INFORMING COW-CALF, STOCKER AND FEEDYARD PRODUCERS
December 2025 | January 2026 VOL. 65 | ISSUE 1
ATTL
FEEDERS HALL OF FAME
FEBRUA Y 4, 2026; NASHVILLE, TN VISIT CATTLEFEED E RS.ORG FOR DETAILS
JOIN US FOR AN ELECTRIC NIGHT IN MUSIC CITY
2
www.calfnews.net
CALF News
December 2025 | January 2026
FEEDING THEM EFFICIENTLY IS SUPREME It’s no secret that nutritious, quality feed is the key to maximizing gain. Supreme International mixers set the standard in mixing efficiency, so you can deliver maximum nutrition to your herd when it counts. And now, with the Supreme Precision Ag Series , you get the features you need in a package that’s right for your operation. All backed by the long-standing durability Supreme has been known for since 1953. Learn more at SupremeInternational.com
CALF News SUPREME FOR A REASON.
3
www.calfnews.net
December 2025 | January 2026
JOIN OUR SOCIAL COMMUNITY @CALFNEWS From cow-calf producers to cattle feeders, CALF NEWS has something for everyone. DISTRIBUTED TO MORE THAN 12,000 CATTLE PRODUCERS NATIONWIDE.
CALF NEWS The Face of the Cattle Industry December 2025 | January 2026 VOL. 65 ISSUE 1 Published bimonthly by B.J. Publishing Editor & Publisher Betty Jo Gigot | (620) 272-6862 National Account Manager Jessica Ebert | (785) 477-1941 Designer & Production Manager Tayler Durst | (402) 910-9012 Ad Accountant/Subscription Manager
INSTAGRAM www.instagram.com/calfnews
Micky Burch Copy Editor Larisa Willrett | Lariat Services Contributing Editors
TWITTER www.twitter.com/calfnews
FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/calfnews
James Coope Blaine Davis David MacKenzie Chris McClure Burt Rutherford
Larry Stalcup Will Verboven Megan Webb, Ph.D. Jim Whitt Patti Wilson
PODCAST www.calfnews.net/price-point-podcast/
CALF NEWS (ISSN 00077798) is published bimonthly for $40 per year by B.J. Publishing, 115 Wilcox Street, #1604 Castle Rock, CO 80104; (620) 272-6862 e-mail: dgigot1@cox.net POSTMASTER/CHANGE OF ADDRESS Send address changes to: BJ Publishing
www.calfnews.net
TARGET YOUR ADVERTISING Let us help you communicate with the cattlemen and women who make up this industry! Jessica Ebert National Account Manager
2935 Little Salt Rd. Seward, NE 68434 308-440-8179
Please notify us of your change of address at least six weeks before the change. Include the address label from your latest issue. Give both your old and new full addresses. Please print legibly.
P. (785) 477-1941 E. jess@calfnews.net
Copyright 2025. B.J. Publishing
4
www.calfnews.net
CALF News
December 2025 | January 2026
December 2025 | January 2026 WHAT'S INSIDE
20 Prime Points 21 All In 22 Rumblings From the Great White North 23 Beyond the Ranch Gate 24 Whitt & Wisdom CALF VOICES
8 Texas Tech Vet School 10 U.S. Beef Capital of the World 12 2026 Market Outlook Shows More High Prices COVER STORIES
SPECIAL FEATURES 14 TCFA Convention Confers in Cowtown 16 Alert Agri Distributors 18 The Generational Drive to Get Better
IN EVERY ISSUE
7 Gypsy Wagon 33 Why Do You Read CALF News ? 26 Chuteside Manner 28 Where’s the Really Exceptional Beef? 30 Gatherings 32 CALF’s Featured Lady 33 Observations 34 Trail’s End 35 Events Calendar
On the Cover: Photo Courtesy Daniel Macy. Find more of his beautiful work on Instagram @dlawrencemacy
35 Flatland Philosopher 35 Index of Advertisers
5
CALF News
www.calfnews.net
December 2025 | January 2026
Your new partner in the pen
Optimize cattle observation with SenseHub® Feedlot SenseHub Feedlot provides around-the-clock monitoring to help you identify and treat potentially sick cattle earlier, optimizing your operation’s labor and efficiency. Early detection — Identify cattle with potential health or disease issues, lameness or off-feed behavior using movement and temperature outliers A pen rider’s partner — A combination of visual and data monitoring enables more informed decisions, helping maximize time when pulling cattle Lead by light — The illuminated, flashing ear tag makes it easy to find and pull cattle that need attention Backed and proven — SenseHub Feedlot is backed by the technical expertise and industry knowledge of Merck Animal Health
Learn more at sensehub-feedlot.com.
MAHCattle.com • 800-521-5767 Copyright © 2025 Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA and its affiliates. All rights reserved. US-SHB-250300003
6
www.calfnews.net
CALF News
December 2025 | January 2026
GYPSY WAGON FROM OUR PUBLISHER B oy, was I surprised recently when I realized that there is an untold number of experts in the U.S. beef complex right here in our midst.
any in the world, and claiming your neighbors’ product isn’t just hurts everyone. Meanwhile, the gov-
As it turns out, every Tom, Dick and Mary has been just waiting for the opportunity to tell the world about the ins and outs of inter- national trade, borders and “greedy” packers. According to the news, the new pressure point is reducing the inflation rate. Chart after chart shows that prices have been reduced on
ernment is looking for quick solutions to the problem, and there are some that may help. USDA Sec.
