U.S. Cattle Producer Adoption of Secure Beef Supply Plan Enhanced Biosecurity Practices and Foot-and-Mouth Disease Preparedness

The prospect of a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in U.S. livestock populations has motivated the development of the Secure Beef Supply (SBS) Plan, which includes a comprehensive list of enhanced biosecurity practices that aim to prevent FMD transmission and facilitate continuity of business during an outbreak. While FMD poses a serious threat to livestock production in the United States, little is known about producers' uptake of the enhanced biosecurity practices included in the SBS Plan. In this study, we benchmark adoption and feasibility-of-adoption perceptions for U.S. cattle producers. Our results show adoption of the 13 enhanced biosecurity practices is generally low. Especially concerning is the low adoption of the three strongly-recommended pre-outbreak practices—having a biosecurity manager, having a written operation-specific enhanced biosecurity plan, and having a line of separation. Adoption of the pre-outbreak practices is likely low because the benefits of adopting the practices depend on a low probability, uncertain event. That said, producers who have adopted the pre-outbreak practices are more likely to have higher feasibility ratings for the remaining enhanced biosecurity practices, suggesting that adoption of the strongly recommended practices is associated with adoption of all enhanced biosecurity during an FMD outbreak. Complementarity is examined and shows that adoption of the pre-outbreak practices coincides with adoption of the outbreak-specific practices. Taken together, our results suggest that adoption of the strongly recommended pre-outbreak practices could help facilitate a quicker and more effective U.S. cattle industry response to an FMD outbreak in the United States.

Integration of Virtual Programming into Beef Cattle Producer and Extension Agent Education

Field days and workshops are fundamental to fostering communication and demonstrating management techniques. However, when faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, Extension agents turned to alternative platforms for providing educational opportunities. In April 2020, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center (LSU AgCenter) agents hosted a live webinar entitled “Sustainability during Turbulent Markets” to bring beef cattle producers information on management strategies during a time of instability. This initial webinar included 41 live participants and an additional 40 views within one week of posting the recording. Event responses prompted creation of the Beef Brunch Educational Series, an online series designed to maintain engagement and allow agents to present timely management recommendations and industry news to producers. Live webinars occur at 10:30 a.m. on the second Tuesday of each month. Webinars are also recorded for online distribution through the LSU AgCenter website, LSU AgCenter-Livestock YouTube channel, and podcast platforms. Bi-weekly news updates are released on the same platforms. News updates feature weather and pasture conditions, market outlooks, management tips, events, and current industry topics. Webinar engagement on all platforms averages 233 viewers with a growth range of 81 to 859 since April. News updates average 87 views with a growth range of 29 to 270 participants. When asked, 85% of viewers strongly agreed or agreed that information learned in webinars would be applied to their operations. Extension agents utilize this program for professional development, with 75% strongly agreeing or agreeing that webinars increased confidence to apply presented knowledge and 70% stating they have or plan to incorporate news update content in their programming. Thus, increased views, positive feedback, and requests for more information illustrate relevance in continuing the Beef Brunch Educational Series beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and optimistically developing it into a leading informational source for beef cattle producers in Louisiana.

Young Cattle Producer Conference Develops Leaders in Idaho

The need for young leadership in the beef industry has become a rising concern as the average age of primary operators increases. Idaho Extension educators developed a leadership conference for beef producers, with the primary objective being to educate and develop leadership qualities in young cattle producers. Participants, aged 18–40 years old, have opportunities to learn all aspects of the industry through presentations, hands-on learning, and industry tours. A postconference survey revealed that participants had a better understanding of the beef industry at the conclusion of the program and planned to use what they learned. Extension professionals elsewhere can use our description of the program to build similar programs in their states.

The Dingo as a management tool on a beef cattle enterprise in western Queensland

ABSTRACT The advantages of maintaining Dingoes as a management tool on a beef cattle enterprise in western Queensland are discussed. As elsewhere Dingoes reduce kangaroo and feral pig populations and eradicate feral goats. This is of significant economic importance to our family business. As a cattle producer interested in sustainability nationally, I am concerned that the current research and public debate fail to discuss the economic and environmental benefits of maintaining Dingo populations.

