News Update
October 22, 2013
130 Years Strong, Angus
Reports Progress in FY2013
The American Angus Association reports another solid year for those who raise and benefit from Angus cattle. During the organization’s 130-year history, demand for high-quality beef has never been stronger, and genetic selection technology is more comprehensive than ever before.
Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) announced a seventh consecutive record sales year with one of the largest gains since the program began in 1978, and Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI) reports more cattlemen are rapidly adopting high-density genomic trait tests.
Most importantly, optimism is rising as cattlemen begin rebuilding their herds.
“The cattle business has faced some challenging times during recent years, but the industry is poised for growth and our producers are equipped to rebuild the nation’s herd with leading Angus genetics,” says Bryce Schumann, Association CEO. “Our members’ dedication to quality genetics and their ability to build the most reliable database in the cattle business has kept the Angus breed strong.”
The Association’s fiscal year (FY) 2013 ended Sept. 30, with members registering nearly 289,000 animals. Individual states that topped the list for Angus registrations were Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Texas and Oklahoma, respectively.
Year-end data also show that Angus breeders grossed more than $265 million in reported sales from Oct. 1, 2012, to Sept. 30, 2013. Angus bull sales averaged $4,398 per head, while Angus female sales averaged $3,589 per head in reported sales; a rise of about 6%.
The increased use of technology also pertains to the Association’s efforts to promote the business breed.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Ohio State University Fact Sheet
Offers Guidance on Soil Sampling
Agronomists from Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences have created a fact sheet designed to provide growers guidance on soil sampling to develop nutrient recommendations.
The fact sheet helps outline the steps needed to better ensure a quality soil sample is achieved, which is key for growers to accurately manage fertility input costs and promote environmental stewardship, said Greg LaBarge, an Ohio State University (OSU) Extension field specialist and one of the leaders of Ohio State’s Agronomic Crops Team. The team also includes scientists from the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC).
“The major goal of soil testing is to measure the soil’s ability to provide what levels of the vital nutrients phosphorous and potassium are needed for crop production,” LaBarge said. “Growers use fertilizer applications to make up the difference for what nutrients aren’t already present in the soil for what is needed for crop production.”
One way to measure that is through soil testing, where a small volume of soil is used to determine recommendations for a larger field area, he said.
Taking a quality soil sampling that best represents the field area being sampled is key to having a repeatable result, LaBarge said. “It gives us confidence that our sample best represents what is in the field so that growers aren’t left short on nutrients,” LaBarge said. “Accurate soil sampling allows growers to get a good numeric value for what level of phosphorous and potassium is in a field to ensure that they aren’t over-applying nutrients and minimizing losses of nutrient at the edge of field affecting water quality, while at the same time not under-applying, resulting in less-than-maximum crop yields.
For more information, please view the fact sheet here.
USDA Celebrates National Farm to School Month
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack highlighted Oct. 22 the important strides made in offering healthy, local food to millions of school children through USDA’s Farm to School program, and emphasized the program’s role in creating economic opportunity for America’s farmers and ranchers. According to USDA’s first-ever Farm to School Census, in school year 2011-2012, schools participating in farm-to-school activities purchased and served more than $350 million in local food, with more than half of participating schools planning to purchase even more local foods in future school years.
“An investment in the health of America’s students through farm-to-school activities is also an investment in the health of local economies,” said Vilsack. “We know that when students have experiences such as tending a school garden or visiting a farm, they’ll be more likely to make healthy choices in the cafeteria. We also know that when schools invest their food dollars in their local communities, all of agriculture benefits, including local farmers, ranchers, fishermen, food processors and manufacturers.”
Forty-three percent of public school districts across the country reported having an existing farm-to-school program in place, with another 13% of school districts surveyed committed to launching a farm-to-school program in the near future.
Interest in local products spans the school meal tray, with fruits, vegetables and milk topping the list of local products currently offered in schools across the country, while census respondents indicate an interest in local plant-based proteins, grains and flour, and meat and poultry in the future.
Vilsack added that through these efforts, schools continue to enhance the health of the school food environment, meet the new meal standards implemented last school year and demonstrate the role local food can play in school meals.
For more information, please view the full release here.
First of Three Free Webinars on
CFI 2013 Consumer Trust Research
Free webinars from The Center for Food Integrity (CFI) on its latest consumer trust research reveal what drives consumer trust in food, what consumers expect when it comes to transparency, what causes consumer outrage, and trending attitudes regarding animal agriculture.
In the first webinar, “Breaking Through Consumer Skepticism,” scheduled for Fri., Nov. 1 from 1-2 p.m. CDT, CEO of CFI Charlie Arnot will detail CFI’s groundbreaking Seven Steps to Trust — Building Transparency model and how to build trust in an era of growing consumer skepticism of “big food.”
“Through this research, opinion-leading consumers and those most concerned about food issues have provided clear direction on exactly what we can do to overcome their bias and skepticism and earn their trust,” said Arnot.
Additionally, learn what triggers the social outrage that can drive societal change and undermine trust.
The second webinar, “Millennials and Food Information — What They Want and Where They Get It,” scheduled for Fri., Nov. 8 from 1-2 p.m. CST, digs into the hard-wired habits of one of the food industry’s most important audiences and how to best connect. The Millennial Generation includes the 20- to 30-somethings who are driving conversations about food in person and online.
The third webinar, “Consumers on Animal Ag — The Trends and Tipping Points,” scheduled for Fri., Nov. 15 from 1-2 p.m. CST, focuses on consumers’ concerns about animal agriculture and what causes outrage. Learn where they stand on antibiotic use and other important issues.
To register, log on to www.foodintegrity.org and click on the CFI Consumer Trust Research Webinars icon. The webinars are available at no charge, and all participants will receive an executive summary of the research results.
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