Rollins has introduced a number of changes to burdensome rules and regulations and, hope- fully, those will be looked
at carefully. Clearly, calls for a villain have identified packers as the problem, but doing so won’t affect beef supply or lower prices. And not even the gov- ernment can control our true variables – weather and fire – and basic biology dictating the length of time it takes to rebuild a cattle herd. Here’s hoping this issue’s CALF
eggs and fuel, etc., but when they list beef, there is a 14-percent price increase. And everyone knows why. The “experts’” solution? Import trim from Argentina, redo the tariffs, investigate the packers or implement that old “Made in Ameri- ca” mantra. Turns out you don’t even need credentials for your opinion, just a bull- horn and a smidgen of knowledge. The old concept of supply and demand or “if I only have 20 tomatoes to sell so they will cost a
cover photo is an indicator of things to come, and we are headed up and away toward an- swers to all our questions. We have been here before and will be again. Less government and time to heal is the prescription for curing what ails us. Meanwhile, even though you grew up in South Dakota or believe strongly in the MAHA campaign or drove by a farm yesterday, try to realize this is a very complicated business and not for the novice – or the faint of heart. Enough of that. This issue will go with us to the Cattle In- dustry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in Nashville and we hope to see you there. Stop by the CALF News booth in the trade show and look for us at the Cattle Feeder’s Hall of Fame bash. We here at CALF News wish you and your family a very restful Merry Christmas. GO BEEF! Betty Jo Gigot
lot,” isn’t even considered. The fact is, without imported trim, hamburger would not exist. And “Made in America” has been tried, adds cost of sorting and labeling and is voluntary in the industry already. Whatever the solution, watching the flood of bad press, ab- sence of factual information and total lack of concern about the truth is a travesty. Furthermore, seeing how they can dis- tort the truths about our industry certainly doesn’t give you any confidence in what is called “the truth” about any issue. How easy it has become to deceive the public. I’m not sure if it is related, but one of the old industry tradi- tions has disappeared. The gentlemen’s agreement has always been to advertise your beef product as really good without knocking other producers’ products. Well, that agreement has been abandoned in favor of ads denouncing other producers to bolster their own product. This practice hurts everyone. All U.S. beef is a good, safe product, superior to
7
CALF News
www.calfnews.net
December 2025 | January 2026
TEXAS TECH VET SCHOOL Granted Full Accreditation
By Larry Stalcup | Contributing Editor
A fter beginning as a dream barely a decade ago, the Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) in Amarillo has earned full accreditation by the Ameri- can Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education. “This achievement marks a defining moment for Texas Tech University and for veterinary education in Texas,” says Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec.“Accreditation affirms the quality of our faculty, the dedication of our students and the innovative model that has guided the School of Veterinary Medicine from the beginning.” The SVM becomes the 31 st fully accredited vet school in the nation.“Across well over a century of veterinary education in the U.S., we are now one of a select few,” says SVM Dean Guy H. Loneragan, BVSc, Ph.D.“At the core of this achievement is the belief in our purpose and a belief in providing opportunity for those who will achieve this purpose – our students.” The accreditation honor came several months after the SVM saw its first students earn their DVM degrees in May. The vast majority of them started their careers in a practice that serves the veterinary needs of rural, regional or large-animal commu- nities, a main reason behind the SVM being approved by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in 2019. Texas annually produces about 12 million cattle, some 13 percent of the nation’s cattle inventory. Nearly 6 million cattle are finished annually at Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico feedyards, accounting for 25 to 30 percent of the nation’s total fed-cattle supply. Most are within a 150-mile radius of Amarillo. However, before the Texas Tech SVM was established and opened in 2021, the closest vet school was about 320 miles away at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. Texas A&M University’s vet school is about 500 miles away and was the only vet school in Texas before the SVM opened. SVM welcomed its first students in 2021. There were 61 students in its first graduating class.“We knew we were going to
get good students, based on their roots from rural and region- al communities,” Loneragan tells CALF News .“They showed just how resilient they were. They demonstrated a lot of grit and common sense. They carried the values we all know. I was expecting good students, but we got better students than I had even hoped for.” Loneragan is a native Australian. He was raised in a rural com- munity and worked on his family’s cattle ranch. His father was a vet and provided reproductive services for livestock producers across much of eastern Australia. After completing vet school in the 1990s, Loneragan came to the United States in 1995. He moved to Texas at the very end of 2001 as a faculty member at West Texas A&M University in Canyon. In 2010, he joined the Texas Tech animal and food sciences department. He was part of the original SVM team when the school was still on the drawing board some 10 years ago. “There was concern that there weren’t enough large animal vets in Texas and other rural areas,” he says.“The Texas Legislature supported us for two reasons: Texas needed more rural and regional-serving veterinarians, and there was no shortage of Texans who wanted to be veterinarians. The legislature invested in the educational process to help those Texans who wanted to be vets and support the veterinary professional needs of Texas.” The inaugural class started with 64 students. Those numbers have grown to 100 students per year. Including the graduates, there are more than 420 students. There are up to 140 faculty and staff.“The SVM purpose is rural and regional,” Loneragan emphasizes.“Approximately 93 percent of the students are from Texas. The remaining students are from New Mexico. “We are in proximity to New Mexico, which does not have a vet school. Part of our stakeholders work on both sides of the border.” SVM’s unique curriculum includes three pre-clinical years at the Amarillo campus. The fourth year involves clinical training
8
www.calfnews.net
CALF News
December 2025 | January 2026
at about 140 locations and on campus. Fourth-year students train at general veterinary practices in rural and regional communities, and allied industries such as feedyards and dairies. “The graduating class exceeded all expectations,” Loner- agan says.“More than 90 percent of the students start- ed in rural, regional or large animal practices. About 70 percent are in mixed animal or large animal practices.” The vet school is involved in various research projects, including those that examine the cost of treatments to prevent and control BVD, BRD and other diseases. SVM is part of the Texas Screwworm Coalition to help the cattle industry prepare for the potential infestation of New World screwworm in Texas beef and dairy herds and wildlife. “Part of our purpose is to support rural and regional communities. But we also strive to provide students with access and affordability,” Loneragan says.“We’re pleased with the generous support of donors who have been able to support and invest in the future of the profession. “We will always love to have more people willing to step up to help these students so that when they grad- uate, they won’t be slowed down by the debt they carry when they set up in rural and regional communities. We’re very excited about that side of our purpose – affordability. It takes all of us to make a difference.” By receiving full accreditation, Loneragan says it marks the transition from a developing program to one that is nationally recognized for meeting standards, missions and goals. It assures students that the education provid- ed will prepare them for their licensure to practice as a veterinarian in Texas and across the nation. Dr. Guy Loneragan, dean of the Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine, says full accreditation will enhance SVM’s efforts to educate students to become rural and regional vets, without carrying a heavy debt load once they become DVMs.
