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Putting knowledge to work with the people of Maine
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Volume 1 Number 4
| May 2013
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| 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 |
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Spring Preconditioned Feeder Calf Sale
May 18th @ 11am
Sponsored by the Maine Beef Producers
The Maine Beef Producers Association (MBPA) is sponsoring a preconditioned feeder calf sale at the Northeast Livestock Expo on Saturday, May 18th at 11 am at the Windsor Fair Grounds, just off Route 32 in Windsor www.northeastlivestockexpo.com
Cow Calf producers have taken the time to precondition their calves for this sale. Preconditioning reduces the incidence of respiratory disease, enteritis and pinkeye 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 about 100 calves weighing from 400 to 900 pounds to be sold at the May 18th 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 207-948-3233, 207-416-5441 or pbdusoe@uninets.net or Bob Dusoe at 207-322-5609.
Sale is scheduled for 11 am on Saturday, May 18th.
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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. ($/pound)
| | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | | Beef Cattle | Low | High | Low | High | Low | High | Low | High | | Canner | 0.42 | 0.50 | 0.40 | 0.62 | 0.30 | 0.75 | 0.35 | 0.70 | | Cutters | 0.48 | 0.57 | 0.58 | 0.75 | 0.45 | 0.78 | 0.52 | 0.78 | | Utility | 0.57 | 0.67 | 0.65 | 0.83 | 0.67 | 0.89 | 0.69 | 0.82 | | Bulls | 0.58 | 0.68 | 0.78 | 0.95 | 0.70 | 1.04 | 0.80 | 0.98 | | Steers | 0.75 | 0.87 | 1.00 | 1.17 | 0.90 | 1.20 | 1.00 | 1.15 | | Heifers | 0.55 | 0.70 | 0.70 | 0.90 | 0.75 | 0.90 | 0.75 | 1.20 | | Calves | | | | | | | | | | Growers | 0.60 | 1.20 | 1.00 | 1.35 | 0.80 | 1.50 | 1.00 | 2.30 | | Veal | 0.55 | 0.75 | 0.78 | 1.10 | 0.75 | 1.10 | 0.60 | 1.10 | | Heifers | 1.00 | 1.75 | 1.00 | 1.70 | 0.80 | 1.50 | 0.80 | 1.20 |
  DefinitionsBCS 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.
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National Belted Galloway & Maine Event Elite Heifer Sale a Success!
This elite beef breeding stock sale held the last weekend in April and sponsored by the New England Galloway Group was very successful!
The National Belted Galloway & Maine Event Elite Heifer Sale had total sales of $92,000 from 26 Belties, 2 Herefords, 2 Angus and one Low Line. The online Internet sale attracted 40 people viewing over the Internet with $10,000 of the sales sold through the Internet. The average price per head was $2,800. Highest selling open heifer from Aldemere Farm sold for $5,400 and the high selling bull from Drift Wood Plantation sold for $5,100.
The long weekend event included shows and educational events for beef producers. There were a total of 186 total cattle at the show & sale during the weekend. Next years event will be Thursday through Sunday, April 24 to 27, 2014 so mark your calendar.
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How Is My Herd Doing?
How does your herd compare to other herds across the country? Between 2007 & 2011 individual herd data was collected from over 90,000 cows exposed to bulls and processed as part of the Cattle Herd Appraisal Program System (CHAPS.) Below are some of the benchmark values for these herds. Where does your herd fall? |
Trait
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Benchmark
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My Herd
| Pregnancy Rate
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93%
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| Calving Rate
| 93%
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| Calf Death Loss
| 3%
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| Replacement Rate
| 15%
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| Days of age at weaning
| 190 days
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| Average weight at weaning
| 564 pounds
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| Average daily gain
| 2.5 pounds
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| Average birth weight
| 86 pounds
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| Frame score
| 5.7
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| Cow Age
| 6 years
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| Cow condition
| 5.7
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Source: CHAPS2000 http://www.chaps2000.com/benchmarks.htm |
The Maine Beef Producers Association is in the process of updating and redesigning their website. A committee has been established to work with a web designer to make this site an asset to the members of MBPA, potential members and people interested in finding out about beef production in Maine. The committee welcomes your suggestions and recommendations to make this site as helpful as possible. Please send your suggestions to:
Bob Dusoe, rjdusoe@uninets.net
Dan Costain, dancostain@gmail.com
Phil Newcomb, pnewcomb@kvcc.me.edu
Jenn Grant, findviewfarm@juno.com
Donna Coffin, donna.coffin@maine.edu
or Jacob Guimond, jacob.guimond@maine.gov
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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.
Please note that we do not sell or share your contact information.
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 Join the Maine Beef Producers Association
The Maine Beef Producers Association is accepting dues for the 2013 year. Annual dues are $35. for an extra $25 you can get a year subscription to County Folks. For more information on this organization and for membership application go to http://bit.ly/U5MSWu
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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 - Water Systems for Livestock # 7129 A consistent supply of high-quality water is vital for livestock. This 4-page fact sheet includes information on quick-move systems, pasture pumps, ram pumps, sling pumps, and solar pumps. 2002, 2010. Download it for free, or buy a printout. $0.75. From UMaine Extension.
- Farmer Skill & Knowledge Checklist for Beef Production # 1201 This checklist can help you determine what you know and what you need to know about beef production. Covers breeding and reproduction, calving, cattle health and nutrition, management practices, facilities, fencing and pasturing, and financial concerns. 5 pages, 2009. Download it for free, or buy a color printout. $0.75. From UMaine Extension.
- Selecting Forage Crops for Your Farm # 2272. Forage crops represent a long-term investment of time and money. This 6-page bulletin can help you plan for a new forage seeding. Includes information on climate and weather, soil pH ranges, harvest management, carbohydrate reserves, leaf area after harvest, tillering and grazing systems. Download it for free: or buy a printout. $1.00. FromUMaine Extension.
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Calendar
- May 11, 2013 Aldermere Farm Calf Unveiling Day, 10 am to 3 pm. Other farms and educational exhibits will be present including 4-H. FMI 236-2739 or spost@mcht.org
- May 18, 2013 Spring Feeder Calf Sale at NELE, Windsor, ME followed by a Bull Auction. Contact Pete Dusoe 207-416-5441 or 207-948-3233 or email pbdusoe@uninets.net for info on the feeder calf protocol and sale and Kevin Woltemath 207-926-1006, or email kwoltemath@pfnmeats.com for information on the bull sale.
- May 25, 2013 Spring Farm Tour, 3 pm to 6 pm at Meadowbrook Farm, 176 Stanley Hill Rd., China, ME Fencing Demo - Potluck dinner. Sponsored by the Maine Angus Association.
- June 26, 2013 Rogers Farm Field Day, 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm UMaine Research Farm, Bennock Road, Stillwater (near Orono).FMI contact ellen.mallory@maine.edu
- July 21, 2013 Open Farm Day - www.getrealmaine.com - A great way to introduce your for to customers in your area. Sign up through the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
- August 21 & 22, 2013 Maine Farm Days, Misty Meadows Farm, Clinton. FMI http://www.kcswcd.org/
- November 16, 2013 Maine Harvest Festival, Bangor Civic Center, Bangor
- December 7, 2013 Maine Beef Conference, Hilton Garden Inn, Bangor
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Contact Info
Donna Coffin, Extension Educator
207-564-3301 or in Maine 1-800-287-1491
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Information in this newsletter is provided purely for educational purposes. No responsibility is assumed for any problems associated with the use of products or services mentioned in this newsletter. No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products or companies implied.
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