12 CapitalPress.com
April 14, 2017
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Documenting grazing
results through monitoring
Dairy/Livestock
U.S. meat exports maintain strong pace
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
By DOUG WARNOCK
For the Capital Press
L
osing their U.S. Forest
Service grazing permits
was a fear expressed by
Washington ranchers as re-
ported in the March 31 issue
of the Capital Press. This sit-
uation illustrates the need for
livestock managers to doc-
ument rangeland trends and
overall range health through
their own monitoring pro-
gram. The article mentioned
that monitoring was taking
place, but some of the permit-
tees were not involved in that
process.
Monitoring pays. It is a
valuable management tool
and a means of documenting
the outcome of the current
management.
How does a livestock man-
ager get a monitoring pro-
gram started?
Monitoring can be very
extensive or quite simple, but
getting useful information
is the key. To get started, the
manager needs to determine
what information will be the
most useful. Exactly what
specific things need to be
evaluated? A person with con-
siderable experience in range-
land monitoring can be very
helpful with this. Talk to a
Natural Resources Conserva-
tion Service range specialist
or an extension range special-
ist to help you get started.
A variety of monitoring
programs is available. Some
require a significant amount
of time and if the manager
can’t allocate that much time,
it may be necessary to hire an
experienced person or firm
to do the monitoring. That
decision must be made by
the individual manager. The
important element is that
the monitoring program se-
lected provides information
that will be the most useful
in making management de-
cisions and documenting the
results of the management
being applied.
The most simple moni-
toring system is to establish
permanent photo points and
take photos every year. These
photos, coupled with written
observations, give a basic re-
cord of what is taking place.
The monitoring program
you choose should assess the
U.S. meat exports, Jan.-Feb.
Quantity (Metric tons)
Greener
Pastures
Doug Warnock
four ecosystem processes, i.e.
the water cycle, mineral cycle,
the composition and trends of
the plant community and the
solar energy flow. The solar
energy flow is a measurement
of how well the plants are uti-
lizing sunlight to produce plant
growth and development.
Grazing cages are useful.
They prevent grazing in a
small area so that at the end
of the growing season one can
clip and weigh the forage pro-
duced and calculate the year’s
production, as well as deter-
mine how much forage was
removed by grazing that year.
A 4-foot-square wire cage with
a wire top can be made from
livestock panels. It must be
staked down so that animals
can’t move it. The grazing
cage should be relocated at the
end of the growing season, so
that only one year’s growth
and utilization is measured.
An all-weather rain gauge
is a useful tool. Some of the
newer rain gauges are made
of material that will not freeze
and break. Just knowing
whether the accumulated pre-
cipitation is above average,
average or below average is
helpful in evaluating changes
that have occurred.
Additional kinds of mea-
surements and evaluations can
be made to provide a more
comprehensive assessment of
trends and general rangeland
health. A practical monitoring
program allows the manager
to track what is happening and
to make good decisions based
on the condition and health of
the plant communities in that
land base.
If you, as a rangeland
manager, do not already have
a monitoring program, this
spring is a good time to estab-
lish one. See your rangeland
specialist.
Doug Warnock, retired
from Washington State Uni-
versity Extension, lives on a
ranch in the Touchet River
Valley where he writes about
and teaches grazing manage-
ment. He can be contacted at
dwarnockgreenerpastures@
gmail.com.
February exports of U.S.
beef and pork were well
above last year’s levels, add-
ing to a strong start for 2017
shipments.
Pork exports, at 197,025
metric tons, were up 15 per-
cent year over year, posting
the strongest February volume
on record. The value of those
exports was up 17 percent to
$486.7 million, according to
the U.S. Meat Export Feder-
ation.
February beef exports
were up 9 percent year over
year, at 90,417 metric tons,
with value up 16 percent to
$508.5 million.
February exports account-
ed for 27.6 percent of U.S.
pork production, up from
23.8 percent year over year,
and 12.6 percent of U.S.
beef production, which held
steady with year-earlier lev-
els.
Those exports added an
average value of $51.94 per
hog slaughtered in the U.S.
and $276.96 per head of fed
cattle slaughtered. Those val-
ues are up 18 percent and 13
percent, respectively, year
over year.
“With trade deficits being
2016
2017
Percent
change
165,504
338,423
1,801
189,905
399,692
1,060
14.7%
18.1
-41.1
Item*
2016
2017
Percent
change
Beef
Pork
Lamb and mutton
875.1
819.1
2.81
1,024
995.3
2.68
17%
21.5
-4.3
Item*
Beef
Pork
Lamb and mutton
Value (Millions of dollars)
*All items include variety meats.
Source: USDA (data compiled by U.S. Meat Export Federation)
a hot topic of conversation,
especially with countries
such as Mexico, China and
Japan, it’s important to high-
light the sectors in which
U.S. products are competi-
tive throughout the world and
exports are thriving,” Philip
Seng, USMEF president and
CEO, said in a press release
accompanying the latest ex-
port numbers.
Red meat is certainly in
that category, he said.
For the first two months
of the year, pork exports
were up 18 percent in vol-
ume and 22 percent in value
at 399.692 metric tons and
$995.3 million. Beef exports
Capital Press graphic
were up 13 percent in volume
and 17 percent in value at
186,905 metric tons and $102
billion.
Japan led U.S. beef pur-
chases in both volume and
value for January-February
— accounting for 46,276
metric tons, up 41 percent
year over year — and $259.6
million in value, a 44 percent
increase.
