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Stories:
Legislators working to make COOL voluntary
The Food Promotion Act of 2004 (H.R. 4576), which calls for the implementation of a voluntary country-of-origin-labeling program, passed the House Agriculture Committee last week by voice vote. The legislation, introduced June 15 by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Virg., and Ranking Minority Member Charles Stenholm, D-Texas, amends the Agriculture Marketing Act of 1946 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a voluntary country-of-origin-labeling program for fruits, vegetables, meat and seafood. The bill must now move to the full House for consideration, which may come this fall. If passed, it would then have to pass the Senate to become law. To read more, go to http://agriculture.house.gov/
Not many issues have polarized the industry to the extent of COOL. Some call mandatory COOL “consumer protection,” others call it “trade protectionism.” But if consumers really are willing to pay premiums for U.S.-born-and-raised beef, a market-driven, voluntary labeling program should provide an opportunity for producer alliances and food companies to capitalize on that demand, just as some already do by voluntarily certifying and labeling their beef as natural, grass-fed or coming from a certain breed. — John Maday, Drovers associate editor
NCBA urges private-sector approach to animal ID
The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock and Horticulture held a hearing last week on the development of a national animal-ID system. In a news release following the hearing, the NCBA stressed its support for a private-sector animal-ID system to meet the needs of the country’s animal health surveillance initiatives while protecting producer privacy. Mark Armentrout, NCBA member; chief operating officer of AgInfoLink Global; and a spokesperson for the Beef Information Exchange, testified at the hearing, describing how the BIE approach can meet the needs of the NAIS while achieving both public and private objectives. Transcripts of the hearing are available online from the National Institute for Animal Agriculture. To read testimony from various industry representatives, go to animalagriculture.org/newsarchives/2004/July2004/Jul23/HouseHearingID.htm
Whether or not the USDA will allow the private sector to manage the data remains to be seen, but government officials at least recognize industry concerns over privacy. USDA Under Secretary Bill Hawks told participants in the 2004 Animal ID Info Expo “Eventually, we may move toward a requirement for premises and animal identification for all species included in the system. We are currently working to determine the best way to protect the confidentiality of data. However, it is important to recognize that the national repository will only include information needed for animal-disease-tracking purposes.” He also said the National Animal Identification System will be technology neutral. “We want to allow producers, to the extent possible, the flexibility to use current identification processes or systems or adopt new ones.” — J.M.
 Damaged goods
Postweaning sickness hampers performance, hurts quality and costs money.
Cattle feeder Bob Ellis and others discuss how to limit disease in freshly weaned calves. Learn what could help you in the latest article posted to Beef Quality Connection. 
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News and Notes:
Inventory shows small increase in heifer retention
The mid-year cattle inventory report, which the USDA’s NASS released last week, shows all cattle and calves just slightly below the level reported last July, but 1.5 percent below July 2002. Total cow numbers also were down slightly, but the number of heifers retained for breeding has increased 4 percent from last year. The report estimates the 2004 U.S. calf crop at 37.7 million head, down about 200,000 head from a year ago. Likewise, the report lists the number of feeder cattle outside feedlots at about 250,000 head lower than on July 1, 2003. For the complete report, go to usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/ and enter “cattle” in the search box.
It appears that some herd expansion is taking place. Based on the long-term outlook and the easing of drought in some areas, it seems like producers would retain larger numbers of heifers from this year’s calf crop. However, with calf and yearling prices running as high as they are, producers will be tempted to send potential replacements to the sale barn or feedlot. Stay tuned — January’s inventory report should provide a better picture of the expansion rate based on heifers retained from this year’s calf crop. — J.M.
Montana land-lease battle continues
The Montana Stockgrowers Association is criticizing a decision by Helena District Court Judge Sherlock that eliminates a practice that allowed the existing leaseholder of state land the right to match a higher bid and retain the lease. “This ruling is incredibly damaging, as it will affect the entire system by which many ranchers and farmers manage their business,” said Steve Pilcher, MSGA executive vice president. The MSGA, Montana Public Lands Council and the Montana Association of State Grazing Districts will be meeting with the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and other state officials to consider an appeal of the decision to the Montana Supreme Court or pursuing legislation that would counteract the impact of this ruling. For more details, go to MSGA’s Web site at www.mtbeef.org
Progress made on ESA reform
Last week, the House Resources Committee passed two bills aimed at modernizing the Endangered Species Act:
- The Sound Science for ESA Planning Act (H.R. 1662): Introduced by Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., this bill amends the ESA to require the Secretary of the Interior to give greater weight to scientific or commercial data that is empirical or has been field-tested or peer-reviewed when making ESA designations.
- The Critical Habitat Reform Act (H.R. 2933): Introduced by Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Calif., this bill reforms the process for designating critical habitat under the ESA.
According to NCBA staff, reform of the ESA is important to cattlemen because ESA designations place restrictions on how producers can use their private lands in order to protect plants and animals deemed endangered or threatened. To see more of the weekly reports from NCBA’s Washington, D.C., staff, click here.
Test your food-safety knowledge
How’s your knowledge of food safety? The American Meat Institute’s new Web site, www.meatsafety.org, features a “Food Safety Quiz” where visitors can test their food safety IQ in 5 minutes The site also offers consumers and the media comprehensive information about meat and poultry safety with detailed information about cooking, safe handling, thermometer use and storage of specific meat and poultry products.
Chance to participate in summer conference
If you’re unable to attend the 2004 Cattle Industry Summer Conference (Aug. 9-13) in person, you still have an opportunity to participate on the evening of Aug. 11. That’s when the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and NCBA will hold separate 45-minute officers’ forums via satellite on RFD-TV. The event will begin at 5 p.m. MDT. Beef and cattle producers from around the nation can call into a toll-free number provided on screen to ask questions. The program will rebroadcast three times by RFD-TV on Aug. 11-12 at six-hour intervals following the 5 p.m. MDT broadcast. Check local listings for broadcast times. It will also air at 2 p.m. MDT on Aug. 14. For more information, go to www.drovers.com
2004 Nebraska Grazing Conference scheduled
Beef producers have an opportunity to hear the latest thinking on grazing and rangeland management at the 2004 Nebraska Grazing Conference in Kearney, Neb., Aug. 10 and 11. Presentations will cover topics ranging from carbon trading, using weather-forecasting tools to make grazing decisions, grazing management to meet multiple objectives, additive benefits to rotation grazing to food-animal traceability and using goats to control weeds. For the complete agenda and registration information, go to http://www.grassland.unl.edu/grazeconf.htm
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Thursday,
July 29, 2004, Vol. 4, Issue 30 
Welcome
to this week's edition of Drovers Alert®,
published by Drovers®
magazine and co-sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health . Drovers
Alert and its core sponsors are committed to providing
you with the information you need to make informed and timely business
decisions. 