Top Beef Buzz - Oklahoma Farm Report

In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with Ben Weinheimer, president and CEO of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, about the cattle industry’s response to the reintroduction of New World screwworm and renewed discussions surrounding mandatory country-of-origin labeling.

Weinheimer says the cattle industry, state officials and USDA have worked together to respond to the threat of New World screwworm, which was first detected in Texas in June. “That’s right, and as we’ve heard from our members, I think overall you’d classify it as impressed in terms of where we’re at currently,” Weinheimer said.

He said much of the groundwork for the response was put in place well before the parasite was detected in the United States. “The good really comes in the form of all of the planning and preparedness that went into this effort over the past 18 months to two years now,” Weinheimer said.

Weinheimer credited USDA and state veterinarians along the southern border for developing plans and procedures to address a potential reintroduction of screwworm. “They’ve really worked on plans, protocols, and procedures to really tackle this head on,” he said.

He said the response has included sterile fly dispersal, livestock and wildlife inspections, treatment protocols, record keeping and animal movement traceability. “They’re just a multifaceted approach that was strategically implemented,” Weinheimer said.

Hays noted that no new screwworm cases had been identified in cattle for more than a month. Weinheimer said the lack of recent cases reflects a collective effort involving both government agencies and people working directly with livestock and wildlife. “So, really looking at a couple of months of no cases being identified in cattle, and again, I think speaks to the collective effort,” Weinheimer said.

While he recognized the work of USDA and state officials, Weinheimer emphasized the important role of people working on the ground. “This really hits home on the ground at the base level where cattle are handled, where wildlife are inspected, just the different elements of people on the ground who have eyes on livestock and pets and wildlife,” he said.

He added that the private sector has also played an important role in keeping screwworm at bay. “The private sector’s role here in helping to keep this at bay has also been a very key element,” Weinheimer said.

The conversation then turned to renewed discussions in Washington about mandatory country-of-origin labeling, or MCOOL, for beef.

Weinheimer said he hopes policymakers look closely at the history of the previous MCOOL program before considering bringing it back. “Well, one would hope that if everyone in this conversation kind of just paused for a minute and just looked back at the history of implementation of the previous effort of MCOOL from 2009 to 2015, that you factually speak for themselves,” Weinheimer said.

He said the previous program did not deliver the premium for cattle that producers had hoped for and instead added costs to the industry. “So here you had a program intended to help producers gain a premium for their cattle, and it did nothing to deliver that in terms of results, so there was no added premium at the end of the supply chain,” Weinheimer said.

“There were only additional costs,” he added. Weinheimer said the costs associated with a potential return of MCOOL could be substantial in today’s dollars. “If you look at that and kind of update those figures to a potential reimplementation of MCOOL in today’s dollars, you know that’s north of $700 million in cost with a five-year implementation cost estimated to be over $3 billion,” he said.

Rather than returning to mandatory labeling requirements, Weinheimer said he believes cattle producers should have the opportunity to voluntarily differentiate their cattle and capture premiums in the marketplace. “To us, I think those facts really need to be taken into consideration for what was a failed policy, a failed effort by the government to dictate marketing of animals,” Weinheimer said.

He said voluntary programs allow producers to make their own decisions about how they market their cattle. “Let the voluntary effort really be the priority of where producers spend their time and energy,” Weinheimer said.

He pointed to value-added calf programs as an example of producers voluntarily differentiating their cattle in an effort to capture additional value. “Let the voluntary system work that USDA already has a lot of emphasis around,” he said.

Weinheimer also discussed USDA’s voluntary Product of USA labeling program, saying more time is needed to determine how successful it will be. “If you look at USDA’s really intensive focus on the voluntary Product of the USA label, that’s really just a handful of months of experience up to this point in time,” Weinheimer said.

He said the program should be given time to develop measurable results before policymakers consider replacing it with a mandatory labeling system. “In this situation, probably best to let it continue to run its course and get good metrics around the success or failure of the voluntary program before just setting it aside and reverting back to some type of mandatory country-of-origin labeling program,” Weinheimer said.

Ultimately, Weinheimer believes producers should have more control over how they differentiate their cattle. “I think without question, those who are willing to really think through it and evaluate it for themselves are going to definitely place a higher priority on the voluntary program, where they can make their own decisions, differentiate their cattle on attributes that they think are important, and not be dictated to by the government as far as mandatory labeling,” Weinheimer said.

