News Update
April 22, 2009

Producers Delivering Positive Earth Day Messages

Kansas Livestock Association (KLA) members are among beef producers from across the country taking the industry’s positive environmental message to consumers as part of today’s Earth Day activities. The proactive, checkoff-funded efforts are meant to show America’s ranchers, feeders and farmers as everyday environmentalists.

Letters to the editor from a number of beef producers have been distributed to several newspapers throughout the state, according to KLA.

As an example, Sedgwick cow-calf producer Frank Harper wrote in The Wichita Eagle, “Earth Day isn’t something that happens once a year out here. It happens every day.” Tonganoxie rancher Kirk Sours, in a letter to The Kansas City Star, wrote, “Living so close to the land, farmers and ranchers realize we are stewards of this planet. We’re committed to leaving it in better condition for future generations.”

Other Earth Day messages delivered by producers focus on conserving natural resources. For example, on average, each beef producer has 13 different practices in place to accomplish environmental goals such as enhancing wildlife habitat, preventing erosion and protecting water quality.

— Adapted from a release provided by KLA.

Pelosi Pledges Climate Control Bill by Next Year

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) pledged yesterday during a roundtable discussion and press conference that by Earth Day next year “we’ll celebrate passage of [climate] legislation.”

According to John (Jay) Winthrop Jr., chairman of American Farmland Trust (AFT) and one of the conference’s participants, the press conference focused attention on Congressional efforts to craft legislation in the year ahead.

“AFT is committed to maximizing greenhouse gas reductions by maximizing agriculture’s role,” Winthrop said during discussions.

AFT, the National Farmers Union (NFU), and the National Association of Wheat Growers were invited to attend, along with representatives from the environment, business, labor and religious sectors.

Winthrop added in a statement, “Agriculture is an essential part of any climate change solution. American agriculture is the single largest manager and user of land and water resources in the country. According to the U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), agriculture and forestry management practices can sequester up to 20% of current U.S. greenhouse gasses (GHG’s).

“What is critical to making all this work is ensuring that the system is designed to be flexible enough so that large numbers of farmers and ranchers can access it — a system that allows producers to provide carbon offsets is useless if the standards and methodologies are too stringent and overly burdensome, resulting in no projects being offered.”

Without comprehensive climate change legislation, EPA will be forced to address GHG’s via Clean Air Act regulations.

Jimmy Daukas, managing director of AFT’s Agriculture and Environment Campaign, added, “As a better approach, AFT supports a cap-and-trade system with a robust offset market that includes agriculture. The challenge to agriculture is to recognize this legislative opportunity and to come forward with effective, workable policies. It’s become quite clear the federal government intends to regulate these issues if agriculture does not participate in legislation solutions,”

— Information provided by AFT.

Kansas Man Faces Federal Charges for Cattle Fraud

An Overbrook, Kan., man faces federal charges for allegedly defrauding a Jefferson County cattle ranch.

Prosecutors say Dennis Stebbins on Tuesday was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and money laundering, four counts of bank fraud, and four counts of money laundering.

Stebbins and Jay Wagner of Oskaloosa, Kan., are accused of defrauding the owners of J Bar Ranch between 2003 and 2008. Prosecutors say the ranch owners made an agreement with Stebbins to buy cattle and required they be examined by a veterinarian.

Prosecutors said the duo conspired to inflate the weight and cost of the cattle and falsely claimed that the animals had been examined by a veterinarian.

Stebbins is due back in court May 29, and Wagner pleaded guilty to one count.

— News provided by Salina Media Group and KSAL News Radio.

McDonald’s Docment Notes Plans to Debut ‘Angus Burger’

McDonald’s Corp. is planning to nationally debut a new one-third-pound (lb.) Angus burger this fall, and possibly as early as this summer, according to an internal memo obtained by the Chicago Tribune.

According to an article appearing on the newspaper’s web site Tuesday, a source told the Chicago Tribune the menu item may be used as a promotional product — much like the McRib — but if well received could become a permanent menu fixture.

McDonald’s began testing the burger in March 2007 in select cities, according to the article.

Irwin Kruger, a McDonald’s franchise owner in New York City who has been selling the Angus burger since August 2007, told the Chicago Tribune the product has “been very well received” by customers.

CSU Veterinarians to Host Free Seminar for Horse Owners

Dean Hendrickson, director of the Colorado State University (CSU) Veterinary Teaching Hospital, will host “Equine First Aid: A Horse Owner’s Guide to Emergencies and Wound Care” from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, June 4, at the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Room 118/120 of the Animal Cancer Center.

Ideal for all horse owners, stable managers and equine professionals, this interactive seminar will provide up-to-date information on first aid and wound care. Participants will learn about advanced wound care dressings, techniques for initial wound treatment, anatomical areas of specific concern in the horse and items to have in your first aid kit.

The seminar is free and open to the public. Space is limited and all who are planning to attend should respond to kathie.sexton@colostate.edu or call 970-297-1269 by Friday, May 29.

This seminar is the second in a series about veterinary care for equines that will be offered by CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital equine veterinarians and sponsored by Purina Mills.

CSU’s James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital is at 300 W. Drake Rd. in Fort Collins. Parking is free.

— Release provided by CSU.

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