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Profit Tracker: Feedyard Margins Improve $16

Fri, 07 Jul 2023 19:16:17 GMT

Cattle feeding margins improved $16 per head last week as cash prices improved less than $1 per cwt. Industry average profit margins on cattle sold last week were $84 per head, according to the Sterling Beef Profit Tracker.

For the week ending April 12, cash cattle sold for an average of $125.07 per cwt., while the beef cutout closed the week at $227.56 up $2.08 from April 5. Packers saw profits of $180 per head last week, $24 higher than the previous week. The Beef and Pork Profit Trackers are calculated by Sterling Marketing Inc., Vale, Ore.

A year ago cattle feeders were losing an average of $37 per head. Feeder cattle represent 73% of the cost of finishing a steer compared with 75% a year ago.

Farrow-to-finish pork producers saw their margins fall $1 per head with profits of $38 per head. Lean carcass prices traded at $77.87 per cwt., $0.51 per cwt. lower than the previous week, and $24.04 higher than a month ago. A year ago pork producer margins were negative $18 per head. Pork packer margins averaged a profit of $4 per head last week.

Sterling Marketing president John Nalivka projects cash profit margins for cow-calf producers in 2019 will average $144 per cow. That would be modestly lower compared to the $161 estimated average profit for 2018. Estimated average cow-calf margins were $164 in 2017, $176 in 2016, and $438 per cow in 2015.

For feedyards, Nalivka projects an average profit of $77 per head in 2019, which would be $53 better than the average of $24 per head in 2018. Nalivka expects packer margins to average about $156 per head in 2019, about $14 less than in 2018.

For farrow-to-finish pork producers, Nalivka projects an average loss of $14.60 per head in 2019, as compared with an average profit of $1.35 per head in 2018. Pork packers are projected to earn $21 per head in 2019, about $3 less than the $20 per head profits of 2018.

Tyson Ventures Invests in Food Safety Testing Firm Clear Labs

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 04:17:20 GMT

Tyson Ventures has already made splashes buying stakes in alternative protein companies. Now, the venture capital arm of giant Tyson Foods Inc. is betting the meat industry will beef up its food-safety platforms.

The unit is investing in Clear Labs Inc., a food safety testing company that uses a robotic platform to detect pathogens like salmonella. The technology shortens turnaround times of current methods to 24 hours from three-to-five days. It’s Tyson’s first investment in the food-safety space, and likely not the last, said Reese Schroeder, managing director at Tyson Ventures.

Companies like Tyson use microbiology labs to test large volumes of raw-meat samples and other foods from processing plants along with equipment to ensure nothing contains food-upoisoning culprits like E. coli before entering commerce.

“If all goes as planned, this will be in lab settings and help us do that better, faster and more accurately,” Schroeder said. “We worked closely with our microbiology lab in evaluating companies, and this was a good first choice for a first investment in food safety.”

Tyson Ventures is looking to make investments in areas including innovative protein products, disruptive delivery channels, emerging brands and categories, and operations enhancements including food safety and sustainability, Schroeder said.

The venture capital fund made headlines as one of the first meat companies to invest in alternative proteins. It has stakes in plant-based burger firm Beyond Meat, and cultured meat companies Memphis Meats and Future Meat Technologies.

The terms of the deal aren’t being disclosed.

2018 Was One for the Record Books When it Comes to Beef

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 20:59:16 GMT

We are finally getting to see 2018 total beef and pork export numbers. The numbers were delayed due to the partial government shutdown. The U.S. Meat Export Federation reports beef exports shattered the previous record, hitting a new high for volume. Exports reached 1.35 mmt. That’s up 7% from 2017, to a record $8.33 billion dollars. The average price was $323.14 per head. USMEF says the numbers were fueled by demand in South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.

As for pork, exports reached 2.44 mmt. That just 0.5% below the 2017 record. Pork export value was $6.39 billion. That’s down 1%. It equates to about $51.37 per head.

You can read the full report here .

Related articles:

Solid Year for U.S. Pork Exports; Second-Half Pressured By Tariffs

2018 Beef Exports Record-Large; Up 7% from 2017

Loose Bull Put Down by Police After Attacking Owner and Vehicles

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 20:59:16 GMT

Charging officers and mounting a moving vehicle, a bull in Sparta, New Jersey was put down by police after it attacked and seriously injured its owner.

Prior to the incident, police received several calls from neighbors who reported that a cow was approaching passing cars. According to ABC 7, one passing driver thought the animal was harmless and rolled down her window to pet the bull, even feeding it cereal.

Calling the police herself, Wendy McDermott, the animal’s owner, told officers the “cow” was actually a bull and said that the animal had been acting “highly aggressive” recently, according to NBC Philadelphia.

Jumping into her vehicle, McDermott tried to coax the bull back onto her property by rolling down her window and using a bucket of grain to get the animal’s attention.

