News Update
May 7, 2013
Japanese ‘Sophisticated
Beef Recipes’ Highlight U.S. Beef
An elegant cookbook devoted entirely to American beef is one of the fruits of a Japanese media team that Beef Checkoff contractor U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) brought to the United States in 2012. The writer for ELLE á table, a high-end international food magazine that introduces upscale restaurants and global cuisine trends, was part of the journalist team visit.
The ELLE á table writer interviewed seven chefs in Japan and the United States, and published their favorite U.S. beef recipes. Among them, the chef from Dean & Deluca Tokyo introduced beef tenderloin in a chilled dish, and the chef from Fette Sau, a popular Brooklyn barbecue restaurant, explained how to barbecue U.S. ribeye. Restaurants from Los Angeles and Portland, Ore., also are featured in the cookbook, Sophisticated Beef Recipes: Using American Beef.
“After visiting ranches and restaurants in the U.S. and seeing the care that goes into production of American beef, the writer decided that U.S. beef deserved its own recipe book and profile with a perspective both from Japan and the States,” says Tazuko Hijikata, USMEF–Japan senior manager for consumer affairs.
“ELLE á table reaches opinion leaders in the food industry,” adds Hijikata. “Some restaurants the author described in the magazine were later profiled on television programs in Japan and have seen their business increase.”
A number of the Japanese chefs featured in the book had been advocates for U.S. beef but had switched to other suppliers after the first American BSE case in 2003. The ELLE á table project helped reacquaint them with the quality and value of U.S. beef and inspired them to begin using U.S. beef in their own restaurants again.
The slick, full-color, 96-page book, which features 74 recipes for dishes centered around U.S. beef, has a circulation of 40,000.
In addition to the free-standing recipe book, the editorial department of ELLE á table inserted a shortened version into an issue of the magazine to help build awareness of the book and to promote the quality and tastiness of American beef.
Among the features in the book is a profile of a family-owned farm in Oregon. Titled “Country Natural Beef,” the article explains how carefully the family produces beef in the great outdoors of the United States. The author introduces the profile with: “Discover the secrets: why American beef is so tasty.”
USMEF–Japan worked with ELLE á table in anticipation of the recent decision by Japan to expand access for U.S. beef to product from cattle up to 30 months of age.
Last year, U.S. beef exports to Japan jumped 18% in value over 2011, reaching $1.03 billion. For more information about your beef checkoff investment, visit MyBeefCheckoff.com.
WRDA Passage Essential for Economic Growth
Passage of the Water Resources Development Act of 2013 (S. 601), is essential to America’s economic growth, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF).
In a joint letter with 20 other agricultural groups, AFBF told members of the Senate that passage of WRDA would authorize new projects for flood protection, port improvements and upgrades to the nation’s aging locks and dams infrastructure. It would also improve U.S. transportation capacity, relieve growing congestion on U.S. highways and foster a more competitive transportation system. The bill was passed unanimously by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in April.
“America’s inland waterways and ports long have provided U.S. farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses with a strong comparative advantage, enhancing our ability to efficiently and competitively serve domestic and global markets, as well as to secure essential crop inputs for production of grains, oilseeds and other agricultural commodities,” the letter stated. “By far the lowest cost and most environmentally sustainable transportation mode, inland waterway transportation costs are two to three times less than other modes, translating into an annual savings of $7 billion.” Ninety-five percent of U.S. agricultural exports and imports are transported through U.S. harbors. These exports and navigation activity support more than 400,000 jobs.
However, unless WRDA is approved, the inland waterway system is at risk of becoming a potential detriment to the nation rather than a comparative strength.
“A staggering 57% of the locks on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois River System were built in the 1930s with a projected 50-year lifespan, and are in desperate need of modernization and expansion,” the letter explained. “Of those, 26% are more than 70 years old. The 2013 infrastructure report card issued by the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the inland waterways a D-grade.”
Farm Bureau urged the addition of two key provisions during Senate floor consideration: that remaining costs for completion of the Olmsted lock and dam on the Ohio River be financed through federal funding; and that the Senate adopt the increase in the barge-diesel-fuel user fee. The increase is supported by both barge carriers and their customers, including agricultural shippers and will provide the financial wherewithal to initiate and complete lock projects authorized by S. 601.
The Senate is considering the legislation today, May 7.
Baling Hay an Economical Alternative
For Freeze-damaged Wheat
Baling or ensiling freeze-damaged wheat to take advantage of drought-induced higher forage prices might be the best option for some producers, said Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts.
Producers would need to determine how much forage they have in the field, said Larry Redmon, AgriLife Extension state forage specialist in College Station, Texas, and compare the economics of harvesting for grain to harvesting for hay.
“When it turns dry, people get desperate, and that hay can be worth quite a bit,” Redmon said. “Back in 2011 during the drought, the last round-bales of hay into Abilene were priced at $180 a bale. If the bales weighed 1,000 pounds, that’s $360 a ton. I would use current market prices to start figuring the crop’s potential as hay.”
Calvin Trostle, AgriLife Extension agronomist in Lubbock, Texas, said there is no substitute for getting out and assessing a field to see how much damage is there and knowing what potential it has.
“Yes, for many fields we know now or will soon know that they may not be worth carrying to grain,” Trostle said. “And how much grain is ‘worth it’ if we have to keep irrigating: 15 or 20 or 25 or 30 bushels per acre?”
A producer will have to determine how much forage tonnage they can expect to get from their damaged wheat crop, and there’s not a simple method to do that, the experts said.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Canola Educational Opportunities
Planned in Kansas during May
Growing winter canola in Kansas is still a relatively new experience for many producers, but the crop is catching on. Kansas State University (K-State) Research and Extension is planning several opportunities this spring for producers to learn more about winter canola production practices and risk management, including tours at producers’ and experiment fields across the state.
“We are committed to helping Kansas farmers know the ins and outs of canola production to help them be successful with the crop,” said K-State Research and Extension canola breeder, Mike Stamm. “Risk management is critical when growing a new crop. Tremendous progress has been made during the past several years and we are excited to share this information with interested growers.”
Attendees will learn about the current growth stage, yield potential, and late season insect and disease pressures. Harvest management options and marketing of grain will also be discussed.
The field tours are part of a cooperative agreement between K-State and the USDA’s Risk Management Agency to promote canola production and educate producers on good farming practices and risk management strategies. The U.S. Canola Association’s Promote Canola Acres Program, which is administered by the Great Plains Canola Association in Kansas and Oklahoma, will serve as co-sponsor.
For more information on 2013 dates, directions, start times and descriptions for the field tours, click here to visit the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events.
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.