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UW-Extension Taylor County
North Central Wisconsin Cattlemen’s
Association, Inc.
V O LU M E 1 6 , I S S U E 4
FO U R T H Q U A R T E R 2 0 1 4 O C T N O V D E C
Annual Meeting Set for Jan 17
Mark your calendars, saving
Jan 17, 2015 to attend the
NCWCA Annual Meeting.
We will once again gather at
the Pavilion in Rib Lake to
enjoy a day of information,
networking and great food.
Save this Newsletter!
It contains details of
upcoming meetings.
Our keynote speaker will be
award winning agricultural
radio broadcaster Bob
Bosold from WAXX 104.5
Rhyner, Lance Gustafson and
Steve Suchomel which are set
to expire in 2015.
Jeff Swensen from WI
DATCP will provide an
update from the department
as well as discuss increasing
the beef check off applied to
cattle sales.
Consignments to the 2015
Seedstock Sale will also be
taken on Jan 17. The Board is
counting on your firm
commitment to this sale!
Elections to the NCWCA
Board of Directors will also be
held. Nominations are now
being sought to fill the board
positions occupied by Paul
Watch your mail and
ncwcattlmen.com website
for registration information
Bus Trip to Northern Beef Farms
To check if any meeting
listed in this newsletter has
been canceled, call UWExtension, Taylor Co: 715748-3327 or tune to Medford
radio: K99/WIGM
As you read this, there is still
time to sign up to participate
with the Oct 10-11 bus trip to
the Marengo Valley. Hayward area hotels have rooms
Visit us on the web at
http://ncwcattlemen.com
Communications Coordinator
2014 Officers:
Chair
Kurt Hallstrand–
715-657-0233
V. Chair
Todd Andreshak–
715-846-3713
Treasurer
Steve Suchomel–
715-678-2895
Secretary
Bill Grote–
715-785-7570
UW-Extension Advisor
Sandy Stuttgen–
715-748-3327
Directors usually meet
the third Thursday of every month, call Chair-
man for time and place.
on hold. Call (715) 748-1469
ASAP to reserve your spot
and receive hotel information.
You must book your own
hotel room.
Six farms will be toured:
Hallstrand, Mark Jolma,
Charlie Yitalo, Tim Mika,
Shuman, and Mike & Lauren
Ball.
Help Wanted: Part-time Communication Coordinator to
support NCWCA in its efforts
to stay connected to its members and to promote the beef
industry to the public.
including attendance at the
monthly NCWCA Board of
Directors meetings to inform
the Board of ongoing activities. Monthly compensation
will be $100.
The Communication Coordinator responsibilities include,
but are not limited to, informing members about NCWCA
activities, maintaining the
NCWCA website, ncwcattlemen.com, producing a quarterly newsletter, maintaining
the NCWCA mailing list and
utilizing member e-mail addresses for internal communications and developing social
media integration (Facebook,
Constant Contact, Twitter)
Resources for the Coordinator
will be the NCWCA Board of
Directors (primarily the vicepresident), UW-Extension

Taylor County Agriculture
Educator, UW-Extension Beef
Information Center and other
beef industry resources recommended by the NCWCA
Board of Directors.
It is anticipated this position
will require 10 hours per
month working from home,
Applicant qualifications/ requirements:
 Associate’s Degree or
technical college certificate and related experience preferred; high
school diploma and

demonstrated experience
also acceptable
fluency in communication
software: Outlook, Internet Explorer or Firefox,
Facebook, WordPress, or
other computer applications and editing web
pages, Microsoft Office
Suite
home office with access to
computer with current
Windows Operating System, Microsoft Office
Suite and high speed
internet
Forward resume and cover letter by Dec 1, 2014 to
Sandy Stuttgen, UWExtension Agriculture Educator, USDA Service Center,
925 Donald St Room 103,
Medford, WI 54451.
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The Athens Veterinary Service will provide a 10% discount on professional services. In addition, you will receive a 15% discount on commonly used prescription & preventative care products such as vaccines and dewormer. However, in order to receive these discounts you
must pay at the time of service.
