Making Tracks 2007 – This year’s camp was a huge success with 43 junior cattlemen from Alabama, Kentucky, and Mississippi enjoying three days at Mississippi State University. Our thanks go out to The Wax Company, Mississippi Cattlemen’s Foundation, Department of Animal & Dairy Sciences and to all the other sponsors and presenters for an excellent program.

 Drought Meeting – A statewide question and answer session for livestock and equine owners facing drought conditions will be held July 17th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Contact your County Extension office for the participating Distance Education Site nearest you.

Ag in the Classroom – Beef Ambassador Emma Collins and Beef Council intern Henderson King assisted the Mississippi CattleWomen’s Association in presenting the beef industry’s educational program to teachers attending the Farm Bureau sponsored Agriculture in the Classroom in Jackson. The program was presented in three cities, introducing agricultural teaching aids to over 150 K-12 teachers.

New Extension Beef Cattle Specialist – We welcome Dr. Justin Rhinehart who begins work today at Mississippi State University. A native of East Tennessee, Dr. Rhinehart received his degrees from the University of Tennessee, University of Kentucky, and West Virginia University.

NCBA President - John Queen will be in the state July 23 – 25 for meetings with cattlemen in Marshall, Grenada, Lafayette, and Clay counties. Additional meetings are being planned in North Mississippi, so contact the MCA office for an event near you.

 Deaths - Simpson County cattlemen lost two friends last week with the deaths of County Extension Director Victor Lee and longtime agriculture teacher and FFA advisor Ted Ainsworth.

Cattle Market Notes, Friday, June 29, 2007, Dr. John Anderson, Mississippi State University – Last week’s 5-Area average price worked out to $86.62 – down from $89.69 the week before.  Once again this week, cash business developed early in the North at about $3 below last week’s prices, with live prices at $83 to $84.  In the South, trade was essentially non-existent through mid-afternoon Friday.  
Feeders in the South were said to have passed on bids of $86 Friday, apparently holding out for bids steady with last week. 
Prices on stocker steers and heifers were steady.  At Lexington, Kentucky, feeder steers were steady to $3 lower; stocker steers were steady to $2 lower.  Feeder and stocker heifers were steady to $1 lower.
At Mississippi auctions this week, prices on steers were $5 higher, and prices on heifers were steady.  For the week, feeder steer prices in Mississippi were as follows: 250-300 pounds, $140-$150; 300-350 pounds, $140-$150; 350-400 pounds, $120-$130; 400-500 pounds, $110-$120; 500-600 pounds, $100-$110; 600-700 pounds, $90-$100; 700-800 pounds, not reported.  Prices on slaughter cows were $2 to $4 higher this week.  For the week: breakers, not reported; boners (850-1,200#), $45-$52; lean (850-1,200#), $42-$47. 
Live cattle futures traded lower early in the week but posted strong gains on Thursday.  Live Cattle futures closing prices on Friday (with change from last Friday’s close in
parentheses) were as follows: June $85.50 (-2.30); August $90.2789.65 (+0.62); October $94.72 (+1.35); December $96.17 (+1.25); February $97.37 (+1.12) 
Feeder Cattle futures closing prices on Friday (with change from last Friday’s close in parentheses): August $111.55 (+3.15); September $111.85 (+3.18); October $111.90 (+3.10); November $112.15 (+3.73).
On Friday morning, USDA released the Acreage report.  It puts corn plantings at 92.888 million acres, well higher than pre-report estimates (more about that later).  July Corn closed on Friday at $3.29 ½, down 38 cents from last week’s close.  Soybean futures soared on Friday in response to lower-than-expected acreage estimates.  July soybeans closed on Friday at $8.50, up 53 cents from last Friday’s close.  Dr. Anderson’s complete report can be accessed from www.mscattlemen.org

Celebrate the 4th with BEEF!

Corn Plantings Higher than Expected, Soybeans Down - Corn plantings jumped 19 percent compared with last year, while soybean plantings dropped about 15 percent, according to a USDA reported released Friday.
Driven by increased demand for corn-based ethanol, corn plantings exceeded USDA's previously estimated 90.45 million planted acres, reaching 92.9 million acres and the highest level since 1944.
Increased corn plantings came at the expense of soybeans, which dropped to 64.1 million acres, the lowest planting level since 1995. July beans closed at $8.50.from Meatingplace.com

Time Runs Out for Illinois Horse Slaughterhouse - A federal judge last Thursday effectively closed the last U.S. horse slaughterhouse, refusing to extend an earlier order that stayed the enforcement of a new Illinois law that prohibits production of horse meat for human consumption.
Cavel International in DeKalb, Ill., received a reprieve from U.S. District Court Judge Frederick Kapala about a month ago, when he issued a temporary restraining order to prevent the law from being enforced. Kapala also extended the order once, but on Thursday wrote that he "no longer believes that plaintiffs have shown a strong or even negligible likelihood of succeeding on the merits of the action pending before this court."
A lawyer for Cavel said although the plant will close for now, the company will appeal the decision and request expedited handling of the case. from Meatingplace.com

