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Antibiotic resistance is directly related to how frequently we use them. However, as an industry, we cannot stop using antibiotics – they are extremely important. This is called the antibiotic resistance paradox. This topic is important to consumers, which encourages the beef community to be up-front and transparent about the science behind using antibiotics in beef production, as well as good husbandry efforts on farms and ranches. Your Beef Checkoff recently sponsored the National Institute for Animal Agriculture’s (NIAA) 8th Annual Antibiotic Symposium where all sectors of the animal food production industry and partners in public human health continued the dialogue around the new and developing science of antibiotic use.

“Animal agriculture is clearly making progress in addressing antibiotic usage in the industry and providing key leadership around resistance from a One Health perspective,” said Dr. Nevil Speer, NIAA board chair and this year’s symposium forum moderator. “With respect to leadership, the need for open communication continues to exist to ensure that all stakeholders of the resistance issue are talking with one another. The symposium is one of the most important components of ensuring that occurs – especially given the cooperation with CDC [Center for Disease Control]. There continues to be a significant need for communication focused towards the general public around antimicrobial resistance. This may be more important than ever!”

“We have a responsibility of judicious antibiotic usage, but also, we have a responsibility to treat animals if they’re sick, just as physicians have a responsibility to treat children and adults when they become sick with a bacterial infection,” said Bob Smith, DVM with Veterinary Research and Consulting Services, LLC, a seven-veterinarian practice group that provides service to feedlot clients in nine states. “Whereas antibiotics are the foundation of medicine, agriculture and the food security, it provides the foundation of civilization itself.”

During the Antibiotic Symposium, Joan Ruskamp, chair of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, addressed how producers are adapting and responding to the changes in the marketplace and continuing to provide a wholesome and abundant food supply. “We are able to use less to do more because of technology. On our farm, we have antibiotic protocols in place and only use those with four- to 10-day withdraw times. The work environment on our farm is ‘do the right thing’ to produce our food. By taking care of our animals, we are taking care of people because we are providing food and helping people thrive. We need to take every chance we have to communicate this to consumers.”

The topic of beef sustainability continues to exist among consumers, the media and the beef industry. Your Beef Checkoff continues to work toward shifting the sustainability conversation in a different direction – one of a positive view of the beef industry and production practices.

During a recent Sustainability Workshop in Denver, Colorado, Sara Place, Ph.D., Senior Director of Sustainable Beef Production Research for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), contractor to the Beef Checkoff, said, “Our research shows consumers feel comfortable seeing recipes next to stories about beef production and consider it credible information when there is a face or expert associated with the content.”

The workshop exposed agriculture trade media partners to the current discussion happening around beef and sustainability, and consumer insights and market research related to beef sustainability. According to the 2017 Consumer Image Index, only 30 percent of consumers say they are familiar with how cattle are raised, but 77 percent of consumers think it is important for beef producers to openly share production information with the public.

In discussion about consumer behavior perspectives on beef sustainability related issues, Dr. Glynn Tonsor, Ph.D., Kansas State University Agricultural Economics Faculty Professor, said, “The world needs and wants more protein. New sources will continue to arise, but there is room for both conventional and new protein items.” According to Kim Stackhouse-Lawson, Director of Sustainability at JBS USA, sustainability will be a top five demand driver over the next 20 years. To ensure consumers know the facts about beef sustainability, the Beef Checkoff conducts research to better understand the needs of today’s consumer.

Leading the Way

Quantifying the sustainability of beef is challenging, as the supply chain is one of the most multifaceted food systems in the world. However, the beef industry paved the way with the checkoff’s comprehensive lifecycle assessment which quantifies and benchmarks environmental, social and economic aspects of the beef industry from 2005 to 2011. Most recent work aimed to quantify important environmental impacts of beef cattle production systems for each of seven regions of the U.S. and then, use those regional assessments to determine national impacts of cattle production. Additional studies shared during the workshop focused on human edible feed conversion research (upcycling) and the economic value of beef cattle ranching and farming-based ecosystem services.

“Our industry continues to make advancements and improvements in the sustainability of U.S. beef production,” concluded Place. “Thanks to beef checkoff efforts, we are positioned as credible experts and work to communicate these positive messages throughout the beef value-chain.”

