News Update
May 5, 2009

Updated BIF Coverage, Audio Available Online

Genomics took center stage at the 2009 Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) annual symposium in Sacramento, Calif., April 30-May 3. The event was hosted by the California Cattlemen’s Association and the California Beef Cattle Improvement Association.

Angus Productions Inc. (API) is in the process of posting coverage to the site, which is made possible through the generous support of BioZyme Inc. through its partnership with the Angus Foundation. Links will turn blue when they are active.

Abstracts and proceedings are available now in the Symposium Papers page. A short biography of the speaker is included with each abstract for the general session presentations.

Several summaries and most of the PowerPoints for which API has permission to post are now posted in the Newsroom. More will be added throughout the week. Audio files are available, so you can listen to the presentations.

Here are some quick links to a few of the sessions:

• Implementation of Whole Genome-Enabled Selection in the Dairy Industry, by Mike Goddard, professorial fellow in animal genetics, University of Melbourne
  
  
• Proposed Strategy for Selection Against Recessive Genetic Defects Through a Combination of Inbreeding and DNA Markers, by Mark Thallman, research geneticist, U.S. Meat Animal Research Center
  
  
• Real-time Ultrasound: What Does Image Quality Mean to Genetic Evaluations — Matt Spangler, University of Nebraska
  
  
• Beef Tenderness: Determination, Regulation and Prediction, by Mohammad Koohmaraie, CEO, Meat Division, IEH Laboratories & Consulting Group
  
  
• Leptin Genotyping: A Genomics Application for Cattle Feeding, by Mike Engler, president, Cactus Feeders
  

Secretary Vilsack Makes Traceability Appeal to Agriculturists

In an attempt to begin solving the nation’s animal identification (ID) and traceability issues, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has released a letter inviting all members of the agricultural community to take an active part in public dialogue meetings and to provide feedback at www.usda.gov/nais/feedback.shtml. Citing many unresolved concerns, Vilsack calls for frank and open discussions in order to move forward with effective animal identification. Secretary Vilsack’s letter follows:

Members of the Agriculture Family:

The United States has an incredibly prosperous agricultural industry.  Our livestock and poultry are among the healthiest in the world.  However, even with all the preventative measures the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) already has in place, animal disease can still strike.  A disease event can have far-reaching consequences, impacting more than just farmers with sick animals. A disease event also affects other farmers and the livestock industry through movement and international trade restrictions. Not only do the farmers’ communities feel the economic pinch, but so does the entire country.

In these times of economic uncertainty, we must do everything in our power to help ensure that any animal disease events that do happen are contained effectively so things can go back to business as usual — as quickly as possible.  The best way to do this is through animal disease traceability. While there are costs associated with a traceability system, these costs are far less than the costs of dealing with a major disease outbreak like foot-and-mouth disease without the tools animal health officials need. The U.S. already has a program for animal disease traceability, the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). As the program stands now, around 35% of the country’s farmers are participating.

Much work has been done over the past five years to engage farmers in developing a national system they could support.  However, many of the original concerns that were raised — such as cost, impact on small farmers, privacy/confidentiality and liability — continue to cause debate.  In order to provide the level of animal disease traceability we need in the U.S., changes must be made that will increase the level of participation in NAIS.

Today, I am asking farmers and stakeholders to engage with USDA in a more productive dialogue about NAIS. Now is the time to have frank and open conversations. We need to work collaboratively to resolve concerns and move forward with animal disease traceability. The dialogue brings two goals to mind: 1) sharing accurate information about the current program, and 2) discussing how to work together to resolve or reduce issues of concern while creating a system which farmers can support.

The main issues of concern are well documented, so I am specifically seeking your ideas or suggestions on how to resolve these concerns, as well as any new concerns you have.
 

To facilitate the dialogue, USDA has launched a feedback page on the NAIS web site. Producers and stakeholders are encouraged to visit www.usda.gov/nais/feedback.shtml to provide their suggestions and comments. We are also in the process of scheduling a series of public dialogue sessions throughout the country. We will keep you updated as details for the sessions are finalized.

I encourage your participation in this process. The information and ideas you provide will assist me in making decisions about the future direction of animal disease traceability in the United States. It is my goal that we develop a workable way to address the country’s existing traceability gaps BEFORE an animal disease event occurs.

                                          Sincerely,
                                          Tom Vilsack
                                          Secretary of Agriculture

— Letter provided by USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

President Obama Issues Presidential Directive to USDA to Expand Access to Biofuels

President Obama issued a presidential directive today to Secretary Vilsack to aggressively accelerate the investment in and production of biofuels. On a conference call with Energy Secretary Stephen Chu and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson, Vilsack also announced that he will help lead an unprecedented interagency effort to increase America’s energy independence and spur rural economic development.

“President Obama’s announcement today demonstrates his deep commitment to establishing a permanent biofuels industry in America,” Vilsack said. “Expanding our biofuels infrastructure provides a unique opportunity to spur rural economic development while reducing our dependence on foreign oil — one of the great challenges of the 21st century.”

