Watch Cattlemen to Cattlemen Week 58: Original Air Date March 11, 2008:

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Mar. 11: Tribute to Paul Hitch This week we're paying tribute to a great cattle industry leader, Paul Hitch.  Mr. Hitch passed away this week after a difficult battle with cancer.  Mr. Hitch was a former chairman of the NCBA Policy Division and NCBA Live Cattle Marketing Committee.  He had served the past two years as vice-president and president-elect of NCBA.  At the 2008 Cattle Industry Annual Convention and Trade Show, Mr. Hitch was presented with a letter of appreciation for decades of outstanding service to the association, as well as his leadership in state and local cattlemen's organizations.  Mr. Hitch addressed a large crowd of cattlemen in Reno.

Watch Clip	Mar. 11: JBS Purchases Smithfield and National Beef Major acquisitions in the processing industry top this week's cattle industry news.  JBS, the Brazilian company that acquired Swift and Company last year, has announced the purchase of Smithfield Beef Group and National Beef.  The Smithfield acquisition also includes Five Rivers Cattle Feeding, the nation's largest cattle feeder.

Watch Clip	Mar. 11: NCBA recommends changes to the Beef Checkoff Program Of all the matters debated at the 2008 Cattle Industry Annual Convention, the Beef Checkoff Program topped the list.  Roughly 20 state cattlemen’s associations brought forward recommendations to create NCBA policy enhancing the 20-year-old program.  We have more in this week’s Cattlemen’s Capitol Concerns.

Watch Clip	Mar. 11: Market Watch - Spring Grain Outlook There's no bigger in the cattle industry right now than the price of feed grains.  We take a look at this spring's grain outlook in this week's Market Watch.  Joining us to discuss the spring grain outlook is Chad Spearman, Grain Markets Analyst with Cattle-Fax.

Watch Clip	Mar. 11: What Does it Cost to Run a Cow? It’s a big question these days:  what does it cost to run a cow?  It was the topic at hand during a session of the 2008 Cattlemen’s College held in Reno, Nevada.  Stan Bevers from Texas Cooperative Extension Service says that costs have greatly increased in the last 20 years, but says there are ways to evaluate your herd costs.

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Mar. 11: Strategic Planning - King Ranch Institute of Ranch Management Barry Dunn from Texas A&M-Kingsville says that strategic planning can help provide direction for your operation in these times of higher costs.  To learn more, visit: · cattlelearningcenter.org · trmep.tamu.edu/cg/factsheets/rm3-13.pdf · krirm.tamuk.edu/publications0.html

The King Ranch in Texas is famous for its rich history in the cattle business.  And the King Institute of Ranch Management is also well known for providing opportunity to aspiring ranchers.  The Institute offers students a chance to obtain both work experience and a master’s degree through Texas A&M – Kingsville.  King Ranch says the program is an excellent opportunity for young people to get the experience they need to become industry leaders.  The King Institute of Ranch Management offers financial assistance for students.  The deadline to apply is March 31, 2008.  For more information visit: krirm.tamuk.edu