Jack in the Box sued for suggesting Angus burger is really anus burger

Jack in the Box sued for suggesting angus burger is really anus burger

AOL Money and Finance

CKE Restaurants (NYSE: CKR), parent company of Hardee’s and Carl Jr.’s is suing Jack in the Box (NYSE: JBX) for a television commercial which allegedly suggests that the company’s famous angus burgers are made from cow anus (see YouTube video above).

This is one of the more entertaining legal cases I’ve seen in awhile. According to the Associated Press, “CKE claims the ads create the misleading impression that Jack In The Box’s new 100 percent sirloin burgers use a better quality of meat than the Angus beef used by Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. CKE claims the spots confuse consumers by comparing sirloin, a cut of meat found on all cattle, with Angus, which is a breed of cattle.”

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JBS Agrees to Buy Swift for $1.4 Billion, People Say

JBS Agrees to Buy Swift for $1.4 Billion, People Say

By Daniel J. Goldstein and Madelene Pearson

Bloomberg News

JBS SA, Latin America’s biggest meat producer, agreed to buy closely held Swift & Co. for $1.4 billion, gaining control of the third-largest seller of beef and pork in the U.S., people familiar with the matter said.

JBS, the Sao Paulo-based owner of Brazil’s Friboi meat brand, will acquire all of Swift’s assets in the U.S. and Australia, said the people, who asked not to be identified. The takeover may be announced today, they said. Swift is controlled by Dallas-based buyout firm HM Capital Partners LLC.

Swift has reported only one profitable quarter since November 2004 after the discovery of mad-cow disease in Washington state slashed beef exports. The acquisition will give JBS access to the U.S, the world’s top consumer of beef, and open Asian markets such as Japan, which ban imports from Brazil.

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Tax break could spur Mo. cattle industry

Tax break could spur Mo. cattle industry

By CHRIS BLANK

San Jose Mercury News

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.- A proposed tax break could help spur the state’s cattle industry by enabling farmers and ranchers to hang on to their animals longer, bringing higher profits when they are sold, supporters of the measure say.

The beef tax credit is part of a larger tax break bill lawmakers passed a few weeks ago that is under review by Gov. Matt Blunt.

It would give a tax break to farmers who sell their cattle after they reach 450 pounds—when cattle are generally weaned from milk.

Mark Akin, general manager of Circle A Ranch near Iberia, said the tax break would encourage the state’s cattlemen to keep cattle in Missouri rather than ship them west to be fattened and processed, like he has for the past 14 years.

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U.S. demands S. Korea resume full imports of American beef

U.S. demands S. Korea resume full imports of American beef

Yonhap News

The United States has officially called for South Korea to lift restrictions and import all parts of American beef in the aftermath of a global animal health body’s conclusion that the beef poses a “controlled risk” for mad cow disease, the government said Sunday.

The request came only days after U.S. and Canadian beef were unanimously designated “BSE controlled risk” on Tuesday by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), a Paris-based organization that sets guidelines for animal health and meat safety. BSE stands for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, the scientific name for mad cow disease.

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Area farmer breeding better beef

Area farmer breeding better beef

DAVID THOMPSON

Williamsport (PA) Sun-Gazette

Eldred Township cattleman Russ Reitz holds a receptacle containing a frozen embryo removed from one of his Black Angus cows.

Calves born on Russ Reitz’s farm in Eldred Township are 100 percent Black Angus, even though the cows giving birth to the calves often are cross breeds such as Holstein-Angus or Limousin-Angus mixes.

There’s no magic involved in the process. Reitz uses embryo transfers, a practice designed to increase the number of offspring from genetically superior females.

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Cattle Preconditioning Forum: Warm, Wet Weather Equals Parasite Problems

Cattle Preconditioning Forum: Warm, Wet Weather Equals Parasite Problems

Cattlenetwork.com

Late spring and early summer bring temperatures that are ideal for internal parasite reproduction.  When conditions are as wet as they have been this year, the problem will be even further amplified.  Our primary goal this time of year is to keep parasite contamination of the pastures as minimal as possible for young cattle until the hot dry days of late summer can come to our aid.

To properly manage parasites you must have a basic understanding of their life cycle.  Luckily, although exact times may differ slightly, all cattle round worms develop through a very similar cycle.  The circle starts with adult worms in the animal’s digestive tract laying eggs that are then passed in the manure.  At proper temperatures, the eggs hatch into larvae that crawl away from the manure pat and undergo changes to reach the infective larvae stage.  The infective larvae climb up vegetation where they are ingested as the animal grazes.  They are limited, however in the climb. The vegetation must be wet and the larvae can only climb a few inches.  In fact, over 80% of the larvae are found in the first two inches of vegetation height.  Avoiding grazing pastures short during early summer is a big factor in avoiding heavy parasite infestation.

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Highland cattle a popular attraction at festival

Highland cattle a popular attraction at festival

By SUSAN FIELD

The Morning Sun (MI)

Heaving out a sigh, Questa lowered her 1,300-pound frame onto the straw, indifferent to the people peering into her pen.

