News Update
Sept. 27, 2010

Japanese Journalists Tour US Beef Industry

A group of Japanese journalists is getting an extensive inside look at the U.S. beef industry as part of a U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) educational initiative to better inform key Japanese opinion leaders about the safety of U.S. beef. Representatives of the Sankei Shimbun (one of Japan’s five national newspapers, with a daily circulation of 2.8 million), Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun (Business & Technology Daily News with a circulation of 420,000), the Meat Journal and the Daily Meat & Livestock Food Industry Newspaper are on a weeklong educational tour that includes Colorado State University’s (CSU’s) Agricultural Research, Development and Education Center, tours of a beef processing plant, feedlot and cattle ranch, as well as retail and foodservice establishments. Funding for the visit is provided by the Beef Checkoff Program and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Market Access Program.

“These journalists are information sources for government officials, meat industry executives, consumers and other journalists,” said Susumu (Sam) Harada, USMEF-Japan senior director for trade projects and technical service, who is accompanying the journalists. “Helping them see the safety practices employed by the U.S. beef industry and the high quality standards for both livestock and finished product is important as we look to expand access for U.S. beef exports to Japan.”

“There is a long-term benefit to our industry in helping to educate international media so that they better understand the policies and practices of the U.S. beef industry,” said Mark Gustafson, JBS USA international sales, who hosted the visiting journalists’ tour of the company’s Greeley, Colo., beef plant. “There are differences between how the industry operates in the United States and Japan, but our priorities are the same. We are both committed to producing safe and wholesome beef.”

One of the biggest differences the visitors will see is the scale of operations in the United States vs. those they have seen in Japan. A large beef plant in the United States will process as many cattle as all of Japan. Similarly, feedlots in the U.S. can hold tens of thousands of cattle while smaller feeding operations are the norm in Japan.

“The larger and faster operations do not mean lack of quality and safety control,” said one of the visiting journalists. “The consistent ability [of U.S. beef production facilities] to comply with the various requirements of many foreign markets is far beyond my expectation.”

The journalists also enjoyed a meeting with Temple Grandin, CSU professor of animal science and industry pioneer in animal welfare. “The technological development to assure safer and wholesome products, and the high level of commitment to animal welfare at cattle production and at beef plants should be more publicized in order to tell the Japanese audience the reliability of the U.S. industry,” said another journalist.

“Understanding the differences and seeing how the U.S. beef industry can maintain a high standard of quality even with much higher volumes is important for these journalists,” said Gustafson. “And witnessing the complexity of our systems to sort cattle by age and to sort products for shipment, in our case, to more than 44 markets around the world is an eye-opening experience. In the end, the same system of food safety practices and technologies that serves American consumers is utilized to provide high-quality, grain-fed beef for Japanese families and consumers around the world.”

Through the first seven months of 2010, the United States has sold 64,959 metric tons (143.2 million pounds) of beef valued at $336.2 million to Japan. Those numbers are 25% higher than the same period of 2009.

— Release by USMEF.

William Herring to Lead Pfizer Animal Genetics Technical Services

William Herring has joined Pfizer Animal Genetics as senior director of global technical services. In his new role he will lead the global technical services team to maintain Pfizer Animal Genetics’ commitment to customer-focused solutions through its portfolio of genomics-based products and services.

“The addition of Dr. Herring to our technical services team further demonstrates our ongoing commitment to delivering cutting-edge genetic improvement strategies to the livestock industry,” said Nigel Evans, vice president of Animal Genetics for Pfizer Animal Health. “Dr. Herring’s leadership and broad experience will enhance our ability to meet the needs of our customers and the industry.”

With the expansion of the Pfizer Animal Genetics global technical services team, Herring will spearhead and oversee efforts in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Europe and North America. The global technical services team works synergistically with local sales representatives to deliver customized on-farm solutions and decision support.

Herring’s experience and involvement with animal genetics extends over 20 years. He most recently held the position of genetic development manager and head of technical operations and services for Smithfield Premium Genetics. During his tenure with Smithfield Premium Genetics, Herring successfully transformed swine genetic evaluation into a state-of-the-art statistical and technical process that now impacts 19 million market swine in the United States and Mexico annually.

Prior to joining Smithfield Premium Genetics, Herring served as a professor and researcher with the University of Florida and the University of Missouri. His beef research and extension programs involved the implementation of genetic selection strategies including economic selection indexes, feed efficiency traits, evaluation of DNA markers for carcass and production traits, and the development of genetic programs for integrated livestock production systems.

Herring grew up on his family’s seedstock ranch in Georgia. He received his bachelor’s degree from Auburn University, and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Georgia.

— Release by Pfizer Animal Genetics.

MU Veterinarian Will Take a New Look at Pinkeye at Wurdack Farm Field Day

Pinkeye continues to frustrate cattle producers despite advances in knowledge and vaccine technology, notes a University of Missouri (MU) Extension veterinarian.

“Dealing with pinkeye is frustrating at best,” said Craig Payne. While there’s no magic bullet that will guard herds from pinkeye, Payne said that understanding the complex causes of pinkeye can help producers make smarter decisions about managing outbreaks in their herds.

During the summer, MU Extension livestock specialists heard widespread reports of pinkeye in Missouri cattle herds. Payne will talk on recent findings about pinkeye at an Oct. 8 field day at MU’s Hugo Wurdack Farm in the Ozarks.

Pinkeye in cattle is an infectious and highly contagious disease that results in inflammation of the membrane lining the eyelid and eyeball. Without prompt treatment, afflicted livestock lose weight or gain less weight and may suffer eye damage, leading to extra costs for producers and steep discounts at the sale barn.

Under ideal conditions, healthy cattle can fend off infection from pinkeye-causing bacteria. Pinkeye results when some trauma or irritant allows an infection to take hold. It could be airborne dust and pollen, tall grass, the increased ultraviolet light of summer, or infestations of face flies, which are both an irritant and a vehicle for spreading infection within the herd.

“It was traditionally thought that the same set of factors contributed to pinkeye outbreaks in a herd,” Payne said. However, some suggest that cases of pinkeye within a herd may be triggered by different things. For example, factors such as UV exposure and face flies may contribute to pinkeye in part of the herd while for other cattle it might be a different set of factors, such as UV exposure, stress and eye injury from tall grass.

Another complication is that the organism traditionally associated with pinkeye — Moraxella bovis — may not be the only organism involved. In the last few years, a similar microbe called Moraxella bovoculi has been recovered from the eyes of cattle showing signs of pinkeye. This may be one reason why pinkeye vaccines have had mixed success in preventing outbreaks.

“If M. bovoculi is responsible for causing pinkeye, vaccines against M. bovis won’t provide protection, as far as we know,” Payne said.

These complications mean that producers might still have a number of cattle with pinkeye despite aggressive efforts at prevention and control. But that doesn’t mean that the effort was wasted.

“If you had done nothing, the situation might have been much worse,” Payne said. “The more things you can do, the more likely you are to reduce problems in your herd.”

The field day is free and open to the public. Other topics will include grazing wedges, making high-quality hay and estrus synchronization. Registration opens at 8 a.m. with wagon tours beginning at 9 a.m.

Wurdack Farm, part of the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station, is about two miles southeast of Cook Station in Crawford County. For driving directions and other information, see http://aes.missouri.edu/wurdack, or contact the farm at wurdackfarm@missouri.edu or 573-743-6612.

— Release by MU Extension.

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