW Farms of Luray, VA for $2100. This homozygous black, polled bull had a test YW ratio of 105, along with a +0.89 RE EPD, -0.07 Fat EPD, and a -0.37 YG EPD,

as well as scanned a 108 ratio on RE.

The purebred Gelbvieh bull, Lot 601, was consigned by Little Windy Hills of Max Meadows, Virginia and sold for $2100 to James Wiles of Amissville, VA. This homozygous black, homo-zygous polled bull was sired by DCSF Post Rock Granite 200P2. Lot 602, a Gelbvieh Balancer bull, also consigned by Little Windy Hills commanded $2600 from Vaughan Cattle Company of Ameila, VA.

In addition to the strong of-fering of bulls, Glenmary Farm featured 60 commercial females that were sold following the bulls. This group of commercial females included 20 cow/calf

ALLEN E. STRECKER, DVMMICHAEL L. HEPNER, DVMMELISSA J. FERRIS, DVMKATHRYN S. CASH, DVMNATHAN L. PUTMAN, DVM


Beef PromotionUpdate

www.vabeef.orgBeef! It’s What’s For Dinner!®January 2013

A Monthly report on your Checkoff Dollars at work

from the Virginia Beef Industry Council

Beef Buzz

Virginia Beef Council • P.O. Box 9 • Daleville, VA 24083 • 540.992.1992

Steven H. Umberger,Director of Beef

Communications

The following are excerpts from the 2012 Food and Health Survey conducted by the International Food Information Council Foun-dation (IFIC). The purpose of the survey was to measure consumer attitudes toward food safety, nutri-tion and health.

• Nine out of ten Americans describe their health as good or better, a signifi cant increase from previous years. The majority (60%) report that their health is either excellent or very good, and only nine percent report that they are in fair or poor health.

• More than half of Americans (55%) report that they are trying to lose weight. While 22 percent indicate they are trying to maintain their weight, only 20 percent report that they are not doing anything regarding weight.

• When it comes to calories, only thirty percent correctly believe that all sources of calories play an equal role in weight gain. Twenty percent believe calories from sug-ars are most likely to cause weight gain, which was a signifi cant in-crease from 2011 (11%).

• Men are more likely than women to report fi nding it easier to be consistently physically active than to consistently eat a healthful diet.

• Two out of three Americans say they try to eat as little fat as possible, even though a large ma-jority understands that different fats can have different impacts on health. While 49 percent say they are trying to avoid trans-fat, 32 percent also say they are trying to limit the more healthful mono- and poly-unsaturated fats.

• When making packaged food or beverage decisions over the past 12 months, 51 percent of Americans say they are trying to limit or avoid sugars.

• Nearly 60 percent of Americans consider protein when making a decision about buying packaged food or beverages, and a major-ity report that they are trying to consume more. Americans under-stand the varied benefi ts of protein, with 88 percent recognizing that it helps build muscle, 80 percent be-lieve that it part of a balanced diet,

60 percent agreeing that it helps people feel full, and 60 percent indicating that a high protein diet can help with weight loss.

For more information from the IFIC, go to www.foodinsight.org.

Recent media stories have prompted an increase in conversa-tions around how beef is raised and on food safety. To make sure you’re armed with the best science-based information, go online to www.FactsAboutBeef.com. Examples of useful information included on this site include:

1. The Truth about Mechanically

Tenderized Beef – Facts and videos on the safety, quality and tender-ness of beef.

2. Today’s Beef Choices – An overview of the variety of beef choices available in today’s meat case, including grass-finished, natural and certifi ed organic beef.

3. Antibiotic Use and Managing Resistance – Information on use to

assure animals remain healthy and the food supply remains safe.

4. Growth Promotant Use When Raising Beef – A new fact sheet about growth promotant use in cattle, including beta-agonists.

You can even register at www.FactsAboutBeef.com to receive updates anytime a new myth is posted.

Virginia Beef Industry Council Makes Presentations and Sponsors Beef Cookery Competitions

On November 13 and 14, the Virginia Beef Industry Council presented four seminars to 87 culinary arts students and sponsored two Beef Cookery Competitions at Tidewater Community College in Norfolk, VA.

Information presented during the seminars focused on educating students about myths and misinformation associated with the production of beef, and factors that affect the eating quality of beef. Students were provided with high quality resource materials, such as the Healthy Beef Cookbook, Creating Crave – The Beef Factor, a laminated beef cuts wall chart, assorted beef nutrition educational brochures, an instant read meat thermometer, and steak tongs.

For the beef cookery competitions, students were divided into teams of two and provided a mystery basket of ingredients from which they were to prepare a beef entrée with appropriate side dishes. The mystery baskets contained either New York Strip or Beef Tenderloin, which the students could either sauté, pan-fry, stir-fry or grill. They were allowed 30 minutes to plan, 90 minutes for production, and 15 minutes for presentation. The competition was conducted under American Culinary Federation rules and guidelines.

This completes the third year of Virginia Beef Industry Council checkoff-funded educational programs associated with numerous community college culinary arts programs in Virginia.

Competition I students pose with beef dishes.

Winning team shows off their prizes of a carving knife and The Food Lovers Companion book. The winning entrée (shown on right) consisted of grilled New York Strip with sweet purple yams, crispy potatoes and sautéed broccoli, carrots and onions.


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Congressman Bob Goodlatte was elected by the House Re-publican Conference to serve as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. His chairmanship will begin in January when the 113th Congress convenes. “I am honored to have been chosen to serve in this position of leader-ship,” Goodlatte said. “The House Judiciary Committee will certainly be at the forefront of some of the most signifi cant is-sues facing Virginia and the Sixth District, including protecting Constitutional freedoms and civil liberties, oversight of the U.S. De-partments of Justice and Home-land Security, legal and regulatory reform, innovation, competition and anti-trust laws, terrorism and crime, and immigration reform. It is likely that many of these issues will be the deciding factors in determining the future direction of our nation.”

Congressman Goodlatte has been an active Member of the Ju-diciary Committee since arriving in Congress, serving in a variety of leadership positions on the Committee including Chairman of the Subcommittee on Intellec-tual Property, Competition, and the Internet (112th Congress), Vice Ranking Member of the Judi-ciary Committee (111th Congress), Ranking Member of the Task Force on Judicial Impeachment (111th Congress), Ranking Member of the Antitrust Task Force (110th Congress), and Vice Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Prop-

erty (109th Congress). “Congressman Bob Goodlatte

is a conservative leader commit-ted to pro-growth policies that protect American innovation, boost economic growth and create jobs,” said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. “As Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, he will play a key role in promoting common sense solutions to help people get back to work, lighten the regulatory and tax burden on small businesses and limit waste-ful government spending. I look forward to continue working with my good friend and fellow Vir-ginian and know he will proudly serve the people of Virginia’s Sixth District.”

“The Judiciary Committee, which has far-reaching legislative jurisdiction, is one of the most active committees in Congress,” said Goodlatte. “Under my lead-ership, the House Judiciary Com-mittee will play an active role in advancing a pro-growth agenda that will help to create jobs and restore economic prosperity to America.” Goodlatte continued, “It is truly an honor to serve Vir-ginia and our nation in this new capacity. While there is much to do, the outlook for a stronger, more competitive America is promising and I look forward to continuing to work toward these goals as the Chairman of the Ju-diciary Committee in the coming Congress.”

Goodlatte becomes the first House Judiciary Committee Chairman from Virginia in the

The annual Shepherd’s Sym-posium will be held Saturday, January 12, 2013 at the Alphin-Stuart Livestock Arena on the campus of Virginia Tech. The one-day program will include educational sessions with a variety of production, manage-ment, and marketing topics. A lamb lunch will be included. The day prior, Friday, January 11, an all-day Sheep Management 101 Workshop will be conducted. This program is designed for new and beginning shepherds,

and provides hands-on educa-tion on basic sheep manage-ment. On Friday evening, open meetings of the Virginia Sheep Producers Association and the Virginia Sheep Industry Council will be hosted. Program details and registration materials are available at the Virginia Tech Sheep Extension website Exten-sion http://www.apsc.vt.edu/extension/sheep/index.html. For more information, contact Scott Greiner at 540-231-9159 or [email protected].

Goodlatte Elected Chairman Of The House Judiciary Committeelast 125 years. The last Virginian to serve as Chairman of the Judi-ciary Committee was John Tucker, who was Chairman from 1883 to 1887. Goodlatte becomes only the fourth Virginian to serve as Chair-man of the Judiciary Committee

since the Committee’s creation in 1813 and he is the fi rst Republican from Virginia to hold this posi-tion. In addition to being elected Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Goodlatte currently serves as a senior member of the

House Agriculture Committee. Goodlatte is also the Co-Chair of the Congressional Internet Caucus, Chairman of the House Republican Technology Working Group and Chairman of the Con-gressional Civil Justice Caucus.

Sheep Management 101 Workshop And Shepherd’s Symposium Scheduled For January 11-12, 2013


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Producers looking for a persistent clover with superior grazing toler-ance and unmatched toughness, now have two excellent choices with Pennington’s Durana and Patriot white clovers. These clovers were developed specifi cally to be true workhorses in real-world farm conditions.

University DevelopedSeeing the potential of perennial

white clover as a low input, effective and sustainable livestock forage, Dr. Joe Bouton, a former University of Georgia plant breeder and previous Director of the Noble Foundation Forage Improvement Division, initiated an aggressive white clover breeding program. His goal was to fi nd white clovers with similar nutritional and agronomic attri-butes of traditional ladino clovers, but ones that would compete and persist under varying weather con-ditions and real-world farm pasture management systems. He wanted a perennial “workhorse” clover that could tolerate drought, heat and heavy grazing and also compete with existing pasture forages used throughout the U.S. Dr. Bouton began by collecting white clover ecotypes growing naturally and competitively in Georgia pastures. These ecotypes were exclusively the stolon-dense types and formed th parental base for the breeding program that developed “Durana.” “Patriot” was developed by crossing parent material from Durana with a Mississippi USDA population of virus-resistant ladino clover.

High Stolon NumbersBoth Durana and Patriot fea-

ture high numbers of stolons (97 stolons/sq.ft. for Durana and 78 stolons/sq.ft. for Patriot compared to just 52 stolons/sq.ft. for regular ladino clovers such as Regal, Will, Oseola, etc.). These stolons spread prostrate along the ground pinning down at each node by sending roots down into the ground. At each of these node junctions, new leaves initiate growth to become like a new “subplant.” This allows Durana and Patriot plants to form a mass of highly palatable and nutritious foli-age. This growth habit permits these varieties to perennialize and better withstand the grazing pressure and

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The Washington Times

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has some harsh words for rural America: It’s “becoming less and less relevant,” he says. In Decem-ber, a month after an election that Democrats won even as rural parts of the country voted overwhelm-ingly Republican, the former Demo-cratic governor of Iowa told farm belt leaders this past week that he is frustrated with their internecine squabbles and that they must be more strategic in picking their politi-cal fi ghts. “It’s time for us to have an adult conversation with folks in rural America,” Mr. Vilsack said in a speech at a forum sponsored by the Farm Journal. “It’s time for a different thought process here, in my view.”

He said rural America’s biggest assets — the food supply, recreation-al areas and energy, for example — can be overlooked by people elsewhere as the U.S. population shifts more to cities, their suburbs and exurbs. Why is it that we don’t have a farm bill?” Mr. Vilsack said. “It isn’t just the differences of policy. It’s the fact that rural America with a shrinking population is becom-ing less and less relevant to the politics of this country, and we had better recognize that and we better begin to reverse it.” For the fi rst time in recent memory, farm-state lawmakers were not able to push a farm bill through Congress in an election year, evidence of lost clout in farm states.

The Agriculture Department says about 50 percent of rural counties have lost population in the past four years and poverty rates are higher there than in metropolitan areas, despite the booming agricultural economy. Exit polls found that rural voters accounted for just 14 percent of the turnout in last month’s elec-tion, with 61 percent of them sup-porting Republican Mitt Romney and 37 percent backing President Obama. Two-thirds of those rural voters said the government is do-ing too many things better left to businesses and individuals. Mr. Vilsack criticized farmers who have embraced wedge issues such as regulation, citing the uproar over the idea that the Environmental Protection Agency was going to start regulating farm dust after the Obama administration said repeat-edly it had no so such intention.

In his Washington speech, he also cited criticism of a proposed Labor Department regulation, later dropped, that was intended to keep younger children away from the

Agriculture Secretary: Farmers Losing Clout most dangerous farm jobs, and criticism of egg producers for deal-ing with the Humane Society on increasing the space that hens have

in their coops. Livestock producers fearing they will be the next target of animal rights advocates have tried to undo that agreement. “We need

a proactive message, not a reactive message,” Mr. Vilsack said. “How are you going to encourage young people to want to be involved in

rural America or farming if you don’t have a proactive message? Because you are competing against the world now.”