Mix-Rite Feed
Mill, Inc.
KENNAN, WI 54537
Dennis & Greg Minks
A Feed & Seed For Every Farm Need
Fertilizer Mixing, Custom Formulating
Toll Free: 1-888-474-3313
Fax: 1-715-474-2305
NO R T H C E NT R A L WI S C O N S I N C A T T LE ME N’ S A S S O C I A T I O N, I NC.
PAGE 3
Documenting Sustainability
There is a new partnership starting
between the National Initiative for
Sustainable Agriculture (NISA) and
local beef and pork producers looking
to document, promote and communicate advancements in sustainable
practices used on their local production
systems. NISA is working with the
Wisconsin Pork Producers and the
Wisconsin Cattleman’s Association on
a groundbreaking program to measure
on-farm sustainability success, encourage continual improvements and help
farmers, food buyers and consumers
learn about sustainability of Wisconsin
beef and pork operations.
The assessment process has been developed jointly by UW-Extension animal scientists and specialists and local
producers and their representative
associations. NISA has developed this
simple process to measure on - farm
sustainability which allows producers
to participate in establishing the assessments and gives them ownership
and a vital role in documenting their
sustainability and working toward continual improvement.
that have already been made. The assessment questionnaires are customized for each commodity and area and
recognize local and regional production
differences.
This program is designed for producers
and needs your support! This assessment process is voluntary, quick and
easy and asks only practice based
questions - it does not ask specifics on
amounts or details. The assessments
are non-threatening and could be used
on your own farms to promote sustainability efforts. The data is coded to protect individual privacy and will be held
by your associations. Once a large
enough proportion of the industry is
engaged, NISA will use aggregate data
and work with producers and their
organizations to identify key sustainability drivers and develop communication pieces which growers and the associations can use to promote advances
This is a process that has a proven success record in working with farmers. In
just over 18 months, NISA
(http://nisa.cals.wisc.edu/) has demonstrated the usefulness of this approach
by working with over 1,000-farmers,
assessing 1.2-million acres across 11
cropping systems. The results give
farm groups, food chains, and consumer’s practical ideas for voluntary improvements which show the commitment that producers have to the environment and society.
The links to this assessment is available on our website, ncwcattlemen.com
Defining Sustainability
The July/Aug 2014 edition of American
Red Angus Magazine reports the U.S.
Beef Sustainability Project, funded by
Beef Checkoff has traced sustainability
from birth to consumption of the animal. From 2005 to 2011, there has
been a 5% increase in overall environmental sustainability and a 7% increase in social sustainability.
A variety of things contribute to this
improvement, including improvements
in crop yield, animal performance and
machinery efficiencies.
Individual producers can, and do,
make a difference in beef sustainability. Improved animal genetics make
producers more sustainable. As does
improved calving rates, higher weaning weights, feed efficiency and lower
cow maintenance requirements.
there is a market for beef in the future.”
Producers must continue to use social
media to educate consumers about beef
and how cattle are raised and care for.
Now more than ever, people are asking
where their food comes from. Unfortunately they get their answers from anti-agriculture or animal rights activist
groups. People vested in niche beef
markets may give conventional beef a
tainted reputation of being bad.
Kim Stackhouse-Lawson, Ph.D., Director of Sustainability Research with the
National Cattlemen's Beef association
defines sustainability as meeting the
growing global demands for beef by
balancing environmental responsibility, economic opportunity and social
diligence throughout the value chain.
Jude Capper, PhD, animal scientist
and livestock sustainability expert affiliated with Montanan State University said “producers must rectify the social side and share what ranchers do
and whey they do it, to insure that
Capper went on to define sustainability as the balance between economic
viability, environmental responsibility
and social acceptability.
“Economics and sustainability
can go hand-in-hand”, American Red
Angus Magazine, July/Aug 2014;
summarized by Sandy Stuttgen
For more news,
visit ncwcattlemen.com
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Supporting
local agriculture!