Mexico topped the list of
pork purchases in volume
at 137,396 metric tons, up
27 percent, but was second
to Japan in value at $244.7
million. Exports to Japan,
at 63,775 metric tons, up
10 percent, were about half
those to Mexico but valued at
$256.1 million, a 14 percent
increase.
Chilled beef to Japan,
South Korea and Taiwan con-
tinue to drive export growth
in 2017, with a 60 percent in-
crease in Japan, a 95 percent
increase in Korea and a 12
percent increase in Taiwan,
USMEF reported.
Total beef exports to those
countries on a volume basis
were up 41 percent in Japan,
23 percent in South Korea
and 28 percent in Taiwan.
The value of those exports in-
creased 44 percent in Japan,
31 percent in South Korea
and 25 percent in Taiwan for
a total of $462.5 million.
Beef exports within North
America are also off to a sol-
id start in 2017, with Mexico
increasing 14 percent in vol-
ume in January-February and
trade with Canada rebound-
ing for an 11 percent increase
year over year.
The value of those exports
increased 3 percent in Mexi-
co and 18 percent in Canada
for a total of $270.9 million.
The picture in Hong Kong
is not as pretty, with beef im-
ports down 21 percent in vol-
ume and 12 percent in value.
For more details, visit:
www.usmef.org
Spot butter price hovers near $2; benchmark milk price drops
day, hitting 82 1/2-cents per
pound.
By LEE MIELKE
For the Capital Press
Dairy
Markets
C
ash block cheese closed
the first Friday of April
at $1.46 per pound,
down 6 cents, reversing three
weeks of gains, but is 4 cents
above a year ago.
The barrels finished at
$1.4350, down 3 1/2-cents
on the week and 1 3/4-cents
above a year ago. Three cars
of block traded hands on the
week and a whopping 40 of
barrel.
The blocks were un-
changed Monday and Tues-
day, while the barrels lost
three-quarters-cent Monday
and held Tuesday at $1.4275.
Dairy Market News re-
ports that milk is readily
available for cheese produc-
ers in the Midwest and spot
milk prices were running
$1.50 to $5 under class.
Cheese production in the
Benchmark
drops $1.07
Lee Mielke
West is also strong as milk
continues to be readily avail-
able. Inventories are increas-
ing while domestic demand is
“a little lackluster” and “ex-
ports have been a little slow
to develop.”
CME butter closed Friday
at $2.0975 per pound, down
a penny on the week and 2
1/4-cents below a year ago.
It dropped 2 cents Mon-
day, under 16 loads trading
hands, and dipped to $2.0775,
the lowest spot price since
Dec. 9, 2016. While some see
it flirting with the $2 level, it
regained a penny and a quar-
ter Tuesday, inching to $2.09.
Open-outcry for butter
ended Friday at the CME
and joined nonfat dry milk in
electronic trading Monday.
Some Central region but-
ter producers report produc-
tion is lighter than in previous
weeks while others continue
at the same level.
Demand for Western but-
ter is still good as the spring
holidays approach but buyers
are trying not to take on more
butter than immediate needs.
Grade A CME nonfat dry
milk, after holding all week
at 80 cents per pound, inched
up a penny Friday to close
at 81 cents, 12 cents above a
year ago.
The powder was un-
changed Monday but gained
a penny and a half Tues-
The March Federal order
Class III benchmark milk
price dropped to $15.81 per
hundredweight (cwt.), down
$1.07 from February but
$2.07 above March 2016. It
is the lowest Class III price
since October 2016 and
equates to $1.36 per gallon,
down from $1.45 in Febru-
ary and compares to $1.18 a
year ago. The First Quarter
Class III price average stands
at $16.49, up from $13.75
at this time a year ago and
$15.73 in 2015.
Monday’s Class III futures
settlements portended an
April price of $15.10; May,
$15.02; and June, $15.18,
with a peak of $16.42 in Sep-
tember.
The March Class IV price
is $14.32, down $1.27 from
February, $1.58 above a year
ago, and the lowest since No-
vember 2016. The First Quar-
ter Class IV average stands at
$15.37, up from $13.18 a year
ago and $13.62 in 2015.
California
Class I down
California’s May Class I
milk price is $16.65 per cwt.
for the north and $16.92 for
the south. They are down 11
and 12 cents, respectively,
from April. Both are $1.81
above May 2016, but are the
lowest Class I prices since
November 2016.
The five month average
for the north stands at $17.79,
up from $15.67 at this time
a year ago and compares to
$17.45 in 2015. The southern
average, at $18.06, is up from
$15.94 a year ago and $17.72
in 2015.
Milk output to rise
The Agriculture Depart-
ment lowered its 2017 milk
production forecast in its lat-
est World Agricultural Supply
and Demand Estimates report
as “reductions in milk per cow
offset increases in milk cow
numbers.”
2017 production and mar-
ketings were projected at
217.3 billion and 216.3 bil-
lion pounds, respectively,
down 200 million pounds
from last month. If realized,
2017 production would be up
4.9 billion pounds, or 2.3 per-
cent, from 2016.
Dairy product price fore-
casts for cheese, butter, non-
fat dry milk and whey were
lowered as both domestic
and international supplies are
large. As a result Class III
and Class IV price forecasts
were reduced.
The Class III milk price
is projected to range from
$16.10 to $16.60 per cwt.,
down from the $16.60-
$17.20 expected a month
ago, and compares to $14.87
in 2016 and $15.80 in 2015.
The Class IV price fore-
cast is expected to average
$14.30-$14.90, down from
$14.85-$15.55
predicted
last month, and compares to
$13.77 in 2016 and $14.35 in
2015.
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