Everyone loves Halloween. Harvest is nearing completion (unless you can’t get in the fields because of all the rain like all my neighbors), the calves are weaned, healthy and eating like wolves in the feed yard, and for many, a big check will soon come your way when you market those calves and perhaps your cull cows. Maybe you aren’t planning your Halloween costume (I’m going to be a pumpkin, by the way), but you might be eating all the candy that you bought for those little trick-or-treaters. And, speaking of pumpkins and the Halloween spirit, I have decided that, through this blog, I have some very interesting friends.

I have met so many wonderful people because of this blog, and it’s only in its beginning stages. First, I have the Cosmo bachelor friend, then I have the friend that has triplet calves, I have my ambassador friends, and I have my aged with wisdom friends. I have my BEEF Magazine staff member friends, my presidential election savvy friends, and my friends that dislike Oprah. And in the spirit of the season, I have friends that do this…

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Have you heard of Cosmopolitan Magazine? I imagine not alot of you have read it…the pages aren’t exactly filled with advice on how to market your cull cows and calculate distillers grains into your feed rations. No, the magazine focuses more on personal relationships, fashion tips, celebrity gossip and cute boys. So, why am I talking about Cosmo on BEEF Magazine’s place in cyberspace? Well, it has become the sounding board for a fellow cattle producer, and I thought you might like to hear about it.

Jess Peterson, a Montana cattleman and lobbyist in Washington D.C., was nominated as one of Cosmo’s 50 Hottest Bachelors. Jess represents the state of Montana and is using his position to tell the beef production story. You can see his full profile at Cosmo’s website and see how Jess is using his “Hot Bachelor Status” to promote American beef. In a recent video production, Cosmo asked the 50 bachelors what their greatest concern was in the 2008 election. The video was titled, “Bachelors Get Political.” While most said the state of economy, health care or the housing market, Peterson proudly told the camera crew to “Buy American beef and keep cattle producers in business!”

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Have you registered for the BEEF Quality Summit yet? Presented by BEEF Magazine, this year’s summit is focused around the issue of, “Quality–A solution to rising costs.” Now doesn’t that sound beneficial for the struggling cattlemen during these challenging financial times?

I have traveled to numerous conferences and conventions over the years, but I have never seen a conference more geared towards helping producers to increase their profitability potential. Hot topics of the conference this year include: the long-effects of rising costs on beef quality, demand and profit, positioning quality U.S. beef in the global marketplace, making COOL work for you, managing costs and product quality for profit, looking at what consumers want (balancing beef quality and price in the retail case), what the 2008 election results will mean for cattle producers and the benefits and acceptance of pharmeceutical technologies in beef production.

Wow, they are sure going to cover a hefty amount of hot topics over the course of two days! You read the news and you have attended conferences, hearing the same tiresome lectures over and over again, but this summit is uniquely designed to help successful cattlemen market their products into a new generation of the beef cattle industry. The event will be held Nov. 6-7, 2008 in Colorado Springs, CO. Link here to view the registration forms and event itinerary.

And remember, the best way to stay in business is a proactive approach. Don’t wait for your neighbor to start implementing new management and marketing practices. Pave the way for your own success, and be the first to share with your friends what you learned to stay profitable in the current state of the industry.

If you attended this conference last year, leave your comments and tell everyone what you enjoyed the most from the event. I want to know your favorite parts of the BEEF Quality Summit!

Many of you know that I served as a National Beef Ambassador in 2006. For those of you that aren’t familiar with this program, the NBAP is a youth organization that works to promote beef to our nation’s consumers, working with the media and traveling to fairs across the country. I truly believe this program makes a difference for producers, increasing the demand for beef and keeping cattlemen in business. Who better to tell our story than enthusiastic young people? It’s no secret that I’m deeply disappointed in the Beef Initiatives Operating Committee for cancelling funding of the NBAP. The ambassadors need your help, and I know just the way to do it. Read this column by Kelli Loos, a Nebraska cattlewoman and proud supporter of the NBAP. She will challenge you to step up and make a difference for the beef industry in a huge way.

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I’ll admit that I wasn’t the first to see Oprah’s latest assault on the agricultural industry. In fact, just as I refuse to listen to country musician Carrie Underwood because of her affiliation with the Humane Society of the United States, I also never watch Oprah’s talk show because of her blatant attacks on the animal agricultural industry over the years.

But Oprah’s sweet, right? Everybody thinks so. Well, while she may have allowed the opportunity for both sides of the argument on her talk show series, “Where Our Food Comes From,” Oprah certainly didn’t have agriculture’s best interests at heart.

