News Update
March 4, 2009

USDA Requests Comments on Proposed NAIS Rules

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently released a proposed rule regarding official animal identification (ID) numbering systems.

This proposed rule, published in the Federal Register Jan. 13, 2009, (Volume 74, Number 8, pp. 1624-1643), is titled USDA APHIS “Official Animal Identification Numbering Systems” and will directly affect cattlemen, according to National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).

The rule is intended to create uniformity of official numbering systems and ear tags used in official animal disease programs and the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), according to APHIS.

Comments are due on the proposed rule by March 16. The proposed rule can be found at www.regulations.gov.

NCBA reports APHIS is particularly requesting information regarding economic and other implications to small entities and producers.

According to an NCBA summary of the proposed rule, it will not technically require the use of the animal ID number (AIN); however, the proposed rule would require that when AINs are used, only those numbers beginning with the 840 prefix will be recognized as official. This would apply to animals one year or more after the date of finalization of the proposed rule.

APHIS also states that it will not be necessary to retag animals that have been officially identified prior to the finalization of the rule and its “transition period.”

To read the proposed rule, visit www.regulations.gov.

— Information provided by NCBA.

NAA: Auction Industry Remains Strong

The National Auctioneers Association (NAA), a national association of auction professionals, reported today the results of its 2008 industry survey. In 2008, approximately $268.4 billion in goods and services were sold at auction in the United States, a decrease of slightly less than 1% compared to 2007.

Growth in 2008 was limited to five sectors of the industry: agricultural machinery and equipment, commercial and industrial machinery and equipment, land and agricultural real estate, residential real estate, and charity auctions. Significant decreases in gross revenue were reported in art, antiques and collectibles (-9.3%), automobile (-5.4%), and personal property (-5.1%) auctions.

“The results of the industry survey are consistent with what we continually hear from auctioneers across the country. While some sectors of the industry have been impacted by the economy, others have grown or held strong,” NAA President Randy Wells said. “Consumers continue to attend auctions to find treasures, and sellers continue to utilize professional auctioneers to help turn their assets into cash.”

Agricultural machinery and equipment auctions led the industry, with gross sales revenue increasing 1.9% in 2008. The commercial and industrial machinery and equipment sector also witnessed growth last year. In addition to increased interest in auctions, growth in this sector can be associated with consumers choosing to purchase used equipment at auction, in place of buying new, according to NAA.

Since the NAA began tracking the industry in 2003, gross receipts from real estate auctions have increased each year. Last year, residential real estate auctions increased 1.1%, along with land and agricultural real estate, which grew 0.5%. Commercial real estate dipped 1.4% last year. Real Estate Owned (REO) properties were also a major contributor to the industry’s growth in 2008. Banks frequently contract professional auctioneers to sell foreclosed properties at auction, as well as referring auctioneers to customers with troubled assets and use them to sell their own foreclosed properties.

— Release provided by NAA.

CBB Committee Meetings Set

Mark your calendar to attend the upcoming Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) Beef Promotion Operating and Executive Committee meetings in Kansas City, Mo. Meetings will take place March 18-19 at the Kansas City Airport (KCI) Marriott.

The Operating Committee convenes at 3 p.m. Wed., March 18 with the introduction and seating of newly elected Operating Committee members, followed by the financial report and update on Evaluation Committee activities. The meeting continues on Thursday, March 19, with the presentation of extension requests (if any), presentation of Authorization Requests and Amendments (if any), U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) update and a review of fiscal year 2010 planning priorities.

The Executive Committee then begins immediately following the Operating Committee meeting, Thursday, March 19, with an orientation for new Executive Committee members, followed by a financial report, Operating Committee report and status of State Marketing Plans and Audit reports. The meeting also includes a producer communications update.

All meetings of the Beef Board are open to the public.

Future meeting dates include:
May 14 — Denver, Colo.
July 15 — Denver, Colo.

For more information about the beef checkoff, visit www.mybeefcheckoff.com.

— Release provided by CBB.

Learn About Ohio’s New Fence Law April 8

Ohio State University (OSU) Extension’s Guernsey County office invites producers to a Fence Law Workshop on Wednesday, April 8, at 6:30 p.m., in Old Washington. The state’s new fence law and how it will affect producers will be the main topic.

Peggy Hall, director of OSU Extension’s Agricultural and Resource Law Program, will speak.

The program takes place at the Oscar Share Hall at the Guernsey County Fairgrounds, 335 Old National Rd.

Registration costs $10 per person and is due by April 6.

Send your name, address and telephone number to OSU Extension, Guernsey County, P.O. Box 300, Old Washington, OH 43768. Make checks payable to OSU Extension.

Call Clif Little at 740-489-5300 or 740-432-9300 for more information.
The new law, which went into effect on Sept. 30 last year, has different rules for line fence obligations.

“A rule of individual responsibility will apply to ‘new’ line fences, while ‘old’ and previously existing fences will be subject to a rule of equitable shares,” Hall writes in a fact sheet called “The New Ohio Fence Law,” available at www.aede.osu.edu/programs/aglaw/ under “The Latest News.”

OSU Extension, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Soil and Water Conservation, and Ohio Farm Bureau’s Guernsey County office are the sponsors.

OSU Extension is the outreach arm of OSU’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

— Release provided by OSU Extension.

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