News Update
May 18, 2010

American Angus Association Names Interns

The American Angus Association® announces Jordan Paulsrud, Danbury, Iowa, as its junior activities summer intern. She will assist with the planning and execution of National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) shows and events, including the National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) and the Leaders Engaged in Angus Development (LEAD) Conference. Read more about Paulsrud.

Molly Witzel, Burlington, Colo., will join the American Angus Association as the public relations and communications summer intern. She will assist the department by writing press releases, designing brochures, traveling to shows, publicizing Angus events, taking photos and assisting in the Association’s multimedia public relations and communications efforts. Read more about Witzel.

AMI Releases Video Outlining Proper Portion Sizes for Meat and Poultry Products

The American Meat Institute (AMI) has released a new educational video outlining for consumers the proper portion sizes for meat and poultry products, as recommended by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The video, featuring Betsy Booren, director of scientific affairs of the American Meat Institute Foundation, is the fifth installment of AMI’s new “Ask the Meat Scientist” series.

The Dietary Guidelines recommend people consume 5-7 ounces (oz.) per day from the meat and beans category as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

The video provides visuals of a hamburger, a pork chop, sliced turkey deli meat and a ham sandwich to help consumers conceptualize the proper portion sizes recommended in the guidelines.

The most recent data available show that, on average, Americans are eating the proper amount of meat and poultry per day as recommended in the Dietary Guidelines.

“While many people worry that they are over-consuming meat and poultry products, U.S. nutrition data show that men on average consume 6.9 ounces of meat and poultry per day and women consume 4.4 ounces,” Booren notes.

Booren outlines protein requirements for children of different ages and notes recent research that indicates meat and poultry not only provide essential vitamins and minerals but can aid in weight loss, as well.

Booren also points out that beans, which are in the same category as meat and poultry, are nutritious but they are not a “complete” protein like meat. “Beans are incomplete sources of protein and must be eaten in combination with other foods to get the necessary amino acids.” she notes. “The proteins found in meat provide all of the essential amino acids necessary for good overall health.”

To watch the short video, visit AMI’s YouTube channel, The Meat News Network, at www.YouTube.com/MeatNewsNetwork.

— Release by AMI.

Grass Tetany Possible This Spring

Cool temperatures and sufficient rainfall (greater than average in some regions) have many North Dakota pastures set for abundant forage growth this spring.

Weather forecasters predict a substantial warming trend in the next several weeks, and rapid forage growth likely will follow.

“With this in mind, producers with cattle on pasture or planning their spring pasture turnout need to be aware of the possibility of grass tetany,” says Carl Dahlen, North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension Service beef cattle specialist.

Grass tetany, or hypomagnesia, is caused by low blood levels of magnesium and is most prevalent when cows and ewes in heavy lactation graze lush spring growth. Rapidly growing forages have low levels of magnesium, and the availability of magnesium is further reduced by high levels of protein and potassium in the forage.

Animals with grass tetany may experience excitable and erratic behavior, blindness, muscle tremors, a staggered walking pattern and, ultimately, death. The onset of the condition can be very rapid, and the first symptom producers may see is a dead animal.

Forages most likely to induce grass tetany are cool-season grasses (crested wheatgrass, bromegrass, bluegrass and timothy) and annual cereal grasses (wheat, rye, oats). Tetany also can occur in native range pastures when grass growth is rapid and lush.

Producers should consult their veterinarian about a treatment if they observe symptoms, Dahlen says.

Here are some techniques to prevent the disease:

• Encourage daily intake of magnesium (mg). Magnesium oxide is the most common source of supplemental magnesium. Keep mineral boxes filled and scattered at several locations in the pasture.
  

• Make sure lactating cows receive 0.20% magnesium in the diet on a dry-matter basis. This is equal to 18 to 21 grams of magnesium intake daily.
  

• Use salt mixtures containing magnesium oxide as a magnesium source. To be effective, the mineral mix should contain at least 10% magnesium.
  

• Mix magnesium oxide with other supplements because it is unpalatable.
  

• Graze legume or mixed legume-grass pastures first because early, lush grass growth is more problematic than more mature forages.
  

• Graze less susceptible animals on problem pastures. Dry cows, heifers, stocker cattle and cows nursing calves more than 4 months old are less susceptible to tetany than cows in heavy lactation.
  

— Release by NDSU.

North Dakota Stockmen’s Association Schedules Feedlot Tour

The North Dakota Stockmen’s Association (NDSA) Feeder Council will host its eighth annual Feedlot Tour in north central North Dakota on Tuesday, June 15, 2010.
Buses will depart at 9:30 a.m. (CDT) from the Wal-Mart parking lot in Minot, N.D.

The first tour stop will be at Northern Plains Feeders of Towner, N.D., at approximately 10:15 a.m. Owned by Dustin and Danny Seright of Towner, Northern Plains Feeders was constructed in 2009 and is permitted for 999 head. The facility features an indoor cattle working system, a commodity bay shed, curb-style feeding system with adjustable neck rails, and several custom-features, including a windbreak fence and a load-out chute.

Lunch will follow at Northern Plains Feeders before the group travels west to Carpio, N.D.

Bloms Land and Cattle of Carpio, a permitted 200-head feeding facility built in 2007, is the second stop on the tour. Owner Monte Bloms operates a custom backgrounding operation and is currently expanding the facility to accommodate another 1,800 head. The feedlot features a unique bridge-plank curb feeding system, custom-made neckrails and concrete waterers.

Josh and Kari Cook of Kenmare, N.D., will host the third stop of the 2010 Feedlot Tour at their feedlot, Dakota Sunset Feeders, northeast of Kenmare. Constructed in 2009, Dakota Sunset Feeders is permitted for 999 head and features an indoor working system and an indoor water supply storage system that is currently under construction. Other notable attributes of the facility include a custom-made neckrail, a concrete curb-style feeding system and a natural tree windbreak for feedlot protection.

Buses will return to the Wal-Mart parking lot in Minot, N.D., at around 5 p.m.

The cost to participate is $15 per person, which includes bus transportation and lunch. Preregistration by June 11 is appreciated. To preregister, contact NDSA Environmental Services Director Scott Ressler at 701-223-2522 or sressler@ndstockmen.org.

— Release by NDSA.

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