News Update
December 21, 2012
American Angus Association Offices Closed Mon. and Tues., Dec. 24-25
The American Angus Association, Angus Foundation and Angus Productions Inc. offices in Saint Joseph, Mo., will be closed to observe the Christmas holiday Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 24-25, 2012. We will reopen Wednesday, Dec. 26. We wish you a Merry Christmas, from our Angus family to yours!
USDA Issues Final Rule for Animal Disease Traceability
The USDA today, Dec. 21, announced a final rule establishing general regulations for improving the traceability of U.S. livestock moving interstate.
“With the final rule announced today, the United States now has a flexible, effective animal disease traceability system for livestock moving interstate, without undue burdens for ranchers and U.S. livestock businesses,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The final rule meets the diverse needs of the countryside where states and tribes can develop systems for tracking animals that work best for them and their producers, while addressing any gaps in our overall disease response efforts. Over the past several years, USDA has listened carefully to America’s farmers and ranchers, working collaboratively to establish a system of tools and safeguards that will help us target when and where animal diseases occur, and help us respond quickly.”
Under the final rule, unless specifically exempted, livestock moved interstate would have to be officially identified and accompanied by an interstate certificate of veterinary inspection or other documentation, such as owner-shipper statements or brand certificates.
After considering the public comments received, the final rule has several differences from the proposed rule issued in August 2011. These include:
- Accepting the use of brands, tattoos and brand registration as official identification when accepted by the shipping and receiving states or tribes.
- Permanently maintaining the use of backtags as an alternative to official eartags for cattle and bison moved directly to slaughter.
- Accepting movement documentation other than an Interstate Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (ICVI) for all ages and classes of cattle when accepted by the shipping and receiving states or tribes.
- Clarifying that all livestock moved interstate to a custom slaughter facility are exempt from the regulations.
- Exempting chicks moved interstate from a hatchery from the official identification requirements.
For more information and the full release, click here.
NCBA Statement on Animal Disease Traceability Rule
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Chief Veterinarian Kathy Simmons issued the following statement regarding the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) final animal disease traceability (ADT) rule which was announced by Secretary Vilsack.
“NCBA has been an industry leader in working diligently with USDA APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) to ensure cattlemen’s concerns are addressed in this new animal disease traceability program. We are encouraged by today’s comments from Secretary Vilsack, and we are in the process of thoroughly reviewing the rule and sharing this information with our members.
“From the Secretary’s comments, NCBA is encouraged that many of the priorities of cattlemen and women have been considered in this final rule. Cattlemen and women are looking for a rule that does not come with additional costs and does not hinder the speed of commerce. Brands will be recognized when accompanied by an official brand inspection certificate as means of official identification for cattle. The rule will also allow flexibility in tagging procedures and paperwork. Most important to cattle producers is the Secretary’s announcement of separate rulemaking for beef cattle under 18 months of age.
“Raising healthy cattle is a top priority for cattlemen. NCBA remains supportive of an animal disease traceability program for cattle health purposes. We commend APHIS for its efforts to listen to concerns of America’s cattlemen in developing this traceability program. NCBA encourages the agency to continue working with industry leaders on this and all animal health issues.”
A Checkoff Year in Review
As calendar year 2012 comes to a close and we reflect back on the year, it’s hard to select only a few program highlights to share because there were so many. Here are the top five.
- 1. BOLD research: Registered Dietitians and other health professionals received factual, scientifically supported beef nutrition information following the publication of the remarkable checkoff-funded Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet (BOLD) research study published in January in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. News of the study reached thousands of health professionals through an educational webinar about beef’s role in a heart-healthy diet.
- 2. Greystone Culinary Event: The checkoff hosted an exclusive culinary education seminar at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, Calif. More than 30 leading research and development chefs from nationally recognized companies attended the “beef-immersion” course and received a 360-degree education that included culinary innovation, butchering techniques and hands-on training with alternative beef cuts.
- 3. American Heart Association (AHA) Certified Beef Cuts: Food City worked with the beef checkoff to introduce four AHA certified extra-lean beef cuts that meet its criteria for saturated fat and cholesterol. The four beef cuts are the top sirloin (select grade); boneless petite roast, filet, kabob, and stir-fry.
- 4. U.S. Beef Exports: Central and South America have emerged as top growth markets for U.S. beef with even greater potential for the future. Working against a global market where beef imports are generally down, the Central/South American region is up sharply through the first nine months of 2012, purchasing 57.7 million pounds (lb.) of U.S. beef valued at $99.2 million, increases of 36% in volume and 73% in value compared to last year.