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It is a well-known fact that fed cattle carcass weights have been increasing for many years. However, there is another as-pect related to weights that im-pacts how many pounds of beef are produced per head, and that is dress-ing percentage – the percent-age of carcass beef that is pro-duced from the live animal. The average dress-ing percentage for fed cattle in the U.S. has also been trending higher, espe-cially in the last 3-4 years. The dressing percentage from 2000 to 2008 was fairly flat averag-ing 63.1 percent. This is nearly one percentage point lower than the 2012 year to date average at 64.0 percent, based on the USDA data. Keep in mind these are just averages and for many individual producers the dressing percent-age has increased even more.

The most obvious reason for the increasing dressing percentage in the past few years is the increased adoption of beta agonists in cattle feeding. As the number of cattle available continues to decline, producers and packers have in-centive to fi nd ways to produce more pounds of beef per animal. Not only have fed cattle live weights trended higher to reach this goal, but the rising dressing percentage tells us that carcass weights have increased at an even faster pace. The fact that carcass weights have increased at a faster rate than live weights indicates

producers that are marketing on a carcass basis versus live weight are able to generate more revenue per animal. Fed steer live weights

averaged 1265 pounds in 2000 compared to 1350 so far in 2012. At today’s market that’s an increase of $109 per head in revenue due to increased weights. However, on a carcass basis, if the fed steer dressed 63 percent in 2000 and today he dresses 64 percent, at today’s market that’s an increase in revenue of $136 per head. So the revenue on a carcass basis has increased $27 per head more than compared to a live weight basis. Keep in mind, this discussion has completely ignored the potential costs associated with getting the cattle to dress a higher percent-age, and therefore, just because there is increased revenue it does not necessarily imply increased profi tability.

Bottom Line: The average car-cass yield or dressing percentage has increased signifi cantly in the past few years. As a result, there is likely more incentive for produc-ers to market fed cattle on a car-cass merit basis to take advantage

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CME Livestock Update

“Have fun with that!” That was the response from a Brazilin friend a few years ago when we men-tioned that Russia was a growth market for U.S. pork exports. And it was far more a warning than a wish of good fortune! Brazil’s livestock sectors in general and pork sector in particular said this based on a long history of dealing with Russian needs and whims and knew full well how diffi cult that process could be at times. We were once again reminded of our

Reaction To Russian TradeBrazilian friend’s warning as Russia announced that it wanted all U.S. beef and pork imported into Rus-sia to be tested and certifi ed free of ractopamine, a beta agonist feed additive used in the U.S. and many other countries to improve animal performance in pigs and beef cattle. The U.S. Meat Export Federation said that the requirement could halt shipments of U.S. products to Russia.

A primary concern is simply meeting the paperwork require-ment, especially for product that is already in transit. A Reuters report quoted USMEF estimates that there were 210 shipping containers of U.S. pork and beef valued at around $20 million already on their way to Rus-sia. How important is the Russian market to the U.S. beef and pork in-

dustries? The appropriate answer is “Not unimportant by any means. Small relative to some others but growing.” U.S. beef companies had shipped 121.7 million pounds of carcass weight equivalent product to Russia through September. That fi gure is up 5.3% versus last year and represents 6.6% of total U.S. beef exports. It is also roughly one-third of the amount of product shipped to Japan, our largest beef export customer, through Septem-ber. Russian exports accounted 0.6% of U.S. beef output so far in 2012. September’s monthly beef exports to Russia (11.982 mil. lbs., carcass) represented 0.59% of Sep-tember output.

On the pork side, Russia has been one of the star markets thus far in 2012 with shipments there

growing by 41.1%, year-on-year, through September. U.S. pork pro-cessors had shipped 213.7 million pounds of carcass weight equiva-lent pork to Russia, about one-fi fth that amount that had moved to our largest pork customer, Japan, and one-quarter as much as has been shipped to Mexico. Russian ex-ports of pork accounted for 1.4% of total September pork production. Year-to-date through September, exports to Russia accounted for 1.3% of pork output.

Does this mean that exports will stop if the Russians remain adamant? Not necessarily—es-pecially for pork. U.S. pork pro-ducers and processors have been producing non-ractopamine fed pigs for China for some time. Beef producers could do the same, we

suppose, if the markets are large enough and pay well enough. We think the Russian situation poses a bigger challenge for U.S. beef exporters simply because the “non-ractopamine” system doesn’t appear to be as well established. One of the damaging aspects of these situations is their leveraging by U.S. anti-meat and anti-modern agriculture groups. Do not be sur-prised to hear some “This product is banned even in Russia so we should ban it here, too” demands from the usual groups that would limit modern technology no mat-ter how safe it has been proven to be. We’re guessing that this action by Russia is motivated far more by protectionism than by an abid-ing concern for the well-being of Russia’s citizens.

compared to 11.8 percent in 2005. Carcasses are getting heavier, Savell said, but yield grades are “about the same.” Average carcass weight for steers is 852.7 pounds and 776 pounds for heifers. “Cattle are also getting blacker,” Savell added. That applies to herds and branded beef programs contain-ing black cattle. Black-hided cattle were 61.1 percent in the 2011 NCBA audit versus 56.3 percent in 2005 and 45.1 percent in 2001.

Meanwhile, Savell said animal welfare is a big concern of major restaurant chains and the beef industry as a whole. Many have evaluated cattle handling opera-tions and made changes, such as chute gates and how they may interfere with cattle movement and potential bruising. He said bruised carcasses declined by 77 percent in 2011, signaling heightened aware-ness and attention by the industry regarding cattle handling.

Continued from Page 7Branded Beef

Dr. Bouton partnered with AgResearch-NZ to release Durana and Patriot for commercial use in 2003. In numerous university trials and extensive on-farm use, these varieties have proven to be highly durable with excellent heat and drought tolerance. Both have shown excellent grazing tolerance and persistence, lasting up to three times longer than other clover va-rieties and types.

Adding to their reputation as “workhorse” clovers is that Durana and Patriot tolerate lower pH and a wider range of soil types than other clovers. Both have a wide geo-graphic area of adaptation across the United States including Virginia and surrounding states.

Continued from Page 11

Clovers


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NOV. 17THNOV. 17TH1:00 PM1:00 PM

Federation of State Beef Councils to Celebrate 50th

Anniversary in 2013

Craig Uden, Chairman, Federation of

State Beef CouncilsBeef Producer, Elwood, Neb.

Today’s Beef Checkoff Pro-

gram got its start in 1985, when the Beef Promotion Act was passed by Congress. The Act es-tablished a $1-per-head assess-ment on the sale of each bovine animal in the United States, plus each imported animal or an equivalent on imported product, for the purpose of cre-ating a promotion, research and education fund that would help increase demand for beef. Most who pay into the program know this. What is less well-known is that grassroots producers at the state level not only helped make it possible, but had funded na-tional beef promotion programs for many years prior to 1985, through the Federation of State Beef Councils. The Federation will celebrate its 50th anniver-sary in 2013.

I believe the mandatory na-tional checkoff wouldn’t have gotten off the ground if not for efforts at the state level that not only supported the effort, but provided assurances that producers from state councils would have a huge say in how the program was set up and run. It’s why Qualified State Beef Councils (there are 45) collect the $1-per-head assess-ment, and are allowed to retain control of half of the funds they collect. About 700 producers who sit on state beef council boards help make decisions about in-state promotions and supplements to national and international demand-building programs.

This decision-making process is another way we assure that ownership of the beef checkoff remains in the hands of produc-ers who pay the dollar. It also

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increases confidence that the dollars collected will be used for what they were intended – to strengthen demand for beef. There’s more, though. By law the Federation selects half of the members of the 20-member Beef Promotion Operating Commit-tee (BPOC), which determines which national and international checkoff-funded programs will be funded, and at what amount. The decisions made by this body must be approved by the entire Cattlemen’s Beef Board, which administers the Beef Checkoff Program, and the U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculture, which

oversees it.Representatives of State Beef

Councils sit on committees that help determine which programs are recommended for funding. And, often the programs ap-proved by the BPOC are imple-mented at the state level by State Beef Council staffs. So State Beef Councils are involved in the input, planning and develop-ment of beef checkoff programs – and the execution, as well. All of these elements are vital in a successful state/national part-nership, which is crucial to a suc-cessful beef checkoff program. None of this has happened by ac-

cident. Many states had already created their own checkoffs when the Federation got its start as the Beef Industry Council, a division of the National Live Stock and Meat Board, in 1963. Their councils, some formed in the 1950s, refl ected the type of beef production in their state, and could focus on the specifi c needs of beef promotion that their citizens required.

When the Meat Board and the National Cattlemen’s Associa-tion merged to form the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association in 1996, BIC became a division of NCBA. And that’s where it

resides today.Surveys show that more than

70 percent of producers support the checkoff, and I believe grass-roots involvement by producers through their state beef councils is one of the reasons why. The Federation is proud to support beef council interests at the na-tional level, and is excited about celebrating its 50th anniversary. Furthermore, we continue to fi nd ways of maximizing the role of state councils in their tradition of service to this country’s pro-ducers, fi nding even more ways to increase consumer demand for beef.


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The opportunity to boost corn and soybean supplies has once again been deferred to next year’s crops. New crop (2013) futures prices for corn, soybeans and wheat are at record high levels for this time of year and are ex-pected to drive producers to maxi-mize cropped a c r e a g e i n 2013. Acre-age increases coupled with average yields n e a r l o n g -t e r m t re n d l i n e l e v e l s would result in sharp sup-ply increases, if realized, but for now sub-soil moisture levels remain lower than av-erage across a large portion of the coun-try. A com-binat ion of sustained de-clines in CRP (Conservation Reserve Pro-gram) acreage and the potential for record high revenue on a per acre basis are expected to support continued increases in U.S. crop-land acreage.

Corn, wheat (all), and soybean planted acreages are all expected to rise in 2013, assuming soil moisture and weather conditions improve into the spring. Corn

acreage is expected to rise 1-1.5 million acres to approximately 98 million acres. Soybean and all wheat acreage are expected to rise 1.8 and 2.3 million acres, to 79 and 58 million acres, respec-tively. New crop futures prices are currently supporting corn acreage increases over soybeans, however, the increase is expected

to be limited as producers elect to double crop wheat and soybeans instead of planting corn or cotton in some areas. Based on current futures prices for December 2013 corn futures near $6.40/bu and November 2013 soybean futures near $13.30/bu, estimated net returns from planting corn are substantially higher than for

2013 Acreage Potentialsoybeans. The corn advantage currently stands near $240/acre over soybeans, in a soybean-corn rotation compared to a $140/acre advantage during the same time last year.

Bottom Line: Projected net returns for corn are currently $90/acre over soybeans com-pared to a $15/acre advantage

during the same time last year. The corn-on-corn projection as-sumes corn yields are reduced 10 percent and input costs are 7 percent higher than in a soybean-corn rotation. By either measure, the incentive to plant corn over soybeans remains very strong

based on current futures price levels. However, the soybean to corn futures price ratio will be monitored closely as it could be impacted by the fi nal U.S. crop production numbers in January and production potential in South America.


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Buy or lease a Roseda Black Angus bull and become apartner in an innovative branded beef program. RosedaFarm will purchase your Roseda sired calves at com-petitive prices plus a premium based on your level ofmanagement and record keeping. Bulls start at $1200with bull leases at $500/season. For information con-tact:

Dean BryantRoseda [email protected]

Buy or lease a Roseda Black Angus bull and become a partner in an innovative branded beef program. Roseda Farm will purchase your Roseda sired calves at competitive prices plus a premium based on your level of management and record keeping. Bulls start at $1500 with bull leases at $600/season. For information contact:

USDA released on December 13th its estimates of US beef, pork and poultry production for 2012 as well as an update of forecast for 2013. The biggest revisions in this latest update concerned estimates of beef output for the current year. USDA now esti-mates total US commercial beef production for 2012 at 25.968 billion pounds, about 285 million pounds more than the November 2012 estimate. Current estimated production for 2012 is just 1.2% lower than what beef output was in 2011. There is an ongoing de-bate among market participants about the impact that a smaller herd and fewer feeders coming to market will have on beef sup-plies. After all, we have seen the herd continue to shrink while at the same time the supply of beef coming to market has been sus-tained. Was the big jump in cattle carcass weights something that will be sustained going forward? Is it possible it will be impacted by calls to limit the inclusion of ever more effective beta agonists which have so far underpinned the increase in weights?

One way to look at the impact of the larger weights is to com-pare the USDA estimates for beef production earlier in the year vs. this last December estimate, which includes 10 months of actual data in it. Back in Janu-ary 2012, USDA was projecting US beef production for 2012 at

25.075 billion pounds, about 1.2 billion pounds or 4.6% less than 2011 production levels. The lat-est estimate, however, pegged 2012 beef output at 25.968 bil-lion pounds, just 324 million pounds, or 1.2% lower than in 2011. Heavier weights explain part of the upward revision in output forecasts. Consider that steer carcass weights in the fi rst 10 months of the year have aver-aged about 856 pounds. During the same period last year, steer carcass weights averaged about 839 pounds, a 2% year over year increase in weights. Overall cattle carcass weights for the fi rst 10 months of this year aver-aged 777 pounds, compared to 761 pounds last year. Federally inspected carcass weights are running about 2.1% higher than a year ago compare to the trend of the past 10 years of about 0.5% annual increases. That 1.5% increase vs. trend translates to about 12 pounds per carcass more this year vs. the previ-ous year, or about 335 million pounds. Also, more cattle have come to market this year than what USDA and market analysts expected.

