Wednesday, November 19, 1997

Small producers still the backbone of beef industry

By J.T. Smith / Abilene Reporter-News

While feedyard operations that produce fed cattle -- following the trend of poultry production -- became highly concentrated from 1969 through 1992, that's not true of feeder cattle operations on stock farms and ranches.

Feeder cattle production changed little from 1969 through 1992. The average herd remained about 40 head during the period.

Another USDA report, which covered 23 states, found that 85 percent of cow-calf operations still used livestock auctions to sell most of their cattle in 1996.

The leader of the Livestock Marketing Association says that's good news.

"These reports confirm what our member markets across the country see every day -- (that) feeder cattle and cow-calf production are still in the hands of the independent producer," said LMA President William E. Irons, Jr. "And that's good news for the entire industry."

Irons said the smaller beef producers remain the backbone of the American beef industry.

The LMA leader wasn't surprised by the results of the in-depth surveys.

"That's because these cattlemen know that competition is the best way to get the best price for their livestock," Irons said.

Nevertheless, Irons said the cattle marketing sector still remains concerned about concentration among packers and in fed cattle production.

Cattle on feed up 14 percent

Speaking of the beef industry, cattle and calves on feed in Texas feedlots (with 1,000 head or more capacity) for the slaughter market totaled a record 2.8 million head as of November.

That's up 14 percent from a year earlier.

The Texas Agricultural Statistics Service said the November number was also up 11 percent from the October level.

Fast-track vote delay disappoints cattlemen

White House and Congressional leaders have agreed to wait until Congress reconvenes in 1998 to vote on legislation giving the Clinton Administration fast-track negotiating authority on international trade agreements.

Clark Willingham of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) said NCBA was disappointed by the delay.

Willingham and Mark Armentrout, chairman of the NCBA international markets committee, said in a joint statement that competitors will just continue to forge trade agreements with new markets and expand opportunities with existing ones "while the United States is shut out of the process."

The NCBA and the Texas Cattle Feeders Association are among many agricultural groups strongly supporting the legislation.

Such authority will require the U.S. Congress to vote "up or down" on trade accords negotiated by the administration without tacking on changes.

Aggies working on tenderness test

Texas A&M University is developing a new test to measure the tenderness of raw samples of meat.

The test would enable processors to test tenderness before the meat ever leaves the plant.

Dr. Jimmy Keeton, Texas A&M professor of animal science, said that a sample of about a half-inch wide is placed in a texture analyzer and compressed by 3 percent for four minutes.

The A&M researchers then use a computer model and a series of complicated mathematical formulas to determine the meat's response to that stress.

The stress mimics a person's first bite into meat.