- Steve Kopperud died Oct. 19 of a sudden and highly unexpected arrhythmia while in Minneapolis for a family wedding. Kopperud was senior vice president of legislative affairs at the American Feed Industry Association for more than 20 years and a government affairs consultant for almost 15 years, before officially retiring in 2017. He founded the Animal Industry Foundation, now the Animal Agriculture Alliance, in the 1980s as a forum for producer and industry organizations to counter the rising public relations and legislative challenges of anti-meat activists.
- With the holidays looking a little different this year, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, is ensuring one thing remains the same – Beef. It’s What’s For Holiday Dinner. Whether gathering around the ‘Beef Drool Log’ or learning how to cook the perfect holiday meal with beef, Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. has a little something for everyone this holiday season. To remind consumers across the country that beef is the only protein that they want to feed their families this holiday season, Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. will return to broadcast television. For the first time since 2003, Beef Checkoff-funded advertisements and the iconic Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. brand will be on television, airing a limited number of ads during the Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas movies.
- Keeping with the commitment to offering educational opportunities to the poultry industry despite abnormal circumstances, USPOULTRY recently held its 2020 Poultry Processor Workshop in a shortened, virtual format. Dr. Marcos Sánchez-Plata, associate professor of global food security at Texas Tech University, provided a comparison of chemical versus non-chemical interventions for Campylobacter in processing plants. He discussed the importance of addressing these issues in processing for the benefit of general public health.
- The American Feed Industry Association honored Keith Behnke, Ph.D., with the AFIA-Kansas State University Feed Manufacturing Lifetime Achievement Award for his lifelong contributions to the feed industry through business and education.
- In a special edition of NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen, seven of the nation’s top cattle operations were honored for implementing practices that make them true stewards of land, air and water resources. Each of these farms and ranches exemplify the commitment of all producers to protect the resources in their care and improve their operations for future generations of cattlemen and women. To see videos of each winning operation, visit NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen here.
- NovaQuest Capital Management LLC, a leading investor in life sciences and healthcare, announced a $20 million product financing agreement with Mileutis Ltd., an Israeli biopharmaceutical company, to help mitigate the use of antibiotics in animals. NovaQuest’s investment will drive the continued development and commercialization of Mileutis’ novel, biologically sourced, and residue-free therapies for animal health.
- The North American Meat Institute and the Alliance for Meat, Poultry and Seafood Innovation sent a joint letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, calling on the agency to support mandatory labeling of cell-based/cultured meat and poultry products and to solicit input on what that labeling should look like through an Advance Notice of Public Rulemaking.