Officer Arlene Lippencott told police that she saw the “bull bumping Mrs. McDermott’s vehicle and trying to mount it several times,” according to the statement from Sparta Township Police.

Once McDermott got the bull back to her estate, she exited her vehicle to put the animal back in its pen. That’s when the bull became extremely aggressive.

Knocking McDermott to the ground, the bull began to repeatedly injure its owner before police could step in to assist.

"[The owner] was screaming that the bull was going to kill her and needed to be shot,” police told NBC Philadelphia.

After putting the animal down, paramedics arrived at the scene to doctor McDermott. The owner sustained several bruises to her upper body along with a head laceration requiring 40 stiches.

Lieutenant John Lamon told ABC 7 that the owner’s injuries could have been much more severe. “When you’re dealing with an animal that’s 1,100, 1,200 pounds, all they have to do is just strike you with their body and they can cause serious injury, if not fatal,” he said.

Harmless at birth, it only takes a few months before a young bull starts to become dangerous. It is important to remember that these animals can be deadly and should be taken care of with the upmost caution.

For more on this, read:

Environmentalist Files Lawsuit Against Rancher

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 20:59:01 GMT

A federal civil rights lawsuit was filed against San Juan County, Utah, and a local rancher by an environmental rights activist who alleges she was illegally detained and falsely accused in 2017.

Rose Chilcoat, filed the lawsuit this week as a result of the incident in 2017 when she and her husband Mark Franklin, both of Durango, Colo., were detained by rancher Zane Odell’s hands until sheriff’s deputies arrived at Odell’s corral. They later faced charges that they attempted to kill Odell’s cattle by shutting the gate to the corral where the water tank was located.

Charges against Chilcoat were later dropped, but Franklin plead no contest last week to Class A and Class B misdemeanor charges of “trespassing on State Trust Lands [with the intent to do harm].” The couple claim the case was brought as a form of retaliation for Chilcoat’s work with the environmental groups Great Old Broads for Wilderness and Friends of Cedar Mesa.

Chilcoat’s lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Utah states, “Under the Constitution, citizens have the right to express political viewpoints without retaliation by the government. They have the right not to be seized by the government, or persons acting on behalf of the government, without probable cause. They have the right not to have criminal charges filed against them based upon factual misrepresentations. In the case of Rose Chilcoat, all of these rights were violated.”

Originally, the San Juan County Attorney’s Office charged Chilcoat with two misdemeanors: one for trespassing on state trust lands and another for providing false information for identifying herself to police using her married name.

Six days after those initial charges, Chilcoat was issued two new felony charges: attempted wanton destruction of livestock and retaliation against a witness for a letter she sent to the Bureau of Land Management about rancher Odell’s cattle operation.

The lawsuit also seeks damages against Odell for making accusations against Chilcoat he knew to be false and for assault.

“Odell falsely stated to third parties that Ms. Chilcoat had beencaught ‘red-handed’ closing the gate and trying to kill his cattle,” the suit states. “Odell’s false allegations were widely publicized, and subjected Ms. Chilcoat to death threats and other excoriation.”

Related stories:

Utah Trial For Man Accused Of Attempt To Kill Cattle

Anti-Grazing Activist Pleads ‘No Contest’ In Utah Cattle Case

Firefighters, Police Help Care for Cattle Across the Country

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 20:58:55 GMT

First responders are a lot like farmers and ranchers, they work long hours in stressful jobs. Sometimes the jobs of firefighters and police cross into the agriculture realm when on-duty officers respond to calls involving cattle. There have been a few cases that have popped up recently on social media that found police officers and firefighters helping care for cattle that caught our attention.

A team of firefighters from Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue in Tigard, Oregon, was driving back from a recent dill when the crews noticed a cow in distress. A farmer was attending to the cow as she was struggling to deliver a calf before the team jumped the fence and offered a hand.

The crews from Stations 68 and 55 were able to help the farmer pull the calf safely in about 15-20 minutes before heading back to their stations. The cow and calf were reportedly in good condition while waiting for a veterinarian to stop in for a checkup.

Firefighters in Clyde, Texas, were also busy helping rescue a calf on April 24 that got stuck in a well that was 15 feet deep.

In Sebastopol, California, the local police department helped put a couple of cattle back to their home pasture on May 1 after the heifers were found early in the morning near a Safeway grocery store.

The Sebastopol Police Services left a pun filled response in a Facebook video to help describe the situation.

“Imagine the udder surprise of our officers when they were dispatched to a report of rogue bovine on Healdsburg Avenue near Safeway this morning. Officers arrived to find the two cows had completed their shopping and were mooooving back in the direction of home. Our officers escorted the wandering herd safely back to their field. It was quite the cattle-yst for an eventful morning,” the post says.

