News Update

News Update
Oct. 3, 2008

Announcing the Angus Beef Bulletin Extra

The Angus Beef Bulletin is currently published five times per year — August/September, October, January, February and March. We’d like to keep you informed of Association and industry events and issues that happen in between.

So, this winter we will debut the Angus Beef Bulletin Extra, an electronic supplement to the printed version. At its launch, the Extra will be e-mailed monthly to subscribers who sign up for the Extra at www.angusbeefbulletin.com (see signup in upper left corner of screen) or by e-mailing bulletinextra@angusbeefbulletin.com and including “subscribe” in the subject line. Stand-alone advertising will not be e-mailed through this distribution list.

Through the Extra, we’ll provide production management information, news of Association programs and services, marketing information and additional feature stories to help you make the most of your Angus genetic purchases and stay abreast of the beef industry.

There’s lots of news that happens between published issues; sign up for the Angus Beef Bulletin Extra today.

Angus Beef Bulletin Readership Survey Now Available

You are a very important person — a VIP, if you will — to the American Angus Association and to the Angus Beef Bulletin. As a reader, no one’s opinion is more valuable to us as we begin a structured self-examination of the publication.

It’s been a while since we’ve done a top-to-bottom, bottom-to-top critical analysis of the Angus Beef Bulletin. Readership habits change over time. Information needs change over time. The business we cover is constantly changing. And even the technology available to media to deliver the message is changing rapidly.

We feel it’s time to take a critical benchmark look, keeping in mind that change for change’s sake can be a waste of time, effort and money; however, change to meet our readers’ needs can help keep them in business and reading the Angus Beef Bulletin for years to come.

Please take a moment and fill out and mail in the survey inserted between pages 72 and 73 in the October issue, or take the survey online at www.apisurvey.uark.edu.

In addition to a better publication tailored to meet your needs, by filling out the survey before Dec. 1, you’ll be eligible to enter a drawing for $2,500 in prizes — including two $500 cash prizes, Angus clothing and other assorted Angus merchandise.

Cattle Feeding Changes To Reduce Costs Have Beef Quality Consequences

High feed costs in recent months have made it attractive to “grow” cattle to heavier weights and grain feed them fewer days, but there are many implications for the beef produced as a result, a Kansas State University (K-State) animal scientist said.

Feedlots have traditionally fed cattle high-grain diets for 120 to 180 days. In a presentation prepared for K-State’s Beef Stocker conference this week, K-State meat scientist Michael Dikeman said the consequences of feeding cattle for less than 100 days may include:

lower dressing percentage;
reduced marbling;
yellow fat;
less attractive meat color;
altered taste and tenderness; and
less total output per animal.

Dikeman said studies show feeding wet distillers’ grains (WDGs) and dry corn may have the following consequence:

a 40% to 50% increase in polyunsaturated fatty acids in meat from cattle fed higher levels of WDGs from corn;
more rapid lipid oxidation while meat is on retail display;
compromised color stability and a 10% to 50% reduction in shelf life; and
increased off-flavor intensity ratings (although high dietary Vitamin E can neutralize this).

On the positive side, Dikeman said a large study conducted by K-State researchers found there were no negative effects on meat quality from feeding cattle steam-flaked corn and 25% dry distillers’ grains.

— Adapted from a release by Meatingplace.com.

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