Beef Checkoff Seeking Producer Input Through Survey

beef checkoff logoIn connection with the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA), the checkoff is helping to distribute a producer survey about use of antibiotics on cattle operations. The survey was created with the help of Kansas State University, in response to comments from the checkoff’s Safety Subcommittee at the 2015 Cattle Industry Summer Conference.

NIAA has been a checkoff subcontractor to the National Livestock Producers Association, on authorization requests that have helped provide funding for a national symposium about use of antibiotics in food animals for each of the last five years. During their meeting in July, members of the checkoff’s Safety Subcommittee discussed the need for more producer information on the topic, possibly gathered through a survey about their use of antibiotics. With that, NIAA worked with KSU to prepare a survey for producers, and all Beef Board members and Federation directors are encouraged to participate in the survey and pass the link along to other producers, to achieve the highest participation possible!

Click here to go to survey – http://bit.ly/checkoff-survey

Call for MSU Steer A Year Donations

SAY MeatsThe 2015-2016 academic year has begun which means it is time to start “rounding up” steers for the Montana State University Steer-A-Year (SAY) program. In this program, steers donated by Montana ranchers are fed to finish on campus.

Donated steers make a direct impact on MSU students, particularly those on the livestock judging team. The funds allow judging team members to compete and represent Montana State University at a national level.

In addition, SAY contributions are important in enhancing the educational experience for students in the College of Agriculture. The steers are used to allow for “hands-on” learning experiences in courses such as Beef Cattle Management, Livestock Management-Beef Cattle, Meat Science, and Livestock Evaluation. Additionally, the newly created “steer-a-year” class allows students to be involved in all aspects of managing steers.

The Steer-A-Year class is a student run class that focuses on feedlot production and finishing. Steers are donated to the University by Montana producers to be used not only for this class but also for many classes on campus. Those include Livestock Evaluation, Beef Practicum, Beef Management, and Meat Science.

The donation is completely tax deductible and producers will be recognized at Celebrate Ag weekend. In addition, producer who donate receive a monthly update on the performance of all the steers in the program.

Donations made to SAY directly impact our students and these contributions can be made either in the form of a donation of a live steer, cash, proceeds from an auction market sale, and/or gifts of feed grain or forage. Delivery of steers will be taken during the period of October 30 to November 13, 2015. Steers will be housed at the Bozeman Agriculture Research and Teaching Farm. Performance data will be taken and sent out to donors as collected. Awards will also be presented to the Best Initial Feeder Steer, the steer with the Top Rate of Gain and Best Carcass.

If you would like more information about the Steer-A-Year program, or would like to donate a steer, please contact Hannah DelCurto at (406)994-3752 or [email protected].

Contracting with the Beef Checkoff | Checkoff Chat

BIWFD Checkoff ContractorsQ: Who can contract with the checkoff on the national level?

A: By definition, qualified checkoff contracting organizations are national nonprofit beef industry-governed organizations. The role of these organizations is to contract with the Beef Promotion Operating Committee to conduct promotion, research, consumer and industry information, foreign marketing and producer communications programs funded with beef checkoff dollars and under Agriculture Marketing Service Guidelines. See all the current national contractors and programs at BeefBoard.org.

Checkoff Chat Montana Beef CouncilRead more about the Beef Checkoff Programs in our Checkoff Chat Series with the Montana Beef Council. Click here to submit your own questions to be answered in future posts.

About the Beef Checkoff
The Beef Checkoff Program (MyBeefCheckoff.com) was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. It assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the $1 and forward the other 50 cents to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval. The Montana Beef Council was created in 1954 by cattlemen as a marketing organization for the Montana beef industry and is organized to protect and increase demand for beef and beef products through state, national and international beef promotion, research and education, thereby enhancing profit opportunities for Montana beef producers.

MSU to host Agricultural Economics Outlook Conference

montana state extension logo

BOZEMAN – Montana State University’s Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics and MSU Extension will host the 9th annual Agricultural Economics Outlook Conference on Nov. 6.

This year’s conference, “Montana Agriculture: Global Trade to Local Foods,” will run from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Procrastinator Theater in MSU’s Strand Union Building.

