News Update

May 15, 2017

Making Room for Beef

A growing beef supply won’t automatically find more room in the meatcase. It will have to earn its way with differentiated quality.

That was the message of veteran cattle feeder Sam Hands. His experience on the family’s integrated, Triangle H Farm, feedyard and commercial Angus herd has granted a full-circle perspective on improving genetic performance and beef quality.

“Our product will never be as efficiently produced as the pork and poultry, but it is the most highly sought after, most flavorful protein package out there, and we want to make sure it stays at the forefront of the consumer at the meat counter,” Hands said.

See the full interview on this week’s episode of The Angus Report. You can also catch the show at 1:30 p.m. Central Saturday and 7:30 a.m. Central every Monday on RFD-TV.

— Adapted from The Angus Report.

Cattlemen on Historic Reopening of China to U.S. Beef

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Craig Uden issued the following statement May 11 regarding the announcement from the White House that an agreement has been reached that will restore U.S. beef access to China.

“After being locked out of the world’s largest market for 13 years, we strongly welcome the announcement that an agreement has been made to restore U.S. beef exports to China.

It’s impossible to overstate how beneficial this will be for America’s cattle producers, and the Trump administration deserves a lot of credit for getting this achieved. We look forward to providing nearly 1.4 billion new customers in China with the same safe and delicious U.S. beef that we feed our families. I look forward to the day when we can serve President Trump and President Xi a dry-aged American-made New York strip in Beijing.”

Listen to the audio clip online for more information.

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

Advancing Agriculture

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation announced May 10 that it has separated its research and education operations from its philanthropic activities to advance its mission and better serve agriculture.

The organization’s research, education and consultation activities will continue forward under a new name, the Noble Research Institute LLC. The philanthropic activities, including grant-making and scholarship programs of the original organization are being placed in a new, private foundation, which will carry the name traditionally associated with the organization’s community giving, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.

Members of the Oklahoma nonprofit’s leadership team gave two special announcements (one in Ardmore and one in Oklahoma City) and explained that this decision was made so the organization could better serve the agriculture sector; expand collaborations; and better pursue opportunities to bring innovation, technologies and discoveries to agricultural producers and consumers.

For more information, view the Noble news release online.

— Adapted from a release by J. Adam Calaway, Noble Research Institute LLC.

Comprehensive Tax Reform Plan
Includes Repeal of Death Tax

Top officials in the Trump administration released their proposal for comprehensive tax reform April 26, calling it the “biggest tax cut in U.S. history.” The plan is designed to serve as the starting point as Congress and the administration work to pass a comprehensive tax reform package this year.

Danielle Beck, NCBA director of government affairs, said the administration included in the proposal immediate repeal of the Death Tax — a priority for NCBA.

The tax reform proposal comes on the heels of an executive order (EO) signed by President Trump April 25 on Promoting Agriculture and Rural Prosperity in America. The EO establishes an Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Policy and contains specific policy goals aimed at supporting rural agriculture, economic development, job growth and infrastructure improvement.

Continue reading this NCBA news release online.

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

Lallemand Animal Nutrition Offers Scholarships

Lallemand Animal Nutrition is excited to announce the continuation of its Lallemand Forward Scholarship in 2017. This is the third consecutive year that the scholarship program will be offered to students in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The 2017 program offers three $2,500 undergraduate scholarships, one $3,000 master’s scholarship and one $3,000 doctoral scholarship.

“This continued investment supporting the development of nutrition technology and expertise parallels the company’s goal of enhancing knowledge and production practices. We received an overwhelming response from outstanding candidates the past two years and we look forward to this year’s submissions to support the future leaders of our industry,” says Jeff Ast, commercial director, Lallemand Animal Nutrition, North America. “As a global leader in natural microbial products, Lallemand is committed to the advancement of animal agriculture.”

The requirements for undergraduate students to apply are: must be a full-time student, pursuing a four-year degree in an agricultural program; have junior status or higher; and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or equivalent.

Learn more in the news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Lauren Kasten, Lallemand Animal Nutrition.

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