News Update
January 29, 2015
2015 Cattle Industry
Annual Convention Approaches
San Antonio, Texas, will host hundreds of cattle producers during the upcoming Cattle Industry Annual Convention & NCBA Trade Show Feb. 4-7.
Many of those producers will be setting the policy and priorities of the livestock industry while participating in the joint and individual meetings of five of the industry’s leading organizations: National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board (CBB), American National CattleWomen Inc. (ANCW), CattleFax and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation (NCF).
Whether you are attending the event or following along from home, the Angus Journal team will be providing comprehensive online coverage at www.4cattlemen.com. The website features presentation summaries, photos and trade show news, as well as archives of past conventions.
Another highlight of the convention is the NCBA Trade Show. The American Angus Association, the Angus Journal and Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) are among the exhibitors. Find them at booth #6091.
Angus booth visitors can learn more about Association programs and services, as well as the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand and what it takes to raise beef for the industry’s premier branded-beef program.
About the Cattle Industry
ConventionParticipants from across the country will enjoy top-notch general session speakers, including internationally recognized graffiti artist and best-selling business author Erik Wahl. The opening keynote speaker will focus on ways to encourage the audience to become more creative, innovative and profitable. Through his entertaining and highly practical program, Wahl will uncover new ways to help cattlemen and their employees become better storytellers for their company and the industry.
Bret Baier, a highly acclaimed journalist and host of FOX News’ Special Report with Bret Baier, will share exclusive, poignant and up-to-the-minute analysis on what’s happening at the White House and Capitol Hill.
A number of educational sessions are also on the agenda for the 2015 convention. The CattleFax Annual Outlook Seminar, the 22nd Annual Cattlemen’s College® sponsored by Zoetis Animal Health, and events at the Stockmanship and Stewardship Demonstration Area will provide producers practical information on reproduction, management, genetics, forage management, business strategies and much more.
Visit www.beefusa.org to find more information about activities planned for the 2015 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show, then look to the newsroom at www.4cattlemen.com for coverage of the event.
WHO’s Cancer Agency Could Deem Red,
Processed Meats Carcinogenic
The World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) cancer agency is discussing the possibility of deeming red meat and processed meat as carcinogenic agents. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) will take up the issue in a meeting to be hosted in October in France.
“I’m deadly serious,” Mark Dopp, senior vice president of regulatory affairs and general counsel for the North American Meat Institute (NAMI), told attendees at the International Production & Processing Expo as some shook their heads in disbelief during a regulatory update.
Dopp said NAMI is already in the process of coordinating with other domestic and international industry groups to try to participate in the discussion and present the industry’s case.
“A great deal of work needs to be done to fend this off,” he said, noting that the IARC is not legally required to allow participation. NAMI notes that classifications and scientific decisions published in the IARC Monograph series are recognized worldwide and often considered an authoritative scientific opinion for many government and regulatory bodies.
The meat industry is no stranger to the work of the IARC. Around 2006, the agency sought to deem nitrites a reproductive toxin, an effort the industry defeated. However the IARC was successful in 2010 in stating that the combination of nitrites and amines or amides is carcinogenic, which has led to a proposed law in California that would require warning labels, at least on meat products governed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Federal meat inspection rules would preclude those meat products covered by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), Dopp said.
For more information on the IARC meeting, click here and scroll to Meeting 114.
For more information, please visit www.meatingplace.com.
Chairman Conaway Announces Subcommittee Assignments
Jan. 28, 2015, Agriculture Committee Chairman, K. Michael Conaway (TX-11), announced subcommittee assignments for the 114th Congress.
“I look forward to working with this very talented team of proven leaders,” Conaway said. “Their diverse backgrounds will be of great value to the committee as we work to promote a strong production agriculture system and vibrant rural America.”
View the subcommitte announcement in its entirety here.
Update of AFBF Lawsuit Against EPA on Privacy of Information
“Farmers, ranchers and citizens in general should be concerned about the court’s disregard for individual privacy. This court seems to believe that the Internet age has eliminated the individual’s interest in controlling the distribution of his or her personal information. We strongly disagree,” said Bob Stallman, American Farm Bureau Federation president.
Background to the ruling
AFBF was disappointed to learn late Jan. 27, 2015, that the federal district court in Minnesota dismissed its lawsuit seeking to block EPA from releasing the personal information (such as a person’s name, home address, GPS location and telephone number) of livestock and poultry farmers and ranchers in response to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. The court concluded that no federally permitted livestock or poultry farmer is injured by such disclosure because the Clean Water Act mandates disclosure of information concerning permit issuance. For livestock and poultry farmers without a Clean Water Act permit, the court concluded that so long as the farmer’s personal information can be found somewhere on the Internet, EPA’s distribution of that same information does not result in any injury to the farmer. The court noted that a farmer with a public Facebook page used to promote the farm, or whose information could be found via search engine or any state regulatory website in any form, has no right to sue to stop the federal government from compiling and distributing that information.
AFBF and its co-plaintiff, the National Pork Producers Council, have 60 days to appeal the decision. Prior to the AFBF suit, EPA had already released personal information of farmers and ranchers from 29 states. AFBF filed suit to block further disclosures regarding farmers and ranchers in Minnesota, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma and Washington.
2015 Cattle Raisers Convention Scheduled
for March 27-29 in Fort Worth
The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) announced Jan. 28, 2015, that the 138th annual Cattle Raisers Convention, the organization’s biggest ranching industry event of the year, is scheduled for March 27-29, 2015, at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas.
Vicente Fox, president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006, will be the keynote speaker at the opening general session. He will share stories of his prior experiences working to build a strong relationship between the United States and Mexico. Fox will also take questions from cattle raisers at the close of his speech.
Former First Lady Laura Bush has been invited to speak at the opening general session of the convention. Bush is actively involved in issues of national and global concern, with a particular emphasis on education, health care, human rights and the preservation of our nation’s heritage. Bush will discuss her role as a founder of “Taking Care of Texas,” which is an organization that promotes successful land, water and wildlife conservation practices.
Sylvia Longmire, author of Border Insecurity, will also speak at the general opening session on the challenges of border security and illegal immigration issues. Longmire is a retired Air Force captain and former special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
Additionally, the School for Successful Ranching and issues sessions will feature 25 educational programs and a world-class lineup of subject-matter experts who will provide insights into current ranching topics and practical tools attendees can take back to their ranch.
The Cattle Raisers Expo is the largest annual ranching exposition in the region and will play host to more than 200 companies bringing the newest products and services to ranchers and landowners. A new addition for the 2015 Expo will be live cattle handling demonstrations, which will take place inside the Fort Worth Convention Center. The demonstrations will teach attendees how to handle cattle in a safe, low-stress manner.
Rounding out the program are entertainment options such as the Cattle Raisers Dinner and Dance, Young Cattle Raisers’ After Party, the Texas Beef Council Fun Run and Walk, and the closing Luncheon Swing Riders Show featuring Doc and Mike Blakely.
“We’re looking forward to another great Cattle Raisers Convention,” said Pete Bonds, TSCRA president. “The unique combination of speakers and educational programs, focused on issues of importance to ranchers, makes this a can’t-miss event for any cattle raiser or landowner.”
Day registration begins at only $100.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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