The expectation was that with normal moisture, we would see a notable reduction in the number of cattle coming to market. The drought this past summer signifi cantly impacted such forecasts. Going forward,

USDA Releases 2013 Meat Production ForecastUSDA expects a decline in beef output for 2013. This is likely predicated on a pullback in total cattle slaughter of almost 5% and carcass weight gains at trend lev-els of about 0.5% annual growth. Just as was the case this year, moisture conditions, feed avail-ability and the use of feed ad-ditives to improve performance will be critical drivers that could impact the forecast. As for pork supplies, USDA currently pegs total pork production for 2012 at around 23.195 billion pounds, which is remarkably close to the 23.209 billion pounds that was forecasted at the beginning of the year. The latest estimates also peg 2013 pork production at 22.792 billion pounds, about 400 million pounds or 1.7% lower than 2012 levels. A smaller pig crop and lower hog weights in the fi rst half of 2013 should contain overall pork output levels. As with cattle, feed availability and the ability to

sustain productivity gains in the form of higher carcass weights

remains a key wild card going forward.


POTTS CREEK FARMJASPER & ALICEPERSINGER, JR.

2917 POTTS CREEK ROADCOVINGTON, VA 24426

[email protected]

HARRY & BARBARA KNABE

2074 Gravel Hill Rd.DILLWYN, VA 23936

(434) 983-31102.2 MI. EAST ofU.S. 15 on 617

FAUQUIER FARM6470 BEVERLYS MILL ROAD

BROAD RUN, VA 20137HOME 540-347-4343

OFFICE 540-347-7188NORTHERN VA areaCATTLE FOR [email protected]

CEDAR PLAINS FARMR.E. BALTIMORE, OWNER, MANAGER, FIELD HAND

150 Cartersville Ext.Cartersville, VA 23027

(H) 804-375-3071(O) 804-399-7409

“All Cattle Made In America”

BAY BROOK FARMRODNEY & BARBARA PHILLIPS

4277 FACTORY MILL ROADDABNEYS, VA 23102

[email protected]

“Hereford Bulls for saleat all times.”

KNOLL CREST FARMJAMES, PAUL, JIM, BRIAN BENNETT

17659 RED HOUSE RD.RED HOUSE, VA 23963434-376-3567 OFFICE

434-376-7008 FAXJAMES BENNETT - 434-376-7299

PAUL BENNETT 434-376-5675JIM BENNETT 434-376-5760

BRIAN BENNETT 434-376-5309

DEER TRACK FARM3320 Deer Track Rd.,

Spotsylvania, VA 22551ROBERT SCHAFFER540-582-9234 (FARM)

[email protected]

HICKORY SPRINGS FARMJOHN BRASUKRT. 2 BOX 211-A

FAIRMONT, W.VA. 26554304-363-5918

[email protected]

NORVUE FARMJACK SHEEHAN

4442 Factory Mill Rd.Dabneys, VA 23102

Telephone: 804-556-4947email: [email protected]

FROGTOWN ACRESJERRY & REBECCA FUNKHOUSER

417 Frogtown LaneEdinburg, VA 22824

Home: 540-984-8833Jerry Cell: 540-333-1019

Rebecca Cell: 540-333-1019email: [email protected]

MEADOW RIDGE FARMS, INC.

DOUG & MELISSA HARRISON2184 Hillyard Drive

Broadway, VA 22815540-896-5004

[email protected]

DUNROVINDON & SHEILA RICHARDSON

3473 DUNROVIN FARMCROZET, VA 22932

434-823-4438e-mail: [email protected]

attractive, thick cattle with great carcass traits using

DR WORLD CLASSCOMPLETE (A TOP 774 SON)

DIAMOND “W” FARMKen & Doris Worley

25052 Rich Valley Rd.Abingdon, VA 24210

276-944-3458cell: 276-356-3458

[email protected]

WILLINGHAM FARMALTON & BETTE WILLINGHAM

P.O. BOX 148REMINGTON, VA 22734

540-439-8666located on Rt. 656 between

Remington & Bealeton

ROLLING HILLS FARM420 NORTH HAYFIELD RD.WINCHESTER, VA 22603

Sid & Dorothy RogersHOME - 540-888-3134CELL - 540-539-3352

[email protected]

MAPLEWOOD FARMJOHN AND KAREN FLEISHMAN

DANIEL AND ELIZABETH5442 Daniel Cupp Road

Dayton, VA 22821John - 540-421-9511

Daniel - [email protected]

MOUNTAIN LION MEADOWTODD, LYDIA, LAYLA AND LILLY SCOTT

1191 Spring Mill RoadConcord, VA 24538

434-665-1224434-993-2502

OAK CREEK FARMBILLY AND JACKIE KOONTZ25840 Independence Road

Unionville, VA 22567540-854-6567

[email protected]

ROCK MILLS HEREFORDSPAUL AND KIM NOVAK

240 THUNDER VALLEY LANE Castleton, VA 22716

[email protected]

STONE RIDGE MANORDAN AND SETH SNYDER654 COLD SPRING ROAD

Gettysburg, PA 17325717-642-9199

[email protected]

P.O. Box 014059Kansas City, MO 64101

816.842.3757www.hereford.org

VIRGINIA HEREFORD ASSOCIATION197 Broadview Ave.Warrenton, VA [email protected]

Dear Consigners and Buyers,

Our upcoming show and sale event will be at the Virginia Beef Expo. The registered hereford sale will be on Friday, April 20th at 11:30 a.m., the baldy sale will be on Sat., April 21st at 1:00 p.m., and the Youth Hereford show will be at 4:30 p.m. Contacts for the sale are Don Richardson (434-823-4438) for the Baldy sale and Rodney Phillips (804-556-3810). The show contact person is Bob Schaffer(540-582-9234).

COTTAGE HILL FARMMIKE TAYLOR

20 Cottage Hill RoadPetersburg, WV 26847

PIONEER FARMSCHARLES, MEREDITH AND

OLIVIA WILLIAMS485 Hereford Crossing

Fairfi eld, VA 24435

You are invited to:THE VIRGINIA HEREFORD ASSOCIATION’S

SPRING BONANZA SALE & COMMERCIAL REPLACEMENT SALEVIRGINIA BEEF EXPO ROCKINGHAM COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS

For consignment or catalogs, contact

Mid-Atlantic Spring Bonanza SaleHereford SaleFri., April 20th

11:30 a.m.

Baldy SaleSat., April 21st

1:00 p.m.

Youth Hereford Show4:30 p.m.

The Cattle Market The Cattle Market

Supply: Smaller Supplies Still The StoryPer capita net beef supplies are forecast at 55.2 pounds in 2013

– falling 2 pounds compared to 2012. The forecasted decline in per capita net beef supplies for next year will mostly be due to smaller U.S. beef production. Over the past fi ve years, U.S. beef production has been fairly steady ranging from 26 to 26.6 billion pounds despite total cattle numbers falling more than 5 million head over the same period. Larger cow and bull slaughter rates, heavier carcass weights, more feeder cattle imported from Mexico and smaller calf slaughter have all contributed to maintaining beef production levels at or above 26 billion pounds in recent years. However, the continued decline in cattle numbers appears to be catching up with the industry – leading to smaller beef production levels.

PRODUCTION DECLINES CONTINUEU.S. beef production in 2013 is forecast at 24.9 billion pounds

– declining 900 million pounds from 2012 and representing the smallest beef production since 2005. This is due to a fed slaughter forecast that is down 580,000 head, driven by declining calf crops and an expected drop in 2013 feeder cattle imports from Mexico. At the same time, 2013 cow and bull slaughter is forecast to drop 800,000 head as record-high calf prices encourage producers to maintain herd size. The data indicates cow-calf producers are trying to hold back replacement heifers. Heifer slaughter as a percentage of fed slaughter ran below year-ago levels through second half 2012, and the trend is expected to continue in 2013.

BEEF AND DAIRY HERDS SMALLER IN 2013The U.S. beef cow herd on January 1, 2013, is expected to total

29.5 million head – down 360,000 head as beef cow slaughter in 2012 was still at a liquidation pace. A 500,000 head reduction in beef cow slaughter in 2013 – along with 200,000 more replacement heifers – is expected to show a stable beef cow herd in 2014 with a more signifi cant increase in the 2015 beef cow herd. At this point, the biggest risk to stabilizing the beef cow herd is the drought’s hold on pasture and forage supplies.

The dairy cow herd is expected to be down 90,000 head on January 1, 2013, and total 9.14 million head. Dairy cow slaugh-ter in 2012 was up 200,000 head – the largest since 1986. Higher slaughter and fewer dairy replacement heifers reported in July contributed to the smaller dairy cow herd forecast. Ultimately, average dairy operation profi tability spent most of the time in the red in 2012 and remains the driving force behind dairy cow herd liquidation.

Cattle Inventory (mil. head) 2012 2013 % Change

Total Cattle 90.8 89.8 -1%Beef Cows 29.9 29.5 -1%Dairy Cows 9.2 9.1 -1%Total Cows 39.1 38.7 -1%Calf Crop 34.5 34.3 -1%Feeder & Calf Supply Outside Feedlots 25.7 25.3 -2%

_________________________________ THE BOTTOM LINE _______________________________Smaller beef cow slaughter and increased heifer retention should stabilize the beef cow herd by 2014.Drought is the major factor holding back expansion and is still a wildcard in 2013.A two pound drop in per capita beef supply in 2013 will be supportive to higher prices.A larger beef cow herd by 2015 still means we are 3 to 4 years from a larger available supply of fed cattle.

Retail beef demand was up 3 percentage points in 2012, but record-high beef prices remain a burden for retailers and res-taurants. Domestic beef demand is forecast to be weaker next year. The top threat to beef demand remains the economy. It is diffi cult based on current fundamentals to see consumer incomes improving in 2013. The pressure to manage thinning beef margins has increased as grocery and foodservice segments struggle to pass wholesale price increases downstream to cash-strapped consumers.

DEMAND IMPROVEMENT TIED TO POLICYGovernment policy will infl uence incomes considerably next

year. The fi scal cliff concerns are complicated, and elected of-fi cials are balancing concerns surrounding expiring Bush-era tax cuts, entitlement payments and debt ceiling levels. Each compromise made will infl uence available incomes and gross domestic product. Based on current fi gures, incomes and GDP have the potential to decline by as much as 3 percent, which translates back to a $4/cwt. reduction in the live cattle market with all else equal.

Retail beef prices increased 6 percent, reaching record-high levels again in 2012. However, retailers struggled to feature beef in circular advertisements at these price points with beef advertis-ing down 4 percent. Expect retail beef prices at $4.85/lb. in 2013 – improving around $0.12 from 2012. Beef should remain price competitive with pork and chicken, which is expected to see more dramatic retail price increases in the coming year.

Restaurant performance was considerably stronger than a year ago in early 2012, but growth slowed throughout second half 2012. The domestic economy and lagging consumer incomes are holding the segment back. Expect more of the same in 2013. Most consumers will visit fast-casual restaurants over fi ne-dining establishments due to the higher perceived value offered.

Improvement with the domestic economy seems unlikely, but global beef consumers will continue to bid aggressively for U.S. beef. This is likely a bright spot in beef demand for 2013. Prospects for stronger global beef demand could improve during the second half of the year if the Japanese government increases the age limit for U.S. beef exports to cattle under 30 months old.

END MEATS PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SUPPORTWholesale beef demand improved 3 percentage points in 2012

as boxed beef prices increased 5 percent and per capita supplies declined 0.2 percent. Demand is expected to decline 2 points in 2013 – reaching 112 percent of 1998 levels. The drop comes from an expected pullback in middle meat demand. Interest in chuck and round items should remain relatively strong. However, re-duced supplies will continue to motivate price increases across the beef complex. The Choice-Select spread widened $2/cwt. in 2011 – averaging $10/cwt. It is forecast to increase another $2 in 2013 with tighter Choice supplies leading to a wider spread during peak middle meat demand in the fall and spring.

Export sales and a fragile domestic market should provide considerable price support to lower valued cuts from the chuck

Demand: Consumer Income And Economypp

3

_________________________________ THE BOTTOM LINE _______________________________The forecast for domestic beef demand is weaker in 2013, due mostly to expected weakness in consumer incomes and U.S. economic performance.Higher prices will need to ration smaller supplies, but sustained price increases in the 2013 cattle and beef market rest with the consumer.Weaker middle meat demand is possible in 2013, but rib and loin values should reach new highs in the spring and fall to ration a tighter supply of Choice grading carcasses.End cuts will likely find support from increasing beef exports and more expensive beef imports.

