61st Mississippi Cattlemen's Association Convention & Trade Show!
February 1 & 2, Regency Hotel & Conference Center
BCIA Annual Meeting
Pfizer Cattlemen's College
Trade Show Door Prizes
County Awards
Scholarship Luncheon
"A Taste of Beef" Auction
President's Banquet
Click here for registration and agenda.
Y"all Come
Alumni of Mississippi State University's Block & Bridle Club and Livestock, Dairy or Meats Judging Teams are invited to attend a reception at the Cattlemen's Association building on Sunday, February 10 at noon. Renew old friendships and be on hand for the announcement of this year's Judging Team Hall of Fame inductee. |
| Dixie National Time
While in Jackson for the Dixie National, stop by the Beef Barn for a Ribeye Steak Sandwich or the new Hot Beef Sundae.
| |
New Checkoff Ad Campaign 
The Beef Checkoff's "Discover the Power of Protein in the Land of Lean Beef" message rolls out this month with totally new print and radio ads.
Watch for the new "Beefscapes" advertising campaign and be at the MCA Convention & Trade Show to learn who the new voice of the beef commercials is. |
|
Indonesia, Barbados Completely Open Markets
USDA announced Wednesday, January 23, that Indonesia and Barbados have fully complied with international trade standards by allowing complete market access to U.S. beef and beef products of all ages. Acting Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Conner said, "I applaud the Indonesian and Barbados ministries of agriculture - this shows that constructive and steady discussions with our trading partners are bearing positive results for the future of U.S. beef exports."
According to USDA, beef and beef product exports to Indonesia were worth $17 million in 2005 with only partial access to the market, and the department estimates that these exports have the potential to double in 2008 and 2009. Additionally, exports to Barbados were roughly $2.7 million in 2007 with partial access. Conner said he hopes other trading partners will follow the lead of Indonesia and Barbados and fully open their markets. |
|
Congressional Schedule/Farm Bill Update
Both houses of Congress were back in session last week to open business for the second session of the 110th Congress. Additionally, President Bush will deliver his final State of the Union address before all members of Congress tonight.
NCBA is continuing to monitor the on-going Farm Bill negotiations to ensure our members' priorities are addressed in the final package. Conference meetings have begun on the staff level, attempting to work out the differences between the House and Senate bills. The next official step in the process is the naming of conference committee members.
NCBA Farm Bill priorities include:
- Packer Ban: Remove the ban on packer ownership of cattle that exists in the current Senate version.
- Conservation Programs: Ensure adequate funding for cost-share conservation programs, such as EQIP, similar to the language in the House version of the bill; Remove payment limitations and AGI caps, which make many ranchers ineligible for programs.
- Tax Incentives for Conservation Easements: The language that exists in the Senate-passed version must be included in the final package.
- Interstate Shipping: Allows for interstate shipment of beef from state-inspected plants.
- Country-of-Origin Labeling: Include the compromise language which many problems with the current law.
- Disaster Assistance: Create a permanent disaster assistance program as defined in the Senate tax title. |
President Bush Urges Free Trade Agreements
President Bush Urges Free Trade Agreements: In remarks to mayors from across the United States, President Bush on Wednesday, January 23, stressed the vital role that free trade agreements serve in promoting economic growth. "I'm looking forward to working with Congress to get these packages passed," said President Bush. "These are pro-growth, and they are good for America."
NCBA supports well-negotiated trade agreements that help expand our international markets for beef and other agricultural goods, while simultaneously stimulating economic growth. As such, NCBA urges Congress to consider and pass the Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, which represents a major achievement for U.S. agriculture. The U.S.-Colombia TPA will create a two-way street for trade between the countries and would result in immediate duty-free access for high quality U.S. beef, and the elimination of tariffs on other products in over 15 years.
"NCBA's cattle-producing members need Congress to step up and pass the U.S.-Colombia TPA so the U.S. agricultural sector can begin reaping the benefits of this well-negotiated agreement," says NCBA Director of Legislative Affairs Stacey Satterlee. "The best way for America's farmers and ranchers to achieve prosperity is for Congress to support expanding trade within the global marketplace."
|
Cattlemen Speak Out on Health Care
The House Committee on Small Business held a full-committee hearing on Wednesday, January 23, entitled "Limited Health Care Options for Small Businesses in the Small Group Market," which is an issue of great importance to cattle producers across the United States.
In comments submitted for the hearing NCBA said, "Cattle producers are an important component of the small business community and are strong contributors to the economic diversity of small towns and communities." NCBA went on to say that, "the business climate for today's cattle producer is increasingly difficult. Like other small and independent business owners, many cattle producers are struggling to maintain adequate health care for their families in the face of dramatically increasing prices."
