Animal Ag News 7/27

Carrie Muehling

  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) launched a nationwide grassroots campaign to highlight the #BenefitsofBeef and is calling on cattle producers to submit public comments in support of federal dietary guidelines that recognize beef’s role in a healthy diet. NCBA will generate public comments by reaching out to cattle producers via e-mail blast, text messages, social media, and earned media between now and Aug. 13. Producers can also file comments by clicking here.
  • Ethan Lane, NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs and representative for the Public Lands Council, testified before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to the public lands cattle industry. The testimony highlighted the importance of public lands ranchers during the pandemic, including their role in resurging the American economy. The testimony also addressed the need for future aid from Congress through access to vacant allotments or areas ungrazed during the summer season and flexibility to utilize grazing as a nimble, targeted natural resource management tool.
  • From nutritional specialty products to mineral feed additives, Phibro Animal Health Corporation is constantly evolving its robust portfolio of innovations to help improve dairy cow health and boost producer profitability. Over the past year, the company has partnered with university and dairy industry experts to research the effectiveness of many of these solutions, and multiple findings were presented at the 2020 American Dairy Science Association event, held virtually earlier this summer.
  • The American Veal Association is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of its Statement of Principles, a document that established ethical standards and a code of conduct for the veal industry and set the stage for a decade of continuous improvement in an ever-changing animal agriculture landscape.
  • The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) honored two individuals in the animal science field this week at the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS)–Canadian Society of Animal Science–Western Section ASAS virtual annual meeting and tradeshow. Martin Nyachoti, Ph.D., of the University of Manitoba, received the AFIA-ASAS Non-Ruminant Animal Nutrition Research Award, and Terry Engle, Ph.D., of Colorado State University, received the AFIA-ASAS Ruminant Animal Nutrition Research Award.
  • Despite the dire consequences that COVID-19 has created over the past five months for the U.S. pork industry and others, a new report by Rabobank asserts that ASF is still the major influence on global pork markets. It points to ASF’s continued impact on pig herds and pork production in China, Vietnam, the Philippines, and parts of eastern Europe as major examples for this conclusion.
  • In response to COVID-19, the National Pork Board has developed materials outlining social-distancing guidelines and updated biosecurity recommendations for youth shows.
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