The TTU School of Veterinary Medicine Mariposa Station in Amarillo is part of the SVM’s education and clinical facilities that help students achieve their dreams of becoming DVMs. Calf News Dec 2024 1/4 Page 3.578 x 4.75
Built For low Stress, ‘Brute’ Strength, & ‘Stealth’ - Like Operation The Most Innovative Chute Design on the Market.
“Cattle don’t have square shoulders”
Call AustinToday! 402 - 310 - 2044 dodgemfg.com
9
CALF News
www.calfnews.net
December 2025 | January 2026
By David MacKenzie | Contributing Editor U.S. BEEF CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
W hen you arrive in Hereford, Texas, it is very clear that you are entering the “Beef Capital of the World.” The U.S. has fully claimed this title with the scale and continued commitment the nation has to producing beef. This was brought home to me during my visit earlier this year when, regardless which state we were in or restaurant we visited, the tenderness and flavor of the beef was consistently exceptional. So what is the difference between the two beef industries and how can the U.K. replicate this consistency? First, the scale of the U.S. is completely different from our island. The U.K.’s land mass is similar to the state of Oregon, while the U.S. population is considerably bigger at 342 million compared to 69 million in the U.K. The U.S. has nearly 10 times more cattle, but one stark difference is av- erage beef consumption, reported at 67 lbs. per person in the U.S., compared to a U.K. average of 37 lbs. per person. The importance of food production to any nation is an absolute priority. It is clear to me that beef production is close to the beating heart of the U.S., where it certainly hasn’t been for a number of years in the U.K. Agriculture, specifically livestock production, is currently struggling
to find a place in government policy and playing a distant second to renewable energy. Genetic lines are largely following the same path, with Angus being the dominant breed in both the U.S. and U.K., and Holsteins making an ever-larger percentage of the dam line. Our native breeds like the Aberdeen Angus, Shorthorn and Hereford compete with the European Charolais, Simmental and Limousin. Angus has an un- touchable brand that is recognized and reaches directly to the consumer. It’s the first choice for the dairy farmer with Wagyu also now coming into the market. There are individual and locational differences in ranchers in every country, but one area that I have clear admiration for Americans is on feed intakes. In the U.K., we simply fed cattle to appetite and predicted intake, and make man- agement decisions simply on the financial performance between buying and selling while estimating the “bit in the middle.” Respected cattle feeder Tom Jones at Hy-Plains Feedyard at Montezuma, Kan., said,“Rather than being the biggest, be the best, and the only way to do that is on data.”
IT IS CLEAR TO ME THAT BEEF PRODUCTION IS CLOSE TO THE BEATING HEART OF THE U.S., WHERE IT CERTAINLY HASN’T BEEN FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS IN THE U.K.
10
www.calfnews.net
CALF News
December 2025 | January 2026
Jones was a great leader in articulating what data is important and why it makes a difference and then linking that all the way through from the genetics, through the packer to the retailer. Although in the U.K., we are moving toward having a better link through our integrated beef from dairy schemes, our cow- calf systems are largely transactional, and no data follows back through the chain. The connection the whole U.S. cattle industry has to academia was demon- strated on my recent visit at both Texas A&M in Amarillo and at Colorado State University at Forth Collins. The focus on training the next team that is going to drive the industry, alongside researching the latest sci- ence, while reaching out and listening and reacting to the day-to-days pains ranchers experience, gives a platform for industry improvements. When an animal is harvested at the packing plant, the gap between the two countries is huge. Our harvest percent- age of 52 to 54 percent between live weight and paid carcass weight at the packing plant is consid- erably different from the 63 to 64 percent with yourselves. The U.K. runs a system of grading cattle from E–U-R-O-P and 1 to 5 fat cover where a side of beef is evaluated either by a computerised visual assessment or a manual grading. No link to the consumer is carried
Red Angus boosts profitability with docile temperaments, environmental resilience, premium carcass quality and exceptional maternal traits. Registrations have surged by 24% over the past decade, underscoring Red Angus’ significance across all segments of the beef industry. Scan the QR code for real rancher stories about the rising power of Red Angus. REDS RISING Escalate Your Prosperity
RedAngus.org
through, and nothing is evaluated for dark cutting or intramuscular mar- bling – a clear mile away from the very clear Prime, Choice and Select USDA Quality Grade system. Our ranches and feedyards are not just businesses, they are our passion and purpose in life, regardless of which continent they are based. In the United Kingdom, we have a wonderful landscape coupled with natural resources, all pulled together with committed beef farmers. However, from what I have con- tinually experienced, I have to hand it to the United States in the consistency and tenderness of meat being produced. Could this be the clear reason why your beef consumption is so much higher?
