News Update
July 27, 2010

Preliminary Sire Test Results

As of July 26, 2010, the American Angus Association posted the following update on Contractural Arachnodactyly (CA) which includes a listing of preliminary test results provided by Jon Beever, University of Illinois, on samples submitted to him from artificial insemination (AI) organizations. The potential carrier report in AAA Login has been updated for CA Status. For more information visit www.angus.org or click here.

Virginia Beef Cattlemen’s Field Day

The Virginia Angus Association and the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association will co-sponsor the 2010 Virginia Beef Cattlemen’s Field Day beginning at 10:30 a.m., Aug. 28, 2010, at Hill Crest Farm in Delaplane, Va. Hosts for the event are Jerry and Connie Hall.

The keynote speaker will be Chuck Conner, the president and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC). Prior to joining NCFC, Conner served as the deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). A panel to discuss ‘Profitability — 2010 and Beyond’ will be moderated by Tom Field, the executive director for producer education for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). Panel Members are Tim Sutphin, owner of Hillwinds Farm, Dublin, Va.; Paul Bennett, co-owner of Knoll Crest Farm Inc., Red House, Va.; and Don Schiefelbein, owner/president of Schiefelbein Farms, Kimball, Minn.

Other featured events will include cattle displays, a trade show and a beef lunch. A golf outing will be in conjunction with the field day at 1 p.m., Aug. 27, 2010, at the Blue Ridge Shadows Golf Club (Rt. 340 N., Exit 6 off I-66) in Front Royal, Va. For additional details on the field day and the golf outing, please visit http://vaangus.org/ or phone 540-337-3001 or the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association at 540-992-1009.

— Release by Virginia Angus Association.

U.S. T-bones Debut in Major Korean Retail Chain

Lotte Mart, the third-largest retail chain in South Korea, recently launched sales of U.S. T-bone steaks at 85 locations across the country. This marks the first time this cut has been offered in the retail sector since Korea resumed imports of U.S. beef.

“The reintroduction of T-bones really demonstrates the traction U.S. beef is regaining in Korea,” said Junil Park, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Korea retail specialist, contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program. “Consumer acceptance of U.S. beef has become much more widespread as the result of positive imaging, aggressive promotion and USMEF’s collaborative efforts with suppliers, importers and retailers.”

The groundwork for this new product offering actually began several months ago. With support from the Beef Checkoff Program, USMEF held a beef seminar in March for supermarket meat managers and retail meat buyers focused on the safety and quality of U.S. beef. USMEF also hosted nine representatives from Lotte Mart — chosen through a sales competition — to take a U.S. beef industry tour. During these events, Lotte Mart buyers and managers were encouraged to promote new U.S. beef cuts and expand the U.S. share of their imported beef section.

Lotte Mart has also taken note of the resurgence of premium-quality steaks in Korea’s high-end foodservice sector, and sees increasing potential for these cuts to perform well at the retail level as well.

That’s why Lotte Mart is not only featuring U.S. T-bones, but U.S. tenderloins and striploins as well. In fact, Lotte Mart now carries six chilled U.S. beef cuts and eight frozen beef items, and dedicates 30% of its imported beef section to U.S. products.

“Lotte Mart will focus on increasing sales of T-bone steaks with consistent in-store promotions such as intensive tasting demonstration at high-demand outlets and distributing a steak recipe brochure to help consumers know how to prepare the product,” said Ji-young Yoon, Lotte Mart’s imported meat merchandiser.

Over a four-day promotion at Lotte Mart earlier this month, the chain sold U.S. T-bone steaks, ribeye rolls and striploins valued at more than $91,000 (110 million won), with 88% of those sales being T-bones. One focused customer who couldn’t find the T-bone steaks at his local Lotte Mart reported to store management that he drove to a distant store just to buy the steaks, and thanked the store for providing him with cooking tips.

Through May, Korea has climbed to third place in 2010 U.S. beef export volume at 37,177 metric tons [nearly 82 million pounds (lb.)] and fourth place in terms of value at $162.8 million. These totals represent an increase of 66% in volume and 94% in value over last year’s pace. Based on more recent USDA-FAS weekly export data, Korea has been importing U.S. beef at about the same level as Mexico, the U.S. beef industry’s No. 1 foreign market.

Click here for more information about checkoff-funded foreign marketing efforts.

— Release by the Beef Checkoff Program.

Field Day Focuses on Lowering Winter Feed Costs for Beef Producers

This year’s Indiana Integrated Resource Management Program field day on Aug. 31 in Greencastle will focus on helping beef producers lower winter feed costs.

The event will be at the David and Hope Sutherlin Farm, where the cows’ diet includes cornstalks, corn gluten, distillers’ grains and reduced hay consumption during the winter months. Presenters will explain the details of the program and how it has saved them thousands of dollars in feed costs.

The educational program is provided by the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine to anyone interested in beef production.

“This field day is our way of saying thank you to the beef producers of Indiana for all of their support to our school,” said Purdue veterinarian W. Mark Hilton.

The program team has four goals for beef producers, Hilton said, including decreasing their cost of production; increasing the value of their product being sold; improving animal welfare on farms; and decreasing overall labor. While the focus of the field day is decreasing the cost of production, the three other topics also will be discussed.

The field day will be from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., with dinner following. The event is free, but dinner is $10 per person and can be paid at the event. RSVP by Aug. 23 to Rachel Heitkamp at 765-494-9234.

The Sutherlin farm is at 2835 S. County Road 275 E, Greencastle. For more information, visit http://www.ansc.purdue.edu/irm.

— Release by Purdue University.

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