News Update
September 1, 2011
Beef Briefs
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association provides these “Beef Briefs”:
• 25 Years of Beef Checkoff Success
The $1-per-head national beef checkoff is wrapping up its first 25 years of serving as a catalyst to spur strong beef sales worldwide. Today, beef is the No. 1 selling protein in restaurants, in particular, and in the United States, in general, with consumer spending on beef totaling $73.4 million in 2010. And more than 85% of consumers know the industry’s “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner” slogan, currently serving as the base of the Beef Checkoff Program.
For certain, walking through the 25-year history of the beef industry will take you down some rocky roads, as well as highlight some clear paths to growth, all en route to a beef industry that you’ll be proud to pass on to the next generation.
Catch up on highlights from each program area through a six-part series in progress and available in the newsroom on MyBeefCheckoff.com, and help celebrate 25 years of beef checkoff success.
• Fall 2011 Food Foresight Now Available
This edition provides further analysis of the five major trends identified for 2011: doubling production with less impact on the environment; stakeholder demands for a bigger say in how food is produced; impact of the healthcare debate and societal choices on ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods; new models for innovation, research and market advantage; and new tools/touch points to build stronger consumer relationships. Click here for the full report.
• Checkoff Helps Launch U.S. Beef Cuts in Chile
Thanks to help from your checkoff investments in foreign marketing, consumers in Chile have a growing hunger for U.S. beef, most recently demonstrated through a celebration of the introduction of new U.S. beef cuts to that market.
In fact, Chile is one of the fastest-growing markets for U.S. beef exports in 2011, with exports of muscle cuts up 145% and value nearly quadrupling to $6.45 million during the first half of the calendar year, compared to the same period last year.
Even better, industry experts estimate that the annual value of exports has the potential to grow to $20 million a year in time.
For a story about the launch of new U.S. beef cuts in Chile, visit Chilean Celebration.
• Ambassadors Gearing Up
The checkoff’s National Beef Ambassador Program is gearing up for its annual contest, with state winners from across the country planning to gather in Wooster, Ohio, Sept. 30 to compete for a spot on the traveling 2012 team. Winners will be announced at a special breakfast awards banquet Oct. 2. Guest registration materials are available on www.nationalbeefambassador.org. In the meantime, contestants are working with local and state beef industry leaders to prepare for the four judged contest categories: issues response; media interview; classroom presentation; and consumer demonstration. Each senior contestant also must complete at least one media interview and participate in two consumer promotional events and three youth presentations before competing.
MSU Extension to Host Grazing School in Lake City Sept. 12-13
One of the easiest ways livestock and dairy producers can increase on-farm profitability is through proper grazing management. Michigan State University (MSU) Extension will cover many grazing strategies during a two-day grazing school at the Lake City Research Center Sept. 12-13. Designed to blend classroom-style instruction, hands-on education and producer testimonials, the school gives participants a well-rounded course in grazing management techniques.
“Through properly managed grazing, producers can expect a minimum of 30% increase in forage utilization,” Jason Rowntree, an MSU Extension specialist and assistant professor in the MSU Department of Animal Science, said. “Properly managed grazing translates into added weight gain for growing cattle or stockers and increased milk production for dairy cows. An increased grazing season also minimizes the amount of hay needed to get through a winter.”
Topics that will be covered on the first day of class range from an introductory overview of managed grazing to livestock nutrition. Attendees will also learn about plant growth, forage quality and species selection as well as determining yield and allocating pasture, and identifying forage species.
On Day 2, the following topics will be discussed: soil fertility and management; grazing systems, layout and design; water systems and requirements; building and using fences for grazing; and pasture establishment and improvement.
“We’re trying to introduce producers to managed grazing and teach them how to make decisions with respect to yield determination of forages and how to allocate animals to certain pastures,” Rowntree said. Rowntree’s research is funded in part by AgBioResearch at MSU.
The school will begin at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 12 and conclude at 4 p.m. Sept. 13. The cost of the school is $100 with meeting materials and meals provided. A second participant from the same farm costs $50. Participants are responsible for reserving their own lodging. To pay with a credit card, please contact Carla McLachlan for details at mclachl2@msu.edu, or visit https://commerce.cashnet.com/msu_3645 to register online with credit or debit card.
The registration deadline is Sept. 10.
For more information on the MSU Extension grazing school, contact Rowntree at 517-974-9539 or rowntre1@msu.edu.
Organization Urges Radical Changes in Agriculture for Food, Water Security
Experts in water, agriculture and conservation banded together at last week’s World Water Week in Stockholm to call for a major shift in global policies on agriculture and natural resource management, a change they said was urgently needed for future food and water security.
The call to action came on the back of a study released during the conference by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Sri-Lanka headquartered International Water Management Institute (IWMI), which found that current agricultural trends are destroying the world’s natural resources, particularly its water supplies.
The study, “An Ecosystem Services Approach to Water and Food Security,” recommended urgent action to integrate greener farming methods and the conservation of natural areas to ensure food security and protect water sources.
Farming accounts for 70%-90% of water use in some areas, noted the authors of the study, who warned that in some of the world’s largest growing regions, including the ‘breadbaskets’ of the northern China plains, the Punjab in India and the Western United States, water was being used faster than sources could be replenished.
