News Update

December 8, 2015

Gather for Angus Night on the Mountain

Spruce Mountain Ranch, Larkspur, Colo., and the Angus Foundation are partnering to host Angus Night on the Mountain on Jan. 13, 2016, during the National Western Stock Show (NWSS).

Angus Night on the Mountain, hosted and underwritten by Tom and Lois Ames, is an entertaining evening in an incredible location just a short drive south of Denver, Colo. Now in its fifth year, the event is an NWSS highlight that boasts fundraising activities that greatly benefit the future of the Angus breed, including the 2016 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) and its host states Nebraska and South Dakota.

Free and open to the public, Spruce Mountain Ranch will provide bus transportation to and from the ranch. Two buses will pick up attendees on a first-come, first-served basis at the Denver Marriott City Center Hotel and NWSS from 5:30 p.m.-5:45 p.m. Following dinner, the 2016 NJAS and Angus Foundation will auction a limited number of packages to benefit Angus youth, education and research programs.

For more information, please view the full Angus news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Linda Robbins, Angus Media.

WTO Releases Final Figure for
Retaliatory Tariffs over U.S. COOL

The World Trade Organization Dec. 7 authorized Canada and Mexico to assess over $1 billion in retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products, closing the long running dispute over the U.S. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) rule. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Philip Ellis says that immediate action is needed by the Senate or retaliation against U.S. exports will soon follow.

“The WTO ruled that the U.S. COOL rule has cost Canadian and Mexican livestock producers in excess of $1 billion over the past seven years, and has authorized that amount in retaliatory tariffs,” said Ellis. “If the Senate does not act, U.S. beef exports could face a 100 percent tariff in these countries, severely diminishing about $2 billion of beef exports annually.”

This announcement is the final step in a WTO dispute that has been ongoing for over seven years. Despite efforts by the USDA to amend the rule, the WTO has repeatedly ruled that the U.S. COOL rule discriminates against imported livestock in violation of our trade agreements.

For more information, view the NCBA news release online.

— Adapted from a release by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

R-CALF USA Statement on WTO COOL Ruling

R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard issued the following statement following the Dec. 7 release of the WTO’s arbitration decision that claims the United States mandatory COOL law caused Canada and Mexico to suffer annual losses of $1.054 billion and $228 million, respectively.

“The WTO decision is utterly absurd. The entire value of Canada’s live cattle imports in 2014 was $1.753 billion and this represented an historical high. It is absolutely impossible that Canada could be suffering an annual loss representing 60% of Canada’s record high imports.

“Mexico’s live cattle imports in 2014 were valued at $739 million and it is equally impossible that COOL has caused Mexico to lose 31% of the value of its record level of exports.”

For more information, please view the full R-CALF release online.

— Adapted from a release by R-CALF USA.

Deadline Nears for $10,000 Agricultural Safety Grants

Agribusinesses and producer groups are encouraged to apply for safety grants of up to $10,000 being offered by the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America (ASHCA). Application deadline is Jan. 7, 2016. Information regarding eligibility, priorities, application instructions and frequently asked questions is available at www.ashca.org.

Priority will be given to: programs that engage both management and workers in the planning and implementation of successful injury reduction programs; “hands-on” training initiatives that will increase workers’ adoption of proven safety practices and will be sustained beyond the grant period; and initiatives that reach under-served or high-risk populations, e.g., non-English speaking workers.

For more information, please view the full ASHCA news release online.

— Adapted from a release by the Agricultural Safety & Health Council of America.

Texas Fall Pasture Management and CEU Workshop

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service for Wilson County will present the Fall Pasture Management and CEU Workshop from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 17.

Five Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be offered — one laws and regulations, two integrated pest management and two general.

Presentations will begin at 9 a.m. Program topics will include sprayer calibration and equipment; feral hog management; biting and stinging insects; managing spray drift; and Texas Department of Agriculture laws and regulations. Instruction will be provided by AgriLife Extension experts from Atascosa, Bexar, Guadalupe, Uvalde and Wilson counties.

For more information, access the full news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Paul Schattenberg, Texas AgriLife Communications.

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