The Brush Country

Agriculture Newsletter

atascosa.agrilife.org

Winter 2014

Meeting Beef Demand in 2015

Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist

Many years of cattle herd liquidation, due to drought and other factors, have left the beef industry with such low cattle inventories that severe reductions in beef production are inevitable. Beef production in 2014 is projected to total roughly 24.4 billion pounds, down 5.2 percent from last year and the smallest annual beef production in the U.S. since 1994. Cattle slaughter through mid-November is down 7.1 percent, including a 3.6 percent decline in steer slaughter and an 8.3 percent decrease in heifer slaughter. Total steer and heifer slaughter in 2014 is projected to be the smallest since 1968. The industry has offset some of the reduction in cattle slaughter by increasing carcass weights, with current steer carcass weights at record levels of 906 pounds, up 28 pounds year over year and heifer carcass weights at 829 pounds (down one pound from the week earlier record level of 830 pounds), and up 23 pounds from last year.

Concerns about beef demand have preoccupied the beef industry for many months and will continue for months to come as beef production is expected to fall in 2015 and into 2016 pushing retail prices higher. Steer and heifer slaughter is expected to decrease another two percent in 2015 which, depending on carcass weights, would contribute to another 1 to 1.5 percent decrease in total beef production. While beef demand in 2014 has been unexpectedly strong, the challenges will continue for many months. Retail prices have risen significantly in 2014 with All-Fresh beef prices currently 20 percent higher than year ago levels. Current retail prices undoubtedly do not fully reflect the impacts of declining beef supplies, even if production stabilized at current levels. With additional decreases in beef production ahead, the demand challenges will persist.

The demand challenge is not just one of beef quantity but, perhaps increasingly, one of beef quality. The question of whether beef consumers will pay ever higher prices for a smaller quantity of beef will likely depend critically on beef quality. There is a degree of quantity versus quality tradeoff in the beef industry that may be more critical in the coming months. The industry in general has, and feedlot and packing companies directly have a strong short run incentive to mitigate decreased animal numbers with larger carcass weights. Managing for ever larger animals increases the chances of negative quality impacts. One such measure is quality grade, which, measured as Choice grading percentage, has remained above year over year levels through most of 2014 but has dropped close to year ago levels recently as carcass weights have jumped sharply. Potential quality grade impacts should be monitored carefully in coming months as efforts to push carcass weights continue.

Increased carcass weights may be directly contributing to demand challenges. Beef carcasses are so big that extended cooling time is sometimes required to properly chill carcasses and some packing plants are remodeling to handle larger carcasses. And yet, demand for larger muscle cuts is not growing. Indeed, concerns about portion size have been raised for a number of years. These concerns may be particularly important in coming months. Consumers manage total dollars spent and beef retailers accommodate this with grocery retailers managing package cost and restaurants managing plate cost as much as possible to minimize the impact of high unit beef prices. This is increasingly difficult with larger and larger muscle cuts. There are strong indications that consumers will pay premium prices for beef, but only if quality is premium as well. Consumers demand a package of beef product attributes that includes marbling, tenderness, flavor, and product size. Using bigger carcasses in the short term pursuit of beef quantity at the expensive of middle meat demand is not beneficial for the beef industry.

Caring for Poinsettia at Home

Did you know that the Poinsettia is a native plant of Mexico? The Aztecs used to cultivate these plants for their brilliant colors. During the Christmas season, we see lots of poinsettias. Here are some tips to care for your poinsettia to keep them looking good and to avoid some of the common diseases that affects them.

COMMON DISEASES:

Pythium root rot is a common pathogen of Poinsettias. The pathogen attacks the roots of the poinsettia causing it to change from a clean white to brown and

mushy. When the poinsettias are sold they are typically placed in a protective sleeve to prevent damage during shipping. These sleeves do not have drainage holes in the bottom. When water is allowed to stand in this sleeve, it encourages root rot from this pathogen. As the roots are destroyed, the plant will begin yellowing and dropping leaves. There are also several disease that show up as spots or blotches on the leaves of poinsettias, typically on the lower (green) leaves. Many times, these are due to improper watering and stressing the plant. Removing the leaves and properly caring for your poinsettia will usually reduce the disease. However, prevention is always better than cures that affect them.

