News Update
August 3, 2010

NCBA Members Vote on Policies to Address Border Security, Other Industry Challenges

Members of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) on July 31, 2010, approved a number of resolutions to guide the association’s policy efforts in Washington, D.C. The resolutions were passed during the membership meeting at the culmination of the annual Cattle Industry Summer Conference.

“One of the pressing issues facing our members right now is the out-of-control situation at the U.S.-Mexico border,” said NCBA President Steve Foglesong. “The lack of border security has and continues to pose a serious threat, not only to those living and working along the border, but to the entire nation, in terms of personal safety, health, economic welfare and the environment.”

NCBA members resolved to support an 18-point “Restore Our Border” plan developed by the Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association. The plan includes securing the border along the international boundary; adding sufficient personnel to secure the border; providing the personnel with all the modern technology and resources necessary to enforce security at the international boundary; and enhancing civil and governmental communications to provide full coverage throughout the border region.

A second resolution calls for full authority for federal agencies and state and local authorities to secure the border, including the suspension of all pending legislation and funding for federal-land designations along the border. Federally owned lands along the border with certain designations such as “wilderness areas” provide unfettered access for illegal cross-border activities by restricting the motorized access of federal agents responsible for patrolling the land.

In the area of animal health, members resolved that NCBA continue leading the discussions on any animal disease traceability program(s) requiring animal identification. Specifically, the resolution maintains that any federal or state animal identification program should allow low-cost tagging devices paid for by federal or state funds, if possible; ensure confidentiality of producers’ private information; operate at the speed of commerce; allow for herd movement between states; provide producers protection from liability after cattle have left their control; collect data for the sole purpose of disease surveillance, control, and eradication; allow for flexibility in the use of currently established and evolving official identification methods for cattle moving across state lines only; and not replace or impede existing state brand-inspection activities.

More than 800 cattlemen and women attended this year’s conference July 28-Aug. 1 in Denver, Colo. For more news from the conference, visit www.BeltwayBeef.com.

— Release by NCBA.

TAHC & USDA Rounding Up Stray Livestock Due To Rio Grande River Flooding

The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) has been working jointly with the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Veterinary Services (USDA-VS) to recover stray livestock that have come across the Rio Grande River due to recent rainfall that has flooded several South Texas counties.

USDA-VS personnel in the Laredo and Eagle Pass areas responded to stray livestock issues as a result of the Rio Grande River flooding. To date, two horses from Mexico were washed across the Rio Grande River during the flooding above Laredo into two different premises. They were located by helicopter and apprehended on horseback.

Twenty-three cattle from Mexico were washed across the river below Eagle Pass, potentially exposing several premises to ticks. They were returned to their owner in Mexico.

Del Rio inspectors have apprehended three head of cattle and one horse, but continue to search areas that have so far not been accessible. There are many more animals reported missing in Mexico.

“The skills that the tick riders use in their daily work in handling and rounding up livestock have proven to be an invaluable asset in response to disasters such as this, the flooding of the Rio Grande River,” said Matt Cochran, TAHC assistant executive director.

On Thursday, July 22, a USDA-VS veterinarian assessed the status of the cattle stranded in Starr County. Based on his assessment, TAHC, Texas AgriLife Extension, and Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers (TSCRA) personnel were able to “swim” two head of cattle and one horse to dry land that day. Currently, through the efforts in protecting these livestock in Starr County, there were 9 head of cattle and one horse rescued, as well. TAHC was assisted by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) wardens who supplied a boat to get to the location where the livestock were stranded.

— Release by TAHC.

AMI Foundation Reaffirms Safety of Nitrite, Processed Meats

The American Meat Institute Foundation (AMIF) said a study published today in the journal Cancer that links nitrite and nitrate intake from processed meats to a potential increased risk of bladder cancer is the latest example of “nutrition whiplash” facing consumers. AMIF President James Hodges said the study creates needless confusion rather than providing clarity to the complex issue of diet and its effect on health.

