News Update
December 13, 2011
Trent Loos to Speak at Mid-America
Alfalfa Expo & Conference Feb. 7-8
Well-known commentator, columnist and ag advocate Trent Loos will address the Mid-America Alfalfa Expo & Conference Tuesday, Feb. 7.
“I’m going to talk about the sustainability of alfalfa production, but not from a yield per acre point of view,” Loos said. “Instead, I’ll talk about how we can continue to do what farmers in the United States do better than anyone else in the world: convert natural resources into human consumable products that ultimately improve human lives.”
Loos travels the country motivating and educating audiences on issues related to animal agriculture and food production. He also records and produces radio reports that air on more than 100 stations across the country and reach a listening audience of 4 million people.
Sponsored by the Nebraska Alfalfa Marketing Association (NAMA), the Mid-America Alfalfa Expo & Conference will take place at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds in Kearney, Neb. The event is designed especially for alfalfa producers, livestock/dairy producers and others who are involved in alfalfa production, purchasing, hay feeding or processing.
Other speakers include Al Dutcher, Nebraska climatologist; Ron Hanson, ag economics professor at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL); and Rick Rasby, UNL cattle feeding expert. One of the most significant items on the agenda is the introduction of the Alfalfa Valuation Analysis, a powerful new approach to the standardization of alfalfa quality and value that has been developed by NAMA.
Registration is $10 per person in advance (tickets must be purchased by noon, Feb. 6, 2012) or $20 at the door. Participants under the age of 18 are admitted at no charge. Registration and more information is available online at www.AlfalfaExpo.com.
For more information, see the full news release in the API Virtual Library Calendar of Upcoming Events or call 1-800-743-1649.
NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen to
Address Animal Disease Traceability Proposal
NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen will take a look at the proposed animal disease traceability program during a live call-in show Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 8:30 p.m. EST on RFD-TV.
In February 2010, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) abandoned its decades-old National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and proposed to implement an animal disease traceability system. In August 2011, APHIS published a proposed rule on this new approach and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) submitted comments Dec. 9.
NCBA is supportive of an animal disease traceability program for cattle health purposes and has been an industry leader working with other cattle groups and APHIS to ensure cattlemen’s concerns are addressed and that the new program is workable for industry as well as state and federal animal health officials.
“NCBA appreciates that APHIS walked away from the top-down, intrusive NAIS that would have been costly and unworkable.
Animal disease traceability is a complicated issue that will impact beef producers nationwide. We encourage you to call us with your questions and comments,” said Bill Donald, NCBA president and Montana cattleman. “APHIS has worked with industry stakeholders on the proposal but it is imperative for the agency to improve and continue this working relationship. While much progress has been made, NCBA still has concerns with the proposal and will continue working with APHIS to resolve these issues. This special episode of NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen will allow us to answer any questions, listen to your concerns and ensure beef producers understand how the animal disease traceability program will impact their operations.”
This special live episode will feature industry experts to explain the proposal and answer questions from viewers. Joining Donald on a panel will be Colin Woodall, NCBA vice president of government affairs; Philip Seng, U.S. Meat Export Federation CEO; Leann Saunders, IMI Global president; and Mark Gustafson, vice president of international sales for JBS Swift and Company.
NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen will look into these issues and provide viewers with a better understanding of how traceability can benefit the industry. Viewers can ask the panel of experts questions by calling 1-888-824-6688 or by emailing at C2C@beef.org.
Viewers are also encouraged to join NCBA by calling 1-888-824-6688 or visiting NCBA’s website.
The program will broadcast again on RFD-TV Wed., Dec. 14, at 10:30 a.m. EST and Sat., Dec. 17, at 9 a.m. EST. In addition, all episodes of NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen are available on the program’s website at www.cattlementocattlemen.org. The program is also on Facebook and can be followed on Twitter.
R-CALF Charges USDA with Numerous
Improprieties in Connection with Agency’s
Proposal to Mandate Animal Identification
On Friday, R-CALF USA commented on the USDA-APHIS proposed rule titled Traceability for Livestock Moving Interstate. In its 41-page comment supported by 27 exhibits, R-CALF USA urged APHIS to immediately withdraw the proposed rule and to, instead, proceed in a cooperative effort with states, tribes and individual livestock producers to develop best practices guidelines. The group states that states and tribes could voluntarily adopt best practices guidelines, in whole or in part, to improve their existing import and export regulations that already address livestock movements into and from their respective jurisdictions.
R-CALF USA described the proposed rule as a “one-size-fits-all solution to an ill-defined problem.” In its opposition to the mandatory nature of the proposed rule, the group charged APHIS with shirking its responsibilities under the U.S.
Animal Health Protection Act, which compels the agency to prevent the introduction and spread of foreign animal diseases.
R-CALF USA contends that because APHIS is not fulfilling its statutory responsibility to impose stricter import standards to prevent the known and continual introduction of foreign animal diseases, “APHIS is a leading cause, if not the leading cause, of livestock disease problems experienced in the United States.”
