News Update

June 22, 2017

Evaluating the Mmmmm

Flavor, tenderness, juiciness, appearance, aroma and freshness — all are attributes that contribute to beef consumers’ beef-eating satisfaction. Yet, when tenderness is constant, it is flavor, or “taste,” that is the primary beef demand driver, according to Bridget Wasser, senior director of meat science and technology for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).

Wasser talked about ongoing beef checkoff-funded flavor research during the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Research Symposium and Convention hosted May 31-June 3 in Athens, Ga.

She addressed her comments to a group gathered for the convention’s Advancements in End Product Improvement breakout session, explaining that most end-product research conducted by NCBA through 2020 is being directed toward unraveling and better understanding flavor complexity and its role as a determinant of beef-eating satisfaction.

Continue reading this Angus Media news article online.

— Adapted from an article by Troy Smith for Angus Media.

K-State Hosts Conference for Rural Veterinary Practitioners

An inaugural event in Manhattan helped educate rural veterinarians on how to respond and work together in the event of a potential transboundary emergency situation.

The June 4 Rural Veterinary Practitioner Conference at the Hilton Garden Inn was sponsored by the USDA in collaboration with the Beef Cattle Institute, Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases, National Agriculture Biosecurity Center, College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University (K-State) and the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

The conference’s theme was “Preparing for Disease Challenges” and featured a variety of speakers such as Justin Smith, Kansas’ animal health commissioner. He has responsibility for directing the statewide response outbreaks of emerging or transboundary disease. He noted that Kansas is particularly vulnerable, in part, due to the annual shipment of more than 4.5 million head of cattle into the state, not counting cattle shipped purely for purposes of slaughter.

Smith said contingency plans in Kansas are based on the possible outbreak of foot and mouth disease, as it represents a worst-case scenario. He said, “If we can stop that, we can stop anything.”

View the K-State news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Joe Montgomery, K-State Research and Extension.

Virginia Angus Breeders Show

The 56th Annual Virginia Angus Breeders Show will be hosted the last weekend in July in Chatham, Va. The Junior Show will be on Saturday the 29th, and the open show (also open to the contiguous states) is on Sunday the 30th.

The show always provides an opportunity for the community, local farmers, regional Angus breeders and Virginia Junior Angus members to celebrate the business breed through fellowship, competition and exhibition. There is also a prime rib dinner and junior embryo auction on Saturday night.

A show of this capacity takes many hours of labor to plan and run. It also requires monetary funds to run a successful show. Please consider supporting the 2017 Angus Breeders Show by pledging your support by calling 540-416-9066 or mailing your contribution to VA Angus at 644 Greenville Ave, #220, Staunton, VA 24401 or via email to vaangus1933@gmail.com.

For more information, read the full news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Dennis Eastin and Tim Clark, Virginia Angus Breeders.

Minnesota State Fair Accepting Entries

Entries for the 2017 Minnesota State Fair Open Class Beef Cattle Show will be accepted beginning Monday, June 19, 2017. Included are a variety of competition categories for Angus, Charolais, Hereford, Limousin, Red Angus, Shorthorn and Simmental breeds.

Detailed information and entry forms are available at www.mnstatefair.org/competition/livestock.html.

Entry deadlines for beef cattle: Monday, July 31 for mail-in entries; Monday Aug. 7, for online entries. For further information, please email competition@mnstatefair.org or call 651-288-4417. The 2017 Minnesota State Fair is open Aug. 24 through Labor Day, Sept. 4.

— Adapted from a release by Marie LeFebvre, Minnesota State Fair.

AgriLife Extension sets Range, Brush Program

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will conduct the Brown County Range and Brush Program July 6 at the Brown County Fairgrounds, 4206 U.S. Highway 377 South in Brownwood.

Registration will start at 3:30 p.m. Central with the program following from 4-9 p.m.

“Brush encroachment into our pastures continues to be an expensive problem to deal with,” said Scott Anderson, AgriLife Extension agent in Brown County. “It doesn’t take long for weeds and brush to choke out good desirable grasses, forcing a reduction in stocking rates of livestock. If left unchecked, these pasture invaders can make large areas undesirable even for some wildlife.

“The overriding theme for this program will be all about using herbicides responsibly to enhance desirable forage for both livestock and wildlife.”

For more information, visit the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events.

— Adapted from a release by Steve Byrns, Texas AgriLife Communications.

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

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