News Update

News Update
Oct. 17, 2006

Creekstone’s Stewart Retires

John Stewart, founder and chief executive of Arkansas City, Kan.-based Creekstone Farms Inc., is retiring from the company, although he will remain active as an investor and advisor concentrating on governmental relations, according to Meatingplace.com. He will also remain on the board of the American Meat Institute (AMI) representing Creekstone.

Stewart and his wife, Carol, founded the company in 1995 as an Angus seedstock operation, and in 2001 re-launched it as a branded Angus beef program. In 2003, the company purchased the Arkansas City plant and opened a global business in exporting premium beef to Asian and European customers.

Bill McSwain will run the company’s day-to-day operations while a search for a new chief executive is conducted, Cattlenetwork.com reported.

Lab Ties Spinach Outbreak to California Cattle Feces

Spinach-borne E. coli that killed at least three people and sickened almost 200 had the same DNA signature as that found in fecal matter on a ranch growing both greens and beef cattle, state and federal officials said Oct. 12, according to Bloomberg.com.

A laboratory found the E. coli in three samples of cattle feces taken from one of four ranches under investigation in the California counties of Monterey and San Benito. The three positive results were the first in more than 650 tests, and further investigation will be needed to determine how common the strain is in the area’s wildlife and how fecal matter could have gotten into spinach from its source in a pasture between a half-mile and a mile away.

According to the news service, the ranch where the spinach was found wasn’t following all agricultural practices promulgated by the FDA in August, when the agency began its Lettuce Safety Initiative. The FDA also was examining the possibility of water contamination and contamination by farm workers.

Florida Farmer Urges Arizonans Not to Fall for Prop 204 Scam

The ‘NO on 204’ campaign released a new campaign ad Oct. 16 featuring a Florida farmer who was targeted and shut down with a ballot measure, just like Prop 204, by the same out-of-state animal rights groups that are now in Arizona.

The ad features Steve Basford, a small family farmer from northwest Florida who raised pigs until out-of-state animal rights groups like PETA and Farm Sanctuary targeted his operation with a ballot measure in 2002. He was one of only two farmers in the entire state of Florida who raised pigs. Mr. Basford warns Arizona voters not to fall for the same scam that was first brought to his state and is now moving state-by-state.

During the Florida campaign, called Amendment 10, out-of-state animal rights groups pushing the measure were charged with 210 counts of breaking campaign finance laws and fined $50,000. The groups raised campaign money by promising donors their contributions would be tax deductible. As in Florida, it is illegal in Arizona to suggest that campaign contributions are tax deductible.

Florida’s Amendment 10 granted constitutional rights to pigs — a source of embarrassment for the state that has led to a reform effort. The language of Amendment 10 is very similar to Prop 204 with the exception of veal calve stalls, something that doesn’t even exist in Arizona. The Florida campaign was called “Floridians for Humane Farms.” The Arizona campaign is called “Arizonans for Humane Farms.”

The new TV ad and short video clip excerpts from the full interview with Steve Basford can be viewed at www.azFarmersRanchers.com.

The ‘NO on 204’ campaign is a coalition of Arizona farmers and ranchers representing more than 3,000 farm families involved in cattle, dairy, pork, and poultry production. Its purpose is to inform voters of the political agenda behind Proposition 204 and the out-of-state animal rights groups financing it. The campaign has the support of veterinarians, political leaders, business groups and citizens throughout Arizona.

USDA Updates Livestock and Meat Trade Data

The latest Livestock and Meat Trade Data Set was released on Oct. 13 by USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS). It contains monthly and annual data for the past 1-2 years for imports and exports of live cattle and hogs, beef and veal, lamb and mutton, pork, broiler meat, turkey meat, and shell eggs. The tables report physical quantities, not dollar values or unit prices. Breakdowns by major trading countries are included. For more information, visit www.ers.usda.gov/Data/MeatTrade/.

— compiled by Abby White, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.