In support of its allegation, the group listed five instances supported by accompanying exhibits that show, for example, that nearly 72% of all bovine tuberculosis (TB) cases detected at U.S. slaughter plants from 2001 through February 2009 were traced to Mexico, and because Mexican cattle infected with TB were found in 12 states, they are a principle source of ongoing TB spread in U.S. livestock.
R-CALF USA also accuses APHIS of engaging in a deceitful “bait-and-switch” strategy to gain support for its proposed rule. The group said APHIS initially emphasized the need of a mandatory NAIS to prevent introduction and/or spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the United States. “APHIS’ absolute silence regarding any potential for the proposed rule to mitigate the introduction or spread of FMD in the U.S. is inexplicable and provides compelling evidence that APHIS has an ulterior motive for proposing the proposed rule,” the group wrote.
R-CALF USA also attacked APHIS’ cost estimates for the proposed rule and provided evidence to show that APHIS understated the cost of tagging cattle by using a cost estimate generated from a study that involved a state-of-the-art mobile cattle handling facility, which R-CALF USA stated was not typically available to many, if not most, U.S. cattle producers. APHIS’ cost estimate for shrink (weight loss caused by handling cattle) was also refuted on the basis that APHIS allocated only one-fourth of the actual cost of shrink to the cow-calf producers who would bear 100% of the cost of shrink.
Using cost data R-CALF USA claims is more accurate than that used by APHIS, the group states the estimated total cost of the proposed rule to U.S. cattle producers ranges from $1.2 billion to $1.9 billion; if only cattle moved to slaughter are considered, R-CALF USA’s cost estimate for the proposed rule is about $920 million; and, if only the 2010 calf crop are considered, the group’s cost estimate ranges from $554 million to $880 million.
Cattlemen Score Victory on Dust Vote
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) received a clear signal Dec. 8 from the U.S. House of Representatives that placing burdensome and scientifically unfounded regulations on U.S. farmers and ranchers is unacceptable. In a bipartisan showing, the House voted 268 to 150 in favor of Congresswoman Kristi Noem’s (R-S.D.) Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act of 2011 (H.R. 1633). NCBA President Bill Donald calls the vote a win for regulatory certainty for cattlemen and women.
“Unfortunately, taking EPA’s word that farm dust will not be further regulated provides absolutely no relief to those cattle producers already faced with dust regulations. We saw legislation as the only option to give all ranchers across the country any sort of peace of mind,” said Donald, who is a rancher from Melville, Mont. “Cattlemen and women worried about being fined for moving cattle, tilling a field or even driving down a dirt road should rest assured knowing that will not be allowed to happen on our watch. The bill provides much-needed certainty for cattlemen.”
Donald said the fact EPA was even considering regulating dust at levels that would push much of the country into non-compliance was reason enough to move forward with H.R. 1633. NCBA Deputy Environmental Counsel Ashley Lyon said the legislation recognizes that dust from agricultural activities has never been shown to have an adverse health impact at ambient levels. H.R. 1633 first gives states and localities the authority in regulating dust by preventing the federal standard from applying where states or localities already have dust measures in place. In places where there is no state or local control, the bill also would exempt farm dust from the Clean Air Act unless the EPA administrator can prove it is a significant health problem and that applying the standard is worth the costs.
Donald said it is because of commonsense policymakers like Noem and the original cosponsors Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa), Larry Kissell (D-N.C.) and Robert Hurt (R-Va.). He said agriculture rallied behind this bipartisan legislation. Specifically, NCBA orchestrated a letter signed by 194 agricultural organizations that was sent to every member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Donald said NCBA wanted to be clear that this legislation was supported across the board by all of agriculture.
“What we have found is when we need a solution to a problem; we simply find a bigger hammer. Rallying together and working directly with members of Congress allowed us to swing a bigger hammer and score a victory for the entire industry today but our efforts cannot stop now,” said Donald. “The Senate will be a challenge. However, we are confident if agriculture continues to work together, we can expect this legislation to end up on the president’s desk.”
The legislation now moves to the Senate, where it was introduced by Senators Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and has support from 26 bipartisan senators.
USMEF Beef Exports Set Records With Two Months to Spare
October was another excellent month for U.S. beef exports, according to statistics released Friday, Dec. 9, by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Beef export value for October was $452 million, boosting the 2011 cumulative total to a new annual record of $4.49 billion. By year’s end, both U.S. pork and beef exports will eclipse the $5 billion mark for the first time ever.
In a separate audio report, USMEF President and CEO Philip Seng discusses the critical factors behind this success. Seng notes that when some key Asian markets remained closed to U.S. beef due to BSE, the U.S. industry was forced to diversify its export targets. This is now paying off in a big way, as U.S. beef exports have surged to record levels in markets such as the Middle East, Central and South America, Russia and Canada.
A complete summary of the October pork, beef and lamb export results is available online.
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