| Top Hand Recruiters
The membership drive ends next week and here are the top 5 recruiters vying for the bred Brangus heifer.
Wayne Gentry 14
Greta Thornton 14
Tom Williams 11
Jacob Megehee 7
Charlie Shaw 5
It's not too late for you to compete for this and all the other prizes available for signing new MCA members.
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Presidents' Club
Next Friday is also the deadline for counties to reach their membership goal and be eligible for the $500 prize complements of Mike Inglish and Positive Feed. The county president will receive the MCA President's Club vest.
Counties that have reached their goal are:
Hancock/Harrison Lawrence
Lee Madison
Marshall Noxubee
Oktibbeha Pearl River
Pontotoc Rankin
Wayne
Many others are very close, so check with Teri at the MCA office and bring in those last few members.
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Farm Families of Mississippi
 
MCA and the Mississippi Beef Council hosted 400 Farm Bureau members at the annual steak dinner to benefit the Farm Families media campaign.
 
Our thanks to members of the CattleWomen's Association, Beef Council and MCA for their help. Cattlemen from Hinds, Yazoo, Simpson and Madison County grilled the ribeye steaks.
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Scholarship Deadline Approaching
Applications for scholarships presented by The Wax Company, CattleWomen's Association and Cattlemen's Foundation are due December 16th.
Click for details.
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Save Those Ralgro Wheels
Again this year, Ralgro is offering to contribute $1.00 to our association's education fund for every Ralgro wheel that is turned in at the MCA convention. Bring them with you on February 10 or give them to one of our officers. |
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Bus Tour to Nashville
Attend the 2012 Cattle Industry Convention & Trade Show with the MCA Bus Tour. Ticket includes registration, admission to the trade show and dinner at the Grand Ole Opry.
Click for details.
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| Beef for the Troops
Again this year, the checkoff program will send beef jerky snack packages to Mississippi troops stationed overseas. If you have family or friends stationed overseas, send their address to the Mississippi Beef Council to have them included in the snacks being mailed next month.
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Your Input is Needed!
A widespread response is needed from cattle producers across the United States to provide a strong production sector voice in the results and strategy of the checkoff-funded National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA).
The checkoff needs producer input for the following reasons: 1. The results of the survey will help drive the recommendation from the National Beef Quality Audit and assure that the strategies are developed based on a strong grassroots message.
2. Results of the NBQA will be used to enhance the beef industry's message to supply chain partners, opinion influencers, and consumers. The survey provides an avenue for U.S. cattle producers to tell their collective story about on-ranch commitment to quality.
3. NBQA results will be used to demonstrate value to international customers.
The survey can be taken online at www.cattlesurvey.com and requires less than 10 minutes to complete. |
Is that a steak in your pocket?
According to Adweek.com, store security pros tell us that choice cuts of meat have become a Grade-A target for shoplifters (who, by the way, have also made supermarkets and grocery stores the most popular retail setting for theft). Filet mignon ranks as number one.
"Many police still believe this is the most common item stolen from grocery stores and supermarkets," according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Between 2009 and 2011, the loss rate for "luxury meat" has risen by 21 percent.
As America's retail brands gear up to welcome hordes of holiday shoppers, here's a little something they might keep in mind: One in every 11 people who walk through the door are likely to walk out with at least one item he or she didn't pay for.
Johnny Custer, director of field operations for Merchant Analytic Solutions, says, "Most shoplifters simply succumb to temptation. But add a sense of desperation because of the economy and holiday pressures, and you have the recipe for theft soup." |
Farm Dust Measure Moving
Congressman Greg Harper was one of 33 members of the House Energy & Commerce Committee who voted to pass the Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act, H.R. 1633, out of committee and to the floor of the House of Representatives, where a vote is expected in the coming weeks. The bill, which NCBA has championed, passed out of committee by a vote of 33-16, with bipartisan support.
As you will recall, the bill gives authority to state and local governments to control agriculture dust and exempts it from the Clean Air Act, preventing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from imposing strict dust standards on farmers and ranchers.
NCBA, PLC and 185 other agricultural and resource-based organizations sent a letter to the committee in support of the bill which was put into the record during the hearing.
NCBA will continue to push for a floor vote as soon as possible and expects the legislation to pass the House. |
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Market Notes
Dr. John Michael Riley
December 2, 2011
Cash Cattle:
Cash cattle were higher compared to last week, with calf prices showing lots of strength. Live cattle in the Southern Plains were mostly $124/cwt while dressed cattle in Nebraska traded around $203-205/cwt. Feeders steers in Oklahoma City were steady to $2/cwt higher; feeder heifers were $2-4/cwt higher; steer and heifer were $8-12/cwt higher with some $15 higher. Feeders in Mississippi auctions were $2-$10/cwt higher and cull cows and bulls were $2-$6/cwt higher.
Futures: Markets were higher following the Thanksgiving holiday. Black Friday shopping sales are projected to be a record $54.2 billion. The strong sales buoyed both equities and futures markets. A weaker U.S. dollar early in the week helped corn and live cattle cattle futures given the growing importance of export demand.
Beef:
Wholesale beef prices were lower this week. Choice dropped sharply on Friday and ended the week with a weekly average price of $193.92/cwt, down $2.72 from last week. Select drifted lower throughout the week and ended at $175.41/cwt, down $2.31.
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MBCIA The December 2011 issue of the Mississippi Beef Cattle Improvement Association newsletter is now online. |
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Calendar
December
6 Tate CCA
8 Lafayette CCA
8 Perry CCA
8 Yalobusha CCA
8 Calhoun CCA
8 Forrest/Lamar CCA
10 Perry Co. Blood Drive
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SAVE THE DATE
February 1 - 4 |
Teach Free
Teachfree provides preschool through 12th grade educators with high-quality educational materials that supplement the curriculum. Resources can also be downloaded for use in the classroom.
This program is sponsored by the Beef Checkoff. |
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