Stock Options: Marketing and Merchandising Solutions

After you watch the video, you have to think, do we really need all those drugs? I know in my past life as a feed sales rep for a major player as a mid-west swine feeder. Rx companies sure gave us a lot of money for promotions, giveaways, salesman incentives, weekend get-a-ways. Any time i wanted or needed some money to thow some were, we ask the makers of Tylan or Paylean for some coin and they were always right there to pony up!

Makes me think with all that "buying of the love" do or did we really need all those drugs in hog feed, and then you think about all the Tylan adds in print... they spent alot of money to promote that product. All of it to prevent Illietis (runny pop)

-- Please don't make any mistake that i don't understand how to use Rx, I KNOW first hand the importance of strategic placed dosage--

You know, my fathers theory is folks will never cure Cancer, Aids, the common cold all because buying Rx Drugs is just big business. I'm sure the money is what drives drug companies to over promote there usage

------While this did not paint America Ag & hog farming in as bad of light as i thought CBS might have, I do love how they edit the tape with what Katie Couric is saying, CLASSIC fear mongering. Did anyone else notice when they said the line ...there are a lot of concerns over adding antibiotics to feeds that cause MRSA and other issues.... the video showed a guy pouring MOLASSES in a grinder mixing cow feed... even got a close up of this--- really focused on the the thick black texture.

Love the close up on dead pigs ... TWICE, at least they did find some clean swine farms to visit It could have turned into a HSUS piece very quickly in the Gestation Crate barn. I bet Katie is still cussing the hog smell on her fancy city slicker boots and in her hair... but she looked cute in her plastic booties LOL

was this Liberal media again scarring the population from eating meat?

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Response 1

Wednesday 10th of February 2010 09:52:53 AM

Submitted by: Kevin

from RON Anti Antibiotic Story Hits on CBS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US Livestock industry had been waiting on this story to hit for more than a week- and part one aired last night on the CBS Evening News, as anchor Katie Couric painted the poultry and pork industries in a very negative light. Using terminology like "factory farming" and trying to tie food safety issue to the use of antibiotics by livestock producers. It was a relatively long piece- more than seven minutes, which is forever in TV news- and will be followed by another segment tonight. It is speculated that Couric is trying to beat the drum for Congresswomen Slaughter of New York who wants a ban on antibiotic use in animal agriculture. CBS interviewed Kim Howland of Lahoma back in January for this two part series- she was seen claiming that hog producers use antibiotics "Constantly, constantly, constantly" and that she fears she brought MRSA infection home to her husband and daughter. CBS also talked about MRSA among those who work with poultry in Batesville, Arkansas at a Pilgrim's Pride processing plant in that community. The claim that antibiotics are used non stop is disputed by Missouri hog producer Chris Chinn, who says on Twitter that "antibiotics are expensive- we do NOT feed them everyday." She adds that she works with her Vet to strategically use antibiotics when it will help protect the health of the animals and the safety of the food supply. It was harder for Couric and her writers to tie chickens or hogs with antibiotics in the meat you see at the grocery store- but they tried. However, livestock industry officials remind us that "All meat is antibiotic free when it arrives at the meatcase. Farmers follow withdrawal times before animals are processed."

CBS - Animal Antibiotics Threat

uncategorized - Wednesday 10th of February 2010 08:39:02 AM

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6191894n&tag=cbsnewsSectionContent.1

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Sale Reports

uncategorized - Monday 8th of February 2010 10:09:49 AM

Since the slow death of some chat boards (buddy Brad Hook tells me steer planet is on fire) i Seem to be out of the loop on show and sale reports, Please if you have any reports on OHL sale or VanHove's, Frye's, or others let me know - responde to this blog entry and we will post them here for all .... I checked stats and this little blog of mine gets over a hundred folks a day ... Kinda cool

Kevin

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USDA Gives Up on NAIS- Proposes State and Tribal Decentralized Concept

Industry News - Monday 8th of February 2010 10:05:20 AM

From RON_ON_RON

After spending millions of dollars trying to assemble a National Animal ID system, the US Department of Agriculture has tossed in the towel on that effort and announced plans on Friday to go what they are calling a bottom up system that will be run by the states and federally supported but not federally led. This system needs to be in place to make sure if we have a disease outbreak in our livestock herd- we can traceback to find where the disease originated in less than 48 hours. After the initial case of Mad Cow disease in the US back in 2003- a national animal ID program has been contemplated and proposed- but small livestock operations called it Big Brother overkill and have fought a mandated program. This new direction is decentralized and will only be required of animals going across state lines in interstate commerce.
Lots of details to come- but USDA says it will look a lot like previous ID programs for some previous animal diseases that have been mostly eliminated from the cattle and hog herds in the US- and it will apparently use low cost simple ear tags that will cost pennies per animal instead of the high tech options of electronic ear tags and readers that could cost several dollars per animal.

