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When I started to bang out this week's article, there was material
for a whole host of subjects sitting on my desk. Among them was the HBO
special that aired this week and highlighted abuse at factory farms.
There was the continued liquidation of dairy cows in the U.S. And there
was the surprising strength of beef exports in the face of a
deteriorating global economy. Obviously, the topics ranged from
extremely positive to pretty darn negative.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Troy Marshall
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Regret is one of the saddest words I know. It’s not only an
emotion focused on the past, but it’s based on something that can’t
be rectified.
Life is short. With each passing moment and each passing day, we write
our life's story. The truth is that we can always change the ending to
that story but nothing can be done about the chapters already written.
In looking at my life story thus far, one likely wouldn’t consider it
classic literature. I think I have a few good paragraphs in there, but
they’re probably followed by a few paragraphs with little redeeming
value, and even a few lines that I hope no one will ever read.
But if I were to diagram some of the sentences of my story, I can‘t
help but think the problem was that I merely winged it – sitting down
at the keyboard and trying to bang something out – without an end in
mind.
Perhaps the key to making the stories of our lives read as we would like
them is to begin with the desired conclusion and work backward. I've
heard many people talk about the importance of understanding your
ultimate destination, but how often do we set out in the management of
our cattle enterprises or our lives with nothing more than tomorrow or
the next 10 minutes in mind?
We all must decide what truly matters to us. Is it your relationship
with your spouse, your kids, your friends, making a difference in the
world, finances? Success in any of those pursuits may entail visualizing
the ending you desire and then working backward to create them.
-- Troy Marshall
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Making the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) mandatory
would allow for the quick control of diseases entering the food supply,
W. Ron DeHaven, CEO and executive vice-president of the American
Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) told Congress this week. Currently
it is a voluntary program in which about 35% of livestock operations in
the U.S. have registered AVMA says a mandatory animal ID tracking system
would be the most effective way to minimize an animal disease outbreak.
Administered by USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
(APHIS), NAIS is an information system under which food animals are
tagged so their movements can be tracked in the event of a disease
outbreak. The speedy turnaround could save millions of animal lives and
billions of dollars, as well as shield public health and U.S. trade from
profound damages, DeHaven told Congress.
"The U.S. cannot afford to wait for a crisis to make a mandatory animal
identification system a reality," DeHaven said.
DeHaven says AVMA fully supports a national livestock ID system.
“We're asking veterinarians, particularly those working with
livestock, to become involved in the NAIS program, to register their own
hospitals in addition to their premises and animals, and also to
encourage their clients to register their animals and premises. No one
carries more credibility with animal owners than veterinarians."
-- DVM newsmagazine
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Thirty-nine farm and ag organizations sent a letter to the House and
Senate Budget Committee leadership stating their strong opposition to
the administration’s proposed farm bill budget cuts. The groups
reminded the leadership that these cuts are being proposed just eight
months after the enactment of the 2008 Farm Bill and that many of the
rules implementing the farm bill are not even in place.
Also, the farm bill contains more than $7.6 billion in cuts to the
safety net “despite the fact that the cost of these provisions over
the preceding six years was already $21.8 billion under budget,” the
letter said. The groups stated, “Most troubling, far from targeting
large agribusinesses that do not need assistance, the proposed cuts
would strike at the economic heart of full-time farm families, of every
sized operation, in the midst of the worst economic downturn since the
Great Depression and at a time when net farm income is projected to be
down 20%, threatening the viability of hundreds of thousands of
family-owned farms and ranches and further undermining the U.S.
economy.”
Those signing the letter included the American Farm Bureau Federation,
American Soybean Association, National Association of Wheat Growers,
National Corn Growers Association, National Cotton Council, National
Council of Farmer Cooperatives, National Farmers Union, and USA Rice
Federation.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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For cattlemen looking at the niche market of grass-fed beef, bigger
may not be better, at least as far as mature size of the cattle is
concerned. That's the consensus of a number of trials and reports
looking at the viability of grass-finished beef. According to Lee
Rinehart, ag specialist with the National Center for Appropriate
Technology (NCAT), selecting body type is more important than breed type
for pasture-based operations.
-- Read the rest of this article by Burt
Rutherford at:
beefmagazine.com/business/0301-growth-characteristics-important/.
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Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) has introduced the “Preservation of
Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act” (PAMTA). This legislation bans
the use of antibiotics in livestock that prevent or control diseases.
The bill would:
- Phase out the non-therapeutic use in livestock of medically
important antibiotics,
- Require this same tough standard of new applications for approval
of animal antibiotics and
- Does not restrict use of antibiotics to treat sick animals or to
treat pets and other animals not used for food.