S. Korea to Implement COOL for Imported Rice, Beef - South Korean officials said Wednesday the country will enforce strict country-of-origin disclosure rules for imported rice and beef sold in local restaurants.
To take effect next year, the new rules would require all restaurants above certain floor space amounts to inform customers of the origin of rice and beef, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said.
Violations could result in restaurant closures and prison terms of less than three years. For minor offenses, authorities could levy fines of up to $5,390, according to Yonhap. from Meatingplace.com  

Cattlemen State Their Beef with COOL Law - Members of Congress and the media are once again focused on COOL as cattle producers’ concerns grow about the current mandatory law slated for implementation next September.  NCBA is urging Congress to amend the current law so it works better for food producers and consumers.  Cattle producers believe the current mandatory country-of-origin labeling law needs to be fixed because:

- Paperwork and documentation requirements in the current law are unclear. The current law could allow packers and retailers to demand impossibly complicated documentation, and it is believed that self-certification will not satisfy the requirements. 
- There is no exemption for cattle born prior to the effective date of the law.  Calves born this year will need to meet the new criteria when those calves are marketed in the fall of 2008. How can producers meet the law’s requirements for calves NOW when USDA has yet to write a final rule?
- If the government insists on making this marketing program mandatory, producers must have liability protection.  Producers who are unable to comply, or are unsure of HOW to comply because of complicated government-written rules, will be hit with penalties and fines. 
- The current law exempts too many products.  Under the current country-of-origin law, nearly 75 percent of meat products will go unlabeled because processed products, products used in food service (including restaurants) and poultry will remain unlabeled.
- The costs to producers could put many small operators out of business. USDA’s cost benefit analysis says the mandatory program passed as part of the 2002 Farm Bill could cost up to $3.9 billion in the first year alone. 

Cattle Producers Need Congress to Fix COOL - America’s cattlemen are looking to work with Congress on an alternative approach to remedy the mandatory country-of-origin labeling law. Labeling food products, especially U.S. beef, helps to build our brands. America’s cattlemen have long supported a voluntary marketing program to promote American beef, but the current mandatory labeling law forces additional burdens on livestock producers with no tangible benefits for producers or consumers.
“This law is imminent,” says NCBA’s Executive Director of Legislative Affairs Colin Woodall.  “The mandatory law is on the books and set to be implemented next year.  But there’s still time for Congress to fix some of the more damaging aspects of the law – and they’ll only do so if they hear from enough of their constituents in the countryside.”
NCBA is directing cattle-producer members to the website, www.beefusa.org, for more information on the soon-to-be-implemented MANDATORY country-of-origin labeling law.  Here, individuals can also contact their members of Congress and urge them to fix the problems with the program before it is forced on cattle producers.

On Energy, NCBA Urges “No New Mandates” - Late last week, the U.S. Senate voted 65-27 in favor of a comprehensive energy package, H.R. 6, the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007. This legislation mandates 15 billion gallons of renewable fuels from feedgrain products by 2015 – an increase that NCBA cannot support. 
“Sky-high mandates for feedgrain-based ethanol are not the solution,” says Jay Truitt, NCBA vice president of government affairs. “We already have strong mandates, major incentives for feedgrain-based ethanol production, and a corn ethanol industry that is growing at an astounding pace.”  Use of ethanol fuels has tripled in the past five years. NCBA’s message is simple:  let the market decide.
 NCBA will continue to engage on this issue as the House of Representatives embarks on energy policy. NCBA opposes any increase above 7.5 billion gallons for feedgrain-based ethanol mandates. NCBA is urging Congress to take a market-based approach for ethanol production and greater use of ethanol derived from products other than feedgrains.

Korea Trade Update - South Korean officials say they will conduct on-site inspections of U.S. beef facilities. Reportedly, an eight-member Korean delegation will visit cattle ranches, packing plants and feed facilities. Korean officials will look at the U.S. ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban compliance. The inspection tour is expected to run June 30 through July 8.
In related news, President Bush signed the U.S. - South Korea FTA, June 30, the last day to sign the agreement before the expiration of Trade Promotion Authority. NCBA attended a ceremony to mark the signing.  U.S. and South Korean officials held talks last week regarding U.S. beef trade issues and on potential revisions in other areas of the free trade agreement.  South Korean Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chong visited Washington, D.C. for the talks. Last week, South Korea and the U.S. held two days of meetings in Seoul. 

Don't Miss NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen - On this week’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen, beginning at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 3rd, we will have a special feature show on John Wayne, the legendary award-winning actor, often called the on-screen epitome of the American cowboy. The show will be rebroadcast Wednesday at 3:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., and Saturdays at 9 a.m. Make sure YOU tune into NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen on channel RFD-TV. For more information or to check out past episodes, visit www.cattlementocattlemen.org.

July 4                     Independence Day
July 17                    Drought Q & A, Distance Ed Sites
July 23-25               NCBA President John Queen’s Visit