Per Capita Consumption (lbs./person) 2012 2013 % Change

Per Capita Net Beef Consumption/Supply 57.2 55.2 -3%Per Capita Net Pork Consumption/Supply 45.9 44.4 -3%Per Capita Net Poultry Consumption/Supply 96.4 93.5 -3%Per Capita Net Meat Consumption/Supply 199.5 193.0 -3%

and round in 2013. Likewise, end users will be motivated to fi nd new ways to merchandize middle meats to reduce portion costs and generate higher returns from pricier subprimals.

Ground beef demand is one element of production that will remain immune to a weakening economy. Any measurable form of precipitation in the top 10 cow-calf producing states could lead to beef cow retention in 2013. That translates to smaller domestic cow slaughter and a dramatically higher 90 percent lean trimmings market. It will provide additional support to end and thin meats as processors will be more resourceful in secur-ing competitively priced lean trim. Hide and offal values may struggle to gain signifi cant ground as the global economy is not expected to make signifi cant improvement,

Emerging Trends In The Global MarketplaceTIGHTER BEEF SUPPLIES

After a steady rise over the past 50 years, global beef production declined three of the four years from 2008-2011. And without India water buffalo production included, global beef production will see the sixth-con-secutive annual decline in 2013. From 2007 peak beef production to 2013, beef supplies have declined nearly 1 million metric tons. At the same time, world population has increased an estimated 426 million people and global real gross domestic product (GDP) has increased by $25 trillion (35 percent) in nominal terms.

The bottom line is smaller global beef supplies are meeting rising incomes and populations. The highest bidders will get the beef. Expect global beef prices to reach record highs in 2013 and likely into 2014.

GRINDING DEMAND IN THE USThe 2008 recession continues to weigh on U.S. consum-

ers. Restaurant traffi c declined considerably and has been slowly recovering in the last 18 months. Fast-food and fast-casual dining hamburger demand has increased despite this trend, while U.S. cattle supplies have tight-ened. As a result, lean grinding beef prices have moved sharply higher with 90 percent lean trimming prices up 56 percent since 2009.

Lean grinding beef originates from three sources: 1) fed cattle through trim and ground whole muscle cuts, 2) cull cows and bulls, and 3) imported beef. As the U.S. cattle inventory declined, fed cattle and cull cow slaugh-ter numbers dropped. Grinding beef markets reached an infl ection point in 2012. A seven-year trend of declining beef imports was broken and beef imports surged higher – driven by tighter domestic grinding supplies and stron-ger demand. Expect beef imports to increase 9 percent in 2012 and rise another 15 percent in 2013.

Rising prices for grinding beef affect imports and exports. Some chuck and round items are key export cuts. Chuck cuts generally go to Asia and round items are exported to Mexico and Russia. Increasing prices for 90 percent lean trimmings have made chuck and round items competitively priced grinding substitutes. Now, domestic ground beef processors are competing with overseas bids for chuck and round items. The bottom line is the highest bidders will get the beef, and for now, there are willing buyers between overseas consumers and U.S. processors.

ACCESS TO JAPANThe current Japanese beef access agreement allows

U.S. beef from cattle slaughtered at under 21 months of age. A result of the 2003 BSE bans. Since there is not a good biological identifi er for this age (dentition is fairly

International Beef and Cattle Trade 2012 2013 % Change

Beef Imports (mil. head) 2.23 2.56 +15%Beef Exports (mil. head) 2.48 2.63 +6%Net Beef Supply (bil. lbs.) 25.56 24.82 -3%Mexican Feeder Imports (mil. head) 1.60 1.43 -11%Canadian Feeder Imports (mil. head) 0.124 0.121 -2%Canadian Fed Cattle Imports (mil. head) 0.393 0.382 -3%

accurate at 30 months of age), Japan has required USDA audited paper verifi cation from cattle producers. Another option is to use a precautionary bone ossifi cation score with an average age of 15 months to provide security around a wide variation in scores up to 21 months of age.

This scenario has limited eligible cattle providing beef cuts to the Japan market at around 18 to 20 percent of fed slaughter – restricting U.S. beef volumes into Japan. In 2012, the U.S. will likely export 140,000 metric tons of beef to Japan – less than half of the 362,000 metric tons exported in 2000. The challenge is that Japan historically only purchases a few cuts per head: chuck cuts, short ribs or plates, and beef tongues. The reduction in cattle supplies has driven prices higher and restricted the fl ow of these key items.

Japan has agreed to work on a new access agreement with foreign suppliers that allow beef access from animals less than 30 months of age, an identifi cation process easily verifi ed by dentition. The plan was announced in 2012 and completion of the agreement


THE VIRGINIA CATTLEMAN–JANUARY 2013–PAGE 21PAGE 20–JANUARY 2013–THE VIRGINIA CATTLEMAN


Virginia Simmental Association

VIRGINIA

SIMMENTAL ASSOCIATIONKathy Penley, Secretary

4311 East Blue Grass TrailBland, VA 24315276-688-6188340-922-3592

[email protected]

Be sure to stop by and see us at the2013 VA Beef Industry Convention at the

Hotel Roanoke on January 31st andFebruary 1st. Also, check out our new website at

www.virginiasimmental.com. We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


Virginia Cattlemen’s Association, (540) 992-1009Virginia Dept. of Agriculture Livestock Market

Services, (804) 786-3935

NET PORK SUPPLIES HISTORI-CALLY SMALL

Pork production was up 2 per-cent in 2012. Increased produc-tion levels were partially offset by continued increases in exports (up 5 percent), but softer pork demand and slightly higher per capita supplies forced the pork cutout 9 percent lower in 2012. This coupled with record-high grain costs resulted in fi nancial losses and sow liquidation in second half 2012. Pork production levels are expected to decline 1 percent in

2013. Pork exports are projected to be record large at 5.8 billion pounds – increasing 5 percent. The result is the smallest per capita pork supply since 1975 at 44.4 pounds. Whole-sale pork values are expected to increase nearly 10 percent, and retail pork prices will likely im-prove more than 5 percent. Higher expected hog prices in 2013 and modest relief in corn prices – es-pecially late in the year – should encourage modest hog industry expansion in 2014.

Competing Meats (bil. pounds) 2012 2013 % ChangeCommercial Pork Production 23.2 23.0 -1%Pork Exports 5.5 5.8 +5%Poultry Production 42.8 42.2 -1%Poultry Exports 8.1 8.3 +3%

Competing Protein Outlook

BROILER NET SUPPLIES CON-TINUE TO TIGHTEN

Broiler production is expected to total 36.8 billion pounds in 2012 – declining 1 percent compared to 2011. Annual exports are expected to rise 5 percent to a record high of 7.3 billion pounds, while per capita broiler supplies are estimated at 80.0 pounds – down 3 percent from

2011. Wholesale chicken prices averaged from 9 to 21 percent higher for whole birds, breasts and leg quarters in 2012. Wing prices increased 83 percent. Higher feed prices relative to wholesale chick-en prices are expected to drive broiler production cuts through fi rst half 2013 followed by slight increases during second half 2013.

A 1 percent decline in production – coupled

ALL-FRESH RETAIL – EXPECTED AVERAGE: $4.85/LB., +4% Tough economic conditions and com-petition from other proteins will limit price increases and featuring

__THE BOTTOM LINE_________________________________• Reduced production and increased exports will result in smaller

per capita pork and broiler supplies in 2013.• Tighter net pork supplies will support higher live hog and wholesale

and retail pork values.• Expect higher pork and broiler prices to support production in-

creases from late 2013 to 2014 providing corn prices decline.



The Cattle Market

VIRGINIA FEEDER CATTLETel-O-Auction On-Farm Sales

Direct Merchandising of Load Lots of Virginia Cattle

JANUARY 2013 SALE DATES

January 14 & 28th @ 6 p.m.


7108 Old Dickerson Rd.Orange, VA 22960

540/[email protected]

We MEAT your needs!!We MEAT your needs!!

Family BusinessSince 1960

703 Woodman Rd.Rock Mount, VA 24151

John Thurman540-493-6025

Jason Thurman540-493-4813

Steve Furrow540-520-4804

**Look for Edgewood Bulls in the BCIASale or call us to visit and look at our

On Farm Private Treaty Bulls!**Edgewood AngusThe Pete Henderson Family

Mailing Address:400 Angus Lane, Williamsburg, VA 23188Farm Address: 28225 King William Hwy., West Point, VA 23181

Pete s ell: 5 880 2 4 ete hendersonin . om

GoodwinGoodwin

Family FarmsFamily Farms

Benfield Angus

Deerfield, Virginia540-939-4608

www.benfieldangus.com - [email protected] - [email protected]

White Ridge Angus

Somerville, Virginia540-850-0266

Your Source for Angus Cattle With Substance

17th Annual Bull Sale Saturday, March 16th 2013

H [email protected] 276-620-4271

Gelbvieh, Balancers & Angus

Quaker Hill FarmTHE ROSSOM FAMILY

5728 Poindexter RdLouisa, VA 23093

Charles : 540.894.3523 • Lee: 540.894.3386

Selling Angus, Sim-Angus& Simmental Bulls

Amelia Area Cattlemen, LLCWeb Site – http://aacattlemen.comEmail Address – [email protected]

Cell # - 804-337-2513Offering Fall Bred Heifers

Knoll Crest FarmApril, 2013

Virginia Beef Cattle Improvement Association

Department ofAnimal & Poultry

Sciences

Registered Angus

BULLS FOR SALEPrivate Treaty

Performance Tested and Pasture Ready 12 to 17 months old

FP.O. Box 150, Washington, VA 22747

Brooke Miller, MD(540) 522-8363

Hodge Miller(540) 272-4967

2 Sale Credits @ $500Wytheville,

March 23, 2013Culpeper,

December 2013

2013 Virginia Cattlemen’s Association Public Policy & Action Fund Bull and Heifer Auction

Please make plans at the State Convention on February 1, 2013 after lunch to participate in this fundraiser to support VCA public policy work. We are once again offering for bid $500 credits towards the

purchase of breeding cattle.

Consignors Include:Benfi eld-White Ridge Angus, Edgewood Angus, Knoll Crest,

Mystic Hill, Whitestone Farm, Amelia Area Cattlemen,Goodwin Family Farms, Echo Ridge Farm, Ginger Hill Angus, Daltons on the Sycamore, McDonald Farms, Little Windy Hill,

Quaker Hill Farm, Lazy Acres Farm


Thursday, January 31, 2013

9:30 AM Virginia State Dairymen’s Association Board Meeting 10:00 AM Virginia Beef Industry Council Executive Committee10:30 AM Virginia Beef Industry Council 2:30 PM Virginia Cattlemen’s Association Board Meeting5:00 PM Virginia Cattlemen’s Foundation Board Meeting6:00 PM Joint VBIC, VSDA, VCA, and VCF board social 7:00 PM Joint VBIC, VSDA, VCA, and VCF dinner 8:00 PM Dairy Princess Pageant

Friday, February 1, 2013

7:30 AM Virginia Livestock Markets Association Breakfast Meeting 7:30 AM Meeting registration9:00 AM 2013 Beef & Dairy Industry Outlook Mike Miller, NCBA Sr. VP Global Marketing & Research

9:00 AM Becoming A Beef Industry Advocate Virginia Tech Beef Leadership Council10:00 AM Break and Trade Show10:30 AM Virginia Simmental Association Meeting11:00 AM National Beef Quality Assurance Audit – Success & Opportunities11:00 AM Virginia Cattlewomen’s Meeting12:15 PM Virginia State Dairymen’s Luncheon & Business Meeting12:15 PM Virginia Cattlemen’s Association Awards Luncheon, Business Meeting and Public Policy Fundraiser 1:30 PM Break and Trade Show2:30 PM 2013 General Assembly and Congressional Outlook2:30 PM Virginia Charolais Association Meeting Virginia Gelbvieh Association Meeting2:30 PM Feeder Cattle Council Meeting3:30 PM Seedstock Council Meeting

Morning General Sessions – The Friday morning program will focus the outlook and opportunities for the United States beef and dairy sectors in 2013. We are pleased to have Mike Miller, formerly CEO of the internation-ally respected Cattle Fax organization and now Senior Vice President of Global Market-ing and Research, presenting an industry situational analysis. The price outlook for beef is very positive in 2013 however the infl uence of the US and global economies will continue to weigh heavily in the forecast for both beef producers and dairymen. Following the outlook discussion will be a review of the 2011 national Beef Quality Assurance Audit led by Dr. Ron Gill of Texas A&M University. This is the most comprehensive BQA Audit ever done and the results have revealed both successes in cattle management as well as tremendous work yet to be done to heighten consumer and retailer confi dence in food safety and quality. Whether you sell pounds of beef or pounds of milk, the messages of BQA applies to all.