11
CALF News
www.calfnews.net
December 2025 | January 2026
2026 MARKET OUTLOOK SHOWS MORE HIGH PRICES – DON’T RISK LOSING THEM
By Larry Stalcup | Contributing Editor
P rice volatility has done a whammy on cattle markets re- cently, causing major swings in feeder cattle and fed cattle markets. The outlook for 2026 markets still looks strong, but prices will likely face as much or more volatility, which puts added pressure on managing financial risk. Herd rebuilding has started slowly, but some producers hav- en’t recovered enough from droughts to have enough grass for expansion. And with continued high cattle prices and strong demand, cattle supplies will get tighter before they expand, contends Stephen Koontz, Ph.D., Colorado State University livestock marketing economist. “Heifers have to be held and cows have to be held,” he says. “There is some evidence of holding cows, but nothing yet on the heifers. We will see in January with the USDA cattle report. I think the news there will be tepid.” These supply-and-demand fundamentals spell high prices.“The cattle and beef outlook for 2026 is the easiest job I’ve had since doing the cattle and beef outlook for 2025,” Koontz says.“As long as demand remains strong, there will be excellent cattle prices.” Koontz forecasts that, for the first quarter of 2026, 500- to 600- lb. calves will average from $400 to $420/cwt. His second-quar- ter projections are between $410 to $430; third quarter $430 to $450; and fourth quarter at $425 to $450.“Again, tight supplies will continue into 2026,” he says.“We should not expect increased supplies of calves for two or three years.” For 700- to 800-lb. feeder cattle. Koontz projects first-quarter feeder prices at $325 to $350/cwt.; $335 to $365 for the second
quarter; $345 to $375 for the third; and $350 to $365 for the fourth. For fed cattle, tight feeder supplies will help hold prices firm but could face “huge pressure from cheapening other meats,” a potential shift in consumer income and continued inflation, Koontz says. He forecasts first-quarter fed prices at $225 to $235/cwt; second quarter at $230 to $250; $240 to $250 in the third; and $225 to $240 in the fourth. He sees cow prices also remaining high due to cow shortag- es and the demand for more burgers.“They will likely range between $165 to $199/cwt. all year, with prices higher in the summer and fall,” Koontz says.“Ground beef will be the most affordable beef product. That consumer demand and more herd building will keep cow numbers low.” Demand Risk Consumer food-buying habits are a threat to cattle prices.“The greatest potential weak link is beef demand. The risks are all downside,” Koontz says.“Some weakening of the economy, relatively low substitute meat prices in pork and chicken and continued inflation could put pressure on cattle markets. Again, the risks are to the downside with generally very strong prices.” As cattle prices remain strong, packers continue to feel more pressure.“The other risks are market disruptions from admin- istrative edicts, and I believe we will lose packing capacity over the next two years,” Koontz contends.“There are not enough animals [for slaughter] now and for the next several years. We have much more capacity than animals. Packer problems will be the thing we talk about more through 2026.”
The magnitude of the volatile Live Cattle futures market is illustrated in this CIH graphic. The huge price swings and value per head show the importance of financial risk management. Photo courtesy Mike Mohoney, CIH
12
www.calfnews.net
CALF News
December 2025 | January 2026
Don’t Risk the Risk Not even the most astute market analysts and uni- versity livestock economists could have predicted the dumbfounding, sky-high prices for nearly all cattle. Despite $6/lb. ground beef, $30 to $40/lb. ribeyes and other costly cuts, consumers have kept buying beef. Those juicy burgers and incomparably delicious steaks have been worth the price. But when have high cattle prices ever not come down, even if temporarily? Markets reacted instantly to President Trump’s comments on increasing beef imports from Argentina and other administration efforts to increase cattle production. In its Nov. 4 Market Watch report, Commodity and Ingredients Hedging (CIH) indicated both live and feeder cattle futures sold off sharply in the second half of October following commodity fund liquidation in response to President Trump’s recent comments regarding high beef prices and the need to bring them down. Nearby feeder cattle futures plunged 16 percent from $380/cwt. to $320 in the January futures contract, CIH reported. February live cattle futures dropped around 12 percent from $250/cwt. to just above $220 as the White House announced several initiatives to help lower beef prices. Those additional measures include possibly reopening the border with Mexico for the resumption of feeder cattle imports. The controversial tariff rate quota available to Argen-
Stephen Koontz
For example, Moroney says, in early November, the LRP fed cattle offering for a Feb. 12, 2026, $219.75 coverage level was $7.90/cwt.“A producer could have paired that with an obligation to be short on the CME at $236 by selling Feb. $236 call options for $2.70/cwt. That would create unlimited downside protection with room for opportunity up to $236 at a cost of $5.15/ cwt. If the market were to run up beyond $236, the pro- ducer would be obligated to be short. Net of all costs, the producer would be short at $231.85.” Moroney says an LRP/call options strategy may also help provide feeder cattle price protection at a lower cost. For example, with the LRP March feeder cattle contract at $312 in early November, a producer could have secured an LRP to protect that price for $14/cwt. “Your net price protection after premiums for the LRP would have been $298. The same LRP/call options strategy could have been used to cheapen it up. As an example, a producer could have sold the March feeder cattle $340 call for approximately $6.25/cwt. The re- sulting coverage cost would have been $7.75, netting the producer a minimum price of $304.25 and a maximum price of $332.25.” “Remember, we were all celebrating when we finally crossed $300 back in July,” Moroney says, noting that LRP contracts change regularly, but should still provide opportunities for producers and feeders to help manage their financial risk.