Increasing renewable fuels will reduce dependence on foreign oil by more than 297 million barrels a year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 160 million tons a year when fully phased in by 2022, according to USDA.

On the call, Jackson announced that the EPA would establish four categories of renewable fuels, some of which would be produced from new sources. To address life cyle analysis, the EPA said they are soliciting peer-reviewed, scientific feedback to ensure that the best science available is utilized prior to implementation.

“Producing clean, renewable energy in our country is a powerful rural development tool that creates jobs domestically while generating new tax revenues for local, state, and federal governments,” Vilsack added.

President Obama directed Secretary Vilsack to expedite and increase production of and investment in biofuel development efforts by:

• Refinancing existing investments in renewable fuels to preserve jobs in ethanol and biodiesel plants, renewable electricity generation plants, and other supporting industries; and
  
• Making renewable energy financing opportunities from the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 available within 30 days.

These opportunities include:

• Loan guarantees for the development, construction, and retrofitting of commercial scale biorefineries and grants to help pay for the development and construction costs of demonstration-scale biorefineries;
  
• Expedited funding to encourage biorefineries to replace the use of fossil fuels in plant operations by installing new biomass energy systems or producing new energy from renewable biomass;
  
• Expedited funding to biofuels producers to encourage production of next-generation biofuels from biomass and other non-corn feedstocks;
  
• Expansion of Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program, which has been renamed the Rural Energy for America Program, to include hydroelectric source technologies, energy audits, and higher loan guarantee limits; and
  
• Guidance and support for collection, harvest, storage, and transportation assistance for eligible materials for use in biomass conversion facilities.

The Biofuels Interagency Working Group will develop the nation’s first comprehensive biofuels market development program. The increased collaboration between federal agencies will accelerate the production of and access to sustainable homegrown energy options by coordinating policies that impact the supply, secure transport, and distribution of biofuels, as well as identifying new policy options to improve the environmental sustainability of biofuels feedstock production.

The Biofuels Interagency Working Group will also work to develop policies to increase flexible fuel vehicle production and assist in retail marketing efforts while also taking into consideration land use, habitat conservation, crop management practices, water efficiency and water quality, and lifecycle assessments of greenhouse gas emissions.

— Release provided by USDA.

NCBA Urges Administration to Uphold Fair and Science-Based Trade Policies

A coalition of more than 50 national agriculture and business groups have urged President Obama to support open markets and level playing fields for international trade by upholding U.S. obligations under World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements.

According to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), in a May 1 letter, the coalition expressed opposition to a provision in the 2009 Appropriations Act that effectively bans imports of some Chinese chicken products, without allowing the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to conduct a necessary and appropriate risk assessment on whether these imports pose any risk to American consumers. Because the provision specifically targets imports from only one country, it conflicts with the U.S. obligation to treat trading partners equally, and has prompted China to request a WTO consultation.

“Trade supports millions of U.S. jobs,” said Jill Davidsaver, NCBA manager legislative affairs. “This trade-distorting appropriations language sets a bad example for our international trading partners; if the U.S. doesn’t hold itself accountable to the highest standards of fair and science-based trade, how can we expect other countries to do the same?”

China is the only market completely closed to U.S. beef exports, and represents one of the largest potential growth markets for U.S. beef — worth in excess of $100 billion. The chicken dispute is likely to impede ongoing efforts to open up China to U.S. beef, according to NCBA.

— Information provided by NCBA.

New York Firm Recalls Ground Beef on Possible E. Coli

Alex & George Wholesale, Inc., a Rochester, New York firm, is recalling approximately 4,663 pounds of ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the USDA FSIS announced Monday.

The recalled ground beef products were produced on April 29 and distributed to restaurants in western New York.

The problem was discovered through a routine FSIS sampling procedure. FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of this product.

Consumers with questions about the recall should contact plant manager Bill Stathopoulos at 585-261-6476. For a complete list of recalled items, visit www.fsis.usda.gov.

— Information provided by FSIS.

Estate-Planning Seminar Set for May 18

Planning for the unexpected is the theme of a multi-county Texas AgriLife Extension Service estate-planning seminar set for May 18 in Abilene, Texas.

The seminar will be from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. in the Big Country Hall located next to the AgriLife Extension offices in Taylor County, 1982 Lytle Way in Abilene.

“This seminar is meant to help with personal estate planning, whether you’re starting from scratch, or just need to tweak an existing plan,” said Hoss Sasin, AgriLife Extension agent in Callahan County and a seminar planner.

Wayne Hayenga, an AgriLife Extension economist and Texas-licensed attorney at College Station, will be the featured speaker. He will address estate-planning laws, wills, trusts, life insurance and tax options.

The seminar is being conducted by the AgriLife Extension offices in Taylor, Callahan, Shackelford and Jones counties.

Individual registration is $10 by May 12 and $15 thereafter. The fee includes a catered lunch.

For more information and to register, contact the AgriLife Extension office in Callahan County at 325-854-5835

— Release provided by Texas AgriLife Extension.

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