NCGA,
NCBA Members Discuss Importance of Corn to Livestock Producers
(2-4-04)
Representatives from the
National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) were again reminded of corn's
value to the livestock industry at the National Cattlemens Beef Association
(NCBA) annual convention and agriculture tour last week in Phoenix.
During a tour of several
Arizona agriculture sites, NCGA Corn Board member Bob Dickey and Manager
of Livestock Information and Programs Tracy Snider witnessed first-hand
the importance of corn and its byproducts to livestock operations.
The tour took Dickey and Snider to the Triple G Dairy, a 10,000-head
dairy operation near Phoenix, and the Heiden Land and Cattle Company,
a 5,000-head dairy/beef feedlot. Corn, corn silage and distillers
grains were among the top feeds used at these sites.
"The livestock industry
has historically been the top customer for corn growers," Snider
said. "That fact was reinforced by what we saw and the comments
we heard at the cattlemen's convention. The managers of cattle operations
across the country realize there's no comparable substitute when it
comes to quality feed."
Dickey and Snider also
visited Arizona's largest feed distributor, Shamrock Foods, and participated
in seminars on feed management and property and land rights. Snider
said several issues of interest to corn growers were discussed, including
the expectation that the distillers grains market will improve in
the near future due to predicted cost increases in soybean meal additives.
"The convention gave
us a chance to discuss what lies ahead for the corn grower-livestock
producer relationship," Snider said. "It was a great opportunity
to talk to livestock producers about challenges they're currently
facing and to find out how those challenges affect their feeding decisions."
The mission of the NCGA
livestock program is to monitor and provide support to issues within
the livestock industry that directly impact corn growers. Livestock
continues to be the corn grower's most stable and important customer,
consuming 56 percent of U.S. corn, Snider said. Livestock is the one
program that touches all of NCGA's key issues, and there are many
crossover areas among action teams and working groups. Ensuring a
market for corn, as well as processed corn and co-products remains
as the main challenge for the livestock program.
On a related subject,
Snider will participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's customer
workshop on the agency's Manure and Byproduct Utilization National
Program (MBUNP). The workshop, scheduled for April 13-14, is designed
to provide input to scientists and administrators who will plan and
execute the MBUNP.