For more information about joining Taylor County Farm Bureau,
contact President Cheri Klussendorf at 715-748-2101 or visit
www.wfbf.com.
OFFICE
HOURS:
MON-FRI,
8:30 AM4:30 PM
Phone: 715-748-3327 • On the Web: http://taylor.uwex.edu
Your local connection to university resources and research


Agriculture
Community Resource
Development


Family Living
4-H Youth Development
NO R T H C E NT R A L WI S C O N S I N C A T T LE ME N’ S A S S O C I A T I O N, I NC.
PAGE 5
Looking for New/Renewal Members….
The goal of NCWCA is to build the reputation of its producer members and the beef industry of North Central Wisconsin, by
producing the quality cattle today’s markets require. Membership is open to cattle owners or active managers of cow/calf, stocker
or feedlot operations. These are annual memberships, for the upcoming calendar year. Use this page to join today!
Check membership level desired. Payment to NCWCA.
 Family Membership—$40.00: two individuals at one address, two voting privileges, free ad in Member’s Market Page of
the quarterly newsletter, classified advertising on our website ncwcattlemen.com
 Individual Membership—$25.00: one individual, one voting privilege, free ad in Member’s Market Page of the quarterly
newsletter, classified advertising on our website: ncwcattlemen.com
 Associate Membership—$25.00: one individual interested in cattle, no voting privilege, free ad in Member’s Market Page of
the quarterly newsletter, classified advertising on our website: ncwcattlemen.com
Name(s)_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Address_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Phone______________________________________________ Cell_________________________________________________
Email____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Do you wish to receive notifications by email? ____yes ____no
What type of informational programs would be of interest to you?
Feedlot___ Cow/Calf___ Backgrounding___ Grazing___ Nutrition___
Health___ Marketing___ Preconditioning___
Mail to: NCWCA, c/o Sandy Stuttgen, UWEX Taylor County,
925 Donald St., Room 103, Medford, WI 54451
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NO R T H C E NT R A L WI S C O N S I N C A T T LE ME N’ S A S S O C I A T I O N, I NC.
Sponsorships Available
Prime Sponsorship is available with
a contribution of $400 or more. This
sponsorship entitles you to full-page
advertising in the NCWCA quarterly
newsletter, advertising on our website: ncwcattlement.com, link from
ncwcattlemen.com, and participation
in all NCWCA programs. Program
participation to be determined by the
NCWCA Board of Directors.
Native Sponsorship is available
with a contribution of $300-$399. This
contribution entitles you to half-page
advertising in the NCWCA quarterly
newsletter, advertising on our web-
site: ncwcattlemen.com, link from
ncwcattlemen.com, and participation
in all programs. Program participation
to be determined by the NCWCA
Board of Directors.
Choice Sponsorship is available
with a contribution of $200-$299. This
sponsorship provides quarter-page
advertising in the NCWCA quarterly
newsletter, ncwcattlemen.com. Advertising at all NCWCA programs.
Select Sponsorship is available with
a contribution of $100-$199. This contribution makes available eighth-page
advertising in the NCWCA quarterly
newsletter and advertising at all
NCWCA programs.
Friend Sponsorship is available to
any who are interested in helping promote the work of NCWCA. With this
contribution of $25-$99, you will be
acknowledged as a friend in the quarterly NCWCA newsletters.
Make sponsorship checks payable to
NCWCA and mail to: Sandy Stuttgen,
UWEX Taylor County, 915 Donald St.,
Room 103, Medford, WI 54451. Advertisements are to be emailed to
[email protected]
Quality Assurance
John McDay, in his Sept 15, 2014 editorial of Drovers CattleNetwork, gives
a history of quality assurance programming in response to issues discerned
during National Beef Quality Audits
(NBQA) “...Since reaching a low of 49
percent in 1995, the percentage of carcasses grading Prime or Choice increased to 61 percent in the 2011
NBQA.
