News Update
July 31, 2015
A Commitment to Herdsmanship
A huge amount of effort went into cattle at the National Junior Angus Show (NJAS), even before they entered the showring. Two members of the National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) know this well. Jackson Wingert, Ottawa, Kan., and Jared Radcliffe, Weston, Wis., were both recognized with the Junior Herdsman of the Year Award at the 2015 NJAS, July 13-18 in Tulsa, Okla. They were selected for their commitment to the Angus breed and the NJAA.
“The NJAA has been a great organization to be involved with,” Wingert says. “I’ve learned so much that I have been able to use and now share throughout my future.”
The Junior Herdsman of the Year award recognizes NJAA members who show dedication to their animals, a strong work ethic, the ability to work with consumers and other junior members, and the skills to prepare their cattle for show.
Every junior exhibiting cattle at the NJAS is eligible to vote for the member they believe deserves the award. Throughout the week, they watch their peers and determine who best exemplifies the qualities of a herdsman.
For more information, please view the full Angus news release.
Sexten Leads CAB Supply Development
Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) has hired Justin Sexten to lead its supply development team as director of that division. The Ohio native brings to his new post a broad expertise in beef production, research and education.
“As the cattle cycle enters its expansion phase, Justin’s 11 years of academic research and teaching in Illinois and Missouri make him a fitting match for this role at CAB,” said Mark McCully, vice president of production for the branded beef company.
Sexten’s career focus on replacement heifers and weaned calf management provides an ideal background for leading CAB’s producer outreach team, he added.
“We’ve observed an investment in quality in the cow herd, after the extensive culling brought on by the drought of 2012,” Sexten said.
Data suggests most of the herd replacements were Angus influenced, paving the way for higher beef quality than ever before, especially in light of other survey data that note 70% of producers turned out Angus bulls in the last year.
With a “cow herd built for quality,” Sexten says a rancher’s priority now lies in what to do after the genetics are in place.
For more information, please view the full CAB news release.
Access to China Key Factor in
Maintaining Meat Export Growth
The U.S. red meat industry has achieved outstanding export growth in recent years, enhancing profitability for all members of the supply chain. In 2014, both beef exports ($7.13 billion) and pork exports ($6.67 billion) shattered previous records for export value. Beef exports have steadily increased in value in each of the 11 years since global markets began to reopen after the first U.S. case of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). For pork, export value has increased in 15 of the past 20 years.
In 2015, several headwinds have made it difficult for the U.S. industry to maintain this positive trajectory. Severe congestion in the West Coast ports — the result of a prolonged labor impasse — impacted U.S. first-quarter results. Unusually large supplies of European pork and Australian beef have poured into key Asian markets, buoyed by favorable exchange rates that make them very attractive to price-sensitive buyers. Key competitors have also achieved gains due to free-trade agreements that reduced import duties on their beef and pork products.
These are all important factors affecting U.S. exports, but they are issues over which the United States has little or no control. The same cannot be said about one of the biggest obstacles U.S. exports currently face — lack of access to China.
For more information, please view the full release online.
All Remaining Minnesota HPAI Control Areas
Released from Quarantine
The Minnesota Board of Animal Health announced July 30, that all remaining avian influenza (HPAI) control areas have been released from quarantine. This means that all Minnesota poultry and poultry products from non-infected farms are no longer restricted by additional testing and movement requirements.
The board continues to work with Minnesota’s poultry industry and other state and federal agencies to prepare for introductions of influenza in poultry. Commercial and non-commercial poultry flocks are routinely monitored for influenza as part of the state’s voluntary surveillance program.
A total of 43 farms have restocking agreements in place. At least 31 of those farms already have birds back in their barns.
The board will continue to provide updates on restocking and other recovery activities on its website.
There have been no new infected flocks in Minnesota since June 5.
Collaborative response efforts between animal health officials and affected poultry producers have resulted in:
- Release of quarantine on 11 previously infected farms;
- Completion of carcass disposal process on all but one farm: and
- Completion of cleaning and disinfecting on 72 farms.
Visit the board’s website for a detailed summary of affected farms and counties.
Brush Management Webinar Aug. 6
will Address Unintended Consequences
The “Unintended Consequences of Brush Management” will be the topic of the Aug. 6 webinar by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service ecosystem science and management unit.
The webinar is a part of the Texas Range Webinar Series scheduled the first Thursday of each month from noon to 1 p.m., said Pete Flores, webinar coordinator in Corpus Christi.
The presenter for this webinar is Wayne Hanselka, AgriLife Extension range specialist emeritus in Corpus Christi.
“Manipulation of vegetation throughout history has had mixed results because of lack of biological and ecological information, narrow goals, a lack of ecosystem perspective and limited technologies,” Hanselka said. “As a result, there are numerous examples of unintended consequences when viewed historically.”
Participants seeking Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units must pay a $10 fee on the website. For all others, there is no fee, Flores said.
Licensed agricultural private pesticide applicators participating in this webinar can earn one integrated pest management unit.
This webinar and others in the series can be accessed at http://naturalresourcewebinars.tamu.edu.
For more information on the webinars, contact Flores at Pete.Flores@ag.tamu.edu.
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