Latest News From Sara Brown

How to Drive Cow and Calf Pairs
How to Drive Cow and Calf Pairs

Driving pairs deserves special attention because this could be one of the top cattle handling problem on ranches. Everyone has trouble, at least sometimes.

U.S. Treasury Withdrawing Proposed Estate Tax Regulations
U.S. Treasury Withdrawing Proposed Estate Tax Regulations

The U.S. Department of Treasury withdraws proposed restrictions on estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax.

CAB Insider: Rapid Increases In Quality Beef Continues
CAB Insider: Rapid Increases In Quality Beef Continues

Led by demand, CAB sales move onward and upward, with a 10.3% increase in CAB sales tonnage in fiscal 2017

Angus Accepts Tissue-Samples for DNA Collection
Angus Accepts Tissue-Samples for DNA Collection

Tissue-sampling units (TSUs) are now accepted by Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI) as a DNA sample type for seedstock producers seeking genetic testing.

Profit Tracker: Margins Near Breakeven, Packers Up
Profit Tracker: Margins Near Breakeven, Packers Up

Average feedyard margins declined $18 per head last week, settling at $26. With average margins that close to breakeven, many cattle sold last week undoubtedly lost money.

Oklahoma Wheat Behind Schedule But Stocker Demand Remains Strong
Oklahoma Wheat Behind Schedule But Stocker Demand Remains Strong

Wheat pasture has developed relatively slowly in Oklahoma so far this fall, but September prices for stocker steers and heifers average 14% to 18% higher than last year.

U.S. Beef Roadshow a Successful Launch for Market Development Efforts in China
U.S. Beef Roadshow a Successful Launch for Market Development Efforts in China

The U.S. Beef China Roadshow, organized by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) with support from the Nebraska Beef Council. brought exporters and importers together in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

New Look, Improved Functionality At Drovers.com
New Look, Improved Functionality At Drovers.com

Welcome to the redesigned Drovers.com.

Bred Heifers the Only Female Class Showing Gains
Bred Heifers the Only Female Class Showing Gains

Bred heifers in higher demand this fall

Jaw-Dropping Grape Dishonesty
Jaw-Dropping Grape Dishonesty

Labeling and marketing tatics of cotton-candy flavored grapes are dishonest at best.

Using Wheat Pasture as a Winter Supplement for Cows
Using Wheat Pasture as a Winter Supplement for Cows

Assuming rainfall comes to the Southern Plains, wheat pasture will again be a key source of protein and some energy for many cow herds starting in late November or early December.

Chisholm Trail Celebrates 150th Anniversary
Chisholm Trail Celebrates 150th Anniversary

There’s still a lot of lore and romance left in the Old West. Ranchers celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Chisholm Trail.

Record Keeping: A Plea for Help
Record Keeping: A Plea for Help

What production and financial records should be recorded and maintained?

Brazil Agriculture Ministry Says Fresh Beef Exports to U.S. May Resume in October
Brazil Agriculture Ministry Says Fresh Beef Exports to U.S. May Resume in October

The ban on fresh Brazilian beef exports to the U.S. could end after the U.S. finishes its review of documents sent in response to questions raised in a U.S. veterinary mission to Brazil earlier this year.

Tom Burke Joins the Saddle and Sirloin Portrait Gallery
Tom Burke Joins the Saddle and Sirloin Portrait Gallery

Lifelong Angus producer Tom Burke of Platte City, Missouri, has been selected as the 2017 inductee into the Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery, considered the highest honor in the livestock industry. 

CAB Reports Record Product Sales
CAB Reports Record Product Sales

Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) celebrates its 39th Anniversary this week with a conference here attracting 600 chefs, restaurateurs, retail meat managers, packers, processors and producers.

Fed Cattle Prices Steady, Feeders Uneven
Fed Cattle Prices Steady, Feeders Uneven

Packers remain in a highly profitable position, while many feedyard closeouts are showing red ink.

Texas Ranchers Battle Hurricane Harvey to Protect Cattle
Texas Ranchers Battle Hurricane Harvey to Protect Cattle

Ranchers are assessing damage and trying to evacuate livestock after Hurricane Harvey invaded the Texas coast, bringing torrential rains, tornadoes and high winds.

A Call for Transparency
A Call for Transparency

Disagree with Uma Valeti, CEO of Memphis Meats, a tech startup making meat from self-reproducing animal cells, if you want. Just don’t dismiss his efforts to bring “real meat—without the animal—to the table.”

Beef Quality Series: Adapt Facilities, Equipment to Your Cattle
Beef Quality Series: Adapt Facilities, Equipment to Your Cattle

The industry trend toward larger, heavier weight cattle could drive the need for changes in the design of facilities and equipment. 

Beef Quality Series: Consumers Shift Attention to "Cultural Concerns"
Beef Quality Series: Consumers Shift Attention to "Cultural Concerns"

Consumer perceptions of beef quality involve what you produce, and also how you produce it.

