Scholarships Total $38,000
At Saturday's Awards Luncheon, $38,000 in college scholarships was presented to the children and grandchildren of MCA members. Scholarships were awarded by The Wax Company, the Mississippi CattleWomen's Association, and the Mississippi Cattlemen's Foundation.
Mississippi Chips In
The Mississippi Beef Council has pledged $2,000 from state checkoff dollars to help fund the Beef Demand Determinant Study with Kansas State University. The study is intended to provide us with more information about the causes of beef demand, which will be useful at both the state and national levels. |
| Membership Contest Winners
Twenty-two county affiliates were recognized at the convention for reaching their membership goal.
Winning the four categories in the Outstanding County Award contest were Clay, Marshall, and Holmes Counties along with the MSU Collegiate Cattlemen's Association. Pfizer Animal Health sponsored the four $500 prizes as well as President's Club shirts for all county winners. |
Taste of Beef Auction 
In Friday night's auction, a bull donated by Coldwater Cattle Company of Holly Springs netted $3,750 for the Dudley Bozeman Memorial Scholarship Endowment when J. D. Rankin purchased the credit.
A Canadian deer hunt donated by Ronnie Herrington was purchased by Carlisle Miller for $8,500. Proceeds from the hunt will be used to pay down the debt on the Cattlemen's building. |
Dixie National Junior Roundup 
Dixie National Junior Roundup Activities continue today with the steer show and will end Thursday with the Sale of Junior Champions.
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Texas Achieves Brucellosis-Free Status
On Feb. 1, USDA announced that, after nearly 50 years, Texas has achieved cattle brucellosis-free status. Texas was the last state to achieve the 'free' status.
"We must now focus our efforts on eradicating brucellosis from the free-ranging elk and bison populations in the Greater Yellowstone Area in order to protect our national cattle herd against future outbreaks of this disease," said Under Secretary Bruce Knight. He said the presence of brucellosis
in free-ranging bison and elk in Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park still threatens cattle health in surrounding states. For the first time in the 74-year history of the brucellosis program, all 50 states plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands simultaneously are designated Class Free status. from Texas Animal Health Commission |
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Disaster Assistance Update
USDA announced January 25th that eligible farmers and ranchers who suffered livestock, livestock feed and crop losses that occurred before December 31, 2007, can apply to receive disaster payments.
On December 26, 2007, President Bush signed the final consolidated Appropriations Bill, which contained language extending the eligibility dates for producers affected by natural disasters to December 31, 2007. Additionally, $3 billion was allocated for agriculture disaster assistance in the Emergency Supplemental Bill passed in May 2007.
Producers can apply for disaster payments under the Livestock Compensation Program (LCP) and Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). More information is available online at: http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.
Schafer Confirmed as Ag Secretary
The Senate unanimously confirmed Ed Schafer on Monday, January 28th, to be Secretary of Agriculture. President Bush announced the nomination of Schafer on October 31, 2007.
Schafer served as governor of North Dakota from 1992 to 2000. Schafer replaces former Ag Secretary Mike Johanns who resigned on September 20, 2007.
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EU Threatens Ban on Brazilian Beef
The European Union (EU) has placed a temporary ban on imports of all Brazilian beef due to a failure of Brazilian farms to meet EU import requirements. Brazilian farms can be approved to export to the EU when European health safety inspectors are certain that appropriate standards have been met. In some cases, EU officials have to inspect and certify each operation individually. "This will be a lengthy process," said EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou.
"This extraordinary development in world beef trade has been coming for some time. Although some say it is unlikely, it has potentially huge implications if it persists," says NCBA Chief Economist Gregg Doud. "In tonnage, this is one of the largest beef trading relationships in the world, behind Brazil's 415,000 metric tons (mt) plus export program to Russia, and it is very comparable in tonnage to Australia's annual beef exports to the United States."
With more than 300,000 mt worth at least $1.3 billion, Brazilian beef exports to the EU-27 (the 27 countries that make up the EU) amount to about 15 percent of Brazil's total beef export program and 32 percent of its total value. Brazil is the world's largest exporter of beef, with estimated foreign sales of $4.2 billion in 2007.
The EU is currently the seventh largest export market for U.S. beef exports worth about $50 million, a market that has grown by 58 percent over the past year.
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Support Grows for Columbia Trade Promotion Agreement
NCBA, along with 42 other national agriculture groups, sent a letter to members of Congress on January 28th lauding the benefits of the Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement and urging a vote soon.
