Beef Cattle Production and Management Practices and Implications for Educators

Beef producers need to continually incorporate new information and adopt new technology to effectively manage production costs. Oklahoma State University began a Master Cattleman program with this need in mind. Understanding technology adoption by producers requires identifying current management practices. Data from a survey developed as part of the Master Cattleman program document current practices. Management practices were examined for two groups; producers with smaller herds who are less dependent on the beef enterprise for family income, and producers with larger herds who are more dependent on beef. Results clearly show that size and dependence on the beef enterprise matters when considering a broad spectrum of beef management practices.Livestock Production/Industries,

The Value of Genetic Information to Bull Buyers: A Combined Revealed, Stated Preference Approach

Livestock Production/Industries,

Persistently Infected: Does it pay to test?

BRD accounts for approximately 70% of feedlot morbidity and 50% of feedlot mortality, negatively affecting profit (Edwards 1996; Galyean, Perino, Duff 1999; Loneragan et al. 2001; Chirase and Greene 2001; Smith 1998). This study provides an economic evaluation and net return estimate associated with testing and removal of BVDV persistently infected (PI) calves of differing management backgrounds (low-risk preconditioned calves vs. high-risk auction market calves). Results show that establishment of a PI-BVDV control program within auction market calves increases net returns while a PI-BVDV control program for preconditioned calves is not economically justified

Relationships between Alternative Marketing Arrangement Prices for Fed Cattle and Hogs, 2001-2013

Research identifies relationships among weekly alternative marketing arrangement (AMA) prices since the advent of mandatory price reporting in 2001. Relationships between cash prices and other AMA prices, both for fed cattle and hogs, changed little over the twelve years. For fed cattle, cash prices were closer to formula prices and negotiated grid prices than to forward contract prices. For hogs, cash prices were closer to swine market formula prices than to either other market formula prices or other purchase prices. Both for fed cattle and hogs, cash prices were above other AMA prices in upward moving markets and below other AMA prices in downward moving markets. However, there was no indication the thinning negotiated cash market adversely affected these relationships

"Go-Slow-Whoa!": Will Nutritional Information Influence Adolescent Food Choices and Lead to a Healthier Generation?

The prevalence of obesity in adolescents and children, in the United States, was 16.9% from 2009 to 2010 (Ogden, et al. 2012), and nearly a third of children between the ages of 6 and 19 are considered obese. It is due to these alarming figures, children are a major focus of public health efforts. Providing nutritional information on the healthfulness of entrées served in the school lunchroom could positively impact a student’s daily dietary choices. Pre-ordering entrée systems have previously shown to have a positive (more healthful) impact on entrée selection (Hanks, Just, and Wansink 2013). The current study builds on the previous literature by including Go-Slow-Whoa nutritional information along with the entrée choice set to determine if the inclusion of nutritional labels can lead to more healthful pre-ordered entrée choices. Results find that older students are more likely to alter their choice to a healthier entrée when nutritional labels are present versus their younger cohort

Rainfall Variations and Risk Analysis of Dryland and Irrigated Agriculture in the Texas High Plains

Agriculture production in the Texas High Plains is highly dependent on climate especially with the decline in water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer. There is increasing pressure on the Ogallala Aquifer as a result of an increase in population and expansion of agricultural production. The decline in water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer along with precipitation variability are affecting agricultural production, thus increasing the risk faced by farmers. The primary goal of the study is to determine the effect of rainfall variability on yield and income from crops grown in the Texas High Pains. The specific objectives are to estimate the effect of precipitation variability on dryland and irrigated crops; to conduct risk analysis for dryland and irrigated crops and estimate revenue loss/gain due to variability in precipitation; and, to perform sensitivity analysis to analyze the effect of precipitation changes on profitability for a farm enterprise. The information about the dryland county-level yield data was collected from the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) for the period of 1972 to 2012 for dryland cotton and dryland sorghum while dryland wheat data was for the period of 1973 to 2012. The county-level climatic information was collected from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The information about irrigated corn was collected from AgriPartners Program from 1998 to 2007. The relationship between growing season precipitation variability and dryland yield was examined for dryland sorghum, dryland wheat, and dryland cotton using ordinary least square regression. The effect of precipitation fluctuation on irrigated corn profitability, and irrigation water demand was also estimated. The coefficients of variation for price, yield, precipitation, and revenue were considered for different sub periods. The average season county precipitation levels are 13.65 inches, 13.16 inches, and 15.01 inches for dryland sorghum (Deaf Smith County), dryland wheat (Hansford County), and dryland cotton (Lynn County) respectively. The R2 values from the restricted models are 90%, 93% and 87% for dryland sorghum, dryland wheat, and dryland cotton respectively. The R2 value of the restricted irrigated corn model was 96%. The higher the coefficient of variation for precipitation, the greater the risk faced by farmers. A decline in the coefficient of variation for precipitation by 9.59% favored dryland sorghum yield increase by 5.14 cwt/ac from 1972-1981 to 1982-1991. In Deaf Smith County, 570,813 ac-ft. of irrigation water will be needed for irrigated sorghum if there is a 25% decrease in the average seasonal precipitation received for the next 50 years. At a natural gas price of $4.5/Mcf and corn sales price of$7/bu, variation in the Hansford County seasonal precipitation by ±2.69 inches will change the optimal profit by ±$27.26/ac. More irrigation water will be needed in the future if any less amount of precipitation is received

