News Update
June 30, 2011

CEO Tom Ramey Resigns from Cattlemen’s Beef Board

After more than 17 years of committed service to the beef checkoff, the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) Executive Committee reluctantly accepted CEO Tom Ramey’s resignation Tuesday, June 28, said CBB Executive Committee Chairman Wesley Grau. Tom served as both the Cattlemen’s Beef Board CFO and, most recently, as CEO. In his role as CEO, Tom was responsible for developing and leading a team of experienced and dedicated individuals who work every day for the checkoff. Tom also worked tirelessly to provide detailed oversight of checkoff expenditures, and recently spearheaded the effort to rewrite Cattlemen’s Beef Board’s operating guidelines to clarify contractor responsibilities. 

The Executive Committee has asked Polly Ruhland to act as interim CEO for the present time. After more than 20 years in the beef industry, Polly was most recently CBB’s vice president of planning and evaluation, and before that served in several senior staff positions at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Through this experience, she understands both the beef checkoff oversight and contractor roles, and is highly qualified to help us move the checkoff forward in its goal to build demand for beef. 

We appreciate that Tom’s decision to resign was a personal one for him and his family, and we thank him for his dedication to the nation’s farmers and ranchers through his service to the beef checkoff.

— Release by Wesley Grau, Chairman, CBB Executive Committee.

Beef Producers Seek Best Practices to Reduce Environmental Impact

When it comes to reducing the environmental impact of raising beef, the industry has come farther over the past 30 years than many people realize, according to a Washington State University (WSU) scientist.

“The environmental impact of U.S. beef production has been reduced by improved productivity,” said Judith Capper, assistant professor of dairy science at WSU. She spoke at the American Meat Science Association’s Reciprocal Meat Conference, hosted by Kansas State University June 19-22. “In 1977 it took five animals to produce the same amount of beef as four animals produced in 2007.”

“The majority of beef production’s environmental impact occurs on-farm,” Capper said of the farm-to-feedlot-to-processing system.

She acknowledged that opportunities to further improve beef yield per animal may be limited. Through genetic, feeding and management improvements, the amount of beef an animal yielded in 2007 averaged 773 pounds (lb.), well above the 603-lb. average in 1977. In addition, the average number of days for a beef animal to reach slaughter weight was 482 in 2007, down from 606 days in 1977.

Capper cited a recent study that showed that in 2007: 

• 31% more beef was produced than in 1977;
• the number of beef animals was down 30% from the total in 1977;
• beef cattle consumed 19% less feed than they did in 1977;
• beef cattle consumed 14% less water than beef cattle consumed in 1977;
• beef cattle production used 34% less land than it used in 1977;
• beef cattle produced 20% less manure than in 1977;
• beef cattle produced 20% less methane than in 1977;
• beef cattle produced 11% less nitrous oxide than in 1977; and
• beef cattle production’s carbon footprint was 18% less than in 1977.

Overall, in 2007, the beef cattle industry had 18% less impact on the environment than it had in 1977 — and it produced more beef, Capper said.
She used the example of two vehicles — one of which is more fuel efficient than the other. However, by revealing that the less-fuel-efficient vehicle is a bus that can transport many more people per gallon of fuel than a small car that can transport two, it makes a person view challenges differently, she said.

“It’s essential to assess impact per unit of output rather than per unit of the production process,” she said.

When assessing which is better for the planet — grass-fed, natural (production-enhancing technologies not used) or conventional (feedlot-finished), Capper said she does not advocate for any particular group. However, removing technology from beef production considerably increases animal numbers and increases resource use and greenhouse gas emissions if attempting to keep output the same.

“If all U.S. beef was grass-fed, it would increase land use by 53.1 million hectares, which is about 75% of the land area of Texas,” Capper said. “It would increase water use by 1,733 billion liters, which is equal to annual usage by 46.3 million U.S. households, and it would increase greenhouse gas emissions enough to equal annual emissions from 26.6 million U.S. cars.”

Capper said that incorrect data are sometimes used in newspaper and magazine articles, which can lead to a bias in consumers’ food choices. She cited an example where studies that appeared in a major U.S. magazine referred to beef production but the data came from other countries where practices are not as efficient as in the United States. For example, in Brazil only 62% of beef cows produce a live calf, and cows are typically 4 years old at first calving.