Slaughter said, “There is little doubt that antibiotic-resistant
diseases are a growing public health menace. From peanut butter to
spinach to hot dogs, we all want to make sure the food we feed our
families is safe. My legislation will limit the use of antibiotics on
our livestock to ensure that we are not inadvertently creating
antibiotic- resistant diseases that we can't fight with modern
medicine."
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) said, “This is
irresponsible legislation. We are committed to maintaining the
well-being of our animals, and we need access to a range of animal
health products to keep our pigs healthy and, in turn, produce safe food
products. This bill will prevent that, and we’ll see more pigs die and
higher production costs, and that means consumers will pay more for
pork.”
A 2000 survey of human health experts found that 96% of antibiotic
resistance in humans is due to human use of antibiotics.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Rep. George Miller (D-CA) introduced the
“Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA)” or card check legislation. EFCA
would allow unions to be recognized without having to hold a secret
ballot election.
Under this legislation a union would only have to have a majority of
employees sign cards authorizing the union. This legislation will be a
major battle this session of Congress between the unions and business
groups.
Editor’s note: Interestingly, a pair of Rasmussen Reports
surveys on the union issue this past week discovered that:
- 61% of Americans say it’s fair to require a vote by secret
ballot if workers want to form a union. Just 18% say it isn’t fair to
require a secret ballot. See the report at: www.rasmussenreports.com/jobs_employment/61.
- While union members tend to believe that most workers want to join
a labor union, only 9% of non-union workers responding to the survey
said they would like to join a union; 81% would not. See the report at:
www.rasmussenreports.com/jobs_employment/just_9.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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There’s an abundance of Choice beef as the U.S. enters the summer
grilling season. In fact, USDA reports that for the week ending Feb. 28,
63.24% of steers and heifers slaughtered graded Choice. That’s the
highest level since records began back in 1997, reports the CME Group in
its Daily Livestock Report.
Just why is likely a combination of at least four factors, the report
says.
- First, packers and feedlot operators indicated this winter’s
climate was generally quite favorable to feeding cattle.
- Related to that factor, carcass weights have moved higher and steer
weights are currently up as much as 25 lbs., or 3% over year-ago levels.
In fact, a Kansas State University feedlot survey reports steers and
heifers on feed have been gaining weight at a much faster pace than a
year ago, with steers gaining an average 3.62 lbs./day in January, a 5%
improvement from a year ago and 15% improvement from January 2007.
- Third, more cattle are grading Choice as more packers use
mechanical or objective grading systems, rather than just human
inspectors. Livestock Marketing Information Center (www.lmic.info) analysts this week
noted that over the last few years, due to objective grading systems,
some packers have moved away from reporting Yield Grade (YG) data and to
focus solely on reporting USDA Quality Grades. Thus, in early 2008 the
percentage of packers reporting YG data dropped to about 75%, and, as of
February 2009, only half of packers were providing YG data.
- The last factor is genetics. More Choice-grading cattle breeds have
been added to the nation’s herds over time boosting the supply of
Choice beef in the marketplace.
-- CME Group Daily Livestock Report
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A bipartisan group of 27 congressmen have written President Barack
Obama and the Senate and House Budget Committees in opposition to the
administration’s proposed 20% cut in the Market Access Program (MAP).
The letter said, “Supporting American farmers and farm communities
must be a part of getting our economy back on track. At a time when our
nation is struggling to create jobs and our government is spending
hundreds of billions to boost the economy, we believe cuts to MAP
represent a step in the wrong direction. It is difficult to understand
why cuts to MAP are necessary while an increase is being proposed for
the overall USDA budget for next year.”
The letter was organized by Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA). The MAP program
was reauthorized in the 2008 farm bill at $200 million annually.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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 Good news for beef exports
The U.S. Meat Export Federation reported that for 2008, export volumes
increased 28% to nearly 2.2 billion pounds, while values jumped 38% to
$3.6 billion. Canada and Mexico were the top two destinations for U.S.
beef. Get to know your checkoff — learn
more about how your investment continues to build beef demand around
the world.
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For the week ending March 16, the national average price for regular
gasoline at retail fell for the first time in three weeks, and the
average price of diesel fell for the ninth straight week.
Nationwide, gasoline slipped 3.1¢ to $1.91/gal., or $1.374 below the
price a year ago. Except for the Rocky Mountain region, which gained
.5¢ to $1.819, prices dropped throughout the U.S. The East Coast
declined 1.1¢ to $1.907, the Midwest 6.6¢ to $1.852, the Gulf Coast
1.1¢ to $1.808, and the West Coast 3.4¢ to $2.134. California shed
3.4¢ to $2.162.