NCBA policy calls for a one hundred percent deductibility of health insurance costs for self-employed persons, among other issues that include Medicare reimbursement, incentives to attract health care providers to rural communities and better patient choices for healthcare options. Legislation has been introduced by Congressmen Rom Kind (D-WI) and Wally Herger (R-CA) to address the one hundred percent deductibility issue, and NCBA urges quick action on H.R. 3660 to help level the playing field for our producer members.
|
New Region II Rep
Nate Jaeger has accepted the position as Region II field representative, working in the Southeast beginning at the end of January. He currently lives in Lexington, Ky. but will be moving to Alabama. Nate grew up in the cattle business and earned a master's degree in agriculture from Colorado State University in the Beef Industry Leadership program. He also has field experience as a sales representative for Laura's Lean Beef and AgInfoLink. | |
|
|
Cattle Market Notes
Friday, January 25, 2008
Dr. John Anderson, Mississippi State University -
This week, through mid-afternoon Friday, USDA reported very light business. Business in the South was too light to establish a trend, but a steady undertone was noted, suggesting that the bulk of trade this week will come in at steady or better prices. Last week's 5-area price worked out to $90.09 live and $142.92 dressed. Cattle slaughter is estimated at 640,000 head, up from last year's 631,000 head.
After a rough couple of weeks, stocker and feeder prices appeared to be mostly higher at auctions around the country this week. At Oklahoma City, prices on all classes were called $1 to $3 higher. At Lexington, Kentucky, feeder steer and heifer prices were steady to $2 higher. Stocker steer prices were steady to $2 higher, and stocker heifer prices were steady.
At Mississippi auctions this week steer prices were called $5 to $10 higher, and heifer prices were called $5 higher. Receipts were just 3,871 head, down from 4,653 the same week a year ago. Steer prices at Mississippi auctions this week were reported as follows: 250-300 pounds, $130-$135; 300-400 pounds, $115-$130; 400-500 pounds, $105-$115; 500-600 pounds, $95-$105; 600-700 pounds, $85-$95; 700-800 pounds, $80-$85.
Financial markets in general were in turmoil this week, and cattle futures were not immune to the drama.
On Wednesday, grain futures were almost uniformly limit-down, and live cattle futures likewise dropped sharply on fears of a recession. The stock market mounted a huge rally on Wednesday, but this occurred mostly after futures markets had already closed.
Consequently, when futures trading resumed on Thursday many grain contracts were back up the limit. Live cattle also stayed in positive territory on Thursday and were mixed on Friday. Closing prices on Friday (with change from last Friday's close in parentheses) were as follows: February $91.40 (+0.40); April $94.37 (+0.12); June $93.00 (-0.27); August $95.47 (-0.58); October $99.90 (-0.30).
Feeder cattle futures were really whipsawed this week by the volatility in grain markets. Limit-down corn futures on Wednesday fueled a nice jump in feeder futures, much of which was given back on Thursday and Friday as corn futures recovered. Feeder Cattle futures closing prices on Friday (with change from last Friday's close in parentheses): January $98.60 (+0.93); March $102.10 (-0.20); April $106.05 (+0.13); May $108.27 (+0.15).
As noted, corn futures jumped around a great deal this week. Fear of a recession, in turn, pushed down a broad range of commodity futures, notably energy and grain futures. Strong gains on Thursday and Friday, however, put corn futures back to about where they finished the week last week. In fact, March corn futures closed on Friday at $4.98, unchanged from last Friday's close. Dr. Anderson's complete report can be accessed from www.mscattlemen.org |
NCBA's Cattlemen to Cattlemen is proud to announce that the show has been honored with a first place finish in the broadcast category at the Best of National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) Region II Awards. The entry will be now be forwarded to the national NAMA competition.
On this week's episode of NCBA's Cattlemen to Cattlemen, airing January 29-February 2, we continue our series on artificial insemination, and we learn more about evaluating estrus synchronization programs for your cowherd from Sandy Johnson at Kansas State University.
We also visit the National Western Stock Show to interview Jarold Callahan from the Express Ranch. And we learn about the Beef University training program that has been developed for foodservice operators.
The show will be rebroadcast Wednesday at 3:30 a.m. and Saturday at 9:00 a.m. Make sure you tune in to NCBA's Cattlemen to Cattlemen on RFD-TV. For more information or to check out past episodes, visit www.cattlementocattlemen.org
|
Calendar of Events
January
28 Feeder Calf
Marketing,
Distance Learning
Network
February
1 & 2 - MCA Convention & Trade Show
| |
