CALF_News_October_November_2020

33 CALF News • October | November 2020 • www.calfnews.net segments of the cattle industry, we’ve maintained our dedica- tion to move at the speed of commerce and to collect only the necessary data points for a successful traceback.” Kansas, Texas and Florida have conducted successful cattle trace pilot programs. Basically, producers participating in USCT tag each animal with an ultra-high-frequency (UHF) tag. As cattle pass through auction markets, feedyards, other comingling points and packers, their tag number ID, time, date and location of delivery are recorded and transferred to the secure USCT database. “We need to know which cattle come into contact with others that may have diseases,” Grund said, adding that only basic information will be collected by the UHF tags.“Data privacy is paramount to the program.” Some companies are looking to use such technology to pro- vide data on cattle performance. However, USCT is dedicated to identifying animal diseases, Grund said. Even though foot and mouth disease (FMD) has not been in the U.S. since 1918, it is present in much of the world. “An outbreak in the U.S. would devastate the beef industry,” he said, and USCT is needed to detect it. Law of the Land In a session on agricultural law, Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, Texas A&MAgriLife Extension law specialist, and other Ag attorneys discussed eminent domain and other property laws. “A landowner or lessee needs landowner liability protection,” Lashmet said. “Whether you’re a landowner or leasing ground for cattle, make sure you’re covered by liability insurance. Make sure every activity going on is covered. As you add more revenue sources, make sure they are covered by liability insurance.” Watch for liability caps on parts of your coverage, usually included in the fine print of a policy.“For example, if you have a $1 million policy, it may only have a $25,000 cap for pesti- cide drift coverage,” Lashmet said, noting it’s important to use an insurance agent with agricultural experience.“It may cover ground applications, but not aerial applications. You may need to pay an added endorsement to an umbrella policy.” She said landowners or leasers should identify dangerous conditions that could cause harm to visitors. If a trespasser comes on your property to look at bluebonnets, steps in a gopher hole and hurts his leg,“you did not act intentionally to cause damage,” Lashmet said. “However, if you have a guest for dinner, you have a duty to warn of any dangerous conditions [such as an abandoned well]. Put up a sign, or have a written document for hunters.” Landowners or leasers generally are not liable for wild ani- mals, such as snakes, that cause injury. But they can be liable if, for example, they bring a snake on the property and it hurts someone not warned of it.“You laugh, but someone had to do this for it to have become a law.” For more on numerous other topics discussed at the TSCRA convention, visit its website at https://tscra.org . (Look for further coverage of production-related topics in the Dec. 2020/Jan. 2021 issue of CALF News .)  S urcy Peoples has bought and sold tens of thousands of cattle. He has heard the call for greater marketing transparency and believes the revamped Fed Cattle Exchange will pro- vide buyers and sellers with just that. Peoples, former cattle buyer and director of customer service for Cactus Feeders, is now director of operations for Central Stockyards, LLC. That company recently acquired the Fed Cattle Exchange from 5150 Productions Company, LLC. Since 2016, Fed Cattle Exchange has provided the cattle industry with weekly, cost-effective cattle auctions that provide price discovery a platform through competitive bidding. Prices determined in the weekly auctions benefit the cattle industry and livestock futures markets by providing a transparent, baseline price for weekly negotiated live cattle markets. “We look forward to getting the new platform going this fall to add innova- tion and technology to marketing fed cattle,” Peoples says.“We look forward to servicing existing Fed Cattle Exchange customers and earning the business of new customers.” Forrest Roberts, president and CEO of Central Stockyards, LLC, says Fed Cattle Exchange is a vital tool to the cattle industry because it provides trans- parent price discovery. “Our vision is to make the Fed Cattle Exchange even more valuable to cus- tomers and the entire cattle industry by using technical innovations to adapt to immediate industry needs.” Peoples says the exchange’s trading numbers have been steady since the fed cattle industry has been more current, following the major backups seen during the heart of the COVID-19 impact on packing plants. “It’s not a silver bullet. However, it is another tool in the toolbox,” he says. “There is a demand in transparent nego- tiated markets. People want to see the value of cattle. “We’re working to bring new market- ing methods to the cattle industry that support the benefits of negotiated trade and reward value creation.” For more information about Fed Cattle Exchange/Central Stockyards, LLC, visit www.centralstockyards.com.  TSCRA CONVENTION Continued from page 31 New Ownership Sees More Transparency By Larry Stalcup Contributing Editor Fed Cattle Exchange Acquired Industry News