Advocacy and the Virginia Cattlewomen – The strength of the livestock industry is argu-ably in our increasing diversity of youth and women involved in both food production as well as being the spokespersons for our business. The Virginia Tech Beef Leadership Council will conduct an advocacy session con-current with the fi rst morning session that will demonstrate the techniques and value of hav-ing conversations with consumers about what we do. Following the morning break there

will be an opportunity for interested Virginia Cattlewomen to meet and make steps towards revitalizing that organization.

Trade Show – Our industry partners will be showcasing their latest products and services for the dairy and beef industries. The live-stock industry’s well being is the key to their ultimate success.

Afternoon Educational Program – We are pleased to have Dr. Bob Holsworth provide us a presentation about the political landscape in Richmond and Washington for 2013. His observations on national and Virginia politics have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, the New York Times, and numerous other papers and newsmagazines. Bob was the founding Director of both the Center for Public Policy and the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Beef Industry Awards Luncheon & Policy Action Fundraiser – Included in the registration fee is the opportunity to attend the beef awards luncheon and policy action fundraiser. The Virginia Cattlemen will conduct a brief busi-ness meeting and present awards to include the Industry Service and Cattlemen of the Year honors. We will follow our successful breed-ing catlle auction again this year to raise fund-ing for our work on the legislative and regula-tory side along with supporting the scholar-ship work of the Cattlemen’s Foundation.

Steve FurrowRelax. If you did not get a chance to participate in the

Virginia Public Policy and Advocacy Fund Auction last year, you will have another chance February 1 at the Virginia Cattleman’s Annual Meeting at Hotel Roanoke. Last year eleven seedstock producers offered up two $500 credits that were auctioned off and generated over $14,000 to support the Advocacy Fund. In 2013, we have 14 consignors providing the opportunity to purchase credits on bull and female purchases. Check out the consignors on the VCA Public Policy and Advo-cacy Fund Page.

The Virginia Public Policy and Advocacy Fund began as an idea at the “THINK TANK” session at the Virginia Cattleman’s strategic planning meeting in the summer of 2011. 30% of the Advocacy Fund goes directly to the Cattlemen’s Foundation. The remainder has been used in efforts like: support a VCA member to attend NCBA Young Cattlemen’s Conference, pro-vided Beef for Virginia Legislative Trail Ride, VA Agribusiness Council banquet attendance, travel expenses for 5 VCA mem-bers to participate in the NCBA’s D.C. legislative conference, and sponsorship of VA Agribusiness “Town Hall” meetings.

For additional information or place your bid, contact any one of the Advocacy Fund committee. Steve Furrow 540-520- 4804, Mike Henry 804-337-2513, or Jason Pratt 276-759-6147.

Virginia Beef Industry and State Dairymen’s Convention Agenda and Schedule

VA Public Policy and Advocacy Fund

AuctionFebruary 1, 2013 atThe Hotel Roanoke

Convention Highlights


VIRGINIA CHAROLAIS ASSOCIATION2011-2012

VCA Offi cers

Rob Farmer – President8030 Greenwich Road

Catlett, VA 20119540-270-3886

Bill Thompson – Vice

President1295 Park Avenue

Clifton Forge, VA 24422540-968-1987

Naomi Farmer – Secretary

8030 Greenwich RoadCatlett, VA 20119

540-270-3886

Walt Winkler – Treasurer124 Kindig Road

Waynesboro, VA 22980540-943-6144

Gerry Scott - Past

President7126 Glanaman Way

Warrenton, VA 20187540-379-1975

Chad Joines -

Southwest DirectorJunior AdvisorVirginia Tech

Dept of Animal & Poultry Science

Blacksburg, VA 24061540-557-7263

We would like to invite anyone interested in becoming a member of our association to call one of the offi cers listed on this page.

Charolais bullsfor the most

discriminating buyer

124 Kindig RoadWaynesboro, VA 22980

Walt Winkler(540) 943-6144

CrossMountain Cattle Co.

Robert Farmer8030 Greenwich Rd.Catlett, VA 201195

540-270-3886Gerry Scott 540-379-1975

Cell 540-968-1987Fax 540-962-7508

BreedingPolled-Registered

Performance CharolaisWilliam and Agnes Anderson

P.O. Box 304Altavista, VA 24517

(434) 369-5366

“Keeping the commercial producers in mind”

River Croft Charolais CREWS FARMS

Registered Charolais

784 Payneton RdChatham, VA

Billy Crews, Barry CrewsBilly C. Crews, Brent Crews

(434) 656-2361(434) 656-3771

Our Virginia Charolais Association’s annual membership meeting will be at the Virginia Cattlemen’s and Virginia State Dairymen’s Convention on Feb 1, 2013. The Convention will be at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center in Roanoke Virginia. The meeting is planned to be held at 2:30pm. If you are a member, please be sure to attend. We will also have an exhibit booth in the tradeshow area. Come by and visit. We will have applications to join the association at our table.Our April Expo Sale will be our 22nd. If you are a member of our association and have not yet received an invitation to consign purebred Charolais to our sale, expect to get an invite soon. We want cattle that will represent the Charolais breed and your herd well.

All members of the Virginia Charolais Association are entitled to join all the sales

we sponsor.

Our nextVirginia Charolais

female seed stock sale will be at the

Virginia Beef Expo inApril 2013 in

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Our nextVirginia Charolais

female seed stock sale will be at the

Virginia Beef Expo inApril 2013 in

Harrisonburg, Virginia


Dealers5C Farm and Home Supply

Pulaski540-994-5566

Big M Farm SupplyMeadowview276-944-5431

Cattlemen’s SupplyWeyers Cave540-908-0421

CFC Farm and Home CenterCulpeper 540-825-2200Marshall 540-364-1533

Rappahannock 540-987-8555Morrisville 540-439-3254Warrenton 540-347-7100

Dodds Farm Supply LLCCharlotte Courthouse

434-542-5901

Farmers FeedNorth Tazewell304-320-4126

Frank WaltonRoseland

434-944-1830

Freeze LivestockElkton

540-405-2826

G&E FarmsGretna

434-489-4458

Galax Farm SupplyGalax

276-236-3721

Laurens Southern States and Ace HardwareLawrenceville434-848-4124

Leggett Town and CountryDanville

434-797-9300

Lucas FarmsBlacksburg

540-449-5997

Lynchburg Livestock MarketRustburg

434-821-5956

Maddox Feed StoreLouisa

540-967-0669

Moneta Farm and Home Center

Moneta540-297-5558

Mountain View FeedsRocky Mount540-263-1021

Page Co-OpLuray

540-743-5194

R.G.Cattle Company LLCCheck

540-651-8626Roberts Farm Center

McKenny804-478-4004

Smoky Slope FarmStanton

443-553-7292

Spaulding EquipmentCompany

Clover434-735-8161

AW TomlinMadison Heights

434-316-3054

Washington Farmers Co-OpAbington

276-628-9135

West End FeedsWytheville

276-228-5024

Winchester Co-OpWinchester

540-662-0375

Please Visit one of the Following Virginia Dealers

Joe Moore, President • 540-569-6219

By now cattlemen and cattle-women have all heard the news that the results of the election have resulted in a prolonging of the status quo. What that means in real terms to their operation is less clear. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Vice President of Government Affairs Colin Woodall sums it up by say-ing he expects the “shackles to come off,” in terms of a number of regulations which have been pending on the outcome of the election. “We just saw the denial of the Renewable Fuels Standard waiver by the Environmental Protection Agency last week and we expect that’s an indica-tor of things to come,” Woodall explained. Woodall also said he expects that other important pri-orities for cattlemen and women will be much more difficult to achieve, particularly after the “lame duck” session of Congress is complete. “With the make-up of the House and Senate staying essentially the same, we expect the gridlock we’ve seen over the past two years to continue,” said

Woodall.“The biggest thing we need is

for cattlemen and women to start introducing themselves to the staff in their congressional district offi ces. We know not everyone can make it to Washington, D.C., but they can make it to those district offi ces where there are generally a few staff members,” said Woodall. “We need producers to introduce themselves to those staff mem-bers. More importantly we need them to invite those staffers out to their operations and let them see what they do. By doing that, when staffers interact with their counterparts in Washington, D.C, they can better explain what ranchers do on a daily basis. This is especially important if you have a new member of the House or Senate representing you.”

Woodall said that interaction will make it easier for cattlemen and cattlewomen to more effec-tively express their opinions on issues that affect their operations, particularly now that the industry faces another two years of status quo.

Cattle Industry Faces The Consequences Of Status Quo

January Beef Management CalendarVirginia Cooperative Extension

Spring Calving Herds• Begin to gather calving supplies• Keep late pregnant cows gaining 1.0 lbs per day• Pregnant heifers and 3 yr olds should gain 2.0-2.5 lbs per day• Conduct forage tests if not done earlier this year• Keep high quality minerals available• Review calving assistance procedures• Stockpile a few gallons of colostrum• Evaluate herd performance and breeding program- establish selection goals for bulls to be purchases (or AI sires)• Soil test pastures not tested in last 3 years• Order clover seed for frost seeding later this winter

Fall Calving Herds• Begin/continue breeding• Check cow and bull body condition• Supplement energy to young bulls during breeding season• Conduct forage tests if not done earlier this year• Continue to check calves closely for health problems• Re-implant September and early October born calves that were implanted at birth• Soil test pastures not tested in last 3 years• Order clover seed for frost seeding later this winter


Virginia Angus AssociationFelicia G. Roberts, Office Manager

P.O. Box 209 Fishersville, VA

Email: [email protected] Website: www.vaangus.org

We MEAT your needs!!We MEAT your needs!!

W MEAT d !!

Family BusinessSince 1960

703 Woodman Rd.Rock Mount, VA 24151

John Thurman540-493-6025

Jason Thurman540-493-4813

Steve Furrow540-520-4804

Zach, Dara & Dalton Tucker211 Four Locust Lake Lane

Keysville, VA 23947(434) 735-8161 * (434) [email protected]

www.fourlocustangus.com

James D. Bennett(434) 376-3567Jim G. Bennett(434) 376-5760

Paul S. Bennett (434) 376-5675

Brian R. Bennett(434) 376-5309

“Serving the Beef Industry Since 1944”17659 Red House Rd.Red House, VA 23963

f ce 4 4 4 4 Private Treaty Female Inquires Welcomed

**Look for Edgewood Bulls in the BCIA Sale or call us to visit and look at our

On Farm Private Treaty Bulls!**Edgewood AngusThe Pete Henderson Family

Mailing Address:400 Angus Lane, Williamsburg, VA 23188Farm Address: 28225 King William Hwy., West Point, VA 23181

Pete s ell: 5 880 2 4 ete hendersonin . om

rehart

ngusThe Arehart’s

2835 Shutterlee Mill Rd.Staunton, VA 24401

(540) 885-8732Cell (540) 290-2240Cell (540) 290-4251

The Program with A PlanThe Plan with A Purpose

Bulls & Heifers availablePrivate Treaty

ANGUS FARM

Dennis J. Pearson8459 March Wales Road

Warrenton, Virginia 20186(540) 326-2222

Email:[email protected]: www.soldiershillangusfarm.com

PLEASE MAKE A NOTE......

Virginia Angus Association will hold our

Annual Meeting on Saturday, February 2, 2013

at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel in Staunton, VA *Registration forms will arrive with dues*

Virginia Angus i t Sale is A ril 1 , 2012 at the Rockingham Co. Fairgrounds, Harrisonburg, VA. Consignment forms are available on our website

at www.vaangus.org. They have also been mailed with the 2013 membership dues.

NOMINATION DEADLINE: 2 1 2013

Form will arrive with dues

Virginia Angus S ring Pre iew ads and

articles are due to the o ce by anuary 21,

2013. More information is available on our website.

2013 VAA handbook ads are due to the VAA

o ce in February 2013. Please check website.

REMEMBER to send in your photos for the 2013 photo contest.

Email to [email protected] dues should be arri ing. Please

remember new this year, they are due by

March 31, 2013.

Virginia Angus Breeders Page

Hill Crest FarmThe John Rucker Family

2394 Deleplane Grade Rd.Delaplane, VA 20144

540-364-2875

Poor House AngusJerry & Connie Hall

PO Box 528Upperville, VA 20185

540-364-2875Fax: 540-364-3315Cell: 540-454-1512

Cattle Available by Private TreatyWatch for our consignments in Virginia Sales

We welcome

your visit

Family owned & operated

CSF Cattle Company7725 North Lee Highway

Raphine, VA 24472C. . it gerald, wner 54 4 47

Chance nyder, Herdsman 54 2 7 [email protected]

All Cattle Available by Private Treaty!