Hodges emphasized that processed meat continues to be part of a healthy, balanced diet and nutrition decisions should be based on the total body of evidence — not on one study that stands in contrast to the full body of research.

The study erroneously perpetuates the myth that cured meats are the main source of ingested nitrite. The fact is that less than 5% of ingested nitrite comes from cured meats. Ninety-three percent comes from vegetables like lettuce, spinach, celery, cabbage and beets and from our own saliva. In fact, research conducted in the last 20 years had concluded that the body makes nitrite as part of its healthy, normal nitrogen cycle.

In addition, the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP), which is considered the “gold standard” in determining whether substances cause cancer, completed a multiyear study in which rats and mice were fed high levels of sodium nitrite. The study found that nitrite was not associated with cancer. NTP maintains a list of chemicals found to be carcinogenic. Sodium nitrite is not on that list.

Hodges noted that this is an epidemiological study, which, by itself, is not sufficient to establish cause and effect. Rather, this type of study allows researchers to identify associations that may merit further study.

Even the authors of the study state that the findings of their research are “tentative,” the relationship between dietary nitrite and nitrate was of “borderline statistical significance,” and “not enough data was available to draw conclusive findings.”

Refuting even those modest assertions, Hodges said, “This study did not achieve the standard scientific threshold that would generate any concern at all, and it has already come under intense scrutiny from the scientific community because there is no data presented that is statistically significant by conventional statistical rules.”

Hodges concluded by saying, “All of these studies struggle to disentangle other lifestyle and dietary habits from meat and processed meat and admit that they can’t do it well enough to use their conclusions to accurately recommend people change their dietary habits. What the total evidence has shown, and what common sense suggests, is that a balanced diet and a healthy body weight are the keys to good health. Meat contains protein, amino acids and essential nutrients like iron and zinc that can and should be part of a healthy, balanced diet and lifestyle.”

— Release by AMIF.

New Meat Cuts Provide Affordable Grilling Alternatives

As we wind our way through summer and into fall tailgating season, family life often centers around the family grill. The financial challenge of fulfilling the protein portion of the plate, coupled with increased focus on high-quality food, creates a tremendous opportunity to take advantage of the innovative strides made by beef researchers.

Of most noted success is the flat-iron steak. This highly marbled cut has been shown to be very tender and suited to grilling. Data from the Beef Innovations Group (BIG), a part of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) and NCBA aiming to help the industry increase the value and demand for beef, confirms this. Sales of the flat-iron cut increased by 96% to an estimated 92 million pounds (lb.) for a one-year span ending in August of 2006. Additionally, it was estimated that the number of retailers offering such value cuts increased nine-fold in the same time period.

Flavorful and tender cuts, taken from portions of beef previously viewed as roasts, provide the opportunity for processors to offer the consumer a lower-priced, convenient steak while maintaining a tenderness and quality similar to the middle meats. The flat-iron steak, the petite tender chuck eye steak, the Denver cut and the ranch steak are dynamic ways to cut and shape the beef chuck. The sirloin tip side steak, the western griller and the western tip are novel approaches to the beef round. Additionally, these cuts are typically smaller in portion and more likely to be consumed more frequently than larger loin cuts.

The beef checkoff, funded by a per-head assessment on beef animal sales, has recently begun to provide the Beef Alternative Merchandising program (BAM). This alternative approach to merchandising of beef middle meats may provide the consumer with an alternative to the larger portioned steaks. This approach considers individual muscles for market as smaller portioned steaks and provides for variety in retail steak offerings.

For more information about the research and outreach efforts of University of Minnesota Meat Science, visit the University of Minnesota Extension website at www.extension.umn.edu/MeatScience. For more information about beef cuts and BAM, visit www.beefretail.org.

— Release by Ryan Cox, meats specialist with the University of Minnesota Extension.

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