Livestock and Forages News Articles
Articles published in Arkansas Cattle Business
Animal Science: Today and Tomorrow - January 2006
U of A Livestock Judging Team - An All American Year
The 2005 Intercollegiate Livestock Team completed their final contest that
wrapped up a year full of honors and successes. Tonya Brown of Tecumseh, OK;
Cody Martin of Panama, OK; Chase Hilton and Jeremy Huff of Mean, AR; Chase
Groves of Garland, AR and Lauren Gaston of Oden, AR are this year’s team
members. The 2005 team competed in 13 contests against 20 to 30 teams per
contest from schools across the United States. The final contests were the
American Royal in Kansas City and North American International contest in
Louisville, KY where the team finished 5th and 6th, respectively. The
team’s success included winning the Carload Champion team contest at the
National Western, champion livestock team at the All East and the Mid-South and
placed consistently in the top five teams at most contests and never placed
below 7th. The 2005 U of A Livestock team can be considered one of the top five
teams in the nation and produced two All-American team members (Jeremy Huff,
Lauren Gaston) out of ten selected.
River Valley Stocker Conference
The River Valley Stocker Conference, one of the top beef cattle meetings in
the United States, is scheduled for February 15, 2006 at the Dardanelle
Community Center in Dardanelle. The River Valley Stocker Conference is a joint
educational effort by the Division of Agriculture - University of Arkansas
Cooperative Extension Service and Farm Credit Services of Western Arkansas. It’s
designed to provide stocker cattle producers with the latest information on
market outlook, management, calf health and nutrition. A registration fee of $20
will be collected at the door. The conference is set for 9:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
The theme for the program is centered on stocker cattle management. The
program will address many aspects of market outlook, premises identification,
producing summer annuals and health.
The conference will feature four industry leaders. Mr. Mike Murphy is the
market analyst for the North Central Plains cow-calf and stocker producers. Dr.
Tom Troxel is a Professor and Animal Science Section Leader. Dr. John Jennings
is a Professor and Extension Forage Specialist and Dr. Jeremy Powell is an
Assistant Professor and Extension Veterinarian. Drs. Troxel, Jennings and Powell
are with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
Mike Murphy will address the market outlook for stocker cattle. He is the
analyst responsible for the Nebraska and Northern Colorado feedyards, as well as
being responsible for the North Central Plains cow-calf and stocker producers.
Mike is involved in research analysis and risk management analysis. Prior to
joining Cattle-Fax, Mike worked in the feeding industry in the Texas Panhandle
and Northern Colorado. Mr. Murphy is a Colorado native, raised on farming and
ranching operation in Northern Colorado. He graduated with a degree in
agricultural business from Colorado State University.
Dr. Troxel has been involved with the National Animal Identification Program
since the beginning. Although the final rules have not been established
regarding tagging and tracking animals, premise identification is moving
forward. He will provide information about the Arkansas Volunteer Premises ID
program.
Forage quality and quantity is critical for stocker gains and health. Dr.
John Jennings will provide management ideas and solutions for producing summer
annuals for stocker cattle. Summer annuals can be valuable forage for stocker
cattle, and Dr. Jennings will provide insight on how to properly manage them.
Stocker cattle health is probably one of the most important components of the
stocker cattle business. Dr. Jeremy Powell will provide the latest information
about preventing and treating stocker cattle diseases. He will illustrate what
programs work in Arkansas and how producers can protect newly-arrived stocker
cattle from diseases.
See your local county agent for additional information.
Centennial Celebration was a great success
Last June 2005, the Department of Animal Science hosted a symposium to
celebrate its 100th anniversary. A participant survey was conducted, and the
results were recently summarized. The response rate was 79%, and a few key
results are noted.
- 93% of the respondents found the program to be interesting
and thought provoking.
- 100% said that they feel the Arkansas cattle industry needs
a conference like the Centennial Celebration to address the key topics
of the industry.
- The participants suggested that earlier in the spring or
later in the fall might be a better time for a conference.
- When asked if the program topics were timely and pertinent,
97% to 100% of the respondents said the topics were very to somewhat
pertinent.
- 83% said they like the program format.
Overall, 93% of the respondents said the Centennial Celebration symposium
reached its objective which was to deliver a high quality program that would
interest the top quality cattle producers of Arkansas.
Arkansas Steer Feedout Program Off to a Good Start
The 2005-2006 Arkansas Steer Feedout program received entries for 139 head.
Entries were received from sixteen producers representing eleven counties across
the state. The steers participating in the Arkansas Steer Feedout program were
shipped to Wheeler Brothers Feedyard in Watonga, OK on November 10, 2005. Three
pickup points were used this year to load cattle: DeQueen, Conway and
Clarksville. The steers received initial processing on November 11, which
included receiving a feedyard lot tag, implant, vaccinations and deworming. The
average incoming weight for the steers was 611 lbs, which is about 35 lbs
heavier than last year. The average value for the steers was $107/cwt or $654/hd.
One calf, who was exhibiting signs of sickness, was pulled and treated that day.
Feedyard staff will continue to closely watch these calves for any signs of
sickness and treat calves when necessary. The steers are scheduled to be
re-implanted and re-weighed in approximately 45 days.
By: Dr. Keith Lusby Dr. Tom Troxel
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