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association responded to the announcement from Friday- new President of the group, Steve Foglesong of Illinois, says "The plan appears to lay the foundation for a flexible approach to animal disease traceability, including greater state-involvement and choices in the use of technology.
We encourage USDA to work closely with producers in the development of the framework moving forward. Its important that the system is workable for producers, and accomplishes the goal of increased animal surveillance by enabling state and federal animal health officials to respond rapidly and effectively to animal health emergencies.

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Yellow Tail - HSUS - And Facebook

uncategorized - Thursday 4th of February 2010 12:07:50 PM

Hey folks there is a real shit storm brewing over the 100K Yellow Tail gave to HSUS .... hundreds of folks have went to Yellow Tail's fan page on facebook and vocied there displeaure and would no longer be using there products because of this fact .... I invite you to do the same

http://www.facebook.com/#!/discoveryellowtail?v=wall&ref=nf

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HSUS Misleading Charity Must Return Haiti Donations

Industry News - Wednesday 3rd of February 2010 10:39:00 AM

From news wire

http://www.scoop.co.nz

yep they are giant liying jerks

Consumer Group: HSUS Must Return Donations After Misleading Haiti Fundraising

Humane Society of the United States Has a History of Deceptive Pitches
Washington, DC â The Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) is calling on the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to return all the funds it has raised under the pretense of âsavingâ animals in the wake of Haitiâs devastating earthquake. A disaster relief expert working with Humane Society International (HSUSâs global arm) reports that there are no animal issues resulting from the earthquake and that no actions can be taken to help animals there. This follows a thorough assessment of the situation in Haiti.
HSUS continues to raise funds for âemergencyâ donations, claiming Tuesday that âHumane Society International's team on the ground in Haiti continues its work of helping animals in distress.â
David Martosko, Director of Research at the Center for Consumer Freedom released the following statement on HSUSâs deceptive fundraising:
Raising money to help nonexistent animals is the lowest kind of fundraising scam. Sadly, itâs just the latest in a string of phony HSUS fundraising schemes.

In 2007 HSUS raised money with the false promise that it would be used to âcare for the dogs seized in the Michael Vick case.â The New York Times later reported that HSUS was not caring for the animals at all, and HSUS president Wayne Pacelle said his group was recommending that government officials âput downâ (kill) all the dogs, many of which were later saved by other organizations.

HSUS also raised a reported $34 million in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, funds that were supposed to help reunite lost pets with their owners. But an investigation by WSB-TV in Atlanta found that less than $7 million of this money could be publicly accounted for.

In the name of transparency, HSUS should cease its Haiti fundraising immediately, or redirect 100 percent of the proceeds to the American Red Cross.

The Center for Consumer Freedom is a nonprofit coalition supported by restaurants, food companies, and consumers, working together to promote personal responsibility and protect consumer choices.

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Response 1

Thursday 4th of February 2010 03:17:43 PM

Submitted by: Chris Fleming

Thank you for letting people know! Preying on the emotions and good-will of people to "feather your nest" is right up there with ambulance chasing lawyers.

Animal cruelty issue possibly heading to fall ballot

uncategorized - Wednesday 3rd of February 2010 10:34:50 AM

From thebeefblog

COSHOCTON -- The Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board has yet to be formed or meet, but a movement now is on for voters to again face the issue of animal care in the state.

Ohioans for Humane Farms, a state ballot committe sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States, submitted a petition Monday to the Ohio Attorney General's office to place an anti-cruelty measure on the November ballot.

It comes less than two months since voters approved Issue 2, which created the board to address adopting standards.

"We want to see all animals treated humanely, including animals raised for food. This petition will help guide the work of the livestock board created by Issue 2," HSUS President and CEO Wayne Pacelle said. "It does not override Issue 2 in any way."

