News Update

News Update
Dec. 26, 2006

New Beef Tenderness Tool Released

Analytical Spectral Devices (ASD), in cooperation with the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (MARC), has released a beef tenderness measurement device that non-destructively predicts tenderness at the grading stand. According to the company, the QualitySpec® BT system utilizes near-infrared (NIR) technology to scan the carcass in approximately 3 seconds. Data is instantly displayed to operators, and the system is compatible with a number of interface options.

South Korea Rejects U.S. Beef, Again

South Korean officials testing one of three U.S. beef shipments Dec. 21 discovered meat containing high levels of toxins, according to The Associated Press.

The article cited a National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service official as saying 6.26 picograms of dioxin — a toxin believed to enter beef cattle through environmental pollution — was discovered in the shipment.

According to Meatingplace.com, USDA officials are expressing skepticism. The agency plans to file a formal request for information with Korean officials to determine testing technique and the type of dioxin recovered.

Checkoff-funded Web Site Showcases Research Projects

The Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board (CBB) has released a new web site showcasing checkoff-funded research projects. The site, www.beefresearch.org, contains fact sheets and summaries, graphics, resource listings, related web sites, staff contacts and glossaries of terms. It is reader-friendly, CBB reports, and it presents facts and findings in layman’s terms.

Research presented on the site was managed by the checkoff-funded Center for Research & Knowledge Management (R&KM) at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), in four priority areas: human nutrition, beef safety, market research and product enhancement. According to CBB, much of the information on the site has stemmed from cooperative research efforts at some of the country’s leading university agricultural and meat-science programs.

Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS) has released its livestock, dairy and poultry information, focusing on current and forecasted production, price, and trade statistics for each of the sectors. Visit www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/LDP/ to access the report.

— compiled by Crystal Albers, associate editor, Angus Productions Inc.