tina would quadruple the volume to 80,000 metric tons, or just under 180 million pounds. However, that’s just a fraction of the 25 billion pounds of beef produced in the U.S. “Do the math on the change in the quota and compare it to 25 billion pounds,” Koontz says.“Fed cattle and calf prices have been too high all year. I don’t think it was the import comments. The market was looking for something to trigger selling – and that just happened to be it.” Should You Fix a Floor Price? When the $380/cwt. futures price for January ’26 feeder cattle dropped to $320, it was about a $420-per-head hit for sev- en-weights. Of course, the $320 was still well above the $250 market in early February. But the $60/cwt. that was lost could have been partially protected with Livestock Risk Protection (LRP), options or straight futures hedges. “It is just advisable to buy LRPs,” Koontz says.“I perceive the risk as to the downside. Tight supplies are guaranteed. That will hold prices up. But surprises will be bad news.” Mike Moroney, CIH senior vice president of client services, says a sturdy risk management plan “is imperative in markets like this when the equity-per-head swings are in excess of $500 per head. “There are no easy risk management solutions in a market like this,” he says.“Everyone wants all the upside with no downside and wants it for free. That isn’t reality. However, producers can blend insurance alternatives with exchange positions to create ranges of protection at a more affordable price.”
13
CALF News
www.calfnews.net
December 2025 | January 2026
TCFA CONVENTION CONFERS IN COWTOWN ISSUES GALORE TO CONSIDER
By Larry Stalcup | Contributing Editor
W ith strong but jittery cattle markets, the border closed to Mexican cattle, more New World screwworm (NWS) threats, the gov- ernment shutdown and other issues, Robby Kirkland was among many cattle feeders wondering what will be next to impact the feeding industry. Kirkland, outgoing TCFA chairman, was among the speakers at October’s Texas Cattle Feeders Association (TCFA) Annual Convention in Fort Worth. He emphasized that TCFA remains steadfast in its lead- ership role in industry efforts to mitigate the growing threats from NWS and other issues that could disrupt cattle production and marketing. Kirkland said many TCFA area feedyards felt the impact of the Mexican border clo- sure after the NWS outbreak. Nearly 1.2 million cattle are typically imported from Mexico per year. But (at press time) the border had been closed since early July. That border halt added to the lowest beef cattle numbers in 70-plus years. Fewer feeder cattle have forced many yards in Texas and elsewhere to feed cattle to higher weights. But quality has not suffered. “Even with fewer cattle on feed, cattle feeders have persevered to keep producing high-quality beef, meeting the demands of consumers across the globe,” Kirkland said. “We have fed cattle to heavier weights, and U.S. cattle producers produce more pounds of beef even with a decrease in the number of cattle harvested.
“This proves the resiliency and ingenuity of every person sitting in this room. We have embraced technology to continue to produce the highest quality, safest beef in the world. It’s a product that American and international consumers continue to buy, despite higher prices at the grocery store.” Concerning NWS, he said TCFA is advo- cating for the construction of new sterile fly production facilities in South Texas, other states and Mexico. The association also supports approval of additional treatment options and implementation of stringent in- spection and treatment protocols to enable the reopening and continued operation of the southern border ports. “We are a founding member of the Screw- worm Coalition of Texas, which works together to prepare and protect livestock and wildlife producers,” Kirkland said.“We serve on the Texas New World Screwworm Response Team, which is jointly led by the Texas Animal Health Commission and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.” Another featured speaker, NCBA Presi- dent Buck Wehrbein, discussed the major issues facing producers and feeders, and reminisced about his time managing a feedyard in the Texas Panhandle. Wehrbein, a Nebraska native, has managed feedyards in his home state and Texas since the 1980s. After a short stint at a Castro County, Tex- as, feedyard, he became part of the Randall County Feedyard staff.“I grew up in the business at Randall County,” he said.
He worked on various TCFA commit- tees when it was headed by the legendary Charlie Ball and later Richard McDonald. “Richard was as good as it gets in livestock association work,” he remembered, noting that those two and later former TCFA CEO Ross Wilson were among his mentors during his 20 years in the Texas Panhandle.” Wehrbein urged today’s cattle feeders to read Charlie Ball’s book, The Finishing Touch .“Early Texas feeders made many sacrifices for us,” he said.“I have soft places in my heart for this association.” The many issues facing the cattle industry and all of agriculture dictate that crop and livestock producers need formidable voices nationally.“We need someone in Wash- ington looking out for us. That’s where we need NCBA,” he said.“They are such a good representative for us. The policy NCBA follows starts with you and other state cattle associations. It’s truly a grassroots organi- zation. “What TCFA and others do, and what we do at the [NCBA] midyear meeting, is what guides the NCBA staff. We don’t do anything that is not in the policy book. The checkoff doesn’t do anything that is not in the long-range plan.” Concerning President Trump’s trade deals (prior to comments later on Argentina beef ), Wehrbein said,“We’ve actually got Australia to take fresh meat from us, which was supposed to have happened 15 to 20 years ago.”