Good and Getting Better: Key Improvements Being Made by Cattle Industry

The Cattlemen’s Stewardship Review (CSR) is a Beef Checkoff-funded report highlighting the commitment cattle producers demonstrate in the areas of animal welfare, beef quality, sustainability, and community involvement. The CSR gathers data from an independent 2017 telephone survey of beef producers to deliver a comprehensive profile of the U.S. beef community today. The report and survey were coordinated by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) as a contractor to the Beef Checkoff program.
The CSR shows that improvements have been made in all four of the cattle industry areas studied. The report and information will be presented within a national news release to national media outlets, as well as sent to key national media by the NCBA communications team, as a Beef Checkoff contractor.

“We want consumers to know we aren’t just farmers and ranchers, but also animal caretakers, nutritionists, small business owners, environmentalists, and members of our communities,” said Joan Ruskamp, Cattlemen’s Beef Board chairman and co-owner of J & S Feedlot in Nebraska. “This report is a way to benchmark our progress, celebrate our successes and identify opportunities for improvement.”

A few brief, yet key takeaways from the survey include:

The well-being of cattle is the top priority for 95% of producers.
97% of cattle farmers and ranchers believe producing safe beef is crucial to the future of the industry.
About 95% of producers say conservation of land is extremely important to them, while 86% manage their operations in a way that protects the quality of natural resources, including wildlife and biodiversity.
Over 90% of cattle operations are family owned, and 78% of farmers and ranchers say they intend to pass their operations on to future generations. In fact, 58% of current operations have been in the family for at least three generations.

“When consumers understand the level of care that goes into the production of their beef, they feel better about enjoying it,” said Ruskamp. “This report helps show that [producers’] attention to the needs of our animals, land, and relationships parallel the concern our customers have for the beef they eat.”

To view the full report, go here.

CENTENNIAL, CO — More than 20,000 individuals have gone online to obtain Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certification since online training modules were relaunched on Feb. 1, 2017. BQA certifications are also available at in-person training events offered through state beef councils, cattlemen’s affiliates, extension programs and other local efforts throughout the country. The BQA program is funded by the Beef Checkoff Program.

By showing how common-sense husbandry techniques can be coupled with accepted scientific knowledge to raise cattle under optimum management and environmental conditions, BQA helps beef producers capture additional value from their market cattle, and more. It also reflects a positive public image for the beef industry and instills consumer confidence in it. When producers implement the best management practices of a BQA program, they assure their market steers, heifers, cows and bulls are the best they can be.

The online BQA experience is tailored to each participant by industry sector and interest. After registering, participants are taken through an interactive training module that can be completed online, anytime, with participants starting and stopping training at their convenience without losing progress. Categories for training and certification include Cow-Calf, Stocker, and Feedyard. Online training and certification is available for free and accessible twenty-four hours a day, seven days each week, making it a convenient option for busy farmers and ranchers.

States with most online certifications to date are Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Tennessee and California.

To find out more about BQA online certification, go to www.bqa.org/certification.

Via Drovers

In its beginning, Beef Quality Assurance meant producing beef without drug residues or physical defects. Those standards remain critical today, but over the past 20 years the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program has evolved to mean much more. Stockmanship practices, for example, play an important role in preventing physical defects such as bruising or stress-related effects on beef tenderness and grade. These practices also influence public perceptions, as consumers increasingly expect adherence to animal-welfare standards as a necessary component in their perception of beef quality.

A September Stockmanship and Stewardship conference in Fort Collins, Colo., focused on the important role of animal in BQA, while also providing instruction on improving cattle handling techniques. Colorado State University hosted the event with sponsorship from Boehringer Ingelheim and the national and Colorado Beef Checkoff programs.

Renowned Colorado State University animal-welfare specialist, Temple Grandin, gave the keynote address. She says that while handling practices have improved on cattle operations and at packing plants, many consumers remain unaware of the industry’s progress and continued efforts. The BQA program, she says, provides a scoring system for animal handling, which producers can use to develop a baseline for tracking progress, prevent backsliding, and communicate their efforts.

Immunity and animal welfare are proven allies. Studies have demonstrated the relationship between animal health and beef quality, and the importance of disease prevention, rather than reliance on treatments. Veterinarian Jerry Woodruff, with Boehringer Ingelheim, discussed how overall stockmanship practices complement vaccinations.

“Preventative animal health practices represent a proven path to antibiotic stewardship,” Woodruff says. In the cow-calf herd, this includes nutrition with trace minerals, parasite control, vaccination, and a low-stress environment that allows cattle to optimize performance.

