News Update

December 15, 2015

A Denver Tradition:
Angus Foundation Heifer Package

The Angus Foundation offers an elite Angus female each year during the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) in Denver, Colo. The organization is grateful to Schaff Angus Valley, Saint Anthony, N.D., for their support as the donor of the 2016 Angus Foundation Heifer.

The chosen female, SAV Emblynette 5368, will be auctioned at 3:30 p.m. MST, Jan. 13, 2016, in the Beef Palace Arena at the NWSS. Proceeds from the sale benefit the Angus Foundation’s mission to support education, youth and research.

“Being able to offer an elite Angus female from a nationally-recognized program, Schaff Angus Valley, is truly an honor for the Angus Foundation,” says Milford Jenkins, Angus Foundation president. “We are humbled by their passion for helping our organization make a difference for the future of our business by the sale of this SAV Angus female.”

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

— Adapted from a release by Jena McRell, Angus Media.

GAO Says EPA Violated Federal Law

In a decision Dec. 14 from the non-partisan Government Accountability Office (GAO), the GAO found that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) violated federal law in promoting the agency’s “waters of the United States” rule. The decision found the EPA engaged in covert propaganda and grassroots lobbying to support the WOTUS rule.

Philip Ellis, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) president, said this report confirms what producers have long suspected: an agency with a radical agenda.

The GAO decision finds that the EPA’s use of Thunderclap, in which a single social media message can be shared across multiple Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr accounts at the same time, was a prohibited use of EPA’s appropriations for unauthorized publicity or propaganda purposes.

Read the full NCBA news release online.

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

‘D’ Designated for 2016 Permanent ID

International letters are designated for each year of birth for livestock identification (ID). These designated letters are an easy option to use in conjunction with numbers when permanently identifying animals. For example, D001 and D002 could designate the first two calves born into your herd in the year 2016. C was the designated letter for 2015, while E will be the designated letter for 2017, F for 2018, G for 2019, etc. Note that the letters I, O, Q and V are not used.

Using the international letter code is optional for Angus breeders. For complete information about permanent ID (Rule 105) and naming animals (rules 102 and 107) in accordance with American Angus Association rules, access the online Breeder’s Reference Guide available on www.angus.org.

— Adapted from a summary by Shauna Hermel, Angus Media.

USDA Finalizes Rule to Enhance Consumer Protection

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a new measure that will improve the agency’s ability to determine the source of foodborne illnesses linked to ground beef, stopping foodborne illness outbreaks sooner when they occur.

Based on lessons learned from previous outbreak investigations, FSIS is requiring that all makers of raw ground beef products keep adequate records of the source material, so that the agency can quickly work with the suppliers to recall contaminated product. Outbreak investigations can be hindered when retail stores produce ground beef by mixing product from various sources but fail to keep clear records that would allow investigators to determine which supplier produced the unsafe product.

This new requirement complements expedited traceback and traceforward procedures announced in August 2014 that enhance the agency’s ability to quickly and broadly investigate food safety breakdowns in the event of an outbreak connected to ground beef.

For more information, please view the full USDA-FSIS release online.

— Adapted from a release by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Ag Profitability Conferences Set for January

Farmers and ranchers have a choice of three locations to attend one of the 2016 Kansas State University Ag Profitability Conferences set for January.

Speakers and topics vary slightly by location, but include the latest information on Kansas cropland values and rental rates; livestock market outlook; grain market outlook and other topics.

Alan Brugler, president of Brugler Marketing and Management LLC, will provide his outlook for the grain market at the Colby conference. Gregg Hadley, assistant director, K-State Research and Extension, will give a presentation on farm succession planning in Saint John. Greg Ibendahl, executive director of K-MAR-105 at K-State, will provide projections of the farm financial situation at the Wamego conference.

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

— Adapted from a release by Mary Lou Peter, K-State Research and Extension.

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

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