The conference’s keynote speaker is Colin Carter, professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of California Davis and director of the Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics. Carter’s research is focused on international trade, futures and commodity markets, and he has published more than 130 research papers and authored more than 15 books.

“Dr. Colin Carter is one of the world’s leading experts on international agricultural trade and trade policy issues,” said Vincent Smith, professor of economics in the MSU Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics. “He works extensively with both U.S. and international government and non-governmental agencies and interest groups on trade related disputes, and his academic research has been widely recognized for its insights and importance.”

Carter will address agricultural trade and the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (TPP), a proposed regional free trade agreement currently being negotiated among the United States, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. TPP is a trade policy of President Obama meant to expand American goods and services exports to new markets while setting high standards of global trade, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative. The TPP has important implications for Montana’s agricultural exports, according to Smith.

The conference, which is part of MSU’s Celebrate Agriculture weekend, is also designed to provide Montana agricultural, business leaders, agricultural bankers, producers and others in agriculture with quality, unbiased information about issues facing Montana agriculture.

“The outlook conference is an outstanding example of MSU’s commitment to the land-grant mission of bringing high-quality, relevant research findings to the citizens of Montana,” said Jeff Bader, director of MSU Extension. “The event brings important insights about the current standing and future of agriculture from a research perspective, which is always appreciated by our stakeholders.”

During the morning session of the conference, MSU agricultural economics professors will share their expertise on aspects of Montana’s agricultural industry. Speakers include Kate Fuller, who will discuss the status of Montana agriculture; Joe Janzen, who will discuss marketing Montana pulse crops; and Eric Belasco, who will discuss cattle market fundamentals and prices. Registration is $25 for the morning session and lunch. Those who register by Wednesday, Oct. 28, will receive a free parking pass. To register, please visit www.ampc.montana.edu/fallconference/index.html.

Following lunch at 1:45 p.m., two in-depth breakout sessions will be offered. The first session will focus on innovations in price risk management from MSU economics professors Gary Brester, Janzen, Joe Atwood and Belasco. The second session will focus on producer and consumer relationships in local food markets and will feature Dawn Thilmany McFadden, professor of agribusiness at Colorado State University, and MSU Agricultural Economics Professor George Haynes. Several local food businesses will also share their perspective with attendees. Registration is not required for the breakout sessions.

For a full schedule of events and speakers at the conference, please visit http://www.ampc.montana.edu/fallconference/index.html.

A full schedule of events for the Celebrate Agriculture weekend event is available at: http://ag.montana.edu/excellence/agappreciation.htm.

Beef Emails Offer More Information | Checkoff Chat

Sign up for Checkoff Updates at BeefBoard.org today!

Sign up for Checkoff Updates at BeefBoard.org today!

Q: I never see information about what the checkoff is doing. Why not?

A: Updated information is always available at MyBeefCheckoff.com, where you can also sign up to receive regular e-mail updates. The Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the Montana Beef Council are always looking for the most effective and efficient ways to share information and communicate with producers. Currently the Montana Beef Council works with news media, agriculture organizations, publications and other sources to disseminate information about checkoff investments. If you have suggestions for how you would like to stay updated on the checkoff, be sure to contact Montana Beef Council. Sign up for regular checkoff updates: at BeefBoard.org.

Checkoff Chat Montana Beef CouncilRead more about the Beef Checkoff Programs in our Checkoff Chat Series with the Montana Beef Council. Click here to submit your own questions to be answered in future posts.

About the Beef Checkoff
The Beef Checkoff Program (MyBeefCheckoff.com) was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. It assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the $1 and forward the other 50 cents to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval. The Montana Beef Council was created in 1954 by cattlemen as a marketing organization for the Montana beef industry and is organized to protect and increase demand for beef and beef products through state, national and international beef promotion, research and education, thereby enhancing profit opportunities for Montana beef producers.

The Importance of Water Quality in Livestock Production

megan van emon msu extension beef specialistBy Dr. Megan Van Emon, MSU Extension Beef Cattle Specialist

Water is the most essential nutrient for livestock production and is needed for numerous processes, such as the regulation of body temperature, growth, digestion, reproduction, metabolism, lubrication of joints, excretion, eyesight, etc. Water is also an excellent solvent for amino acids, minerals, glucose, vitamins, and metabolic waste.

