News Update
April 7, 2006
AngusSource® Enrollments Reach All-Time High
Enrollments in the AngusSource® program reached a record high of more than 12,000 head in March 2006. This exceeds the previous high-enrollment month by more than 3,000 head. To date, more than 131,000 head of cattle have been enrolled in AngusSource.
“It is exciting to see the AngusSource program grow and know that more producers are realizing the benefits of a program that verifies age, source and genetics,” says Sara Moyer, AngusSource quality manager. “With USDA PVP (Process Verified Program) status, we know the source and group age of the calves enrolled, and we know that all calves are sired by a registered and properly transferred Angus bull.”
AngusSource documents a minimum of 50% Angus-sired genetics (genetic verified), sources cattle to the ranch of origin (source verified) and provides group age information (age verified). To be eligible for the program, cattle must be sired by a registered Angus bull, enrolled by the ranch of origin and have a known group age of month, day and year.
To enroll in AngusSource, producers must call the American Angus Association at (816) 383-5100. The only enrollment fee is the cost of the tags, which are sold for $1 each for visual panel tags or for $3.25 for a matched-pair set with the panel tag and a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. It takes eight to 10 business days to manufacture AngusSource tags once your enrollment has been processed, so begin enrollment at least three weeks prior to when you would like to tag your calves.
To learn more about AngusSource, visit www.angussource.com.
— by Shelia Stannard, American Angus Association
AFBF Joins USAIO
A representative of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has joined the board of directors of the U.S. Animal Health Organization (USAIO), the recently formed nonprofit organization that has charged itself with advancing the National Animal Identification System (NAIS).
Don Shawcroft, vice president of the Colorado Farm Bureau, will join existing USAIO directors Bob Smith, representing the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA); Lance Kuck, representing the National Bison Association; Rick Stott, representing the Northwest Pilot Project; and Board Chairman Charles Miller, representing the Southeastern Livestock Network.
Board members say USAIO will be further expanded as various industry groups adopt the USAIO as their repository for animal movement data.
U.S. Court Denies Permanent Injunction on Canadian Cattle
U.S. Ninth District Court judge Richard Cebull on Wednesday denied issuing a permanent injunction against the USDA to block importation of Canadian live cattle and beef, Bryan Salvage wrote on www.meatnews.com.
The Ranchers-Cattlemen’s Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) petitioned the Court for a permanent injunction against the USDA’s final rule to allow imports of Canadian cattle and beef into the U.S., Salvage explained.
R-CALF issued a statement saying the organization was “deeply disappointed with this outcome.” R-CALF President Chuck Kiker said, “This is not just a loss for R-CALF. This is a loss for every single cattle producer in the United States.”
— compiled by Meghan Soderstrom, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.
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