News Update

April 6, 2016

Starting with the Best in Russia

Amid the forest-rimmed meadows and newly cross-fenced pastures of western Russia, a quarter-million young beef cows earn their keep by producing high-quality beef while building rural communities and a sustainable future for families on two continents.

The Certified Angus Beef^® (CAB^®) brand began production and sales in Russia this spring, through licensed partner Miratorg Agribusiness Holding, said CAB President John Stika.

Most of those cows are commercial purebred Angus, sourced mainly from the United States over the last eight years, and spurred by Russian loan subsidies aimed at building a modern food supply chain. A large share of them belongs to Miratorg.

Founded in 1995 in Moscow and already a leader in pork and poultry, company executives researched beef production systems. They were familiar with CAB from the imported product in Russia since 1998 until recent years, and on later visits to the United States that included shopping for Angus genetics and initial training in American ranch management.

The world’s leading brand of fresh beef became a logical end target for the North American-style plan Miratorg announced in 2009 as it began to build up dozens of cattle ranches south of Moscow in the Bryansk region.

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

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

Canadian Angus Association Announces Election Results

Bob Hahn of Alberta has been elected for a second term and Dale Easton of Saskatchewan will join the board of directors following elections in Alberta and Saskatchewan for the Canadian Angus Association’s (CAA) board of directors.

Both directors will serve three-year terms. Hahn’s term will continue without interruption while Easton will assume his duties immediately following the close of the 110th annual general meeting of the CAA, which takes place on Sat., June 11, in Quebec City, Que.

Dale Easton will replace retiring director and past president Corinne Gibson, who operates Six Mile Ranch Ltd. with her family in Fir Mountain, Sask. Easton operates Eastondale Angus with wife Shelly and daughter Erika near Wawota. Eastondale Angus is a purebred cattle operation with approximately 180 females calving annually. Easton has recently retired from the Saskatchewan Angus Association board of directors after serving an eight-year term. He was president from 2012-2014.

Bob Hahn was elected to the CAA board of directors in 2013. He operates HR Hahn Cattle Co. in Sherwood Park, Alta.

For more information, please view the CAA website.

— Adapted from a release by Tina Zakowsky, Canadian Angus Association.

USDA Awards $6.6 Million in Animal Nutrition, Growth Grants

The USDA on April 6 awarded $6.6 million for research focused on improving animal nutrition and growth. These awards were made through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Foundational program, administered by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

“Animal production and health play critical roles in the sustainability and competitiveness of U.S. agriculture. They contribute significantly to the nation’s economy, global food production and food security,” said Sonny Ramaswamy, NIFA administrator. “These awards will expand knowledge and best practices to enhance animal health, lower production costs and minimize environmental impacts.”

Grants were awarded through the Animal Nutrition, Growth and Lactation program, part of the AFRI Foundational Program, which supports basic and applied research. Research areas include studying how animals use the nutrients in their feed; improving the use of traditional feed; exploring opportunities to use nontraditional feedstuffs; increasing the quality and efficiency of producing meat, milk and eggs; and mitigating metabolic disorders.

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

— Adapted from a release by the USDA.

Select Sires Hires Jacqueline Rausch
as Multimedia Communications Specialist

Jacqueline Rausch has joined Select Sires as a multimedia communications specialist. She will be responsible for administering the corporate training site, coordinating audio and video projects, updating and enhancing the public website, managing e-newsletters, and managing audio and visual needs for meetings and conferences. Rausch will be based in the Plain City, Ohio, office.

“I’m pleased to welcome Jacqueline to the communications department at Select Sires,” says Shirley Kaltenbach, director of communications. “Her prior experiences in broadcast journalism, video skills and leadership, as well as her team-oriented approach make her a great fit at Select Sires.”

Rausch is a 2011 graduate of South Dakota State University (SDSU) with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism. Since 2007 she has been a broadcast journalist with the Army National Guard where she shot, edited and produced video news packages, wrote print stories for news outlets, and designed posters, banners and brochures. Rausch also spent time as a program assistant for the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology’s youth programs department, a freelance writer and contributor to the Tri-State Livestock News, and a content manager for the agriculture and biological sciences department at SDSU.

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

— Adapted from a release by Danielle Brown, Select Sires Inc.

NMSU Experts Present on Trichomoniasis

Cattle experts from the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Cooperative Extension Service will make presentations to ranchers and others April 26 on the cattle disease trichomoniasis (trich). Trich, a highly transmittable disease, can result in early fetal death and infertility, resulting in extended calving intervals.

John Wenzel, Extension veterinarian, and Sidney “Sid” Gordon, Extension agriculture agent in Otero County, will be joined by Warren Franklin of Ruidoso and other experts at a meeting of the Otero County Cattleman’s Association (OCCA).

“Trichomoniasis is a disease that can be economically devastating in a short period of time,” Gordon said. “Loss in calf crops can be 10% to 30% and as high as 50%.”

The meeting will be at 6 p.m. April 26, at Hitch-N-Post BBQ, 2930 N. White Sands Blvd., in Alamogordo. All are invited. A meal will be provided for the OCCA board and members at 5:30 p.m. Please call Gordon at 575-437-0231 if you plan to attend the dinner portion of the meeting.

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

— Adapted from a release by Darrell Pehr, New Mexico State University.

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