News Update
Feb. 3, 2010

NCBA Members Elect Officers for 2010

The annual Cattle Industry Convention concluded with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) board of directors meeting and annual membership meeting. During the meetings, members voted on leadership and policies to ensure the organization’s success in 2010. More than 6,000 people attended this year’s convention in San Antonio, Texas.

Steve Foglesong, owner of Black Gold Ranch in Illinois, was officially elected to succeed Gary Voogt as NCBA’s new president. Foglesong encouraged NCBA members to join him in leading this great industry — and the association — to an even stronger future, by getting engaged in the issues and telling their story to the public, as well as lawmakers in Washington, D.C.

“Our industry has a great story to tell,” Foglesong said. “Our numbers may be small, but when each of us engages and makes our voice heard, we are a force to be reckoned with.”

In a landmark vote, the board approved a new organization structure, as presented by the Governance Task Force. The board also demonstrated confidence in NCBA by voting unanimously to approve a dues increase to help ensure the organization is on sound financial footing. Dues now start at $100 for cow-calf members. Feeder assessments increased from 10¢ to 12.5¢ per head. Earlier in the week, the Allied Industry Council also expressed its support of NCBA by voting to increase its member dues from $17,500 to $25,000.

In addition to structural changes, members approved a number of policy recommendations to guide NCBA efforts in Washington, D.C., in 2010.

In other news, former Vice President Bill Donald of Montana was confirmed as the new president-elect, and former Federation Division Chairman J.D. Alexander of Nebraska was elected to succeed Donald as vice president.

Other newly elected officers include Scott George, Wyoming, Federation Division chairman; David Dick, Missouri, Federation Division vice chairman; Bruce Hafenfeld, California, Policy Division chairman; and Bob McCan, Texas, Policy Division vice chairman.

Foglesong ended the convention with his outlook for 2010. Despite the very real challenges facing the industry — including an overreaching federal government and increasing attacks by activist groups — he said he’s optimistic about the year ahead.

For more convention news, visit NCBA’s home page at www.beefusa.org or Angus Productions Inc.’s (API’s) coverage site of the event at www.4cattlemen.com.

— Adapted from an NCBA release.

K-State Cattlemen’s Day Set for March 5

Kansas State University (K-State) Cattlemen’s Day is set for March 5 in Manhattan.

The day begins at 8 a.m. with a commercial trade show and educational exhibits in Weber Arena. The program starts at 10 a.m. with welcoming remarks by Ken Odde, head of K-State’s Department of Animal Sciences and Industry and K-State president, Kirk Schulz.

Highlights of the day will include a presentation, “Climate Change: Implications for Agriculture” by Patrick Michaels, a distinguished senior fellow in the School of Public Policy at George Mason University, Fairfax, Va. In addition, K-State agricultural economist Ted Schroeder will present “Feeding the World in 2050.”

Lunch will be served in Weber Arena, followed by on-site breakout sessions, with topics to include Maximizing Value of Cull Beef Cows; Animal Well-being — Bridging the Gap Between Consumers and Producers; and a Beef Cattle Outlook.

After lunch, attendees can visit the Kansas Artificial Breeding Service Unit (KABSU) and the Beef Cattle Research Center beginning at 1:30 p.m. Both facilities will hold open houses for Cattlemen’s Day attendees. Presentations also will be given at both locations, with KABSU presentations to include Overview of KABSU Services; Early-Stage Pregnancy Detection; and Semen Quality Evaluation. Presentations at the Beef Cattle Research Center will include Tales from the Dead — The Value of Postmortem Diagnosis; Storage Systems for Distillers’ Grains; and Low-Stress Cattle Processing.

The preregistration fee for Cattlemen’s Day is $15 per person if paid by Feb. 27. After that date and at the door, the fee is $25. The fee covers morning refreshments and lunch. Continuing education credits are possible for professional animal scientists and veterinarians who attend.

More information and online registration for Cattlemen’s Day is available at www.asi.ksu.edu/cattlemensday or by contacting Charlotte Bruna at cbruna@ksu.edu or 785-532-1280.

The 33rd Annual Legacy Sale will begin at 3:30 p.m. at the university’s Purebred Beef Teaching Center. The sale features 70 Angus, Hereford and Simmental bulls, five show heifer prospects, 30 bred females and six performance and ranch-broke quarter horses.