Water requirements are influenced by a number of factors, including gestation, lactation, rate and composition of gain, type of diet, activity, environmental temperature, and feed intake. The intake of water from feeds plus the ad libitum consumption of free water is the equivalent of the water requirements in livestock. Ad libitum access to clean, fresh water is essential to maintaining feed intake in livestock. According to the NRC (1996), a wintering 1100 pound gestating cow needs to consume between 6 gallons at 40°F and 9 gallons at 70°F of water per day and the requirements double for a lactating cow. However, the requirements do not take in to account the distance cows must travel to the water source.

The water provided to livestock needs to be good quality to maintain production. Water quality may be altered by contaminants, such as mineral salts, toxins, heavy metals, microbial loads, debris, and agricultural practices. Most contaminants will reduce water intake, which results in a reduction in feed intake and a loss of production. However, if the water or feed contains increased salt, water intake will increase as the animal attempts to eliminate the excess sodium. Total dissolved solids (TDS) are measured to determine the saltiness of the water. Table 1 describes the recommendations and effects of increasing concentrations of TDS in the water.

Total Dissolved Solids Water QualityWater with high concentrations of TDS, may have high concentrations of nitrates and/or sulfates. High sulfate concentrations in water can lead to polioencephalomalacia (polio).  High sulfate water tastes bitter and water intake may be reduced. High concentrations of sulfate may also cause a reduction in copper availability in livestock, which can lead to copper deficiency. Producers should be aware of water sulfate concentrations when feeding high sulfur feedstuffs, such as distillers grains or corn gluten feed, and feeds containing high concentrations of molybdenum.  If livestock are consuming high sulfate water, additional copper supplementation may need to be considered.

Similar to nitrates in forages, water with high nitrate concentrations can also be toxic. Nitrate from the water is converted to nitrite within the rumen, which can be toxic by decreasing the oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin. Producers should especially be aware of water nitrate concentrations when feeding forages with high nitrate concentrations.

Other contaminants include bacteria, which can be toxic to livestock. High bacteria concentrations can cause infertility, foot rot, low milk production, and other reproductive problems. Stagnant water that is contaminated with manure and other contaminants can develop blue-green algae, which may be toxic to livestock. It is crucial to maintain a clean, fresh water supply to maintain health and performance of livestock.

Educating Restaurants about Beef | Checkoff Chat

Checkoff programs conduct demonstrations for restaurant chefs to learn more about preparing beef cuts. Click to watch video.

Checkoff programs conduct demonstrations for restaurant chefs to learn more about preparing beef cuts. Click to watch video.

Q: Are national restaurant chains educated about beef?

A: Absolutely. In fact, in January the checkoff demonstrated cutting methods for the sirloin, loin and ribeye for a large national casual-dining restaurant chain, educating restaurant personnel about the flexibility of these middle meats when alternative cutting methods are applied. The training included discussion of menu concepts to add new and extend beef menu items. Participants included culinary research and development, marketing and procurement disciplines.

The checkoff will continue to support the chain as they evaluate and determine opportunities to promote beef on their menu. See what’s available for foodservice operators from BeefFoodService.com.

Checkoff Chat Montana Beef CouncilRead more about the Beef Checkoff Programs in our Checkoff Chat Series with the Montana Beef Council. Click here to submit your own questions to be answered in future posts.

About the Beef Checkoff
The Beef Checkoff Program (MyBeefCheckoff.com) was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. It assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the $1 and forward the other 50 cents to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval. The Montana Beef Council was created in 1954 by cattlemen as a marketing organization for the Montana beef industry and is organized to protect and increase demand for beef and beef products through state, national and international beef promotion, research and education, thereby enhancing profit opportunities for Montana beef producers.

Watch for Nitrate Toxicity in Forages

Emily Glunk Montana State Forage ExtensionBy Dr. Emily Glunk, MSU Extension Forage Specialist

Nitrate toxicity is a problem that many producers have to deal with in Montana. Particularly this year, with a large amount of cereal grains being harvested for hay, it is something that should be kept in the back of your mind at harvest and feedout.

