News Update

September 26, 2014

Request a Sale-day Kit Today

When planning a cattle sale this fall, producers can plan to stock their sale offices with educational resources and Angus information. The American Angus Association offers a free sale-day kit that showcases the Angus advantage through guidebooks, brochures and many other resources. Request a kit today to ensure it arrives on the ranch in time for sale day.

An investment in Angus genetics also means access to the industry’s most valuable performance database, recordkeeping programs and the latest genomic technology. Sale-day kits include information on what potential customers should know about the breed and its programs and services. The kits come in three types — one tailored specifically toward female sales, another for bull sales and the third for bull and female sales. Each kit includes various literature and posters in quantities of 10 to 25.

Inside the kit, specific information can be found on Association programs and services, such as AngusSource^®, AAA Login, Beef Improvement Records (BIR), Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB), the Angus Foundation and many others. Buyer guides, beef improvement information and full-color posters are a few of the items available.

Depending on the type of kit requested, materials include:

10 regular and junior membership applications;
10 junior member Guide to Success books;
0 Supplying the Brand books;
10 Angus Foundation brochures;
20 Beef Improvement Records books;
10 Bull Buying Strategies books;
20 Angus Advantage books;
10 AngusSource brochures;
25 Tag Store postcards;
10 AAA Login brochures;
15 Pocket Bull Buying Guides;
10 each of the 11 x 14 bull, cow-calf pair and calf pictures;
10 Notebook Beef Charts;
1 steer poster, 1 bull poster, 2 large Angus posters;
6 over-the-wire hangers;
5 cow-calf Best Practices brochures;
5 seedstock Best Practices brochures;
3 “The Power of One Bull” posters;
3 “The Power of One Brand” posters; and
3 AngusSource posters.

To order a sale-day kit, go online or contact the Association’s Public Relations and Communications Department at 816-383-5100.

— Adapted from a release by Amber Wahlgren, Angus Productions Inc.

Statement from Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack on Formation of New Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture

The Obama Administration announced Sept. 25 the launch of the Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture, a new effort to promote greater international engagement on ways agriculture can help mitigate the impact of climate change. The announcement, during the United Nations Climate Summit in New York, demonstrates another key area in which the Obama Administration is leading efforts to collaborate with other nations and industry leaders to develop the next generation of solutions that will help agriculture adapt to modern climate challenges.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said:

“Farmers, ranchers and other producers in the U.S. and around the world are feeling the impact of climate change now. They are experiencing production challenges from extended droughts, more severe flooding, stronger storms, and new pests and diseases. The Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture offers the opportunity to collaboratively share knowledge, make investments and develop policies that will empower all producers to adapt to climate change and to mitigate its consequences. Long-term global food security depends on us acting together now.”

— Adapted from a release by the USDA Office of Communications.

New Scientific Review Concludes No Adverse Effects of Genetically Engineered Feeds in Livestock Diets

An article published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Animal Science concludes feeding livestock diets that contain genetically engineered (GE) crops has no impact on the health or productivity of those animals. In a thorough review of scientific literature and field data sets, the article documents evidence that the performance and health of food-producing animals fed GE crops are comparable with those of animals fed non-GE crops. Since their introduction in 1996, GE feed crops have become an increasing component of livestock diets. Today, more than 95% of U.S. food-producing animals consume feed containing GE crops.

Studies that involve feeding GE crops to livestock are used to evaluate the safety of these crops. Recently, University of California-Davis (UC–Davis) researchers reinforced the consistency of these studies in an unprecedented review article that examines nearly 30 years of livestock-feeding studies, representing more than 100 billion animals. In the review, posted online Sept. 24 in the Journal of Animal Science, Alison Van Eenennaam, Cooperative Extension specialist in animal biotechnology in the Department of Animal Science at the UC–Davis, and research assistant Amy Young examine feeding data from 1983 (13 years before GE crops were introduced) through 2011 (when GE feed use exceeded 90%). The review also examines the composition of products derived from animals fed diets containing GE feeds.

“No study has revealed any differences in the nutritional profile of animal products derived from GE-fed animals,” state the authors.

The review, entitled “Prevalence and impacts of genetically engineered feedstuffs on livestock populations,” will appear in print and open-access in the October 2014 Journal of Animal Science. Due to the high level of interest in the article, the American Society of Animal Science has elected to make the full article immediately available in open-access form at www.asas.org.

— Adapted from a release by the American Society of Animal Science.

Sustainability Experts to Keynote Global Beef Conference

“The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef is excited to announce that an impressive array of sustainability experts will offer their perspectives on how the global beef value chain can achieve sustainable outcomes,” said Cameron Bruett, president of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) and head of corporate affairs for JBS USA, the North American subsidiary of JBS S.A., the world’s largest meat-processing company. Ricardo Sánchez López, The Nature Conservancy’s Director of Sustainable Food Security, will keynote the opening session of GRSB’s Global Conference on Sustainable Beef, which will be Nov. 2-5 in São Paulo, Brazil. “Mr. Sánchez’s experience, both in the public sector and in civil society, will provide great insight into the challenges of balancing the economic, environmental and social pillars of the global sustainable beef effort.”

Sánchez, has more than 15 years of experience in ag development issues, sustainable agriculture and public policy. Previous to his current position, he served as Colombia’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

“GRSB is a global, multi-stakeholder organization focused on improving the sustainability of the beef value chain. We view sustainability as a journey of continuous improvement where the three pillars are balanced to achieve sustainable outcomes,” said Bruett. “Mr. Sanchez will bring a unique vision of how to balance these three pillars based on his experience in Latin America.”

Also keynoting the opening session is Karin Kreider, executive director of the ISEAL Alliance, the global hub for social and environmental standards systems. ISEAL members are leaders in the field, committed to creating solid and credible standards systems.

The conference’s theme, “Sustainable Beef: Building a Vision for Our Future,” sets the framework for the roll-out of GRSB’s recently developed principles and criteria, which define sustainable beef and identify the means to measure progress in the global sustainable beef chain at the national or regional levels. With speakers from around the globe, the conference will also provide a forum for regional sustainability initiatives to showcase their efforts and successes.

Another keynote at the conclusion of the conference will be delivered by Francesca DeBiase, Vice President for Strategic Sourcing and Sustainability for McDonald’s Worldwide Supply Chain during which she will focus on why sustainability is so important to their business. DeBiase is a 23-year veteran of McDonald’s and leads a team of supply chain and sustainability professionals.

GTPS, the Brazilian Roundtable on Sustainable Livestock, has arranged both pre- and postconference tours of key areas of beef production in Brazil in both Mato Grosso do Sul and in Alta Floresta in the Amazon. Full details on the tour options are on the registration website.

Registration remains open for those interested in attending the Global Conference, and it is strongly recommended that individuals begin the visa process as soon as possible if traveling from countries for which Brazil requires visas.

For more information and online registration, please visit www.GRSBeef.org.

For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.

— Adapted from a release by the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef.

— Compiled by Paige Nelson, field editor, Angus Journal.

Editor’s Note: The articles used within this site represent a mixture of copyrights. If you would like to reprint or repost an article, you must first request permission of Angus Productions Inc. (API) by contacting the editor at 816-383-5200; 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506. API claims copyright to this web site as presented. We welcome educational venues and cattlemen to link to this site as a service to their audience.