But the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, which supported the passage of Issue 2 last year, sees the involvement of the HSUS differently.

OFBF President Brent Porteus, of Coshocton, said the issues the HSUS petition would address are all issues the board will look into and evaluate for regulations.

"I wish they would let that board work and see what comes out of it," Porteus said. "To my understanding they want to set certain parameters that the livestock care standards board has to make certain decisions. They want to limit their ability to evaluate those things and make a decision."

The measure if passed would require the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board to adopt minimum standards to prevent the cruel and inhumane treatment of animals, enhance food safety and protect the environment.

Specifics include objection to the confinement of farm animals in small cages without room to move, prohibiting "downer cows," those that are sick or injured, to be used for human food and more humane methods of killing animals that are sick and injured.

"What this measure does is direct the livestock board to handle these issues in six years, but it does not in any way stop the livestock board from addressing any and all of these questions immediately upon convening," Pacelle said. "They can take all these actions and make the petition moot."

Pacelle said his group has previously met with farm bureaus and boards in Michigan, Colorado, Oregon and Maine and agreed to terms without going to the ballot box.

"We certainly look forward to speaking with the livestock board, we much prefer negotiation and a group decision to settle these matters," Pacelle said.

Porteus said the bureau had met previously with the HSUS without coming to terms and he is confident in the livestock board addressing these issues effectively. The board is looking to form in the spring once needed legislation is passed and appointments are made.

"The whole concept behind the livestock care standards board is that when the experts are making decisions they take all factors into consideration. It's just not if the animal can stand up and turn around, but is it protected from predators, what are the health issues, there are a whole myriad of issues," he said.

The 13-member board will have 10 members appointed by the governor, one each from the Ohio House and Senate and the director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture as the final member. Members would include veterinarians, experts in food safety, family farmers, citizen consumers and humane society and agricultural society members.

Supporters of Issue 2 cited one reason to pass it as a way to prevent groups from outside of Ohio, such as the HSUS which opposed its passing, from entering the state and getting such laws passed without the voice of the Ohio farmer and consumer heard.

"It should be a bunch of people who know the right answers to these questions making the decisions versus a Washington based activist group that is more concerned with achieving their individual agenda," Porteus said.

Porteus believes in its campaigning, the Humane Society often portrays the exception as the norm and picks words with negative connotations.

"They manage to find emotional arguments in all this and make it that if you don't agree with them, you don't care about animals," he said. "We need to take emotionalism out of it. We need to make sure we are doing a good job with animal care."

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Vermont Bill Would Authorize HSUS to Oversee Livestock Commerce in the State

uncategorized - Wednesday 3rd of February 2010 10:32:14 AM

It's almost unbelievable- but a Vermont lawmaker has introduced a bill that would authorize that "An inspector who is a representative of a the humane society of the United States, a Vermont-domiciled humane society, or similar organization approved by rule of the secretary, shall be present to observe a slaughterer, packer, or stockyard operator when engaged in the practice of bleeding or slaughtering
livestock."
We have reaction from Steve Kopperud who helped found the Animal Agriculture Alliance, who says that " Animal Rights acitivists may be headed toward an unprecedented power grab in Vermont."
Kopperud, who is now executive vice president of Policy Directions, has been monitoring the activities of animal rights activists for over 20 years and says what groups like HSUS are trying to do in Vermont represents an important turning point in their crusade to enact animal welfare reforms.

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Nevil on COOL

uncategorized - Tuesday 2nd of February 2010 12:30:17 PM

I really like Nevil C Speer, PHD. I heard him speak at Larry Campbells memorial. A very smart guy

Country-of-origin labeling (COOL): a divisive, controversial issue bouncing around like a pinball that never gets drained. Just passed, the seven-year anniversary of an article I authored outlining some of the foundational concerns subsequent to implementation following the 2002 Farm Bill (COOL Has Implications For The U.S. Beef Industry, Feedstuffs, Jan 27, 2003, 75:4). And last February in AgSight I described COOL as “an already long, contentious, arduous process [that] just went into overtime.” The rhetoric and posturing is heating up again; back-and-forth reinitiated through the fall as Canada and Mexico solidified their pursuit of a formal WTO complaint.

This month’s observations are NOT intended to rehash COOL’s various intricacies or address the cost/benefit relationship (or lack thereof). Rather, my intent is to address foundational principles surrounding international trade.