Quaker Hill FarmCharles and Lee Rosson

572 oinde ter Road Lo isa, VA 2arm 54 . 7. 45 Charles 54 . 4. 52

crosson@ a erhillfarm.comwww. a erhillfarm.com

Annual SpringBull & Female SaleLast Friday in April

Annual FallBull & Female Sale

First Friday in November


FPL Food, LLC in Augusta, Georgia is proud to announce the launch of its fed beef cattle program to go along with our existing cow and bull harvest. Producers throughout the southeast can take advantage of our program and keep our Southeastern raised cattle in the local market to be fed, harvested and merchandised to consumers across our region. The fed program at FPL consist of a traditional commodity fed program where USDA Choice and Select graded cattle are the target. Fed cattle can be forward contracted and/or purchased direct. Cattle will be purchased on a yield and quality grade grid system. Cows and bulls can be purchased direct from your farm or delivered to our facility. If you are interested in supplying cattle for either of these programs please contact Brad Chandler at 706.910.9397 or via email at [email protected]. If you want additional information about FPL Food LLC, please review our web page at www.fplfood.com.

Dublin Feeder Cattle Assoc.

2013 Feeder Cattle Sales

Wednesday, January 9

All BreedCalf Sale

For more information contact:The Livestock Market or VDACS • Warrenton, VA • 540/347-2188

VA SLAUGHTER CATTLE SALES

activity, but record-high prices are expected to continue.

COMPOSITE CUTOUT – EX-PECTED AVERAGE: $196/CWT., +4% Smaller domestic production and price increases from compet-ing proteins will support price. Expect wholesale demand to be 2 percent weaker. Tighter Choice supplies will be more price sup-portive to the Choice-Select spread than demand.

FED CATTLE – EXPECTED AVER-AGE: $128/CWT., +4.5% Declining

fed cattle numbers and stronger exports should increase fed cattle prices for the fourth-consecutive year. Fed prices have increased 50 percent since 2009. A price increase of that magnitude has not been seen since 1981.

750-LB. STEERS – EXPECTED AVERAGE: $160/CWT., +9% Tighter supplies, excess feeding capacity and deferred live cattle futures premiums will continue to support higher feeder cattle values. The market is expected to follow a seasonal price pattern,

Price Outlook 2013

but volatile corn prices and futures market fl uctuations present market price risk. Continued drought has the potential to limit sustainable profi ts.

550-LB. STEERS – EXPECTED AVERAGE: $185/CWT., +10% Cow-calf producers will continue to maintain leverage as other seg-ments look for additional supplies. Record-high feeder and fed cattle prices will likely support higher calf prices. Profi tability may de-

pend on drought relief, but low-cost producers should maintain favorable margins. Spring moisture could lead to a signifi cant spring price rally with calf values exceed-ing $205/cwt.

CULL COWS – EXPECTED AVER-AGE: $88/CWT., +10% Record-high values will continue. Smaller Record-high calf values will sup-port stronger bred female prices. Drought conditions and smaller feed supplies have limited female

price increases. Profi t incentives remain, but drought has limited options for many producers. Prices will likely not deteriorate from cur-rent values. Upside potential could be $200 to $300/head more.

CORN – EXPECTED AVERAGE: $6.10/BU., -12% U.S. and world corn stocks-to-use levels are ex-pected to remain historically low in 2013. Higher prices are expected to ration usage across all categories – especially in fi rst half 2013.


The Cattle Market


Echo Ridge Farm“Spring Turnout”Bull Sale

GAR New Design 5050 B/R New Day 454 GAR Composure SydGen Mandate 6079

SELLING 40 Bulls Sired by These Angus Greats

Jason & Paige Pratt276.759.6147 www.EchoRidgeAngus.com

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said today that, beginning in Feb-ruary 2013, the agency will require producers to hold ship-ments of non-intact raw beef and all ready-to-eat products containing meat and poultry until they pass agency testing for foodborne adulterants. “This new policy will reduce foodborne illnesses and the number of recalls by prevent-ing contaminated products from reaching consumers,” USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elisabeth Ha-gen said. “Many producers hold products until test results come back. We’re encourag-ing others in the industry to make this a routine part of operations.” The new policy requires official establishments and importers of record to maintain control of products tested for adulterants by FSIS and not allow the products to enter commerce until negative test results are received.

FSIS anticipates most nega-tive test results will be deter-mined within two days. The policy applies to non-intact raw beef products or intact raw beef products intended for non-intact use and that are tested by FSIS for Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli. Also, the policy applies to any ready-to-eat products tested by FSIS for pathogens. FSIS devel-oped the “hold and test” policy, which will reduce consumer exposure to unsafe meat prod-ucts, based on public comment and input received on a Federal Register notice published in April 2011. FSIS estimates if this new requirement had been in place between 2007 through 2010, 49 of the 251 meat, poul-try and processed egg product

The Agriculture Department is responding to criticism over new school lunch rules by allowing more grains and meat in kids’ meals. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told members of Congress in a letter Friday that the depart-

USDA To Allow More Meat, Grains In School Lunchesment will do away with daily and weekly limits of meats and grains. Several lawmakers wrote the de-partment after the new rules went into effect in September saying kids aren’t getting enough to eat.

School administrators also com-

plained, saying set maximums on grains and meats are too limiting as they try to plan daily meals.

“This flexibility is being pro-vided to allow more time for the development of products that fi t within the new standards while granting schools additional weekly menu planning options to help en-sure that children receive a whole-some, nutritious meal every day of the week,” Vilsack said in a letter to Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D.

The new guidelines were in-tended to address increasing child-hood obesity levels. They set limits

on calories and salt, and phase in more whole grains. Schools must offer at least one vegetable or fruit per meal. The department also dictated how much of certain food groups could be served.

While nutritionists and some parents have praised the new school lunch standards, others, including many conservative lawmakers, refer to them as gov-ernment overreach. Yet many of those same lawmakers also have complained about hearing from constituents who say their kids are hungry at school.

Though broader calorie limits are still in place, the rules tweak will allow school lunch planners to use as many grains and as much meat as they want. In comments to USDA, many had said grains shouldn’t be limited because they are a part of so many meals, and that it was diffi cult to always fi nd the right size of meat.

The new tweak doesn’t upset nutritionists who fought for the school lunch overhaul.

Margo Wootan, a nutrition lob-


FSIS To Implement Mandatory ‘Hold And Test’ Policy

recalls that occurred during that time could have been prevented.


The Southwest Virginia Angus Association held its 40th annual “More For Your Money Sale” on 10/20/12 at the Southwest Test Station Sale Facility in Wytheville, Va. Fifty lots of registered Angus cattle went through the sale ring to average $2,624. The top selling cow/calf pair was consigned by Justafew Angus, Max Meadows, Va. The cow is a three year old daughter of HARB Pendleton 765 J H bred to calve 11/21/12 to the service of H A Program5652 and she sold for $2,500 to Paul Moore of Clintwood, Va. Her 10/10/11 heifer calf sired by S S Objective 6807 T510 sold for $1,800 also to Paul Moore of Clintwood, Va. Total of this pair was $4,300.

The second top selling lot was a consignment of Stovall Livestock, Stuart, Va. The cow is a four year old daughter of Mytty In Focus with a 10/15/12 heifer calf by Daltons Protégé 829 and she sold for $2,300 to Dunkley Farms of Ivanhoe, Va. Her bull calf born on 10/18/11 sired by Off Pounder W83 sold for $1,600 to Banks Farm, Hillsville, VA. Total of this lot was $3,900.

Tied for third top selling lot was a consignment of Lyn Lew Farm, Dublin, Va. The cow is a fi ve year old daughter of G A R Exaltation 3144 due to calve 2/16/13 to the service of Conneally Irish and she sold for $2,050 to Larry Banks of Hillsville, Virginia. Her heifer calf

born on 1/4/12 sired by S S Fast Track M719 sold for $1,750 to D&J Meade Farm of Gate City, Va. Total of this lot was $3,800. Tied for third top selling pair was a consignment of Graystone Farm of Wytheville, Va. The cow is a four year old daughter of Hyline Right Time 338 bred to calve 2/17/13 to Sitz Dash 10277 and she sold for $2,050 to Larry Huff of Gate City, Va. Her heifer calf was born on 2/18/12 sired by Sitz Dash 10277 and she sold for $1,750 to D&J Meade Farm of Gate City, Va. Total of this pair was $3,800.

The fourth top selling cow/calf pair was consigned by Justafew Angus, Max Meadows, Va. The cow is a four year old daughter of TC Total 410 bred to calve 11/8/12 to the service of H A Program5652 and she sold for $2,100 to Heav-ensent Farm Angie Fields of White-house, Ky. Her 12/13/11 heifer calf sired by LCC New Standard sold for $1,650 also to Heavensent Farm Angie Fields of Whiteshoue, Ky. Total of this pair was $3,750.

We had 30 buyers from Vir-ginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Vol-ume buyer was Dunkley Farm of Ivanhoe, Va., and Ethan Hash of Independence, Va. Smith Reasor of Rural Retreat was the Auction-eer and George T. Johnstone Jr. of Wytheville, Va. was the Sale Coordinator.

WINTER SERVICE WINTER SERVICE SPECIALSPECIAL

January & February$10.00 Off HourlyShop Labor Rate

Southwest VA Angus Sale

Continued from

School Lunchesbyist for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, says the change is minor and the new guidance shows that USDA will work with school nutrition offi cials and oth-ers who have concerns.

“It takes time to work out the kinks,” Wootan said. “This should show Congress that they don’t need to interfere legislatively.”

Congress has already inter-fered with the rules. Last year, after USDA fi rst proposed the new guidelines, Congress prohibited USDA from limiting potatoes and French fries and allowed school lunchrooms to continue count-ing tomato paste on pizza as a vegetable.

The school lunch rules apply to federally subsidized lunches served to low-income children. Those meals have always been

subject to nutritional guidelines because they are partially paid for by the federal government, but the new rules put broader restric-tions on what could be served as childhood obesity rates have skyrocketed.

School kids can still buy ad-ditional foods in other parts of the lunchroom and the school. Congress two years ago directed USDA to regulate those foods as well, but the department has yet to issue those rules.

Sen. Hoeven, who had written Vilsack to express concern about the rules, said he will be sup-portive of the meals overhaul if the USDA continues to be fl exible when problems arise.

“This is an important step,” he said. “They are responding and that’s what they need to do.”


Gelbvieh Breedersof Virginia, Inc.

6916 Peppers Ferry Rd.Max Meadows, VA 24360

President: Nathan Haver - 540-997-5376Vice President: Tom Lavelle - 276-223-4488Secretary: Joe Wilson - 276-628-4163Treasurer:Judith Sweeten - 276-228-6347

American Gelbvieh Association | 10900 Dover St., Westminster, CO 80021

303-465-2333 | www.gelbvieh.org

Add Pounds. Add Profit.

Gelbvieh influenced females attracted many of the most pro-gressive commercial producers in the industry with the first Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) germplasm study data in the early 1970s. Gelbvieh-sired females topped the charts on fertility, age at puberty and pounds of calf weaned per cow exposed. Today’s MARC data shows the Gelbvieh breed has reduced mature cow size, has the lowest birth weights

of the four major Continental breeds and still maintains the earliest age at puberty. Fads come and go in the beef industry, but the real money to be made is always on the cow side of the business. To find a Gelbvieh breeder near you or for more information on how Gelbvieh-sired females can work hard for your bottom line visit www.gelbvieh.org or contact the American Gelbvieh Association at 303-465-2333.

Gelbvieh-Sired Females – Working Hard for Your Bottom Line

LAST CALLGELBVIEH

Tom Lavelle, DVM2984 Peppers Ferry Rd.Wytheville, Va. 24382

(O) 276-223-4488(H) 276-223-0104

CHARLES E. ATKINS,OWNER

(276) 783-6100

Flowing Spring Gelbvieh6235 Lee Hwy.

