News Update
March 16, 2012
USDA Announces Additional Choices for Beef Products in the Upcoming School Year
In response to requests from school districts across the country, the USDA announced March 16 that it will offer more choices to schools in the National School Lunch Program when it comes to purchases of ground beef products.
USDA only purchases products for the school lunch program that are safe, nutritious and affordable — including all products containing Lean Finely Textured Beef (LFTB). However, due to customer demand, the department will be adjusting procurement specifications for the next school year so schools can have additional options in procuring ground beef products. USDA will provide schools with a choice to order product either with or without LFTB.
USDA continues to affirm the safety of LFTB product for all consumers and urges customers to consult science-based information on the safety and quality of this product. LFTB is a meat product derived from a process that separates fatty pieces from beef trimmings to reduce the overall fat content.
By law, USDA has two primary responsibilities as part of its mandate to provide safe and nutritious food to the American people. Through the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA ensures that safety of the nation's commercial supply of meat, poultry and processed egg products. Through the Food and Nutrition Service and the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), USDA provides food and nutrition assistance through several domestic programs, including the National School Lunch Program.
While USDA sets national nutritional guidelines for school meals, school districts make local decisions on what food to feed kids to meet these guidelines. On average, schools in the National School Lunch Program purchase approximately 20% of their food through USDA, and approximately 80% of food served is purchased directly by schools or school districts through private vendors. Schools purchase food from the department through the USDA Foods Program, which provides more than 180 nutritious food items that are fresh, frozen, packaged, canned, dried or in bulk. USDA procures these products based on the demand from schools to help meet the menu planning needs, student taste preferences, school nutrition goals and local wellness initiatives.
USDA ensures all food purchased for the National School Lunch Program meets stringent food safety standards, which includes rigorous pathogen testing. Purchase specifications are continually reviewed, microbial test results are evaluated, new food safety technologies are considered, and food safety experts are consulted to determine the adequacy of our food safety requirements.
NCBA Statement on USDA Announcement on Lean Finely Textured Beef
National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) President J.D. Alexander issued the following statement in response to the USDA announcement regarding lean finely textured beef (LFTB).
"Cattlemen and women nationwide firmly agree with USDA's commitment to ensuring the health and safety of the food served to more than 31 million schoolchildren every day. The fact remains that LFTB is a 100% beef product produced from beef trimmings that yields an additional 10-12 pounds (lb.) of lean, nutritious beef from every beef animal. The production of LFTB prevents lean, nutritious beef from being wasted. This lean beef product, like all beef, is naturally rich in nutrients like zinc, iron, protein and B vitamins. It can be added to other cuts of beef to produce ground beef. Lean finely textured beef offers affordable nutrition for kids, which is critical given shrinking school budgets, rising food costs and the fact that for many kids, school lunch is the best chance at getting a well-balanced meal during the day. Hands down, LFTB is a safe, nutritious product that school districts can choose to include in their school lunch plans."
Conference to Help Small Farm Owners Market Products, Increase Profits
Small farm owners who want to tap into the growing demand for local foods and learn more about selling directly to grocery stores and restaurants can get tips from the experts during a small farm conference March 31 in Massillon, Ohio.
The "Living Your Small Farm Dream" conference and trade show is designed to help producers learn to build relationships and understand customer needs, which can lead to increased farm profits, said a pair of Ohio State University (OSU) Extension educators.
The conference is co-sponsored by OSU Extension's Small Farm Program; Farm Credit Services of Mid-America; and the USDA Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Agriculture Statistic Service and Rural Development.
The conference starts at 8:30 a.m. and runs until 4:15 p.m. Registration is $50 and is due by March 22. For more information, including links to registration, look for the March 31 event in API's Calendar of Upcoming Events at http://www.api-virtuallibrary.com/
meetings_other_calendar.html.
Montana Angus Youth Scholarship Endowment Established
with Angus Foundation
A commitment to Angus youth rings true in the state of Montana. In December 2011, the Montana Angus Association and Montana Angus Auxiliary decided to create a $25,000 scholarship endowment within the Angus Foundation to establish the Montana Angus Youth Scholarship (MAYS). Not only does the endowment create more scholarship opportunities for Montana Angus youth beginning in 2012, the donation, made at the end of 2011, also helped advance the Angus Foundation's $11 million fundraising drive Vision of Value: Campaign for Angus, which concluded Dec. 31, 2011.
MAYS will replace the continuing education scholarship that the Montana Angus Association and Montana Angus Auxiliary awarded for the first and final time in the fall of 2011. Montana's two Angus organizations' shared goal with this fund is to award one $1,000 scholarship to a student continuing at least his or her second year of higher education. The first scholarship will be awarded at the 2012 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) in Louisville, Ky., for the upcoming 2012-2013 academic year.
The recipient of the scholarship must have at one time been a National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) member and must currently be a junior, regular or life member of the American Angus Association. The recipient must also be a resident of Montana and a member or past member of the Montana Junior Angus Association.
The recipient must be pursuing at least his or her second year of higher education, as no graduating high school seniors will be considered. This reasoning is based on not wanting to conflict with the existing scholarship that the Montana Angus Auxiliary currently awards to a graduating girl and boy. The scholarship must be applied to undergraduate studies and is applicable to any field of study.
For the full release, visit http://www.angus.org/pub/newsroom/releases/
31312_MontanaEndowment.aspx.
Editor’s Note: The articles used within this site represent a mixture of copyrights. If you would like to reprint or repost an article, you must first request permission of Angus Productions Inc. (API) by contacting the editor at 816-383-5200; 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506. API claims copyright to this web site as presented. We welcome educational venues and cattlemen to link to this site as a service to their audience.