News Update
December 23, 2011
American Angus Association Offices
Closed Mon., Dec. 26
The American Angus Association, Angus Foundation and Angus Productions Inc. offices in Saint Joseph, Mo., will be closed to observe the Christmas holiday Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. We will reopen Tuesday, Dec. 27. We wish you a Merry Christmas, from our Angus family to yours!
President’s Food Safety Working Group
Issues Progress Report
The President’s Food Safety Working Group (FSWG) issued a progress report in December 2011 about its accomplishments and future agenda. The FSWG was created in 2009 by President Obama to provide short- and long-term strategies to improve food safety based upon a three-dimensional approach of prevention, surveillance and response.
Among the accomplishments highlighted under Prevention of Foodborne Illness are the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) performance standards for Salmonella and Campylobacter, the declaration of six non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia colias adulterants and the more than 50% reduction of illnesses associated with E. coli O157:H7. Other areas addressed under prevention are product safety, preventing intentional adulteration, and other preventive measures such as monitoring chemical residues, allergens and proposing a test and hold program for meat and poultry products sampled for pathogens or chemical residues.
The next steps for the FSWG include enhancing the three focus areas. Specifically, preharvest food safety and retail food safety are among the areas slated for greater prevention efforts. Foodborne illness surveillance and incident investigation and product tracing will also have increased focus to enhance surveillance and compliance. Improving responses to outbreaks and data analysis will be also be evaluated.
The full report is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/fswg_report_final.pdf.
Webinars Focus on Technologies to Help Increase Business
A series of webinars on using social media, mobile apps and other technologies to help increase business is being offered by Penn State Extension in collaboration with the Ohio State University Extension and the University of Minnesota Extension.
Many mobile and social media tools, including Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Google Maps, allow customers to connect with businesses in new and meaningful ways, said Julie Fox, direct marketing specialist for OSU Extension. Often it’s these connections and relationships that make a business successful over the long run. The webinars will help business owners take advantage of these tools to increase sales and determine what types of businesses are best suited to using them.
From Jan. 11 through April 18, eight webinars will cover such topics as:
- Developing a social media strategy.
- Generating high-quality content for social media.
- Reaching mobile customers.
- Taking payments via mobile devices.
- Using the MarketMaker mobile app.
- Managing your reputation in social media.
- Managing your social media accounts with various tools.
Webinar participants will gain a better understanding of social media and mobile tools, but, more importantly, will learn how to integrate these tools into their marketing plans to reach customers and increase sales.
The eight-session webinar series costs $10 per person. This fee provides access to all eight webinars and recordings of the webinars (in case one is missed). For details, see http://www.cvent.com/d/lcq890.
2012 Great Lakes Professional
Cattle Feeding and Marketing Short-course
The 2012 Great Lakes Professional Cattle Feeding and Marketing Short-course will be Jan. 25 and Feb. 8 at the Wood County Junior Fair Building in Bowling Green, Ohio. This short course is a joint effort of the Ohio State University Extension, Michigan State University, and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture to enhance the cattle industry in the Eastern Corn Belt.
The challenges continue for agriculture in the sluggish global economy. Exports have been growing but so have input costs. The shortage of feeder cattle should support cattle prices in the near term. If corn prices continue to moderate and cattle prices remain high, this could be a profitable year for cattle feeders. As corn usage escalates, farmer feeders must become more efficient in utilization of the corn crop.
The purpose of this short-course is to provide information that will assist managers in overall efficiency and how to plan for the future. The first session will discuss farm and feedlot management strategies to enhance farm profitability. The second session will address the future trends in the industry and what we can do to prepare for them.
Registration and refreshments will be provided beginning at 6 p.m. each evening. Participants may enroll by sending a check made payable (U.S. Funds) to Michigan State University ($35 for 1st person and $25 for each additional family/farm member; FFA/4-H students can register for $15 each) and mailed to Faye Watson, Dept. of Animal Science, Michigan State Univ., 1290 Anthony Hall, E. Lansing, MI 48824-1225. Please mail before Jan. 20, 2012. If not mailed by Jan. 20, contact Steve Boyles (boyles.4@osu.edu, 614-292-7669) or Dan Frobose (419-354-6916) if you desire to attend the program or if you have any questions about the program.
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