Being petted and looked at while people attending the Highland Festival in Alma is nothing new for the 5-year-old Highland cow, who is two months from calving.

For Quincy, her companion at the Triple Tree Farms exhibit at the festival on the Alma College campus, it’s old hat.

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HSUS agenda: A threat to animal agriculture

HSUS agenda: A threat to animal agriculture

PHILIP LOBO

Feedstuffs Foodlink

Recently, Trent Loos called “foul” when FFA hired country singer Carrie Underwood, a well-known vegetarian and supporter of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), to entertain at its annual gathering in Indianapolis, Ind.

Loos questioned on his radio shows and in his Oct. 23 Feedstuffs column why FFA would hire an individual who, on her web site, publicly supports a group that is hostile to American agriculture, especially animal agriculture.

It is unfortunate that Loos and FFA, who should be allies, traded jabs over the issue.

Just as importantly, the Animal Agriculture Alliance has received reports that Loos also received e-mails from agriculture teachers rebuking him for mistaking HSUS for a vegan-led animal rights group. These teachers need to do some homework.

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Eli Lilly Acquires Data Powerhouse Ivy Animal Health

Eli Lilly Acquires Data Powerhouse Ivy Animal Health

Eli Lilly & Company news release

Beef Magaine

Ivy Animal Health, Inc., will become an operating unit of Eli Lilly and Company’s Elanco Animal Health division under an acquisition agreement announced today by Lilly. The transaction is expected to close near the end of the second quarter of 2007, contingent upon regulatory approval.

Privately held Ivy was established in 1982 and includes four divisions — Ivy Laboratories, VetLife, Ivy Natural Solutions and AgSpan — and will continue to operate from its current location in Overland Park, KS, a Lilly release says. Upon deal closing, Ivy will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Lilly.

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Illinois governor signs horse slaughter ban bill into law

Illinois governor signs horse slaughter ban bill into law

by Julie Harker

Brownfield Network

The last plant in the U.S. that slaughters horses for human consumption overseas has been halted with the signing of a law this week by the governor of Illinois. The legislation makes the practice illegal and stops operations at Cavel International in DeKalb, Illinois. Two horse slaughterhouses in Texas will remain closed after their attempts to reopen were denied this week by the Texas legislature and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Do injection site swellings and lesions indicate decrease in vaccine response?

Do injection site swellings and lesions indicate decrease in vaccine response?

Dr. Glenn Selk, Extension Cattle Specialist, Oklahoma State University

University of Arkansas beef specialists conducted an experiment to compare the clostridial antibody response of 8 month-old heifers that do develop OR do not develop visible injection-site lesions and swelling.  Blood samples were collected on day 0, 28, 56, 84, and 112 after injection with a 7-way clostridial subcutaneous vaccination.  The vaccinations were given in the neck with a pistol-grip syringe using the tented technique.

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Fly control begins with knowing flies (Pest control)

Fly control begins with knowing flies (Pest control)

Drovers

Four fly species account for the majority of losses in beef production:  house flies, horn flies, stable flies and face flies. They have similar appearance and life cycles, but because of differences in their breeding sites, habitats and feeding behaviors, producers need to identify the pests for effective and economical control.

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Federal Bill Seeks To Strengthen the Animal Welfare Act

Federal Bill Seeks To Strengthen the Animal Welfare Act

Humane Society of the US

WASHINGTON – Legislation introduced earlier this week would prohibit the use of live animals in sales and marketing demonstrations of medical devices and products. U.S. Representatives Steve Israel (D-NY) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) introduced the Animal Welfare Accountability Improvement Act, which would amend the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The amendment was prompted by an incident at the Cleveland Clinic last winter, when a doctor created a brain aneurysm in an anesthetized dog to demonstrate a medical device to a group of salespeople.

During the demonstration to about two dozen people, the dog, who was under anesthesia, was operated on and then repeatedly manipulated by a group of non-medically trained salespeople in attendance, according to reports. At the conclusion, the dog was killed. The Cleveland Clinic is credited with taking swift action in the case – conducting an internal investigation, taking disciplinary measures against the doctor, and notifying the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  However, The Humane Society of the United States believes there should be a national policy prohibiting such conduct, and the matter should not be left to each institution to settle.

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Dale Blasi – If COOL Were Implemented, How Would It Affect A Stocker Cattle Producer?

Dale Blasi – If COOL Were Implemented, How Would It Affect A Stocker Cattle Producer?

Stocker Cattle Forum

Given the numerous food safety-related incidents that have occurred during the past six months, there certainly has been growing momentum for the implementation of COOL. While my comments will not to address the validity or the flaws of COOL in its present form, I will say that many people have the mistaken belief that food safety measures will be vastly improved with the existence of a labeling law such as COOL. Regardless of the outcome, all cattle producers should anticipate that greater emphasis will be placed on traceability in all aspects of our food production complex in the near future. As Nevil mentioned in his contribution, an individual animal identification system (not NAIS) will need to be factored into the equation if the desired outcome is an effective COOL.