Rainfall Variations and Risk Analysis of Dryland and Irrigated Agriculture in the Texas High Plains

Agriculture production in the Texas High Plains is highly dependent on climate especially with the decline in water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer. There is increasing pressure on the Ogallala Aquifer as a result of an increase in population and expansion of agricultural production. The decline in water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer along with precipitation variability are affecting agricultural production, thus increasing the risk faced by farmers. The primary goal of the study is to determine the effect of rainfall variability on yield and income from crops grown in the Texas High Pains. The specific objectives are to estimate the effect of precipitation variability on dryland and irrigated crops; to conduct risk analysis for dryland and irrigated crops and estimate revenue loss/gain due to variability in precipitation; and, to perform sensitivity analysis to analyze the effect of precipitation changes on profitability for a farm enterprise. The information about the dryland county-level yield data was collected from the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) for the period of 1972 to 2012 for dryland cotton and dryland sorghum while dryland wheat data was for the period of 1973 to 2012. The county-level climatic information was collected from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The information about irrigated corn was collected from AgriPartners Program from 1998 to 2007. The relationship between growing season precipitation variability and dryland yield was examined for dryland sorghum, dryland wheat, and dryland cotton using ordinary least square regression. The effect of precipitation fluctuation on irrigated corn profitability, and irrigation water demand was also estimated. The coefficients of variation for price, yield, precipitation, and revenue were considered for different sub periods. The average season county precipitation levels are 13.65 inches, 13.16 inches, and 15.01 inches for dryland sorghum (Deaf Smith County), dryland wheat (Hansford County), and dryland cotton (Lynn County) respectively. The R2 values from the restricted models are 90%, 93% and 87% for dryland sorghum, dryland wheat, and dryland cotton respectively. The R2 value of the restricted irrigated corn model was 96%. The higher the coefficient of variation for precipitation, the greater the risk faced by farmers. A decline in the coefficient of variation for precipitation by 9.59% favored dryland sorghum yield increase by 5.14 cwt/ac from 1972-1981 to 1982-1991. In Deaf Smith County, 570,813 ac-ft. of irrigation water will be needed for irrigated sorghum if there is a 25% decrease in the average seasonal precipitation received for the next 50 years. At a natural gas price of $4.5/Mcf and corn sales price of$7/bu, variation in the Hansford County seasonal precipitation by ±2.69 inches will change the optimal profit by ±$27.26/ac. More irrigation water will be needed in the future if any less amount of precipitation is received

The Impact of Discount Rate and Price on Intertemporal Groundwater Models in Grant County, Kansas

Agriculture plays a vital role in the growth and development of the High Plains Region of the United States. With the development and adoption of irrigation technology, this region was transformed into one of the most agriculturally productive regions in the world (Peterson et al., 2003). The primary source of irrigation in this region is the Ogallala Aquifer. Currently, water from the aquifer is being used at a much faster rate than natural recharge can occur, resulting in a high rate of depletion from this finite resource. Depletion of scarce water resources will have a significant economic impact on the long-term sustainability of the region. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact alternative prices and discount rates have on groundwater policy recommendations. Deterministic models of groundwater withdrawals were developed and used in order to analyze and evaluate the impact of high, average, and low crop prices in a status quo scenario as well as a policy scenario reducing irrigated acreage allocation. Furthermore, this study analyzes the effects and associated consequences of alternative discount rates on net and total revenue. As indicated by results of this study, alternative prices, costs, and discount rates utilized in a model have an effect on policy effectiveness. Considering the declining levels of saturated thickness seen in the results of this study, the analysis of alternative discount rates and the associated policy recommendations is merited

Factors Affecting Adoption of Cow-Calf Production Practices in Oklahoma

Most technology adoption research has focused on crops. Primary data were used to determine differences in management practices among two groups of Oklahoma cow-calf producers based on herd size and cattle income dependence. Significant differences were noted between two groups of producers (smaller operations with less dependence on cattle versus larger with more dependence on cattle) in 79% of the management practices examined. Logit models determined factors influencing the probability of adopting 17 recommended practices. Important factors included the firm goal to choose practices that reduce labor, income dependence on cattle, human capital, and size of operation

Beef Cattle Production and Management Practices and Implications for Educators

Beef producers need to continually incorporate new information and adopt new technology to effectively manage production costs. Oklahoma State University began a Master Cattleman program with this need in mind. Understanding technology adoption by producers requires identifying current management practices. Data from a survey developed as part of the Master Cattleman program document current practices. Management practices were examined for two groups; producers with smaller herds who are less dependent on the beef enterprise for family income, and producers with larger herds who are more dependent on beef. Results clearly show that size and dependence on the beef enterprise matters when considering a broad spectrum of beef management practices