National Farm Safety and Health Week Puts Spotlight on Family Farms
The International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health (ISASH) urges everyone involved in agriculture to recognize National Farm Safety and Health Week (Sept. 16-22) and promote awareness of safety solutions year-round.
This year's theme, "Agricultural Safety and Health … A Family Affair," focuses on the family farm. Read more.
BPI Files Suit Against ABC for
Disinformation Campaign
Suit claims false and disparaging statements about lean, finely textured beef (LFTB) caused more than 700 Americans to lose jobs, three facilities to close and more than $1 billion in claimed damages.
BPI Technology Inc., Beef Products Inc., and Freezing Machines Inc. (collectively BPI) filed a suit against the American Broadcast Companies Inc. (ABC), ABC News Inc., three ABC News reporters, and others for knowingly and intentionally publishing false and disparaging statements regarding BPI and its product, lean, finely textured beef (LFTB). BPI alleges that ABC and others launched a concerted disinformation campaign against the companies, which had a significant adverse effect on BPI's reputation, as well as a significant negative financial impact on the companies. Read more.
Wes Tiemann
Association Perspective
The unregistered bull blues.
About every weekend, just before breeding season,
Bernard the bull went to town, looking for ol' cows who needed settling down.
Boy, he sure was a good-looking fella, but he wondered why the rancher never could sell him.
His head was polled, his rear was bold,
and he had a frame of 6.7.
But the problem was his age, as he was born in '08,
and not one rancher has given him a mate.
Read more.
CAB Acceptance Factors
How are high corn prices affecting CAB acceptance rates?
There is no doubt that this summer has been a tough one. More than 70% of the country this year has been in a drought. Drought conditions have made already high corn prices even higher. Pastures are in rough shape, too, as low moisture has reduced forage quantity. What do these changes imply for the beef industry? More specifically, what does it mean to the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand?
Historically, corn price fluctuations have not significantly affected CAB acceptance rates, says Mark McCully, assistant vice president and director of supply development at Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB). However, fall 2011 might have been the exception. Read more.
API My Agriculture Photo Contest
Photo contest offers two opportunities to be published.
What does agriculture mean to you? Send Angus Productions Inc. (API) a picture of what agriculture means to you, and your photo may be the cover photo of our October Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA. Additionally, send in a brief explanation of what your picture represents and why you chose it, and that could also be included in the cover story of the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA. The contest offers two ways to be published, by photo and photo explanation.
Send in your picture and explanation by 4 p.m. (Central) Oct. 1 to Kasey Miller. She will post the pictures in an album on the Angus Journal Facebook page. Once all photos are in, the API editorial team will pick the top five, and then the Angus Journal Facebook fans get to decide the winner. The photo in the top five with the most likes by Oct. 12 will be the cover photo of the story. Only fans of the Angus Journal Facebook page may cast a vote, so be sure to like the Angus Journal page first, then your favorite photo.
Please send a horizontal picture and one submission per person. By sending in a picture and explanation, contestants give API permission to use the photo and/or explanation, which will be properly attributed to the source.
We look forward to seeing some great photos!
Cattlemen Share Drought Strategies
Survey given during Missouri Beef Tour tells serious story of drought's impact on cattle producers.
The 2012 Missouri Beef Tour drew a crowd of nearly 300 cattle producers from Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas to Lawrence County. Tour hosts were Shiloh Land and Cattle Co., Jackie Moore Ranch, Dustin and Scynthia Schnake and Clif and Alice Harrington. In addition, attendees viewed beef and forage research projects at the University of Missouri's Southwest Research Center just south of Mount Vernon.
"During the tour guests were asked to complete a survey regarding their plans to cope with the drought," said Eldon Cole, a livestock specialist with MU Extension. "We learned a lot from the 85 surveys that were filled out and returned."
The first question asked producers how far into the winter their current forage supply would take them. Of the respondents, 34.1% indicated they could make it until March 1, 25.6% said April 1, 17.1% said Jan. 1, and 17% said they would run out of forage by Dec. 1. Read more.
What’s Inside …
In this September edition of the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, you'll find valuable articles devoted to the management, marketing, and health and nutrition of your beef enterprise. Select from the tabs at the top of the page to access this month's entire offering by category. A few select features include:
- Cow Camp Chatter: I have a beef about my beef purchase!
- Manage Grain Quality from Harvest through Storage
- Slow Down for Safety During Harvest
- Take Simple Steps to Avoid Cattle Deaths
- Aflatoxin — A guide for beef producers
- Light at the End
- The Source: Put your name on it.
News Briefs …
The American Angus Association and its subsidiaries generate a wealth of information to keep members and affiliates informed of what's happening within the industry as well as with the programs and services they offer. Click here for easy access to the newsrooms of the American Angus Association and Certified Angus Beef LLC and the Angus e-List archive recently made available in the API Virtual Library.
All-time High College Of Ag Enrollment
Gone are the days when getting an agricultural degree led only to a plows-and-cows career. These days, agricultural graduates are increasingly working in cutting-edge fields of biotechnology, robotics and all facets of human and animal health, to name only a few. The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture is reporting an all-time high enrollment with the largest freshman class ever.
In 2009, 1,903 students were enrolled in College of Agriculture programs. The most recent numbers for 2012 fall enrollment show 2,586 students. Read more.
Preparing for Disaster
AgriLife Extension making Texans 'aware to prepare' for emergencies, disasters.
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is supporting National Preparedness Month efforts by asking Texans to ready their families, businesses and communities for a disaster or emergency. It's a focus from which families across the country can benefit.
"AgriLife Extension is focusing even greater attention on disaster preparedness during September, as this month has been designated National Preparedness Month," said Joyce Cavanagh, AgriLife Extension family development and resource specialist in College Station. "Our goal is to increase public awareness on how to protect against, prepare for and recover from an emergency or disaster." Read more.
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