News Update
October 16, 2012
Colorado State University Animal Sciences Professor
Named Top 10 Industry Leader
A leading beef trade publication on Thursday named a faculty member in the Colorado State University Department of Animal Sciences among the region's Top 10 Industry Leaders.
Jason Ahola, an associate professor of beef production systems, was the only Colorado professional recognized as a 2011 Top 10 Industry Leader by The Cattle Business Weekly, a leading agricultural newspaper based in Philip, S.D. The publication annually recognizes cattle professionals for their leadership.
Cattle Business Weekly cited Ahola's work as faculty adviser to the CSU Seedstock Merchandising Team, which gives rising beef-industry professionals hands-on experience in the cattle business. Each year, the team, comprising about 10 select Animal Sciences students, prepares about 50 bulls and young cows from the CSU teaching herd for a spring sale.
Under Ahola's guidance, the students work almost the entire academic year to ready purebred Hereford, purebred Angus and Hereford-Angus crossbred cattle for the sale, which is attended by about 500 buyers.
Ahola also is one of 21 principal investigators, and one of five at CSU, to conduct the National Beef Quality Audit, which provides critical data to measure the quality and safety of U.S. beef throughout the supply chain and across the nation.
2013 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show Registration Under Way
Registration for the 2013 Cattle Industry Annual Convention and National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) Trade Show is under way. The 115th Annual Convention will be in Tampa, Fla., Feb. 6-9, 2013, and advanced registration is open until Jan. 11, 2013.
For more information about the convention and full release, click here.
Breakfast On the Farm Organizers Looking for
2013 Host Farms
After the inaugural Michigan Breakfast on the Farm event was held in 2009 at Dutch Meadows Dairy in St. Johns, interest in replicating this event led to four events in 2010, eight in 2011 and eight in 2012. More than 18,200 people attended the eight events in 2012, and more than 40,800 people have attended Michigan State University (MSU) Extension Breakfast on the Farm programs since they began.
Breakfast on the Farm (BOTF) gives consumers and farm neighbors a firsthand look at modern food production and the farm families who work hard to produce a safe, wholesome food supply for Michigan communities and the world. BOTF is an MSU Extension program that is guided by a statewide advisory council. Events are made possible through local partners, generous statewide and local sponsors, and many local volunteers.
Breakfast on the Farm showcases a selection of Michigan's outstanding farms and introduces the nonfarm public to the life and business of modern agriculture through a fun and educational event that emphasizes the importance of environmental stewardship, food safety and good animal care practices. Surveys from past events show that approximately 46% of attendees had not visited a modern farm in 20 years or more. This educational program has helped to provide information and experiences for thousands of participants, who have changed their attitudes about modern food production as a result of attending a BOTF.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Feral Hog Disease Webinar Slated Nov. 20 in San Antonio
A Feral Hog Community of Practice webinar on disease issues will take place from 11:15 a.m.- 2 p.m. Nov. 20 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office in Suite 208 of Conroy Square, 3355 Cherry Ridge Drive, San Antonio.
"Despite all the control efforts, feral hog numbers in the state continue to rise at an alarming rate," said Bryan Davis, AgriLife Extension agent, Bexar County. "Many diseases such as swine brucellosis, pseudo-rabies, tuberculosis and tularemia are associated with feral hogs. This webinar is designed to provide useful information on how to help prevent the spread of these diseases by feral hogs."
Davis said the Feral Hog Community of Practice is a resource area of various land-grant university and other experts focusing on the control, adaptive management, biology, economics, disease risks and human interface with feral hogs across the U.S.
The webinar begins with registration and a light lunch from 11:15 a.m. to noon, followed by presentation on feral hog disease issues from noon to 1 p.m. and feral hog control techniques from 1-2 p.m.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Shoppers Find Higher Prices for Breakfast Items
Shoppers paid slightly more for food at the grocery store during the third quarter of the year, with many popular breakfast staples showing an increase in retail price. Higher retail prices for eggs, bacon, orange juice, milk and toasted oat cereal, among other foods, resulted in a slight increase in the latest American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Quarterly Marketbasket Survey.
