Kids World – Thousands of kids and their parents were on hand Saturday for the annual Kids World program at the Mississippi Trade Mart. Youngsters stopping by the Mississippi Beef Council booth played the Beef Bingo board for prizes while their parents picked up recipes for great beef meals.

Leaders’ Training - The final two sessions of the Leaders’ Training Forum will be held this week and any county association that has not signed up is encouraged to contact their county Extension office.  The program will be presented on the MSU Extension’s Distance Learning Network tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. and will be repeated Thursday evening. 

Bozeman Scholarships – An outpouring of memorials honoring the life of Dudley Bozeman has led to the establishment of the Dudley Bozeman Memorial Scholarship Endowment to provide college scholarships for the children and grandchildren of MCA members. The Mississippi Cattlemen’s Foundation announced that nearly $40,000 has been pledged in Bozeman’s memory and that individuals wanting to contribute should mark their check “Bozeman Scholarships” and mail to the Foundation at 680 Monroe St., Jackson, MS 39202.

 Master Stockman - The 2007 Mississippi Master Stockman Program will be held at the Mississippi Horse Park and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station campus beef cattle and horse units on September 14-15. This day and a half long educational program features Curt Pate demonstrating low-stress cattle handling on horseback and includes Master Cattle Producer and Master Horseman certification opportunities. Participants choose from the following options: Basic Cow-Calf Track, Advanced Cow-Calf Track, or Stocker Cattle Track. Two horseman options will also be offered. For more information, go to: http://msucares.com/livestock/beef/masterstockman.pdf

Cattle Market Notes, Friday, August 17, 2007, Dr. John Anderson, Mississippi State University –Last week’s 5-Area weighted average live steer price came in at $90.41 – down about $1.50 from the previous week. Prices were about steady with last week – no small feat given the fact that futures prices were tanking on Thursday as commodity markets reacted to a big selloff in the stock market. Live prices came in at $90 to $90.50 for the most part, with dressed prices also holding about steady at $142 to $143. Slaughter rates appear to have slowed down some this week, with packers presumably pulling back a bit in an effort to punch up margins. This week’s kill is estimated at 667,000 head, down from 674,000 last week and 689,000 head a year ago.
Calf prices were mostly a little lower this week after last week’s dip in the fed cattle market – and in feeder cattle futures. At Lexington, Kentucky, feeder steer and heifer prices were steady (in a light test on heifers). Stocker calf prices were $4 to $7 lower, with instances of $10 lower on fleshy calves. At Arkansas auctions, prices on all classes were weak to $3 lower.
At Mississippi auctions this week, steer prices were $2 to $5 lower while heifer prices were $1 to $5 higher. Steer prices at Mississippi auctions this week were reported as follows: 250-300 pounds, $145-$155; 300-350 pounds, $135-$147; 350-400 pounds, $125-$135; 400-500 pounds, $115- $125; 500-600 pounds, $108-$115; 600-700 pounds, $100-$108; 700-800 pounds, $95-$100.
Live Cattle futures endured a very volatile week. On Wednesday, Live Cattle were up considerably in anticipation of friendly placement figures in this week’s Cattle on Feed report. On Thursday, however, Live Cattle were caught in the general decline in commodity values resulting from big losses in the stock market. Stocks bounced sharply on Friday after the Fed announced a surprise cut in the discount rate. Live Cattle futures closing prices on Friday (with change from last Friday’s close in parentheses) were as follows: August $91.95 (+1.73); October $95.47 (+0.92); December $97.87 (+0.40); February $98.80 (+0.90); April $99.05 (+1.05).
Feeder cattle futures were also whipsawed this week by stock market volatility. Feeder Cattle futures closing prices on Friday (with change from last Friday’s close in parentheses): August $116.42 (+1.45); September $116.87 (+2.30); October $117.22 (+1.92); November $117.32 (+2.07).
Corn futures moved lower this week. September Corn closed on Friday at $3.28 ½, down 4 ½ cents from last week’s close. Soybean futures fell apart on Thursday, pressured not only by stock market worries but also by improving weather conditions in parts of the Midwest. September beans closed on Friday at $8.11 ½, down 44 ½ cents from last Friday’s close. Dr. Anderson’s complete report can be accessed from www.mscattlemen.org

