News Update
September 26, 2011
CAB Education, Culinary Center to Open in 2012
Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) recently purchased a 7,000-square-foot facility adjacent to its Wooster, Ohio, headquarters. Renovation is under way that will transform it into the CAB Education and Culinary Center.
Brent Eichar, senior vice president of operations, says he anticipates opening the facility by January 2012, allowing the brand to provide its 12,300 retail and foodservice partners better hands-on training.
The center will include a large, state-of-the-art kitchen and meat-processing area, where CAB chefs and beef experts can work side-by-side with licensed partners.
That will help them to “continue growing their success with our brand,” Eichar says. “We’ll be able to break down a side of beef to better understand where cuts come from and then throw them on the grill to experience their eating quality.”
The facilities will be designed to support programs like retail case merchandising, subprimal fabrication, creative menu planning and signature grind development, Eichar says. “It will ultimately allow us to provide interactive and innovative programs for the advancement of our partners, who continue to set the bar for premium beef.”
To follow the center’s construction, visit the CAB blog at www.GoRare.com, and see the updates on Facebook and Twitter. Interactive features on those pages let visitors share opinions on remodeling decisions as they come up. The brand’s main consumer site is at www.certifiedangusbeef.com.
Dakota Feeder Calf Show set for Oct. 15
The North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension Service is partnering with the Dakota Feeder Calf Show to offer cattle producers an opportunity to explore possibilities for retaining ownership of cattle beyond the cow-calf phase of production.
The 13th annual Dakota Feeder Calf Show and Feedout is set for Saturday, Oct. 15, in Turtle Lake. Cattle will be accepted at the weighing station before 11 a.m. and exhibited. Spring-born steer calves consigned to the Dakota Feeder Calf Show and Feedout then will be fed to market weight at the NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center feedlot.
“When cattle prices are low or high, it’s important to know how well your cattle perform through the market chain,” says Karl Hoppe, Extension area livestock specialist at the Carrington Research Extension Center. “This cattle feedout project will give producers information on how their calves perform in the feedyard and on the calves’ ultimate carcass value.”
The feedout is a low-risk way of learning about these options with three or four calves instead of 100, he adds. Also, cattle producers have used the feeding and carcass information to select bulls that will improve the feedlot value of their calves.
During last year’s feedout, the calves gained an average of 656 pounds (lb.) in 200 days, with a total feeding cost (excluding interest) of 93.6¢ per pound of gain. The average sale weight was 1,272 lb. The calves were fed with a market weight break-even of $104.73 per hundredweight (cwt.).
“It’s the variation among cattle that makes this project educational,” Hoppe says.
In the 2010-2011 feedout, the spread in net return per head between the average of the top five herds and average of the bottom five herds was $109.69. The top-profiting herd made $239.53 per head, while the bottom herd made $129.84 per head. Weight gain per day of age (WDA) was 3.67 lb. for the top profiting herd and 3.01 for the bottom herd.
“Small differences in production have a huge impact on profit,” Hoppe says.
Feedout project staff will gather data on rate of gain, feed conversion and other characteristics during the trial. After the calves are marketed, the staff will collect and provide information to the entrants on carcass weight, meat quality and value.
Producers will be assessed an entry fee of $15 per calf. Dakota Feeder Calf Show officials will present $2,500 in awards to producers at the end of the trial.
For more information or to preregister calves, contact Hoppe at 701-652-2951; Darwin Chesrown, Turtle Lake Farmers Union Oil, at 701-448-2356; Teresa Presser, Bank of Turtle Lake, at 701-448-2323; or Irene Graves, McLean County Extension, at 701-462-8541, ext. 208.
Cattle may be registered the day of the show, but the feedout is limited to 160 head.
AMSA Student Leadership Conference to be Held During
2012 AMI Expo
The American Meat Science Association (AMSA) 2012 AMSA Student Leadership Conference will take place during the AMI Meat, Poultry & Seafood Industry Convention and Exposition, May 1-3, 2012, at the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas, Texas.
The leadership conference is designed for AMSA student and young professional members, focusing on techniques to positively promote the meat industry to the public. Students will learn more about the industry and network with professionals from all facets of meat production. AMSA student members registering for the AMSA Student Leadership Conference will receive a complimentary registration to the AMI Expo.
The AMI Expo will be co-located with FMI2012, sponsored by Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the U.S. Food Export Showcase sponsored by the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) and United Fresh 2012, sponsored by United Fresh Produce Association (UFPA). Attendees at the AMI Expo will have access to more than 1,200 exhibitors focused on processing and packaging equipment and supplies, plus produce and retailer focused exhibits. The registration fee will also include a full schedule of education programming and networking opportunities.
