News Update
July 3, 2008

2008 BIF Meeting Under Way

Cattlemen from around the world are gathered in Calgary for the 2008 Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Annual Meeting and Research Symposium. The Canadian Beef Breeds Council (CBBC) is hosting “Beef Beyond Borders,” June 30-July 3. Nearly 400 cattle producers, industry representatives and academia registered for the event.

BIF leadership addressed organization business at a board of directors meeting Tuesday, and several industry groups used the event as a stage for sharing information.

CBBC members and associates hosted the opening reception Tuesday with a celebration of Canada. Don Mackenzie, BIF 2008 CBBC Planning Committee chair, delivered the first dynamic address to kick off the symposium.

Wednesday and Thursday’s scheduled events included several morning general sessions discussing value-added marketing; traceability; producer perspectives; information access; emerging technologies; U.S.-Canadian collaboration; collection and application of genetic information; new trait development; and traditional and marker-assisted evaluations. BIF committee meetings and elections are also on the agenda.

Angus Productions Inc. (API) is providing online coverage of “Beef Beyond Borders.” From this site, www.bifconference.com, you can review the schedule, access coverage of past meetings and view a photo recap of last year’s meeting. API staff will post summaries of the sessions, as well as proceedings papers, PowerPoint presentations, audios and photo galleries.

View the Awards Page for overviews of the Seedstock and Commercial Producer of the Year nominees. Winners of these two honors, as well as those honored with Continuing Service, Pioneer and Ambassador awards and the Frank Baker Scholarship recipients, will be announced as they become available.

Coverage is made possible through sponsorship by BioZyme Inc. and its continuing support of the Angus Foundation and by the generous producers listed on the Seedstock Directory page.

For more information about BIF, visit www.beefimprovement.org. For more information about the CBBC, visit www.canadianbeefbreeds.com.

Cattlemen’s Boot Camp set Aug. 22-23 at Texas A&M

Cattle producers who want to learn more about various segments of production, marketing and carcass value will want to attend the Cattlemen’s Boot Camp, Aug. 22-23 at the Texas A&M University Beef Center, College Station, Texas. The Cattlemen’s Boot Camp is a cooperative effort between Texas A&M, the American Angus Association and the Angus Foundation.

This is the ninth Cattlemen’s Boot Camp sponsored by the Association and Foundation.  It is open to all cattle producers, but enrollment is limited, so producers should sign up in advance.

“The Cattlemen’s Boot Camps are designed to be interactive sessions that will benefit all cattle producers,” says Shelia Stannard, director of communications and events for the Association.  “Boot Camp is a great refresher course for long-time producers and gives beginners an insight to the industry.”

Texas A&M professors and Association staff will present the program. Small groups will be formed to allow for more hands-on interaction.

The event will begin at 9 a.m., Friday, Aug. 22 at the Texas A&M Beef Center, and runs through noon on Saturday, Aug. 23. Following the Boot Camp, Association staff will offer an optional session about specific Association processes and procedures for any member who wants to participate.

Registration is just $75, which includes meals and materials for the Boot Camp. Enrollment is limited, so sign up today by contacting the Association for registration materials.

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Holiday Inn Express. Call 979-846-8700 by Aug. 1 to reserve a room at the negotiated rate. Be sure to ask for the Cattlemen’s Boot Camp or CBC block.

Registration forms are available online at www.angus.org. For more information about Boot Camp or to register, contact Monica Jordan or Shelia Stannard at 816-383-5100.

The American Angus Association, with headquarters in Saint Joseph, Mo., provides programs and services to more than 36,000 members and thousands of commercial cattle producers nationwide. The Angus Foundation is a 501(c) 3 affiliate of the Association, and provides support to education, youth and research.

— Release provided by the American Angus Association.

Feed Efficiency Now Part of Igenity® Profile

Cattle producers can now more accurately gauge feed efficiency of animals from a single DNA sample, offering key inside information that can directly affect profitability, according to Merial. Multiple-marker analyses of traits related to feed efficiency are part of a comprehensive Igenity profile outlined by company representatives at a meeting taking place in conjunction with the 2008 Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Annual Meeting and Research Symposium.

“This addition to the comprehensive Igenity profile is just in time for beef producers, as inputs rise and margins tighten this fall,” says Stewart Bauck, Igenity executive director of strategic marketing. “Efficiency is more important than ever in the cattle industry. Now, producers can use the power of DNA to help evaluate this important trait, helping them select and manage cattle with more confidence.”

The Igenity profile now analyzes genetic potential for residual feed intake (RFI) and dry matter intake (DMI), and reports each trait individually. These analyses are in addition to more than a dozen economically important traits beef producers can use to evaluate cattle early in every stage of production.

“The Igenity profile has just become more comprehensive with the addition of these analyses for feed efficiency,” Bauck says. “Producers can be confident in using these analyses this fall, as they have been extensively researched.”

