News Update

The paper concludes there is no empirical evidence to support producing cattle specifically for the ground beef market.

“The trend toward a larger and more precise focus on marbling and quality grade has served cattlemen well,” McCully said. “We are producing a higher quality product in the end and driving consumer demand.”

For more information, please view the full release. You can also watch an interview with Tom Brink, one of the authors, on this week’s The Angus Report.

— Adapted from a release by Steve Suther, Certified Angus Beef.

View Central Bull Test Listing on Virtual Library

Bull sales are abundant this time of year, and so are performance bull tests. The Angus Journal editorial staff keeps an updated list of central bull test stations on the Virtual Library at www.api-virtuallibrary.com/CentralBullTests. It lists tests by state, and provides test contact information, test on and off dates, eligible bull birth dates and sale dates, plus additional information provided by the specific bull test.

From the Virtual Library homepage, the listing can be found under “Angus Resources.” Hover over the “Industry” option in the drop-down list, and “Central Bull Test Stations” will be the first option.

— Adapted from a summary by Shauna Hermel, Angus Productions Inc.

Ag Day a Great Opportunity for Farmer Outreach to Consumers

With multiple farming-related topics top of mind for consumers right now, it’s more important than ever for farmers to engage those food purchasers with the true story of today’s agriculture. And there’s no better time to do it than on National Ag Day, March 18.

Farmers’ freedom to operate depends in large part on consumers feeling good about the practices and technology being used to raise their food. The soy checkoff partners with multiple organizations and supports the development of resources that farmers can use to connect with consumers in meaningful ways.

“It’s natural for consumers to have questions about where their food comes from and how farmers are producing it,” says Nancy Kavazanjian, a soybean farmer from Wisconsin who serves as the United Soybean Board’s communications target area coordinator, as well as chairwoman of the U.S. Farmer and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA). “That provides farmers with an opportunity to share our stories in honest and simple ways and show that we share their values.”

This Ag Day, farmers have their choice of plenty of resources to help them do that. The checkoff works with the Center for Food Integrity (CFI), CommonGround and USFRA, all of which support farmers as they answer consumers’ questions, just in different ways:

• Consumer Research – CFI (www.foodintegrity.org/research/2014-research, @FoodIntegrity) conducts leading-edge consumer research, which results in models of best practices that position farmers for success in connecting with consumers. CFI’s most recent research provides guidance on how to introduce technical and scientific data about food and farming into conversations, so that consumers will consider the information in their decision-making process.
• Resources for Moms — The women farmers of CommonGround (www.FindOurCommonGround.com, @CommonGroundNow) start conversations with moms looking for more information about what they feed their families. CommonGround develops resources, such as videos and infographics, that farmers can share to inform on topics like animal welfare, GMOs and issues related to local and organic production.
• Ag for Movie Night — The goal of USFRA (www.fooddialogues.com, @USFRA) is to bring the farmer and rancher voice to food and farming conversations with customers. USFRA produces the Food Dialogues, bringing together farmers, consumers, industry representatives and media to discuss the most pressing food topics. Additionally, USFRA supported production of the film, FARMLAND, which is now available at Walmart, Netflix and many other outlets.