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Montana Sees Heavy Snow Fall This Weekend

Snow is falling across a large portion of Montana today, bringing relief to areas struggling to control multiple wildfires. Some mountain passes could see up to 8” of snow by Saturday.

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Beef Profit Margins: Everyone Wins

There are few losers in the cattle market right now. From packers all the way down to cow-calf producers, current prices this summer are turning profits far into what is typically a seasonal lull.

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Japan Confirms Tariff Increase on U.S. Frozen Beef

Japanese officials confirm rising imports of frozen beef in the first quarter of the Japanese fiscal year (April-June) have triggered a safeguard, resulting in an automatic increase to Japan's tariff rate under the WTO on imports of frozen beef from the U.S.  

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Japan Considers Tariffs as Frozen Beef Imports Rise

Friday’s release of Japanese import data could pull the trigger on major disruptions in the U.S.-Japan beef trade. 

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Mark Zuckerberg Visits a Cattle Ranch

When you have a cough, you visit a doctor. When you want to know where your food comes from, you should ask farmers and ranchers.

Wildfire Threat Continues Through Holiday Weekend

Several devastating fires are currently raging in the western U.S.—and hot and dry weather will only exacerbate wildfire danger through the weekend.

China Beef Facts
Realities of U.S. Beef's Access to China

China’s market halted in 2003 when the U.S. investigated a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) from an imported dairy cow. Up to that point, the U.S. was China’s largest supplier of beef.

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Producers in the Dakotas Continue Liquidation Due to Drought

Already short on hay and forage after a hard winter, ranchers in North and South Dakota are continuing to reduce herds in response to severe drought conditions.

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Kansas, Oklahoma Ranchers Focus on Restarting Wildfire-Damaged Pasture

Ranchers in Kansas and Oklahoma learned more about how grasslands recover after wildfire in a joint educational seminar hosted by Extension personnel from Kansas State University and Oklahoma State University, at Snake Creek Ranch, on the state border. According to Extension sources, plentiful precipitation will be the greatest help in getting grass regrowing.

As many as 10,000 cattle died as a result of the wildfires.
Donations Grow for Wildfire Recovery

By May 18, more than 600 donations had been made online or by mail totaling more than $350,000.

ClariFly Horn Fly
Start Horn Fly Control Earlier than Later

Start a fly control program early to capture higher rates of gain

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Veterinary Feed Directive: What You Need to Know

The latest coverage of the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) and how it will impact producers and veterinarians.

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Heifers Stay At Home

A 2.5% to 3% expansion in the U.S. cowherd likely

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A Matter of Trust

Every rancher wants productive, easy tempered cattle in the pasture and heavy weight calves at weaning. But often the behavior choices of the cattle are directly impacted by the behavior choices of the rancher. 

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Five Keys to Success in Cow-Calf Production

Cow-Calf Cowboy College draws producers from 23 states.

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Cow-Calf Cowboy College Draws Producers from 23 States

Nearly 120 cattle producers from 23 states attended Beef Today’s Cow-Calf Cowboy College in Denver, Colo., today. The two-day conference brought cattlemen and women from Delaware to Florida to California, to engage in top notch cow-calf research and profit strategies.

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Double-Down On Your Cow-Calf Skills in Denver

Producers will learn how to apply management practices to ensure the health, performance and quality of cattle

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Stockers Shift to the Plains and Midwest

Environment and feed availability key factors to increase

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Favorable Spring Forecast

CattleFax predicts a cool start to planting and mild summer temperatures

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Cattle Under Roof

Eight years of raising cattle in controlled environments suggests an economical way to calve and feed cattle

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Manure Is a Resource

The deep-bedded hoop barns are usually cleaned out in the summer and fall. Because the roof keeps the rain and moisture off the bedpack, manure remains relatively dry and odor is less of an issue.

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Case IH Introduces Maxxum Tractor at Cattle Industry Convention Tradeshow

The new Case IH Maxxum series tractor debuted at the 2015 Cattle Industry Convention and Tradeshow. A new modern style and factory-installed work components make the tractor a primary fit with livestock producers.

Cattle Herds Increase; Shift to the Plains and Midwest

As the nation’s cowherd enters into an expansion, several key factors are at play, says Darrell Peel, ag economist, Oklahoma State University at the 2015 NCBA Cattlemen’s College.

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Capitalize On Your Cash Cow

Higher cattle prices might bump your tax bracket. Put that extra revenue to appropriate use before year-end

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Accuracy Adds Dollars

EPDs and genomic information advance bull selection

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A Leader From Within

Every cattleman faces challenges—even NCBA leaders

Flying Money
Capture the Cash

Develop a profit strategy and don’t look back

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New Products: High-Capacity Round Balers

Hesston’s new 2900 Series high-capacity round balers are designed to feed faster and more smoothly, achieving dense, uniform big round bales regardless of the crop or crop conditions.