News Update
Feb. 23, 2011

I Am Angus Series Continues Feb. 28

Whether you’re a consumer or cattle rancher you have a connection to beef.
On Monday, Feb. 28, I Am Angus explores that connection.

The hour-long show, which airs at 7 p.m. CST on RFD-TV, is the fourth program in the Association’s four-part television series that began earlier this fall. The February episode — titled “Connections” — celebrates the relationship between America’s cattle ranchers and those who consume the quality Angus beef they raise.

“This latest edition of I Am Angus focuses on the unique stories that reflect our Angus heritage, how we convey that heritage to consumers and what it takes to maintain those connections,” says Eric Grant, American Angus Association director of public relations and communications. “This program is especially relevant in a society where agriculture is often misunderstood.” Read more.

Power of Meat Study: Purchasing Behavior Reaching New Balance

The world of grocery shopping appears to be reaching a new balance, with net spending rising for the first time in three years, according to the sixth annual The Power of Meat study. While some shoppers still spent less on groceries than they did a year ago, the share of shoppers who have made changes to their meat and poultry purchases as a result of the economy declined for the second year in a row, down from 51% in 2009 to 36% today.  Overall, the share of shoppers who cut their total food spending (restaurant and grocery spending combined) compared to 12 months prior is down by 17%.

The report, conducted by 210 Analytics, was commissioned jointly by the American Meat Institute (AMI) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) with generous sponsorship by Sealed Air’s Cryovac Food Packaging Division. The report details the findings of a national online poll of 1,201 consumers conducted in November 2010, and was released today at the 2011 Annual Meat Conference in Dallas, Texas. Read more.

— Release by the American Meat Institute.

Middle East Crisis Will Affect U.S. Agriculture Industry

Fallout from the crisis in Libya and the Middle East could put pressure on U.S. agricultural production due to escalating fuel costs, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service economist.

“Libya has the largest crude oil reserves in Africa, and it’s a flash point,” said Parr Rosson, AgriLife Extension economist and director of the Center for North American Studies at Texas A&M University. “The concerning thing is what it’s going to do at a time when we’ve gone through a couple of years where (crude) prices have been relatively stable. This could put some real economic pressure on costs in agriculture.”

If sustained, higher petroleum prices would result in higher agricultural commodity prices as well, Rosson said. That would be passed on to the consumer resulting in higher food prices.
“The whole overarching issue of instability in that region is interesting and amazing at the same time,” Rosson said. “This all started with a small country (Tunisia) and because of instant communications, that being social media, it’s now spread throughout a large portion of the Middle East and even evidence of some unrest in China.

“That’s very important as well. All of this comes on the heels of one of the worst recessions we’ve experienced in decades. We are extremely vulnerable as a manufacturing industry, and the agricultural industry in particular, because of energy costs.”

Rosson said this strengthens the discussions of utilizing natural gas as an alternative energy source.

“Our saving grace in Texas is natural gas prices,” he said. “Converting to natural gas over the longer term is a real plus for Texas because of our reserves and the ability to produce natural gas. There’s a lot of incentive there to effectively produce and utilize that very important resource.”

Farmers already regularly use natural gas to power irrigation systems, Rosson noted.

— Release by Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

‘I Love Cows’ Essay Contest Awards Heifers to Kentucky 4-H and FFA Members

Dustin Worthington had a passion for cows. That passion was cut short when he was killed in a car accident at the age of 17, but his family continues to honor him and his love for the animals with an annual essay contest that awards registered heifers to 4-H and FFA members. The 2011 contest’s March 3 deadline is rapidly approaching.

4-H and FFA members in good standing must submit an essay and a recommendation from their University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension 4-H agent or FFA adviser. Heifers will be awarded to winning entrants in each participating county and to each of two statewide winners from outside a participating county.

“One reason Extension is involved is that it’s a youth program dealing with livestock,” said Dana Anderson, Mercer County 4-H youth development agent. “A lot of farms are dwindling down, and more kids are trying to focus on programs that they can establish to help them build character and establish farm programs for themselves.”

The award was established in 2000 when two registered beef heifers were donated and given away in Mercer and Boyle counties. Since then, organizers of the program have given away more than 130 heifers to youths who have a strong interest in cows.

“I got to thinking about it,” said Dennis Worthington, Dustin’s father, “and it was like Dustin said ‘Daddy, why don’t you give a kid a cow? If he does it right, he’ll make more with a cow than a couple hundred dollars will do him. He can do what he wants to do with it. He might buy a farm someday.’”

The fund acquires heifers in a variety of ways. They are purchased with contributions to the Dustin Worthington Memorial Fund or donated by participating farms and local cattlemen’s and dairy associations. Many winners donate their first-born heifer calf back to the program.

“It’s not mandatory,” Worthington said. “But if a kid decides that they want to give it back, that means more to me. Then they feel like they’ve done something, too.”

He said he has stayed in touch with Adam Gordon of Boyle County, one of the first year’s participants, who by now has nearly $100,000 worth of cattle “standing in the field from that first heifer he got the first year.”

For more information about how to enter the annual competition or contribute to the fund, talk to the county 4-H agent or FFA advisor or visit the official website at www.dustinworthingtonmemorial.org. Contributions to the not-for-profit foundation are tax deductible.

— Release by University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension.

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