The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

The post Weinheimer Discusses Screwworm Response and MCOOL Concerns first appeared on Oklahoma Farm Report.

In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with Texas Cattle Feeders Association President and CEO Ben Weinheimer about the reopening of Mexican border ports and what feedlot operators are seeing from the cattle coming into the U.S.

Weinheimer says cattle feeders have been pleased with the progress made through the staged reopening of the border, with Douglas, Arizona, and Santa Teresa, New Mexico, now accepting cattle. “Overall, we’ve been very pleased with the progress that’s been made thus far to work through the staged reopening of the border ports,” Weinheimer said.

He says the ports will need time to find a rhythm as personnel work through the logistics of moving cattle while following animal health inspection and treatment protocols designed to prevent New World Screwworm from entering the United States. “It’s going to take still both of those ports a few weeks to kind of find a rhythm and work through logistics of bringing those animal up like they have historically,” Weinheimer said.

He noted that USDA APHIS personnel, Mexican animal health officials and other port staff are all involved in making sure cattle meet the requirements for trade to resume. “These are USDA APHIS employees and the veterinarians and animal health technicians that really are hands-on throughout that entire process to make sure that all of the due diligence is being done relative to cattle inspections, treatments, documentation, animal identification that are stipulated as part of this resumption of trade with Mexico.”

Weinheimer says Santa Teresa is an especially important port because it has historically handled a large share of Mexican cattle entering the United States. “On average prior to any of the screwworm interruptions in port operations it would cross on the order of around 43% of the cattle annually,” Weinheimer said.

He says the infrastructure at Santa Teresa is substantial, with significant facilities and personnel needed to process cattle properly and efficiently.

Early reports from feedlot operators indicate the cattle currently crossing the border are somewhat heavier than those traditionally coming into the U.S. “Our members are reporting the same. You know, they’re seeing some larger yearlings being crossed currently,” Weinheimer said.

He says exporters in the northern Mexican states of Sonora and Chihuahua are moving some of their larger backgrounded feeder cattle first, which could eventually create room for lighter-weight cattle. “They kind of expect these larger cattle to continue to come to us here during the month of October, and then as they get into November, December, hopefully start to see some lighter weight cattle,” Weinheimer said.

Those lighter cattle are particularly useful for feedlots in the region because they can be placed on winter wheat and help manage costs. “Those lightweight cattle service well. They’re generally pretty resilient on the health side. They work well for, you know, backing up the cost of gain on some winter wheat.”

Looking ahead, Weinheimer says TCFA members are pleased to see the reopening process moving forward and are hopeful more ports will open as conditions allow. “They seem to be pleased with the operations to date. Glad to see that at least two of the ports are open,” Weinheimer said.

He says the industry is now watching for increased cattle throughput, additional port reopenings and a transition toward lighter-weight feeder cattle later in the year. “The outlook forward is that they’ll increase the throughput of those ports, open up additional ports, work through some of these larger feeder cattle, and then get into some of the lighter-weight cattle that we have historically crossed from Mexico.”

The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

The post Ben Weinheimer: Mexican Feeder Cattle Border Reopening Making Progress first appeared on Oklahoma Farm Report.

AI-driven camera grading technology is giving beef producers new opportunities to collect data on carcass quality and use that information to make breeding and management decisions. In todays beef buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays features comments from Dr. Logan Johnson, assistant professor of food science at Oklahoma State University, who spoke with Associate Farm Reporter Carli Davenport during the American Wagyu Association’s annual conference about how the technology is changing the way carcass quality is evaluated.

Johnson said the technology is advancing rapidly and can quickly collect detailed information from beef carcasses. “These systems can take the images and really gather a lot of data about that carcass really rapidly and quickly assign quality grades and value to those carcass systems.”

He said the technology is also changing how the industry thinks about assigning value to beef products. “A lot of the technologies that are being used are really reshaping kind of how we think about assigning value and maybe ways that we can classify value.”

For cattle producers, Johnson said one of the biggest opportunities created by camera grading is the ability to collect high-quality phenotype data. “In the world of big data, it’s really important in collecting high quality phenotype data.”

He explained that images and other carcass traits can give producers and researchers information that may not have been available or considered important in the past. “Getting these images and other traits allows us to have new ways of gathering data and collecting new phenotypes about these animals and selecting for some of these traits that maybe haven’t been selected for or recognized as maybe relevant.”

