News Update
July 15, 2009

Fall 2009 NCE EPDs Available Online

The American Angus Association Fall 2009 National Cattle Evaluation (NCE) expected progeny differences (EPDs) are now on the Internet at www.angus.org, including the new Sire Evaluation Report at www.angussiresearch.com.

FDA Urges Ban on Antibiotic Use in Livestock

A Federal Drug Administration (FDA) official provided written testimony to a House of Representatives committee Monday, saying the agency supports a proposed measure to ban the use of seven classes of antibiotics in livestock. According to U.S. News and World Report, Joshua Sharfstein, FDA principal deputy commissioner of food and drugs, said feeding antibiotics to healthy animals in order to encourage growth should be stopped, and “farmers should no longer be allowed to use antibiotics in farm animals without the supervision of a veterinarian.”

The New York Times reports Sharfstein testified to committee members that routine antibiotic use in livestock leads to the development of bacteria immune to many treatments.

Join the Nebraska Angus Association for a “Cow Country” Tour

Discover “Cow Country” on the 2009 Nebraska Angus Tour, Friday, Sept. 18 to Saturday, Sept. 19. Members of the Nebraska Angus Association and friends will tour central Nebraska and enjoy a weekend filled with great food, great friends, and great cattle.

The event will begin with a stop at John Angus Farms, Miller, Neb., for breakfast and socializing before beginning the tour of central Nebraska, which will include seven farm stops on Friday, including an ethanol plant in Ravenna, and five stops on Saturday. There also will be other breeders’ cattle on display at certain ranch stops. Attendees are encouraged to either ride the bus from stop to stop or follow along in cars.

Highlighting Friday’s lunch will be retiring American Angus Association vice president of industry relations Jim Shirley. Join the Nebraska Angus Association in wishing Shirley well in his July 31 retirement, while enjoying lunch at Sand Dune Cattle Co. LLC.

Registration for the “Cow Country” tour is $25 per person and $35 for those who choose to ride the bus. The Nebraska Angus Association prefers that participants preregister by Sept.1, especially if they are planning to ride the bus. To preregister, contact Suzy Hebbert, Nebraska Angus Association secretary/manager, at 308-577-6700 or info@nebraskaangus.org.

The headquarters hotel for the tour is the Hampton Inn in Kearney, Neb. Rooms are available for a rate of $84.95 for a single or double (tax not included). The room prices include a breakfast buffet. Reservations can be made by contacting the Hampton Inn directly at 308-234-3400; please ask for the Nebraska Angus rate when making room reservations.

For more information about the Nebraska Angus Tour visit www.nebraskaangus.org or call Hebbert at 308-577-6700.

— Adapted from a release provided by the American Angus Association.

North Carolina Angus Association Prepares Angus Breeders for Future

The North Carolina Angus Association (NCAA) will host its 2009 Angus Field Day, Saturday, Sept. 12. The field day will take place at Winslow Goins’s Cool Spring Plantation, Halifax, N.C., and all Angus breeders and producers are encouraged to attend.

The 2009 field day is focused on informing producers on what is in store for the Angus breed. The program is slated with speakers who will offer the tools and resources to help you move forward into the future.

David Gazda, American Angus Association regional manager, and Joe Hampton, Association treasurer, will provide Association updates. Also scheduled to speak are Jim Johnson, Pfizer Animal Health (GeneStar), who will share the latest development in DNA technologies and Nate Jaeger, National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA), who will discuss the latest developments in the animal rights movement. 

Registration and social hour will begin at 10 a.m. at Cool Spring Plantation, followed by a welcome and lunch. Following the afternoon seminars, farm tours will be available.

Call or e-mail the NCAA office by Sept. 7 to register. There is no registration fee, but preregistration is appreciated. Take advantage of this opportunity to make new friends and catch up with old friends, all while learning how to improve the future of the NCAA.

For more information about the North Carolina Angus Field Day or to preregister, call 336-787-NCAA or e-mail ncangus@ptmc.net.

— Adapted from a release provided by the American Angus Association.

USDA’s Rural Tour Continues in Virginia Saturday

On Saturday, July 18, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Energy Secretary Steven Chu will host a rural community forum in Blairs, Va., as part of the Obama Administration’s Rural Tour. At the forum, the two officials will share information with local residents about the work the Administration is doing to revitalize and rebuild rural America and ask local residents how the departments can be helpful in supporting and initiating other programs and projects to help the community participate fully and successfully in the new, 21st century economy. They will also highlight American Recovery and Reinvestment Act projects improving communities in Virginia and benefiting people throughout rural America.

The forum will take place from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., at Buddy Mayhew’s Farm, at 1501 Carter Lodge Rd., Blairs, Va.

In June, President Obama announced that Secretary Vilsack will lead the Administration's Rural Tour, during which Vilsack and other top officials will visit rural communities in states throughout the country. Rural Tour events are currently scheduled in Alaska, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Ohio. These upcoming events follow the rural listening sessions that Secretary Vilsack held earlier this year in Charlotte, Mich., Concord, N.H., Wattsburg, Pa., Danville, Ind., Geneseo, Ill., Harrodsburg, Ky., Ludowici, Ga., Portageville, Mo., and Brush, Colo.

Follow the Rural Tour’s progress online at www.ruraltour.gov or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RuralTour.

— Release provided by USDA.

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