University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Putting knowledge to work with the people of Maine

Maine Beef Newsletter

2012 Census of Agriculture logo
Volume 2 Number 7
October 2012
News and events of interest to beef producers in Maine from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Maine, Department of Agriculture, Maine Beef Producers and other agriculture organizations in Maine.  
Free online sources of information:
Maine Beef Production Information by UMaine Extension
Beef Cattle Comments by Mike Baker, Cornell University
Drovers - Cattle Network - America's Beef Business Source 
Fall Preconditioned Feeder Calf Sale Sponsored by the Maine Beef Producers 

The Maine Beef Producers Association (MBPA) is sponsoring a preconditioned feeder calf sale at Dick Brown's facility in Richmond, Maine.
Cow Calf producers have taken the time to precondition their calves for this sale. Preconditioning reduces the incidence of respiratory disease, and enteritis by increasing the immunity of the calf in preparation of the stress of weaning and shipping. Dehornings and castrations are healed.  

Some cow calf producers consigning animals to the sale have also signed affidavits attesting that their animals have been raised under the MBPA Natural Meats program protocol of never having received hormones, antibiotics, or feeds or feed supplements containing animal-by-products. And/or their animals are 100% grass (forage) fed, no grains, grain-by-products, grain crops, grain crop silages, or other prohibited feeds under the USDA grass fed guidelines have been fed.

The MBPA are expecting 75 to 100 calves weighing an average of 600 to 700 pounds to be sold at the November 3rd sale at 11 am. If you are interested in buying a few or a lot of animals or have questions contact Sale Manager, Pete Dusoe at 207-416-5441(cell) or 207-948-3233,  [email protected] or Bob Dusoe at 207-322-5609.

   

Sale is scheduled for 11 am on Saturday, November 3rd, 2012.   

Value-Added Beef Webinar Series
Beef producers interested in marketing live animals for custom harvest or beef cuts directly to consumers face financial, marketing and legal challenges. This series of online seminars (webinars) is designed to help producers understand the risks and gain information and skills to effectively manage these likely obstacles.
Webinars will be held the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month from October 2012 to March 2013 from 7:30 pm to 9 pm Easter Time. Links to archived sessions will be made available online at http://cpa.utk.edu
This series is presented by the Tennessee Value-Added Beef Program, Center for Profitable Agriculture, University of Tennessee Extension. We have an option in Maine to present Maine specific information in a follow-up webinar.
To receive a link by email to join each webinar, send an email to [email protected] with the following information: Name, Surface Mail Address, and Email Address.

Date

Topic(s)

Oct 9, 2012

Begin With the End in Mind: An Introduction to the Market, Potential Customers, Opportunities and Challenges of Value-Added Beef

Oct 23, 2012

What You Need to Know to Market Live Animals for Custom Harvest: Navigating Regulations and Analyzing the Potential for Profit

Nov 13, 2012

Basic Regulations for Marketing Beef to Consumers and Wholesale (Retail Meat Sales Permit, Weights and Measures, Nutritional Labeling, Wholesale Registration)

Nov 27, 2012

Pencil Out Your Potential and Plan for Success: Conducting Financial Analysis and Developing a Business Plan

Dec 11, 2012

Circling the Wagons: Managing the Legal Risk of Direct Marketing Beef

Dec 25, 2012

-No Webinar Scheduled-

Jan 8, 2013

Marketing: It's Not Magic, It's Mandatory

Jan 22, 2013

Making Special Claims About Your Beef On the Label and Off

Feb 12, 2013

What You Should Know About Your Product

Feb 26, 2013

What You Should Know About Your Product (continued) and Become Sales Tax Savvy

Mar 12, 2013

Developing Effective Marketing Materials and Tools

March 26, 2013

Resource Round-up: Available Resources for Local Beef Marketers

  Beef Cattle and Calf Price Comparison Flame Stockyard 

 Beef producers selling through auction houses try to compare the price they receive with the industry average. But that average varies according to when and where the auction is, type and condition of the animals, number of animals in the various categories, number of buyers present, etc.  Ronnie Pollack with Flame Stockyard shared the following information. This is a comparison of three years sales at approximately the same time of year.

  

 
2010
 
2011
 2012 
Beef Cattle
LowHighLowHighLowHigh
Canner0.420.500.400.620.300.75
Cutters0.480.570.580.750.450.78
Utility0.570.670.650.830.670.89
Bulls0.580.680.780.950.701.04
Steers0.750.871.001.170.901.20
Heifers0.550.700.700.900.750.90
Calves
      
Growers0.601.201.001.350.801.50
Veal0.550.750.781.100.751.10
Heifers1.001.751.001.700.801.50

chart of fall 2012 cattle price comparison chart of fall 2012 calf price comparison  













Definitions

BCS is body condition score 

Cattle:

  • Canner cows are the thinnest cows with little muscling, BCS of 1 or 2 and dressing percent less than 45%.
  • Cutter cows are very thin and lightly muscled, body condition score of 3 to 5, low dressing percent of 45% to 50% and are usually processed as ground beef.
  • Utility or boning cows have BCS of 4 to 6 and dress out at 50 to 55%. Generally they are boned and used for wholesale cuts and further processing.
  • Commercial or breakers are younger cows with BCS fo 5 to 8 and 55 to 60% dressing percent. Can be used for whole muscle cuts that are higher value than trimmings used for further processing.
  • Bulls are intact males.            
  • Steers are castrated males                  
  • Heifers are intact females, over a year old and never have given birth.   