Johnson said combining that information with genetic data could provide additional opportunities for cattle selection. “I think the more that we’re collecting this high-quality data and kind of integrating that with these genetic traits, I think will allow for a lot of further selection and refinement of opportunities for producers.”

Another potential benefit for producers is gaining more information about how cattle perform after they leave the ranch and arrive at the processing facility.

Johnson said camera systems can rapidly detect marbling and other carcass traits, providing producers with feedback from the rail. “These systems, like I said, can really rapidly detect marbling content and a couple other traits as well.”

He said there are still limitations to the information the systems can provide, but the technology continues to create new possibilities for sorting and classifying beef products. “It can get them pretty instant feedback. There’s still some nuances in maybe the type of data that it can generate, but it’s opening up, like I said, new doors of classifying and sorting products.”

As the technology develops, Johnson expects producers will have access to even more information. “As these technologies advance more and more, there’ll be more data and more things that are unlocked for those producers than are currently maybe available today.”

Johnson said camera grading systems are being used by both local processors and larger packing plants. Before the technology can be used to assist with USDA grading, the systems go through testing and performance requirements. “A lot of these systems are used by either local processors or maybe large packing plants, and a lot of these cameras that are implemented, they’ve gone through some rigorous testing and kind of performance criteria with USDA ahead of time.”

The cameras are not replacing USDA graders. Instead, Johnson said the technology provides additional information to assist the grading process. “These images are captured and assigned the USDA quality grade. So they’re really supplementing what these USDA graders can do.”

Johnson said the technology is also becoming more accessible to smaller producers through remote grading programs offered by USDA. “A lot of these smaller plants are using this, and through some remote grading programs that USDA has as well.”

Those programs can allow producers to submit images or video of ribeye areas to USDA for grading, giving them access to information that historically may have been more readily available to larger processors. “It’s allowing some smaller producers more access to these types of grading systems that they haven’t had before.”

Johnson said producers can use images or videos of the ribeye area to help obtain value from the grading system. “They’re able to take images or videos of these ribeye areas or ribeyes and send that to USDA, so they can actually gain value out of that system that they haven’t maybe had access to before.”

While larger processors have used camera technology more routinely, Johnson said expanding access could give smaller producers more information about their cattle and carcass performance. “A lot of these larger processors have used cameras and much more routinely graded. But a lot of the smaller producers are now having more access to that type of data and information.”

The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

The post AI Camera Grading Technology Opens New Doors for Beef Producers first appeared on Oklahoma Farm Report.

In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with Missouri cattle producer and Hereford breeder Glen Klippenstein, one of the cattlemen involved in the early development of the Beef Checkoff.

Klippenstein was recently recognized with the Beef Checkoff Visionary Award for his work helping establish the program in the 1980s. Looking back, he says getting the checkoff approved was anything but easy. Part one of this story can be found here.

Klippenstein says the effort to establish the checkoff encountered setbacks before cattle producers eventually succeeded in getting the program in place. “It might have failed twice, and it was kind of an internal deal that made it fail,” Klippenstein said. “That’s the lesson. I’m not going to spill any names or anything, but yes, it was.”

Eventually, the effort was reorganized and brought directly to cattle producers. “And finally, finally, we liquidated that and got it on our own,” he said.

Klippenstein says the value of the checkoff becomes easier to appreciate when considering how much the cattle industry and individual animal values have changed since the program began.

When the checkoff started, Klippenstein says cattle producers were paying just $1 per head. Today, that same $1 investment remains relatively small compared with the value of the cattle being marketed. “It’s amazing what we’re doing with a little bit of money that we have,” he said.

Klippenstein points to the dramatic increase in cattle values over the decades as one way to put the checkoff investment into perspective. “Our cattle have gone from—I don’t know what they were then. They weren’t that much—but you know, to a $2,500 weaned calf today, compared to maybe a $500 one then,” he said. “You know, just think what would have happened, and that’s scary to think about it.”

He says the checkoff has also had implications beyond the individual cattle producer. “What we wouldn’t have done, what would have happened to our industry, if we, the people that are involved in industry, whose communities thrive from the beef cattle business, if we wouldn’t have had the checkoff,” Klippenstein said.

