News Update
Jan. 4, 2010

Cattlemen’s Bootcamp Planned for Virginia

The American Angus Association and Virginia Tech will host a Cattlemen’s Boot Camp May 21-22 at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.

Open to all cattle producers, Cattlemen’s Boot Camps are funded by the Angus Foundation and are packed with 1 1/2-days of education material and speakers.

Association, university and industry experts will present a wide variety of topics, including business approaches in the beef industry; effective herd health; forage-based cow herd nutrition; genetic goals; strategies to maximize reproductive efficiency; management factors affecting carcass quality; and carcass value. Read more.

NCBA Files Appeal of EPA’s ‘Endangerment Finding’ Rule

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) filed a petition Dec. 23 in the DC Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent greenhouse gas (GHG) “endangerment finding” rule.

“EPA’s finding is not based on a rigorous scientific analysis; yet it would trigger a cascade of future greenhouse gas regulations with sweeping impacts across the entire U.S. economy,” said Tamara Thies, chief environmental counsel.

“Why the Administration decided to move forward on this type of rule when there’s so much uncertainty surrounding humans’ contribution to climate change is perplexing,” Thies said.

The endangerment finding does not in and of itself regulate GHGs, but it is a critical step in the process for GHG regulation under the Clean Air Act (CAA). The rule provides the foundation for EPA for the first time to regulate GHGs from small and large sources throughout the economy, including farms, hospitals, office buildings and schools. For example, because of this rule, EPA will be able to tell farmers that they can only emit a certain level of GHGs; if they go over that amount, they can incur severe penalties and be forced to curtail production. The rule also sets the stage for citizen suits against large and small businesses that are the backbones of the U.S. economy. In addition, increased energy costs associated with this ruling will be devastating for agriculture and the public as a whole.

“Instead of letting the issue of climate change, and man’s alleged contribution to it, be addressed through the proper democratic legislative process, EPA has decided to trump Congress and mandate greenhouse gas regulation under the Clean Air Act,” Thies said. “The Act is ill-equipped to address climate change, and Congress never intended for it to be used for that purpose.”

Under the rule, EPA defined air pollution to include six greenhouse gases, and stated that manmade greenhouse gases endanger public health and the environment.

“As was evident during difficult negotiations over the past two weeks in Copenhagen, other countries around the world, like China and India, are unwilling to tie the hands of their economic engines and impose these kinds of costs on their citizens,” Thies said. “This unilateral move by the EPA jeopardizes our ability to remain competitive in the global marketplace.” 

The petition NCBA filed today, as part of a coalition of interested parties, is the first step in asking the DC Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn EPA’s rule due to a lack of sound or adequate basis for making the finding of endangerment from anthropogenic GHGs.

“ ‘Climategate’ revealed that the data on which the EPA relied to make this finding is questionable and may have been manipulated to tell a story that global warming alarmists wanted to tell,” Thies said. “The fact that the EPA is ignoring this scandal is not going to make it go away.”

According to the EPA, in 2007, GHG emissions from the entire U.S. agriculture sector represented less than 6% of total U.S. GHG emissions, and the livestock industry emitted only 2.8%. At the same time, land use, land use change, and forestry activities resulted in a net carbon sequestration of approximately 17.4% of total U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, or 14.9% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

— Release by NCBA.

New Dietitian Will Work For Kansas, Missouri Beef Councils

The Kansas Beef Council and Missouri Beef Industry Council are combining checkoff resources to employ one full-time dietitian. Registered and licensed dietitian Heidi Wells will begin work in the new position Jan. 20.

Governing boards for the neighboring state beef councils approved the concept of a shared dietitian last year. The move will help both groups leverage checkoff dollars and focus on delivering accurate beef nutrition and health information to key opinion influencers. Wells will continue the work of previous beef council dietitians by maintaining relationships with individual nurses, dietitians and doctors. She also will stay connected with professional health organizations, including the Kansas and Missouri Dietetic associations.

Sixth-Annual Cattlemen’s Workshop ‘Opportunities in a Changing Beef Industry’

Another all-star list of beef industry speakers from throughout the U.S. will be featured at the 6th annual Cattlemen’s Workshop.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 23, at 9:00 a.m. at the Blue Mountain Conference Center in LaGrande, Ore.

The central theme of the free workshop — “Opportunities in a Changing Beef Industry” — represents an outstanding opportunity for Pacific Northwest cattlemen to keep abreast of the challenges and opportunities facing the cattle industry.

The Workshop has grown in stature the last several years and has become one of the premier cattle producer educational opportunities of the year in the region. With nationally renowned speakers presenting, the attendance has grown dramatically with more than 350 people attending last year. The conference is fully sponsored by industry affiliated companies and has built a reputation as a national template for cattle producers to hear from experts they would normally see at a national convention.

This year’s list of well-known speakers includes:

• Phil Seng, U.S. Meat Export Federation President and CEO;
  
• Forrest Roberts, CEO, NCBA;
  
• Collin Woodall, Executive Director of Legislative Affairs, NCBA Washington DC;
  
• Bernie Rollin, Distinguished Professor, University of Bioethics, Colorado State University;
  
• Dave Daley, Associate Dean, College of Ag at California State University, Chico; and
  
• Tom Field, Executive Director of Producer Education, NCBA.

For more information, contact: Kim Verhelst at the Eastern Oregon Ag Research Center in Union, Oregon at 541-562-5129 or e-mail kim.verhelst@oregonstate.edu

— Release by Oregon Cattlemen’s Association.

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