CattleWomen – Mississippi CattleWomen’s Association members conducted beef promotion activities at two events at the Truck Crops Experiment Station. On October 13th & 14th, the Fall Garden Festival hosted 6500 horticulture enthusiasts to the station near Crystal Springs.  CattleWomen distribute pre-cooked beef samples and beef recipes to thousands of hungry consumers. The following week, over 1500 kids attended the two-day Experiment Station Field Day to visit the educational exhibits that included a CattleWomen’s beef program.

Bull Sale – The Fall 2007 Mississippi Beef Cattle Improvement Association Bull Sale is scheduled for Thursday, November 8, 2007 at noon at the Hinds Community College bull sale facility in Raymond.
For those unable to attend, interactive video bidding sites will once again be offered in Verona and Batesville for the BCIA sale. More information is available on the sale website: http://msucares.com/livestock/beef/mbcia/bcia_bullsale.html

Grilling Contest – The News Anchor Team from WLBT Channel 3 was the winner of this year’s Celebrity Grilling Contest at the State Fair. Camera crews from three Jackson television stations were on hand to promote their team - and beef - on the day’s news broadcasts.

Congrats!! – Following the State Fair, Lyle Denton’s name was drawn for the Mississippi Beef Council’s steak dinner for two at Schimmel’s Fine Dining. Hundreds of fairgoers signed up for nutrition information, recipes, weekly “Beef, It’s What’s for Dinner” e-mails, and teacher packets - along with the dinner drawing.

Cattle Market Notes, Friday, October 19, 2007, Dr. John Anderson, Mississippi State University – A few early sales last week at as low as $88 suggested a break in the market; however, sales on late Friday were at mostly steady to a little higher prices.  Trade has once again been slow to develop.  Some business was done in the Western Corn Belt on Thursday at $90 to $92 -- $1 to $2 higher than last week in that region.  On Friday, dressed prices in Nebraska were $2 to $5 higher than last week at $145.  Trade remained basically non-existent in the South Plains, with Dow-Jones reporting asking prices of $96 against bids of $93.  The pace of slaughter this week should have packers needing cattle.  This week’s slaughter is estimated at 674,000 head, up from 634,000 a week ago and 643,000 a year ago.  Hog slaughter also remains large (though down a bit from last week): 2,334,000 this week versus 2,353,000 last week.
Calf prices around the country were generally steady to a little lower.  At Oklahoma City, feeder steer and heifer prices were unevenly steady.  Stocker steer and heifer prices were $2 to $3 lower.  At Lexington, Kentucky, feeder steer prices were $2 to $3 lower.  At Arkansas auctions this week, prices on all classes were $1 to $3 lower. 
At Mississippi auctions this week, feeder steer and heifer prices were steady.  Steer prices at Mississippi auctions this week were reported as follows: 250-300 pounds, $135-$140; 300-400 pounds, $125-$135; 400-500 pounds, $110-$125; 500-600 pounds, $100-$110; 600-700 pounds, $90-$100; 700-800 pounds, not reported.  Slaughter cow prices were $1 to $3 lower this week. 
Live Cattle futures were mostly lower this week.  Live Cattle futures closing prices on Friday (with change from last Friday’s close in parentheses) were as follows: October $95.30 (+0.85); December $97.30 (+0.08); February $98.97 (-0.43); April $98.67 (-0.85); June $95.10 (-0.62).
Feeder cattle futures fell this week, pressured by higher grain prices and receiving little support from deferred live cattle contracts.  Feeder Cattle futures closing prices on Friday (with change from last Friday’s close in parentheses): October $111.50 (-1.87); November $111.30 (-2.17); January $111.15 (-2.75); March $111.65 (-1.70).
Corn futures moved higher this week, adding to last week’s gains following USDA report releases last Friday.  December Corn closed on Friday at $3.70 ¼, 51, up 19 ¼ cents from last week’s close.  Soybean futures moved mostly sideways this week.  November beans closed on Friday at $9.83 ¼, up 6 ½ cents from last Friday’s close.  Dr. Anderson’s complete report can be accessed from www.mscattlemen.org

Korea Trade Update - Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Wendy Cutler urged South Korean officials last week to expand beef trade beyond Korea’s current protocol which allows for only boneless beef from animals younger than 30 months of age.
"We expect our trading partners to import beef, all products, all ages," Cutler said, citing the May 2007 decision by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) which classified the Unites States as “controlled risk” for BSE.  This classification represents the effectiveness of U.S. regulatory controls and dictates that U.S beef and beef products from cattle of all ages can be safely traded in accordance with international guidelines.
Beef trade between the United States and South Korea is currently suspended due to a recent shipment that violated an interim trade protocol by including vertebral column.  In the wake of the suspension, Korean officials said the two countries would work to establish new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards for beef imports.  In media reports last week, South Korea Agriculture Minister Im Sang-gyu said, “U.S. beef poses no health risks beyond international standards.”
Prior to December 2003, bone-in beef accounted for roughly half of all U.S. beef exports to South Korea, and U.S. cattlemen are eager to regain this important market share.  