Here are some tips for reducing environmental stress on your poinsettia:

•Do NOT expose to cold or hot drafts. Poinsettias does best at 60-70 °F. If these plants get too cold, they can turn yellow and drop leaves rapidly.

•Do NOT drown poinsettia. If soil feels dry to touch, then water. Overwatering will also encourage diseases.

•Do NOT fertilize when in bloom. This will help to maintain the bright colors through the Christmas

season. Do fertilize after the season if you wish to keep the plant growing.

Plan now for a

Spring Garden

A gardener needs a plan just as an architectdoes. Careful planning lessens gardening workand increases the return on your labor. Table 3 shows the relative maturity rates of various vegetable crops. Long-term crops requirea long growing period. Plant them where theywon’t interfere with the care and harvesting of short-term crops. Plant tall-growing crops (okra, staked tomatoes, pole beans, sweet corn) on the north side of the garden where they will not shade or interfere with the growth of low-grow-ing crops such as radishes, leaf lettuce, onions and bush beans. Group crops according to their rate of maturity so a new crop can be planted to take the place of another as soon as it is removed. When you plant a new crop, it should be totally unrelated to the crop it is replacing. This is called crop rotation. Crop rotation helps prevent the buildup of diseases and insects. For example, follow early beans with beets, squash or bell peppers.

REDUCING BACTERIA WITH BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR LIVESTOCKFEED,SALT,AND/OR MINERAL LOCATIONS

Jennifer L. Peterson, Extension Program Specialist,texasAgriLife Extension Service

Larry A. Redmon, Professor and State Forage Specialist, Texas AgriLife ExtensionService

Mark L. McFarland, Professor State Soil Fertility Specialist, Texas AgriLife ExtensionService

Description:

The placement of feed, salt, and/or mineral

locations off‐stream as an attempt to improvegrazing distribution and encourage livestock to move away from sensitive

riparian areas.

Benefits to Producer

•Reduces herd health risks associated with livestock standing in muddy areas, such as foot

disease and injuries due to unstable footing.

•Decreases herd injuries associated with cattle climbing steep and unstable stream banks.

•Improves water quality by reducing sediment, nutrient, bacterial, organic, and inorganic loading to the stream.

•Reduces stream bank destabilization and

associated erosion due to trampling and

overgrazing of banks.

•Increases grazing distribution.

•Increases overall herd gain. Bacterial Removal Efficiency:

•Supplemental feed/salt locations can be used in

conjunction with other conservation practices including Fencing (NRCS Code 382) and Watering Facilities (NRCS Code 614). These practices have been shown to reduce concentrations of bacteria. Anypractice that reduces the amount of time cattlespend in a stream will thus reduce the manureloading and decrease the potential for adverse affects of water pollution from grazing livestock.

Other Benefits

•Increased gain in beef cattle of 0.2‐0.4lb/day.

•Increased annual net returns to ranch between $4,500 and $11,000 depending on cattle prices and precipitation levels with use of off‐ stream water.

•Increased cattle distribution and consumption of upland forage.

•Reduced development of uncovered and unstable streambanks by 9% over two grazing seasons as compared to pastures not offering supplemental feed/salt.

•Reduced time cattle spent near stream by 50‐100%.

From Our Friends…

to Your Table

Love pot roast? Use this recipe to cook a tender pot roast. It has onion, orange juice, and spices to boost the flavor.

Ingredients

1frozen beef round roast (2 pounds, thawed)

1/2cup onion (chopped)

nonstick cooking spray

2cups hot water

1beef bouillon cube

1tablespoon orange juice

1/4teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. In a large heavy skillet coated with nonstickcooking spray, cook onions until soft.

2. Add beef round roast to skillet and brown on allsides.

3. In a small bowl, combine the hot water with thebouillon cube and stir until it dissolves. Mix inorange juice and pepper.

4. Pour over meat. Cover and cook over low heat for1 ½ to 2 hours.

Recipe adapted from USDA Recipes and Tips for Healthy, Thrifty Meals.