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Growing Iowa’s Cattle Feeding Business

Growing Iowa’s Cattle Feeding Business      

Rod Swoboda

Wallaces Farmer

Iowa State University Extension and the Iowa Beef Center sponsored three workshops for producers who were interested in starting or expanding a cattle feeding business this past winter. A total of 35 producers participated in the workshops. With distillers grains becoming more available to include in cattle rations as ethanol production continues to expand, there is a renewed interest in cattle feeding in Iowa.

Russ Euken, ISU Extension livestock specialist in north central Iowa, initiated the idea of the workshops. He says, “With an increasing number ethanol plants in the area, there is interest and opportunity for feeding cattle. However, many farm operations in the area have not fed cattle for quite a few years if at all. If they are going to start in the business and be successful, they need to do their homework and the workshop is meant to help in that process.”

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Kansas cattle, cattlemen recover from tornado

Kansas cattle, cattlemen recover from tornado

By Gene Johnston

Agriculture Online        

Following some of the worst tornadoes in years, Kansas cattle producers are struggling to locate their herds, treat the injured, and tally losses.

“It will be quite a while before we know the extent of the injuries and the losses from the storms,” says veterinarian Randall Spare, Ashland (Kansas) Veterinary Clinic. “More than 10 days after the storms, people were still looking for their cattle.”

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U.S. Cattle Groups Respond to Upgraded BSE Classification

U.S. Cattle Groups Respond to Upgraded BSE Classification         

Western Farmer Stockman

At its general session meetings in Paris Tuesday, the World Organization for Animal Health announced that it would formally reclassify the U.S. as a ‘controlled risk’ country for bovine spongiform encephalopathy. A major U.S. cattle group and meat institute say “about time,” while another cattle group wants a better classification.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association issued a statement saying its members are “pleased” with the decision by the international veterinary body, known by its French initials as the OIE.

NCBA Chief Economist Gregg Doud says the decision should pressure foreign markets to open to U.S. beef. According to USDA, 18 countries still have bans on U.S. beef, reaching back to the late 2003 discovery of a case of BSE in the U.S.

“It is simply unacceptable for such trade barriers to cause further economic damage to our industry,” Doud says. “We expect this OIE categorization to trigger the lifting of long-standing political barriers to our products in various international markets.”

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Livestock producers will need to control stable flies after wet spring

Livestock producers will need to control stable flies after wet spring

Ag Professional

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — A wet spring in much of the state means livestock producers need to be diligent about controlling stable flies this summer, University of Nebraska-Lincoln entomologists say.

Stable flies are best controlled by sanitation and careful use of insecticides, said Jack Campbell, entomologist at UNL’s West Central Research and Extension Center at North Platte.

“Stable fly attack on feedlot cattle can reduce weight gain and feed efficacy as much as 10 to 15 percent,” Campbell said. “Maintaining dry conditions in the feedlot or dairy pen will greatly reduce fly breeding since flies need moisture mixed with organic matter to develop.”

Feedlot and dairy facilities should be designed or modified to facilitate ease in cleaning, good drainage and to minimize waste accumulation, he said.

Major feedlot breeding areas include behind feeding aprons, under fences and gates and along and behind mounds, said David Boxler, UNL entomology research technician.

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Benefits of omega-3 fed cows passed onto consumers

Benefits of omega-3 fed cows passed onto consumers

By Stephen Daniells

FOOD USA

Cows fed a diet rich in omega-3 produce enriched meat that has significant benefits for consumers, suggests new research from Kansas State University.

The enrichment of meat products with omega-3 and its addition to animal feed to boost levels in animal-derived produce is seen by some as having potential in bridging the gap between recommended and actual intake in the modern population.

“Our study was the first to look at the effects of eating a high-ALA diet of beef from cattle fed flaxseed and the impact on long-chain omega-3 fatty acid composition of EPA and DHA in the membrane phospholipids of the heart and liver using a rat model,” wrote lead author Denis Medeiros.

The current recommended intake of very long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the UK is 450mg per day. Yet on the basis of food consumption surveys, researchers estimate that the current mean intake amongst adults is only 282 mg per day, of which eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) contribute 244mg.

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Beef rates tops for Memorial Day grills

Beef rates tops for Memorial Day grills

Meat News

       UNITED STATES: Recent survey reveals beef ‘No. 1’ for Memorial Day.

Beef continues to be the number-one protein on American grills, according to a recent survey of 1,000 adults conducted in preparation for the official “opening” of the grilling season.

The survey reveals that 76 percent of Americans enjoy cooking on an outdoor grill, and a majority (67 percent) plan to fire up the grill during Memorial Day weekend. Of those who will grill on this holiday, 82 percent have hamburgers on their menu and 77 percent have steaks, specifically T-bone steak and/or ribeye steak.

More than 80 percent of respondents reported grilling during the milder seasons, specifically summer (98 percent), spring (89 percent) and fall (82 percent). Year-round grilling remains popular with 46 percent of respondents reporting they grill during the winter. Not surprisingly, those who most often grill in the winter are those living in the South (54 percent) and the West (48 percent).

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