Some context and review is useful. COOL was established on the premise that U.S. consumers desire additional information and possess differential demand curves for U.S. products versus imported items. However, the impetus for COOL primarily derives from, and establishes benefit for, U.S. beef producers providing relative advantage over foreign competitors (Canada and Mexico); lobbying efforts were also fierce and sustained to appease a specific segment of the beef industry. The ruling requires additional record-keeping and makes it more problematic to schedule livestock which originated from Canada or Mexico - COOL has slowed the flow of cattle sourced from our NAFTA partners. As such, the WTO legal action asserts COOL represents an illegal trade barrier and establishes unfair trade discrimination.

The WTO challenge has proponents fighting back. For example, R-CALF USA addressed a letter to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) in October rebuking NCBA’s policy towards the Canadian WTO complaint. The letter reads that NCBA’s position which highlights the revenue-based benefits of trade with Canada and Mexico, “…fails to disclose the critical fact that trade (i.e., both imports and exports) with these two countries continues to generate a substantial revenue-based deficit for the U.S. – a deficit that has averaged more than $1.3 billion in each of the past five years and that has resulted in a cumulative five-year loss of more than $6.6 billion.” R-CALF followed up on that theme several days later with a letter addressed to Secretary Vilsack and USTR Ambassador Kirk.

International trade is prickly. Facts often get quickly twisted to suit one’s perspective. R-CALF touts the “trade deficit” between the U.S. and our NAFTA partners. The broader perspective is important. Detailed below is breakdown of the global trends related to international trade (utilizing the same data sources compiled for R-CALF’s report: 6-digit bovine trade codes – which does NOT include hides):

• Total bovine imports, worldwide, increased $720 million (17%) over four years from $4.23 B in 2004 to $4.95 B in 2008
• Total bovine exports, worldwide, increased from $648 M to $3.27 B between 2004 and 2008 (a difference of $2.62 B and in excess of 5-fold improvement)
• Net “trade deficit”, from a global perspective, declined from $3.59 B to $1.69 B between 2004 and 2008 – a difference of nearly $1.9 B
In other words, over the span of four years, beef exports outpaced imports by a difference of nearly 475-million-to-one. Meanwhile, the pace quickened further yet in 2009. Available data is only available through November; however, 2009 is on pace to post a “trade deficit” of $1.1 B – a decline of $800 million versus the previous year.

What’s the point? Selective snapshots avoid the larger story and miss the true intent of international trade. Daniel Griswold (Mad About Trade, c. 2009) reminds us that trade occurs on the behalf of consumers:

“When we import more of a certain category of good than we export, say shoes or shirts, by definition we are buying and consuming more of that type of good than we produce. More Americans have more money at stake as consumers of the good than as producers. So when a tariff raises the domestic price of an item, we have more to lose collectively as consumers than we have to gain as producers.”

Import competition provides lower prices and more variety. Those attributes create cost savings for all families – and the largest benefactor being low-income households.

Broader principles about economic growth are also overlooked. Marc Chandler (Making Sense of the Dollar, c. 2009) points out that sole focus on balance of payments (i.e. trade deficit) fails to reflect value-added activities and derived profits:

Although Apple Computer makes a hefty profit selling iPods, each one sold increases the U.S. trade deficit by $150. Yet the iPod sells for about twice its cost of goods, which means that $150 accrues in profit to an American company for each iPod sold. That doesn’t get factored into [nor is reflected by] the trade deficit. Who would argue that America would be a more competitive nation if Apple had never developed the iPod?

The same principle applies here; focusing strictly on the deficit overlooks added value and benefits derived for U.S. businesses at all levels of the value chain including producers, processors, purveyors, distributors, retailers and restaurants – that results in economic growth and job creation.

In the end, utilizing negative trade deficits as justification for country-of-origin labeling is wrong-headed. COOL represents a non-tariff trade barrier; a means to protect some (certainly not all) American producers from foreign producers. But more importantly, as illustrated above, trade is essential to consumer well-being and overall economic growth. The U.S. can’t, on one hand, expect trade partners to abide by the WTO framework while, on the other hand, implement questionable legislation that impedes trade. Any challenge to foreign obstruction (e.g. Taiwan, Russia) must be based on solid footing. Failure to possess a principled approach diminishes ability to grow international markets in the future.