- 5. 2011 National Beef Quality Audit: The National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) is a comprehensive survey that evaluates beef industry efforts to continuously improve beef quality. Extensive enhancements were made to the 2011 NBQA design to provide the industry with direction on factors beyond the physical characteristics of beef, such as food safety, sustainability, animal well-being, and the consequences/impacts of beef production practices.
As we ring in the new year we also face challenges as an industry and as a checkoff program. At their 2013 Outlook & Strategies Seminar, CattleFax stated that they expect the U.S. cattle inventory to be 89.8 million head on Jan. 1, 2013, down more than 1 million head (1.1%) from a year ago.
For more information and the full release, click here.
BIG Conference to Feature Cattle Herd Rebuilding Strategies, Farm Legislation Update
Tips on rebuilding Texas cattle herds and an update on livestock traceability will be featured topics at the 51st Blackland Income Growth Conference scheduled Feb. 4-6 at the Extraco Events Center in Waco, Texas.
The center is located at 4601 Bosque Blvd.
“We think we have something for everyone, and producers will take home plenty of strategies they can incorporate into their operations,” said Ron Woolley, conference coordinator and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service regional program director at Stephenville.
The annual conference is sponsored by AgriLife Extension and the Waco Chamber of Commerce.
The Dinner Tonight cooking school is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. Feb. 4, featuring recipe demonstrations that promote Texas agriculture. Cost is $15 with preregistration and $20 onsite. To register, visit https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu.
Registration for the main Blackland Income Growth Conference Feb. 5 is $20 per person and includes lunch. Several sessions will award continuing education units. Producers are encouraged to download the brochure at http://stephenville.tamu.edu/blackland-income-growth/conference-information/ to see specific continuing education credit allocations, sessions and speakers.
The keynote luncheon speaker Feb. 5 will be James Kroll, also known as “Dr. Deer,” who is the Henry M. Rockwell Chair in forest wildlife and director of the Institute for White-tailed Deer Management and Research at Stephen F. Austin State University.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Cattle Feeding and Marketing in Drought Conditions Program Planned Jan. 15 in Auburn, Kan.
The K-State Research and Extension Shawnee County office is teaming up with Landmark National Bank to host a workshop, “Cattle Feeding and Marketing in Drought Conditions” Jan. 15, 2013, from 6 to 8 p.m. The workshop, to be at the Auburn Civic Center, 1020 North Washington in Auburn, Kan., will begin with a light meal.
Presentations are designed to provide area cattle producers with the most recent information to help with the challenges posed by severe drought conditions in Kansas.
Speakers and presentation topics will include Glynn Tonsor, K-State extension agricultural economist discussing cow-calf and feeder risk management, contracting and marketing, Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) insurance and the cattle market outlook; and Jaymelynn Farney, K-State southeast area livestock specialist who will focus on drought and feed shortages, balancing available feed, nitrates and aflatoxin, water problems, and care of cattle with current conditions.
The evening will end with a question-and-answer session.
The evening is free and open to the public, but organizers request preregistration by Jan. 10 in order to ensure enough food and printed materials. For more information or to preregister, contact Leroy Russell with Shawnee County Extension at 785-232-0062 or lrussell@ksu.edu or Debra Tucker with Landmark National Bank at 785-256-7202 or DTucker@banklandmark.com.
More information about this and other events is available on the Shawnee County Extension website.
New App Helps You Name that Weed
University of Missouri (MU) Extension has released a free app for iPhones, iPads and Android devices to help people easily identify weeds in the field, lawn or garden.
Kevin Bradley, MU Extension weed scientist, unveiled the app at the MU Crop Management Conference Dec. 19 in Columbia.
The app, called ID Weeds, has information on more than 400 plant species that could be encountered as weeds in crop fields, pastures, lawns, gardens or aquatic areas in Missouri and surrounding states, Bradley said.
ID Weeds lets users narrow the list of suspects with a series of drop-down boxes for various plant characteristics. Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with technical terms such as “ligules” or “spatulate.” For most characteristics, users can click on “what’s this?” to see an illustration.
Clicking on “Identify” will produce a list of weeds that match the characteristics you’ve chosen. The more characteristics you specify, the shorter the list will be. Selecting a weed on the list brings up detailed information and one or more photographs.
You can also look up a weed by searching for its common or scientific name, or select from an alphabetical list, from “Alligatorweed” to “Yucca.”
“Proper identification of weeds is important so that you choose an appropriate and cost-effective method of control,” said Bradley, who is also an associate professor of plant sciences in the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.
For more information and the full release, click here.
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