News Update

March 6, 2015

Dry Matter Intake EPD Now Available

The American Angus Association announces a new EPD to appear on all registration materials and weekly Association reports, beginning today, March 6. The dry matter intake (DMI) EPD, formerly referenced as the feed intake EPD, was traditionally calculated in an unpublished format as a component of the residual average daily gain (RADG) EPD and was most recently introduced in calculations for feed value ($F), which is a component of $B.

The DMI EPD will appear alongside RADG and is reported in pounds of dry matter per day, where lower numbers indicate less intake. DMI EPD is supported by both feed intake data and genomic profile information. In response to member requests, the Association Board of Directors voted in December 2014 to publish the DMI EPD.

For more information, visit www.angus.org, and access AAA Login.

— Announcement from the American Angus Association.

Be a NJAA Communicator, Journalist or Marketer

Now in its second year, the National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) is offering members the opportunity to experience communications, journalism, marketing and photography through Media Crew. Applications, due April 1, are now available online for NJAA members who have completed ninth grade and have an interest in learning about media reporting.

“With the positive feedback we received from lasts year’s participants, there was no question that this experience is beneficial to our juniors,” says Jaclyn Upperman, American Angus Association director of events and education. “For NJAA members interested in these fields they have the chance to see firsthand how writing, photography and other communications skills can be used in the agriculture industry.”

Funded by the NJAA and the Angus Foundation, selected Media Crew participants will be responsible for writing articles, taking photographs and contributing to social media outlets. In addition, Media Crew members may also shadow Association staff as they conduct interviews for the Angus Journal magazine and The Angus Report news television program.

Media Crew combined The Scoop — an established youth-led publication — and The Angus Agenda newsletter distributed daily during the National Junior Angus Show (NJAS), into valuable experiences for junior members to practice their communications skills and be involved in deadline-driven productions.

Additional details about Media Crew can be found on the application, which is available online at www.njaa.info or www.angusfoundation.org. Applications should be postmarked by April 1 and mailed to Carrie Horsley, Angus Foundation director of marketing and public relations, 3201 Frederick Ave., St. Joseph, MO 64506.

— Adapted from a release by Carrie Horsley, Angus Foundation.

Reps. Conaway, Walorski and Rouzer
Express Grave Concern with Dietary Guidelines

Chairman of the Agriculture Committee K. Michael Conaway (TX-11), Nutrition Subcommittee Chairwoman Jackie Walorski (IN-2), and Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee Chairman David Rouzer (NC-7) sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell raising concerns about recommendations received from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC). The letter can be viewed here.

“Members of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee greatly exceeded their scope in developing recommendations,” Conaway said. “The Secretaries share responsibility for these flawed recommendations because they failed to keep the Committee focused on nutritional recommendations and away from areas such as sustainability and tax policy, which are outside of the Committee’s purview. At a time when consumers are already subjected to conflicting and often contradictory nutrition and health information, the dietary guidelines must provide the public with realistic, science-based recommendations. Given the grave concerns that have been raised, more time is needed for public comment, and those comments should be fully reviewed and considered.”

— Adapted from a release by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture.

United States and Canadian Cattle and Sheep

United States and Canadian cattle inventory is up 1%.

All cattle and calves in the United States and Canada combined totaled 101.7 million head on Jan. 1, 2015, up 1% from the 100.7 million on Jan. 1, 2014. All cows and heifers that have calved, at 43.8 million head, were up 1% from a year ago.

All cattle and calves in the United States as of Jan. 1, 2015, totaled 89.8 million head, 1% above the 88.5 million on Jan. 1, 2014. All cows and heifers that have calved, at 39.0 million head, were up 2% from a year ago.

All cattle and calves in Canada as of Jan. 1, 2015, totaled 11.9 million head, down 2% from the 12.2 million on Jan. 1, 2014. All cows and heifers that have calved, at 4.78 million, were down 2% from a year ago.

United States and Canadian sheep inventory up slightly.

All sheep and lambs in the United States and Canada combined totaled 6.14 million head on Jan. 1, 2015, up slightly from the 6.12 million on Jan. 1, 2014. Breeding sheep, at 4.58 million head, were up slightly from a year ago and market sheep and lambs, at 1.56 million head, were down slightly from last year.

All sheep and lambs in the United States as of Jan. 1, 2015, totaled 5.28 million head, 1% above the 5.25 million head on Jan. 1, 2014. Breeding sheep, at 3.94 million head, were up 1% from a year ago, while market sheep and lambs, at 1.35 million head, were unchanged from last year.

All sheep and lambs in Canada as of Jan. 1, 2015, totaled 859 thousand head, down 2% from last year’s number of 875,000. Breeding sheep, at 648,000 head, were down 2% from last year. Market sheep and lambs, at 211,000 head, were down 1% from a year ago.

For more information, please view the full release here.

— Adapted from a release by the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

USDA Confirms H5N2 Avian Influenza
in Commercial Turkey Flock in Minnesota

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza in a commercial turkey flock in Pope County, Minn. This is the first finding in the Mississippi flyway. It is the same strain of avian influenza that has been confirmed in backyard and wild birds in Washington, Oregon and Idaho as part of the ongoing incident in the Pacific flyway.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) consider the risk to people from these HPAI H5 infections in wild birds, backyard flocks and commercial poultry to be low. No human infections with these viruses have been detected at this time. As a reminder, the proper handling and cooking of poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165˚ F kills bacteria and viruses.

Federal and state partners are working jointly on additional surveillance and testing in the nearby area, following existing avian influenza response plans. The United States has the strongest avian infuenza surveillance program in the world, and USDA is working with its partners to actively look for the disease in commercial poultry operations, live bird markets and in migratory wild bird populations.

View the complete USDA Stakeholder Announcement. Daily updates on the situation in Minnesota will be posted on the Minnesota Board of Animal Health’s website.

— Adapted from a release by the Minnesota Board of Animal Health.

— Compiled by Paige Nelson, field editor, Angus Journal.

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