News Update
November 11, 2013
Elanco Expands Vaccine Presence with Titanium and Master Guard Purchase
Elanco, the animal health division of Eli Lilly and Co., announced Nov. 11 that the company will purchase the Titanium® and Master Guard® brands from AgriLabs®. These well-known cattle vaccine brands will complement Elanco’s growing vaccine portfolio, including the recently approved Viralign 6®, the only modified-live combination vaccine to protect against bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) virus 1b, which is now the most predominant BVD virus strain in the United States.
Elanco will continue to deliver these highly respected brands in the same manner producers have come to expect and will work closely with AgriLabs to ensure a seamless transition. Elanco will support all 2013 programs and pricing, and customers should continue to place orders through existing channels.
“At Elanco, we are committed to providing innovative solutions to enhance food production and companion animal care. We are pleased our growing vaccine portfolio and pipeline will offer Elanco customers a broader array of options to better meet their specific needs for disease prevention,” said Jeff Simmons, president, Elanco. “This is another example of our effort to provide Elanco customers with greater value.”
In the next few decades, global population is expected to exceed 9 billion, and 3 billion will move into the middle class, the fastest middle class growth in our history. With that growing affluence will come a 60% increase in demand for meat, milk and eggs, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.
“With beef stocks at all-time lows and demand outpacing dairy supply globally, we must continue to provide innovative solutions that will help producers increase the affordability and availability of animal protein,” said Rob Aukerman, president of U.S. operations at Elanco. “We have diversified our portfolio and sources of innovation to deliver more options and solutions to our customers.”
Honor a Loved One in the Walk of Fame this Holiday Season
Brick by brick the National Agricultural Hall of Fame is building a pathway of knowledge and appreciation for the American Farmer through the Farmer’s Walk of Fame. The Farmer’s Walk of Fame is a place to honor your loved one and show your appreciation for agriculture at the same time.
With the holiday season quickly approaching you may be searching for that perfect gift. What better gift for the hard to buy for farmer/rancher in your life than recognition at a National Museum dedicated to the American Farmer?
For a donation of $125 each donor will receive an engraved 4✕8 brick (or $225 for an 8✕8) placed at the Ag Hall of Fame, frame-suitable certificate, one-year membership to the Ag Hall of Fame, and the knowledge that you are supporting the National Agricultural Hall of Fame and our ability to honor the American Farmer and help educate all who visit about the past, present and future of farming.
Let us know if your contribution is in honor or memory of a farmer and we will be sure to place your brick in our walkway specifically designated for farmers.
Combustible Dust Workshops Planned
for Grain Handling, Processing Industry
One small spark is all it takes to damage a grain processing facility, bring productivity to a halt or even cause fatal accidents. To support the grain handling industry’s focus on providing employee training in preventing grain dust explosions, Kansas State University’s (K-State’s)Department of Grain Science and Industry is offering three interactive grain dust explosion training workshops. Two of the workshops will be conducted in English and one in Spanish.
Dates, times and locations for the four-hour workshops are: Dec. 11 from noon to 4 p.m. (in English) in Manhattan, Jan. 15, 2014, from 8:00 a.m. to noon (in English) in Garden City and Jan. 15, 2014 from 4 to 8 p.m. (in Spanish) in Scott City.
The grain handling industry is required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to train employees about how to prevent grain dust explosions. These workshops will create awareness regarding grain dust explosion hazards among workers and supervisors, said project leader and K-State assistant grain science professor, Kingsly Ambrose. The workshops, along with handouts and lecture materials are offered free of charge to participants.
The initiative is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor — OSHA.
“It is important to educate supervisors and managers on training their employees using best practices to curtail the risk of dust explosions,” said grain science department head Dirk Maier. “These workshops communicate the practical risk information on dust hazards to mitigate fatalities and loss in grain handling and processing facilities.”
Grain dust explosions are caused by five factors: powder-fine grain dust, confinement of dust in an enclosed space, dust dispersion, an ignition source, and oxygen.While quite rare, they do happen, causing damage to lives, facilities and communities. Reducing combustible dust, keeping it out of the air and controlling ignition sources significantly reduce the number and extent of grain dust explosions.
“Through delivery by K-State faculty members, hands-on activities and an explosion demonstration, the workshop will provide awareness, understanding and motivation to reduce the number of explosions and their impact,” Ambrose said.
Online registration for the workshops is available at www.grains.k-state.edu/igp/. More information is also available by contacting Ambrose at graindust@k-state.edu or 785-532-4091.
Cattle Field Day Slated Dec. 10 Near Corpus Christi
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Nueces and San Patricio counties and the Nueces/San Patricio Livestock Task Force will present the Coastal Bend Beef Cattle Field Day from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the San Patricio Fairgrounds, 219 W. 5th St. in Sinton.
The event will provide several live demonstrations and an opportunity to earn Beef Quality Assurance credits, organizers said.
Program registration begins at 8:30 and presentations at 9 a.m. “This field day is designed for area livestock producers who are interested in maximizing their financial return on their existing herd, as well as those who might be looking into restocking and are wondering about the best way to accomplish that,” said Jason Ott, AgriLife Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources in Nueces County.
Ott said the morning program will focus on calf management, including a discussion on what calf buyers are looking for and how that calf is managed as it enters the feedyard.
“This presentation will be given by Jay Gray, manager of Graham Land and Cattle,” he said. “His discussion will be followed by a live demonstration on how to handle and properly process a calf. This will include proper chuteside manner, injection site placement, castration methods, identification and dehorning.”
Joe Pascal, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist in Nueces County, will provide a discussion on hay value and evaluating and meeting cattles’ nutritional needs.
“During this discussion, participants will have an opportunity to evaluate several different types of forages and bale conditions, then learn about the actual nutritional value in each of those bales,” Ott said. “Hay values in relation to cottonseed meal or 20% cubes will also be addressed.”
The remainder of the program will be spent discussing the future of the cattle industry and how it will be affected by current economic conditions.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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