News Update
June 12, 2012
Taiwan Government to Pick up Bill if U.S. Beef Leads to Illness
In an effort to ease public concerns over U.S. beef containing ractopamine, Taiwan Health Minister Chiu Wen-ta said the government will care for anyone who becomes sick after consuming ractopamine-containing U.S. beef.
The pledge is one of two resolutions made by Chiu for a bill concerning U.S. beef imports to pass. The second resolution requires the government to ban imports of U.S. beef if someone falls sick from eating the product, even if levels of ractopamine are within approved levels.
Focus Taiwan reports the resolutions will be proposed when a bill to revise the Act Governing Food Sanitation to allow a maximum residue limit (MRL) of drugs, including ractopamine, in meat clears the floor of the Legislative Yuan.
Chiu noted U.S. beef with approved levels of the residue is consumed by hundreds of millions of people in more than 20 countries and so far there have been no reported symptoms of illnesses related to ractopamine.
Legislation of the bill is on the agenda of the plenary session prior to summer recess beginning June 15.
Sterling County Range Field Day Set for June 21
The Sterling County Range and Livestock Committee of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service will conduct their annual range field day beginning at 9 a.m. June 21 at the Sterling County Community Center in Sterling City.
"Most range field days out our way this year are all about recovering from last year's drought and wildfire, and ours is no exception," said Chad Coburn, AgriLife Extension agent in Sterling County. "But we'll also be discussing evaluation results of a mesquite control result demonstration plot on the Horwood River Ranch where we've been testing various rates of a promising new chemical for mesquite management that is expected to be available in 2013."
Alyson McDonald, AgriLife Extension range specialist at Fort Stockton, will join Coburn in presenting the field day information.
Three Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be available to pesticide license holders.
Individual registration for the program is $10, payable upon arrival. For more information contact Coburn at 325-378-3181, c-coburn@tamu.edu.
Ranching for Profitability Meetings June 25-28 in Central and Western Nebraska
Pasture is becoming scarce in Nebraska: Extra cattle have been brought in from drought-stricken southern states; range is being converted to cropland because of high grain prices; and much of the state is drier than average or in a drought. What is a cattleman to do?
University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) Extension is hosting a series of "Ranching for Profitability" meetings June 25 through June 28 in eight Nebraska locations that will focus on pasture production, cattle gains on pasture, and what to do during dry spells.
There will be two locations per day, with the first session from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. and the second session from 4:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. local times.
A variety of topics will be presented, depending on location. Some sessions will stop at a local ranch for hands-on range monitoring. UNL beef specialists Rick Rasby and Rick Funston will discuss alternatives to summer pasture, drought management and reproductive beef management.
At some locations Dennis Bauer, extension educator who coordinates the management of the Barta Bros. Ranch, will talk about the research at the ranch focusing on enhancing yearling gains in the pasture. David Boxler will discuss fly control on beef cattle at North Platte. The Beef Mobile Lab will also be available for viewing a rumen-fistulated steer and view the microbes under a microscope at Broken Bow and Kearney.
Meeting dates, locations and times (all local):
- June 25, 9:30 a.m.: O'Neill, Courthouse Annex Meeting Room
- June 25, 4:30 p.m.: Rose, Barta Bros. Ranch
- June 26, 9:30 a.m.: Broken Bow, Broken Bow 4-H Building
- June 26, 4:30 p.m.: Kearney, Buffalo County Extension Building
- June 27, 9:30 a.m.: Brewster, Milleson Ranch/Uncle Buck's
- June 27, 4:30 p.m.: Valentine, Peppermill
- June 28, 9:30 a.m.: North Platte, West Central Research and Extension Center
- June 28, 4:30 p.m.: Sidney, Cheyenne County 4-H Building
To register, call the local UNL Extension Office. Preregistration is encouraged one week prior for a meal count. Contacts include: O'Neill 402-336-2760, Rose 402-387-2113, Broken Bow 308-872-6831, Kearney 308-324-5501, Brewster 308-645-2267, Valentine 402-376-1850, North Platte 308-532-2683, and Sidney 308-235-3122. Registration is $15.
The Ranching for Profitability meeting series is sponsored by UNL Extension and the meal by Pfizer Animal Health.
Best Month of 2012 for Beef Exports
Though beef export volume has slowed somewhat from the record pace of 2011, higher export value has been achieved in nearly every major market. Export value per head of fed slaughter has been especially strong, reaching nearly $233 in April (compared to $203.70 a year ago) and averaging $210.77 for the first four months of the year.
April beef exports equated to nearly 14% of production when including both muscle cuts and variety meat, and 11% of production for muscle cuts only. These ratios were roughly even with April 2011 but higher than in the first quarter of this year.
For more information and the full release, visit http://bit.ly/KlAyzb.
Angus Youth Ambassador Deadline Approaching
The National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) is committed to preparing youth for the future. For the first time, one fortunate NJAA member will have the opportunity to jump-start his or her networking in the cattle business and to represent the Angus breed as an NJAA Ambassador. Applications for the NJAA Ambassador Program are due June 15.
"It's important for juniors to have the opportunity to be involved in the Angus business and cattle industry," says Robin Ruff, American Angus Association director of junior activities. "This program creates that opportunity by giving them a well-rounded experience within the Angus world."
The program is open to junior members between the ages of 17 and 20. To apply, they must submit a cover letter, résumé and two essay responses. The selected junior will travel to important industry events, including an orientation in Saint Joseph, Mo., at Association headquarters; the National Angus Conference & Tour in Wichita, Kan.; a Certified Angus Beef® LLC (CAB) Building Blocks Seminar in Wooster, Ohio; the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) Cattle Industry Annual Convention in Tampa, Fla.; and the Guiding Outstanding Angus Leaders Conference in Canada. The individual's schedule and availability will determine other travel options.
More information about the contest is available online at www.angus.org/njaa. Applications should be postmarked by June 15 and sent to the Association's Junior Activities Department, 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506.
Livestock Judging Camp scheduled for June 20-22 in Aggieland
The Texas A&M University Livestock Judging Camp is scheduled June 20-22 at the Pearce Pavilion in College Station.
4-H and FFA members interested in livestock judging are invited to attend and learn from members of the award-winning Texas A&M Livestock Judging Team.
"This camp will provide three days of intense livestock judging and will teach those just starting out the fundamentals or allow intermediate-level judges to polish their skills," said Jake Franke, coordinator of the Texas A&M Livestock Judging Team. "The success of our camps is illustrated by the extremely high number of repeat campers. We are very thankful so many parents and agriculture leaders put faith in our program to assist in youth education and development."
Topics to be addressed include the fundamental livestock evaluation skills pertaining to cattle, sheep, goats and hogs; proper note-taking and public speaking techniques; and one-on-one critiques tailored to fit each camper's experience level. The weekend will conclude with a mock judging contest.
For registration and more information, go to http://bit.ly/MIAIjS.
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