CALF_News_Oct_Nov_2018

37 CALF News • October | November 2018 • www.calfnews.net Continued on page 43  John Pederson describes the benefits of DNA testing in a beef cow herd. legislation agriculture needs. Kester said NCBA is concerned about its passage and what it will mean to beef production and trade. “Electronic logging devices for truckers is a key issue,” he said.“People want to know about the latest from the Department of Transportation and requirements for livestock haulers. “Fake meat – plant and laboratory- based meat substitutes – is also a concern with cattle producers across the country. That’s a priority this year.” There’s a lot at stake in the midterm elections in November. And NCBA is striving to keep the beef industry’s friends in office or elect new pro-beef legislators to Congress. “That’s why it’s important to support the Beef PAC,” Kester said.“We need to contribute at the state and national level.We have been as high as the No. 2 agricultural PAC inWashington.We host fundraisers and other events at our office on Pennsylvania Avenue inWashington [down the street from theWhite House]. “If politicians want to talk to an ag group, NCBA is at the top of list. We look to raise $1.5 million in this election cycle. In the general election, whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, if you support the cattle industry, we’ll help support you. “It’s a bipartisan effort.We had a 94-percent success rate [in getting NCBA-supported candidates elected] in the last campaign. So it’s hugely impor- tant to consider contributing to our PAC.” Kester encouraged producers and feeders to support OCA and other local, state and regional beef organizations, as well as the Beef Checkoff.“Be a member at all three levels,” he said.“Even if you’re only a dues-paying member, that’s a good step in helping our industry.” Production While sound policy is important for ranchers and feeders, production of quality beef at a profit is the main goal. “The Business of Beef Genetics,” a pre- sentation by well-known animal scientist John Pederson of Neogen Corp., demon- strated the need for good genetics in a cow herd. “We are a consumer-driven industry,” Pederson said, noting that consumers want safe, tender and flavorful beef. “What the consumer wants is what we are trying to produce. But now, consum- ers want to know where and how beef is produced. Consumers have more and more influence on what we do in the cattle business.” He said that all age groups –Millenni- als, Baby Boomers and others – follow a similar trend.“The more money you make, the more meat you eat,” he said. There is greater demand for Choice beef, which can easily generate $120 to $140 per head more than a carcass that grades Select.” New technology, namely “genomics,” allows producers and others to predict performance, health, ancestry, parentage and nutritional deficiencies by measur- ing DNA. It can help producers learn “how to lower my breakeven cost,” Pederson said. Using DNA testing can help produc- ers improve their maternal trait value and “raise more cows that have more calves,” he said, adding that improved maternal traits help solve problems with calving difficulties, heifers with poor conception and cattle with poor docility. In addition, performance efficiency is improved through DNA testing. Peder- son said producers could select females with lower feed intake.“They eat less but gain well, and heifers reach maturity on less feed,” he said.“The herd also raises feeder calves with a better feed-to-gain ratio.” Carcass merit is also improved. Peder- son indicated that through DNA testing, carcass merit can be managed long before cattle are sold by pre-sorting high-quality cattle from those with lower potential. Cattle that would likely work best in a retained-ownership program can be sorted, and cattle can be identified to fit best in a quality-grid type program. Using a DNA-testing program can help ranchers “look for traits that will make money,” Pederson noted. He sug- gested these solutions to solving low fertility problems in a herd:  Profile heifers at weaning and retain females with the best heifer preg- nancy scores.  Buy calving-ease bulls with geneti- cally enhanced expected progeny differences (GE-EPDs) in the top 30 percent of their breed for heifer pregnancy rate.  Save one to two generations in moving to the goal of improving heifer breed back. “Producers must maintain a balanced approach to selection and know what traits really make themmoney,” Pederson said. Protection Risk Management Agency (RMA) programs have provided price risk cover- age for several years. The programs, namely Livestock Risk Protection, can provide a floor price for feeder or fed cattle similar to put options offered by the CME Group. But what about “hedging” against a drought? Yes, it’s possible to purchase insurance against a shortage of rainfall. Vic Morrison, regional sales manager for Diversified Crop Insurance Service, said RMA’s Pasture, Rangeland and Forage (PRF) is the insurance tool. It can pro- vide supplemental income to help cover the costs of hay or grazing that result from weather that’s too dry. He said PRF is designed to help producers cover replacement feed costs in the event of a loss of forage for grazing or haying due to lack of precipitation. The program acts as a safety net for ranchers.