For more information on the AMI Expo, visit http://www.amiexpo.com/.
OSU Extension to Lead Ohio Farm to School Program
As students head back to school, they may be eating more fresh Ohio foods in their school lunch, breakfast and snack programs. The Ohio State University (OSU) Extension program in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences will now provide leadership for the statewide Farm to School program, tapping into the strength of state, county, regional and national networks. The program was formerly administered through the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
Ohio’s Farm to School program provides youth, pre-K through college, with access to nutritious food while supporting local farmers and communities. This program not only provides young people with fresh, local food, but also helps them understand where their food comes from and how food choices affect their health, environment and community.
“OSU Extension and their partners will be able to provide guidance and help make connections that result in healthy young people, healthy economies and healthy communities,” said OSU Extension Director Keith Smith. “With a presence and partnerships in all 88 Ohio counties, Ohio’s Farm to School program correlates well with our expertise.”
“The Ohio Department of Agriculture created a solid foundation for the program and will continue to work closely with OSU Extension and a growing list of partners and advisors,” said Julie Fox, OSU’s Farm to School program director. “A team of Extension professionals is bringing an interdisciplinary approach with research and education in nutrition, youth development, food production and distribution, and local food systems.”
Ohio schools, farmers and youth advocates are making a difference in cafeterias, classrooms and communities around the state with a variety of Farm to School programs. Students taste the difference in the Granville School District where they work with local farmers and other Ohio food companies to serve fresh food in their meal programs.
“We realized our cafeteria didn’t match our wellness policy,” remarked Chuck Dilbone, director of business operations at Granville School District. “We wanted to provide our students with fresh cooked meals with local products. Before this initiative, only 22% of our students purchased school meals. We now serve 65% of our kids. I firmly believe every school district can do this to some extent.”
“Students are getting excited as they get involved with school and community gardens, hands-on nutrition education, farm tours, classroom visits by farmers and cooking demonstrations with chefs,” said Marie Economos, OSU Extension educator from Trumbull County. “These programs are helping students establish healthy eating habits that will set the foundation for a healthier lifestyle.”
“Local farmers are connecting with schools in several ways,” said Morgan Taggart, OSU Extension educator from Cuyahoga County. “They are selling directly to schools by establishing a relationship with the food service staff, selling through Farmers’ Markets, utilizing the Department of Defense’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program which delivers local food to schools, and selling through a local distributor or a cooperative structure in which farmers and other local food businesses work together to minimize transportation and administration costs.”
October is the first National Farm to School Month, thanks to a resolution passed by congress last November. To celebrate, schools across Ohio and the country will be inviting farmers and chefs to visit their school during the month.
“There are many great Farm to School projects in Ohio,” said Fox. “We look forward to working with agencies, nonprofits, education and industry to expand the benefits of a statewide and national network.”
To learn more about Ohio’s Farm to School program and access resources to explore, plan, develop and evaluate Farm to School programs in your community, visit http://farmtoschool.osu.edu.
AgriLife Extension to Conduct Master Marketer Short Course
in Plainview
The Texas AgriLife Extension Service will conduct a Master Marketer Short Course early next year in the Museum of the Llano Estacado on the Wayland Baptist Campus. The museum is at 1900 West 7th Street in Plainview. The dates are: Jan. 17-19, Feb. 1-2, Feb. 15-16 and Feb. 29-March 1.
“This program is designed for agricultural producers and agribusiness leaders experienced in marketing commodities who have some knowledge of the futures and options markets,” said Jackie Smith, AgriLife Extension economist at Lubbock and a workshop coordinator.
Smith said the nine-day, 64-hour course consists of intensive marketing training that focuses on cotton, feed grains, livestock and wheat.
“The whole purpose of the course is to expose participants to a wide range of topics that will enhance their marketing skills from a real-world standpoint,” Smith said. “We use many case-study examples and augment them with simulated problems to get the point across in the most straight-forward way possible.”
Smith said some of the key topics will be developing a marketing plan, basic and advanced marketing strategies, fundamental and technical analysis, marketing discipline and the impact of weather on commodity markets.
The course instructors represent AgriLife Extension, several universities and private industry.
“This award-winning program has been taught in Texas 23 times at 10 different locations and boasts almost 1,000 graduates,” Smith said. “This will be its first time to be taught in Plainview though, so producers should make plans now to take advantage of this rare opportunity.”
The course has room for a total of 60 participants, but Smith urges those planning to attend to register now while there is still room.
Individual registration is $300 due at the first class.
Register online at www.agriliferegister.tamu.edu. The keyword is Master Marketer.
A brochure and more information are available from your local AgriLife Extension agent or by calling Smith at 806-746-6101.
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