AMS Employee Featured in Livestock Magazine

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2011 – Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) employee, Corbitt Wall, was recently featured in a major trade publication for his work within the livestock industry. Wall is the Officer in Charge and Supervisor of Missouri’s Federal-State Market News program based out of St. Joseph, Missouri. Wall is the author of USDA’s National Feeder & Stocker Cattle Summary.

The primary function of the Livestock and Grain Market News Branch of the AMS Livestock and Seed Program is to compile and disseminate information that will aid producers, consumers, and distributors in the sale and purchase of livestock, meat, grain and their related products nationally and internationally. The USDA’s National Feeder & Seeder Stocker Cattle Summary is a weekly report which is distributed every Friday.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

Price. It’s a cattleman’s most valuable piece of information. To have any hope of success you must know the value of your cattle. Cattle market reports are disseminated from many media outlets, but for generations most ag reporters have relied on U.S. Department of Agriculture Market News reports for accurate, comprehensive and current price information. One key USDA report is the National Feeder & Stocker Cattle Summary, published each Friday afternoon. It’s a massive summary of auction and direct market reports from across the nation, but the highlight for many readers is the narrative at the beginning that summarizes the week’s trade. In recent years, that narrative has shown a certain colorful style — sort of cowboy-speak. The writing is descriptive and accurate, sprinkled with cattle lingo such as “fancy” and “two-way weaned calves,” phrases that let you know the reporter is familiar with the noise and smell of a cattle auction. (Courtesy of Drovers CattleNetwork. Written by Greg Henderson.) 

To read the full article about Wall and his work click here.

To learn more about AMS Market News visit www.ams.usda.gov/MarketNews..