Looking ahead, Klippenstein says research should be a major priority for the beef industry, particularly research that can help consumers better understand beef production and sustainability. “We need to invest more in research. Absolutely, we do,” he said. “The pitiful amount that we’re putting into our research that feeds this nation—almost a third of our land mass in this country—is owned and managed by cattlemen.”

Klippenstein says the industry needs research that can help connect beef consumption with the broader environmental and economic role cattle producers play. “And the least that we can do is to do the research that, eventually, I hope, will allow everybody that takes a mouthful of beef to think, ‘Hey, I not only enjoy this and it’s good for me, but it’s also good for the planet, and it’s sure good for the sustainability of our rural communities and our individual ranchers,’” he said.

Klippenstein also says the cattle industry should use the current period of strong demand and cattle values as an opportunity to invest in promotion and build consumer confidence. “When we were Glenkirk Farms at one time, we got to really going good,” he said. “And I told our guys, ‘Hey, we’re going to spend more on promotion and advertising, and we’re going to make sure that we can confirm and verify that what we are saying is what these cattle will do.’”

“That’s what we need to do,” Klippenstein said. “Give people confidence. Make them our partners. Make them sing our song with us.”

Klippenstein says the tools available to cattle producers and the demand for beef today are far different from what existed when the checkoff was first created. “I mean, we’re a success story, but let’s not rest on our laurels,” he said.

He says the next generation of cattle industry leaders needs to stay engaged and be prepared for changes rather than simply reacting to them.

“I tell you, I don’t want to start over again,” Klippenstein said. “Of course, I’m way past that point. But these young leaders, and we’ve got some great young people that are kind of into it. But make sure, stay with the program because things change, and let’s not be reactive. Let’s be pro.”

Klippenstein summed up his philosophy with a lesson from sports. “I never won a ball game when I didn’t have the ball,” he said.

The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

The post Beef Checkoff Pioneer Glen Klippenstein Reflects on Its Beginnings and Future first appeared on Oklahoma Farm Report.

In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays spoke with Missouri cattle producer Glen Klippenstein, recipient of the Beef Checkoff Visionary Award, about his early days in the cattle business, his decision to raise Herefords and his involvement in establishing the Beef Checkoff.

Klippenstein said Herefords were the cattle his family had raised, and he quickly developed an appreciation for the breed. “Well, at that time, Herefords were the king of the hill, and my parents had had Herefords, and I liked their disposition. I just liked the Hereford cattle.”

Klippenstein said he also became interested in carcass value and eventually experimented with breeding Herefords to Holstein cattle. “I’m kind of always been kind of a carcass freak, and I found out one time I had dairy cattle as well, and I mated my Herefords with my Holsteins, and I fed those cattle out and I sold them to people with freezers.”

He said that experience showed him the potential of the cross. “I found out then that I got more retail yield edible product from that mating than I did out of the straight Herefords or the straight Angus.”

Klippenstein said his appreciation for Herefords went beyond the cattle themselves. “I just love those Hereford cattle. I always have.”

He also praised the people involved in the Hereford industry. “The people in the Hereford business—they are amazing, amazing people.”

Klippenstein’s early experience with beef-on-dairy also provided a practical way to make a living while working with limited resources. “Well, I didn’t know it was cool. I knew I had to make a living and I didn’t have much money to do it with. So that was a good transitional step.”

As the Beef Checkoff was being developed, Klippenstein recognized that seedstock producers represented an important part of the cattle industry that needed to be involved.

Klippenstein was serving as chairman of the National Cattlemen’s Association membership committee when he said he realized there was an opportunity to bring more seedstock producers into the organization. “Hey, we’re missing a big segment of our industry, and some of the best leadership in our industry are seed stock producers, and we’ve not paid any attention to them.”

He said he made an effort to recruit those producers into the National Cattlemen’s Association. “So I went after them, and of course, you know so many of them knew me, and I don’t know how many, several 1000 breeders I’m sure came into the National Cattlemen’s Association, and it helped propel things.”

Klippenstein said the effort also helped create more balance among different segments of the cattle industry. “It helped even things up from a cow-calf producer standpoint compared to probably the feedlot industry, the background industry had mostly control at that time, but now it’s kind of evened out.”

