News Update
October 27, 2015
Temperament Through the System
An animal’s temperament may not always be top-of-mind when selecting a herd bull or replacement heifers, but it can have an effect on a producer’s bottom line. That’s according to Reinaldo Cooke of Oregon State University, who said proper animal handling and temperament are increasingly important in today’s beef supply chain.
“If you think about the cow-calf side, cows with a very aggressive disposition, they’re going to wean less calves compared to cows with a good disposition,” Cooke said. “They bring you less money at weaning time.
“Now, if you look into the feedlot business, the calves or the steers and heifers with aggressive disposition, they gain less weight, they’re lighter at slaughter. Their carcasses are not as good compared to carcasses from animals with adequate disposition.”
He adds that exposing young animals to positive human interaction and handling can change the animals’ perception of humans. See the full interview with Cooke on this week’s The Angus Report.
Chat Live with Chef Tony
Join the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand’s Chef Tony for a live chat this Thursday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. CDT, 8 p.m. EDT, when he’ll answer all your questions about cooking your favorite protein. Just login to Facebook and follow along on the company’s producer page: Black Ink, from the Certified Angus Beef brand.
“Being a company that spans all the different segments of the beef business, it’s always fun when we bring things full circle,” says Miranda Reiman, CAB assistant director of industry information. “Maybe you’re thinking of trading your Thanksgiving turkey for a prime rib or want to know the best ways to season or cut a roast. This is a pretty simple way to get direct, immediate answers to your beef questions.”
Chef Tony will be at the National Angus Convention the following week, demonstrating all things roasting.
“We want to show cattlemen and women all that we’re doing to help consumers have success with their product, but we recognize that ranchers are consumers, too,” Reiman says. “Who wouldn’t want to learn about new ways to enjoy beef?”
Chef Tony has a diverse culinary background, from cooking for football players on the Florida coast to overseeing the production of thousands of meals per day for post-Hurricane Katrina victims in New Orleans and, more recently, serving as the executive chef to the King and Queen of Jordan. He’s been on the TV show Chopped and is currently the director of culinary arts for CAB.
Select Sires Summer Internships
Select Sires Inc. has announced plans to offer summer internships at its headquarters facility in Plain City, Ohio, during the summer of 2016. Positions are available within the sales and marketing, communications, semen processing and veterinary departments.
“Both practical work experience within the industry and networking are extremely important in helping college students prepare for full-time employment upon graduation,” says David Thorbahn, Select Sires president and CEO. “That’s why Select Sires offers hands-on internship opportunities each year. These internships help introduce students to the industry side of agriculture, while they contribute to the day-to-day operation of the Select Sires federation.”
College students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in dairy science, animal science, agricultural economics, agricultural communications or related agricultural fields may apply for these internships.
Applications for the semen processing and research internship are due Nov. 2, 2015, while all other applications are due Jan. 1, 2016. For information on these internships and application requirements go online or email tsmith@selectsires.com. A separate application form is needed for the veterinarian internship.
For more information, reference the Select Sires news release.
Land O’Lakes Inc. Makes First Commercial Investment in Africa
Land O’Lakes, Inc. and Villa Crop Protection of South Africa announced a partnership, effective Oct. 26, that will capitalize on the growth potential of the South African agricultural market.
The two organizations are joining two complementary portfolios of productivity-enhancing crop input products and services to help all sizes of farms sustainably improve their yields. This is Land O’Lakes’ first commercial investment in Africa and reflects the cooperative’s accelerated growth in its international business.
With the deal, Land O’Lakes, through its South African subsidiary, assumes a 52.5% ownership stake in Villa Crop Protection. The existing Villa Crop Protection management team will continue to lead the business. People and product expertise from Land O’Lakes’ crop inputs business Winfield Solutions LLC will support and assist existing operations.
For more information, view the full news release online.
MU Beef Farm Day for Women in Agriculture
Women in agriculture will learn by lectures and hands-on training during “Pearls of Production” at the University of Missouri (MU), Nov. 6-7.
It’s one thing to study slides of cows for body condition scores (BCS). Planners say it’s quite another to score a pen of moving cows, wearing their winter coats. BCS scores guide winter feeding.
Women from beef farms get that chance at breakout sessions on the MU Beef Research and Teaching Center south of Columbia, Nov. 7. Other on-farm sessions are calving assistance, collecting DNA for genetic testing, reading genetic results and bull selection based on EPDs (expected progeny differences).
In the afternoon, women learn vaccine handling, calf processing, feeder-calf grading and marketing. Meanwhile, other women in agriculture will work in sessions on swine, small ruminant animals and forage and pasture management. Friday, Nov. 6, provides lessons on leadership plus programs on farm equipment, meat, food quality, health and safety, business, and government programs.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Editor’s Note: The articles used within this site represent a mixture of copyrights. If you would like to reprint or repost an article, you must first request permission of Angus Productions Inc. (API) by contacting the editor at 816-383-5200; 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506. API claims copyright to this web site as presented. We welcome educational venues and cattlemen to link to this site as a service to their audience.