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May is Beef Month

Consider what you’d miss nutritionally without meat.

Americans are increasingly overfed yet undernourished, so it’s essential that we get the most nutritional value from the foods and beverages we enjoy. In fact, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and USDA’s MyPyramid (replaced in 2011 by MyPlate) encouraged people to “get more nutrition from their calories” by choosing nutrient-rich foods first, within and among all food groups, including colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low- and nonfat dairy, and lean meats.

While the MyPlate initiative renamed the “Meat & Beans” group the “Protein” group, the category includes many nutrient-rich foods that provide essential vitamins, minerals and protein needed throughout the life cycle. Many Americans are not meeting the recommended daily servings from this group each day, based on caloric intake, placing them at risk for nutritional deficiencies.

In particular, more than 70% of females age 20 and older and more than 80% of girls ages 2-11 are not eating the recommended daily servings from the meat group each day. Nearly 80% of boys ages 2-11 are not eating the recommended daily servings from the meat group. Read more.


How to Keep the Herd

Drought or land competition may limit grazing opportunities, but not creativity.

The drought has eased in places, but it persists in 40% of the United States and another 10% could revert if seasonal rains stay away this summer. That outlook from the USDA Drought Monitor has many ranchers short on grazing or water at a crossroads. Do they sell out with hopes of getting back in once the drought subsides? Or do they spend the money to feed and water their cows to preserve the genetics?

“It’s a scenario we’ve heard an awful lot about,” says Vern Anderson, Extension animal scientist at North Dakota State University (NDSU). “Farmers and ranchers are scrambling for ways to keep their cow herds.” Read more.


Rod Wesselman

Rod Wesselman

Association Perspective

Regional manager history.

Greetings from the Pacific Northwest!

As I start to write this article, the realization of working for the American Angus Association for 20 years is starting to set in. On Oct. 1, 2012, I completed 20 years as a regional manager for the membership of the AAA. It does not seem like it has been that long until you say it out loud or write it down. The time has gone so quickly. Here’s some history! Read more.


Ranch HR

Study looks at perceptions of the modern cowboy and the human resources department on the ranch.

The term “ranch hand” might conjure images of an old Western movie, but modern ranches are also employers. Management of human resources is as important as management of land and cattle. However, common business practices of employee evaluation and motivation may not fit into the mold of employment on a ranch.

The current issue of the journal Rangelands presents the first study of employee management practices on ranches. Both ranch managers and ranch employees were surveyed to gain insight into human resources approaches. Manager and employee perceptions, incentive methods, and the relationship between management practices and performance metrics were examined. Read more.


Amendment 868 Does Not Pass in Senate

Amendment to Clean Water Act that would have stopped EPA, Corps overreach elicits reaction from cattle industry.

Amendment 868 to the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) would have prevented the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) from finalizing the Clean Water Act (CWA) jurisdictional-guidance document, said Ashley McDonald, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) deputy environmental counsel, after the amendment failed to pass the Senate. McDonald issued the following official statement:

“Unfortunately, the Senate failed to pass an important piece of legislation, introduced by Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), which would have stopped an overreaching jurisdictional guidance by the EPA and Corps [that] attempts to federalize all waters. That guidance is at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and could come out in final form any day. Read more.


What’s Inside …

In this May edition of the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, you'll find valuable articles devoted to the management, marketing, and health and nutrition of your beef enterprise. Select from the tabs at the top of the page to access this month's entire offering by category. A few select features include:


News Briefs …

The American Angus Association and its subsidiaries generate a wealth of information to keep members and affiliates informed of what's happening within the industry as well as with the programs and services they offer. Click here for easy access to the newsrooms of the American Angus Association and Certified Angus Beef LLC and the Angus Journal Daily archive recently made available in the API Virtual Library.


St. Louis Fed Ag Survey Shows Farm Income

Spending rose in first quarter; weak economy, higher input costs are seen as most significant risks ahead.

While first-quarter-2013 farm income and capital spending were higher than expected across the Midwest and Mid-South than first quarter 2012, agricultural lenders remained cautious in their expectations for the year ahead amid risks posed by ongoing weakness in the U.S. economy and higher producer input costs, according to the latest Agricultural Finance Monitor, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

The survey for the report was conducted from March 15 through March 29, 2013. The results were based on the responses of 55 agricultural banks located within the boundaries of the Eighth Federal Reserve District. The Eighth District comprises all or parts of the following seven Midwest and Mid-South States: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. It is broken into four zones: Little Rock, Louisville, Memphis and St. Louis. For this survey, three questions were added to assess potential change in farm-sector risks. Read more.


Your Health

 

3-D Printing of Working Bionic Ears

Researchers used 3-D printing of cartilage cells and nanomaterials to create functional ears that receive radio signals. The study demonstrates that it may one day be possible to create bionic tissues and organs.

In tissue engineering, cells and other materials are used to improve or replace the body’s tissues, such as bone and cartilage. Currently, however, it’s difficult to create 3-D structures for use in the body, especially organs with complex geometries, such as ears. Read more.


 

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