News Update
October 3, 2012
Mark Your Calendars for the 2013 BIF Symposium
Next year marks a hallmark event in Oklahoma. Oklahoma State University (OSU), in collaboration with the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF), will host the 45th Annual BIF Research Symposium and Meeting June 12-15, 2013. The last time the BIF convention was hosted in Oklahoma was March, 1981, when the meeting was in Stillwater.
BIF is an organization dedicated to coordinating all segments of the beef industry in an effort to improve efficiency, profitability and sustainability of beef production. BIF was initiated almost 70 years ago to encourage the use of objective measurements to evaluate beef cattle. BIF is now the clearinghouse for developing standardized programs and methodology for recording of performance data for all traits from birth weights to carcass traits. Its three-leaf clover logo symbolizes the link between industry, extension and research.
The 2013 BIF convention will be in Oklahoma City from June 12-15, 2013, at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center. It will be a forum bringing together industry professionals, producers, and researchers to discuss current issues facing the beef industry. The schedule boasts an interesting array of speakers, socials and tours. Special events include a night out at the National Western Heritage Museum and Cowboy Hall of Fame, featuring live music and museum tours for the guests.
More information on the convention will be posted at a later date on the BIF website (click here) and through the new genetics and genomics extension portal on the OSU extension website (click here). We will send another announcement when registration is open and keep you updated on any new developments. We hope to see you there.
SD Stockgrowers Host Successful Convention
The South Dakota Stockgrowers 121st Annual Convention and Trade Show wrapped up after three days of speakers and meetings to update members on policies, election of officers for the Association and adoption of several new policies.
"This year's convention was very successful, and we were glad to see so many members and friends join us," said Shane Kolb, president of the Stockgrowers Association from Meadow, S.D. "We had some very interesting speakers and had some very good discussions with our members about our policies and work as we look to the future of our industry."
Bill Bullard, CEO of R-CALF USA, started off the convention Friday morning, Sept., 29, with a very informative presentation about a variety of issues impacting Stockgrowers policy on the national level. Among other things, he updated Stockgrowers members on recent developments with country-of-origin labeling (COOL), Beef Checkoff reform, animal identification and the farm bill process.
South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture Walt Bones gave the keynote address during the Awards Banquet and presented information regarding the Department of Agriculture's efforts to promote livestock production, specifically feeding capacity, in South Dakota. Bones also shared the results of the Key Leaders Roundtable planning session hosted in June to help guide the Department's priorities on items like water management, youth in agriculture, infrastructure development, zoning, research at SDSU and increasing livestock production.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Veterinary Students Invited to Apply for Pfizer Animal Health Scholarships
For the fourth consecutive year, Pfizer Animal Health and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) invite second- and third-year students of veterinary medicine to apply for the Pfizer Animal Health Scholarship. In an effort to help alleviate some of the burden of student debt, a minimum of 330 scholarships of $2,000 each will be awarded to assist students across various disciplines in veterinary medicine.
To apply for the Pfizer Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship Program, students can visit www.vetstudentconnect.com or www.avmf.org/pfizer from Oct. 1 to Dec. 2, 2012.
For the full release, click here.
America's Farm Co-ops Set Records in 2011
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said that farmer, rancher and fishery cooperatives posted record sales and income in 2011, surpassing the previous record sales year of 2008 by $10 billion while besting the old income record by $500 million. Dallas Tonsager, undersecretary for Rural Development, made the announcement on the Secretary's behalf, kicking-off National Cooperative Month. Tonsager said co-op employment levels remained strong, with cooperatives employing 184,000 full-time, part-time and seasonal workers, up slightly from 2010.
"Primarily because of mergers, the number of farm co-ops continued to decline, but memberships and asset values are up," said Tonsager. Net income before taxes for all agricultural co-ops was a record $5.4 billion, eclipsing the previous high of $4.9 billion, set in 2008. Net income was up more than 25%, or $1 billion, from 2010.