Chicken Breeds and the Colors of Their Eggs

Egg color is characteristic of the breed of chicken producing the egg. The geneticbackground of the hen (the hen’s “mother and father”) determines the inherited egg colorproduced. Egg color or pigment is secreted and applied to the final layers of the eggshell by thehen. The location of this pigment in the outer layer can be demonstrated by an experiment with abrown egg. The egg’s color can be removed by soaking a brown egg in vinegar, which dissolvesthe outer layer of the shell.

Generally, the color of the chicken’s earlobe accurately predicts the color of egg the hen

will produce. Hens with white earlobes produce white eggs while hens with red earlobes produce

brown eggs. Currently we are unaware of a book that displays pictures of eggs from different

breeds of chickens. However, there is an excellent book that details and pictures the size and

color of hundreds of species of birds.

Birds' Eggs (An Eyewitness Handbook) by Michael Walters (1994)

Dorling Kindersley, Inc., 95 Madison Avenue, New York 10016

The following is a list of chicken breeds and their egg color.

Chicken BreedEgg Color

Plymouth RocksBrown to light brown

DominiquesBrown

WyandottesLight to rich brown

Javas Brown

Rhode Island WhitesBrown to dark brown

Buckeyes Brown

ChanteclersBrown

Jersey GiantsBrown to dark brown

LamonasWhite

New HampshiresBrown

Hollands White

DelawaresBrown

Brahmas Light to dark brown

Cochins Brown

LangshansVery dark brown

DorkingsWhite

RedcapsWhite

Cornish Brown

OrpingtonsLight to dark brown

Sussex Brown

AustralorpsBrown

Leghorns White

MinorcasChalk white

SpanishWhite

AndalusiansChalk white

AnconasWhite

Sicilian Buttercups White

CatalanasWhite or very light tint

HamburgsWhite

CampinesWhite

Polish White

HoudansWhite

CrevecoeursWhite

LaFlecheWhite

FaverollesLight brown

AraucanaBlue to green to brown

‘From Battleground to Breaking Ground’ agricultural workshop slated for Jan. 24 in Georgetown

By: Paul Schattenberg

Free program designed for current, former military service members and others

GEORGETOWN — The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, in cooperation with the Texas AgrAbility Project and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will present an agriculture workshop for active duty and veteran military service members Jan. 24.

The free workshop, called “From Battleground to Breaking Ground: A Transformational Journey,” will be held from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at the AgriLife Extension office for Williamson County, 3151 S.E. Inner Loop in Georgetown.

“Military families understand the importance of building plans on good information and will benefit from the array of speakers and resources that will be presented during the program,” said Fred Hall, AgriLife Extension agriculture agent for Williamson County. “Any small-landowner with a desire to be part of the local food system will benefit from this information.”

This program workshop gives current and former military with or without disabilities interested in farming or ranching the opportunity to get information on starting, developing and funding an agriculture business, according to Dr. Cheryl Grenwelge, AgriLife Extension specialist in disability transition with the Texas AgrAbility Project in College Station.

“While the program is designed for current and former military, beginning farmers and ranchers, women and small-landholder farmers and ranchers are also welcome to attend and can benefit from the workshop information,” Grenwelge said.

Presentations will address how to develop an agriculture business plan, starting an agriculture business, possibilities and options for farming or ranching with a disability, and resources available for funding an agricultural enterprise.

“Texas AgrAbility focuses on connecting, assisting and empowering agricultural producers, their family members and employees with disabilities and chronic health conditions to stay engaged in production agriculture,” said Erin Pilosi, Texas AgrAbility program coordinator, College Station.

She said the program was developed with input from AgriLife Extension, AgrAbility, the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the National Farmer Veteran Coalition, Farm Service Agency, USDA Risk Management and Texas Department of Agriculture.

To ensure adequate space, attendees should RSVP by registering online and in advance at

A form can also be downloaded from mailed to the attention of either Grenwelge or Pilosi at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, 578 John Kimbrough, College Station, Texas 77843-2251 oremailed .

More information can be found on the Texas AgrAbility website or by contacting Pilosi at 979-847-6185 or Hall at 512-943-3300.

Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating. We will seek to provide reasonable accommodation for all persons with disabilities for this meeting. We request that you contact the Atascosa County Extension Service eight days (8) prior to the event at (830) 769-3066 or as soon as possible to advise us of the auxiliary aid or service that you require.