News Update
Sept. 21, 2009

Angus Foundation Supporter Recognition Event Scheduled

Join the Angus Foundation on Nov. 14 in Louisville, Ky., for its 7th Annual Supporter Recognition Event. The Angus Foundation will recognize supporters this fiscal year to the Vision of Value: Campaign for Angus.

Contributions from Angus breeders, allied industry and friends to this ambitious $11 million fundraising campaign are empowering the Foundation to fund a vast array of education, youth and research activities for the benefit of the Angus breed and you, our members. The campaign’s Leadership Cabinet and Angus Foundation staff will update event attendees on the progress of this national fundraising initiative.

All Angus supporters contributing $250 or more to the Angus Foundation before Sept. 30, 2009, will be invited to this special donor celebration. You, too, can reserve your invitation by mailing a $250 contribution to the Angus Foundation or paying by Mastercard or Visa credit card online at www.angusfoundation.org.

— Release provided by the Angus Foundation.

Protect Livestock Against Anthrax

Livestock producers in areas with a history of anthrax cases should take measures to protect their animals from the disease, North Dakota animal health officials advise.

“We have just received confirmation of a case of anthrax in cattle along the Hettinger-Slope County line, the first reported in that area in many years and the first confirmed case in the state this year,” said Susan Keller, state veterinarian, in a Sept. 18 release. “Keep in mind that while anthrax has been most frequently reported in northeast, southeast and south-central North Dakota, it has been found in almost every part of the state.”

North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension Service veterinarian Charlie Stoltenow also urges producers to get their livestock vaccinated. Anthrax vaccine is effective and available, but it takes about a week to establish immunity, and it must be administered annually.

“Producers should check with their veterinarians to make sure the vaccination schedule for their animals is adequate and maintained,” Keller says. “Producers should also monitor their herds for unexpected deaths and report them to their veterinarians.”

Anthrax is a concern because it can be a long-term problem. Spores of the bacteria that cause it can survive in the soil for many decades, Stoltenow says.

Cases of anthrax develop in the region almost every year. However, weather conditions such as heavy rainfall, flooding or drought, may make the disease more widespread. Rain and flooding can raise the spores to the ground’s surface. Drought conditions can lead to soil erosion, which also allows spores to resurface. When animals graze or consume forage or water contaminated with the spores, they are exposed to the disease.

“With the weather we have had, conditions are right for anthrax to show up,” Keller says.

An outbreak in 2005 in the upper Midwest and Manitoba demonstrated the danger of anthrax to grazing animals. Animal health officials estimate North Dakota lost more than 1,000 head of cattle, bison, horses, sheep, llamas and farmed deer and elk.

“An extensive educational effort by veterinarians and Extension agents to encourage producers to vaccinate their animals has resulted in a dramatic reduction in livestock deaths,” Keller says.

Cattle Inventory Lowers

USDA’s monthly Cattle On Feed report, released Sept. 18, shows continuing lower inventories of cattle in U.S. feedlots and somewhat larger-than-expected August placements, according to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s (CME’s) “Daily Livestock Report.”

The Sept. 1 feedlot inventory and August marketings were quite close to pre-report estimates. U.S. feedlots with capacities of 1,000 head or more held 9.882 million head of cattle on Sept. 1, 1.2% lower than last year’s figures and 2.5% higher than the revised figure (9.637 million, adjusted downward slightly from 9.644 million) for Aug. 1. The month-to-month increase was a bit larger than the normal seasonal pattern.

August placements of 2.11 million head were 2.4% larger than last year’s figures and 1.5% higher than the average of analysts’ prereport estimates. And the cattle placed in August were heavy by historical standards. The average weight of August placements was 717.7 pounds (lb.), 3.1 lb. lower than last year but more than 20 lb. heavier than the 2003-2007 average. High placement weights in 2008 were primarily a function of high feed costs.

While still significantly higher than the historical average, it is pretty hard to blame feed costs for this year’s August surge, according to the report.

“We suspect that moderate summer temperatures and better-than-normal pasture conditions contributed to excellent growth rates for yearlings on pasture this summer, driving placement weights higher,” report authors note. “Whatever the driver, these heavy cattle placed in August will keep slaughter weights high in the first quarter of 2010 — much like this year’s first quarter when both steers and heifers averaged over 40 pounds heavier than the ‘03-’07 average.”

— Adapted from the “Daily Livestock Report,” provided by CME.

USDA Designates Overton County, Tenn., as Primary Natural Disaster Area

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) designated Overton County, Tenn., as a primary natural disaster area because of losses caused by excessive rain and extensive flooding that occurred on July 15-16.

“President Obama and I understand these conditions caused severe damage to the area and serious harm to farms in Tennessee,” Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “These designations will provide help to farmers who suffered significant production losses to corn and cool-season grasses.”

Farm operators in Clay, Fentress, Jackson, Pickett and Putnam counties in Tennessee also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous.

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas Sept. 17, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low-interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met.

Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the EM loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.

Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.

Farm Animal Welfare Label to Exhibit at Natural Products Expo East in Boston

American Humane® Certified will exhibit at the Natural Products Expo East in Boston, Sept. 23-26, to showcase an animal welfare label for food producers. According to a company release, the program “provides independent certification of the humane treatment and care of farm animals.”

The group has developed what it calls True Humane Tracking™, a three-tiered audit system that includes video monitoring of producers’ operations. The program has also reportedly developed proprietary online monitoring for producers in addition to annual on-site audits.

According to American Humane, food producers with more than 60 million farm animals have been certified by its program. For more information visit www.thehumanetouch.org.

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