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Putting knowledge to work with the people of Maine
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Volume 1 Number 7
| October 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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Fall Pre-Conditioned Feeder Calf Sale
The Maine Beef Producers Association (MBPA) is sponsoring a preconditioned feeder calf sale at Dick Brown's facility in Richmond, ME on Saturday,
November 2nd at 11 am.
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 betwe4n 600 and 900 pounds to be sold at the November 2nd 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 207-437-5441 or pbdusoe@roadrunner.com . Pre-conditioning protocol is available at http://www.mainebeefproducersassociation.org/Sales.html
Sale is scheduled for Saturday, November 2nd at 11 am.
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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.
| | 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 | 0.40 | 0.70 | | Cutters | 0.48 | 0.57 | 0.58 | 0.75 | 0.45 | 0.78 | 0.60 | 0.78 | | Utility | 0.57 | 0.67 | 0.65 | 0.83 | 0.67 | 0.89 | 0.70 | 0.82 | | Bulls | 0.58 | 0.68 | 0.78 | 0.95 | 0.70 | 1.04 | 0.90 | 0.94 | | Steers | 0.75 | 0.87 | 1.00 | 1.17 | 0.90 | 1.20 | 0.90 | 1.25 | | Heifers | 0.55 | 0.70 | 0.70 | 0.90 | 0.75 | 0.90 | 0.85 | 1.12 | | Calves | | | | | | | | | | Growers | 0.60 | 1.20 | 1.00 | 1.35 | 0.80 | 1.50 | 0.60 | 1.20 | | Veal | 0.55 | 0.75 | 0.78 | 1.10 | 0.75 | 1.10 | 0.70 | 1.10 | | Heifers | 1.00 | 1.75 | 1.00 | 1.70 | 0.80 | 1.50 | 0.50 | 1.10 |
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.
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Results of the Bull, Heifer and Club Calf Show & Sale at Fryeburg Fair
Ed Carter reports the results of the Maine Beef Producers Association annual "Bull, Heifer and Club Calf Show & Sale," held in conjunction with the Fryeburg Fair on Friday the 4th of October starting after the 4-H Baby Beef & Lamb Sale in the Beef Show Barn.
They had 14 head total with 4 heifers, 8 bulls and 2 steers. The heifers averaged $700.00 with highest at $1,000. Bulls and steers averaged $942.50 with $1.79/lb the sale average.
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Call for Nominations for Beef Awards!
The Maine Beef Producers Association is asking for nominations for the following beef awards. When completing your nomination please make sure to include your contact information, contact information for the person you are nominating, what award you are nominating them for and why you think they are deserving of the award. Maine Beef Producers Association Awards Criteria Seedstock Producer A farm operation honored for their accomplishments in the breeding and marketing of purebred seedstock. Beef Producer A farm or individual recognized for the production of consistently high quality beef cattle marketed as feeder cattle, fed cattle, or direct-market beef. Youth A person under the age of 21 recognized for their beef production and promotion accomplishments. Service An individual or organization recognized for their distinguished service to Maine beef producers. Hall of Fame Awarded to an individual, a farm operation, or an organization honored for making a significant contribution to beef production in Maine. Send your award nominations to Kevin Woltemath, President of Maine Beef Producers or by phone to Scot Adams 207-696-3812. Nomination deadline is November 12th. |
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Items of Interest
- Beef Retail Sales Aides - If you are selling direct to consumers and would like to provide more point of sale literature for your customers don't forget about the Beef Check Off site beefretail.org When you sell your beef animal you send in your check off money, this is one small way you can get some of that money back by providing your customers with recipes and information on how to store their beef to maintain quality and safety.
- Maine Hay Directory is maintained by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension to link those who have forages with those who need forages for their animals. In the coming months those who have forage to sell will be listing what they have available (hay, haylage, silage, pasture, hay stumpage), the form (large bales, small bales, etc.), where they are located, if delivery is available, etc. The listings are free, we only ask that you update your listing.) Viewing the listing is free too and it is listed by county. A note that some unscrupulous buyers will send unsuspecting farmers a check for too much for their purchase (some are from eBay, Craig's List, etc.) and ask the farmer to wire the surplus back. Be sure to check the Attorney General's Caution to Farmers for Over Payment. If you are contacted by one of these scam artists be sure to contact the AG's Consumer Protection Division at (800) 436-2131.
- How to Test Forage Quality is a new YouTube Video produced by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and features Rick Kersbergen, Extension Professor from Waldo County.
- The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy has changed it's name and redesigned their website. They are now the Livestock Conservancy at http://www.livestockconservancy.org/ their mission is the genetic conservation and promotion of endangered breeds of livestock and poultry.
- Body Condition Scoring Beef Cows is available from Virginia Cooperative Extension. Revised May 2009.
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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 Newcombe, pnewcombe@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 2014 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
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Featured UMaine Extension Publications
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.
- Echinococcus granulosus canadensis (EG) in Maine Moose: Suggestions for Dog Owners #1002 EG is a very small tapeworm that has a two part life-cycle: one in canids (coyotes/foxes/domestic dogs) and the second in ruminant-type animals, such as moose or sheep. Learn how moose, canids, and even humans can be exposed and how to prevent infection. Two-pages. 2013. Download it for free, or buy a printout.
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Calendar
- November 2nd, 2013 Pre-Conditioned Feeder Calf Sale, at 11 am at Dick Brown's facility in Richmond http://www.mainebeefproducersassociation.org/Sales.html If you have questions, please contact Sale Manager Pete Dusoe at 207-437-5441 or pbdusoe@roadrunner.com
- November 2 to 4, 2013 Maine Farmer to Farmer Conference, Full details, including registration and scholarship application forms, are available on the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) website. For further information or questions, please contact Andrew Marshall at MOFGA or call 207.568.4142. The conference will be held at Point Lookout Resort, 67 Atlantic Hwy, Northport ME 04849. Full conference registration $150/person or $50/person half-days. Limited scholarships available.
- November 4, 2013 Buying Local Meat, 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at NOKOMIS High School, Newport. Buying meat directly from local farmers is a way to support the local agriculture community, but it can be confusing. You will learn about the different words used to describe how animals are raised and how meat is sold from local farms - natural, grass-fed, organic, dry-aged, pasture raised, free range, humane and prime. How much meat you should expect when buying a side or quarter? Sign up NOKOMIS Adult Ed or call 368-3290.
- November 16 & 17, 2013 Maine Harvest Festival, Bangor Civic Center, Bangor
- November 17, 2013 Buying Local Meat (Where's the Beef) at noon by Donna Coffin, Extension Educator at the Maine Harvest Festival at the Page Farm and Home Museum Stage, Cross Center, Bangor.
- December 6, 2013 Maine Food Summit: Begin the Conversation, Wells Commons, University of Maine, Orono, Maine.Engage with businesses, friends and colleagues to discuss the future of our dynamic food system. What do you want Maine's land and sea-scape to produce? Come and share your vision. FMI http://extension.umaine.edu/maine-food-system
- December 7, 2013 Maine Beef Conference, Hilton Garden Inn, Bangor. Focus is on herd health.
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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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