Beef Industry Scholarships - Applications are being accepted for the 2008 Beef Industry Scholarship Program, sponsored by the National Cattlemen’s Foundation and the CME Group. All entries must be postmarked by October 5, 2007.
Ten scholarships of $1,500 each will be awarded to young people pursuing careers in the beef industry. The program encourages talented and thoughtful students who have demonstrated a commitment to a career in the beef industry, either through classes, internships or life experience. Graduating high school seniors or full-time undergraduate students enrolled at a two-year or four-year college for the 2008-2009 academic year are encouraged to apply.
A full description the scholarship program and application requirements can be found at the National Cattlemen’s Foundation website: www.nationalcattlemensfoundation.org/scholarship.aspx , or obtained by calling 303-850-3345.  

1300 Cattle Missing - Nearly 300 cattle and calves were killed, 90 were injured and about 1,300 are missing, according to a federal survey of ranchers following recent wildfires in Utah.
From the northeastern corner to the southwest, Utah had a series of significant wildfires in June and July. Five people died, including a California couple riding a motorcycle when smoke swept Interstate 15 on July 7.
At more than 560 square miles, the Milford Flat Fire in Beaver and Millard counties was the largest in Utah history. from CattleNetwork

Farr Dies - On August 13, the cattle industry lost one of its greatest pioneers - W.D. Farr, 96, of Greeley, Colo. Mr. Farr’s contributions to farming and ranching spanned 75 years. These not only include innovations in cattle feeding, but also development of a uniform beef grading system, water development and management, and banking and finance. Mr. Farr was president of the National Cattlemen’s Association, a predecessor organization of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), in 1970, and was the first recipient of the Swan Leadership Award in 2001. He was also the first president of the National Cattlemen’s Foundation, the philanthropic organization of the cattlemen’s association dedicated to advancing the future of the beef industry with passion and urgency for the benefit of consumers and cattlemen.

What’s in a Name? - Whether its french fries or carrots, preschoolers said food tastes better when it comes in a McDonald's wrapper, according to a study from Stanford among children in low-income households. Researchers say it's not the food — it's the brand name that impacts the preference. from Meatingplace.com  

President Bush Signs Disaster Assistance Bill - President Bush signed into law last week S. 1716 which will clarify that livestock producers are eligible for livestock assistance programs regardless of whether they had Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage.  In the emergency supplemental passed earlier this year, Congress included agriculture disaster assistance to provide much-needed aid to livestock producers who were dealt a blow by wildfires, drought and other natural disasters. However, due to interpretation of the legislative language in the emergency supplemental, the majority of our nation’s livestock producers would have been excluded from any assistance unless they had NAP coverage.  S. 1716 strikes the NAP requirement. 
NCBA worked to get the fix added to a number of legislative vehicles, and supported S. 1716 which passed as a stand-alone bill in late July.  “This is good news for many cattle producers who have been hurt by drought, wildfire, blizzards, floods or other natural disasters,” says NCBA’s Manager of Legislative Affairs Jason Jordan.  “This clarification will ensure that farmers and ranchers will benefit from the aid Congress passed earlier this year.”

NAFTA News Update - Last week, trade officials from the United States, Mexico, and Canada, met in Vancouver, Canada for an annual meeting of the NAFTA Free Trade Commission (FTC). Following the August 14 meeting, U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab, Canada’s International Trade Minister David Emerson, and Mexico's Secretary of the Economy Eduardo Sojo noted that the work accomplished would help lay the foundation for the upcoming North American Leaders Summit in Montebello, Québec, August 20-21, where President George W. Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and Mexican President Felipe Calderon will meet.
In a joint statement, the three Ministers announced: "The NAFTA – now in its 14th year – has been a remarkable success story for all three partners. It has contributed to significant increases in trade and investment flows between Canada, the United States and Mexico, and has contributed to economic growth and job creation throughout North America.
"We are committed to multilateral trade liberalization and to successfully concluding the WTO Doha Round of negotiations.  We urge all WTO Members to demonstrate renewed energy and flexibility in the negotiations based on the Chairs’ texts in agriculture and non-agricultural market access. At the same time, we reaffirm our commitments undertaken at our last meeting of APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade, held in July 2007 in Cairns, Australia.  To this end, we reiterated our commitment to examine the prospect of a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP).
"We are also pleased with significant progress on rules of origin. In 2003, the NAFTA Working Group on Rules of Origin set out to liberalize the requirements for obtaining NAFTA duty-free treatment. The first set of changes – affecting approximately $20 billion (USD) in annual trilateral trade – was implemented in 2005. A second set of changes – affecting an estimated $15 billion (USD) in trilateral trade – was implemented in 2006. We have now agreed to a third set of changes – affecting an estimated $100 billion (USD) in trilateral trade. These changes will be implemented in 2008."

