News Update

News Update
Nov. 27, 2007

Hitch resigns as NCBA president-elect

Paul Hitch, a cattle producer from Guymon, Okla., has resigned as president-elect of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) to focus on his battle with cancer, NCBA announced Monday.

Per NCBA bylaws, the association's vice president, Andy Groseta, a cattle producer from Cottonwood, Ariz., automatically assumes the president-elect post. Groseta will succeed Queen as president following the association's upcoming annual meeting in Reno, Nev., Feb. 6-9, 2008.

The vice president position will remain vacant until the nominating committee presents a full slate of officers for consideration at the annual meeting.

— Adapted from a Meatingplace.com release.

Miss Kansas Angus and Ambassador Program

Young women ages 16-21 are invited to participate in the 2008 Miss Kansas Angus and Ambassador program. Go to www.kansasangus.org for an application. The contest will be held the evening of Jan. 24, 2008 in Hutchinson, and the new royalty will be crowned Friday Jan. 25, 2008 during the annual banquet of the Kansas Angus Association. For more information contact Anne Lampe at kansasangus@wbsnet.org. Application deadline is Dec. 10, 2007.

USDA Chief Economist Dr. Keith Collins To Retire

Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner has announced the Jan. 3, 2008 retirement of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Chief Economist Keith Collins and the appointment of Deputy Chief Economist Joseph Glauber as Acting Chief Economist. Glauber is currently on detail to the office of the U.S. Trade Representative and serving as Special Doha Agricultural Envoy. He is expected to assume the duties of Chief Economist full-time beginning in mid-December.

Collins has served as USDA Chief Economist for the past 15 years overseeing USDA’s program of market forecasts and projections. Collins' 32 years of federal service has included leadership with wide-ranging impact in the economic analysis of agricultural policy, energy and bioproducts, risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis, and global climate change. Collins has also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Federal Crop Insurance Corp. for the past 7 years and Chairman and Vice Chairman of the USDA Graduate School. His key roles in USDA farm bill activities began with the 1985 Farm Bill and continued with frequent testimony on behalf of USDA in congressional hearings and briefings.

— Adapted from a USDA release

Canada Gets No Further Than U.S. With S. Korea In Beef Import Talks

Two days of talks between Canada and South Korea on beef imports ended last week without agreement and with Seoul indicating it wants to hang on to at least some restrictions, according to Yonhap News.

Chief Veterinary Officer Kim Chang-Seob hinted that South Korea wants to impose an animal age limit and hold on to some restrictions for certain specified risk materials on Canadian beef, Yonhap reported.

Mirroring beef talks between the United States and South Korea in October, the two sides agreed only to hold further talks to work out their differences.

Canada and the United States both want South Korea to lift all restrictions on beef imports, given that the two countries have been cleared by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) to export beef products from cattle of any age.

Whatever South Korea decides, Kim made it clear the rules will be the same for both countries.

— Adapted from a Meatingplace.com release.

— compiled by Mathew Elliott, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc. (API)