Outgoing TCFA Chairman Robby Kirkland: “Even with fewer cattle on feed, cattle feeders have persevered to keep producing high-quality beef meeting the demands of consumers across the globe.”
Paul Colman, right, former Cactus Feeders exec, catches up with current Cactus COO Paul Defoor during a TCFA program break.
14
www.calfnews.net
CALF News
December 2025 | January 2026
New TCFA Chairman Laphe LaRoe
TCFA CEO Ben Weinheimer
us. Now, we have fat back in [the diet] and everybody loves it. “Demand for our beef [is huge],” Wehrbe- in added.“A lot of that is due to the Beef Checkoff. We’re defending the checkoff against those who don’t like it. I understand those who feel it may not be set up right. But I don’t see why you would burn your house down, when [the checkoff] is work- ing and doing a good job. Our [checkoff] referendum is 76 percent positive. I encour- age you to always defend it.” New TCFA Officers Laphe LaRoe, a cattle feeder from Amarillo, is TCFA’s 2026 chairman. He is joined on the officer team by Ben Fort of Amarillo, serving as TCFA chairman-elect, and War- ren White of Hereford, who steps into the officer rotation as TCFA vice chairman.
TCFA CEO Ben Weinheimer dis- cussed these points during his associa- tion year-in-review: » 96 percent of TCFA’s 163-mem- ber feedyard capacity is BQA certified. » The cattle feeding region has a $16 billion economic impact on Texas, New Mexico and Okla- homa. » TCFA member feedyards fin- ished some 3.1 billion pounds of beef last year, enough to feed 55 million consumers. » TCFA youth programs provided more than $90,000 in scholar- ships and other educational high school and college students.
Even though the new Farm Bill hasn’t been passed, Wehrbein said,“it looks like it will be the best Farm Bill cattlemen have ever seen. With the Big Beautiful Bill, we got 90 to 95 percent of it done. That was huge.” He noted that extensive outlays for animal health, conservation programs, Livestock Risk Protection risk management tools, and keeping the Death Tax from hurting many smaller cattle operations were victories for agriculture. Like many in agriculture, Wehrbein was skeptical of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., be- ing named U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.“I thought,‘this is a wreck.’ Then he said he cooks his turkey in beef tallow, and he tweeted in favor of more beef jerky. When MAHA [Make America Healthy Again] came out, it was good for
POST TCFA CONVENTION ACTION D uring the TCFA Convention, CattleFax CEO Randy Blach warned producers, feeders and others to use risk protection to prepare for
streamlined grazing lands; improved USDA livestock and forage risk programs; volunteer USA labeling; reducing costs for small beef processors; and enhanced access to feeder cattle data. “We commend President Trump and Sec. Rollins for continu- ing to prioritize issues important to cattle producers and beef consumers,” TCFA Chairman Laphe LaRoe said.“While cattle inventories have reached a 70-plus-year low, consumer demand for beef remains high, and we look forward to continuing to work with the Trump administration to ensure consumers have access to the safe and nutritious beef they desire.“ TCFA officials also joined Sec. Rollins and U.S. Trade Ambassa- dor to Mexico Ronald Johnson in attending a U.S. trade mission to Mexico. The goal is to extend export opportunities for Ameri- can farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses by expanding economic opportunities, supporting rural prosperity and keeping American agricultural products globally competitive. On the NWS control front, TCFA noted that a new sterile fly dispersal facility has opened in Tampico, Mexico. The Tampico facility will allow USDA to disperse sterile flies aerially across northeastern Mexico, including in Nuevo Leon, if necessary.