“Agriculture is both a major cause and victim of ecosystem degradation,” said IWMI’s scientific editor Eline Boelee in a statement.
She added that increasing agricultural production in a sustainable way is a priority for future food security, but that “we need to take a more holistic ‘landscape’ approach.”
To achieve a ‘landscape’ approach, experts from IWMI and UNEP recommended ‘agroecosystems,’ meaning systems whereby planning for food production and other land uses is integrated into a broader plan — one that ensures clean water, clean air and biodiversity for the long term.
Implementation will require combining the efforts of the agricultural sector and natural resource managers and advocates — two interest groups that have been traditionally separate and often in conflict, they noted.
Deputy director general for research at IWMI, David Molden, said, “The various political, research and community alliances now emerging are challenging the notion that we have to choose between food security and ecosystem health by making it clear that you can’t have one without the other.”
He noted that recent alliances between agricultural and conservation groups are blurring the lines between sustainable farming and natural resource protection. “For instance, UNEP has adopted food security as a new strategic concern. And IWMI and its partners in the CGIAR are developing a multimillion dollar research program that will look at water as an integral part of ecosystems to help solve issues of water scarcity, land and environmental degradation,” he added.
The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) is host to IWMI and brings together research groups from around the world to find solutions to agricultural and food security issues.
Experts from UNEP and IWMI agree that agencies and organizations that manage agriculture, water resources, wildlife, forests and other natural resources often operate in isolation, and that much greater cooperation is needed for a sustainable approach to food production.
A separate study from IWMI, Wetlands, Agriculture and Poverty Reduction, found that efforts to preserve wetlands by excluding agriculture can actually increase the rate of destruction of the ecosystem. IWMI’s Matthew McCartney, who co-authored the wetlands report, said, “Blanket prohibitions against cultivation do not always reduce ecosystem destruction and can make things worse.”
He cited an example of a farming ban on grassy wetlands in sub-Saharan Africa that led to grazing in the wetlands and deforestation upstream of the wetlands, both of which had greater negative environmental impacts than the earlier farming methods.
“What is needed is a balance: appropriate farming practices that support sustainable food production and protect ecosystems,” said McCartney.
World Water Week has been hosted annually by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) since 1991 and brings together experts and decision-makers from around the globe to find solutions to pressing water issues. This year’s theme was Water in an Urbanizing World.
U.S. Labor Department Proposes Updates to Child Labor Regulations
The U.S. Department of Labor is proposing revisions to child labor regulations that will strengthen the safety requirements for young workers employed in agriculture and related fields. The agricultural hazardous occupations orders under the Fair Labor Standards Act that bar young workers from certain tasks have not been updated since they were promulgated in 1970.
The department is proposing updates based on the enforcement experiences of its Wage and Hour Division, recommendations made by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and a commitment to bring parity between the rules for young workers employed in agricultural jobs and the more stringent rules that apply to those employed in nonagricultural workplaces. The proposed regulations would not apply to children working on farms owned by their parents.
“Children employed in agriculture are some of the most vulnerable workers in America,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. “Ensuring their welfare is a priority of the department, and this proposal is another element of our comprehensive approach.”
The proposal would strengthen current child labor regulations prohibiting agricultural work with animals and in pesticide handling, timber operations, manure pits and storage bins. It would prohibit farmworkers under age 16 from participating in the cultivation, harvesting and curing of tobacco. And it would prohibit youth in both agricultural and nonagricultural employment from using electronic, including communication, devices while operating power-driven equipment.
The department also is proposing to create a new nonagricultural hazardous occupations order that would prevent children under 18 from being employed in the storing, marketing and transporting of farm product raw materials. Prohibited places of employment would include country grain elevators, grain bins, silos, feed lots, stockyards, livestock exchanges and livestock auctions.
Additionally, the proposal would prohibit farmworkers under 16 from operating almost all power-driven equipment. A similar prohibition has existed as part of the nonagricultural child labor provisions for more than 50 years. A limited exemption would permit some student learners to operate certain farm implements and tractors, when equipped with proper rollover protection structures and seat belts, under specified conditions.
The Wage and Hour Division employs a combination of enforcement, compliance assistance and collaboration strategies in partnership with states and community-based organizations to protect children working in the United States. When violations of law are found, the division uses all enforcement tools necessary to ensure accountability and deter future violations.
The division is responsible for enforcing the FLSA, which establishes federal child labor provisions for both agricultural and nonagricultural employment, and charges the secretary of labor with prohibiting employment of youth in occupations that she finds and declares to be particularly hazardous for them. The FLSA establishes a minimum age of 18 for hazardous work in nonagricultural employment and 16 in agricultural employment. Once agricultural workers reach age 16, they are no longer subject to the FLSA’s child labor provisions. The FLSA also provides a complete exemption for youths employed on farms owned by their parents.
The public is invited to provide comments on this important proposal, which must be received by Nov. 1. A public hearing on the proposal will be held following the comment period. More information, including a complete list of the proposed revisions, will be available in the Federal Register on Sept. 2.
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