Copyright © 2015
Angus Journal

News Update

April 24, 2015

Meat, Butter and Cheese
in a Healthy Diet

A recently released book from investigative journalist Nina Teicholz debunks some conventional thinking about dietary fat – and it’s getting a lot of attention in the popular press.

Teicholz embarked upon 10 years of research to uncover misconceptions and truths in how Americans think about fat. Published by Simon and Schuster, it’s The Big Fat Surpise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese belong in a Healthy Diet.

“One of the things that astonished me when reading nutrition science is just how it ignores history. It all kind-of telescopes back to their own nutrition science, which began in the mid-1950s. Americans used to eat, in 1800s, three to four times the red meat that we do today,” Teicholz said. “We really need a movement of people speaking out on behalf of good science. That's the essential point.”

Hear more from Teicholz on this week’s The Angus Report.

You can also catch the show at 1:30 p.m. CDT each Saturday, and a new episode airs at 7:30 a.m. CDT Monday mornings on RFD-TV.

— Adapted from The Angus Report.

Cardinals Call Up Farm Team for Race to the Plate

The Nationals have the presidents. The Brewers have the sausages. Now the Cardinals have the Farm Team.

Missouri Farmers Care (MFC) is teaming up with the St. Louis Cardinals to bring some new faces to Busch Stadium this season. Comprised of MFC mascots Sweet Bessie, Captain Cornelius and Simon the Soybean, the farm team is part of the “Race to the Plate” educational campaign to increase awareness and understanding of today’s food production.

The mascots will be jockeying for bragging rights at each Friday night home game in Busch Stadium and racing to educate fans on Missouri agriculture. As the mascots vie for the win, in-stadium video boards will highlight facts about modern pork, dairy, soybean and corn production. Missouri’s farm families are also encouraging fans tuning into Cardinal Radio to learn more about today’s agriculture through radio spots highlighting farm facts and Friday night races. Print ads are also featured in the Cardinals Gameday magazine and scorecard.

MFC is a joint effort by Missouri’s agriculture community to stand together for the state’s top industry. Learn more about Missouri agriculture and the farm families producing our food at www.MOFarmersCare.com.

— Adapted from a release by Becky Frankenbach, Missouri Farmers Care.

Alltech Acquires Ridley Inc. to Strengthen
Global Leadership Position

Alltech and Ridley Inc. (TSX: RCL) (“Ridley”) announced April 23 that they have entered into a plan of arrangement agreement under which Alltech will acquire 100% of the outstanding stock of Ridley, one of the leading commercial animal nutrition companies in North America, for CAD $40.75 per share.

Ridley manufactures and markets a full range of animal nutrition solutions, including formulated complete feeds, premixes, feed supplements, block supplements, animal health products and feed ingredients. Ridley’s products are sold to producers by direct sales or through distributor and dealer channels.

Learn more about Alltech’s purchase of Ridley Inc. in the full news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Alltech.

ASA Looks Ahead as TPA Bill Emerges
from House, Senate Committees

Following the passage of a bill by the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee that would grant trade promotion authority to President Barack Obama, the American Soybean Association (ASA) is calling on both chambers to pass the bill and give the administration what it needs to forge ahead with key trade agreements around the globe.

“Agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership and others that expand market access are of vast importance to American soybean farmers as we look to maintain our position at the vanguard of the world’s agricultural trade, however we can’t conclude agreements without trade promotion authority. That’s always been step one,” said Wade Cowan, ASA president and a soybean farmer from Brownfield, Texas.

Trade promotion authority is among the top policy priorities for ASA in the 114th Congress. Soybean farmers, who exported over half their crop with an export value of $30.5 billion in 2014, are the largest agricultural exporters in the U.S.

For more information view the full release online.

— Adapted from a release by the American Soybean Association.

NDSA Feedlot Tour to Feature Southwest North Dakota

The 13th annual North Dakota Stockmen’s Association (NDSA) Feedlot Tour will be June 16 at feedlots in Elgin, N.D., New Leipzig, N.D., and Morristown, S.D.

The daylong tour includes stops at Ottmar Feedyard, Maher Angus Ranch and Roth Feedyard. Bus transportation will be provided to and from the stops. The bus will depart from the Bismarck, N.D., K-Mart parking lot at 8 a.m. CDT and return at approximately 5 p.m. CDT.

Ottmar Feedyard near Elgin, N.D., is the tour’s first stop. Blaine and Linda Ottmar operate the facility with their two sons and daughters-in-law, Chad (Joy) and Lance (Shawna). The backgrounding and finishing feedlot was permitted in 2014 for 2,800 head.

Maher Angus Ranch near Morristown, S.D., is the tour’s second stop. Dan and Gloria Maher develop bulls with their son, Casey, his wife, Gina and their children at the 999-head facility. The operation was permitted in 2012 and features continuous-poured concrete bunks and heavy-use pads, dual-purpose alleys, cable feedlot fence and energy-free water tanks.

Roth Feedyard near New Leipzig, N.D., is the final tour stop. Lincoln and Beth Roth operate the backgrounding feedlot. Permitted in 2014 for 999 head, the facility includes continuous-poured concrete bunks and heavy-use pads, continuous steel feedlot fence, rear cowboy alleys in the pens and concrete water tanks.

Founded in 1929, the NDSA is an 85-year-old cattle producer’s trade organization that works to unite, protect, promote, educate and serve North Dakota’s beef industry.

For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.

— Adapted from a release by the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association.

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

 
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