— Release by Kansas State University Extension.

Secretary Vilsack Announces Support for Agricultural Producers and Cooperatives

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Wednesday that USDA is accepting grant applications to assist small, socially disadvantaged agricultural producers and cooperatives in rural areas to spur job creation.

Almost $3.5 million in grants are available through USDA Rural Development’s Small, Socially Disadvantaged Producer Grant Program (SSDPG), which was authorized in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill). It is part of the Department’s ongoing effort to expand outreach to rural residents to ensure that all communities have equal access to USDA programs and services. Funding is available to cooperatives or associations of cooperatives where at least 75% of the governing board or membership are small, socially disadvantaged producers. Grants can be used for product improvements, business plan development or economic development activities. The maximum grant award per applicant is $200,000.

The grants assist eligible producers like Frank Taylor who returned home after college and established the Winston County Self-Help Cooperative in Mississippi, a consortium of local farmers that pool their resources to receive training in business development, conservation and health. The Cooperative also has a youth program, which teaches skills to the next generation of Winston County farmers. For more information about the success of this Cooperative, visit Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Cheryl Cook’s blog post.

In southeastern Minnesota, with the help of an SSDPG, the Hillside Farmers Co-op of Northfield assisted Latino farmers by partnering with established farmers who, together, are committed to producing sustainable foods and building healthier communities. The co-op pairs immigrant families with established farmers in the area who rent out their land for gardening and poultry production. The SSDPG awarded in 2010 is helping the co-op conduct a feasibility study, develop a business plan, provide training and help pay for other related expenses in developing a coordinated network of local businesses in the free-range poultry industry.

Applications for Small, Socially Disadvantaged Producer Grants are due Aug. 15, 2011. Application materials may be obtained at the Rural Development website or by contacting the USDA Rural Development State Office. For additional information, see the June 29, 2011, Federal Register.

Visit www.rurdev.usda.gov for additional information about the agency’s programs or to locate the USDA Rural Development office nearest you.

— Adapted from release by USDA.

New Facility Enhances NDSU Beef Research

North Dakota State University’s (NDSU) new, state-of-the art Beef Cattle Research Complex is taking beef cattle research to a new level.

“This facility is the piece we needed to allow us to meet the challenges of 21st century beef cattle production,” says D.C. Coston, NDSU vice president for Agriculture and University Extension. “It complements intensive campus-based facilities such as the Animal Nutrition and Physiology Center and the extensive research capabilities at the Research Extension Centers in Carrington, Streeter, Hettinger and Dickinson.”

NDSU officials dedicated the facility Wednesday and gave visitors a glimpse of what will take place there.

“This is a great facility that will enhance our research efforts on management, reproduction, nutrition and physiology of beef cattle,” says Ken Grafton, director of the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station (NDAES) and dean of NDSU’s College of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources. “The ability to carry out precise experiments in these areas will greatly impact the beef cattle industry in the state for many years.”

The complex, which can accommodate up to 192 cattle, consists of a feeding area, cattle handling system, calving pens, an office and laboratory area, and a facility for mixing and storing feed.

Only three other research facilities in North America have the same specialized feeding equipment. This equipment is a key component in NDSU’s beef research because researchers will be able to measure and control feed intake for cattle individually and provide a variety of diets for cattle in the same pen, according to Greg Lardy, head of NDSU’s Animal Sciences Department.

The feed facility will allow researchers to mix, store and feed cattle ingredients including hays, grains, silages, wet and dry byproducts, and dry and liquid supplements.

Researchers will be able to use ultrasonography to determine pregnancy or carcass quality and collect tissue samples in the handling facility. The handling system also can process and weigh all classes of cattle.

Nutrition and reproductive physiology research in growing cattle and pregnant and lactating beef cows will be among the first projects conducted at the complex.

The complex was constructed using a combination of state and federal dollars totaling more than $3 million. Construction continued in 2010, and the facility was completed this spring.

“We greatly appreciate the strong support of the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association, the North Dakota Beef Commission and the State Board of Agricultural Research and Education as we envisioned this complex,” Grafton says. “We also give special thanks to the governor’s office and the Legislature for allowing this facility to be established on the NDSU campus.”

— Adapted from release by NDSU Extension.

— Compiled by Katie Gazda, editorial intern, Angus Productions Inc.