The year also saw double-digit increases in prices for dairy products, cotton, livestock and grains and oilseeds. Farm production expenses also increased by double digits in 2011, with feed, fertilizer and fuel prices leading the upward trend. The 2,285 surveyed cooperatives had sales of $213 billion, exceeding 2010 sales by more than $40 billion.
For the full release, click here.
AgriLife Extension's Fisher County Ag Day set Oct. 16
A varied slate of topics is on tap for participants at this year's Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Fisher County Ag Day, set for Oct. 16.
The program will start at 8 a.m. in the Roby First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall in Roby and then divide into simultaneous cotton and range tours before reconvening back at the church for lunch, said Josh Beaty, AgriLife Extension agent in Fisher County.
Program topics will include a wildfire recovery update, restocking the beef herd, wheat and cotton outlooks, an orchard and vineyard alternative crops session, agency updates, and sessions on oil well fracturing and injection wells.
The preregistration fee is $5 and RSVPs should be made by Oct. 12 by calling 325-776-3259 or 325-721-8936. Thereafter and at the door, the fee will be $10.
FSIS is Going to Analyze Expanding Non-O157 Testing
in Fiscal 2013
USDA'S Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is looking to expand the list of raw beef products it will test for six non-O157 strains of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in fiscal 2013 and may also propose merging its E. coli and Salmonella testing programs to enable testing the same sample for multiple pathogens, according to FSIS officials.
"We are expecting to expand [testing] beyond trim sometime in 2013," Emilio Esteban, FSIS executive associate for laboratory services told attendees at the Prevention of Shiga-Toxin Producing E. coli Conference hosted by the North American Meat Association (NAMA).
When FSIS started testing beef trim for non-O157 E. coli in June, the agency indicated it planned to eventually expand testing beyond trim. Expanded testing could include, for example, other ground beef components, such as cheek meat and other raw materials used to make ground beef.
Acting Assistant FSIS Administrator Office of Policy and Program Development Rachel Edelstein, however, stopped short of speculating on what FSIS might test next, saying the agency must first perform a cost-benefit analysis of expanded testing that must be approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). She said that analysis would be completed in fiscal 2013. Any proposed testing expansion would be published to allow industry comment before final decisions are made.
For more information and the full release, click here.
What Issues Are on the Horizon for Livestock Producers?
The 2012 harvest, high feed costs and lowering market prices are on the mind of every livestock producer. These issues will directly affect how producers manage their businesses and make financial decisions in the near future. With concerns like these it is hard to look beyond the immediate challenges ahead and consider other issues that may have a long-term effect on livestock farming. Worldwide on-farm animal care practices that cause short-term pain continue to receive a significant amount of public attention.
As we move into an era where consumers are increasingly concerned about how their food is raised producers have no choice but to be actively learning about how the ongoing discussion may or may not affect their work in the future. Everyday production practices such as castration, tail docking and de-horning are being examined and reviewed for their efficiency, necessity and impact the practice has on the on the animal and its well-being. There is increasing public concern about the pain a food production animal may experience. New or adjusted production practices that improve animal care and decrease pain may be in the future.
Animal care and well-being is not a new concept for producers. In 1989 the National Pork Board developed Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) Plus, an education and assessment program geared toward good production practices. PQA Plus contains an animal care and well-being component that was added to the program in 2007 to help guide producers in the care of their animals and to assure consumers that proper care is given. However, pain management regarding common production practices is a new concept for livestock producers. These production practices in question warrant an in-depth evaluation of the pain that is incurred by the animal during these experiences prior to any changes in management or mandates.
In Europe, the French National Institute for Agricultural Research has already begun tackling this issue by appointing a committee to look into the issues surrounding pain management on livestock farms. This committee has suggested the 3S approach to animal care. Minimizing pain for food production animals looks to be a common concept for the European nations in the near future.
For the full release, click here.
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