News Update
June 25, 2013
Nominate Angus Delegates Now
Only a few weeks remain to nominate delegates to represent each state or district at the 2013 American Angus Association Convention of Delegates set for Nov. 18, in Louisville, Ky.
Signed nominations must be received in the Association office no later than June 30 to be included on the final ballot.
Each active Association membership should have received a nomination form in the mail and may nominate one member from his or her state or district. All eligible nominations will be included on a ballot that will be mailed to active, life and regular members in July for the final selection of delegates.
If your membership has expired or will expire in June, renew now. Only current members can be placed on the ballot. Details of the entire election process can be found in the Association’s Breeder’s Reference Guide, which is available online at www.angus.org.
It’s important to nominate a person who is willing to attend the Annual Meeting and who is informed about the Angus business. Elected delegates will conduct Association business at the 130th Annual Convention of Delegates Nov. 18 during the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Ky. If a delegate cannot attend, an alternate delegate can then attend and vote.
Members can mail their ballots to Association headquarters at 3201 Frederick Avenue, Saint Joseph, MO 64506. Visit www.angus.org for more information, or contact Diane Strahm, Association administrative assistant, at 816-383-5100 or dstrahm@angus.org.
Temperatures, Humidity a Worrisome Combination
for Heat Stress in Cattle
Cattle producers would do well to remember a certain well-proven cliché: “If it’s too hot for you, then it’s too hot for your livestock.”
Dave Sparks, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension veterinarian and food animal quality and health specialist, said while proficient livestock operators are aware heat stress can be a problem in livestock as summer temperatures increase, they all may not be aware that other factors can enter the equation besides the thermometer reading.
“These same factors can be dangerous to people who handle livestock as well, but they can do things to compensate for the danger,” he said. “When our bodies cannot dissipate heat adequately to maintain a normal body temperature we retreat to the air conditioner, drink more water or get in the shade. Options available to livestock may be more limited.”
One factor that can significantly affect the incidence of heat stress is humidity. Temperature levels that may not pose a threat at lower humidity levels can become dangerous as humidity increases.
For example, consider a 90° Fahrenheit day. At just 15% humidity, the potential adverse effects on livestock bear watching; livestock drift into the “danger” level at 35% humidity, and are considered to be in an “emergency” situation at 65% humidity.
Worse, summertime temperatures in the Southern Plains states will exceed 90° most days. At 100° F, just 10% humidity is enough to push livestock into the “danger” zone, with 30% humidity being considered an “emergency” situation.
“Cattle producers can’t do much to change the humidity, but they can mitigate other problems that may have an additive effect,” Sparks said.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Texas A&M Scientists Develop New Medium for the
Cultivation of Beneficial Bacteria
Texas A&M University System scientists from the departments of nutrition and food science and poultry science have developed a new medium for the cultivation of beneficial microorganisms called lactobacilli.
A better understanding of lactobacilli metabolism can help improve feed efficiency in animals and combat malnutrition in humans, according to the researchers.
“Lactobacilli are normal residents of the human gastrointestinal and urogenital tracts, where they promote host health and can be taken as probiotics,” said Joseph Sturino, a Texas A&M AgriLife Research assistant professor in the department of nutrition and food science, Texas A&M’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and lead investigator for the study.
Other lactobacilli are used to manufacture fermented food products and to drive the bioconversion of waste streams into value-added products, such as biofuels and prebiotics.
“Unfortunately, the nutrient compositions of media that are traditionally used to cultivate lactobacilli are largely undefined,” said Rani Menon, an AgriLife Research postdoctoral research associate who conducted this research.
This lack of definition complicates their use when trying to identify nutrients to stimulate the growth and metabolic activity of these important microorganisms.
To address this need, Sturino and Menon, along with undergraduate researcher Meredith Shields and assistant professor of poultry science Tri Duong, set out to develop a better-defined medium for use in metabolic screens.
According to Menon, the new medium not only supported biomass accumulation comparable to the current medium, it also exhibited greater semi-selectivity against non-lactobacilli. “Together, these results suggest that the new medium is an acceptable alternative for use in many metabolic bioassays,” she said.
For more information, please view the full release here.
NFU Hails President’s Proactive Approach to Combating the Impact of Climate Change
National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson applauded President Barack Obama’s remarks at Georgetown University June 25 outlining the administration’s comprehensive plan to addresses climate change.
President Obama detailed plans for an all-of-the-above approach to develop homegrown renewable energy and implement responsible steps to cut carbon pollution to leave a cleaner, more stable environment for future generations.
“NFU commends President Obama in taking a proactive approach in addressing ways to combat the effects of climate change,” said Johnson. “Mitigating and adapting to climate change has long been a significant concern to NFU’s membership and will be a defining trend that shapes the world.”
Objectives for the president’s comprehensive plan includes preventing the worst effects of climate change by reducing our carbon pollution, ramping up renewable energy production, preparing the United States for the impacts of unavoidable climate change, and leading the rest of the world around combating changing climate.
“Farmers are going to be one of the first groups to suffer as extreme weather phenomena multiply with dire results for our capacity to feed our population,” Johnson added. “We cannot afford to waste more time. America needs to act now to ensure a sustainable future for agriculture both here and around the world.”
NFU adopted policy that favors a market-based approach to addressing climate change that includes a mandatory cap on non-farm sources of carbon pollution and provides positive incentives for agriculture to participate in a solution to climate change.
“The agriculture sector holds tremendous potential to sequester carbon,” Johnson noted. “Given the proper incentives, America’s farmers and ranchers can play a significant role in mitigating the effects of climate change.”
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