market disruptions. Only a day or two later, cattle markets plunged unexpectedly following President Trump’s consideration that the U.S. may import more Argentina beef to lower consumer beef prices. The negative impact caused a limit-down market movement. TCFA indicated such incidents serve as a reminder that remarks like these have serious implications on cattle mar- kets. The Argentina issue didn’t set well at NCBA.“NCBA and its members cannot stand behind the president while he undercuts the future of family farmers and ranchers by importing Argentinian beef in an attempt to influence prices,” NCBA CEO Colin Woodall said.“It is imperative that President Trump and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins let the cattle markets work.” On a positive note, in late October Sec. Rollins announced a major plan to “fortify the beef industry, strengthening ranches, rebuilding capacity and lowering costs for con- sumers.” The program addressed veterans and ranching;
15
CALF News
www.calfnews.net
December 2025 | January 2026
By Jim Whitt | Contributing Editor ALERT AGRI DISTRIBUTORS CELEBRATES 40-YEAR ANNIVERSARY
I was on a list with several people who received an email from my friend Harvey Dann on Oct. 29. The subject line read, “Riding for the Brand (Book).” The message stated: “You are invited to attend a ‘People Meeting’ hosted by Jim & Sondra Whitt. Date: Nov 1/25, time: 4 p.m. Location: Lancaster Room (Hilton Hotel). Harvey.” This was how I learned that Sondra and I were on the agenda to speak at the 40th Anniversary Alert Agri Distributors Cel- ebration in Winnipeg. Since that was only two days away, I called Harvey and asked what we were supposed to talk about. “Oh,” Harvey responded,“that’s when we are handing out copies of your book.” That was it. He said nothing else about what he expected us to present. You have to know Harvey to appreciate the ambiguity of his approach. He had invited Sondra and me to attend the cel- ebration and asked me to bring copies of my book to give to some of the attendees. Apparently, two days before the event he thought it would be a good idea to have us do a “People Meeting” and then hand out the books. Our connection with Harvey was the result of him reading my column in the CALF News . We had never met, but he apparently liked what he read and called me one day out of the blue to see if Son- dra and I would come to Calgary to do a seminar for a group of cattle feeders in Alberta. We did and Harvey introduced us by saying that he had figured out how to resolve trade disputes between Canada and the United States.“First, Canada should declare war on the United States. They will defeat us and then they will rebuild our country.” Everyone laughed and then he turned the program over to us. That was more than 25 years ago. Since then, I receive a phone call from Harvey about every three months. We talk about the challenges we face in agriculture, what’s wrong with both of our countries and what should be done to fix the messes our politicians have made. Several months ago, I hadn’t heard from Harvey for a while, so I called him
and left a message. He didn’t call back, which is unusual, so I called his daughter, Jackie, who has worked with him for as long as the company has been in business and asked if he was okay. She assured me that Harvey was fine and that if anything should happen to him, I was on the list to call. Harvey’s celebration spanned an entire weekend. We arrived on Friday night and watched game six of the World Series at an informal get together with some of the other attendees in the hotel grill. Being in Canada, the majority of the group were pulling for Toronto. Since we were from south of the border, someone asked if we were Dodgers fans. I told them not par- ticularly since we were from Oklahoma and considered California to be a foreign country. On Saturday, we attended a session pre- sented by John Fagan, Ph.D., co-founder, CEO and chief scientist of the Health Research Institute in Fairfield, Iowa. Fagan has developed a rapid, economical method for determining the nutrient den- sity of wheat. Instead of the current sys- tem of marketing crops based on quantity, his goal is to create a system where both crops and livestock are measured at the molecular level and marketed based on nutritional quality. Following him on the agenda was our “People Meeting.” Sondra informed me that I was on my own. As I stood up to address the attendees, I opened with this observation,“Harvey Dann doesn’t make friends, he runs an adult adoption agency.” Everyone in the room laughed and nod- ded their heads. That’s because everyone who attended the celebration has been adopted by Harvey over the last 40 years. Harvey adopted us into his Canadian family, and that relationship has lasted for more than 25 years. Harvey put us on the program and gave away books because he believes in what we do and thought we could help the people in attendance and maybe get us some business. Harvey has been successful because he has helped a lot of other people be successful. As I
got acquainted with other people who attended the celebration, I discovered their adoptions were similar to ours. They come from all across Canada and the United States. Harvey has fed cattle with them, bought cattle from them, farmed with them, sold products to them and invested with them. He has been an innovator, investor and promoter of new technologies in a wide range of agribusi- nesses. And, yes, my fellow adoptees receive calls from Harvey on a regular basis just like me. On Saturday night, Harvey treated more than 70 of his adopted family to a prime rib dinner. Afterward, he took us all on a trip down memory lane and shared some of the experiences he’s had on the journey that has taken him to where he is today. After graduating from the University of Manitoba he went to work as a cattle buyer for Canada Packers in 1963. Bill Parrish hired Harvey in 1965 to manage Parkdale Farms, and during his 17-year tenure with Parkdale he built two feed- lots. The farm sold in 1982 and Harvey went to work for CanFax as a market analyst. He left CanFax in1985 to start Alert Agri Distributors with the mission of “Making its clients the most compet- itive in the industry.” The company sold feedyard equipment and represented IBP, buying cattle in Canada. Harvey shared numerous humorous anecdotes about his experiences with the people he did busi- ness with along the way, many of whom were in the audience. The event continued Sunday morning with brunch at St. Andrews Golf & Country Club where Harvey held court and recognized attendees’ birthdays and anniversaries for years they had attended past celebrations. About halfway through the festivities the electricity went out but that didn’t deter Harvey. He simply moved from the lectern in the front of the room to a spot in front of the windows to provide enough light for him to see his notes. The morning wrapped up with comedian Big Daddy Taz providing the entertainment. That afternoon Harvey gave a guided bus
16
www.calfnews.net
CALF News
December 2025 | January 2026
tour of Winnipeg for those of us interested in learning more about the history of the city, and then he treated us to supper at the historic 529 Wellington Steakhouse. The restaurant, housed in the former mansion of hardware merchant J. H. Ashdown, was built in 1913 by Winnipeg architect J. H. G. Russell. Less than half of the top one percent of beef in Canada is awarded the Canadian Prime distinction, and 529 Wellington claims to be the only restaurant where you’ll find it on the menu. Seventy people attended the Saturday night event, and 173 would have attended the brunch but the room at the country club could only accommodate 110. So, Harvey booked the club for brunch the following Sunday for another 63 people. That’s a lot of people. But that’s not nearly all of the adoptees in Harvey’s family. Many could not attend, and many have passed on. The celebration wasn’t really about Alert Agri Distributors. It was really a family reunion. And I feel fortunate to be part of the family.
Harvey honors Lance Mistelbacher, senior vice president of commodities and risk management for Canada Packers.
