Baxter Black: VEGAN DISCRIMINATION

Baxter Black:  VEGAN DISCRIMINATION

We were having friends over for a BBQ last August. As we planned the menu, my wife said, “Oh, Mike’s daughter is a vegetarian! We’ll need to make her a separate meal! “Just make her a turkey sandwich,” I suggested. “No, I’m serious, she said, “We’ve got to make her something special.”

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Oprah Eyes Food: TV segment should spur industry to speak up

Oprah Eyes Food: TV segment should spur industry to speak up

Kindra Gordon

American Cowman

There was lots of anticipation this past week when TV giant Oprah Winfrey aired an hour-long segment devoted to “Where our food comes from” on Oct. 14.

Those in agriculture wondered if Oprah would sling mud on the industry – or if she’d be able to capture the animal care that livestock producers provide while raising a safe – and economical – product that is destined for the food chain?

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Earn their votes

Earn their votes

Steve Suther

Black Ink

We face choices in November that will shape our common future, for better or worse. We must decide who will lead our government.

Debates serve to educate us and political ads try to score points by pointing out one candidate’s good points, another’s flaws. Sometimes, convinced that none of the leading contenders will serve, we turn to third-party, independent or write-in alternatives.

Less profound though far-reaching, voting takes place in supermarkets and restaurants every day. Americans may “vote their wallets” on a special Tuesday in autumn, but consumers vote with their wallets continuously.

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Using vaccination to reduce disease risk

Using vaccination to reduce disease risk

Bob Larson

Angus Journal

Use of appropriate vaccines in cattle herds is an important component of disease control; for some diseases it is nearly as important as proper nutrition and sanitation. Just as in human health, vaccines can play an important role in preventing some cattle diseases, but not others. And, for some diseases, vaccines play a supporting role compared to more important disease-control tools such as adequate nutrition, good sanitation and diagnostic testing.

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Cattle Diseases: Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus (BRSV) and Parainfluenza-3 (PI-3)

Cattle Diseases:  Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus (BRSV) and Parainfluenza-3 (PI-3)

E. J. Richey

University of Florida

Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus (BRSV)

For many years, the feedlot industry identified a respiratory problem in cattle that was diagnosed as an allergic reaction to changes in feed. Because of the microscopic lesions found in the lungs, a virus was suspected, but when tissue samples were submitted to the laboratory, no virus could be found. It was later determined that the virus would not survive the transport techniques. Only after taking the lab to the field was the virus isolated.

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Q: We test yearling bulls. ADG target is 3.5 lbs per day. If substituting soybean hulls for corn, what is the % of soy hulls to corn required? I have seen everything from 1:1 to 1.25:1.

Q:   We test yearling bulls. ADG target is 3.5 lbs per day. If substituting soybean hulls for corn, what is the % of soy hulls to corn required? I have seen everything from 1:1 to 1.25:1.

Dr. Terry Mader, Professor of Animal Science, Northeast Research and Extension Center University of Nebraska

A: When fed with corn, soyhulls have a greater feeding values than when fed as a sole source of feed.

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Ethanol Boom to Flood Industry with Livestock Feed

Ethanol Boom to Flood Industry with Livestock Feed

Thebeefsite.com

A potential benefit of the rapidly growing ethanol industry will be a substantial increase in the supply of distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS), a co-product of ethanol.

More than 500 attendees at the U.S. Grains Council’s International Distillers Grains Conference (IDGC) in Indianapolis, Ind., heard that ethanol production increased in 2008 by approximately 3 billion gallons to 9.3 billion gallons compared to last year. Even more critically, production is projected by Informa Economics to reach 11.9 billion gallons in 2009. According to Ken Hobbie, USGC president and CEO, roughly 33 percent of the grain going into U.S. ethanol production will come out as DDGS.

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Manage Bulls to Insure Longevity and Fertility

Manage Bulls to Insure Longevity and Fertility

by: Dr. Lisa Kriese-Anderson, Dr. Diego Gimenez, Jr., and Rickey G. Hudson

Cattle Today

Beef producers spend considerable time and effort to find the right bull for their herd, however, too often this carefully selected bull is brought home and forgotten. Bulls require proper management, the same as cows and calves. Sound breeding, health, and nutrition programs help to ensure bull fertility, longevity, and productivity.

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Committee selected to search for new NCBA CEO

Committee selected to search for new NCBA CEO

KTIC

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is accepting applications for its Chief Executive Officer position. Terry Stokes announced his resignation as NCBA’s CEO September 25.

The job description is posted on http://www.BeefUSA.org. Qualified candidates need to submit their resume by November 15 to Nancy Rudzek, Executive Director-Human Resources, NCBA, 9110 East Nichols Ave. Suite 300, Centennial, Colo., 80112, or by email at nrudzek@beef.org.

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JBS will fight attempts to block National Beef buy

JBS will fight attempts to block National Beef buy

Brownfield Network

JBS S.A. says it will immediately complete the purchase of Smithfield Beef and vigorously fight the Justice Department’s effort to stop their purchase of National Beef. The $565 million Smithfield buy includes Five Rivers Ranch Cattle Feeding. The sale was given the “go-ahead” on Monday when Justice announced they would not challenge the deal.

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DOJ Serves Up Antitrust Suit Over Acquisition of Beef Producer

DOJ Serves Up Antitrust Suit Over Acquisition of Beef Producer

Zach Lowe

The American Lawyer

When Brazil’s JBS beef company announced in March that it had reached agreements to purchase two of the five largest U.S. beef producers, company officials claimed they were confident that both deals would pass antitrust hurdles. Turns out, they were half right. The U.S. Department of Justice approved the $565 million sale of Smithfield Foods’ beef unit, but on Monday, Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit, along with 13 states, to block JBS’ separate $560 million acquisition of the National Beef Packing Co.

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How Do Vaccines Work In The First Place?

How Do Vaccines Work In The First Place?

cattlenetwork.com

Vaccines work by stimulating the animal’s immune system to develop protection against the bacteria, virus, toxin, or other pathogen in question. This is usually done by injecting the animal with a protein (or group of proteins) that has been proven to stimulate a protective immune response.

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Improving The Value Of Feeder Cattle

Improving The Value Of Feeder Cattle

cattlenetwork.com

There have been studies over the years where people have sat in auction markets and recorded type and price on every sale over several months to determine the factors that affect price. One of those was done in Kansas in 1986, Oklahoma followed up with a similar study in 1997 and Arkansas has done the same thing in 2005.

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Cattle fed distiller’s grains maintain flavor and tenderness of beef

Cattle fed distiller’s grains maintain flavor and tenderness of beef

Texas A&M

 Dr. Ted McCollum, Texas AgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialist, used ultrasound periodically to track marbling and external fat deposition during the trial. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Kay Ledbetter)

Ultrasound measurements of marbling and fat thickness were kept throughout the distiller’s grain feeding trial. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Kay Ledbetter)

AMARILLO – The availability and use of wet distiller’s grains in beef finishing diets continues to increase as the ethanol industry expands, and some Texas AgriLife Research scientists are trying to determine if that will affect consumers’ meat purchases.

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A History of Beef, Times Two

A History of Beef, Times Two

Gilbert Cruz

Time

Who knew beef was so powerful? According to this new pair of bovine books, the cow has greatly influenced the history of America (says Fussell) and the history of, oh, all of human history (claim Rimas and Fraser). Fussell, a vigorous and delightful writer, focuses her laser-sharp observations on the American West, while Rimas and Fraser are a little rangier, spanning from prehistory to the present and from Argentina to Africa.

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