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Protecting Your Privacy

AFBF files suit to protect farmers’ privacy.

Protecting farmers’ and ranchers’ right to privacy is a top priority, said the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), which took legal action early this month to stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from publicly releasing personal information about thousands of farmers and ranchers and their families. EPA was expected to respond to several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, prompting AFBF to file a lawsuit and seek a temporary restraining order before the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.

By seeking an immediate court order stopping EPA’s imminent release, AFBF hopes to stall disclosures of farmers’ and ranchers’ names, home addresses, GPS coordinates and personal contact information until a court can clarify EPA’s obligation to keep personal information about citizens private. The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) joined AFBF in the lawsuit. Read more.


House Passes Farm Bill

Industry reacts as bill goes to conference.

The U.S. House of Representatives in a 216-to-208 vote on July 11 passed the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management (FARRM) Act of 2013 (H.R. 2642), known as the “farm only” Farm Bill. The bill did not include the nutrition title, changed the 1938 and 1949 permanent law by replacing it with the 2013 bill, and included text of 60+ amendments passed by the full House in June when it considered H.R. 1947, according to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).

“Today was an important step toward enacting a five-year farm bill this year that gives our farmers and ranchers certainty; provides regulatory relief to small businesses across the country; significantly reduces spending; and makes commonsense, market-oriented reforms to agricultural policy,” said Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture. Read more.


Jerry Cassady

Jerry Cassady

Association Perspective

Continuing education is always important.

Education is the backbone of social and economic development. This applies to today’s beef industry as well, and it is our responsibility as commercial and seedstock producers to keep current with regard to the new ideas, programs and procedures of today’s ever-changing business.

Aristotle once stated, “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” That is so true, but how do we stay current with all that is new in today’s era of computerized data collection and recordkeeping, management updates, marketing strategies and even genetic-defect policies? Your American Angus Association is hard at work addressing these issues and providing you the latest, most current information in a variety of formats. Read more.


Feeding Quality Forum set for August

The supply of feeder cattle and corn byproducts declined during the last year, and the Choice-Select spread can bounce from narrow to near-record-wide in a matter of weeks. Those are just a few factors that keep feedlot managers calculating as they aim to turn 2013 toward profit.

One popular venue to help sort it all out is the annual Feeding Quality Forum, set for Omaha, Neb., Aug. 20 and Garden City, Kan., Aug. 22.

Dan Basse, president of AgResource Co., will kick off the event with his outlook on the markets for human food protein and livestock feedstuffs. Read more.


Hours-of-service Rule Waived

New DOT transportation rule waived for drivers hauling livestock.

A major victory for America’s hog, cattle and poultry farmers, the U.S. Department of Transportation informed the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) that it will grant a 90-day waiver of a new hours-of-service rule for drivers transporting livestock and poultry. Official notice of the decision was published July 11 in the Federal Register.

Effective July 1, the rule from DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires truck drivers to take a 30-minute rest break if more than 8 hours have passed since beginning service. For drivers hauling livestock, the hours of service would include time loading and unloading animals. Read more.


What’s Inside …

In this July 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:


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 Journal Daily archive recently made available in the API Virtual Library.


Angus Along the Hudson

This year's National Angus Conference & Tour highlights rural New York.

Scheduled for Aug. 28-30, this year's National Angus Conference & Tour (NAC&T), “Angus Along the Hudson,” will be headquartered out of Albany, N.Y., and includes trips to upstate New York and historical locales.

“We can't ask for better scenery during the 2013 NAC&T,” says Shelia Stannard, former American Angus Association director of activities and events. “Rural New York is beautiful, and when you add Angus cattle dotting the skyline, it's breathtaking.”

The conference will focus on consumers and business. In an area full of consumers who ask more questions about where their food comes from, conference attendees will hear about advocating and transparency, marketing genetics and end products, the business side of beef, preparing for the future and more. Read more.


Your Health

 

Proteins With a Dark Side

NIH scientists find that proteins involved in immunity potentially cause cancer.

A set of proteins involved in the body’s natural defenses produces a large number of mutations in human DNA, according to a study led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The findings suggest that these naturally produced mutations are just as powerful as known cancer-causing agents in producing tumors.

The proteins are part of a group called apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide-like (APOBEC) cytidine deaminases. The investigators found that APOBEC mutations can outnumber all other mutations in some cancers, accounting for more than two-thirds in some bladder, cervical, breast, head and neck, and lung tumors. Read more.


 

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