News Update
Oct. 19, 2010

Registration Open for 2011 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is kicking off registration for the “Rocky Mountain Round-Up,” the 2011 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show, which will be Feb. 2-5, 2011, in Denver.

Richard Picciotto, the highest-ranking New York City Firefighter to survive the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and author of Last Man Down; and Karl Rove, former deputy chief of staff and senior advisor to President George W. Bush, will be featured keynote speakers during the General Sessions. Convention attendees will also have the opportunity to attend a tailgate party at Invesco Field, home of the Denver Broncos, as well as to be entertained by Larry the Cable Guy and cowboy poet Baxter Black.

“We’ve put together a top-notch lineup of speakers, entertainers and cattle industry experts for the Rocky Mountain Round-Up,” said Steve Foglesong, NCBA president. “As we prepare to enter a new year with many new faces in Congress, the Convention will give NCBA members an opportunity to build on the successes of 2010 and prepare to address the challenges and opportunities facing our industry in 2011 and beyond. Register today to attend what is shaping up to be one of the best Cattle Industry Conventions yet.”

The Rocky Mountain Round-Up will also feature the annual NCBA Trade Show with more than 270 exhibitors and the 18th annual Cattlemen’s College. Finally, the Convention will give cattle industry members an opportunity to gain information about critical policy and regulatory issues affecting the cattle industry and to have their voices heard during the policy decision-making process.

For more information on the 2011 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show, click here.

— Release by NCBA.

AgriLife Extension to host show animal health-management training

“Proper Use of Drugs in Show Animals” will be presented by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service offices of Roberts, Gray and Carson counties Nov. 2.

The program will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Clyde Carruth Show Bar, located in Recreation Park in Pampa.

Various preventive and therapeutic medicines may be used for disease management in show-market livestock and poultry, said Brandon Dukes, AgriLife Extension agent in Roberts County. These include vaccines and bacterins, antibiotics and antibacterials, parasiticides and corticosteroids.

Exhibitors of show animals must ensure that carcasses are free of violative and illegal residues of drugs, chemicals and feed additive, Dukes said. Therefore, only substances approved for the animal species being treated should be used, and these must be administered prudently.

The keynote speaker will be Buddy Faries, AgriLife Extension program leader for veterinary medicine. Faries has extensive knowledge of medications and withdrawal times, and handles the residue avoidance program for the major livestock shows in Texas.

Program topics will include: proper use of medications, chemicals and feed additives, residue avoidance, food safety and the Quality Counts program.

For more information, contact: Dukes, 806-868-3191 or bkdukes@ag.tamu.edu; Brandon McGinty, 806-669-8033 or bmcginty@ag.tamu.edu; or Jody Bradford, 806-537-3882 or jmbradfo@ag.tamu.edu.

— Release by Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

FSIS Seeks Comments on Draft Compliance Guidelines for Video Monitoring in Plants

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is seeking comments on new draft compliance guidelines that address the use of video or other electronic monitoring or recording equipment in federally inspected establishments.

The draft document provides guidance to industry regarding the use of video or recording equipment for monitoring operations and facilities for various purposes, including monitoring product inventory, conducting surveillance of establishment premises in a voluntary food defense plan, using a systematic approach to ensure that livestock are handled humanely and ensuring that poultry good commercial practices are followed. Video or other electronic monitoring or recording equipment may also be used to meet FSIS regulatory recordkeeping requirements.

Comments will be accepted for 60 days and may be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov/. Comments may also be sent by mail to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), FSIS, Room 2-2127, George Washington Carver Center, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Mailstop 5474, Beltsville, MD 20705-5474. All items submitted by mail or electronic mail must include the Agency name and docket number FSIS-2010-0016.

To view this draft guidance, click here: www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Compliance_Guidelines_for_Use_of_Video_101410.pdf.

— Release by the American Meat Institute.

Kentucky Beef Conference is Oct. 26

While it’s true Kentucky beef producers have enjoyed higher prices in the past couple of years, feed costs have soared leaving producers wondering what the future holds. The Kentucky Beef Conference, Oct. 26 at the Fayette County Cooperative Extension office, aims to teach producers how to plan today for tomorrow’s markets.

The University of Kentucky (UK) College of Agriculture will host the conference, which will focus on current marketing trends in the beef industry and show producers how they can manage higher feed costs and the current market volatility. Producers will have the opportunity to hear from top speakers in the country thanks to corporate and industry sponsors.

Speakers this year include Randy Blach, executive vice president of Cattle-Fax; Darrell Busby, retired Extension beef specialist for Iowa State University; and Michelle Bilderback, UK ruminant Extension veterinarian. Blach will give a marketing overview and long-term marketing trends as well as marketing strategies for 2011. Busby will discuss value-added marketing for Kentucky cattle. Bilderback will address health, management and nutrition practices for today’s market.

Conference sponsors include the Kentucky Beef Network, Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association, Central Kentucky Ag Credit, Kentucky Farm Bureau, Farm Credit Services and Kentucky Bank.

The conference begins at 9 a.m. EDT with registration and concludes at 3 p.m.

Registration is $10 and includes lunch and refreshments.

Preregistration is encouraged. To preregister, interested people should contact their local agricultural and natural resources Extension agent.

The Fayette County Cooperative Extension Service is located off Red Mile Road between South Broadway and Versailles Road at 1140 Red Mile Place. For more detailed directions, contact the office at 859-257-5582.

— Release by UK College of Agriculture.

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