News Update
April 1, 2010

Selection Made Simple in the Midwest

Doug Rueber was 12 years old when his father first bought a few Angus cows in 1962. Back then, the Ruebers were impressed with the docile Angus breed and its ability to deliver growth, carcass and maternal results — so much so, Doug and his wife, Marcia, continue to raise Angus cattle nearly 48 years later.

With part-time help from their nephew Bob James, the family sells about 50 bulls a year from their Arlington, Iowa, operation. Doug says the key to their success — besides Angus genetics — is the family’s long-term vision and focus on the end product.

“If you’re going to raise cattle, you’ve got to be in it for the long haul,” Doug says.

That philosophy drove him toward the American Angus Association’s genomic-enhanced expected progeny differences (EPDs) for carcass traits. The high-accuracy EPDs incorporate Association pedigree, carcass and ultrasound performance data with genomic profile results to produce EPDs for carcass merit. Read more.

AVMA Briefs Congress on Importance of Antibiotics

The nation’s largest veterinary association briefed Congress today on the uses of antibiotics and how they help protect animal health, providing in-depth scientific information on the necessity of antibiotic use for preventing and treating disease in companion animals and livestock.

Two educational sessions were held by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) with honorary hosts Kurt Schrader, and John Ensign, the only veterinarians serving in Congress. The discussions allowed congressional staffers to learn about when and how veterinarians utilize antibiotics to keep both food supply animals and household pets disease-free.

Speaking at the briefings as an expert in livestock medicine, Lloyd Keck, a worldwide animal health consultant to the poultry industry and former AVMA Congressional Science Fellow, dispelled arguments related to human antibiotic-resistance risks.

“Antibiotics are necessary for veterinarians to protect the health and well-being of animals,” Keck said. “Benefits to animals and people outweigh the current risk associated with bacterial resistance. Going forward, we need to let good sense and good science guide this issue.”

René Carlson, former Wisconsin Veterinarian of the Year and past vice president of the AVMA, explained the indispensible role that antibiotics play in treating various ailments that affect household pets and the process that veterinarians use to determine whether or not to use antibiotics.

“Whenever I consider using an antibiotic in any of my patients, I always look at four outcomes,” Carlson said. “First, will it successfully treat a diagnosed medical condition? The second outcome is prevention of an infection in a high-risk patient because of a particular injury or procedure. Third, I look at a decreased likelihood for development of a resistant infection or organism. And finally, I am concerned with the protection of the health of the animal and its owners who come in contact with it.”

“The principles of antimicrobial use are the same whether for companion animals or food animals,” Carlson added. “The difficulty comes when owners of the animals don’t consult with a veterinarian or comply with the veterinarian’s instructions.”

The briefings were part of the AVMA’s continued efforts to educate Congress about the complex and crucial nature of treating America’s animals — and how the health of those animals impacts human health, whether through the food supply or through direct contact with pets.

The AVMA is strongly opposed to H.R. 1549 and S. 619, the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA). The AVMA’s scientific experts have twice testified before Congress that broad-based antibiotic bans, such as PAMTA, would have adverse effects on animal and public health.

The AVMA continues to emphasize the importance of judicious use of antibiotics.

“Antibiotics are a vital part of the veterinarian’s toolkit,” said Ashley Shelton, assistant director of the AVMA’s Governmental Relations Division. “There are very few drugs available for treating animal disease, and the AVMA believes that antibiotics should be used judiciously and in the best interest of animal health and public health.”

Speaking last week, Schrader reaffirmed the role of veterinary medicine in protecting public health and the safety of America’s food supply.

“America has the safest food in the world. Advanced animal husbandry, 21st century technology, sanitation, appropriate veterinary and medicinal therapy allow us to compete on a global scale while assuring the health of our livestock and poultry,” Schrader said.

— Release by AVMA.

Preparation Key Part Of Cattle Herd Sire Selection

Cattle producers who thought they left homework behind when they graduated from school should reconsider if they want to make the grade when it comes to herd sire selection.

Purchasing a bull is one of the most important choices a cattle breeder makes in terms of operational profitability, reminds Bob Kropp, Oklahoma State University (OSU) professor of animal science and executive secretary of Oklahoma BEEF Inc. (OBI), one of the largest bull test stations in the United States.

“Before attending a bull sale, the producer needs to determine his or her operational goals and develop criteria about the type of herd sire required to accomplish the objectives,” he said.

Common questions leading to criteria include:

• Is there a particular genetic change that needs to be instilled in the herd?
  

• Are the daughters of the bull going to be kept as replacement heifers?
  

• How much growth rate will be desired in the calf crop?

Producers may narrow down their bull purchase choices by using expected progeny differences (EPDs) and other types of information that are available in sale books.

“EPDs are extremely useful in helping to predict how future offspring of a bull are expected to perform compared to future offspring of another bull within a breed,” Kropp said. “A buyer should make the breed choice first and then study the performance data.”

Many sale books provide birth, weaning, yearling and milk EPDs from the national breed associations.

“The breeder should pick uniformity in EPDs, with an eye toward selecting the bull that meets performance criteria for the producer’s specific herd,” Kropp said.

At the sale, the buyer should always do a visual appraisal of the animals selected from the sale book as potential herd sires.

“Study the animal and talk with the breeder, if possible,” Kropp said. “The buyer can get a lot of quality assurance byasking questions. It’s an investment well worth the time and effort.”

— Release by OSU Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

4th Annual Meat-In Day Encourages Students to Support Ag

In keeping with tradition, Penn State students in the College of Agricultural Sciences once again joined forces to put on a showing of their support for animal agriculture. This year marked the 4th anniversary of Meat-In Day, an event originally started by Penn State Alumnus and former National Beef Ambassador Chris Molinaro (the National Beef Ambassador Team is funded in part by the beef checkoff).

On March 18, approximately 175 students from the College of Agriculture Sciences donned two different t-shirts to show their support around campus. And, members of four major college student organizations came to help with the event that was established as a proactive response to the Great American Meatout Day, which celebrated its 25th anniversary.

More than 1,700 pieces of beef jerky were handed out at the student union building as well as in the dinning commons area. The jerky was accompanied by educational flyers about the health benefits of beef.

“Students enthusiastically took pictures with the ever-popular Patty Melt,” says Allison Bardella, National Beef Ambassador Team member from Pennsylvania. “The students really enjoyed learning about what beef producers do on a daily basis to take their food from the pasture to plate.”

The National Beef Ambassador Program continues to provide an opportunity for youth to educate consumers and students about beef nutrition, food safety and stewardship practices of the beef industry through activities such as the Meat-In Day.

For more information about the Beef Ambassador Team, visit NationalBeefAmbassador.org. For more information about your checkoff investment, visit MyBeefCheckoff.com.

— Release by Beef Checkoff Program.

Office Closed April 2, 2010

The American Angus Association and Angus Productions Inc. will be closed April 2, 2010, in observance of Good Friday. Happy Easter from Angus Productions Inc.

— Compiled by Mathew Elliott, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.