News Update
Dec. 8, 2010

Foundation to Sponsor YCC Participant

Every year, the Angus Foundation selects and sponsors one Angus leader to participate in the Young Cattlemen’s Conference (YCC) tour. The tour and conference, which begins in Denver and proceeds across the country to Washington, D.C., helps young leaders understand all areas of the beef business, ranging from industry structure to issues management and from production research to marketing. The program is limited to a small number of producers each year, and all participants must be nominated by one of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) affiliate organizations.

The applicant must be between the ages of 25 and 50 and must be an active member of the NCBA and the American Angus Association. This will be the eighth year that the Angus Foundation has provided this opportunity to an Association member.

Applications for the 2011 YCC are available on the Angus Foundation website, at www.angusfoundation.org, and should be returned to the Angus Foundation no later than Jan. 7, 2011.

U.S. Beef Going Fast at Japanese Shabu-Shabu Restaurants

Two popular Japanese shabu-shabu restaurants are finding success this fall by featuring U.S. beef for their hot pot promotions.

The prominent family style restaurant chain, operated by Sato Restaurant Systems, annually consumes more than 1.1 million pounds (lb.) of U.S. beef, and this month it started the American Beef Sato-shabu Premium Fair at its 196 outlets. During this single promotion, the chain expects to sell more than 100,000 meals using U.S. chuck eye roll.

“Sato Restaurant Systems is actively promoting U.S. beef, putting the ‘We Care’ logo on its TV commercials as well as menu books, posters and point-of-purchase materials,” says Takemichi Yamashoji, senior marketing director for the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF)-Japan, which contracts to manage foreign marketing programs for the beef checkoff. USMEF is leveraging beef checkoff investments and the USDA Market Access Program (MAP) to help support the promotion.

Hot pot (shabu-shabu) is a popular winter menu choice at Japanese homes as well as family style restaurants, but family restaurant chains have begun featuring hot pot menus throughout the year as consumer demand has increased.

“As other foodservice companies are seeing the success of Sato Restaurant Systems (which doubled its usage of U.S. beef in 2009), we are receiving more inquiries on conducting hot pot promotions all year round,” Yamashoji says.

Another major Japanese foodservice company, Wonder Table, which operates several restaurant chains, made the decision to shift from Australian beef to U.S. beef after participating in a USMEF trade team that visited the United States in May. Nabezo, a shabu-shabu and hot pot restaurant chain operated by Wonder Table, is now conducting an “American Beef Fair” at its 35 outlets. The chain expects to sell in excess of 66,000 lb. of U.S. beef during the promotion.

Visit MyBeefCheckoff.com for more information about your checkoff investment in foreign marketing.

— Release by the Beef Checkoff Program.

AVMA Revises Veterinarian’s Oath to Stress Importance of Animal Welfare

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has revised the Veterinarian’s Oath — which all graduates of U.S. veterinary schools take — to stress the importance of animal welfare.

The revision, approved by the AVMA Executive Board at its meeting this month, is as follows: “Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health and welfare, the prevention and relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge.”

“The Veterinarian’s Oath reflects every veterinarian’s aspirations for themselves and the veterinary profession,” says Bruce Nixon, Chair-Elect of the Animal Welfare Committee. “It’s a promise that each veterinarian makes at graduation, so these words have tremendous meaning. The Animal Welfare Committee recommended these changes to emphasize that veterinarians have responsibilities not only to animal health but also to animal welfare.”

“These changes make it clear that the scope of veterinarians’ efforts toward improving animal welfare include not only treatment, but also prevention of suffering and promotion of good welfare, which is consistent with today’s approach to veterinary practice,” adds Gail Golab, Director of the AVMA’s Animal Welfare Division.

For more information, please visit www.avma.org.

— Release by AVMA.

Younger Farmers Can Learn From Bad Economy

Today’s tough economy gives experienced farmers an opportunity to teach younger farmers planning and decision-making skills they might not learn in good times, a Purdue University agricultural economist says.

Those looking to pass their operation on to next-generation farmers can show them how to plan strategically and make decisions under poor market conditions, said business planning specialist Angela Gloy.

“This type of real-world, real-time education cannot be simulated in the classroom, nor is it necessarily intuitive,” she said. “Good managers will recognize and act upon opportunities to teach the next generation about which cost-saving measures you’re implementing, the trade-offs involved in one choice over another, and the short- and long-run implications behind each decision. In short, you’re teaching how to manage under conditions of not just price volatility but also extremely low price levels.”

One of the financial benefits of a recession is that it can be a time of low interest rates, which helps young people buy into a portion of the farm business if they are prepared.

To make a successful transition in management, each farm should have a plan outlining leadership roles, marketing strategies, the direction of the business and other related concerns, Gloy said. Bringing in another generation affects the operation in so many ways that strong planning is a low-cost means of reducing some risks.

“There can be very negative consequences for the farm business in the absence of a plan,” she said. “Farm families could jeopardize land and other assets.”

There also are personal considerations, such as whether potential partners could work well with each other, said Robert Taylor, professor emeritus of agricultural economics. They also should consider whether the farm would generate enough income for each to make a living.

“If we make a decision, it’s got to be good for both of us,” Taylor said. “It doesn’t work if the decision is good for me and bad for you. Set the business up so that the decisions that are good for one guy are good for the other guy, also.”

Each person should work hard to improve the business relationship, Taylor said.

“Make very sure I’m doing the best I can to be a good young or old partner,” he said. “Each person needs to recognize there is potential for difficulty. I need to work hard and not be difficult.”

He said communication is important in a partnership, including understanding each other’s goals. The partnership can run into problems if each person heads in different directions.
More than 95% of new farmers begin on their family farm. But if there are no children to take over the business, a farmer might look for a young person outside the family who wants to get into farming, Taylor said.

“The young guy gets the chance to farm, the old guy continues to farm and do what he can and be a part of the ongoing, vibrant business,” Taylor said. “He’s not chasing the cows when they’re out, but he’s helping with government programs because he can do that. So he gets the chance to continue farming for many years.”

Taylor said young farmers should provide both labor and management, which includes identifying problems and suggesting solutions for how the farm could improve.

— Release by Purdue University.

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