Diesel dropped 2.8¢ to $2.017/gal., $1.957 below a year ago. Prices
were down in all regions. The East Coast fell 2.9¢ to $2.093, the
Midwest 2.3¢ to $1.965, and the West Coast 2.9¢ to $2.091. The Gulf
Coast and Rocky Mountain regions slid below $2/gal. for the first time
since February 2005 at $1.973 and $1.988, respectively. California shed
2.6¢ to $2.049/gal., or $2.034 lower than a year ago.
-- U.S. Energy Information Administration
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European Union (EU) Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton was in
Washington, D.C. this week in talks with White House officials and
Congressional leaders about ending the 20-year-long dispute over beef
produced with growth promotants.
In 1988, the EU banned imports of beef produced with growth promotants.
Later, the World Trade Organization ruled that the EU had no scientific
standing for the ban and allowed the U.S. to impose sanctions on various
European goods of $116.8 million a year.
In January, the outgoing Bush Administration moved to rotate the list of
goods hit with sanctions, which spurred EU officials to open talks with
the U.S. Those new sanctions were scheduled to become effective March
23. However, the U.S. last week said it would put a month-long hold on
the sanctions to give both sides time to work out a deal.
EU sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters the EU is
offering to double its preferential quota for U.S. beef imports of
non-implanted beef from 11,500 metric tons in exchange for an end to
U.S. sanctions. In 2008, the EU imported 20,660 metric tons of U.S. beef
worth $99.7 million, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation.
“I certainly, at this point in time, would not read that to say that
we have some sort of an agreement,” said Gregg Doud, National
Cattlemen’s Beef Association economist. “What I would say is we’re
hopeful.”
But that hopefulness may be short-lived. EU concerns about antimicrobial
treatments sprayed on carcasses to control E. coli have stalled
progress, he says.
“We are absurdly discussing with the Europeans the environmental
effects of spraying pickle juice on beef carcasses. That leads me to a
fair amount of frustration with regards to our ability to have a viable
trading situation with the Europeans.”
-- Reuters
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Cows are known for their big, beautiful dark eyes. But University of
Guelph researchers have discovered it's actually the whites of their
eyes that are important when it comes to determining their temperament.
Their study, published in the recent online issue of the Journal of
Animal Science, found that the higher the proportion of visible
white in a cow's eye, the more anxious the animal.
"Cows whose eyes were about 50% white were very anxious," says Sarah
Core, a master's student who worked on the study with Guelph animal and
poultry science professors Steve Miller, Tina Widowski and Georgia
Mason. “The more passive cows had about 20% visible white in their
eyes.”
“With growing consumer demands for higher-quality products and animal
welfare, selection for docility in cattle and other behavioral traits is
beginning to play a key role in increasing profits throughout the beef
industry,” she says.
With the same group of cattle, the researchers also studied how the
animals responded to being segregated from the herd. Those that were
more anxious would panic and immediately try to rejoin the herd, whereas
the more passive ones would remain still. The findings of this second
study also showed a correlation between the proportion of white in the
animals’ eyes and anxious behavior.
The next step in this research is to determine the heritability of eye
white among cattle, Core says. “More research needs to be done on how
this trait is transferred down the lines. For example, if you have two
parents with a small amount of white in their eyes, what are the chances
that will be passed on to their progeny?”
-- University of Guelph release
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USDA announced a final rule that will require a complete ban on the
slaughter of cattle that become non-ambulatory (disabled) after passing
initial federal inspection by Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
personnel. These “downer” cattle are to be condemned and properly
disposed of under FSIS regulations.
The American Meat Institute (AMI) said, “We are pleased that USDA has
acted favorably on a petition submitted by AMI and other industry
organizations in April 2008. This rule codifies voluntary industry
practice since we submitted the petition nearly a year ago.”
See the rule at: www.fsis.usda.gov.pdf
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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Livestock producers who find organic production an entirely
different animal than what they're used to can now turn to a Purdue
University resource for help.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
release by Purdue University
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Kansas State University´s (KSU) 2009 Beef Roundup at the
Agricultural Research Center in Hays (ARCH) is April 16. Registration
begins at 10 a.m. and the program will start at 10:30 a.m. in the ARCH
arena at the center´s feedlot. A hosted lunch will divide the program
at 12:15 p.m. in the ARCH auditorium.
Presentations will follow from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., concluding with the
featured presentation -- "Raising Beef for a First-World Country:
Science, Politics, and the Media."