Source: Nevil C. Speer, PHD, MBA, Western Kentucky Universityfrom the cattlenetwork.com

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It's The Pitts: Cattle Feeders Anonymous

From the Passenger Seat - Tuesday 2nd of February 2010 11:37:42 AM

Lee Pitts from the cattlenetwork.com

My name is Lee Pitts and I was once a cattle feeder. Yes, I was addicted to cattle feeding. I have seen firsthand the impact this can have on families and their net worth so I am proud to say that I have been clean now for 20 years.

Since there is no Betty Ford Clinic for helping cattle feeding addicts I had to cure my own addiction by developing a 12 step program like those used in Alcoholics Anonymous, Sexual Compulsive Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous and over 200 other such programs. (It may not have been just the 12 step program that enabled me to quit cold turkey; a 58 cent fat market and a balky banker also contributed.) I offer my 12 step program in hopes that it may help others become cattle-feeding-sober.

Step 1: Stand up in a gathering of fellow cattlemen, in a bar or at a convention, and admit you are an addict and your behavior is unmanageable. Admit that when you see a pen of green feeders enter an auction ring and hear the auctioneer’s chant you are powerless in the face of your addiction and your hand automatically goes up.

Step 2: Because no one has yet developed a patch, drug, or chewing gum to rein in your cattle feeding addiction chew on alfalfa stems. You’ve already paid for them and you might as well put the hay to a better use than feeding it to cattle.

Step 3: If you absolutely must go to an auction take a person of higher authority with you, such as your wife, banker or Cattle Feeders Anonymous (CFA) sponsor to stop you when you try to bid on a cheap set of preggy Corriente feeding heifers.

Step 4: Remove the enablers; those people or things that are enabling you to feed cattle. These would include your banker, order buyer and futures trader. Sell your cattle truck and airplane. Cancel your membership in the Texas Cattle Feeders.

Step 5: Sell your calves at auction and don’t even consider retaining ownership. Let someone else have all the fun.

Step 6: Rediscover the other days in the week besides Thursdays when the price of fat cattle is usually established. Quit living solely for that 30 minute period when prices are set by the Big Three and admit that there is a higher power in this universe than Tyson, JBS and Cargill.

Step 7: Remove the temptation to be a farmer as well as a rancher. It is a short slippery step from growing your own hay or grain to building a set of corrals and having 3,500 head on feed.

Step 8: Cleanse your mind of the obsession. Quit reading articles authored by university professors or economists that advise that you are leaving $50 per head on the table by selling your calves instead of feeding them. Ask yourself, where are the teacher's and economist's feedlots?

Step 9: Break old habits. Don’t check the DTN machine first thing when you get up in the morning and every ten minutes thereafter until the markets close. Don’t let the price of corn ruin your day and rediscover a new life without margin calls, feed bills, mad cows, dairy buyouts and e coli outbreaks.

Step 10: Remove defects in your character. Become a CFA sponsor and don’t enable anyone to become an addict by financing them. Help wives and children who have been hurt by your fellow cattle feeding addicts by forming a CFA-anon group in your area.

Step 11: Pay your taxes. Stop buying trainloads of grain in December just to avoid paying taxes. Burn the money instead and save yourself a lot of grief.

Step 12: Replace the risk-taking behavior and euphoria you feel when feeding cattle with other activities. You may find you get the same rush from less risky activities such as hang gliding, sword juggling, car racing or bull riding.

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ON THE EDGE OF COMMON SENSE

uncategorized - Tuesday 2nd of February 2010 11:23:00 AM

From baxterblack.com

ON THE EDGE OF COMMON SENSE

by Baxter Black, DVM

COUNTY FAIRS, WHY?

“Most people just don’t get it,” said Ron, bemoaning the urban politicians that continue to whittle away at funding for county fairs and the ag extension service. “It’s all about the kids learning real life.”

To their misfortune, urban children have much less opportunity to connect with real life. They look at some farm kid working on his show steer every day for months. It is beyond their comprehension. “Why”, they think, ‘Would anyone want to waste their time in such a mindless pursuit?’ and then they whip out their Game Boy and fall into a trance.

Thank goodness there are some politicians, corporations and influential associations that DO get it. As farmers and livestock raisers continue to decline in numbers, it is even more critical that parents, county agents, ag teachers, 4H leaders, scientists and teachers instill in the next generations the realities of life that farming depends on. Does America want to become a net importer of food in fifty years?