Atkins, VA 24311

SOUTHFORK FARMSGELBVIEH &

BALANCER CATTLE

Nathan and Sue Ellen Haver969 Little River Rd.Goshen, Va. 24439

540-997-5376 540-997-5358 (Fax)866-580-5335 (toll free)

email- [email protected]

LITTLE WINDY HILLFarms

Doug & Sue Hughes6916 Peppers Ferry RoadMax Meadows, VA 24360

H 276/637-3916O 276/637-4271

Triple D

Treble W RanchRegistered Gelbvieh Cattle

HandfulaGelbviehs

Black, Polled, Purebred & Balancer Gelbvieh CattleStephen, Vivian, Megan &

Caitlin Fanning7287 East Blue Grass Trail

Bland, VA 24315(276) 722-2034(276) 620-0054

REGISTERED POLLEDGELBVIEH

C.H. Morris & Sons928 Morris Road

Appomattox, VA 24522

Roger L. Morris(434) 574-6592(434) 315-4294

17462 Fenton DriveAbingdon, Va. 24210

Dr. Daryl Wilson/Tyler Wilson(276) 676-2242

Joe & Gwen Wilson(276) 628-4163

[email protected]

James D. Bennett Paul S. Bennett(434) 376-3567 (434) 276-5675

17659 Red House RoadRed House, Virginia 23963

Offi ce (434) 376-3567Fax (434) 376-7008

Jim G. Bennett Brian R. Bennett(434) 376-5760 (434) 376-5309

2157 Black LickRural Retreat, VA 24368

Judith A. SweetenRegistered No. 48890

Home: 276-228-6347Cell: 401-714-6812

Registered GelbviehRed and Black Polled Bulls

13052 Ivor Rd., Sedley, VA 23878Willie Diggs 770/591-3454Alan Diggs 757/653-0174

Milton Diggs (Home) 757/859-6118Milton Diggs (Cell) 757/328-8459

Email: [email protected]


Vaughan Cattle Company

AMELIA, VANew Hay & Silage Feeders For Sale

FOR SALEJ&L Haysavers & Stoltzfus Feed Wagons

Competitive-pricing

FARM EQUIPMENT FOR SALEIH 1466 Tractor with 2350 IH loader

IH 966 Tractor with canopyIH 424 Tractor Gas

We are located in Amelia VA.If you have any questions, contact

Vaughan Cattle Company at

1-804-338-28201-804-543-2283

Cattle Guards14 x 8 – $800

8 FT CONCRETEFEED BUNKS

U or J Bunk $150Calf Bunk $100

West End Precast

276-620-1821

All prices FOB Wytheville, VADelivery Available

Darrel Peel,Oklahoma Extension

It is people…the cattle produc-ers…who make it happen and are the key to rebuilding the beef cow herd and expanding cattle inven-tories. As with the land use and regional components, there are both challenges and opportunities with regards to the producer issues in the beef industry. Like farmers of all types, cattle producers have been aging as a group for many years. USDA data from 2011 indi-cates that among the 654,000 cattle farms in the country, 37 percent are operated by producers 65 years of age or older and another 29 percent are operated by producers aged 55-64. Together these two age groups operate 64 percent of land used for cattle production. This includes 118.4 million acres by the 65+ producers, 66 percent of which are the full owners of their farms. In many cases there are no family heirs interested or able to take over the operation.

These demographics suggest that a signifi cant amount of asset turnover is inevitable in the next decade. In the meantime, older cattle producers, like many farm-ers, often don’t really retire and exit the industry but rather tend to “retire in place” by remaining on the farm and gradually scal-ing back their operations. Older

producers, on average more fi-nancially secure, can afford to cut back by reducing cattle numbers or switching to less labor inten-sive enterprises according to their health situation and labor ability. The latest USDA data confirms that cattle producers over 65 years of age have a per farm value of production that is 43 percent less (25 percent less on a per acre equivalent basis) compared to the average value of production of all cattle farms. It is possible that as-set turnover in the cattle industry has accelerated recently.

The combination of these pro-ducer demographics and the drought creates a unique situation in the cattle industry. The drought has forced many of these older producers to partially or totally liquidate their herds. Some of these older producers are not inclined to or will not be able to rebuild their cattle operations. The drought is forcing some producers to face the inevitable decisions about exiting the industry sooner rather than later.

At the other end of the producer spectrum are young producers trying to get started. The chal-lenges for beginning producers have existed for many years but have arguably never been greater than now. Asset values are record high and the capital requirements greater than ever. The oversight

Aging Cattle Rancher Will Impact Cattle Herd Rebuildof agricultural lenders under new regulations is considerably more stringent than in years past and adds to the diffi culty of qualify-ing young producers for loans, even in cases where the lender is willing. Cattle producers, perhaps to an even greater extent than farmers in general, view asset ownership as preferred and one of the marks of success in the cattle business. And yet, for young producers, asset control is what is important even if asset ownership is not possible. Leasing and other business arrangements may be more feasible and necessary for a new generation of cattle produc-ers than asset purchase. One of the impacts of the drought is that older producers who have been forced to liquidate herds may be more interested in leasing land to younger producers and that may be a key to herd rebuilding and

revitalizing productivity in the cattle industry.

In between the older and be-ginning producers are many pro-ducers who are simply trying to survive the drought and continue with their business operations. The majority of producers who have been forced to liquidate cattle have received good prices and did not lose a great deal of value on the sales. However, high feed and other input costs in 2011 and 2012 mean that producers have, in many cases, used the pro-ceeds of drought sales to cash fl ow continued operations. These pro-ducers will likely face diffi culties fi nancing herd rebuilding when the opportunity arises. Replace-ment cow and heifer values will be record high.

The cattle industry today is smaller than it needs to be. The last two years of drought have

preempted the beginning of herd rebuilding and pushed the indus-try to extremely limited cattle in-ventories. The drought holds the key to when, and to some extent how and where, herd rebuilding will take place. At the same time, the economic environment of the cattle industry has changed dra-matically in recent years. New demands on agriculture and rising crop values puts a stronger forage focus on the beef industry and has signifi cant regional implica-tions on where cattle production will be located. The how, where and who of the cattle industry is changing in many respects but un-precedented cattle and beef prices confi rm that market demand, both domestically and internationally, offers opportunities and will sup-port rebuilding the beef cow herd, although to what level is as yet uncertain.



Culpeper Bulls

Morgan Slaven, Virginia Tech Beef Leadership Council

For our last meeting of the semester, the Virginia Tech Beef Leadership Council attended the campus screening of American Meat, a documentary about how meat products are raised organi-cally, naturally, and convention-ally across the country. The director of the fi lm was even there for a discussion panel following the fi lm, and commented on how he attempted to make the film as unbiased as possible among the represented market types. While maybe not as extreme as some other recently produced agricultural fi lms, I felt as if it still implied that conventional agriculture production was an abusive and destructive way to raise food animals.

At the conclusion of the fi lm, I approached the director about my concerns. He shared that while he had tried to maintain an unbiased stance, he had a hard time getting conventional agricultural produc-ers to agree to be featured in the movie. The director recognized the reason why: conventional agriculture has been degraded so often by the media that these conventional producers would not be interviewed for fear of putting their own head on the chopping block. Most of the

Offering elite genetics from across the country Offering elite genetics from across the country

Bulls, Bred Heifers, Bred Cows, Show Heifers,Bulls, Bred Heifers, Bred Cows, Show Heifers,

Embryos and rare semen Embryos and rare semen

January 26, 2013 at 7:00 pm Pano’s Restaurant - Harrisonburg Va.

VCCP Eastern Elite Production Sale

SALE COMMITEE

SALE CONTACTS Sale Manager - Kevin Mears,

STOCK OPTIONS MARKETING

937-533-0169

Neal Buchanan 540-292-1317 • Clint Lyle 540-292-5953JT. Begoon 540-430-1716

KTMR Makin Dreams, Grand Champion bull at the 2012 Keystone International

Livestock Expo sells

This Hannibal x 9FB3 daughter due toGet On Board sells!

A great SimAngus show prospect sired by Driver from Gamble’s

This fancy Who Made Who daughtersells due to Believe In Me

An Industry Under Pressurepeople willing to speak up and be showcased were those in the niche agricultural markets, and therefore, the most represented throughout the fi lm.

My father recently shared with me a phrase that he heard from his favorite classic rock radio show, John Boy and Billy. During an interview with a race car driver, one radio host com-mented on how much pressure the drivers must be under. The driver responded that there were two types of pressure: pressure that is applied and pressure that is felt. The driver continued by saying that while he certainly feels pressure during the race, he

is motivated by the fact that he relentlessly applies pressure on the other drivers, reminding his competitors that he is still there until the job is done and the fi nish line is crossed.

The beef industry, along with other sectors of animal agricul-ture, has been under pressure for a while and it continues to build as time goes on. Animal rights activists, environmental agencies, and consumer demand all apply pressure to our industry simulta-neously with their own agendas and needs in mind. Meanwhile, agricultural producers simply shoulder the burden, with little defensive strategy to stand up for

the industry, mostly because they feel as if it is not worth the fi ght.

The agriculture industry needs to start applying pressure back to these groups, not in publicity stunts or degrading comments, but by simply sharing the posi-tive aspects of our industry with consumers. From the Beef Quality Assurance certifi cation program to participating in environmental stewardship programs, producers in the beef industry have the op-portunity to be proactive leaders in this campaign of agricultural promotion through the Masters of Beef Advocacy program. This useful online certification tool provides the resources produc-

ers need to better advocate for agriculture and to actively dis-sipate the pressure that these outside groups try to burden our industry with.

During the 2013 Virginia Cat-tlemen’s State Convention, the Virginia Tech Beef Leadership Council will be presenting a workshop on the benefits of the Masters of Beef Advocacy program as well as help register those who are interested in learn-ing more about promoting our industry in a positive way. Make it your New Year’s resolution to be a more proactive beef industry advocate and come find us at State Convention!

pairs, 9 bred heifers, and 20 year-ling heifers. Demand was strong and prices steady, as the fall cow/calf pairs averaged $1937, the bred heifers averaged $1778 per head and the yearling heifers averaged $1300 per head.

All bulls in the test and sale were consigned by members of the Virginia Beef Cattle Im-provement Association. Bulls were tested at the Culpeper bull test station operated by Glenmary Farm, owned by Tom and Kim Nixon of Rapidan, Vir-ginia. The sale was managed by Virginia BCIA and the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association, and the auctioneer was Mike Jones.


QuestforQuality

1st Annual Multi-BreedBull Sale

Multi-Breed Bull Sale

Yearling Charolais, Balancer, Gelbviehs, Hereford,Angus, Red Angus, and Sim-Angus Bulls

18-month old Charolais Bulls

Every breed is known for a different quality and every commercial cattleman is looking tocombine those qualities.

Here is your chance to find that bull to combine quality and pounds to your calf crop.

Charolais bulls from Cross Mountain Cattle, Catlett, VA, Shadow Springs Farm, Harve de Grace,MD and Hillcrest Farm, Hillsboro, WV

Hereford bulls from Fauquier Farm, Broad Run, VA, Hausner Cattle Company,Thomasville, PA,and Cottage Hill Farm, WV

Balancer and Gelbvieh bulls from Locust Hill Farm, Ruffin, NCAngus and Red Angus bulls from JK Red Angus, Aberdeen, NC, Hi-Lane Farm, Kittrell NC, Cross

Creek Cattle, Gold Hill, NC, Majestic Meadows, Mt. Airy, MD, and Silverado Cattle Company,Warrenton, VA

Sim-Angus bull from Harverster Farm, Catlett, VA

Don't miss it - Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 1 pm - Front Royal Livestock Yard2796 Rivermont Drive, Front Royal, VA 22630

Check for update at www.crossmountaincattle.com

For more information contact:Gerry Scott 540-379-1975Rob Farmer 540-270-3886

2012 Census of Agriculture Arriving in Mailboxes across

America

It’s not every day that a walk to your mailbox leads to an op-portunity to help shape farm programs, boost rural services and grow your farm future. But for producers across the country, that opportunity will soon become a reality. The 2012 Census of Agriculture, the only source of consistent and com-prehensive agricultural data for every state and county in the nation, is currently being mailed to millions of farmers and ranchers across the United States.

Conducted every fi ve years by the U.S. Department of Agri-culture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the Census provides detailed data covering nearly every facet of U.S. agriculture. It looks at land use and ownership, production practices, expenditures and other factors that affect the way farmers do business and suc-ceed in the 21st Century.

“The 2012 Census of Agri-culture provides farmers with a powerful voice. The informa-tion gathered through the Cen-sus infl uences policy decisions that can have a tremendous im-pact on farmers and their com-munities for years to come,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “I strongly encourage all farmers, no matter how large or small their operation, to promptly complete and return their Census, so they can voice to the nation the value and im-portance of agriculture.”

Vilsack added that in addi-tion to affecting policy deci-sions, Census information also infl uences community growth and development. Many com-panies review Census data when determining where to establish or expand their busi-nesses, as well as where they can go for supplies of locally-produced food and agricultural products, which further em-phasizes the importance of sup-plying accurate information. In-formation from the Census also

Census Provides Opportunity To Grow The Future Of Agricultureis valuable to explain the many ways farming is important to urban or non-farming residents and decision-makers.

“Along with their accom-plishments as business men and women, farmers know about the challenges they face in their lo-cal areas,” said Vilsack. “Taking part in the Census is increasingly important to farmers and every community in America because it provides important informa-tion and helps tell the true story about the state of agriculture in the United States today.”

All farmers and ranchers should receive a Census form in the mail by early January. Com-pleted forms are due by Febru-

ary 4, 2013. Farmers can return their forms by mail or online by visiting a secure website, www.

agcensus.usda.gov. Federal law requires all agricultural produc-ers to participate in the Census

and requires NASS to keep all individual information confi-dential.

ATTENTION

DENNIS STONEBURNER • (540) 820-3838

POULTRY LITTER NOW AVAILABLE IN BAGS

Litter is still availableby the trailer load, straight truck

or picked up at our farm.

• EASY TO STORE• LESS MESS THAN BULK LOADS• EASY TO HANDLE 60 LB. BAGS• CONVENIENTLY LOCATED OFF I-81, EXIT 251


ANGUS MEANS BUSINESS.A reliable business partner is difficult to come by. At the American Angus Association®, a team of skilled Regional Managers can guide your operation toward success.

Contact Will Mayfield to locate Angus genetics, select marketing options tailoredto your needs,and to access Association programs and services. Put the business breed to work for you.

