Animal Ag News 1/18

Carrie Muehling

  • The Federation of State Beef Councils, on behalf of the Beef Checkoff, has partnered with the Daytona International Speedway to sponsor the 40th season-opening race for the NASCAR Xfinity Series – the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.® 300. The event is set for a 5 p.m. ET start on Saturday, Feb. 13, the day before the 63rd Annual DAYTONA 500.
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association‘s (NCBA) Senior Director of International Trade and Market Access, Kent Bacus issued a statement in response to reports of another reported occurrence of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Namibia.
  • The Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA) program managed by National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, has launched updated advocacy training modules – MBA NextGen. MBA NextGen updates the popular MBA training modules making it easier than ever for a new generation of farmers and ranchers to share their story and advocate knowledgeably for the beef industry.
  • For more than two years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has dragged its feet on the development of gene-edited livestock, an emerging technology with tremendous promise for livestock agriculture, causing American agriculture to fall behind in the global race to advance its development. Under a recently proposed rule, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will have primary regulatory jurisdiction, which “will foster innovation, allow for producer access to this technology, and preserve the preeminence of American agriculture globally,” the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) wrote in comments submitted to the agency.
  • The National Pork Producers Council introduced a multimedia campaign, “Farming Today for Tomorrow,” to showcase U.S. pork producers’ long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship and further reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health announced the appointment of Randolph Legg as its U.S. President. He succeeds Everett Hoekstra, who retired in December.
  • The U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Poultry & Eggs and International Poultry Welfare Alliance announced Candace Bergesch as the new director of communications for both organizations, beginning Jan. 11. The move aims to strengthen the collaboration between the organizations as well as promote individual success in addressing issues related to poultry welfare and sustainability.
  • The American Gelbvieh Association is pleased to announce the addition of Katie Harbert to the AGA staff as Gelbvieh Media Productions Coordinator. Harbert will be responsible for design, production, and ad sales of official AGA publications and will also provide design services for AGA members and the Association.
  • Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative has hired Mykel Wedig, who has worked on federal ag policy issues in Washington, D.C., to join its government affairs team.
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