I appreciate Mrs. Obama’s garden, Whole Foods specialty markets, organic and natural producers. They have a niche market. But who is going to feed the other 99% of our burgeoning population, much less a hungry third world?

Those kids, our kids who are fitting steers, doing chores, picking apples, showing hogs, driving the grain truck, learning to weld, riding pens, irrigating strawberries, managing a pasture, hosing the milk room, stacking hay and learning to read the sky are assimilating the mountain of knowledge that it takes to make dirt and rain into food.

Farm kids start learning the land and the livestock when they are old enough to carry a bucket. When they help with the daily chores they are practicing. It’s like taking piano lessons or tennis lessons except what farm kids learn has a much more profound objective; feeding us all.

Our culture expends a great deal of effort on future NBA stars, astronauts, environmental lawyers, doctors, and political science majors. But for every 100 rock stars, Rhoads scholars and Heisman trophy winners our country produces, we better make sure we spend enough to train at least two future farmers, so the rest of them can eat. That is the essence of the county fair.

Beneath all the fun, auctions, and show ribbons, the serious business of learning how to make a living off the land continues like an underground river.

The list of ‘essential professions’ is a short one. That’s the reality of real life. Farm kids hold our future in their hands. They are in training to feed the world. And fair board members and county agents get it.

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When Beef Demand Starts Moving Stronger Again- Tight Supplies Will Help Cattle Prices Rise

uncategorized - Tuesday 2nd of February 2010 11:05:17 AM

Beef Demand kept cash cattle prices as much as ten dollars per hundredweight lower than they might have been in 2009. That was one of the take home messages from Randy Blach, CEO of Cattlefax, as the market analysis arm of the cattle industry presented their annual market outlook session during the Cattle Industry Convention in San Antonio this past Friday morning.
Blach and his Cattlefax team believe that beef demand has stabilized in recent months- and between improvements in domestic beef demand- and some growth in the export arena, cattle prices could jump higher as this works with a smaller cattle herd and tighter supplies of beef. Blach told the Outlook crowd that this may be the time to consider holding back a few more heifers or hold onto your mature cows for an extra season or two to edge your calf production higher in the next couple of calving seasons.

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Knowledge is Power When It Comes to Genetic Defects

Industry News - Tuesday 2nd of February 2010 11:04:22 AM

OSU Beef Cattle Specialist Dr. Glenn Selk has an interesting article that he has written about some educational opportunities coming later this month for cattle producers. Here is update from the latest Cow Calf News that he sends out from OSU.
"Those of us that grew up in the 50s and 60s remember snorter dwarfism. Dwarfism was a recessive genetic defect that struck fear in commercial and purebred breeders alike. The only way a bull was tested for dwarfism was to mate him to about 20 of his own daughters. In other words bulls were several years old, before they could be absolutely be determined to be free of the genetic disorder. Over the last decade, numerous genetic defects have been documented in several cattle breeds. Today, there are testing tools available that make managing around these genetic defects quite possible. Learning about these genetic defects and testing tools should reduce the concern of producers. There are opportunities to bring yourself up-to-date on these issues coming very soon to your computer. I urge producers to take advantage of these webinars.

The eXtension Beef Cattle Clearinghouse Community of Practice will conduct 2 webinars in February 2010. The dates for the webinars are February 11 and Feb 25; starting at noon Central time for 1 hour each. Speakers will be Dr. Bob Weaber, University of Missouri and Dr. Matt Spangler, University of Nebraska.

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HSUS Readies Petition Drive to Dictate to New Ohio Animal Standards Board "HSUS Acceptable" Standards They Must Implement

Industry News - Tuesday 2nd of February 2010 10:40:44 AM

from RON ON RON

Ohioans for Humane Farms submitted a petition—including signatures from Ohio voters in 48 counties, demonstrating broad and regionally diverse support—to Ohio’s Secretary of State in support of placing an anti-cruelty measure on the statewide November ballot. The proposed measure would allow voters to require the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board to adopt certain minimum standards that will prevent the cruel and inhumane treatment of farm animals, enhance food safety, protect the environment and strengthen Ohio family farms.