Looking back at the 1980s, Klippenstein said cattle producers were facing a difficult period and recognized the industry needed a stronger way to communicate with consumers. “Those of us that had been in the cattle business knew that wasn’t easy, and it was really getting more difficult. Our industry, believe it or not, it was going down like a rock.”

He said producers believed they had a good story to tell but lacked the resources and organization to effectively communicate that story. “We had as good a good a story to tell as anybody could tell, and we kept telling each other that. But we didn’t have any money. We didn’t have any organization.”

Klippenstein said the industry also needed to develop a stronger message about beef’s safety and its connection to the environment. “Hey, our product is safe. We eat it too with our families.”

He said cattle producers also needed to explain the role cattle can play in the land and environment. “That cow, that cow that we love so much in our ranches, she rejuvenates the soil, the earth. She allows all the flora, everything else to have more and more life.”

Klippenstein said that message was important because it countered what consumers were hearing at the time. “Every mouthful of beef that you guys eat is is a help for the environment, and that was exactly the message that they needed to hear because it was the opposite of what they were hearing.”

He said the cattle industry ultimately realized producers had to take responsibility for telling that story themselves. “And so we took the bull by the horns and said, ‘Man, nobody’s going to take care of us unless we do.’”

The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

The post Glen Klippenstein Reflects on Herefords, Beef Checkoff and the Early Days of the Industry first appeared on Oklahoma Farm Report.

In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays features comments from K-State livestock market economist Dr. Glynn Tonsor on the ongoing labor disruptions at meatpacking facilities in southwestern Kansas and what they could mean for cattle and beef markets.

Tonsor says the beef packing industry depends on a substantial workforce to keep cattle moving from live animals to beef products. “The conversion of live animals into meat is a pretty laborious effort.”

He says disruptions at large packing plants can create problems throughout the cattle market because fewer cattle are being processed. “Anything that disrupts the labor in converting live animals into beef products for U.S. consumers…is going to have the effect of depressing cattle prices compared to what they would have been, and increasing beef prices compared to what they would have been.”

Tonsor says the short-term disruption creates a backup of cattle that reduces demand for fed cattle while also limiting the amount of beef moving through wholesale, retail and export channels. “You have at least in the short term disruptions in the flow.”

Tonsor says the market mechanisms at work are similar to what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, when labor disruptions affected meatpacking operations. “The mechanisms of that are very similar to what the pandemic did because during the pandemic we had labor disruptions there.”

However, Tonsor cautions against treating the current situation as an exact repeat of the pandemic. “The scale and scope of this is not the same, so that’s not like a perfect analogy.” Instead, he says the comparison provides an indication of what could happen if disruptions continue for an extended period.

Tonsor says the size of the affected facilities is important when considering the potential market impact. “It particularly can if it’s impacting larger facilities, which is the case here.”

He says a small local facility would not have the same effect on the national market as a large plant processing thousands of cattle each day. “If you’re disrupting a 5000 head a day plant for multiple days, it starts becoming relevant.”

Tonsor says cattle could eventually be rerouted to other facilities if disruptions continue, but doing so would create additional costs for producers. “Is there a way to do it, yes. Is it free? Heck, no.”

He says producers could face higher transportation expenses, new business relationships and other transaction costs, all of which could continue to put pressure on cattle prices.

Beyond the immediate packing disruptions, Tonsor says cattle producers are also watching several other developments, including plant closures, cattle numbers and beef demand.

He says there has been some slippage in beef demand over the past couple of months, making it something the industry needs to continue monitoring.

When asked about the cattle market outlook, Tonsor says there has been plenty of discussion about whether producers should retain more heifers and whether government policy should encourage herd expansion. His recommendation is to be patient and allow market signals to work. “I’m encouraging some patience and more of a hands-off mentality.”

Tonsor says strong beef demand has already provided producers with a signal through higher calf prices. “Stronger beef demand has sent the signal of higher calf prices, which has sent the signal that if Mother Nature and allows it, and you have the risk appetite for it to expand the herd.”

He says his goal is to remain data-driven and apolitical when discussing a market that can quickly become political. “Let markets work.”

That phrase, Tonsor says, has become the message he uses to close many of his presentations. “I think the market’s been attempting to work, and we need to let it continue attempting to work.”

Dr. Tonsor’s comments came from his most recent appearance with Shelby Varner on K-State’s Agriculture Today.

The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

The post Glynn Tonsor Explains How Kansas Plant Disruptions Could Affect Cattle Markets first appeared on Oklahoma Farm Report.

