Betty Jo Gigot, Editor and Publisher

As most of you know, CALF News magazine started out as California Arizona Lot Feeders, a short newsletter produced by Champ Gross, featuring the developing feedlot industry in those states. Forty-four years later, CALF News magazine is still dedicated to the “people who brought them to the dance,” as my dad used to say. The advancements of the cattle feeding industry in those 44 years are nothing short of amazing, and we here at CALF are proud to have reported them year by year.

For the past several years, the February issue has featured feedyard industry leaders and how their businesses will evolve in the coming years. As you will see in this issue, their ideas are as diverse as their locations, each working in his own way to effectively and profitably meet the worldwide need for protein. As you read their thoughts, we know you will think about the ways your company is utilizing new technologies to meet those needs.

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As we old folks all recall, feed embargos and senators who think they understand nutrition can affect us all more that we like to admit. Who would have believed that a poorly handled issue as far away as the British Isles could bring the U.S. beef industry to its knees in such a short period of time? The good news is that, we as an industry, have advocates in our state and national organizations who understand the ramifications of such issues and are well prepared to face them. People like Polly Ruland in our Vetlife story and Rick McCarty in the Kansas Livestock Association story face issues every day that would make your hair curl. The problem with issues management is that if you manage the issue well, no one ever knows about it. Talk about a thankless task.

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We have another new writer this issue – Lori Creech – who writes about a feedyard manager in Australia. Creech, a native of Canada, is now a permanent resident of Australia and has been a news anchor on the evening news, specializing in agriculture. We will look forward to other articles from Lori from the Land Down-Under.

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By the time you get this issue, we will all have been to Denver to the 2006 Cattle Industry Annual Convention. The highlight of this meeting will be the introduction of the new Long-Range Plan 2010. If this long-range plan works as well as the last one, we can all look forward to being a part of the industry. The preliminary report calls for creating value and industry growth, with an increase in beef demand by 10 percent by 2010, along with establishing a consumer confidence index, reversing the long-term decline of beef’s share in the domestic market and increasing U.S. beef exports 400 percent. Lofty goals, but look back and see how far we have come.