Nitrate toxicity is an accumulation of nitrates in the plant. Typically, the lowest third of the plant stem will have the highest level of nitrates. Why are these high levels of nitrates toxic to the animal? When the animal consumes a large amount of nitrates, it is unable to be completely converted to microbial protein in the rumen. Instead, an intermediate in the conversion of nitrate to protein, nitrite, will be transported to the small intestines and absorbed into the blood system. This is where the real problem starts. Nitrite will bind to hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying component of blood, to form methemoglobin. Methemoglobin is unable to supply oxygen to the rest of the body, and the animal will start to become stressed.

Acute toxicity signs include things such as labored breathing, muscle tremors, weakness, and ultimately death. Animals that have chronic toxicity, or have been consuming high levels over a long period of time, will have decreased production, rough hair coat, and reproductive issues, among others.

What is happening in the plant to cause increased nitrate levels? Nitrate accumulation can occur for many reasons: environmental stress such as drought or hail, excessive application of Nitrogen fertilizer, deficiency of other nutrients such as K and S, shade, prolonged cool temperatures, the list goes on. Another important factor is plant species. Cereal grains tend to accumulate nitrates more-so than cool-season forages. Oats have been found to be the most prone to accumulating toxic nitrate levels, with wheat and barley a little less likely. Warm-season grasses such as sorghums and sudangrasses also have potential to accumulate nitrates.

If any of these situations occurs, or the plant becomes stressed, the likelihood of accumulating toxic levels is increased. In most of these situations, photosynthesis is inhibited or decreased, which supplies the Carbon, or energy, that is required to convert the nitrate to plant protein. Without the required Carbon, similar to in the rumen, the nitrate will not be converted to the final, desirable product, protein.

How can we decrease the chances of nitrate toxicity? There are a few things that we can watch out for. Always make sure that you are monitoring soil nutrient levels, and try to apply fertilizer according to soil and plant needs. Make sure to not overlook other soil nutrients, like Potassium and Sulfur, as they can have a significant impact on Nitrate uptake and accumulation in plants. Take care when applying and handling any N fertilizer, so that large amounts don’t get spilled or over-applied in one particular area. When harvesting, wait for several days after a drought-ending rain before harvesting, or after a hail event.

If you suspect your forages may be “hot”, I would advise to test them before harvesting or feed out. Your local county agent has an in-field test called the Nitrate QuikTest, which allows them to qualitatively estimate whether your forages may have toxic levels or not. This test does not provide a level of nitrate, but rather advises you as to whether there may be toxic levels or not based on what color the testing solution turns, and how rapidly that change occurs. We are also looking to test some in-field quantitative nitrate testing kits, to evaluate whether these commercially available products are accurate and reliable ways to determine nitrate levels in standing forage.

If your forage tests hot, or may be marginal, I always recommend sending it in to a lab for a quantitative nitrate analysis. This will help you determine if you need to dilute the hay in the ration by feeding it with a low-nitrate forage, or if it is safe to feed. Toxic levels also depend on production stage of the animal, with young and pregnant animals having low tolerance to nitrates, as depicted in the table below. You can contact your county agent, or myself, to help develop a ration that is suitable to feed to your animals.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Dr. Emily Glunk at 406.994.5688 or at [email protected]. For more detailed information on nitrate toxicity, you can also reference the Montana Extension MontGuide “Nitrate Toxicity of Montana Forages” (MT200205Ag).

Dietetic interns participate in a beef from pasture to plate tour

2015 MDI Tour press release picBILLINGS – Earlier this week the Montana Beef Council hosted another successful pasture to plate tour for nearly twenty Montana Dietetic Internship (MDI) students pursuing a career as a Registered Dietitian. The tour was conducted in Two Dot, Montana with local ranchers Jed and Annie Evjene where the attendees were able to experience first-hand where and how beef is raised on the American Fork Ranch.

This year’s tour began at the historic ranch headquarters where the Evjene’s explained the family ranching operation and the history of the area to the interns to help them understand the importance of agriculture and specifically beef production.

“It is important for me to help you understand where food comes from,” Jed Evjene told the interns. “There is a lot of misinformation out there about ranching practices and we are here with our gate open for you to see real ranching practices first-hand.”