Will Mayfield,Regional Manager

3201 Frederick Ave.Saint Joseph, MO [email protected]

NortheastRegion

3201 Frederick Ave. • St. Joseph, MO 64506816.383.5100 • www.angus.org

© 2012-2013 American Angus AssociationGelbvieh, Balancers& Angus

H [email protected] 276-620-4271

QUALITY GELBVIEH,

BALANCER AND ANGUS CATTLE

Northern Ag Network

A landmark $500 million agree-ment has been reached to settle a slaughterhouse abuse case that led to the biggest meat recall in U.S. history in 2008, an animal welfare group announced Friday. The civil settlement with the own-ers of Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. is the largest-ever penalty for an animal abuse case, and the fi rst time federal fraud statutes have been used, according to the Humane Society of the United States, the lead plaintiff. How-ever, the settlement is largely symbolic because the company is bankrupt.

As a supplier of meats for the national school lunch program,

the Southern California company had signed federal contracts cer-tifying that it would provide humane treatment of animals sent there for slaughter. The animal welfare group fi led a civil complaint in U.S. District Court in Riverside in 2009, and the U.S. Justice Department intervened after research showed that one of the packing plant partners had two felony convictions related to illegal industry practices. A widely circulated video shot by an undercover operative showed “downer cows” - those unable to walk- being dragged by chains, rammed by forklifts and sprayed with high-pressure water by employees who wanted them to stand and walk to slaughter at the

$500 Million Settlement Reached In Animal Abuse CaseRiverside County facility. The vid-eo sparked the largest beef recall in U.S. history. Nearly 37 million pounds of the 143 million pounds recalled had gone to school lunch programs, and most had been eaten by the time of the recall. The recall cost taxpayers $150 million. The lawsuit alleged that the gov-ernment paid the company money it was not entitled to because the company lied about meeting the conditions of its contracts.

The partial settlement is with two of nine defendants in the case, Donald Hallmark Sr. and Donald Hallmark Jr. Under the terms, the father and son also have fi ve years to pay $316,802, or the bulk of their remaining personal assets. They have also agreed to cooper-ate fully with the Justice Depart-ment and the Humane Society of the United States in settling the litigation against the remaining seven defendants. The symbolic

settlement will become fi nal when the cases against the other de-fendants are resolved. The $497 million settlement amount was determined under the treble dam-ages provision of the federal False Claims Act. In the court papers, the plaintiffs alleged that the meatpacking plant slaughtered and processed downer cows from January 2004 to September 2007 at the average rate of one every six weeks.


Visitwww.agcensus.usda.gov

Fill out your Agriculture Census.

Grade and Yield Your Fed Cattle HERE. Call For Details!

Double J Livestock LLCWEEKLY BUYING STATION MON & THUR

4176 Silling Rd., Dayton,VA540-879-BULL (2855)

Direct Agents forSlaughter & Feeder Cattle Sales

JBS FED Cattle Buying Station1st & 3rd Monday of each month

Federal & State Licensed & Bonded

Mike Allen • 540-476-4680 - Load LotsJames Housden • 540-476-0269 • Feeder/FatsBarry Wilkins, Jr. • 540-607-6032 • Feeder/Fats

VirginiaCattle Company

Radiant, VA540/672-1760

Board Cattle and Private Treaty Sales

Also AvailableGary Vance, 540/622-4889

It all started when my wife asked, “What happened to your head?”

“Where?” I asked, thinking I had scratched it in the mesquite or dur-ing the night while I was sleeping someone had tattooed “KICK ME” across my forehead. She reached up and touched me above the left ear. “Oh,” I said, “I had a little hair trim.”

“Rollie got a little close, didn’t he?”

“No, not really. I, uh, trimmed it myself,” I explained.

“So, that explains the lock of black, tan and gray hair I found in the sink,” she said. “I thought it was off that deer you shot yesterday. Why

didn’t you let me do it?”“I don’t know, I guess I was in a

hurry.”“Pretty good reason,” she said,

“Did you close your eyes while you were trimming your hair? Or did a sudden earth tremor rattle your clippers? Wait, you were working on your trick or treat mask of Fran-kenstein!”

“Yes,” I said defensively, “it was…it was just the heeler mental-ity.” That stopped her.

The heeler mentality is a version of the cowboy mentality where instinct often overwhelms good judgment. It can be compared to the team roping “header” mental-

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Virginia Livestock LLC

Front Royal, VA2013 State Graded Feeder Sale Dates

ROANOKE-HOLLINSSTOCKYARD

HOLLINS, VIRGINIA

Sales Every Monday2:00 P.M.

QualityFeeder Cattle

Graded Steers, Bulls and Heifers WeeklyChris Theimer, Manager

540-992-1112

January 15, 2013February 5, 2013March 5, 2013March 19, 2013April 2, 2013April 16, 2013May 7, 2013May 21, 2013June 4, 2013July 16, 2013

August 6, 2013August 20, 2013

September 3, 2013September 17, 2013

October 1, 2013October 15, 2013November 5, 2013November 19, 2013December 3, 2013December 17, 2013

All sales on Tuesday at 7:30 PMThank you for your business in 2012 and we look forward to seeing you in 2013. May God truly bless you and your family.

Livestock Market- 540-635-5511 Rick Mathews- 540-635-6927

Gary Vance- 540-622-4889 Please visit our website- virginialivestockllc.com

The Heeler Mentality

ity. For instance; a header usually has his hair styled rather than cut; a heeler cuts his own hair and always needs a shave. A header drives a fairly new pickup and trailer with a coordinated paint job; the heeler is still buyin’ recaps and the paint job on his trailer matches the primer on his brother’s BBQ grill. A header usually has two horses, his favorite and one in training; the heeler has one horse, in training and for sale. The header has ulcers; the heeler has a hangover.

I’m left-handed so I am condemned to roping the heels. I play the guitar right-handed because my dad made me. So now I can never play music as well as a natural right-hander plus I sign my name upside down because it’s the only way I can write it legibly. People see me signing my name and think it’s a parlor trick. “How long did it take you to learn that?” they ask. It’s like asking a one leg-ged man how long it took him to learn to limp. I’m not doing it on purpose…it’s a handicap! Being left-handed in a right-handed world is like being a bolt with Machine Threads surrounded by nuts all drilled for Standard.

A heeler sees nothing wrong with turning his socks inside out to keep them fresh, storing his dress shirt in his dop kit, and using Scotch tape instead of sewing on a new one on when he loses a button off his cuff. It’s not a bad thing having the heeler mentality. Life is easier. You can drop your sandwich on the fl oor, then pick it up and eat it. What’s a few grains of sand. They think nothing of doing a rectal exam on a cow without a plas-tic sleeve, getting mud on their new boots, climbing on a bad horse out of obstinance, receiving a D in Algebra, or never balancing their check book. But, we can focus intensely on a proj-ect when we need to; like comin’ out of the heeler’s box concentrating on the throw, or makin’ a bank shot off

the rail in a game of 8-Ball, or cutting off our nose to spite our face!

So, giving myself a hair trim is not out of character. I can live with it, even though I look like the barber

did it with an electric sander and a weed eater. It’ll grow out, just a little slower, that’s all.

www.baxterblack.com


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Hominy, Cottonseed Hulls, Peanut Hulls and other feed ingredients

Find the Dealer nearest you:Coleman Farm SupplyAppomattox, VA

434-352-7298

G E FeedsGeorge WinnGretna, VA,

434-489-4458

Lucas FarmsJoe Lucas

Blacksburg, VA540-449-5997 - Cell

540-552-5997

Moneta Farm & Home Center

Stuart WoodfordMoneta, VA

540-297-5558

Crop Production Services

David BrankleySouth Hill, VA434-447-7603

PB FarmsLaurel Fork, VA(704) 425-7114

Don PriceCrewe, VA

434-294-1772

R.G. Cattle CompanyRandell Gearhart

Check, VA 540-651-8626

A.W. TomlinMadison Heights, VA

434-316-3054

Frank WaltonAmherst, VA • 434-944-1830

West End FeedsChris UmbergerWytheville, VA

276-620-1821 • 294-1772

Spangler Farm SupplyScottsville, VA434-286-3200

Out of AI sires & damsAll home bred & raised

Our young stock program makes the difference.

For further information call:Curtis Sowers @ 540-230-6957 Randall Nester @ 540-392-1826 Mark Sowers @ 540-230-0177

Jason Pratt @ 276-759-6147 Auctioneer

1145 WILLS RIDGE RD, FLOYD, VA 24091

HuckleberryCattle.comQuality Breeding Stock you can count on.

Dan Murphy, Drover’s Cattle Network

“I’m a cocktail-before-dinner guy, and hell will freeze over be-fore I give up steak.” So begins an intriguing article titled “Researcher contends meat may be essential.” Writing in Canada’s Winnipeg Free Press, columnist W. Gifford Jones noted that, “I’ve found an ally in Prof. Duo Li, professor of nutrition at Zhejiang University in Hanga-hou, China.” Prof. Li reported on his research quantifying the value of eating meat in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, which is a legitimate scientific publication—although one with a peculiarly practical bent—as these selected articles demonstrate:

•“A Novel Glutathione-Hy-droxycinnamic Acid Product Gen-erated in Oxidative Wine Condi-tions”

•“Investigating the Chemical Changes of Chlorogenic Acids During Coffee Brewing”

•“Identification of Phenolic Constituents in Cichorium endi-via Salads by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography”

Li’s research underscores the reality that vegetarian diets are generally lacking in iron, zinc, vitamin B12 and essential omega-3 fatty acids, all nutrients necessary for optimal cardiovascular health. On the fl ip side of that coin, heavy consumption of vegetables tends

to increase production of blood platelets, which play a key role in normal blood clotting. Too many, however, increase the risk of form-ing dangerous blood clots that can cause fatalities if they become lodged in coronary arteries or se-vere strokes if they end up in the brain. Vegetable consumption also produces an increase in the amount of homocysteine in the circulatory system, which has been associated with an increased risk of heart dis-ease. Prof. Li’s studies also show that a strict vegetarian diet results in a decreased amount of high-density lipoprotein, the so-called “good” cholesterol, also a risk fac-tor for cardiovascular disease.

I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but although industry proponents, researchers and dieti-cians have worked tirelessly to spread the gospel of a balanced diet that includes animal foods to add the quality protein, heme iron and B vitamins often lacking in processed foods, a similar balance is nowhere to be found in media coverage of food and nutrition issues. For example, the recom-mended daily allowance for iron is 18 milligrams, yet the typical North American diet contains only about 6 mg, which is a big problem for teens, pregnant mothers and those who are nursing.

Other than cursory references to “Make sure you get enough iron” in online tips for women who are

The Essentialness Of Meatexpecting, there’s rarely a peep about a widespread and poten-tially serious nutritional defi ciency among Americans that’s exacer-bated by the endless fl ogging of vegetarian diets as the solution to pretty much every chronic disease WebMD ever profi led. In addition, meat contains vitamins signifi cant amounts of zinc, an essential nu-trient needed for proper growth and metabolic functioning—and also lacking most typical diets. Eating a moderate amount of lean meat—beef, pork, poultry—cer-tainly makes sense nutritionally. As Jones phrased it, “It makes more sense than a totally veggie diet. After all, humans have been en-joying meat since the caveman discovered it could keep him and his mate alive.”

But what about the “Big C,” as in cholesterol? Although science has discounted the 1980s-vintage hysteria about cholesterol—seeing

as how the typical human produces two-thirds of the body’s required cholesterol endogenously—all too many people still consider any-thing containing cholesterol to be “bad.” That’s why, as Jones noted, is why millions of people have switched from red meat to chicken and fi sh. Of course, a typical six-ounce steak only contains 146 mg of cholesterol. This, unfortunately, is a meaningless number to anyone not possessing a Master’s degree in human nutrition.

So here’s perhaps a more in-teresting fact to roll out next time you’re arguing with your veggie frenemies: Meat—particularly beef—is one of the principal di-etary sources of co-enzyme Q10 (Co-Q10). Heart, liver and kidneys are also great sources, as are sar-dines and mackerel, but Americans aren’t about to suddenly embrace organ meats or mackerel as dinner time staples anytime soon, so beef

remains the likely source of CoQ10 for the majority of consumers. That’s important, because CoQ10, which is similar to a vitamin, is manufactured by the body, is found in virtually every cell and serves as a catalyst in the production of metabolic energy. CoQ10 also func-tions as an antioxidant to protect the body’s vital organs—especially the heart—from cellular-level dam-age. The National Cancer Institute, in fact, has done extensive research on CoQ10 as a clinical supplement to the use of conventional anti-cancer drugs.

Beef is a good source of this vital nutrient, although cooking a steak well-done not only ruins the eat-ing experience (for me, anyway), but tends to denature CoQ10 and thus increase one’s risk of cardiac disease occurring later in life. The bottom line is pretty simple: Eat meat and prosper. Nutritionally speaking, anyway.

The Virginia Cattleman THE VIRGINIA CATTLEMAN–JANUARY...

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