Bauck says by offering the new analyses, producers can help evaluate how each trait affects efficiency at any stage of animal life.

“These two analyses will help producers identify breeding cattle that will be more efficient as young and as older animals and produce efficient progeny, while maintaining an acceptable body condition score,” he says. “Feedyard managers can use the profile to help purchase cattle that are more efficient during the feeding phase.”

RFI (also called net feed efficiency) describes how an animal’s feed intake differs from its expected feed intake based on its maintenance and growth requirements. Low RFI is more desirable than high RFI, since a low-RFI animal will either eat less with the same gains or gain more from the same amount of feed.

DMI defines an animal’s genetic potential to consume feed, which is key for predicting feedyard performance or maintenance energy requirements. Actual feed intake varies with animal growth stage.

The feed efficiency analyses in the Igenity profile have been independently researched in the United States and Australia and are third-party-validated. The analyses for RFI and DMI are currently commercially available for Bos indicus-influenced cattle only. Research is under way in Bos taurus-influenced cattle and will be available soon.

“These analyses have been extensively researched and have been demonstrated to be significant for use in Bos indicus-influenced cattle in all environments, segments and on multiple continents,” he says.

Bauck adds that the addition makes it a more effective tool for use in conjunction with traditional selection and management practices.

“The addition of analyses related to feed efficiency makes the comprehensive Igenity profile more powerful to help producers make better decisions about their cattle and help reach their goals faster,” he says. “Producers can get inside information about traits such as quality grade, fertility and now feed efficiency that are essential to profitability in the beef industry — all from a single DNA sample.”

The analyses for RFI and DMI from Igenity are in addition to multiple-marker analyses of economically important traits such as tenderness, marbling, quality grade, yield grade, hot carcass weight, fat thickness, ribeye area, heifer pregnancy rate, stayability (longevity), calving ease, docility, coat color, breed-specific horned/polled, multisire parentage and an optional diagnostic test for persistent infection (PI) of the bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) virus. Igenity offers a combination radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and tissue collection device, making DNA collection and electronic identification possible in one simple step.

“We strive to provide the beef industry with the most useful and thoroughly researched technology with the comprehensive Igenity profile,” Bauck says. “By analyzing traits in nearly every important aspect of cattle production — and continuing to add to its broad range of analyses — the Igenity profile empowers producers to evaluate a variety of economically important traits at one time.”

For more information, call 1-877-Igenity or visit www.igenity.com.

— Release provided by Merial.

New Holland Announces Equipment Flood Relief Assistance

New Holland Agriculture announced July 1 a flood assistance initiative to aid producers whose equipment has been damaged by the flooding in the Midwest. In conjunction with financial services provider CNH Capital, New Holland will work with affected producers, where possible, to revise existing payment plans, or to replace flood-damaged equipment and provide special financing.

Under this flood assistance program, flood-damaged equipment of any brand can be replaced with new New Holland equipment. New Holland is offering special financing to qualifying customers. Contact your New Holland dealer for details.

This offer is available to producers located in any flooded county declared a Federal Disaster Area in May/June 2008 and is offered on any New Holland equipment in dealer inventory. The program, which is effective immediately, is good through July 31, 2008. (For a list of eligible counties, see www.fema.gov/news/disasters.fema.)

The flood assistance program is designed to help producers replace flood-damaged equipment quickly, even before an insurance check is issued. To be eligible, equipment being replaced must be like equipment, i.e. tractor to replace damaged tractor, combine to replace damaged combine. Either a copy of the insurance claim or a photo of the flood-damaged equipment must be provided.

Details are available from New Holland dealers, or by contacting New Holland North America toll free at 1-866-639-4563.

For more information on New Holland equipment, contact your local New Holland dealer or visit www.newholland.com/na.

— Release provided by New Holland.

Land degradation on the rise

Land degradation is intensifying in many parts of the world, according to a study using data taken during a 20-year period, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) announced today.

Defined as a long-term decline in ecosystem function and productivity, land degradation is increasing in severity and extent in many parts of the world, with more than 20% of all cultivated areas, 30% of forests and 10% of grasslands undergoing degradation, FAO reports.

Some 22% of degrading land is in very arid to dry-subhumid areas, while 78% of it is in humid regions. The study found that degradation is being driven mainly by poor land management.

Bright spots were also identified in the study in cases where land is being used sustainably (19% of cropland) or is showing improved quality and productivity (10% of forests and 19% of grassland).

Many gains in cropland are associated with irrigation, but there are also swaths of improvement in rain-fed cropland and pastures in the prairies and plains of North America and western India. Some gains are a result of increasing tree cover, either through forest plantations, especially in Europe and North America, and some significant land reclamation projects, for instance in northern China. However, some of the positive trends represent woodland and bush encroachment into rangeland and farmland — which is not generally regarded as land improvement.

— Release provided by FAO.

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