Adds Value

Good husbandry, like other BQA practices, can add value to cattle and beef while improving ranch productivity and profitability.

Attention to animal well-being also helps fulfill the “social responsibility” aspect of sustainable production, says Lily Edwards-Callaway, an animal scientist and welfare specialist at Colorado State University. She works closely with the packing industry on welfare issues, and says companies initially began documenting their animal welfare standards as a means of avoiding risk. Today however, companies increasingly view that documentation as a marketing tool, and promote their welfare programs to gain a competitive advantage.

Benefits at the Ranch

At the ranch level, producers stand to gain from improved animal health and performance. Colorado State University agricultural economist Dan Moony and beef extension specialist Ryan Rhoades summarized research supporting the benefits of good stockmanship.

Rhoades notes some producers believe low-stress handling will take more time or more labor, but this is not true in most cases. Costs to the producer generally do not increase, so the question hinges on measuring returns. Some are difficult to measure, such as the value of a better work environment for employees. We can, however, measure effects on economic factors such as weight gains and fertility.

Mooney and Rhoades outlined results of several research trials:

A 2014 Oregon State University study showed low-stress acclimation for replacement heifers improved conception rates and was associated with lower chute scores.
A Washington State University trial in 2014 showed a 8.4% lower conception rate in heifers rated as “high-temperament.”
A 2015 Texas A&M University study showed acclimating calves at arrival in the feed yard reduced mortality. Feed intake improved and average daily gains increased by 0.25 lb. in the first 30 days.
A 2014 study at Virginia Tech found low-stress handling resulted in higher feed intake and an average of 20 lbs. heavier weights at 30 days post weaning.
Based on 10 years of data, Mooney says foregone weight gains attributable to stress range from $1 to $11 per head, and shrinkage during marketing and shipping can range from $2 to $20 per head. Actual costs can vary widely depending on the operation, Mooney says.

Put it in Practice

Following the presentations, the Stockmanship and Stewardship program moved outdoors for discussion and demonstrations with cattle-handling specialists Curt Pate and Ron Gill. Both say they have seen growing awareness and broader application of low-stress stockmanship principles. They encouraged students and young producers to learn and “carry the torch” in helping the industry improve.

If you want to get good at it, teach someone.
Ron Gill

Work cattle slowly while learning, Pate suggests. Once you become more comfortable with reading cattle, you can work faster. Sometimes, he says, cattle need more pressure rather than less.

Gill and Pate described three types of pressure to use in moving cattle:

Maintaining pressure. Apply just enough pressure to keep the herd’s attention and keep them moving.
Driving pressure. Apply pressure to the front of the animal to help get it moving in the desired direction.
Drawing pressure. Use pressure and release to get cattle to move past you, such as through a gate.

Pate says a person on foot often can apply more precise pressure than the same person on a four-wheeler or horse. Moving cattle on horseback can work well with minimal stress, but requires a skilled rider and well-trained horse to apply and release pressure with precision. Gill stresses the need to stay focused while working cattle. Pay attention to their behavior and reactions, and adjust accordingly.

For free BQA certification or to be recertified free, go to www.BQA.org/certification.

The Beef Industry Long Range Plan (LRP) is developed every three to five years and lays out aggressive goals to strengthen the beef industry. As part of this initiative, the Beef Checkoff interviewed cattlemen and women across the country to hear the checkoff is helping them for long-term success on their operations.

Generation to Generation at A-Bar Ranch, Oklahoma

The future of agriculture is dependent upon our youth that are coming along.
Mike Armitage

The Armitage family at the A-Bar Ranch in Oklahoma says transitioning a beef operation from generation to generation can be difficult, but the Beef Checkoff is helping families ease that burden.

The average age of farmers and ranchers continues to increase. It is important there are resources in place that to promote the success of the beef industry to encourage young people to return to the ranch.

“As someone who has gone through a generational passing, I know how important it is that we take our money and we invest it in the right places,” says Sarah Armitage. “That one dollar give us so much for our return on our investment. I am excited about what the Beef Checkoff has to offer in terms of promotion and marketing–what it will return to us in the future.”

How does the Beef Checkoff Help?

Beef Checkoff plays an important role growing and maintaining beef demand, thus opening new opportunities for cattle producers to sustain their businesses for generations to come. That includes keeping close tabs on what consumers want in terms of end products, as well as sharing information regarding safe and sustainable beef production carried out by cattle producers — ensuring that’s what they find at the meat case when they go to purchase food for their families.