Utilizing a large volunteer base, the group will seek to collect more than 600,000 signatures of registered Ohio voters upon approval of the petition forms by the Secretary of State. The ballot measure is backed by The Humane Society of the United States, Farm Sanctuary, Ohio SPCA, Toledo Area Humane Society, Geauga Humane Society, Ohio League of Humane Voters, Center for Food Safety, United Farm Workers, Consumer Federation of America, Center for Science in the Public Interest, and a growing list of organizations.

This measure will allow Ohio voters to provide guidance to the newly enacted Livestock Board and set certain minimum humane standards that will prevent cruel factory farming practices in Ohio, including:

·         Extreme confinement in tiny cages for months on end: Tens of thousands of veal calves, 170,000 breeding pigs, and approximately 27 million egg-laying hens in Ohio are confined in cages and crates so restrictive the animals can barely move an inch for virtually their whole lives. Many don’t even have enough room to stretch their limbs or turn around.

·         Allowing “downer cows” to enter the human food chain: Allowing sick and injured animals into the food supply threatens public health and food safety. Cows too sick or injured to stand or walk on their own to slaughter should be humanely euthanized, not inhumanely dragged or pushed while being shocked and beaten onto the kill floor to be used for human consumption.

·         Inhumane methods of euthanasia for sick and injured animals: In Ohio, a factory farmer was videotaped killing sick pigs by hanging them execution-style from a tractor, leaving them to writhe in the air for minutes on end. He was acquitted of cruelty for the hangings, a verdict Ohio’s agribusiness community hailed as a “huge victory,” because Ohio has no law specifically requiring humane farm animal euthanasia methods.

The Board would have six years to implement these minimum standards, allowing producers ample time to transition to more humane systems. If the measure is enacted, Ohioans for Humane Farms hopes that the Livestock Board would immediately adopt minimum standards that address euthanasia and downer animals.

“We wouldn’t cram our pets into cages barely larger than their bodies for their entire lives, and we shouldn’t subject farm animals to this inhumane and unacceptable confinement either,” stated Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS. “All animals deserve humane treatment, including animals raised for food.”

“Mahatma Gandhi said you can judge a nation by the way it treats its animals. As a veterinarian, I am duty-bound to protect the human-animal bond, and by supporting this measure, we as a state and nation will be improving the lives of animals,” states Cleveland veterinarian Brian Forsgren, DVM.

“Ohioans oppose cruelty and believe that all animals, including farm animals, deserve to be protected,” said Gene Baur, president of Farm Sanctuary. “In November, Ohioans will have the opportunity to make their voices heard and phase out some of the worst factory farm abuses.”

Michigan recently became the latest state to adopt reforms, providing farm animals with more space to turn around and extend their limbs, passing a measure in its state legislature in 2009 very similar in form to the Ohio proposal. Similar laws also have been enacted in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maine and Oregon.

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Ohio Ag Groups React to the HSUS Plan to Tell New Animal Care Standards Board What to Do

Industry News - Tuesday 2nd of February 2010 10:39:05 AM

Out-of-state activists have begun their efforts to undo Ohioans’ overwhelming passage of Issue 2. Less than three months after Ohioans approved Issue 2 to create the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board (OLCSB), lobbyists from Washington, D.C. have declared they know better than Ohio voters, according to John C. (Jack) Fisher, executive vice president of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF).

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), a Washington, D.C.–based animal rights lobbying organization, has announced plans to put a measure on the Ohio ballot through which HSUS would dictate OLCSB decisions.

Nearly two-thirds of Ohio’s voters this past November supported Issue 2. The board is expected to be operating by this spring, following completion of required legislation and board appointments.

“The enabling legislation hasn’t passed; the board hasn’t been appointed and the first discussions on what standards Ohioans find acceptable hasn’t been held. And yet, the Humane Society of the United States is saying, in effect, Ohioans got it wrong,” said Fisher.

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Cow Size and Efficiency: Solving the Puzzle

Industry News - Tuesday 2nd of February 2010 09:56:16 AM

from Angus.org

Cow size has become a hot topic of debate among cow-calf producers. One side argues that smaller cows are more efficient, and rising feed costs have only fueled that argument. The other side counters that bigger cows produce the bigger calves that many if not most cattle feeders favor. And the beef packing industry generally rewards the feeder for heavy carcasses from large-framed cattle.

