Producer battles to test all beef

Producer battles to test all beef

By Dan Caterinicchia
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
April 28, 2006

A Kansas beef producer is in Washington this week trying to garner legislative support in its two-year battle against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which will not allow the company to test all of its cattle for mad cow disease.

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Defining Feed Efficiency

Defining Feed Efficiency

Angus e-list

Gordon Carstens, Texas A&M University, presented information defining feed efficiency at the general session “Where Do I Fit With My Production Environment?” at the BIF symposium, April 20.

Feed inputs and outputs are measured in targeted stages of the beef production cycle, Carstens said. Since it is not practical to measure forage intake of mature cows, emphasis is placed on growing animals.

“Expectations are that appropriate use of a feed efficiency trait in growing cattle, which accounts for genetic variation in efficiency of feed utilization to support maintenance and growth requirements, will generate progeny that are efficient in all segments of the industry,” Carstens said.

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BIF Online Coverage Available

BIF Online Coverage Available

Angus e-list
April 25, 2006

Angus Productions Inc. (API) is providing online coverage of the 2006 Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) annual meeting and research symposium, which was April 18-21 in Choctaw, Miss. Visit http://www.bifconference.com/bif2006/newsroom.html for speaker summaries, such as the one that follows; proceedings; PowerPoint presentations; and coverage of award winners. Audio files will be available on the Web site by May 1.

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Cattle breeding season is best time to evaluate herd profitability

Cattle breeding season is best time to evaluate herd profitability

By KARI KRAMER | East Texas Edition, http://www.countryworldnews.com

Dr. Jesse Richardson detailed profitability measures to the cattle producers attending the recent Upper Sabine Cow-Calf Clinic.
— Staff photo by Kramer

April 27, 2006 – There are several things that influence a cattlemen’s profitability, and according to Dr. Jesse Richardson of the Henderson County Animal Clinic, breeding season is the best time to evaluate those factors.

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R-CALF drops effort to close the Canadian border

R-CALF drops effort to close the Canadian border

Thursday, April 27, 2006, 2:02 PM
by Bob Meyer, Brownfield Network

The Board of Directors of R-CALF USA has voted to drop efforts to close the U.S.-Canadian border to cattle and beef products from cattle under 30 months of age. The group decided it will not appeal a recent ruling by the U.S. District Court-District of Montana which denied R-CALF’s request for a permanent injunction to close the border.

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Don’t forget the average Americans when advertising American beef

Don’t forget the average Americans when advertising American beef

By SHANNON BURKDOLL, The Prairie Star editor
Thursday, April 27, 2006 7:16 AM MDT

Shannon Burkdoll
I’ve been thinking differently since I became a mother. I now think more of my daughter than of myself and other seemingly important things.

As a result, my shopping habits have changed. My purchases are now dependent on three things: healthiness, price and reputation.

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North America’s livestock sector faces opportunities and challenges

North America’s livestock sector faces opportunities and challenges

By Drovers news source (Wednesday, April 26, 2006)

North America enjoys highly efficient livestock production systems that have adapted and evolved to meet changing conditions. The industry is competitive in the world market, but faces significant opportunities and challenges both in North America and abroad, according to an 18-month Farm Foundation study.

The study takes a comprehensive look at the opportunities and challenges facing major animal industries in Canada, Mexico and the United States. The project involved more than 150 individuals from the three countries, representing producers, industry, government agencies and academia.

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Media Watch, The Untold Antibiotic Story

Media Watch, The Untold Antibiotic Story

James Arnold, Food Systems Insider
jarnold@food360.com

There is usually no medicine for the sick feeling industry insiders get when the nation’s media tackle antibiotic use in farm production.

Invariably, the stories have sensational headlines telling consumers the food they have trusted for years is going to keep them — or their children — from fending off the next bout of the flu. The articles are peppered with comments from activist organizations like the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Union of Concerned Scientists or Keep Antibiotics Working. Near the end of the articles, the reporters work in the other perspective. That perspective varies from corporate no comments to short clips from reasoned explanations that sound sketchy without the background that ends up on the cutting-room floor.

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Anthrax May Have Lived in Cows’ Ashes for Decades

Anthrax May Have Lived in Cows’ Ashes for Decades

Western Mail, April 26, 2006
by SALLY WILLIAMS AND GARETH MORGAN Western Mail
Mycattle.com

Reports that a water pool was the likely source of an anthrax outbreak at a South Wales farm could be a ‘red herring’ according to the expert at the centre of the investigation. Carwyn Jones, Welsh Environment Minister, said the pond was a likely source of the disease which affected two animals.

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