The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare one or more meals was $51.90, up $1 or about 2% compared to the second quarter of 2012. Of the 16 items surveyed, 9 increased and 7 decreased in average price compared to the prior quarter. The cost for the overall basket of foods decreased about 2% compared to one year ago.
Most of the slight quarter-to-quarter increase in the marketbasket of foods can be attributed to higher retail prices for breakfast staples, apples and bagged salad.
"While prices were up from the second quarter, compared to a year ago, the marketbasket price was actually lower, by about 2%," said John Anderson, AFBF's deputy chief economist. "For most of this year, food prices have been relatively stable. This is consistent with the very slow but steady growth in the general economy that has been seen throughout the year, along with fairly stable energy prices."
For more information and the full release, click here.
Apps for Agriculture Workshop Slated Oct. 23 in
Corpus Christi, Oct. 24 in El Campo
Workshops conducted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to train farmers and ranchers to use their iPhones and iPads to help increase profits are scheduled in Corpus Christi and near Houston.
For more information and the full release, click here.
IFB, FBL Support Iowa Summit Focus on Food Insecurity
This week, the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) and FBL Financial Group (NYSE:FFG) kick off a new joint effort to fight local food insecurity through a week-long, company-wide food drive to bring much-needed support to Iowa food banks. The food drive coincides with the organizations' sponsorship of the World Food Prize Foundation's Iowa Hunger Summit, scheduled for Oct. 16 in Des Moines. This is the second year of the organizations' five-year joint sponsorship of the Iowa Hunger Summit.
The Iowa Hunger Summit is expected to bring together 500 leaders from across the state to explore how building food security helps fight hunger and to showcase efforts that raise awareness of local, national and global issues of poverty, hunger and nutrition.
"Iowa farmers strive to raise a variety of food at a variety of price options, which brings more choices to more Americans," said Craig Hill, IFBF president. "This is important to help increase food security in Iowa and around the world. The key, however, is to embrace innovation and technology in farming practices to enable us to meet growing consumer needs."
For more information and the full release, click here.
R-CALF: Tyson 'FarmCheck' Exemplifies Supply Chain Control
Tyson Foods Inc., the nation's largest corporate meatpacker, recently announced it will impose its new "FarmCheck™"audit program on more than 12,000 independent U.S. livestock and poultry farmers and ranchers. According to Tyson's news release, its "FarmCheck" audit program will enable the mega-corporation to add valuable marketing information to its meat products sold to consumers — Tyson will use its unilateral power to audit operations on private farms and ranches and oversee everything from breeding to harvest.
Tyson ultimately intends to provide consumers with assurance that their food is being produced in accordance with Tyson's standards.
"Where else but in a monopoly-controlled market can a corporation infringe on the private property rights of independent farmers and ranchers to extract valuable marketing information without having to pay a dime?" asked R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard.
Tyson is estimated to control more than one-fourth of the nearly 85% of the nation's steer and heifer slaughter controlled by only four mega-corporations.
"That means in many regional cattle markets where U.S. cattle feeders have only Tyson and one other buyer for their cattle, those cattle feeders will be forced to capitulate to Tyson's command-and-control FarmCheck audit program or face the consequences of having only one remaining buyer and no competition for their cattle," Bullard continued.
For more information and the full release, click here.
ODA Certifies Beef Marketing Referendum Results
The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) certified the results of the 2012 Ohio Beef Marketing Program Referendum. The referendum, seeking to increase the state checkoff on cattle from $1 to $2, did not receive enough favorable votes to pass.
There were 674 votes certified, with 47% of producers representing 51% of the marketed cattle sold by all participants voted in favor of the increase. Another 53% of producers representing 49% of marketed cattle sold by all participants voted against the increase. Producers were able to vote by absentee ballot, at the ODA, the Ohio Cattlemen's Association office, and at Ohio State University Extension offices.
The provisions of the Ohio Beef Marketing Program are defined in section 924 of the Ohio Revised Code. The ODA has the authority through section 924 to oversee state commodity checkoff programs, including making sure funds are being properly spent, overseeing referendums, conducting voting and helping to establish new programs.
For more information and the full release, click here.
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