During the months of September and
October, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc, is paying the fee for Beef
Producers and Dairy Farmers to get
BQA certified. This will allow producers to save the $25 to $50 fee during
the open certification period.
Producers can go to
http://BQA.org/team, and that will get
you to the right page and the code you
“The industry still faces challenges
need to enter. They are partnering
thought, and consumers will continue
with Kansas State’s Beef Cattle Instito raise the bar in their expectations
tute for this online training, so you can
and perceptions of beef quality. Back in also go to
1994, the top quality challenges inhttps://animalcaretraining.org to see
clude external fat, overall palatability all the modules that are available.
and defects such as injection-site leThe modules are divided up so if you’re
sions. In the 2011 NBAQ, several of
a stocker backgrounder there’s a modthose concerns had dropped off, but
ule for you, if you’re in the feedlot secretailers and other stakeholders were
concerned with food safety, eating sat- tor there’s a great module there, transportation folks have resources for them
isfaction and how and where cattle
were raised. Trends suggest consumers online, and the cow calf is, of course,
online. Dairy producers also have their
will increasingly expect more information on where their beef comes from own specific BQA module online as
well.
and how animals were raised, with
assurances regarding animal welfare,
food safety and sustainability.
The BQA program is straight forward,
and it’s just about taking the time to go
through the modules. There’s a little
“So keep reading about beef quality.
quiz at the end, it’s not complicated.
Keep talking about beef quality. An
most importantly, seek out bQA train- Each section is a narrated online slide
show, you watch and listen to, and it
ing, become certified or re-certififed
and put BQA principles into practice in covers the information that is on the
quiz. The other nice feature about it is
your operations.”
that it’s set up in small segments, so
you can go through at your own pace
and convenience, it will record your
progress to that point, and then if you
have to go out and do some work, it
won’t back you up to the beginning, it
will save to right there, and you can
pick it up where you left off.
Some of you may have just received
letters informing you that your WI
BQA certification has expired. Participating in the online sessions will recertify you. As will attending a BQA
session taught by a UW-Extension certified trainer. Stay tuned for more details as UW-Extension Ag agent Sandy
Stuttgen is planning a BQA session
this winter. Certification or recertification during a hands-on session
costs $15.
Attendance at various programs may
earn continuing education credits toward re-certifying for BQA in Wisconsin. File three program attendance
certificates, mailing copies of them
along with your $10 re-certification fee
to the WI Beef Council.
Also herd on pasture…
“Some people dream of being something; other stay awake and are.”
“It’s good to have an end to journey
toward, but it’s the journey that
matters, in the end.”
NO R T H C E NT R A L WI S C O N S I N C A T T LE ME N’ S A S S O C I A T I O N, I NC.
PAGE 7
With a great location in Southwest Wisconsin, we are centrally located
between the cattle feeding states of Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and
Wisconsin with great access to the Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Texas, and
South Dakota feedyards.
Slaughter Sales Every Tuesday 9:30 a.m.
Feeder Cattle Sale - Call for Listings
We appreciate all inquiries you may have on the marketing of your
Quality Feeder Cattle. Call us if you need cattle looked at or wish to consign.
We offer a personalized commitment of all current market updates and marketing
advice 24 hours a day, 7 days a week...
A family-owned and operated livestock auction market
working hand-in-hand with America’s finest family farmers/ranchers,
establishing transparent market values the auction way…
Hope to Hear From You Soon!!
Thanks Again,
The Kirschbaum Family: Jim, Kevin, Cody and Corey....
PAGE 8
NO R T H C E NT R A L WI S C O N S I N C A T T LE ME N’ S A S S O C I A T I O N, I NC.
THE TRACTOR IS NOT THE PLACE FOR QUALITY TIME
NO R T H C E NT R A L WI S C O N S I N C A T T LE ME N’ S A S S O C I A T I O N, I NC.
PAGE 9
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NO R T H C E NT R A L WI S C O N S I N C A T T LE ME N’ S A S S O C I A T I O N, I NC.
