Thanksgiving Dinner for 10 = $49.48
Cost of classic Thanksgiving dinner up less than 1% this year.
The retail cost of menu items for a classic Thanksgiving dinner including turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie and all the basic trimmings increased less than 1% this year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF).
AFBF’s 27th annual informal price survey of classic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table indicates the average cost of this year’s feast for 10 is $49.48, a 28¢ price increase from last year’s average of $49.20.
“At just under $5 per person, the cost of this year’s meal remains a bargain,” says AFBF President Bob Stallman, a rice and cattle producer from Texas. “Our diverse farm and ranch families are honored to produce the food from our nation’s land for family Thanksgiving celebrations. During this holiday season, I am encouraging farmers and ranchers to reach out to consumers in-person or through social media, to answer questions about the food that they grow or the livestock and poultry they raise.” Read more.
Trade up
Make holiday meals even more special with the “Garlic and Rosemary Strip Roast” Chef Michael Ollier of Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) shared with our Angus Journal readers in the December Angus Journal. The issue is available online now and subscribers can access it from a link at www.angusjournal.com. If you don’t have an Angus Journal subscription, click here to download the single page as a PDF file.
Then check out this video segment in which Chef Michael provides tips for how to select a roast from the meatcase.
Tweet and Pin Your #foodthanks
AgChat Foundation’s third annual campaign adds Pinterest to social media lineup.
Whether it’s the harvest on the family farm or dish on the dinner table you’re thankful for this holiday season, social media users from all sectors of the ag and food community can share their appreciation for food and those who provide it with the hashtag #foodthanks, a campaign started in 2010 by the AgChat Foundation.
“For the third year in a row, we are taking time during the holidays to inspire conversation about an appreciation for the food we eat and the people who produce it,” says Darin Grimm, president of the AgChat Foundation. “Social media platforms provide a space for voices from the whole food system to be expressed, not just voices from agriculture.” Read more.
Andy Rest
Association Perspective
To be successful, be prepared.
As I write this article in mid-November, the fall bull-selling season in my area of Montana and Wyoming is just beginning. As we begin a new season, there are several tips I believe any buyer should use to purchase a bull that will add value to his or her breeding program.
It may seem fairly simple, but study the sale book in advance. To make your time at the sale more efficient, find those bulls that have the combination of pedigree, performance and expected progeny differences (EPDs) you want before you go. Read more.
Angus Journal Offers Digital Edition
New format will provide subscribers quicker access, bonus features.
Angus Journal subscribers are getting a bonus this month as the flagship publication of the American Angus Association premiers its digital component. The new format puts the entire magazine — articles and advertising — online as soon as the issue comes off the printing press, giving subscribers access to the issue a week to 10 days earlier than usual.
"That's a great benefit to readers wanting to review sale offerings before attending a producer's sale, not to mention the advertiser hoping to give potential customers a few extra days to evaluate the cattle," says Terry Cotton, general manager. "The new format will allow advertisers to include video that will be accessible in the digital edition, and, of course, website addresses will provide instant access to the advertiser's homepage or sale book." Read more.
Watch I Am Angus Premiere Thanksgiving Day
Back for its fourth season, the program will air at 9 p.m. Central Nov. 22 on RFD-TV.
America's farms, ranches and the communities that surround them are considered by many as the country's last, best places. They are a direct connection to the past and an essential venture for the future. The hard-working cattlemen who call these places home are committed to preserving the rural way of life and raising quality beef for consumers. Join the American Angus Association as it travels to these captivating areas in its hour-long documentary, I Am Angus.
Beginning its fourth season, I Am Angus premiered Monday, Nov. 19, on RFD-TV. A second broadcast is set for 9 p.m. Central (10 p.m. Eastern) Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22. Produced entirely by the Association, the upcoming episode explores the golden age of the cattle business and how ranchers continue to serve as stewards of the land. Read more.
Election Results
Delegates to Annual Convention elect directors, leadership for coming year.
Members elected new leadership and five directors to the American Angus Association Board during the 129th Annual Convention of Delegates Monday, Nov. 12, during Angus events at the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) in Louisville, Ky. Chosen by their peers in an election process that began in March, the 311 delegates hailed from 41 states, Canada and the District of Columbia. Read more.
Sustainable Beef Production
Washington State University’s Jude Capper looks at the global footprint of beef production and the impact of genetic improvement.
Jude Capper is trying to dispel the myth that conventional beef production is not sustainable. An adjunct professor at Washington State University and consultant on sustainability of food production, Capper spoke during the 2012 National Angus Conference in Wichita, Kan., urging her audience to share positive messages about what the beef industry gives back to society every day.
According to Capper, conventional beef production can be sustainable if it is economically viable, environmentally responsible and socially acceptable, but society is being misled to believe the beef industry fails on the last two requirements.
“In fact, it is entirely sustainable and must continue to be so,” declared Capper. Read more.
What’s Inside …
In this November 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:
- Breed What You Need
- Beef Talk: Am I short of feed or short of cash?
- Antibiotic Use, Resistance Calls for Collaborative ‘One Health’ Approach
- Mycotoxins and their Effects on Cattle
- Sixth Record Sales Year for Top Quality Beef Brand
- Beef Packer Margins Leaking a Lot of Red Ink
- Market Changes Affecting
Feedlot Placements
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.
RFS In Place, Organizations Comment
EPA keeps renewable fuels levels in place after considering state requests.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Nov.16 announced that the agency has not found evidence to support a finding of severe “economic harm” that would warrant granting a waiver of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). The decision is based on economic analyses and modeling done in conjunction with the USDA and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
“We recognize that this year’s drought has created hardship in some sectors of the economy, particularly for livestock producers,” said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, “but our extensive analysis makes clear that Congressional requirements for a waiver have not been met and that waiving the RFS will have little, if any, impact.” Read more.
Investigating Source of
Unexplained C. diff Infections
OSU, OARDC microbiologists encourage public health officials to look at contaminated food as a possible source of C. diff infections.
The increasing incidence of a difficult-to-control bacterial illness is leading researchers to suspect that contaminated foods might be contributing to the problem.
Clostridium difficile (C. diff) can cause a serious infection that is responsible for 14,000 American deaths annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is estimated that there are about 500,000 U.S. cases of C. diff infection annually and that about 3%-5% of healthy adults are carriers of toxic C. diff bacteria but experience no symptoms.
Normally associated with the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics during a stay in the hospital or in other healthcare settings, C. diff infection is marked by frequent, watery diarrhea; abdominal pain or tenderness; and inflammation of the colon, or colitis. Toxins released by the bacterium can attack the lining of the intestines, and severe infections can lead to sepsis or intestinal perforation. Read more.
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