Industry News
Sept. 8, 2008

Angus Journal readers ...

No one’s opinion about the Angus Journal means more to us than yours. Please take the opportunity to help set the future direction of the magazine by reading the note from survey coordinators on page 336 and completing the readership survey available in your September issue or online at www.apisurvey.uark.edu.

Those answering the survey and entering by Nov. 20 will be eligible for a drawing of $2,500 in prizes, including two $500 cash prizes.

New research could lead to BSE testing on live animals

The key to determining whether an animal has bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) could be in an unexpected place — its urine — according to scientists at the Public Health Agency of Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory.

Working with scientists from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) BSE Reference Laboratories, the Federal Research Institute for Animal Health in Germany and the University of Manitoba, the researchers found that changed levels of a protein in cattle urine indicates the presence of BSE with 100% accuracy in a small sample set. It was also determined that changes in the relative abundance of a set of proteins corresponded with the advancement of the disease.

The discovery could lead to the ability to perform accurate BSE diagnostic tests on live animals; currently, BSE testing can only be done postmortem.

“We are hopeful that at some point in the future the knowledge gained from this study will make it possible to test live cattle,” said David Knox, lead researcher on the study. “It also may be possible to develop similar tests for other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies in other species, including humans.”

— release provided by Meatingplace.com

Students encouraged to apply for beef industry scholarships

Applications are being accepted for the 2009 Beef Industry Scholarship program, sponsored by the National Cattlemen’s Foundation (NCF) and the CME Group. All entries must be postmarked by Oct. 1.

Ten scholarships of $1,500 will be awarded to young people pursuing careers in the beef industry. The program encourages talented and thoughtful students who have demonstrated a commitment to a career in the beef industry, either through classes, internships or life experience. Graduating high school seniors or full-time undergraduate students enrolled at a two-year or four-year college for the 2009-2010 academic school year are eligible to apply.

Applications must include a 750-word essay that identifies a key issue confronting the beef industry and suggests a solution. Applicants must also submit a letter expressing future career goals and two letters of recommendation. A full description of the scholarship program and submission requirements and an online application can be found at the NCF web site: www.nationalcattlemensfoundation.org/scholarship.aspx, or by calling 303-850-3372.

In addition to a scholarship, the first-place winner will receive airfare and lodging to attend the Cattle Industry Annual Convention and Trade Show in Phoenix, Ariz., Jan. 28-31, 2009.

The Beef Industry Scholarship program is a cooperative effort of the CME Group and the NCF that was launched in 1989 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Live Cattle Futures Contract on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The CME Group has been a leader in the live cattle market since 1964, and the Beef Industry Scholarship Program exemplifies their commitment to the beef industry.

— release provided by NCF

Stockmen’s Association sponsors photo contest

The North Dakota Stockmen’s Association (NDSA) is still accepting entries for its 2008 Photography Contest.

Entries will be evaluated for quality and content in a people’s-choice format at the NDSA Annual Convention & Trade Show in Minot, N.D., this month. The entrant of the best photograph will receive $100. The photographers of two honorable-mention entries will receive $50 each.

Entries must be either colored 8-inch (in.)-by-10-in. or 8-in.-by-12-in. photographs. They must also be related to the livestock industry and taken in North Dakota. Contestants must include their three-line address and phone number on the back of their entries. NDSA membership is not a requirement.

Contest entries must be mailed to the NDSA, 407 S. Second St., Bismarck, ND 58504 by Sept. 15. For more information, call NDSA Communications Director Julie Ellingson at 701-223-2522.

— adapted from release provided by NDSA

Stockmen’s Association will host convention Sept. 25-27

“If you want to be ‘in the know’ in the cattle industry, you could spend the next month on the Internet and the telephone researching issues and tracking down thought leaders,” said North Dakota Stockmen’s Association (NDSA) President Mark Huseth of McLeod, N.D. “Or you could simply come to the NDSA Annual Convention & Trade Show and get in on the latest industry news from the best industry speakers in the country.”

The two-and-a-half-day event, “If You Go, You’ll Know,” will take place Sept. 25-27 at the Grand International Inn in Minot, N.D., and will include informational programs, speaker presentations, policy development sessions, member recognitions and social activities.

Preregistration forms should arrive in members’ mailboxes this week. Those who preregister by Sept. 15 can save up to $18 in costs and receive a padfolio from Fort Dodge Animal Health.

A special student registration rate of $10 is being offered again to encourage the beef industry leaders of tomorrow to take part in the convention. A one-day registration fee of $15 will also be offered for those who are unable to take in the whole convention.

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Grand International Inn. Rooms reserved for up to four people by Sept. 15 are available for $55. To make reservations, call the hotel at 701-852-3161 or 1-800-735-4493.

— adapted from release provided by NDSA

— compiled by Tosha Powell, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.