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The Web Iowa Beef Center

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Current Markets
Beef Market Research Publications
Cow-calf Production

Cow herd investment / ownership

Alternative cow herd investment strategies

Beef cow herd expansion decisions and strategic planning for producers

Alternative cow herd investment strategies (PPT)

Standard Performance Analysis (SPA) records:

Cow herd leasing / sharing

Cow lease / sharing agreements

Beef cow share agreements analysis (a Microsoft Excel document)

Beef cow share agreements factsheet

Sample cow-calf lease agreement
(Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives)

Marketing

Cattle Marketing Assessment Tool

Managing for today's cattle market and beyond
(Western Extension Marketing Committee)

Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC) publications

Beef slaughter plants and marketing professionals serving Iowa and surrounding states

Feeder cattle marketing: The value of source verification

Marketing cull cows

The value of third-party certification claims at feeder cattle auctions

Electronic beef marketing technology

Price slides for feeder cattle

Fed cattle quality: How does it affect prices received by cattle feeders?

Forward marketing fed cattle: The impact of selected market conditions on fed cattle prices

Feeder cattle production and marketing

Production management

Assessing the cost of beef quality revisited

Iowa's Agriculture: A Sustainable System

Cow winter feeding cost assessment

Alternative cattle finishing systems to reduce feed cost

An economic comparison of year round vs conventional grazing systems in Iowa

Economic analysis of pharmaceutical technologies in modern beef production

Livestock enterprise budgets for Iowa

Economies of size in cow-calf production

Understanding and managing costs in beef cow-calf herds

Retained ownership

Alternative cattle finishing systems to reduce feed cost

Alternative retained ownership strategies

Retained ownership of cattle: Factors to consider

Retained ownership: Discussion and alternatives

Retained ownership: Method of analysis

Ranchers' guide to custom cattle feeding

Feedlot Production

Custom cattle feeding

Ranchers' guide to custom cattle feeding

Information about custom cattle feedlots
(Iowa Cattlemen's Association)

Fed cattle marketing

Assessing the cost of beef quality

How profitable is backgrounding cattle?

Cattle price forecast errors in the last 10 and 15 years: Futures and seasonal index

Change in cattle prices by two-week period, 1998 - 2007

Optimal marketing dates for feedlot enterprise profitability

Optimal marketing weight for fed cattle I Calculator

"Managing for Today's Cattle Market and Beyond," a collection of articles (Western Extension Marketing Committee)

Managing cattle price risk

Hedging and basis considerations for fed cattle livestock risk protection insurance (University of Nebraska)

Feeding cattle in Iowa

Iowa feedlot statistics by county

Production management

Alternative cattle finishing systems to reduce feed cost

Economic analysis of pharmaceutical technologies in modern beef production

Livestock enterprise budgets for Iowa

Summary of livestock estimated returns 1998-2007

What defines a professional feedlot?

Business plan template

Cash flow planning tool (a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet)

Beef Feedlot Systems Manual

Missouri byproduct feed price listing
(University of Missouri Extension)

Factors affecting cattle feeding profitability and cost of gain

Feedyard labor cost survey
(University of Nebraska)

Feedlot Monitoring Software from the Iowa Beef Center

Feeder Cattle Bid Calculator from the Iowa Beef Center

Cattle Market Planner from the Iowa Beef Center

Cattle Feeding Budgets with breakeven estimation from the Iowa Beef Center

Forage Production
Marketing Systems/Value-added Systems

Verification programs

Export verification programs (all countries)(USDA)

Branded, certified, verified beef (Agricultural Marketing Resource Center)

Process Verified Program (PVP)

USDA Process Verified Program overview

Official listing of USDA-approved PVP providers

Information about PVP requirements, procedure

Quality System Assessment Program (QSA)

USDA's Quality System Assessment Program overview

Official listing of USDA-approved QSA providers

Information about QSA requirements, procedure

 

Forward contracting

Risk management for cattle feeders using futures and forward contracts

Fed cattle pricing: Basis contracts 

 

Futures and options, market risk management

Management of cattle price risk using various hedging strategies

Managing cattle price risk with futures and options contracts

 

Grid marketing

Grid marketing calculators:

 

Livestock market risk insurance

Livestock risk protection insurance: A self-study guide

Livestock risk protection insurance

Livestock gross margin insurance: A self-study guide

Livestock gross margin insurance

Hedging and basis considerations for feeder cattle livestock risk protection insurance

Livestock risk protection (LRP): Feeder cattle underwriting rules

Revenue insurance for livestock producers

 

Niche markets

Natural & Organic Beef

Raising natural beef: Opportunities and risks

Naturally raised marketing claim standards
(USDA Agricultural Marketing Service)

Cashflow Planning Tool for Transitioning from Conventional to Alternative Production Systems

Organic, natural and grass-fed beef: Profitability and constraints to production in the Midwest

Directory of resources for organic, natural and grassfed beef producers (Leopold Center)

USDA's value-added Web page (USDA)

Export verification programs (all countries) (USDA)

Branded, certified, verified beef (Agricultural Marketing Resource Center)

Publication: How to Direct Market Your Beef (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education)

ISU Extension's value-added agriculture Web page

Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (AgMRC)

Grass-fed Beef

Grass-fed marketing claim standards

Organic, natural and grass-fed beef: Profitability and constraints to production in the Midwest

Cashflow Planning Tool for Transitioning from Conventional to Alternative Production Systems

Directory of resources for organic, natural and grassfed beef producers (Leopold Center)

Stocker/Backgrounded Calf Production
Trends/Historic Information

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