Headline News
Missouri Cattle Industry Celebrates Brucellosis Free Status
After nearly 50 years of hard work by all sectors of the cattle industry, Missouri is officially free of brucellosis. The Missouri Department of Agriculture received the good news from the federal government last week, according to Peter Hofherr, director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture. Class Free brucellosis status is based on finding no known brucellosis in cattle for the 12 months preceding classification as Class Free. Texas and Wyoming are the only states remaining with the disease.
Dr. Mike Gilsdorf, U.S. Department of Agriculture, will travel to Jefferson City on Wednesday, March 17 to present the official certification to Missouri officials. The ceremony will take place at 8 a.m. in House Hearing Room 2 of the State Capitol. The presentation will be held in conjunction with the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association County Leadership Conference, which will bring over 50 cattlemen and women to the Capitol to visit with elected officials and public policy leaders.
“This announcement is cause for celebration," said Brent Bryant, executive vice president of the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association. "Receiving Brucellosis Class Free status is welcome news for our cattle producers and the livestock industry as a whole.”
Being free of brucellosis also relieves certain restrictions on the interstate movement of cattle from Missouri and means less testing and paperwork for producers. Class Free status increases the marketability of Missouri cattle and allows animals to change ownership without a blood test. The new designation also removes the burden of testing animals at exhibition, such as county fairs and other livestock shows. Despite brucellosis-free status, cattle coming into the state for sale or exhibition are still required to have tested negative for the disease 30 days prior to entering Missouri, or they must have originated from a brucellosis-free herd or state. Furthermore, producers still must have a certificate of veterinary inspection and an individual animal identification to move cattle into the state. Cattle will continue to be tested for brucellosis at harvest and when sold at livestock markets.
Cattle Industry News
Cattlemen Applaud Canadian Decision to Allow Year-Round Access
Washington, D.C. (March 10, 2004) - After years of efforts by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) and with support from the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, producer-members are pleased with Canada's major step forward in achieving equivalency on animal health issues. Bob Speller, Canada's Minister of Agriculture, has declared that Canada will allow year-round importation of U.S. feeder cattle into Canada from states in the U.S. that are low or medium risk for bluetongue or anaplasmosis.
"This is a significant development," says Kansas cattle producer and NCBA President Jan Lyons. "It's an important step forward in ensuring international trade is based on upon science and fairness. Canada has made this significant policy shift in recognition of the science and over 10 years of dialog between U.S. and Canadian cattle producers who have supported this effort."
Currently, there are 39 states that are in these categories. Cattle from the 11 higher-risk states may be allowed into Canada if they have resided in a low or medium risk state for a minimum of 60 days prior to shipment to Canada. Risk determination is conducted by the USDA.
NCBA will continue to work to expedite the process between the Canadian Ag Ministry and USDA that would allow for additional year round access for breeding cattle. This step will require Canada to recognize the states and regions of the U.S. that have a health status equivalent to Canada. Canadians have assured their commitment to resolving these equivalency issues. The NCBA expects this to be resolved in the near future. - NCBA
Cattle-Fax Market Update
Fed cattle prices were fully $3 higher last week. Trade ranged from $85-86 live and $135-136 dressed. Trade volume was moderate to active for the second consecutive week. Feeder cattle prices were $1-2 higher, while calf prices were $1-3 higher. Commercial cow and bull prices were steady to $2 higher. Buyer interest in the feeder and calf market is strong. -To join Cattle-Fax, call (800) 825-7525
Japan Announces BSE False-Positive
The Kyodo news service reported a 16-year old cow from the Miyagi Prefecture that tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy does not have the disease.
The cow initially tested positive for mad cow last week after being brought to a slaughterhouse, but more detailed testing on the 16-year, 6-month cow turned up negative, the Associated Press quoted an Agriculture Ministry spokesman on condition of anonymity. Another suspected case of BSE remains pending.
The 16-year-old cow was raised for breeding purposes, and was suspected to have the disease following a preliminary test, but the second, more advanced test performed by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases based in Tokyo found it was not infected with it. – Daniel Yovich for Meatingplace.com (3/9/04)
Missouri Cattlemen’s Association News
MCA Board Passes New Political Endorsement Policy
The Missouri Cattlemen’s Association Board of Directors voted yesterday, March 10, 2004, to establish a policy on endorsing political candidates. The procedure for endorsements follows:
Section 1. Endorsement Procedure
A. A candidate seeking election or re-election to a political office may be endorsed by the Association.
B. Any member of the Board of Directors may request a candidate be endorsed by the Board of Directors.
C. Three requirements must be met in order for a candidate to receive the endorsement of the Association.
1. A positive vote of 80% or better of Directors present at a regular meeting of the Board
of Directors.