Matching Cows Production to Environment
The Jan 2014 issue of Hereford World
printed an article written by Troy
Smith which explained why Oklahoma
State University Beef cattle Specialist
David Laman fears that many producers are trying to make the environment
fit the kind of cows they like. It makes
better economic sense to raise cattle
which fit your environment.
nutrients needed for increased production. “From a commercial cow-calf perspective, the industry is on an unsustainable path, relative to some traits.”
Mature cow weight per inch of height
is increasing, and this push for more
muscle and more capacity but less fat
increases the potential for negative
impact to fertility. Fat composition is
Lelman says genetic selection empha- still thought to be the best indicator of
sizing muscle, growth and milk produc- fertility. So bigger framed cows need a
tion in beef cows doesn’t fit grazed for- higher body condition score to be in
age production systems. This results in optimum condition for breeding. Lalproducers paying for expensive feeds,
man cautions producers to consider
or buying extra hay, or having to rent
how mismatches between cows type
more land during times of rising rental and environment may affect reproducrates.
tive performance.
Industry trends toward cows of larger
size and greater milking ability have
higher nutrient requirements than
grazed systems may satisfy.
In Oklahoma, a beef cow in 1960
grazed forage and her diet was supplemented with about three-quarters of a
ton of hay per year. “Now,” says Lalman, the average OK cow consumes
2.25 tons of hay annually. Her diet consists primarily of hay for 150 days each
year.” Lelman wonders if genetic potential in cattle has surpassed the capacity of forage to provide increased
Selection for high growth requires
higher feed intake, and greater gut
capacity. This results in increased visceral organ mass relative to live body
weight.
“Lalman says targeting more moderation in growth, mature size and milk,
combined with alteration of ranch
stocking rates, would seem a good response to economic trends and likely
would result in increased efficiency, “
states Smith.
Those are concerns in Oklahoma,
where conditions, according to Lalman,
The Cost of Wasting Hay
are beginning to mimic what happens
here in Wisconsin: when cattle can’t
graze snowballs; relying on stored or
purchased hay (and if you made it, you
paid for it) for at least 120 days each
winter. Recent prices suggest great
financial opportunity for commercial
cow-calf operators, provided your costs
of production are under control.
Managing grazing and pasture fertility
is necessary to capture Wisconsin’s
grazing season. Match size and growth
to forage efficiency. Manage stocking
density. Put priority on economically
relevant traits related to fertility and
forage use efficiency.
As Lalman stated in Smith’s article,
“ Seedstock breeders as well as commercial operators should make their
cows work for a living without artificial
enhancements to the environment.”
Select for sires born to cows that calve
early in the season every year. Cull
open cows, save only early-born heifers
and keep only early bred replacements.”
“Matching Cows and Production to the Environment: by Toy Smith,
Hereford World/Jan 2014, pages 3233; summarized by Sandy Stuttgen
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Beef Checkoff Programs
The Beef Checkoff Program has many programs
that help equip beef producers across the country
to become ‘everyday beef
advocates,’ so they can tell
their beef production stories to schools and civ-
ic/church groups, through
local media, at the local
coffee shop, and in the
‘virtual’ world of the Internet. One tool is a handy
pocket booklet titled Your
Guide to Having the Beef
Conversation, which
Herd on pasture… A surveyor
shares facts and tips for
talking with consumers
about how beef is raised
and how it can fit a
healthy lifestyle. Visit
mybeefcheckoff.com to
learn more.
Cost of Dirty Cattle
As the pages of the calendar turn, we
are reminded of the challenges of the
approaching winter. Make plans now
concerning how and where to winter
your herd. Cattle do not have to be
placed indoors during the winter. They
must however have access to dry, sloping areas that do not accumulate mud
and provides protection from the wind.
Tag (mud and manure) scores should
be at a 3 or less; with at most small
and large tags attached to the hide
covering the larger areas of the legs,
drops by Will’s farm in eastern Minnesota and announces that he has
some bad news. “I discovered that
your farm isn’t in Minnesota,” h says.