These stories also are a reminder of a kindness of a Nebraska State Patrol trooper who rescued a calf that was stuck in a snow bank following a blizzard in March:

These aren’t the only cases where first responders helped come to the rescue of cattle. Here are few other stories where firefighters and police lent a helping hand to cattle:

Another 53,000 lb. of Ground Beef Recalled by USDA for E. Coli

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 20:58:45 GMT

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has filed another recall because of E. coli for more than 53,000 lb. of ground beef just one day after a separate recall for nearly 57 tons.

FSIS announced on April 24 , that 53,200 lb. of raw ground beef products processed by Grant Park Packing in Franklin Park, Ill., may be contaminated with E. coli O103. Correspondingly, the day prior a recall was declared for ground beef processed by K2D Foods’ Colorado Premium on 113,424 lb. of meat believed to possibly be contaminated by E. coli O103.

The latest recall is on bulk raw ground beef was produced on October 30-31, 2018 and November 1, 2018. The beef is in 40-lb. bulk cardboard boxes with the following labeling:

“North Star Imports & Sales, LLC. 100% GROUND BEEF BULK 80% LEAN/ 20% FAT” marked “FOR INSTITUTIONAL USE ONLY” with lot code GP.1051.18 and pack dates 10/30/2018, 10/31/2018, and 11/01/2018.

Products subject to recall were shipped to Minnesota for further distribution and Kentucky for institutional use. The packaging bears establishment number “EST. 21781” inside the USDA mark of inspection.

The agency has called it a Class 1 Recall with a “high” health risk. FSIS urges restaurants that have the beef not to serve it and to either throw it away or return it to the place of purchase.

Continuing Investigations

FSIS along with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Kentucky Department for Public Health have been investigating an outbreak of E. coli O103, which is how the Grant Park Packing products were found.

The recall of the ground beef from Colorado Premium Foods was found through an investigation by the CDC, FSIS and Tennessee Department of Health. A similar investigation is being conducted by CDC, FSIS and other state organizations after 156 people were infected in 10 states by an outbreak of E. coli O103. Currently, there is “no definitive link” between these recalls and the ongoing outbreak.

Those organizations are conducting interviews with people who became ill. Thus far, of the 114 people surveyed who were sick, 81% ate ground beef. Those people consumed ground beef from several different grocery stores and restaurants.

Further testing and investigations are being done to determine if more beef products need to be recalled.

E. coli can be potentially deadly causing dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps 2–8 days (3–4 days, on average) after exposure to the organism. FSIS recommends that any consumers who purchased the product to not consume it and either throw it away or return to the store where it was purchased.

All raw beef should be cooked to a temperature of 160°F to reduce the risk of any food borne illness by bacteria according the FSIS. A meat thermometer will help in determining if the food has reached a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria.

U. of Idaho Plans New Meat Science and Innovation Center

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 20:58:45 GMT

The University of Idaho will build a new meat science and innovation center on its Moscow campus. Agri Beef, one of Idaho’s best-known integrated processors, committed $2 million to support the $8 million project.

The new building will honor the legacy of Ron Richard, who supervised Vandal Brand Meats student employees and taught meat science classes for three decades before his death in October 2018. Richard’s students learned the science and the practical aspects of supplying nutritious, safe and innovative meat products to businesses and the public.

The new Agri Beef Meat Science and Innovation Center Honoring Ron Richard will replace the existing, outdated meat science facility on campus and create a modern teaching, research and retail sales center.

The U of I College of Agricultural and Life Sciences proposed the new building to modernize its processing, research and education options. In addition to enhancing the only local USDA-inspected processing plant, the new building will offer expanded facilities to meet a growing interest from students and industry.

“This commitment provides the foundation for the college to meet the demand for more educational opportunities in meat science,” CALS Dean Michael P. Parrella said.

Other regional companies and individuals in the livestock industry have shown strong interest in supporting the project financially including a $200,000 commitment from Northwest Farm Credit Services. The college will use internal funding for the project as well, Parrella said.

Cattle Losses from Flooding to be Lower Than First Predicted

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 20:58:38 GMT

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture says cattle losses in Nebraska from devastating March floods will be much lower than previously reported.

Director Steve Wellman tells the Omaha World-Herald that reports of up to a million cattle killed in the natural disaster are not accurate. Wellman says his agency hasn’t come up with a number, but expects the loss to be in the thousands.

Officials say some deadlines for assistance could yield better numbers. Producers have until April 29 to seek help for livestock losses under the Nebraska USDA Farm Service Agency’s Livestock Indemnity Program. There is a May 1 deadline to get help in disposing of dead livestock through a USDA program.

Bobbie Kriz-Wickham is the public affairs and outreach coordinator for the Nebraska Farm Service Agency. He says a few producers have reported losses of up to 200 head of cattle, but most report losses of 10 to 40 head.