Forage Production and Bromatological Composition of Forage Species Intercropped With Soybean

Brazil is one the largest soybean and cattle producer worldwide and degrade pasture is one of the major problem in the Cerrado region. Integrated crop-livestock system is a key to increase grower income, to reduce crop yield loss by water deficit during growing season and to reclaim degraded pasture. However, forage production and its quality is important to evaluate under integrated crop-livestock system. The objective of this study was to evaluate forage production and the bromatological composition of different forage species in monoculture and in intercropping with soybean in an oversowing system. A completely randomized block design with four replications in a 5 × 2 + 1 factorial scheme, with five forage species (Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu; U. ruziziensis; P. maximus cv. Mombaça; P. infestans cv. Massai and P. americanum) and two cropping systems (monoculture and a consortium with soybeans) and a standard treatment (P. americanum in succession with soybeans). The forage productivity and the bromatological composition of the forages were evaluated. The species U. ruziziensis, U. brizantha, M. maximum and P. infestans presented higher forage production capacity, when cultivated in consortium with soybeans and in monoculture, in relation to P. americanum. The cultivation of the forages U. ruziziensis, U. brizantha, M. maximum and P. americanum in monoculture produced higher productivity than that in consortium with soybeans. The forages U. ruziziensis and U. brizantha intercropped with soybean presented a better nutritional value over the autumn-winter period.

PSI-1 Management and Risk of Nitrate Toxicity in Annual Forages: Results of a Beef Cattle Producer Survey

When utilizing annual forages, one challenge beef cattle producers may face is nitrate toxicity. To understand how often producers cope with and test for high nitrates in annual forages, an online survey was distributed through the “UNL Beefwatch” newsletter and participants of extension meetings in Kansas and Nebraska were encouraged to fill out the survey. Most respondents were from the Midwest (n = 107/115; 93%) and indicated that the issue of nitrate toxicity when feeding annual forages is important to them (70%). The majority of the respondents (85%) indicated that they utilize annual forages in three or more years out of five. Producers were more (P = 0.02) likely to test annual forages fed as hay (53%) than grazed (38%). However, there was a tendency (P = 0.09) for more producers to respond that they have had toxicity issues with annual forage pasture (34%) than with hay (24%). Producers were not more likely to test annual forage pasture (P = 0.28) or hay (P = 0.94) if they previously experienced a nitrate toxicity issue. A producer’s past experience with toxicity also did not impact the likelihood that they would graze (P = 0.31) or feed hay (P = 0.28) that tested high in nitrate in the future. The majority of producers responded that they “rarely” or “almost never” used the forage if a pasture (14%) or hay (36%) tested high. Though producers indicate concern about nitrate toxicity in annual forages, most have not experienced issues (62%) and those that have do not appear to make different management decisions based on that experience.

Methods of Trace Mineral Supplementation

Trace minerals supplementation is an integral component of the total diet for beef cattle. Trace minerals from the diet function in many of the metabolic processes associated with animal growth, health, and reproduction. It is essential that cattle have access to trace minerals in their diet. However, the forage cattle consume as the bulk of their diet is often deficient in trace mineral concentrations. Therefore, cattle need to be supplemented with trace minerals on a regular basis. Cattle producers can choose from a number of different methods to supplement trace minerals to cattle. Each method has characteristic advantages and disadvantages. The value of the characteristics should be evaluated against management activities of each cattle producer to determine the optimal trace mineral delivery strategy.

TENNESSEE BEEF PRODUCERS' WILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE IN A STATE-BRANDED BEEF PROGRAM

Tennessee cattle producer willingness to participate in a hypothetical Tennessee Branded Beef Program (TBBP) was examined using 2016 survey data. Willingness to participate in the TBBP was modeled using a probit model. Among those willing to participate, a Tobit model was used to estimate the pounds of live-weight beef producers were willing to supply into a TBBP. Age, production practices, and risk attitudes influenced willingness to participate. Among those willing to participate, projected TBBP supply per farm averaged 32,329 pounds and was influenced by on-farm animal units, production practices, perceived barriers, risk attitudes, and consequentiality beliefs.