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U.S. REPRESENTATIVES CONCERNED WITH GIPSA PROPOSAL
Members
of
a
U.S.
House
agriculture
subcommittee
expressed
deep
concern
with
USDA’s
proposed
rule
on
livestock
and
poultry
contracts
and
marketing
arrangements.
The
regulation
would
limit
pork
producers’
options
in
selling
pigs
to
processors,
according
to
the
National
Pork
Producers
Council
(NPPC). WEATHER
SERVING UP A TRIPLE THREAT TO
Extreme temperatures coupled with high
humidity and low wind speeds have led
to losses of feedyard cattle in parts
of the state. This hot weather pattern
started July 16 and is forecast to
last through the middle of this week,
according to the USDA Agricultural
Research Service.
Management strategies for dealing with
extreme heat in feedyards are limited.
Research has shown the most effective
practices include providing adequate
shade, spraying with water, careful
monitoring and proper feeding and
watering. Discuss specific
alternatives with your veterinarian
and nutritionist to develop a strategy
for your operation.
Overnight lows higher than 74 degrees
do not allow cattle to adequately
cool, requiring heightened observation
and possibly intervention the
following day. Livestock heat stress
forecast maps are produced daily
through a partnership of the U.S. Meat
Animal Research Center and the
National Weather Service. More
information on heat stress forecasts
and tips for managing such emergencies
can be found by clicking here.
USDA’s livestock indemnity program (LIP) can compensate producers for animals lost during extreme weather events, including heat. LIP will pay on a per head basis for losses exceeding an established baseline loss percentage. For non-adult beef cattle over 800 lbs., the baseline death loss percent is 1.1% and the payment rate is $654.60 per head. For cattle between 400 and 799 lbs., the program will pay on losses over 1.9% at a rate of $432.59 per head. Cattle under 400 lbs. will be compensated at $302.58 per head over 2.7%. Producers will be required to notify the county Farm Service Agency office that maintains their farm records within 30 days of the loss and then file an application for payment by January 30, 2011. A producer must have an adjusted gross non-farm income of $500,000 or less on their tax return to qualify for payments. The program is capped at $100,000 per producer. Documentation of inventory and livestock losses will be necessary as part of the application process. # # #
MONFORT,
HITCH, McDONALD GO INTO FEEDERS HALL
OF FAME The late Kenneth Monfort and H.C. “Ladd” Hitch were inducted into the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame earlier this month. In addition, retired Texas Cattle Feeders Association (TCFA) Executive Vice President Richard McDonald was presented the first “Industry Leadership Award” by the Hall of Fame. All of the awards were presented during a July 8 banquet in Denver.
Monfort
helped revolutionize the cattle
feeding industry by building a
processing plant in
feedyard
country and inventing boxed beef. He
and his father, Warren, expanded their
feeding period through the winter to
make beef available year-round.
Hitch
played
a key role in the success and growth
of family-owned Hitch Enterprises. He
built the Henry C. Hitch Feedlot in
1953 on the family’s Guymon ranch
headquarters. Through his leadership
and vision, Hitch grew the company’s
fee
The
leadership award is presented to an
industry
advocate who
has been key to the success of the
cattle feeding business. McDonald
fulfilled this role through his work
at TCFA from 1974 to 2006. He was
instrumental in helping pass a number
of tax relief measures for ranchers
and feeders. Monfort, Hitch and McDonald are the second class of inductees into the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame. Recipients are featured in the virtual Hall of Fame at http://www.cattlefeeders.org/. # # #
CONGRESS
EXAMINES ANTIBIOTIC USE IN LIVESTOCK
Hearings
were held this week in the U.S. House
Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on
the use of antibiotics in
food-producing animals and its impact
on human health. The focus was on the
Food and Drug Administration’s
recent draft guidance on the judicious
use of antibiotics in livestock and
the “Preservation of Antibiotics for
Medical Treatment Act,” a bill that
would restrict antibiotic use in
animal agriculture.
NCBA
Chief Veterinarian Elizabeth Parker
continues to tell Congress and
regulators antimicrobial resistance is
a multi-faceted and complex issue that
can’t be addressed by singling out
the livestock industry. To date, she
said there is no conclusive scientific
evidence indicating the judicious use
of antibiotics in cattle contributes
to antimicrobial resistance in humans.
A
non-scientific ban on antibiotics in # # # PROPOSED
DUST STANDARD WOULD HAMPER CRITICAL
INDUSTRIES
The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
officially is
considering more strict regulation of
coarse particulate matter, or dust.
According to NCBA, draft EPA policy
proposes to create a dust standard
twice as stringent as the current
threshold. NCBA Chief Environmental
Counsel Tamara Thies said this would
make it virtually impossible for many
critical
U.S.
industries, including agriculture, to
comply and continue to do business.
“All
of us certainly want healthy air for
our communities, but this is nothing
more than the everyday dust kicked up
by a car driving down a dirt road, and
it has long been found to be of no
health concern at ambient levels,”
said Thies.
High
dust levels in arid climates make it
difficult for many critical western
states industries to meet the current
standard. In some areas, “no-till”
days already have been proposed for
agriculture. Thies said the proposed
standard could lead to farmers being
fined for typical activities like
driving a tractor down a dirt road or
tilling a field.
NCBA
reports the existing particulate
matter standard was set conservatively
low based on flawed health studies.
EPA has acknowledged the current
standard was based on a desire to be
cautious and not on clear evidence it
was necessary to protect against
adverse public health effects. # # # |
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