AVMA Testifies on Antimicrobial Resistance before Senate

AVMA Testifies on Antimicrobial Resistance before Senate

Hoosier AG Today

The American Veterinary Medical Association testified Tuesday before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions. Among topics addressed were the preventative use of antimicrobials in food animals and reiterating the necessity of antibiotic use in livestock for ensuring food safety.

Dr. Lyle P. Vogel, AVMA assistant executive vice president, testified at the hearing, which focused on the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant “super bugs” in humans. Mollifying concerns that use of antimicrobials such as penicillin and tetracycline in food animals leads to human resistance of the drugs, Vogel made it clear that protecting human health is paramount to America’s veterinarians. Vogel said scientific data do not support a ban on the preventative use of antibiotics in food animals.

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Cattle Feeding In Ohio: For Fun Or Profit?

Cattle Feeding In Ohio: For Fun Or Profit?

cattlenetwork.com

In the recent past as we’ve made decent money at home finishing cattle, I always had an excuse for not going on winter vacation. It was pretty solid. ” . . . can’t leave with cattle to feed in the winter.” Considering today’s economics, if Connie figures out I’ve filled the barn with feeders and locked in a loss just to avoid going to Florida or Black Butte this winter, the ensuing conversation won’t be comfortable. I think it won’t fly!

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Video Feature Ethanol By-Products

Video Feature Ethanol By-Products

Here is an example of some by-products of the ethanol industry plus other traditional feedstuffs used in Nebraska feed-yards

KFB’s Beef Verification Solution partners with Iowa Cattlemen’s Association

KFB’s Beef Verification Solution partners with Iowa Cattlemen’s Association

BVS offers one system, multiple solutions

High Plains Journal

The quest to provide the most comprehensive and competitively priced animal identification and data management program available is behind the recent partnering of Kansas Farm Bureau’s Beef Verification Solution and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association’s Data Management and Animal Identification Programs.

“We’re very pleased to be partnering with the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association,” said Mark Nelson, BVS team leader. “Iowa is a progressive beef cattle state and ICA’s Data Management and Animal Identification Program is one of the best in the business. Together, we can continue to create the economies of scale needed to deliver maximum value for beef producers.”

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Lead antitrust senator urges US officials to block JBS Swift purchase of 2 beef processors

Lead antitrust senator urges US officials to block JBS Swift purchase of 2 beef processors

International Herald Tribune

A key Democratic senator on Tuesday urged the Justice Department to block the purchase of two U.S. meatpackers by Brazilian beef processor JBS Swift.

The acquisitions would make JBS Swift the largest beef processor in the U.S., and could harm domestic cattle ranchers and beef consumers by substantially reducing competition, Sen. Herb Kohl wrote in a letter to Thomas Barnett, the head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division.

JBS Swift said in March that it would acquire Kansas City-based National Beef Packing Co. and the beef processing operations of Smithfield Foods Inc., which is based in Smithfield, Virginia.

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County recessing task force on Bion, Official trying to get project back on track

County recessing task force on Bion, Official trying to get project back on track

COREY FRAM

Watertown Times

St. Lawrence County government is backing out of the little involvement it’s had with Bion Environmental Technologies.

The county is recessing the task force created in December to chart the massive beef-and-biofuel proposal and recommend whether it should grant the formal support the company is seeking. Lawmakers didn’t budge from the tentative support they gave in December, leaving the company to return to the financial and logistical steps of its proposal.

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Cattle Feed Byproducts: Ask The Nutritionist – High Mycotoxin Concentrations

Cattle Feed Byproducts: Ask The Nutritionist – High Mycotoxin Concentrations

cattlenetwork.com

Question- If a lab measures high mycotoxin concentrations my latest load of distillers’ grains, is that a problem for my cattle?

Answer – It depends on what kind of cattle you have. There is no research available which shows any detrimental effect of mycotoxins on finishing beef cattle.

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Cattle Buyers Summit scheduled

Cattle Buyers Summit scheduled

Friday, August 1st – Ramada Inn & Conference Center in Kearney, Nebraska

This is a special industry event designed for anyone in the cattle industry who markets cattle – as well as ranchers, cattle feeders and agricultural lenders – to introduce the new initiatives of Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) programming.

