News Update
May 8, 2014
Countdown to Quality Certifies Thousands of Producers
An astounding 7,732 producers from across the country recently received their Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certification during the open certification period thanks to a free offer from Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. (BIVI). That is double the number from 2013, which makes more than 11,000 producers who have made a commitment to quality during the past two years through the free certification partnership.
The checkoff-funded BQA program is important to the cattle industry as it gives producers a set of best practices for producing a safe and high-quality beef product. It also gives consumers the assurance that the beef they eat is both safe and wholesome.
“BQA provides a solid foundation for animal welfare and disease prevention,” says John Maas, extension veterinarian at the University of California–Davis, and 2013 BQA Educator of the Year. “Once we adopt the BQA attitude of cattle health, care and welfare, things just keep getting better naturally.”
Although the free certification period has passed, it’s never too late to proclaim your commitment to quality and become BQA-certified.
To learn more about your beef checkoff program, visit www.mybeefcheckoff.com.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Newly Released FSIS Inspection Report Shows
Significant Flaws in Brazil’s Food Safety Inspection
Following the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) proposed rule to allow the importation of fresh and frozen beef from 14 states in Brazil and the closing of the comment period on April 22, 2014, NCBA has reviewed the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) final audit report on an on-site audit conducted on Brazil’s meat inspection system. The on-site audit was conducted from Feb. 19 through March 14, 2013, and the report is dated April 16, 2014.
“NCBA is extremely disappointed this final audit report was not released in time for a full review prior to the comment deadline on the proposed rule,” said Bob McCan, NCBA president and Victoria, Texas cattleman. “In early March, NCBA formally requested through a Freedom of Information Act request, all pertinent documents, including a final 2013 FSIS audit report for Brazil. This report was available prior to the comment deadline, but the failure by FSIS to provide it shows a complete lack of preparation of the documents the U.S. cattle industry would need in order to make informed and meaningful comments.”
The FSIS audit was designed to determine the equivalence of Brazil’s meat inspection system. All nations that import product into the U.S. must meet or exceed FSIS’ domestic requirements prior to being approved for importation of fresh or processed meats.
The audit found that Brazil’s meat inspection program did not provide a standard guideline for its inspection personnel concerning the definition of SRMs in cattle in accordance with FSIS’ requirements, resulting in inconsistent implementation of the SRM requirements. Brazil’s inspection system did not fully enforce Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems plans and records in five audited establishments, and that Brazil’s inspection personnel did not fully enforce sanitation requirements to prevent cross-contamination of bovine carcasses in one establishment. For those and other reasons, the report stated that “until Brazil has satisfactorily addressed these issues, FSIS will not certify any new establishments as eligible to export to the United States.”
“Cattlemen and women support free and open trade, based on sound science,” said McCan. “But that science relies on the ability of actors to uphold certain standards. We are more convinced than ever, after reading this report, that Brazil is not capable of holding its industry to the same standards we hold ourselves to. If Brazil cannot manage their food safety equivalency standards, how can we trust that they have the safeguards to protect animal health? Therefore, we continue to urge APHIS to withdraw this proposed rule.”
Webinar to Guide Producers through Expansion
The CattleFax Trends + Webinar series has attracted nearly 1,200 cow-calf producers, stockers and backgrounders during its first two broadcasts. The third webinar is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. MT, Wednesday, June 11, and registration is now open.
The upcoming webinar will provide producers and industry leaders with a discussion on market factors affecting the cow-calf, stocker and backgrounding segments of the cattle industry in summer 2014. Elanco Animal Health is sponsoring the webinar — making it free for all cattle and beef producers to attend.
The CattleFax team will share its analysis and perspective on how these factors will influence cattle producers in the upcoming year:
Attendees will gain a better understanding of how to navigate through the next six to 12 months of market activity, and gain CattleFax’s insight on the market trends that will have the biggest influence on cow-calf, stocker and backgrounding profitability in the next few years.
The Trends + webinar is designed to inform cattle producers about current market realities and provide producers with the information to assist in making intelligent marketing decisions. To participate in the seminar and access program details, producers and industry leaders simply need to register online at www.cattlefax.com/meetings.aspx.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Cow College Registration Open
This summer, beef producers will get an opportunity to learn from University of Kentucky (UK) College of Agriculture, Food and Environment specialists and industry partners in a series of interactive sessions.
Cow College is an intensive, hands-on course for experienced beef producers. It’s designed to expose them to the most cutting-edge techniques and ideas related to beef cattle production and business. The program is divided into four, two-day sessions and one single-day session in July, August and September.
“Our approach is always driven by the end product with an emphasis on quality and efficiency in every aspect of production and business of beef cattle,” said Land Dale, UK beef extension associate. “This takes our UK Master Cattleman program to the next level.”
Sessions will focus on economics and management July 9-10; forages and nutrition July 22-23; herd health on Aug. 8; reproduction and genetics Aug. 28-29 and the end product Sept. 11-12.
All sessions will take place on the UK campus in Lexington, and enrollment is limited to 30 participants to maximize the amount of hands-on exposure and time for one-on-one interaction with specialists. Participants must be graduates of the UK Master Cattleman program.
The total cost for all five sessions is $125 or $50 for individual sessions. Registration is due by June 1, and spots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Register Now for ASA Succession
Planning Workshops for Farmers
Are you concerned about protecting your family farm’s legacy? Planning for your farm’s future, or succession planning, is more than just creating a will. If you want to transfer your farm to the next generation, they’ll need the right leadership and business management skills to ensure financial security. Now you can learn more about how to successfully transition your farm and protect your legacy at the ASA Succession Planning Workshops.
Registration for the workshops opened May 1. The American Soybean Association (ASA), in partnership with eLegacyConnect, will hold a series of six regional succession-planning workshops to help farmers in this process. The Succession Planning Workshops, titled “Five Keys to Effective Succession Planning” are sponsored by Farm Credit, AGCO, the Illinois Soybean Association, the Kentucky Soybean Association, the Michigan Soybean Association and the Ohio Soybean Association.
Each workshop begins at 9 a.m. and concludes by 3 p.m. Lunch is provided.
Register online by clicking here and selecting the location you want to attend. There is a minimal registration fee for each attendee. ASA members are $50 for first registrant and $30 for each additional family member/guest. Non-ASA members are $90 for first attendee and $70 for each additional family member/guest.
“ASA is dedicated to enhancing and protecting the livelihoods of soybean producers. Today’s tax laws and regulatory landscape are making it harder to keep the farm in the family,” said Bob Worth, ASA membership and corporate relations chairman. “Succession planning is a watershed issue facing all soybean producers and these workshops will provide soybean producers with the basics in getting a succession plan started.”
For more information, please view the full release here.
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