— Release by K-State Research and Extension.

Korean Retail Giant Targets U.S. Beef to Bolster Sales

South Korean retailing giant E-Mart is looking to U.S. beef as one of the key tools to help it rebound from stagnant sales in 2009, and the early returns look extremely positive.

Sales in the big-box retail sector lagged behind general economic growth in South Korea last year, and management at E-Mart has seized on the concept of Everyday Low Prices (EDLP) to help it attract new customers, differentiate it from other big-box competitors and drive sales. U.S. beef is one of the key products E-Mart has identified to adhere to the EDLP program throughout the year.

E-Mart promoted three U.S. beef items — chilled bone-in short rib, chilled chuck eye roll and frozen boneless chuck short rib — at 123 of its stores between Jan. 15 and Jan. 20.

The promotion was supported by beef checkoff investments and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Market Access Program (MAP) funds by conducting sampling of U.S. beef at 30 targeted E-Mart stores and by making purchasers eligible for a drawing to win a trip to the United States to visit a U.S. ranch. In addition, the stores showed commercials from the “Trust” television advertising campaign on screens in the meat department.

U.S. beef was a popular purchase during the promotion, with sales in the six-day period reaching 1.86 billion Korean won (approximately $1.6 million), a 300% increase from the previous week.

In addition, the promotion helped U.S. beef rebound vs. rival Australian beef. In the fourth quarter of 2009, Aussie beef outsold its U.S. counterpart by a ratio of 79:21 of imported beef sales. During the Jan. 15-20 promotion, U.S. beef outsold Australian beef by a ratio of 57:43.

“E-Mart prepared this full-scale U.S. beef promotion to expand overall beef consumption that has slowed due to the depressed economy,” says E-Mart Livestock Team Manager Young-sun Min. “With the success of this promotion, we see strong potential with U.S. beef and are willing to strengthen promotional programs.”

During the promotion, E-Mart sold frozen boneless chuck short rib valued at 1.25 billion Korean won (just over $1 million), chilled chuck eye roll valued at 350 million won (more than $300,000) and chilled bone-in short ribs valued at 330 million won (more than $280,000).

“The willingness of E-Mart to partner with the U.S. Meat Export Federation and feature U.S. beef is a significant development,” says Jihae Yang, Korea director for the U.S. Meat Export Federation, the beef checkoff contractor managing the project. “E-Mart is a very influential retailer, and its long-term plan to feature U.S. beef is a clear sign that the market is more receptive to the message of the quality and safety of U.S. beef.”

— Release provided by Beef Checkoff.

NIFA Awards Funding For Animal Health and Production Research

USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced $24 million in grants to study animal heath, reproduction, breeding, genetics and nutrition. The agriculture animal industry plays a crucial role in the success and growth of the nation’s economy, accounting for 42% of forecast U.S. agricultural receipts in 2009.

“The agriculture animal industry faces increasing challenges from animal diseases, reduced fertility, low nutrition and growth and nontariff trade barriers,” said Roger Beachy, NIFA director. “These grants will help the United States maintain a strong, internationally competitive animal agriculture industry and lead to safer and more affordable animal products.”

NIFA awarded these grants through four program areas of the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI): Animal Reproduction Program; Animal Genome, Genetics, and Breeding Program; Animal Growth and Nutrient Utilization Program; and Integrated Solutions for Animal Agriculture Program. AFRI funds research, education, and Extension grants and integrated research, Extension, and education grants that address key problems of national, regional and multistate importance in sustaining all components of agriculture.

Animal programs at NIFA address several critical issues, including children’s health, food safety, international food security, and environmental protection. They help reduce childhood obesity and improve human nutrition by providing higher quality sources of animal protein with reduced fat contents while making efforts to reduce the dependency of the feeding and use of antibiotics and hormones to domestic animals. The programs also work to ensure a safer food supply by targeting the reduction in preharvest foodborne pathogens. Furthermore, they contribute significantly to international food security by supporting research to reduce the incidence of diseases in animals and improving the production efficiency of agriculturally important animals. Finally, these programs play a critical role in global climate change and environmental stewardship by promoting the reduction of green house gas emissions, the release of nitrogen and phosphorus into the environment through improved systems of livestock management and more efficient use of nutrients fed to animals.

— Release by USDA.

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