Throughout the tour the interns not only had the opportunity to see cattle and horses, but also calving facilities, rangeland and more. Jed shared his passion for maintaining the land and water as they are vital to sustainability. While touring around the ranch the interns learned about the entire beef cycle and that cattle spend the majority of their lives on pasture. Evjene’s also shared their experience of being chosen as Regional Environmental Stewardship Award recipients and the responsibility they feel to continue teaching others about ranching and their commitment to care for the cattle and natural resources.

Next, over a healthy beef lunch, the interns learned about beef nutrition from Registered Dietitian Lisa Murray, including lean cuts of beef, optimal protein levels in the diet, beef’s fatty acid profile, and new research showing beef’s positive role in heart healthy diet.

“Beef has 10 essential nutrients and just 150 calories per three-ounce serving and there are more lean beef choices today than ever before so you can feel confident in helping your patients keep beef in their diet,” said Murray.

Leaving the pasture, the tour headed to The Grand Hotel in Big Timber where Chef Amy Smith demonstrated multiple ways to cut beef as well as providing samples of recipes from The Healthy Beef Cookbook.

“Steak is cool,” exclaimed one intern after the presentation.

To complete the day, the interns then toured Pioneer Meats of Big Timber to get a back-of-the-house look at a custom butcher shop with owner Brian Engle. Brian’s passion for quality was evident as he detailed every aspect of their award-winning family-run processing facility.

The theme of the internship is a systems approach to sustainability and sustainable foods and Montana Beef Council has worked with Montana State University, Bozeman to provide this tour as a tangible learning experience during their internship. Following this tour, the interns will disperse across the state to continue their dietetic internship with rotations in clinical dietetics, community nutrition, and foodservice management.  Interns successfully completing MDI will obtain a certificate that qualifies graduates to take the dietetic registration exam.

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The Montana Beef Council is organized to protect and increase demand for beef and beef products through state, national and international consumer marketing programs including promotion, education and research, thereby enhancing profit opportunities for Montana beef producers. For more information, contact Lisa Murray, RD at (406) 656-3336 or [email protected].

Beef Staying Relevant in the Digital Age | Checkoff Chat

The 30 Day Protein Challenge is one example of the Beef Checkoff digital promotion efforts.

The 30 Day Protein Challenge is one example of the Beef Checkoff digital promotion efforts. Click here to learn more.

Q: Is the beef checkoff staying relevant in this digital age?

A: You bet. For example, in 2006 the Beef Checkoff was delivering beef enjoyment messages to consumers through a checkoff-funded national radio and print advertising campaign that reached 96 percent of targeted adults more than 18 times at a cost-per-impression of less than a penny.

Fast forward to the launch of the Beef Checkoff digital campaign in April 2014 to the end of the fiscal year, the new Checkoff digital advertising campaign has motivated over 1,700,000 consumers to visit the checkoff website, viewing over 3,500,000 web pages worth of beef tips, cooking techniques, nutritional information and recipes. This marks a dramatic increase in visitors to the site, rising 360% in terms of number of consumers and pages viewed compared to FY13 figures.  As a result, the “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.” website is now the Checkoff’s most important avenue for disseminating beef info and recipes directly to consumers.

Further, through a paid social media advertising campaign over a five-month period, the checkoff has driven more than 1 million social engagements, defined as likes, shares, comments and retweets on the “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.” Facebook and Twitter pages. Social advertising also contributed to more than 450,000 Facebook users engaging with beef checkoff content and recipes as well as drove more than 14,000 interactions on Twitter. The Checkoff’s Digital Advertising campaign also drove over 5 million views of online video spots, including over 1,800,000 video views on YouTube alone.

Checkoff Chat Montana Beef CouncilRead more about the Beef Checkoff Programs in our Checkoff Chat Series with the Montana Beef Council. Click here to submit your own questions to be answered in future posts.

About the Beef Checkoff
The Beef Checkoff Program (MyBeefCheckoff.com) was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. It assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the $1 and forward the other 50 cents to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval. The Montana Beef Council was created in 1954 by cattlemen as a marketing organization for the Montana beef industry and is organized to protect and increase demand for beef and beef products through state, national and international beef promotion, research and education, thereby enhancing profit opportunities for Montana beef producers.