$45,000 in Foundation Scholarships
The Mississippi Cattlemen's Foundation announced last week that it will award $45,000 in college scholarships to the children and grandchildren of MCA members at the association's February convention. These scholarships are made possible by gifts and memorials to the Foundation and by the sale of the cattlemen's car tag. Support next year's scholars by putting the tag on your car and truck. |
Canadians Visit Mississippi
 
Members of Alberta's Foothills Forage & Grazing Association toured the state this month with stops at several cattle operations and MSU experiment stations. |
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2012 redbooks are in!
Order the NCBA redbook from the MCA office and keep all your records at your fingertips. Redbooks are $6.50 plus postage. Contact Teri at 601-354-8951 or joinmca@telepak.net |
Save Those Ralgro Wheels
Again this year, Merck Animal Health, maker of 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. |
Heart Study Positive for Beef
A new study provides evidence that eating beef everyday as part of a heart-healthy diet can improve cholesterol levels. The Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet (BOLD) study, to be published in the January 2012 edition of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that diets including lean beef every day are as effective in lowering total and LDL 'bad" cholesterol as the "gold standard" of heart-healthy diets.
Funded by the Beef Checkoff and conducted at Pennsylvania State University, the BOLD study evaluated adults with moderately elevated cholesterol levels, measuring the impact of diets including varying amounts of lean beef on total and LDL cholesterol levels. Study participants experienced a 10 percent decrease in LDL cholesterol from the start of the study, while consuming diets containing 4.0 and 5.4 ounces of lean beef daily.
In a news release from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Texas medical doctor and cattleman Richard Thorpe said the BOLD study proves that lean beef not only tastes great but it also plays an important role in a heart-healthy diet.
"As a father, medical doctor and beef producer, I have proudly and confidently served my family beef and have recommended it to my patients for years," Thorpe said. "The BOLD study is further proof that Americans should feel good knowing the beef they enjoy eating and serving their loved ones is not only a nutrient-rich, satisfying food that provides 10 essential nutrients in about 150 calories, but is good for their heart health as well."
"The need to remove red meat to reduce saturated fat is a message that has been misinterpreted by media and many health professionals," Roussell wrote. "Yes, lower quality cuts and processed red meat products do contain higher levels of saturated fat. But red meat doesn't even make the top 5 list of major contributors of saturated fat to the American diet (full fat cheese is #1)." source: Drovers
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Beef Cutting Guide
An animated cutting guide that provides detailed directions on preparing beef cuts to match different international cuisines is now available through the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) website (www.usmef.org) as well as in five different languages through USMEF websites around the world.
Developed in collaboration with National Cattlemen's Beef Association with support from the Beef Checkoff, the animated guides are designed to help meat buyers, processors and chefs better understand how different beef muscles can be separated and sliced so that they are perfect for dishes ranging from Chinese hot pot and Mexican milanesa to Korean barbecue and Japanese sukiyaki.
The guide, which can be viewed online or downloaded, also provides information on the culinary attributes of individual beef muscles and answers frequently asked questions.
The animated guide originally was developed for use domestically, but USMEF worked with NCBA to adapt and extend it to address international cuisine. USMEF's international staff members have translated the English-language version into Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Spanish.
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Tennessee Passes Checkoff
Tennessee cattle producers have voted to institute a $.50 state checkoff.
There will be a provision for producers that do not want to participate in the checkoff to request that the money taken out of their checks when their animals are sold be returned to them.
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Cattle on Feed Report
USDA released their final Cattle on Feed report of 2011. The report was within expectations with respect to the number of cattle in feedlots December 1.
Placements during November were higher than expected - and outside the range of projections. The higher influx of feeders into feedlots stemmed largely from states outside the major feeding region. Kansas and Texas placements were even compared to last year (though Texas placements under 700 pounds were 10.3% higher and those over 700 pounds were down 25.9%).
Placements in Nebraska were up 7.9% with the bulk of those over 700 pounds, up 22.9%. Marketings were slightly higher than expected to help offset the higher placements to small degree.
The higher placements will likely reflect negatively on live cattle futures around the April contract, while feeder cattle futures will respond positively as the push of cattle into feedlots should indicate supplies continue to dwindle. Source: MSU Ag Economics
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Need a
a last minute
gift?
Give the gift that keeps on giving-membership in the Mississippi Cattlemen's Association.
For $40 you can give a loved one, friend, or colleague a membership to Mississippi's strongest cattle organization.
Membership benefits include:
* 10 issues of Cattle Business in Mississippi
* $2500 Accidental Death and Dismemberment Policy
* $1000 Cattle Theft Reward Program
* At the 2011 annual convention, members' children and grandchildren received $65,000 in scholarships.
* Product discounts from participating allied industry sponsors
* Representation in Jackson and Washington on issues affecting all cattlemen, landowners and taxpayers
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Find
Great Stocking
Stuffers
at the
MCA Office
Logo items from MCA, MJCA and Beef, It's What's for Dinner
Caps
Shirts
Books
Jackets
Beef Tags
Windshirts
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Market Notes
Dr. John Michael Riley
December 16, 2011
Cash Cattle:
Cash fed cattle moved lower again this week. Cash sales were light across all regions. Sales in the Southern Plains were too light to call a trend. Kansas live cattle traded at $118/cwt. Live and dressed cattle in Nebraska traded at $121/cwt and $194-195/cwt, respectively. Feeder steers in Oklahoma City were $1-4/cwt lower; feeder heifers were steady to $2/cwt higher; calves were $2-5/cwt lower. Feeders in Mississippi auctions were mixed, while cull cows were $1-2/cwt higher and bulls were $1-3/cwt higher.
Futures: Live cattle futures were mildly lower this week. Light cash trade and flat boxed beef provided little to no news. Outside information did impact markets a bit. The crisis in the EU pulled prices back, while positive U.S. data pushed them higher. Less jobless claims and increased manufacturing on the domestic front provided support. Feeder cattle were higher despite lower live cattle futures as corn moved lower. Corn moved lower due to the issues in the EU and a strengthening dollar.
Beef:
Wholesale beef prices were mostly steady this week with Choice ending slightly up and Select slightly down. Choice was up $0.57/cwt at $189.14 and Select was down $0.69/cwt at $171.49.
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SAVE THE DATE
February 1 - 4 |
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