Cattle buyers are a very important part of our industry and it’s our responsibility to keep them in the loop as to we’re doing in BQA programming. As more and more feedyards, ranchers, truckers and others in the industry become BQA certified and buy into BQA principles and practices, it’s important that everyone in the beef production and marketing chain know what BQA is all about.

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Q&A: I have Angus mixed beef cows and heifers and bred to Angus bulls. If I sell all male and female offspring, what is the most profitable way to replace the females in my herd?

Q&A: I have Angus mixed beef cows and heifers and bred to Angus bulls. If I sell all male and female offspring, what is the most profitable way to replace the females in my herd?

Dr. Rick Rasby, Professor of Animal Science, Animal Science, University of Nebraska

A: The challenge with going outside your herd for replacements, is to find a consistant supply of females bred to fit the goals and resources of your operation.

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Proper Animal Care and Handling at Livestock Markets

Proper Animal Care and Handling at Livestock Markets

PRWEB.com

Beef Checkoff Media Statement: by Chuck Adami, Livestock Market Owner and Beef Industry Producer Leader, in response to video released by the Humane Society of the United States

Chuck Adami, Livestock Market Owner and Beef Industry Producer Leader, issued a statement in response to a video released by the Humane Society of the United States:

“As a livestock market owner, I know that giving animals proper treatment while they are in my care is an obligation, not an option. It’s also just good business. Unfortunately, we continue to see isolated cases of improper care and treatment in video shot by anti-animal agriculture activists at auction markets.

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Cattle video surveillance bill rejected, Lobbyists feared bad precedent.

Cattle video surveillance bill rejected, Lobbyists feared bad precedent.

E.J. Schultz

Sacramento Bee

An Assembly panel on Wednesday rejected a bill that would have required video surveillance cameras at California slaughterhouses.

Senate Bill 200 by Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, was aimed at keeping meat from downer cows out of the food supply.

The bill was supported by the Humane Society, which earlier this year used undercover video to expose illegal treatment of cattle at a Southern California slaughterhouse.

Farm lobbyists feared the bill would set a bad precedent, potentially leading to taping at dairies, egg farms and other operations.

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Oversight urged for cattle auctions

Oversight urged for cattle auctions

Neil Nisperos,

Daily Bulletin

After releasing a new video it claims shows the abuse of downed cows in New Mexico, the Humane Society Of the United States on Tuesday called for more government oversight over the cattle auctions.

The activist group said it found and documented downed cows at the Portales Livestock Auction in New Mexico being mistreated in May. A cow, which the HSUS said was at the auction, was shown on the video being dragged by a chain attached to one hyper-extended rear leg.

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Hay shortage leads cattle growers to cull herds

Hay shortage leads cattle growers to cull herds

Alan Mauldin

Moultrie Observer

Back-to-back years of drought conditions have cattle producers reeling, with the dry weather leading some like Plenn Hunnicutt to make changes in how they operate.

Hunnicutt said people are cutting the number of head in their herds, something he did in the spring when he sold his beef cows and got into a program of custom feeding heifers.
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Humane Society finds more downer cattle abuse

Humane Society finds more downer cattle abuse

Christopher Doering

Reuters

A video showing cattle being mistreated and tormented at a livestock auction in New Mexico was released on Wednesday by the Humane Society of the United States — the latest evidence of what the organization claims is widespread abuse of livestock across the country.

The video showed sick and injured cattle — so-called downer animals — at the Portales Livestock Auction being kicked and slapped and given shocks to get them to walk. In one instance, a cow with a hyper-extended leg is shown being dragged by a tractor.

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Six Inducted Into West Virginia Hall of Fame

Six Inducted Into West Virginia Hall of Fame

Carolina-Virginia Farmer

Six West Virginians have been chosen for their service to the agriculture for induction into the West Virginia Agriculture and Forestry Hall of Fame:

• French W. Armstrong, French Creek, W. Va., is a Christmas tree and timberland producer who has served on a number of boards and committees, including the W. Va. Forest Stewardship Committee.

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