News Update
Jan. 13, 2009

USDA Delays Implementation of Amended Disease Status for the Republic of Korea

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has delayed indefinitely implementing a final rule adding the Republic of Korea to the list of regions that are considered free of rinderpest and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

An outbreak of FMD was reported by the Republic of Korea on Jan. 6, 2010. As such, the country is no longer considered to be free of FMD.

The final rule was published on Dec. 28, 2009, and was due to become effective Jan. 12, 2010. The delay in implementation will allow APHIS to consider the issues raised by the disease outbreak and to decide what subsequent actions to take.

This action is scheduled to be published in the Jan. 13 Federal Register.

— Release provided by USDA.

Get Show Results on Your Cell Phone

Producers with smartphones can receive Angus show results from the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) via their phones by going to www.angus.org/showresults.

The NWSS Super-Point Roll of Victory (ROV) Angus Show — also designated the 2010 National Angus Show — kicks off today, with the bull show beginning at noon. Brian Barragree, Absarokee, Mont., will serve as judge, with Troy Thomas, Harrold, S.D., serving as associate judge. To follow coverage online, visit www.angus.org.

Also Online Now at angus.org

The American Angus Association® continues to step up the products and services offered at www.angus.org. Recently added features include:

• Show results, including photos and information on champions shown at prominent events across the country are available by clicking on the “Show Results” button.
  
• A video page, containing Angus and industry videos, can now be accessed by clicking on the “Videos” button. Many of the featured segments were part of the “I Am Angus” program that aired on RFD-TV earlier this week.
  
• American Angus Tag Store, offering customizable, low-cost tag options and easy, online ordering. The Tag Store offers Duflex® visual identification panel tags, e.Tags®, Combo e.Tags®, ChoiceSets™, and COOLTags™ in a wide range of affordable, customizable tag options to meet a producer’s identification needs. Click here, to see the full news release.

Cattlemen’s College Brings Consumer Focus to Convention

Those who attend Pfizer Cattlemen’s College® as part of the 2010 Cattle Industry Annual Convention and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Trade Show Jan. 27-31 can take in sessions that range from production to consumer demand.

“We want to keep people’s focus on the fact that, at the end of the day, our industry thrives or declines based on how much beef people eat,” says Tom Field, director of producer education for NCBA. The organization has partnered with Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) to bring some end-product and consumer-related sessions to the program. Read more.

Mid-South Stocker Conference Set for Late February

“Conditions Change, Management Makes the Difference” is the theme for the 2010 Mid-South Stocker Conference scheduled for Feb. 23 and 24 at the Montgomery Bell State Park near Dickson, Tenn. This marks the fifth annual conference devoted to forage-based stocker cattle production for the region.

Sponsored by the Cooperative Extension Services of the University of Kentucky (UK) and the University of Tennessee and each state’s cattlemen’s association, in partnership with Bayer Animal Health and BEEF magazine, this year’s conference aims to add to information of previous conferences.

“The stocker phase of beef production fits the landscape for Tennessee and Kentucky as well as other areas throughout the Mid-South due to abundant supplies of forages providing efficient gains,” said Jeff Lehmkuhler, Extension beef specialist for the UK College of Agriculture. “A readily available supply of quality calves provides additional support for this segment of the industry.”

Registration for the conference will start at 10 a.m. CST Tuesday, Feb. 23, with a tour of area cattle operations departing at noon. That afternoon participants may attend a reception and trade show at the lodge convention center. Cattle industry agribusinesses will also serve as sponsors of the conference and provide resources related to their products during the trade show. An evening presentation covering vaccinations will conclude the day’s activities.

The program continues Wednesday, Feb. 24, beginning at 7 a.m. CST with a continental breakfast in the trade show area. The formal program will get under way at 9 a.m., covering stocker cattle health and opportunities for custom grazing/backgrounding of calves. A panel of stocker operators will also share their experiences with attendees and discuss what has worked for them in their operations. The afternoon session will include highlights of the national stocker survey. An update and outlook on the beef cattle industry by Cattle-Fax will wrap up the conference. Additional details and the conference program are available online at www.midsouthstocker.org.

Rooms at Montgomery Bell State Park Lodge are available at the special rate of $49.99 per night. The preregistration fee for the conference, which includes the tour, reception, meals, proceedings and access to the trade show, is $95 per person or $150 per couple. Register online at www.midsouthstocker.org or contact John Bartee, with UT Extension’s Montgomery County office at 931-648-5725. Registration after Feb. 16 and on-site at the conference will be $125.

For answers to questions about the conference, call Jim Neel, 865-974-7294; Roy Burris, 270-365-7541, ext. 208; or Lehmkuhler, 859-257-2853.

— Release provided by UK College of Agriculture.

— Compiled by Shauna Rose Hermel, editor, Angus Productions Inc.