News Update
June 11, 2014
NFU Urges DOJ to Block
Tyson’s Buyout of Hillshire
National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement in response to reports that Tyson Foods won a bidding war to acquire Hillshire Brands.
“Tyson Food’s likely purchase of Hillshire benefits corporate owners at the expense of farmers and consumers. Our country is worse off because of the increasingly consolidated food and agriculture marketplace. Farmers and ranchers will have fewer buyers, and Tyson will be better able to dictate lower prices paid to producers. Closures of meatpacking and processing facilities, especially in areas where both Tyson and Hillshire are currently operating, will be all but assured.
“We’re already well on our way to having one giant food company, and this purchase would send us farther down that path.
“It’s striking that last week marked 100 years since the enactment of the Clayton Act, which was designed to prohibit anti-competitive mergers and ensure a fair marketplace. On behalf of family farmers and ranchers, I urge the Department of Justice (DOJ) enforce existing anti-trust laws and halt this planned acquisition. NFU will continue to fight against this and other mergers that will stack the deck further in favor of the powerful, multi-national food companies.”
TAHC Adopts Cattle Tuberculosis Rules and Proposes Changes to Trichomoniasis Program
The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) recently hosted a regularly scheduled commission meeting on May 13, 2014, at its headquarters in Austin, Texas.
To view details of all the rules that were adopted, visit http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/regs/code.html.
The TAHC will be accepting public comments beginning June 6, 2014, on the following rules proposed at the May 13 commission meeting. The following proposals have a 30-day comment period and the deadline for comment submissions is Monday, July 7, 2014, at 5 p.m. Detailed explanations of the rule proposals are available on the TAHC website at http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/regs/proposals.html.
•Chapter 38, Trichomoniasis, Testing/Herd Certification
The purpose of these amendments is to change the trichomoniasis (trich) testing and herd certification requirements. The proposed amendments would:
No. 1. Add testing requirements for a herd of origin when a bull from the herd is sold and subsequently found to be infected with trich.
No. 2. Require testing when a bull is separated from its unit of origin, such as when a bull is found on property not owned by the owner/caretaker of the bull (stray), and that bull is found to be infected with trich. Under the proposal, the pasture of origin, and pasture where the stray trich bull was located will both be placed under hold order, and any additional bulls located there must be tested for trich.
No. 3. Allow TAHC to evaluate the effectiveness of a herd-control plan for an infected herd leading to the possible continuation or disapproval of the herd plan based on the progress or lack of progress made in controlling the disease within the herd.
No. 4. Finally, the proposal would require herds enrolled in the Trich Herd Certification Program to have perimeter fences that are adequate to prevent the ingress or egress of cattle.
The TAHC will be accepting public comments beginning Friday, June 20, 2014, on the following rule proposed at the May 13 commission meeting. The following proposal has a 30-day comment period and the deadline for comment submissions is Monday, July 21, 2014, at 5 p.m. A detailed explanation of the rule proposal will be available on Friday, June 20, 2014, on the TAHC website at http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/regs/proposals.html.
•Chapter 51, Entry Requirements, Cattle
The proposed amendment will clarify the bovine trich entry requirements and testing exemptions. The proposal adds new testing exemptions for out-of-state bulls enrolled in a Texas bull test station trial and for out-of-state bulls originating from approved Certified Trich Free Herd programs.
The TAHC encourages and appreciates all comments. Comments on the proposed regulations must be submitted in writing to Carol Pivonka, Texas Animal Health Commission, 2105 Kramer Lane, Austin, Texas 78758, by fax at 512-719-0719, or by email to comments@tahc.texas.gov.
For more information, visit http://www.tahc.texas.gov or call 1-800-550-8242.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Cattle Feedlot Nutrition ‘Boot Camp’
Takes Learning a Step Beyond
Boot camp. The expression conjures images of basic, but intense, hands-on training. That’s just what happens when 30 young men and women spend a week at the Feedlot Nutritionist Boot Camp in Amarillo, Texas; although, in this case the trainees are university graduate students learning the real-life intricacies of cattle feedlot nutrition.
“We invite in 30 graduate students from throughout the U.S. who are studying feedlot nutrition for a week-long short course,” said Kansas State University (K-State) associate professor Chris Reinhardt of the training, this year to be hosted Aug. 4 to 8.
“Most of the instruction is provided by highly influential industry leaders — practicing veterinarians, feedlot nutritionists and industry professionals working in all levels of the U.S. feedlot industry,” said Reinhardt, who is organizing the event in conjunction with Mike Hubbert of the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Clayton Livestock Research Center.
Universities do a tremendous job of educating students in the basic and applied sciences necessary to best serve modern agriculture, he said, but one area lacking in conventional graduate education is extensive exposure to industry practices beyond university research-scale facilities.
The “Boot Camp” is designed to give some of the country’s best graduate students who are aiming for a career in beef cattle nutrition insight into modern feedlot industry production practices.
During the week, students from different universities work in two-person teams on projects to solve a current industry problem. They learn about real-life challenges and how to handle them and get to know and work with others who will one day be their industry peers.
The week also presents opportunities for the students to interact with industry professionals — beneficial for the students as they move into careers, as well as for the professionals as they consider whom to hire.
K-State hosted a similar event in 2012 and nutrition and animal health companies are still contacting Reinhardt regarding the students who went through that training, he said.
Thanks to industry support, students are only responsible for their travel to and from the training.
More information about K-State’s Feedlot Nutritionist Boot Camp is available by contacting Reinhardt at cdr3@ksu.edu or 785-532-1672.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Meat Industry Hall of Fame Inducts Six New Members
The Meat Industry Hall of Fame announced June 8 the results of voting by its more than 70 members and trustees, in which six new inductees were named to the class of 2014.
This year, the members and the Hall’s Board of Trustees selected six inductees from more than 75 nominations submitted by participants across all sectors of red meat and poultry production, processing, marketing, and academia. The class of 2014 is the sixth group of industry leaders to be inducted.
The induction ceremony and dinner honoring the incoming class will be held in conjunction with the North American Meat Association’s Outlook Conference on Saturday, Sept. 13, at the Charleston Place Hotel in Charleston, S.C. Tickets and additional information about this gala event will be available later this summer.
The new members of the Meat Industry Hall of Fame, Class of 2014 are J. Patrick Boyle, Zerle Carpenter, Graeme Goodsir, Melvin Hunt, Steve Kay and James Marsden.
“For the men and women in the industry, these inductees are not only familiar names, but people who embody the best of the business,” said Chuck Jolley, Meat Industry Hall of Fame co-founder and president. “These are leaders whose careers and contributions have made a difference for their organizations, their communities and for the industry they helped advance. We are proud to welcome them into the Hall.”
For more information, please view the full press release here.
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