News Update
December 6, 2016
Bending Curves,
Breaking Stereotypes
Angus cattle need to do more than ever before. Carcass quality, functional females, feedlot performance — they all matter. That theme was evident at the Innovation Workshops, sponsored by Zoetis, hosted during the 2016 Angus Convention Nov. 5-7 in Indianapolis, Ind.
John Stika, president of the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand, talked of reaching the billion-pound sales milestone in the recent fiscal year.
“You won’t find a bigger fan of marbling than me, but the success of CAB is more than just marbling,” he said. It starts with a live, healthy calf and all the ranch-level moneymakers.
Stika recalled a producer once telling him about a high-quality carcass: “It’s the most valuable thing we produce, but it’s the last thing we get paid for.”
That’s why it’s important to be sure cattle are “doing it all,” Stika said, while challenging the crowd to further the breed’s current momentum.
“We will not sell 2 billion pounds of Certified Angus Beef doing the exact same thing we did for the last 38 years,” he said. Employing all available technology is the logical path.
Please view the full Angus Media news article online.
Cattlemen’s Organization Conducts
Aggressive Membership Campaign
A hard-hitting, two-month membership campaign is being conducted by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) to strengthen the U.S. cattle producer’s voice in Washington, D.C., on issues critical to both individual cattlemen and women and the nation’s cattle industry. The “Tough Times Require a Tough Team” campaign will run through Jan. 31, 2017, and features benefits to cattle producers that are both immediate and long term.
“Cattlemen and women have a great NCBA team fighting on their behalf in Washington, D.C., every day, but a bigger team means a bigger voice,” according to Tracy Brunner, a Kansas cattleman and NCBA president. “The cattle producer’s enhanced voice in our nation’s capital can improve the business environment for U.S. beef cattle operations and help us keep those operations running today and well into the future.”
Brunner said burdensome regulations are just a part of the challenging landscape cattle producers are facing that needs to be addressed. Working with current and incoming legislators on future farm bills, the viability of U.S. beef in the global marketplace and laws that impact how producers conduct their businesses daily is also essential.
For more information please view the full NCBA news release online.
USDA Awards $6.7 Million for Research to
Support Healthy Agroecosystems
The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced Nov. 29 18 grants totaling more than $6.7 million for research to discover how components of the agroecosystem from soil, water and sun to plants, animals and people, interact with and affect food production. These awards are made through NIFA’s Bioenergy and Natural Resources Program, Agroecosystem priority area of the Agricultural and Food Research Initiative (AFRI).
“Population growth, along with environmental factors, including the growing threat of climate change, are putting increasing demand on the land, water and other resources that produce our food,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “These investments will help us understand how we can farm more effectively and sustainably to feed the growing global population.”
NIFA’s AFRI Foundational: Bioenergy, Natural Resources, and Environment Program supports research on healthy agroecosystems and their underlying natural resources essential to the sustained long-term production of agricultural goods and services. Agroecosystems may include crop production systems; animal production systems; and pasture, range and forest lands that are actively managed to provide economic, societal and environmental benefits.
For more information, please view the full USDA news release online.
Fever Ticks Confirmed on a Live Oak County Premises
The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) confirmed the presence of cattle fever ticks on a Live Oak County premises on Nov. 30, 2016. The infested premises is located approximately 110 miles outside of the Permanent Fever Tick Quarantine Zone.
The fever ticks were discovered on a bull when evaluated by a local veterinarian and identified at the TAHC State-Federal Laboratory. The infested premises has been placed under quarantine and all cattle on the premises have started treatment for fever ticks. TAHC is conducting an epidemiological investigation to determine the source of the fever ticks and trace outs from the premises.
A Control Purpose Quarantine Area (CPQA) has been established for systematic inspection of livestock and wildlife hosts in the portion of Live Oak County surrounding the infested premises. Producers located in the identified CPQA are being contacted by TAHC and USDA personnel.
Premises located within the CPQA are subject to movement restrictions, systematic inspections and potential treatment in accordance with the regulations in Title 4, Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 41 Fever Ticks.
For more information, please view the full TAHC news release online.
K-State to Host 2017 Applied Reproductive
Strategies Workshop
Make plans now to attend the 2017 Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle (ARSBC) Workshop Aug. 29-30. Hosted by the Kansas State University (K-State) Animal Sciences and Industry Department and K-State Research and Extension, the event will be headquartered at the Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center in Manhattan, Kan.
Considered the premiere national event in beef cattle reproductive management, the meeting has a long history of providing the latest information on the application of reproductive technologies and includes a range of topics related to cow herd reproduction such as nutritional interactions, management and male fertility.
The meeting is open to anyone with an interest in beef cattle reproduction including producers, technicians, veterinarians and professionals in related industries.
Program details have not been released, but look for future announcements at www.KSUBeef.org. Extensive online coverage of past meetings can be found at www.appliedreprostrategies.com.
For more information, please view the full K-State news release online.
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