In today’s Beef Buzz, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays spoke with Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association Executive Vice President Michael Kelsey about OCA’s upcoming fall gatherings and the legislative issues the organization is monitoring this fall.

Kelsey says the fall gatherings are some of his favorite events because they give him a chance to get out of the state Capitol and spend time with cattle producers across Oklahoma. “It’s out in the countryside where men and women are raising their kids and raising cattle and feeding, literally feeding our country and the world.”

The gatherings are designed to be informal, with meetings held at ranches and other local establishments rather than traditional meeting spaces. Kelsey says the goal is to give cattle producers an opportunity to socialize, network and discuss the issues affecting their operations. “We want to be casual. We want to be comfortable. We want folks to feel like they’re coming to a neighbor’s place, if you will, and we just talk and serve a great beef meal.”

Kelsey says the meetings also provide OCA with an opportunity to listen to its members and better understand what producers are facing. “We’re going to talk about issues, and we’re going to listen, and we want to learn, and we want to understand where people are at.”

Kelsey says one encouraging trend at the fall gatherings has been seeing more young families attending, including parents bringing strollers and car seats. “What do you want to hear in church and a cattlemen’s meeting? It’s a crying baby. That’s what you want to hear.”

At the same time, Kelsey acknowledges the challenges facing cattle producers, particularly with weather and economics. He says the gatherings provide an opportunity for producers to support one another during difficult periods. “Our fall gatherings give us an opportunity to get together, maybe cry on each other’s shoulder a little bit, but also encourage each other.”

Kelsey says the social and mental side of the cattle business is something OCA is increasingly concerned about. “There is a mental side to this business, and I’m really concerned that we’re really stressing our farmers and ranchers on a mental basis right now.”

He says producers are dealing with pressure from weather and economic conditions, making it especially important for cattlemen to have opportunities to come together. “I think it’s very important for us to get together.”

Kelsey also discussed the Oklahoma Legislature’s interim studies and some of the topics OCA plans to monitor this fall.

He says the list of interim studies appears lighter than in previous years, which he believes is partly because lawmakers are preparing for an election year.

Among the topics OCA is watching are tax policy, water, agriculture, solar panels and data centers in rural areas. Kelsey also specifically mentioned a screwworm study led by Senator Kern. “There’s one on screwworm by Senator Kern, and there’s some others on solar panels, data centers, some of those types of things in a rural environment.”

Kelsey says some of those studies have not yet been scheduled and are expected to take place later in the fall.

He also says OCA will be watching the changes coming to the Oklahoma Legislature following the election. “We’re going to see a turnover in some of our senators and legislators and so forth, so some of our legislative leaders are kind of waiting to see how that’s going to shape out before they get too far into the policy weeds.”

Kelsey says the OCA will continue monitoring those discussions while using its fall gatherings to hear directly from cattle producers across the state.

The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

The post OCA Fall Gatherings Focus on Oklahoma Cattle Producers, Legislative Issues first appeared on Oklahoma Farm Report.

In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays looks at how recent concerns surrounding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in Kansas have disrupted the cattle processing workforce and created uncertainty across the beef industry.

Hays says the issue gained attention last week after reports began circulating about possible ICE activity at one or more fed cattle packing plants in Kansas.

Citing reporting from Cassie Fish of The Beef Read, Hays says the initial reports were largely based on rumors and social media posts, with no official information available at the time. By Thursday, however, Fish reported that the situation had begun affecting cattle processing in Kansas.

Hays says worker absenteeism caused by the ICE presence sharply reduced slaughter numbers. Tuesday slaughter was reported at about 100,000 head, compared with 105,000 head estimated by USDA for Tuesday and an estimated 106,000 to 108,000 head based on packer profitability. Wednesday was even lower, with slaughter reported at 94,000 head, about 16,000 head below the scheduled level.

Hays says the disruption prompted the Kansas Livestock Association, Texas Cattle Feeders Association and Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association to issue a joint statement calling for greater transparency from the federal government.

The groups said they respect the responsibility of federal agencies to enforce the law but also emphasized the importance of a stable workforce for livestock businesses.

Hays says cattle producers, feedyards, dairies, livestock markets and processors depend on workers to care for animals, maintain food safety and keep the supply chain operating. Sudden workforce disruptions can create animal welfare, operational and economic consequences that extend beyond an individual business.