Now before I permanently solidify my cozy position on this soapbox, let me direct you to American Cowman, where Kindra Gordon has written her commentary on our favorite superstar. You can join the already heated discussion there, or you can leave me your thoughts on the blog. I’ll even make room on my soapbox for you to step up and join me.

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I have always stood by the fact that if you want to learn something new, you only have to look to someone with a lifetime of experience and ASK. I have never been afraid to lean on a friend or an industry professional to guide me through my personal life and professional career. I guess people like to help others, especially young people. This is something we shouldn’t forget in these financially challenging times in agriculture. Surely, you know someone that has weathered a storm like this before. Undoubtedly, that person has sufffered through much tougher times and has the perfect advice on how to get through it.

My lead headline on BEEF Daily today is “Tips Can Help Producers Through Tough Times“. It provides great guidelines for reducing input costs and marketing your calves more profitably. I encourage you to read the article, but I think you should take it one step further. Ask someone for advice. Now, I don’t just hand out advice, I follow my own, as well. So I asked my dad and grandpa their thoughts on the current state of the industry. It quickly turned into what the future looks like for young people, and here is a small sampling of what they had to say…

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If you picture a round of poker, the stakes are high, the tension is thick and depending on how the cards are laid will determine who holds all of the chips, right? Well, I liken that to the lawsuit against JBS-Swift. How will the hand play out?

Today’s first headline describes the major beef industry players and how much of a share each player holds in the overall market pie. JBS-Swift has continued to make global news with their business plans to purchase National Beef Packing Company LLC. The Department of Justice filed a civil anti-trust lawsuit today in U.S. District Court in Chicago to block the proposed acquisition by Brazilian-Based JBS-Swift.

The news of this lawsuit has been the major buzz in the media as of late, and I think it’s time we discussed it on the BEEF Daily Blog. Yesterday marked the launch of our e-newsletter edition, so we should soon be joined by a great number of industry professionals from all angles and sectors of this business. And, it might be one of those days where you decide to love or hate this blogger, but I’m willing to take that risk. What’s important is healty discussion, and I’m opening up the table now.

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Got a case of the Mondays? Well, these photos will add an interesting spin to your Monday morning. Count ‘em…1, 2 and 3 bull calves born to the same dam. Can you believe it? I blinked three times to make sure I was seeing it right. Has this ever happened to you? Wow!

Managing Editor Alaina Burt forwarded these photos to me from her fellow Red Angus producers and friends, Dennis and Jo Ann of Ory’s Circle 7 Red Angus, Rocky Comfort, MO. Peaches is the proud mama of three bull calves named, Joe, Jake and Jesi. I think the Ory family will have their hands full with these three!

I’m certain you have some amazing events that happen on your own, respective farms? If you have caught those events on film, why not send some of those photos my way? Email me at beefnews@hotmail.com with your favorites, and they may just make the BEEF Daily Blog!

Last night I attended the South Dakota State University Ag/Bio Career Fair. With over 90 companies represented, I was overwhelmed by the agri-business in one building. As I made the rounds, I saw representatives from processing plants, feedlots, pharmaceutical companies, and governmental agencies, feed companies and hog units. I realized the sky is certainly the limit in agricultural career opportunities.

I thought back to the days where I didn’t believe there were opportunities in agriculture for young people. When my roommates and I returned from the career fair, we gathered around the table for an always welcome steak supper and discussed the events of the fair. One of my roommates is an agronomy student, another is an ag education major and the third roomie is an animal science student. Obviously, we each have different areas of interest and different careers to explore.

As we excitedly exchanged notes last night, I realized that we all had something in common: not one of us was planning on going home to our farms. Well, at least, we didn’t accept it as a real career possibility anyway. Times are definitely tough right now in the cow/calf sector of our industry, but I’m positive things will start looking up. And, the current outlook is definitely the most difficult for young people trying to stay involved in livestock production. Now is the time to start thinking about how to incorporate your next generation into your family’s business plan. How will they slowly take over the business? Can you trade manual labor and daily chore help for the gradual earnings of land and livestock? These are definitely some issues and challenges to contemplate.

Should you Expand Your Cowherd? is the topic of today’s lead headline on BEEF Daily. And, I would guess that is the exact question alot of you are asking yourselves this fall.

After preg-checking cows last weekend, my dad and I are in debate about how many cows we should cull and how many replacement heifers we should keep. In 2007, we made pretty aggressive cuts in our cowherd, so the big issue this year is the number of heifers to retain and feed throughout the winter.

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