NAFTA Has Helped the U.S. Achieve Record Beef Exports to Canada, Mexico - NAFTA has made huge strides for the U.S. beef export industry and is seen as an exemplary agreement. Prior to the agreement, Mexico was an inconsistent market for U.S. beef. When our industry sought NAFTA more than a dozen years ago, no one imagined that one day Mexico would become the U.S. beef industry’s best market.
Today, U.S. beef exports to Canada and Mexico are moving at record levels. The United States exported a record amount of beef and beef variety meats to Canada in both May ($59 million) and June ($66 million). Through the first six months of 2007, the United States has sold to Canada $254 million in beef, versus $196 million during the same period in 2006. Total U.S. beef exports to Canada in 2006 were $433 million, suggesting we're on pace to sell to Canada more than half a billion dollars worth of beef this year.
U.S. imports of Canadian beef through the first half of this year were approximately 147,000 mt worth $460 million, compared to 149,000 mt worth $476 million during the same period last year. The United States imported 599,435 head of Canadian fed and feeder cattle during the first six months of 2007, compared to 527,612 head during the same period in 2006.
In 2006, the United States sold to Mexico a record $1.16 billion in beef and beef variety meats, and at the half-way point in 2007, we're already $12 million ahead of last year. U.S. exports to Mexico in May were an all-time record for any month at $67.5 million compared to $67.1 million in June 2003, the previous record month. U.S. imports of Mexican feeder cattle during the first six months of 2007 were 523,681 head compared to 635,886 during the same period in 2006.
There is a good chance that total U.S. beef exports to both Mexico and Canada in 2007 will set all-time records.

Korea Trade Update - USDA is awaiting a response from the Korean government - expected in the next few days - to its audit report on the U.S. plant that recently sent bone-in product to Korea.  It is not known when Korea will lift its suspension on U.S. beef trade as it largely depends upon Korean satisfaction with USDA's official report of the incident, and the implementation of any potential corrective measures that might be necessary. At this time, U.S. beef exports worth $34 - $38 million are in transit to Korea. Historically, August is a high-volume sales month for U.S. beef exports to Korea, and NCBA is very concerned that a prolonged delay could cost U.S. beef producers significant sales.

NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen - On this week’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen, beginning at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 21st, the episode will include a discussion of the JBS-Swift merger with Steve Kay of Cattle Buyers Weekly. The Cattle Learning Center will show you tips on how to prevent shipping fever from affecting your cattle, and an update is provided on the foot-and-mouth disease situation in Great Britain. Sherry Hill of American National CattleWomen also stops by to discuss the 2008 National Beef Cook-off in Chicago.  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 in to NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen on channel RFD-TV. For more information or to check out past episodes, visit www.cattlementocattlemen.org.

Aug 21                   County Leaders’ Training, Distance Ed Sites
Aug 23                   County Leaders’ Training, Distance Ed Sites
Aug 28                   Nutrition Shortcourse, Distance Ed Sites
Sept 7-8                  MSU Animal & Dairy Sciences Alumni Reunion
Sept 8                     Tanner Farms Junior Field Day, Shuqualak
Sept 14-15              Master Stockman Program, MSU
Sept 20                   Webster CCA
Sept 25                   Nutrition Shortcourse, Distance Ed Sites