In addition to a highlighting of beef cattle research conducted during
the previous year, other topics include:
- Using sequential feeding of Optaflexx and Zilmax to enhance
cull-cow value,
- Beef production and vegetation trends from modified-intensive early
stocking,
- Beef cow performance following rumen-protected choline
supplementation for 40 days before calving,
- Comparison of a modified five-day Co-Synch plus controlled CIDR
protocol with Co-Synch plus CIDR protocol in mature beef cows and
- Should preconditioning programs be the same for all types of
cattle?
For more info, contact John Jaeger, beef cattle specialist, at
785-625-3425, Ext. 211.
-- KSU Extension
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The Senate confirmed Ron Kirk, the former mayor of Dallas, TX, as
the U.S. Trade Representative. According to the Dallas Morning
News, Kirk told members of the Senate during his confirmation
hearing last week that he will “put a fresh emphasis on workers and
the environment.”
He said that includes a willingness to jettison a pending U.S.-South
Korea trade deal hammered out by the Bush administration.
"The agreement as it is just simply isn't fair, and if we don't get that
right we'll be prepared to step away from that," Kirk said. "I do not
come to this job with 'deal fever.' We will not do trade deals just for
the sake of doing deals."
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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Close your eyes and envision this – lush, green fields heavy with
grass and loaded with nutrition. If that's what you see without closing
your eyes, count your blessings. But in areas where drought seems the
norm, brown grass blankets miles and miles of pasture. Getting every
pound of production possible from marginal fields is essential.
-- Read the rest of this article by Larry Stalcup
at:
beefmagazine.com/pasture-range/drought/0301-maximizing-marginal-pastures/.
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President Barack Obama announced his intention to nominate James W.
(Jim) Miller to be USDA under secretary for farm and foreign
agricultural services, and Dallas P. Tonsager to be under secretary of
ag for rural development.
Miller is currently chief of staff of the National Farmers Union, having
previously served as senior analyst for agriculture and trade on the
majority staff of the Senate Budget Committee. In 1987, Miller was
president of the National Wheat Growers Association.
Meanwhile, Tonsager currently serves as a board member of the Farm
Credit Administration. He served as USDA’s South Dakota state director
for rural development during President Bill Clinton’s administration.
In 1999, he was named one of two outstanding state directors.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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Two Harvard-trained physicians have been tapped by President Obama
to head the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Margaret Hamburg, 53, a
bioterrorism expert and former New York City health commissioner, has
been nominated to head FDA. Meanwhile, Joshua Sharfstein, a 39-year-old
pediatrician who has served as Baltimore, MD health commissioner since
2005, has been nominated for the deputy commissioner post. Previous to
his Baltimore post, he served as a health-policy aide to Rep. Henry
Waxman (D-CA).
-- Joe Roybal
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The ongoing drought in Texas has cost the state’s farmers and
ranchers nearly $1 billion, and losses could continue to mount this
spring if sufficient rainfall isn’t received for forage or row crops,
Texas AgriLife Extension Service economists report.
Rainfall last week over much of Texas was too little too late as ongoing
drought has cost livestock producers $569 million since November. Cattle
producers have spent substantial amounts on hay and supplemental feed,
according to ag officials, and the drought losses also include failed
wheat crops usually used for grazing.
When totaling losses already sustained since November, AgriLife
Extension economists said the ongoing drought has cost Texas $829
million to date. Those losses will likely surpass the $1-billion mark in
the next 60 days as livestock producers continue to make supplemental
feed purchases or sell cattle and calves in a declining market, says
David Anderson, AgriLife Extension livestock marketing economist.
“Texas is the largest beef cow-producing state in the U.S. with more
than five million head. More than 60% of the state’s beef cows are
located in counties categorized as being in severe to exceptional
drought,” Anderson says.
“The effects of drought on livestock go well beyond the immediate
year. Drought results in reduced conception rates and calf crops the
next year. The lack of feed results in lower cattle sale weights. Range
and pasture recovery from drought can take multiple years and can result
in reduced stocking rates while ranges recover,” he adds.
-- Texas AgriLife Extension release
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USDA has granted a conditional license to Epitopix, LLC for
America’s first E. coli O157 vaccine for cattle. It is labeled
for use in cattle to reduce the prevalence of the E. coli O157
carrier state and the amount of E. coli O157 shed in feces to
minimize E. coli exposure and infection of herd mates.
Although the product license is conditional while additional potency and
efficacy studies are completed, the USDA approval allows Epitopix to
make the vaccine immediately available for use by the beef industry.
The vaccine is made with Epitopix’ exclusive SRP® Technology, a
production process developed by a team of Epitopix scientists led by
Daryll Emery, Darren Straub and Doug Burkhardt. In addition, Dan Thomson
of Kansas State University and Guy Loneragan of West Texas A&M
University helped design and conduct clinical trials and studies needed
to meet USDA requirements.
-- Epitopix, LLC news release
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