Under the Colombia TPA:
- Prime and choice graded U.S. beef will receive immediate duty-free and quota-free access upon implementation of the agreement.
- Tariffs on remaining beef tariff lines will be eliminated within 12 years.
- Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) terms were agreed upon, put into writing, and signed by both parties as part of the negotiations.
- Colombia has committed to recognize the U.S. meat inspection systems as "equivalent" to its own, thereby allowing imports from facilities approved by USDA.
Passage of the U.S.-Colombia TPA will correct an inequity that exists between U.S. exporters of agricultural and industrial products and Colombian exporters. While 90 percent of Colombian products currently shipped to the United States are free from tariffs, most U.S. exports face significant tariffs or other restrictions in Colombia. This inequity is due in part to the Andean Trade Preference and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA), which Congress recently voted overwhelmingly and bipartisanly to extend. Passage of the Colombia TPA is the only way to resolve this inequity.
Colombia is already an important market for America's farmers and ranchers. In 2006, the United States exported roughly $868 million in agricultural products to Colombia. Once fully implemented, the U.S.-Colombia TPA could provide an annual gain of as much as $690 million for American agriculture.
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Cattle Market Notes
Friday, February 1, 2008
Dr. John Anderson, Mississippi State University -
Last week's 5-area price worked out to $90.29 live (up 20 cents) and $144.39 dressed (up $1.47). The tendency of the cash market to remain in a standoff until the 11th hour continues this week. Cattle slaughter is off sharply this week, with estimated slaughter of just 613,000 head compared to 640,000 a week ago and 642,000 a year ago. The drop this week reflects very slow late-week kills, including just 9,000 projected for Saturday.
Feeder and stocker calf prices pushed higher at most locations around the country this week. At Oklahoma City, feeder steer and heifer prices were $1 to $2 higher. Stocker steer and heifer prices were $2 to $4 higher. At Arkansas auctions, prices on weights over 600 pounds were firm to $3 higher; prices on lighter weights were $3 to $5 higher.
At Mississippi auctions this week steer and heifer prices were $1 to $5 higher. Receipts were 5,117 head, down from 5,446 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, $120-$130; 400-500 pounds, $110-$120; 500-600 pounds, $100-$110; 600-650 pounds, $90-$100; 650-700 pounds, $84-$90; 700-800 pounds, $78- 84. Slaughter cow prices were $1 to $4 higher this week.
Live cattle futures contracts from June forward were higher as the market seems to be anticipating improving fundamentals beyond the first quarter of the year. Closing prices on Friday (with change from last Friday's close in parentheses) were as follows: February $90.22 (-1.18); April $94.05 (-0.32); June $93.95 (+0.95); August $96.70 (+1.23); October $101.37 (+1.47).
Feeder cattle futures were steadily higher this week. March and April reached their highest points since the first of the year. Feeder Cattle futures closing prices on Friday (with change from last Friday's close in parentheses): March $105.45 (+3.35); April $109.37 (+3.32); May $111.90 (+3.63); August $112.52 (+2.05).
Corn futures moved sideways in up-and-down trading this week. Old crop contracts were essentially flat for the week. New crop contracts gained some ground on Thursday and Friday as continued intense competition for acreage provides firm underpinning for new crop contracts in all grain crops. March corn futures closed on Friday at $5.00 ½, up 2 ¼ cents from last Friday's close. .Dr. Anderson's complete report can be accessed from www.mscattlemen.org |
Don't Miss NCBA's Cattlemen to Cattlemen - On this week's Cattlemen to Cattlemen, beginning at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, February 5th. NCBA's Cattlemen to Cattlemen ,
Terry Fankhauser of the Colorado Cattlemen's Association joins us to discuss major legislative issues facing cattlemen at the state level this year. Cattlemen to Cattlemen also continues its look at artificial insemination technologies, and we'll profile Kansas rancher Ken Stielow as he concludes his term as Cattlemen's Beef Board chairman.
The show will 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
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CattleWomen's Newsletter
Mississippi CattleWomen's Association members who would like to receive the quarterly electronic newsletter can send their request to missca1@bellsouth.net to be included.
CattleWomen prepared delicious beef dishes for the Legislative Reception held at MCA headquarters.
They also conducted Sunday's Beef Ambassador Contest. |
Calendar of Events
February
11-15 Beefmobile Tour
12 Beef Night at the
Dixie National
Rodeo
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