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Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Confirmed In Show Pig
Pandemic H1N1 influenza in a show pig at the recent
Minnesota State Fair was confirmed by USDA yesterday. USDA announced
after the close of markets Friday that confirmatory testing was taking
place.
Samples from pigs were collected at the Minnesota State Fair between
Aug. 26 and Sept. 1 as part of a University of Iowa and University of
Minnesota cooperative agreement research project funded by the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to document influenza
viruses where humans and pigs interact, such as fairs. At the time of
sampling, the pigs appeared healthy.
"We have fully engaged our trading partners to remind them that several
international organizations, including the World Organization for Animal
Health, have advised that there is no scientific basis to restrict trade
in pork and pork products," says USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. "People
cannot get this flu from eating pork or pork products. Pork is safe to
eat."
USDA stressed the confirmed infection does not suggest infection of
commercial herds. USDA continues to remind U.S. swine producers about
the need for good hygiene, biosecurity and other practices that will
prevent the introduction and spread of influenza viruses in their herd
and encourage them to participate in USDA's swine influenza virus
surveillance program. More information about USDA's 2009 pandemic H1N1
efforts is available at www.usda.gov/H1N1flu.
For cattle, there’s obviously no health concern; it’s economic.
Depending on domestic and international consumer reaction to the
confirmation, there could be a backlog of pork competing with beef.
Through futures trade Monday there was no negative impact on contracts
associated with hogs or cattle.
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Canada Files COOL Suit
The Canadian government will proceed with a dispute
settlement process through the World Trade Organization (WTO) stemming
from mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL).
You can’t blame them.
The Mexican government will likely follow suit.
You can’t blame them either.
Read the full article
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Buying Added Stocker Value
Depending on who’s running the abacus, purchase price
drives profit opportunity in the stocker business. But, the price paid
is still relative to the health risk and gain potential.
That’s one reason last year’s National Stocker Survey revealed that
only 24% of stocker operators base their procurement strategy on buying
cattle below market average in order to straighten out someone else’s
mistakes. Instead, 65% of those surveyed indicate they buy on average;
11% pay prices that tend to be above average.
For instance, demand continues to increase for preconditioned calves,
even as the volume of qualifying calves increases.
Read the full article
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Stocker Best Practices Manual Available
If you’ve wondered about aiming stockers at the
Certified Angus Beef (CAB) program, specifically, or just want a handy
reference guide that spurs you to question where quality components fit
your operation, order a free copy of CAB’s new Best Practices Manual
(BPM) for stockers and backgrounders.
“The stocker segment has historically been considered a low-cost,
margin operator,” says Mark McCully, CAB assistant vice president for
supply. “The reality is it has a huge influence on end-product merit,
and those best management practices need to be identified and kept in
mind.”
The BPM highlights strategies that guide stockers to maximize profit and
quality. “It covers everything from genetics to cattle procurement,
from health and nutritional management to marketing. All of these areas
are critical to the bottom line as well as product quality,” McCully
says.
For instance, Greg Highfill, Oklahoma State University Extension beef
cattle specialist, explains, “The BPM addresses the issues that reduce
stress, while improving health and production efficiency. Those things
come together to yield a higher-quality end product.
“The manual does a nice job of addressing weaning and the stress that
comes with putting cattle together from different backgrounds. It helps
identify ways of treating them that will improve stocker health and
addresses appropriate animal handling guidelines.”
To get your free copy of BPM, contact Marilyn Conley at 800-225-2333 or
mconley@certifiedangusbeef.com.
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Calendar Of Events
Oct. 29-30 – HOLT CAT Symposium on Excellence in
Ranch Management, King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management, Kingsville,
TX; 361-593-5401 or krirm.tamuk.edu.
Dec. 1-3 – XXI Range Beef Cow Symposium, Casper Events Center,
Casper, WY; 307-837-2000 or www.rangebeefcow.com.
Dec. 4-5 – Missouri Livestock Symposium, Kirksville Middle
School, Kirksville; 660-341-6625 or www.missourilivestock.com.
Dec. 13-16 – 4th National Conference on Grazing lands, Nugget
Casino Resort, Sparks, NV; 303-986-3309 or www.glci.org/4NCGLindex.htm.
Dec. 14-16 – Lectureship on Managerial Accounting for Ranchers,
King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management, Kingsville, TX; 361-593-5401
or krirm.tamuk.edu.
Jan. 27-30 – National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Annual
Convention, San Antonio, TX
Feb. 23-24 – 2010 Mid-South Stocker Conference, Montgomery Bell
State Park, Dickson, TN; contact Jim Neel at 865-974-7294 (jneel@utk.edu), or Jeff Lehmkuhler at
859-257-2853.
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