Reproductive strategies help Texas cattleman build profitable herd Davis Green started 7 Bar Longhorns in 2006 with two cows and two big goals: long horns and impressive genetics.

Some people are just an accident waiting to happen. Take my friend ReRide for example. Getting hurt is ReRide’s “Achilles heel,” which is about the only part of his body he hasn’t broken, strained, cut, burned or shattered. Not that I go around checking out other males’ anatomies or anything, but a mere glimpse of ReRide’s carcass is enough to make any woman become a nun. Years ago, we were working our calves and since we had all day to process 100 head, about mid-morning we decided to take a well-deserved break.

The cattle business today has evolved into several distinct segments. Each draws certain people whose personality, skill and savvy make them best suited to that segment. We’ll start with the purebred breeders, the architects who design prototypes for the industry. They are academic-minded. They steep themselves in statistics, fiddle with and refine genetics in an effort to define subjective traits objectively. Not unlike ancient mariners drawing and redrawing the constellations in the night sky.

The Beef Checkoff celebrated Beef Month in May by hosting a pair of beef boot camps to educate retailers and foodservice influencers in the region about beef and the beef industry.

Dan Halstrom, U.S. Meat Export Federation, talks about the value of exports and the reputation U.S. beef has overseas.

Springtime is thunderstorm season across the Plains. Spring storms occasionally bring severe winds or even tornadoes. Cleaning up after a severe storm is difficult enough. Losing valuable cattle brings additional financial hardship to the situation.

 Choice boxed beef finished last week at a record weekly average of $207.49 per hundredweight (cwt), up $4 per cwt. from last week and up $17 per cwt. from the recent lows last month. Though this market may be near a peak, the strength and duration of the recent run has been impressive and sets the stage for a stronger summer beef market. 

The online votes have been tallied and Betty Rosson, a Virginia grain and cattle farmer, is Monsanto’s 2013 America’s Farmers Mom of the Year. Betty’s nomination, submitted by her son, Charles, was chosen by judges of American Agri-Women as regional winner for the Southeast.

A major milestone in grassroots beef promotion will be recognized Thursday, Aug. 8, as the Federation of State Beef Councils celebrates its 50th anniversary. The day-long celebration will be held as part of the 2013 Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Denver Aug. 7-10.