“It’s actually in Wisconsin.”
Will lets out a sigh of relief.
“That’s the best news I’ve heard in a
long time,” he says. “...I don’t think
I can take another winter in Minnesota.”
Reader’s Digest, Jan 2014
side and underbelly, not attaching
along the hind quarter, stomach or
front shoulder.
formance of clean dry cattle offset the
cost of the bedding. Substituting 2014
feed and bedding prices into the calculations the North Dakota team used, a
Depending on the weather, bedding
$62.10 net return per steers resulted
may be needed to keep cattle as tag
when steers were bedded to maintain
free as possible. Dry clean coats help
tag scores less than 3. Cattle dry and
cattle to meet maintenance needs. Ex- clean had increased carcass values of
tra feed during cold damp weather also $86 to $98 compared to unbedded cathelps.
tle.
Bedding costs money. A north Dakota
study performed with feedlot steers in
2001 –2002 found that increased per-
Member’s Classifieds
SERVICES
Wisconsin Meadows Grass-Fed Co-op is looking for
more producers to furnish grass-finished market
animals. A 25-30% premium over market paid.
Meats are supplied to grocery stores, restaurants,
food co-ops and individual sales. Contact Judy
Lang @ 715-748-3380
Installation of Hi-tensile fencing. Paul Rhyner,
Medford, 715-560-0252
For Rent: Portable livestock handling system, includes squeeze chute and crowd tub. Call Lee
Waldhart, Stetsonville, 715-678-2873
View and Post ads to
ncwcattlemen.com
From ‘Bedding: Costs & Returns in the
Feedlot’, 2014 UW-Extension Cattle
Feeders Workshops.
When You Need to Work With
Your Cattle….
Call Lee at 715-678-2873
to rent the
Lee Waldhart
Cattle Handling System
Mike Barna
For Your Custom Hay
Making Needs
715-678-2553
PAGE 12
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NCWCA
Taylor County Cooperative Extension Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
County-USDA Service Center
925 Donald Street, Room 103
Medford, WI 54451-2095
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
On the web at:
ncwcattlemen.com
Beefed-Up Swedish Meatballs
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound Ground Beef
1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 packet (1 to 1.4 ounces) dry onion
soup mix, divided
2 egg whites or 1 whole egg
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
Hot cooked pasta
Freshly chopped parsley (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Combine Ground Beef, bread crumbs,
2 tablespoons onion soup mix, egg
whites, nutmeg and pepper in large
bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly.
Shape into 12 1-1/2-inch meatballs.
Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Place meatballs in
skillet; cook 17 to 19 minutes, turning
occasionally to brown evenly on all
sides. Remove from pan; keep warm.
Pour off excess drippings from skillet. Add milk and remaining onion soup
packet, stirring until browned bits at-
tached to bottom of skillet are dissolved. Combine cornstarch and water;
add to skillet. Bring to a boil. Cook and
stir 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce is
thickened, stirring frequently. Return
meatballs to skillet; cook 3 to 4 minutes
or until heated through. Serve as an
appetizer or over pasta, sprinkle with
parsley, if desired.
Cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160°F. Color is not a reliable indicator doneness.
Visit http://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/ for this and other great recipes
NCWCA, Inc., its administration, its members, and its sponsors will not be responsible for any loss or damage that may
occur during the delivery, exhibition, participation or removal of animals attending programs of NCWCA, Inc. Nor shall
the association, its management, its members and its sponsors be responsible for personal injury, loss or theft sustained
by a participant. The participant shall indemnify NCWCA, Inc. against all legal or other proceedings in regard thereto.
“An EEO/Affirmative Action employer; University of Wisconsin-Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and
ADA requirements. Please make requests for reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to educational programs as early as possible preceding the scheduled program, service or activity. This document can be provided in an alternative format by calling UW-Extension at 715/748-3327 or 711 for Wisconsin Relay.”