Hays says one of the biggest concerns for the cattle industry is the effect that ICE activity and the surrounding uncertainty could have on legal, documented workers.

He says the fear surrounding possible enforcement actions has already contributed to absenteeism and disruptions at Kansas packing plants. Hays also notes that disruptions in processing could eventually affect consumers through higher beef prices.

While the concerns have been centered primarily in Kansas, Hays says Oklahoma’s livestock industry is watching the situation closely.

Hays says Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur reported that she was not aware of any raids or worker arrests at Oklahoma Livestock or processing facilities 

Arthur’s conversations with Oklahoma processing plants, feedlots and dairies have focused on making sure businesses have their paperwork in order, and Hays says she anticipates no problems in the state based on those conversations.

Hays also says Arthur has been in contact with her counterpart in Georgia, where ICE has reportedly been making contact with poultry processors, although those interactions have been described as more of a “touching base” effort.

Hays says the situation has also prompted clarification from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the former Oklahoma senator. According to Hays, Mullin has said ICE is not conducting worksite operations in Kansas.

Mullin is quoted saying, “ICE is not conducting worksite operations in Kansas. ICE law enforcement has conducted operations targeting heinous criminals including murderers, rapists, and drug traffickers and illegal aliens with final orders of removal.”

— DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin

For the cattle industry, however, Hays says the combination of uncertainty, fear and worker absenteeism has already had an impact on cattle processing and the broader beef supply chain.

The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

The post ICE Concerns Create Workforce Disruptions In Cattle Industry first appeared on Oklahoma Farm Report.

In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays features comments from Ethan Lane, senior vice president for governmental affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, following a National Association of Farm Broadcasters webinar. Lane discussed the ongoing push for mandatory country of origin labeling and concerns about outside groups influencing livestock policy through major spending. Part one can be found here.

Lane said mandatory country of origin labeling, or MCOOL, could add costs for both cattle producers and consumers without necessarily increasing demand for U.S. beef. “The logic of pushing mandatory country of origin labeling in an environment where producers are complaining about high input costs and high cost to produce that product, at the same time that everyone is focused on lowering consumer prices, MCOOL would do two things right away,” Lane said. “It would raise costs for producers to comply with it, and it would raise the price of our product for consumers at the store. What it wouldn’t do is drive demand.”

Lane pointed to recent research from Kansas State University that examined what consumers consider when purchasing beef. “Consumers buy on price and quality, and they’re matching those two up right now when they go to the store,” Lane said.

He said the current conversation surrounding MCOOL has also been influenced by additional lean beef trim entering the U.S. supply chain through tariff agreements. “We know we need that lean trim to make our ground beef supply and to meet those needs across the supply chain,” Lane said. “We raise heavily marbled cattle in this country. We raise cattle that are designed to produce that Prime New York strip that I enjoyed at a steakhouse in Kansas City earlier this week. What doesn’t come off that animal is 80/20 or 90/10, right? And so we need those sources of lean trim.”

Lane said the beef industry needs to consider how additional supplies of imported trim fit into the overall supply chain. “When you start artificially trying to juice those into the supply chain without maybe understanding how they match up, right? Who’s asking for it, or if anyone is asking for more of it, it starts to have these kinds of effects,” Lane said.

Instead of mandatory labeling, Lane pointed to USDA’s voluntary Product of USA labeling program as an alternative. “The voluntary Product of USA label fixes that labeling issue that consumers and producers were concerned about,” Lane said.

He said the program can give consumers more information while allowing producers to pursue premiums through branded beef programs. “We’ve been proud to work on closing that loophole. We’ve been pleased that USDA has pushed that program,” Lane said. “We feel like that is a far better alternative as we look for ways to make sure that we’re leaning into the premiums and the branded products and the things that are truly generating some premiums for our producers, rather than just saddling them with more cost.”

Lane also discussed Proposition 12 and broader efforts by animal rights and activist organizations to influence livestock policy.

He questioned where the funding behind some of those advocacy efforts is coming from, particularly when organizations describe themselves as representing small farmers. “How does an initiative being led by groups like the American Meat Producers Association, who claim to represent small farmers or Farm Action for that matter, that spent 30 million dollars opposing the Save Our Bacon Act in June alone,” Lane said.

