News Update
June 19, 2008

ALERT to Angus Journal subscribers

Damaging Weather Slows Delivery Throughout Midwest

Damaging weather continues to disrupt transportation throughout the Midwest, which may affect when subscribers receive their July issue of the Angus Journal®, reports Angus Journal printer Quebecor World. Operations at several U.S. Postal Service offices have had to be suspended or relocated due to flooding and other related storm damage.

The severe flooding has affected freight movement in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri, Wisconsin and Kansas. Because of the widespread nature of the damage and flooding, rerouting traffic is becoming increasingly difficult.

Reports this week indicate most rail companies are expecting delays of 36 hours to one week for freight trapped in affected areas. This estimate could be lengthened, depending on the longevity of the flooding.

We ask your patience in matters that are beyond human control. Editorial features and columns from the July issue will be posted to www.angusjournal.com by July 15.

Congress Overrides Farm Bill Veto

This afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to override President Bush’s second veto of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act with a bipartisan vote of 317-109.

“Today’s vote will ensure that all parts of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act are enacted into law,” Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson said. “Particularly considering the serious concerns about rising food prices and severe flooding affecting crops in the Midwest, this Farm Bill provides a critical safety net for families and farmers.”

Last month, Congress approved the conference report for the Food, Conservation and Energy Act (H.R. 2419). When that bill was sent to the White House, one of the bill’s 15 titles was inadvertently left out of the official copy of the bill vetoed by the President. Congress overrode the veto of H.R. 2419, which enacted 14 of the bill’s 15 titles into law.

To ensure that all 15 titles are properly enacted, the House passed the Food, Conservation and Energy Act a second time with a new bill number (H.R. 6124). That bill was sent to the White House, and following President Bush’s veto, the House voted today to override the veto.

‘Tender’ may soon be more than a claim

Those vague claims of “tenderness” may soon have to be backed up with hard facts, depending on the outcome of research being conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).

The agency is honing in on the feasibility of setting objective standards of tenderness, AMS Livestock and Meat Marketing Specialist Kerry Smith told Meatingplace.com. Four subcommittees have been working on key elements of the issue since March 2007, and are due to present and discuss their findings in an open forum this Sunday at the American Meat Science Association’s Reciprocal Meat Conference in Gainesville, Fla.

“We’ll discuss what we’ve found so far, try to come to some conclusions … [and] find a direction to head in. Then we’ll break out into groups to work on the specific charges of the committees,” Smith said.

The process has included academics from several universities, representatives from industry, other government organizations, trade groups and some retail professionals.

By July, AMS expects to have an updated web site available for interested parties to follow the progress of this initiative, at www.ams.usda.gov/sat (click on “marketing claims standards” on the right-hand side).

Tyson Plant Closed Briefly From Nearby Fire

As if two plants downed by flooding weren’t enough, the Springdale, Ark.-based Tyson Foods had to shut down its Amarillo, Texas, plant briefly on Tuesday evening when lightning struck its nearby wastewater facility.

Because smoke from the fire moved in the direction of the nearby beef processing facility, the company let about 1,000 workers go home a few hours early Tuesday night. The processing plant resumed normal operations on Wednesday, Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson told Meatingplace.com.

The fire ignited when lightning struck the air emission scrubber of the company’s wastewater treatment plant, which sits adjacent to its beef processing and harvest plants. The Amarillo plant has a beef harvest capacity of 6,000 head per day.

Wisconsin plant still closed, Iowa facility set to re-open

Meanwhile, Mickelson said Tyson’s prepared foods plant in Jefferson, Wis., is beginning its second week offline due to flooding. It is not clear when it will reopen.

That plant was first shut down on Wednesday, June 11, at the request of the city, to help reduce the volume of wastewater entering the Jefferson wastewater treatment plant. Subsequently, that plant sustained its own flood damage. The plant employs about 500 workers and produces pizza toppings.

Tyson is still on schedule to re-open its Columbus Junction, Iowa, pork plant on Friday. Mickelson said harvest will begin Friday and processing will start up again on Saturday. That plant employs about 1,100 workers.

— Adapted from Meatingplace.com

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