2. A positive vote of 51% or better of ballots returned by qualified active county
cattlemen’s associations. Ballots are to be returned in a timely manner with a
deadline for response as needed.
3. A second positive vote of 80% or better of Directors present at the next Board of
Directors meeting following the first vote on a candidate.
Section 2. Eligible Offices
A. The Association shall only consider the endorsement of those candidates for United States House or Senate representing the state of Missouri.
B. The Association shall not endorse any other candidates for Federal, State, County or Local offices.
More News From the Board of Directors
Cattlemen Plan Wednesday Legislative Visits – Wednesdays are cattlemen’s days. Beginning next Wednesday, March 17, 2004, legislators in the State Capitol will begin to associate Wednesdays with visits from cattlemen across the state. Regular visits to the State Capitol will help establish the Missouri Cattlemen’s presence in Jefferson City and will help build strong working relationships between cattle producers and legislative leaders. If you are interested in participating in a legislative visit day, please contact Brent Bryant at (573) 499-9162 or brent@mocattle.com.
Take the Fear out of Animal Identification – Executive Vice President Brent Bryant urged Board members to “Take the fear out of animal identification,” by reassuring people that nothing is certain yet. Although reports of how and when a mandatory national identification program have been circulating, there are still many details to be settled.
The Missouri Cattlemen’s Association policy on animal identification reflects four main priorities of any system that may be adopted, as outlined below:
Therefore be it resolved, that MCA will support a mandatory universal animal identification program if the following issues and concerns are met:
NCBA’s Chandler Keys Updates Board on National Issues – Chandler Keys, Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, gave the Board of Directors an update on national issues, including BSE and Animal ID, via web conference. Keys explained issues surrounding BSE testing and stressed the importance of reopening export markets. Keys will travel to China and Japan next week to work with officials on trade.
Directors Remain Dedicated to Membership Goal – The Board rededicated itself to reaching the goal of 3300 members by October 1. If this goal is attained, membership will be $50 for all members, both new and renewal, next fiscal year. Board members are doing a great job of helping the association reach the 3300 member goal – 37 new memberships were turned in during the meeting!
Membership & Recruiting Update
MCA Membership Continues to Grow – over 720 new members! In addition to our dedicated recruiters, direct mail campaigns have been successful in increasing awareness of MCA and bringing in new memberships. For those of you keeping track, here are the top five counties and recruiters as of 3/11/04:
Top 5 Counties (New members since 10/1/03): Bates (54), Macon (37), Dallas (28), Vernon (28), Johnson (27)
Top 5 Recruiters (New members recruited since 10/1/03): Macon County Junior Cattlemen’s Association, Wayne Seider, Sam Hostetler, Vernon County Cattlemen’s Association, and David “Blue” Geier
Congratulations!
Calendar of Events
March 13 Missouri Youth Livestock Grading and Judging Contest & Workshop -
University of Missouri – Columbia, Trowbridge Livestock Center
March 16-18 MCA County Leadership Conference – Columbia
March 20 Missouri’s Cattlemen Foundation Cattlemen’s Roundup – St. Joseph
County Meeting Notices
3/11/04 Boone County – Cattle Industry Headquarters, Columbia, 7:00 p.m.
Polk County – Polk County Fairgrounds, 7:00 p.m.
3/13/04 Lafayette County – American Legion Hall, Higginsville, 5:30 p.m.
Warren County – Holy Rosary, Warrenton, 6:00 p.m. Happy Hour, 7:00 p.m. Dinner, followed by Dance
3/18/04 Monroe County – FFA Center, Paris, 6:00 p.m.
Dallas County – Engles Center, Buffalo, 6:30 p.m.
Johnson County – Johnson County Fairgrounds, 7:00 p.m.
The Fine Print
This newsletter is a publication of the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association. All rights reserved – this newsletter may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without permission of the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association. Did someone forward this message to you? To subscribe yourself, contact Luke Burbank or McKenzie Keedy at (573) 499-9162 or send an email to cattleinfo@mocattle.com.
Do you have questions, comments or suggestions? Would you like to advertise in our newsletter? If so, please contact McKenzie Keedy at mckenzie@mocattle.com.
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