FORTIFY STRENGTH FROM WITHIN
Last Stand ® is the ultimate Day 1 protocol for beef calves .
Help calves maintain normal digestive health and a hardy, functioning immune system.
REINFORCE CALF HEALTH TODAY
©2024 DBC Ag Products
17
CALF News
www.calfnews.net
December 2025 | January 2026
By Burt Rutherford | Contributing Editor THE GENERATIONAL DRIVE TO GET BETTER Trust the Science Behind Genetic Selection, But Follow Your Instincts T he cattle business, as those of you reading this are fully aware, can be tough. It can be hard physically. It can be hard mentally. And it can be hard emotionally. “There was about 100 pounds in off-test weight difference from generation to generation. Certainly some changes in average daily gain. But what was interesting – feed conversion was only slightly different,” Field noted.
“So what is it that drives us? What motivates us, generation after generation, to try to improve these cattle?” Tom Field, Ph.D., asked Hereford leaders from 20 different countries at the 2025 World Hereford Conference in Kansas City, hosted by the American Hereford Association. He has a few ideas about that.“I think it’s deeper than money,” said the fifth-generation rancher and head of the Engler Agri-
What’s more, the maturation of the cattle wasn’t as different as the team expected.“But here’s the most exciting thing we saw, at least from my perspective. When we took the EPDs and looked at what we expected to see between the 1950s and the 1970s; the 1970s and the 1990s; and the 1950s and the 1990s, as estimated by the EPDs, and looked at the actual differences in phenotype, it was remarkable. Guess what? EPDs work.”
business Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.“It’s deeper than pride.” He looked at the words of Miguel Cervantes, who wrote of the exploits of Don Quixote, for an answer.“Cer- vantes wrote,‘Too much sanity may be madness. And the madness of all is to see life as it is and not as it should be.’ I think that’s the truth that drives us to see what’s possible,” Field said. Or perhaps the answer is in the words on his and many others’ childhood hero,
So it’s prudent to trust the science behind the genetic selection tools available to beef producers.“But we also have to trust our intuition, what we know about being on the land with these cattle,” he explained.“So there’s this beautiful merger of common sense and good science.” Comparing pictures of the belt buckle cattle of the 1950s and the hat high cattle of the 1970s and the leaner cattle of the 1990s is proof enough that genetic selection can change the composition of cattle dramati- cally. The team took representative animals from each generation, eviscerated them and then froze them. The 1950s steer had nearly an inch of backfat and a ribeye that some pigs can exceed today, he said.“And on the 1990s steer, considerably less fat, more mus-
John Wayne:“‘Tomorrow’s the most important thing in life. It comes into us at midnight, very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and puts itself in our hands, and it hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.’ That, too, is what drives us; to take what we’ve learned and apply it to change the future,” he told Hereford breeders. And that’s what beef producers worldwide have done over the generations. To illustrate that, he took the global Hereford leadership back about 30 years to an educational exercise that he and others did for the 1996 World Hereford Conference. They found semen from 1950s Hereford bulls, 1970s Hereford bulls and 1990s Hereford bulls to quantify the genetic changes over those years. Tom Field, Ph.D.,
cle – a completely different animal in its composition,” he said. “Marbling had gotten better from the ‘50s to the ‘70s, and then we lost a little progress as we chased growth in the ‘90s. We were trying to make them leaner and bigger. And when we did, what did we do? We lost a little bit of our momentum in marbling. But over time, we had improved the composition, the mix of quality grade.” They were also able to demonstrate net profit in the cattle. “And it was clear that we made more profitable cattle over that
period of time. And what this reminds us of is that we can, in fact, have an impact. We can change tomorrow through using the tools we can harness in the way of genetic evaluation.” The changes in cattle from the 1990s to today have been every bit as dramatic and profound, if not more so, than the changes from the ‘50s to the ‘90s. What have we learned in the past 30 years? “The most important thing we have learned is that when you take the power of selection and the power of heterosis for a commercial cow-calf producer, you im- prove their profitability and their sustainability,” Field said.“When we leave either of those tools – selection or crossbreeding – off the table for commercial breeders, we make it harder for our customer,” he admonished the seedstock producers in the room. What does the future hold? It’s doubtful that anyone back in the 1990s would have predicted the chang- es in the beef business from the then to today. Will we indeed produce 1,500-pound carcasses, as has recently been predicted? Only time will tell. Looking ahead, Field told Hereford leaders that they can choose one of two ways to go about their business and their lives.“We can ei- ther play a finite game or we can play an infinite game,” he said.“And it matters not where we live.” In the finite game, the thinking is short-term, often in quarters. The players are known, the rules are set and there’s a definite ending to the game.
“And the question that drives us in the finite game is what’s best for me,” he said. “Then there’s the infinite game. We think in generations. There are both known and unknown players. The rules are in flux. There’s no endpoint. The goal is to stay in the game, and what drives us is what’s best for others.” Field speaks from experience when he says the finite game will ultimately not end well.“I tried to play the finite game on our family ranch, and we made a lot of mistakes. When we got our minds back to playing the infinite game, we got better. Our cattle got better. Our family got better.” We get to pick, whether it be with genetics, management approach or any of the myriad other decisions that happen daily, he said.“Sometimes we get it right, sometimes we miss. But we get a chance to leave a mark, a legacy, and that’s important. It matters.”
19
CALF News
www.calfnews.net
December 2025 | January 2026
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs