News Update
July 13, 2009

Register now to attend Aug. 13-14 Master Cattleman Summit

Cattle producers looking to get the most out of their herd management decisions should register now to attend the 2009 Master Cattleman Summit at Oklahoma State University’s (OSU’s) Stillwater campus Aug. 13-14.

“Master Cattleman participants gain valuable hands-on experience determining forage availability, stocking rates, replacement heifer selection, risk management tools, using cow herd management software and more,” said David Lalman, OSU Cooperative Extension beef cattle specialist.

Participation in the summit will be limited to the first 180 registrants. Producers can register at http://orangehub.okstate.edu. Cost is $30 per person.

Thursday Aug. 13 sessions will begin at 9:30 a.m. and focus on keys to minimizing cow-calf enterprise risk, tools to minimize market and production risk, breeding systems to optimize cow efficiency and grazing management to minimize cost. These sessions will take place in 123 Animal Science, located on Monroe St. near Hall of Fame Ave.

“Scott DeWald of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association will be the lunchtime speaker, and Jim Garling, a professional acoustic Western cowboy and Western swing artist from Oklahoma, will provide entertainment during the nighttime social and banquet,” Lalman said.

Friday Aug. 14 sessions will get an earlier start, with participants taking part in hands-on exercises from 7:20 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the OSU Range Cow Research Center. The exercises will emphasize grazing management and selection principles. Hands-on concurrent sessions will follow, focusing on herd management software, enterprise budgeting and farm financial records.

The summit will conclude at approximately noon Friday.

“A block of rooms has been reserved at the Stillwater Plaza and the Cimarron Hotel for summit participants, and Stillwater has many other fine accommodations as well,” Lalman said.

Specific hotel contact information and rates are listed with the registration materials on the Internet site.

“Our Master Cattleman program is an interdisciplinary team effort that has provided many significant and positive contributions to Oklahoma cattle producers, related agribusinesses and the overall state economy,” said Damona Doye, OSU Regents professor of agricultural economics and co-leader of the team with Lalman.

The program spans numerous academic disciplines and departments, and involves OSU Cooperative Extension state, district and area specialists and county Extension educators from across Oklahoma.

One of the most widely recognized benefits of the program is the Oklahoma Beef Cattle Manual, a 41-chapter comprehensive resource that addresses business, production and natural resource topics related to operational success in the beef industry. Manuals have been distributed to every Oklahoma county, as well as 31 states and six foreign countries.

The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service honored the Master Cattleman program this spring for its outstanding contributions to Oklahoma’s cattle producers, providing real means to improve the quality of life for them, their families and communities.

Anyone seeking additional information about either the summit or the Master Cattleman program should contact Lalman at 405-744-6060 or Doye at 405-744-9813. For additional registration information, contact OSU Agricultural Conferences Services at 405-744-6489.

— Release provided by Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service.

Obama Administration Calls on Nation to Begin Planning and Preparing for Fall Flu Season & the New H1N1 Virus

The Obama Administration sent a strong message to the nation July 9 that it is time to start planning and preparing for the fall flu season and the ongoing H1N1 flu outbreak and that the federal government is prepared to commit resources, training, and new tools to help state and local governments and America’s families get ready.

White House Homeland Security Advisor John Brennan, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined with delegations from 54 states, tribes and territories today at the H1N1 Influenza Preparedness Summit at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Md., to kickoff the government’s nationwide fall flu preparedness efforts.

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley moderated a governors panel with participation via videolink from Governor Jim Douglas of Vermont, Governor Jim Doyle of Wisconsin, Governor Mark Parkinson of Kansas, Governor John Baldacci of Maine and Governor Jodi Rell of Connecticut.

Throughout the one-day summit, Administration officials laid out specific ways that states and local governments could start their planning and preparation efforts and announced new programs and resources to help state and local governments, the medical community and everyday America prepare for H1N1 and the fall flu season.

First, HHS will make available preparedness grants worth a total of $350 million. These grants were funded by Congress in the latest supplemental appropriations bill and they will give state and local public health offices and health care systems valuable resources to step up their preparedness efforts.

Second, the federal government will centralize communications about H1N1 and seasonal flu on the federal government’s new web site www.flu.gov. This one-stop comprehensive site brings together flu-related information from across HHS and other federal agencies.  The expanded site builds on the pandemic planning information long presented on www.pandemicflu.gov, and incorporates information about the novel H1N1 flu as well as the seasonal flu.

Finally, HHS is launching a new public service announcement (PSA) campaign contest to encourage more Americans to get involved in the nation’s flu preparedness efforts by making a 15-second or 30-second PSA. Officials at the summit stressed the idea of “shared responsibility” when it comes to combating the flu and the goal of the new HHS PSA campaign contest is to tap into the nation’s creativity to help educate Americans about how to plan for and prevent the spread of H1NI influenza. HHS will evaluate submissions and will present the best PSAs back to the public so everyone can vote on their favorite submission. The winning PSA will receive $2,500 in cash and will appear on national television. Contest details as well as more information about the larger effort to plan and prepare for the flu season are available at www.flu.gov.

— Release provided by HHS.

States Eligible to Receive $350 Million for H1N1

One day after hosting a summit on the 2009 novel H1N1 flu with representatives from state, tribal, territorial and local governments from across the country, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the availability of $350 million in grants to help states and territories prepare for the 2009 novel H1N1 flu virus and the fall flu season. The grants were funded by the recent supplemental appropriations bill that was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama June 24, 2009.

“With flu season around the corner, we must remain vigilant and do all we can to prepare our nation and protect public health,” Sebelius said. “These grants will give states valuable resources to step up their flu preparedness efforts.”

A total of $260 million in Public Health Emergency Response Grants and $90 million in Hospital Preparedness grants will be distributed nationwide.

Public Health Emergency Response grants help state public health departments perform a variety of functions, including preparing for potential vaccination campaigns, implementing strategies to reduce people’s exposure to the 2009 novel H1N1 flu and improving influenza surveillance and investigations.

Hospital Preparedness grants enhance the ability of hospitals and health care systems to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies. Local outbreaks of the novel H1N1 virus have produced a surge of patients at hospitals, and these grants will help ensure hospitals are ready for future outbreaks that may affect their community.

In addition to the grants released today, the Obama Administration has taken a series of steps to help prepare and protect the American people from the novel H1N1 flu. In May of this year, HHS distributed 11 million treatment courses of antivirals to states, territories and tribes to fight the H1N1 influenza outbreak. Also in May, HHS invested more than $1 billion to produce bulk supplies of key vaccine ingredients as part of the process to develop and test a potential H1N1 vaccine.

The Administration has upgraded and expanded www.flu.gov, which includes guidance that community leaders and the American people need to prepare for, prevent, and respond to the H1N1 flu virus.

The Obama Administration has also launched a new public service announcement (PSA) competition. Any American can record and submit his or her own PSA regarding H1N1 flu preparedness by visiting www.flu.gov. The entries will be judged by experts and the winner will receive a $2,500 prize and the opportunity to have his or her announcement aired on television across the country.

— Release provided by HHS.

Illinois Company Recalls Ground Beef

E.S. Miller Packing Co. in Montgomery, Ill., is recalling about 219 pounds (lbs.) of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The ground beef products were produced July 7-10, 2009, and were distributed to consumers and local restaurants in the Montgomery and Paw Paw, Ill., areas.

Subject to recall are:

• 10-lb. vacuum-packed bags of bulk “Edward S. Miller Packing Co. Ground Beef.” Each bag bears the establishment number “EST. 34342” inside the USDA mark of inspection, and the case codes of “070709,” “070809,” “070909” or “071009.”
  
• 12- and 15-lb. boxes of “Edward S. Miller Packing Co. Ground Beef Patties.” Each box bears the establishment number “EST. 34342” inside the USDA mark of inspection and case codes of “070709,” “070809,” “070909” or “071009.”

The problem was discovered through FSIS microbiological sampling. FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products.

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