Cow size and efficiency were addressed during a 2010 Cattle Industry Convention Cattlemen’s College® session presented by Texas A&M University King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management (KRIRM) students Jennifer Johnson and J.D. Radokovich, along with KRIM Director Barry Dunn. The trio confessed to having no easy answer, no simple rule-of-thumb, and said the best way to frame the efficiency question is to ask which cattle are most efficient for a specific environment and production system.

“It’s complicated,” Radokovich said. “We can’t tell you exactly what kind of cattle to run. The best we can do is give you some tools to use in making good decisions for your individual operations.”

Johnson explained how overall efficiency is a combination of biological efficiency (feed consumed to beef produced) and economic efficiency (dollars spent to dollars returned). Attempting to achieve both simultaneously requires understanding and managing the genetic potential of cattle, the environment in which the cattle must perform, and decisions about what product a producer is marketing and when that product is marketed.

It’s a mistake to equate low cow maintenance requirements with efficiency, she said, noting that low-maintenance cows aren’t always efficient. They can be, but they aren’t necessarily always efficient. Nor are high-maintenance cows always inefficient. Johnson also warned against using the old rule-of-thumb calling for a cow to wean a calf weighing 50% of her own body weight.

“Though commonly used, it’s not an accurate measure of efficiency. It doesn’t consider calf age and the cow’s milk production. The ratio of total pounds of calves weaned to the total number of cows exposed to breeding is a better evaluation,” Johnson suggested.

The KRIRM team said matching growth and milk production to available feed resources is key to creating efficient cows. The natural availability of feed resources varies greatly across the U.S., and utilizing cattle with different genetic potential for production is a logical response to environmental differences. Cow size must fit the environment and economic guardrails (she rebreeds on time and produces a calf with market acceptability), to be the “right size.”

“The most efficient cow is one with the highest milk production potential that can, without reducing the percent of calves weaned, repeatedly produce a calf sired by bulls with the growth and carcass characteristics valued most in the marketplace,” Dunn stated.

“It’s management that makes resources productive. We don’t need better cow sizes for our managers. We need better managers for our cow sizes.”

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HSUS at it in ohio

uncategorized - Monday 1st of February 2010 01:38:06 PM

BREAKING NEWS: Ohioans for Humane Farms Petitions to Put Measure on November Ballot

Ohioans for Humane Farms - a group comprised of animal rights organizations and political lobbying groups such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Farm Sanctuary, and the Ohio League of Humane Voters has submitted a petition to the Ohio Secretary of State to place an initiative on the November ballot.

This measure would seek to direct the work of the newly enacted Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board by setting certain standards relative to livestock in place. In the press release issued today by HSUS, they specifically cited intent to target Ohio's pork and veal industries with the elimination of certain confinement practices, and would threaten Ohio's thriving poultry industry with the elimination of certain cage production practices.

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Who really likes Oprah?

Industry News - Monday 1st of February 2010 01:06:28 PM

Time and time again this lady jabs and jabs and jabs some more at the food and fiber sector. Why, I am all for finding a problem and exposeing it but ONLY when we have a souliton or to open up disscusion on finding a soultion.

I agree that finding healthy choices when dining out is a challange, however, consuming humainly rasied meat, well thats all in ones persective on animal agriculture.

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/archives/2010/01/michael_pollan_3.php

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Cattle Supply Decline to Continue in 2010, According to CattleFax

Industry News - Monday 1st of February 2010 11:16:09 AM

Cattle supplies in 2010 should decline another 1 to 1.5 percent in 2010, Randy Blach, Chief Executive Officer for Cattle-Fax, told attendees of the 2010 Cattle Industry Convention in San Antonio, Tex., today. At the same time, beef demand will continue to be impacted by a weak economy and high unemployment.

Nevertheless, 2010 overall “should be a better year for the beef industry,” said Blach, with beef exports expected to rise and fed cattle slaughter totals expected to decrease. “Demand remains the biggest challenge for the beef industry in 2010,” said Blach. “Though the supply situation is very bullish, demand must stabilize in order for prices to turn significantly higher.”

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NCBA - Goes on Record to Oppose HSUS and their Goal of Eliminating Animal Agriculture

uncategorized - Monday 1st of February 2010 11:14:15 AM

A resolution brought forward by OCA (Oklahoma) to put the NCBA on record as being aggressive against the Humane Society of the US and use resources and develop coalitions that will combat their goal of eliminating animal agriculture in the United States.

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