McDonald's Testing New Steak Breakfast Burritos - McDonald's Corp. is testing two new McSkillet Burritos in a number of markets, further evidence that quick service restaurants continue to expand their breakfast menus in a bid to capture or retain breakfast-customer dollars.
One of the new McSkillet Burritos features steak and the other features sausage, both combined with potatoes, eggs, cheese and peppers.
"Customer preferences are changing. They are more open to trying bold, flavorful, robust ingredients," said McDonald's Spokeswoman Danya Proud. She could not predict when or if the new items might be rolled out beyond the test markets.
McDonald's now attributes one-third of its U.S. revenue to breakfast traffic. from meatingplace.com

Grass Fed Standard Developed - USDA has established a voluntary standard for livestock marketed as grass fed. This standard, which was published in the Federal Register, incorporates the revisions made as a result of comments received from an earlier proposal.
The rule states that in order to qualify as grass fed only grass and/or forage can be fed for the lifetime of the ruminant animal, with the exception of milk consumed prior to weaning. Animals cannot be fed grain or grain by-products and must have continuous access to pasture during the growing season.
With the establishment of this voluntary standard, livestock producers can request that a grass fed claim be verified by USDA, which will be accomplished through an audit of the production process. Meat sold from approved programs will be allowed to carry a USDA-verified claim.
The grass fed standard will go into effect November 15.

Senate Considering Farm Bill Conservation Programs - Adequate funding and flexibility for producers within Farm Bill conservation programs has been a top priority for NCBA during congressional discussions on the Farm Bill.  “Farm Bill conservation programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) are very popular with our members,” says Stacey Satterlee, NCBA’s director of legislative affairs.  “These programs help cattle producers implement voluntary conservation practices on their operations while promoting agricultural production and environmental quality.  We’re asking the Senate to approve language in the Farm Bill that will allow our producers to participate in cost-share conservation programs.”
Senate Ag Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) told the media last week that the coming Senate Farm Bill proposal has an estimated $4 billion in new budget authority for conservation.

Energy Legislation - As Congress prepares to conference energy legislation, NCBA, along with the American Meat Institute, National Chicken Council, National Meat Association, National Turkey Federation, United Egg Association, and United Egg Producers sent a letter October 12th to leaders in Congress regarding a potential increase in the mandates for corn ethanol production.   
In June of this year, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 6, the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007, which mandates 15 billion gallons of renewable fuels from feedgrain products by 2015 – an increase that NCBA policy does not support.  The House version passed earlier this year contains no increase to the renewable fuel standards (RFS).
NCBA wants policymakers to fully understand the ramifications of increasing the RFS beyond its current 7.5 billion gallons by 2012.  The letter points out, “With respect to the existing RFS, the uncertainty of year-to-year crop yields creates an urgent need for a safety valve in the event of a short corn crop…In the event that corn supplies are not sufficient to meet food, feed and fuel demand, the law should provide for a temporary reduction in the RFS, triggered by an appropriate stocks or price indicator.”
As these bills are conferenced, NCBA will be urging for a final package that does not include an increased RFS such as what is currently in the Senate version of the bill.  The letter says, “the existing RFS, enacted in 2005, has already spurred rapid development in the renewable fuels industry. The current RFS extends through 2012, and we believe this policy should be given a chance to work before any additional mandates are added to it.”

USAHA Meetings - NCBA’s Chief Veterinarian Elizabeth Parker was in Reno, Nev. last week for the annual meeting of the U.S. Animal Health Association and the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians.  More information on these meetings is posted at www.usaha.org.

Don't Miss NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen - On this week’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen, beginning at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 23rd, Lee Leachman of Leachman Cattle of Colorado explains the importance of quality genetics when building or expanding a cattle herd. The Cattle Learning Center travels to Montana, where veterinary experts have developed a screening project to battle the problem of cattle being persistently infected with bovine viral diarrhea. And Cattlemen to Cattlemen’s “Day in the Life” segment profiles California rancher Duane Martin.   
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.

Oct 25                          Stone CCA
Oct 25-27                     AI School, MSU
Oct 27                          Lincoln CCA Field Day
Oct 30                          Nutrition Shortcourse, Distance Ed Sites
Nov 8                           BCIA Sale, Raymond
Nov 12                         Claiborne/Jefferson CCA
Nov 13                         Wilkinson CCA
Nov 15                         Webster CCA
Nov 15                         MAFES Sale, Starkville

Mississippi Cattlemen's Association
680 Monroe Street, Suite A
Jackson, MS 39202
(601) 354-8951
missca1@bellsouth.net