Lane questioned how organizations representing a relatively small portion of agriculture could spend that level of money on policy advocacy. “I represent the largest segment of American agriculture and the largest organization in that segment of American agriculture. We couldn’t even contemplate getting enough producers together to have 30 million dollars,” Lane said.

He said the livestock industry should take a closer look at the sources of funding behind those efforts. “So where did those small farmers come from, or is that money coming from open philanthropies network or other activist groups that are trying to deceive members of the Senate and capitalize on this conversation right now?” Lane said.

Lane said the influence of those efforts is concerning for livestock producers. “It is incredibly disappointing to see that having the effect that it’s having throughout the livestock industry,” Lane said. “And I would encourage folks to really ask some questions about where that advocacy is coming from and who’s writing the check for it.”

The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

The post Ethan Lane Discusses MCOOL, Beef Labeling and Prop 12 Concerns first appeared on Oklahoma Farm Report.

In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays features comments from National Cattlemen’s Beef Association lead lobbyist Ethan Lane, who recently joined farm broadcasters from across the country to discuss the latest issues facing the beef industry. Lane talks about tight cattle supplies, consumer demand, the Farm Bill, and what he hopes comes from the meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“There’s a lot of headline news, a lot of social media hot takes,” Lane said. “We continue to see pretty heavy fixation on herd size, right? 75-year low.”

Lane says that focus can overlook how much beef the U.S. cattle industry is actually producing. “You know what gets missed in that conversation is the volume of beef we’ve been putting out,” Lane said. “We’re putting out more beef in the supply chain than we were in 2015. The efficiency of those animals, the efficiency of the supply chain is different. The quality is exponentially greater.”

He says those improvements are helping support demand for beef. “I think we’re capturing something like 74% of every new protein dollar right now amongst our competitors in the protein space,” Lane said. “That’s a function, even at today’s prices, of the fact that what American cattle producers are putting out the door really resonates with consumers, and is something that they still want to see at the center of their plate.”

Lane talked about the attention cattle producers are receiving from Washington, D.C., as the industry deals with tight supplies and strong cattle prices. “It has truly felt, I think, to a lot of producers like there’s been a lot of effort to break something that was finally helping cattle producers with their bottom line, help them with some higher cattle prices,” Lane said.

Lane says building consumer demand has taken years of work from the cattle industry. “Building a relationship with consumers, driving demand for that product is a feature of sustained work over a long period of time by the U.S. cattle industry to build trust, to build confidence in our product,” Lane said.

He says cattle producers are now watching closely as policymakers consider ways to address issues in the industry. “What we’re hearing most from cattle country right now is, gosh, could we please get less help from the federal government, whether that be from the administration or from Congress,” Lane said.

Lane also discussed the Farm Bill and the differences between the House and Senate approaches. “We’ve been long vocal supporters of the House-passed version of the Farm Bill,” Lane said. “I think G.T. Thompson and his team, and quite frankly, folks in ag policy on the House side generally deserve a lot of credit for putting together a bipartisan product.”

But Lane says the Senate Agriculture Committee took a different approach that has created frustration for livestock interests. “The Senate Ag Committee took a very different approach,” Lane said. “They seem to have kind of focused on trying to upset as many different parts of agriculture as possible with their process.”

For cattle producers, Lane says the industry did not ask for much from the legislation. “You know, we didn’t ask much from this bill, and instead we feel like we’ve sort of been the way they’re trying to balance the ledger with some of these other priorities,” Lane said.

Lane also spoke about the meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping and what it could mean for the beef industry. “I think we’re just hoping for it to go relatively smoothly as far as the president’s meeting with Xi,” Lane said.

Lane says there are significant concerns surrounding international relationships and global supply chains, including the relationship between the United States and China. “We have had at various points in the last few years since the Phase One China deal access to that market that’s been beneficial for our export footprint,” Lane said. “I think we’d like to get back to that at some point in some form.”

Lane says the cattle industry would like to see existing issues addressed without creating additional problems. “Maybe get through it without unlocking any new wrinkles or any new complications, but see if you can put some things to bed and get some issues solved,” Lane said. “Rather than opening up new ones, I think that would probably be welcome news for us in the cattle side.”

The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

The post NCBA’s Ethan Lane on Cattle Supplies, Farm Bill, and Trade first appeared on Oklahoma Farm Report.