 

Calves:

  • Growers are feeder calves headed back to a farm to put on more weight.
  • Veal young calves that have only received milk.
  • Heifers are female feeder calves headed back to the farm to put on more weight.    

Be An Informed Voter
 

Did you know that Question 2 on the fall ballot will directly impact Cooperative Extension and our ability to support the Maine Food System and protect human health?

 

On November 6, 2012, Question 2 will ask Maine voters to decide on an $11.3 million bond for infrastructure projects in the University of Maine System, the Community College System and Maine Maritime Academy. This bond will build a new Animal and Plant Diagnostic Facility for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

 

A new diagnostic facility would include an 18,000-square-foot building,providing easy access for customers. The proposed facility would feature designated areas for animal and plant diagnostic testing and research,an attached greenhouse, a large animal autopsy room and a secure disposal system.

 

Currently the Animal and Plant Diagnostic services done at the University of Maine:

  • Safeguard Our Food Supply
  • Grow Local Jobs
  • Protect Maine Citizens
    • From Potential Health Threats such as Salmonella, Lyme Disease and Avian Influenza
    • From Pests, such as Bedbugs and Ticks

If you have questions about the diagnostic work of University of Maine Cooperative Extension or the proposed new facility please contact John Rebar at [email protected] or 207-581-2811.

 

http://umaine.edu/animal-and-plant-diagnostic-services/

Featured UMaine Extension Publications / Store
The following agriculture related Extension publications are available or can be ordered at the Extension Office nearest you.  You will notice that some publications are free and some have a cost recovery charge.  Many other publications are available for free online or may be purchased at our secure
publications web site .


Beef Housing and Equipment Handbook, Item #1001. Publisher: Midwest Plan Service. Information on cow-calf, cattle handling, and cattle feeding facilities; feed storage, processing and handling; water and waterers; manure management; farmstead planning, building construction, materials, ventilation and insulation; fences; gates and utilities. 133 pages with index, 1986. $15.00

 

Post-Frame Building Handbook, Item #1088 , Publisher: NRAES. Learn design considerations involved in the construction of post-frame utility buildings or "pole barns," appropriate for machinery storage, livestock housing, boat or lumber sheds, shops or hay barns. Covers materials, design considerations and construction procedures; includes conversion charts, construction checklist and references. 78 pages, 1997 revision. $14.00 

 

Testing Your Soil, Know Your Soil Series, Item #2286, Publisher: UMaine Extension. 2-page fact sheet explains how and when to take a soil sample and what information a soil test can give homeowners, gardeners and farmers. 2008. Includes video for online viewing. Download it for free, or buy a printout. $0.50 

To receive Maine Beef News: All Maine beef producers are welcome to subscribe to the Maine Beef News for free. To keep costs down we are asking folks to sign up for the electronic version at http://bit.ly/PPfarming If you prefer surface mailed Maine Beef News, please call Melissa Libby at (207)581-2788 or send your mailing information to UMaine Extension Livestock Office, 134 Hitchner Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04479-5735. Currently we are only able to offer free mailed copy for free to Maine residents. 

Calendar

  • October 24th, 2012 Sales, Use and Service Provider Tax Symposium, by the Maine Revenue Service, 8 am to 5 pm at the Spectacular Event Center, 395 Griffin  Rd., Bangor. Cost $40. Pre-registration is required by mail. Registrations due no later than October 5, 2012. Please use this form and make checks payable to: Treasurer State of Maine. Since an accurate count is necessary for the facility, no walk in registrations will be allowed.  For more information call 624-9693 or go online.    
  • October 26th & 27th, 2012 Slow Food: A Model for Sustainable and Healthy Living, UMaine and ESTIA sponsored conference at Wells Commons, UMaine, Orono. FMI http://estiamaine.org/events/   
  • October 27th, Pasture Walk - Stockpiling 2 pm Sebago Lake Ranch, Route 237 in Gorham.  This walk will follow-up with another in January demonstrating bale grazing.  
  • November 3rd, 2012, Fall Preconditioned Feeder Calf Sale, Dick Brown's facility, Richmond, ME. Preconditioning protocol available at the Maine Beef Producers Association Website or contact Pete Dusoe at (207) 948-3233 or (207) 416-5441 or email [email protected].    
  • November 10th, 2012 Beef Quality Assurance Training Contact Cindy Kilgore at the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry for details.  
  • November 10 - 11, 2012 Farmer to Farmer Conference, Point Lookout, Northport. There are several talks of interest to beef farmers. Including: financing the farming dream...earning a leaving wage from livestock; direct marketing livestock products; legalities of employees and liability; balancing farm and family, etc.   
  • November 10th & 11th, 2012 Maine Harvest Festival, at the Bangor Auditorium & Civic Center.  Celebration of farm fresh foods. Chefs & authors demonstrations, farmer vendors, seminar "We Can Feed Maine: Why We Should and How We Go About It. Farmers this is a great place to contact potential customers for your products!   
  • December 1, 2012 23rd Annual Maine Beef Conference at the Hilton Garden Inn in Bangor. Focus will be on marketing with Jim Ochterski, Cornell University; Henrietta Beaufait, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry; and Gabe Clark, Cold Spring Beef. For more information contact Melissa Libby at 207-581-2788 or go to    http://umaine.edu/livestock/beef/beef-conference/    
  • January 8th to 10th, 2013 Maine Agriculture Trade Show, Civic Center, Augusta, ME. 

 

Contact Info
Donna Coffin, Extension Educator
207-564-3301 or in Maine 1-800-287-1491
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