It’s no small task, but checkoff investments are part of the reason that beef demand has remained strong throughout the extremely tight supplies of recent years. In fact, a study by Dr. Harry Kaiser at Cornell University demonstrates that every checkoff dollar invested has a return on investment of $11.20. That means that every dollar invested by cattle producers returns $11.20 more to an operation than would have received without the checkoff in place.

Antibiotic Stewardship: Collaborative Strategy for Animal Agriculture and Human Health was the theme for the 7th Antibiotic Symposium presented by the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) and funded in part by the Beef Checkoff. Held October 31-November 2, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency Dulles in Herndon, Virginia, this symposium brought together all sectors of the animal food production industry and partners in human medicine and public health.

Dr. Lonnie King, Professor and Dean Emeritus, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, presented the closing remarks at the two and a half-day symposium. His topic, What MUST Be Done Next: Prioritizing Immediate Actions, sought to transform the conclusions of the previous presenters, panel discussions, and the deliberations of the participants into action.

“We need different voices to produce consensus and cause action,” said Dr. King. Stewardship took first priority.

It doesn’t cost a lot to make good decisions and yet does a lot to move the dial on the reduction of unnecessary use of antibiotics.
Dr. Lonnie King

He cited thoughtful decisions that are made by health care providers and producers about the use of antibiotics. Approximately 270 million prescriptions are written every year in human health, just for outpatients. At least 30% may be unnecessary, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with Pew Charitable Trusts and other public health and medical experts. Stewardship, in human health, is an effort to counter this unnecessary use of antibiotics being prescribed by clinicians and other healthcare professionals.

In animal ag, too, stewardship is of growing importance to help ensure that antibiotics are used appropriately, judiciously, and to optimize health outcomes while reducing any negative consequences.

“Antibiotic resistance is a crisis in human health, and it could be a crisis in animal health if we don’t get on top of it,” says Dr. King. “After six years of discussion, we can see clearly that while improvements have been made, globally, we are probably further behind than we were in 2011.”

In the U.S., the recent adoption of FDA guidances and changes to the Veterinary Feed Directive to eliminate the use of medically important antibiotics to promote growth in food animals has been a game changer for production animal agriculture. However, King says that unless we can get better baseline measurements of where we started to compare with what comes next, we can’t tell how productive it will be, or the potential costs and health impact of these changes.

Another part of the equation, according to Dr. King, is awareness and education. “The public and our producers both need an improved awareness of antibiotic resistance. It is a very complicated issue and we need to make it more personal, better understood, and tackled with a greater sense of urgency. While more studies and research are needed, we already know enough to act aggressively and decisively to effectively address antibiotic resistance,” said Dr. King.

For more information on the NIAA, visit www.animalagriculture.org.

The beef industry Long Range Plan (LRP) is developed every three to five years and lays out aggressive goals to strengthen the beef industry. As part of this initiative, the Beef Checkoff interviewed cattlemen and women across the country to hear the checkoff is helping them for long-term success on their operations.

Dalebanks Angus, Kansas

At Dalebanks Angus near Eureka, Kansas, the Perriers say Beef Checkoff programs have helped them drive more value to their beef. By investing dollars toward research and innovation, the checkoff has helped cattle producers increase their return on investments.

The checkoff-funded Beef Quality Assurance program educates producers on proper management techniques to help increase beef quality within every segment of the beef industry.

“The Beef Quality Assurance program showed us just how much money we could capture by simply doing things like moving the injection sites from the hip and the rump up to the neck where we had less high-valued cuts. That drove millions of dollars into our industry,” says Matt Perrier.

Investing dollars toward product development is another way the Beef Checkoff has utilized dollars to increase the value of beef.

“Things like the flat iron steak and things that used to get ground up into hamburger and other low valued cuts, today are sold for a premium,” says Perrier.

How does the Beef Checkoff Help?

The Beef Checkoff plays an important role growing and maintaining beef demand, thus opening new opportunities for cattle producers to sustain their businesses for generations to come. That includes keeping close tabs on what consumers want in terms of end products, as well as sharing information regarding safe and sustainable beef production carried out by cattle producers – ensuring that’s what they find at the meat case when they go to purchase food for their families.

Menges Family Ranch, Arizona

The Menges Ranch in southeast Arizona explains how the Beef Checkoff has increased the value of beef and improved their cattle-handling techniques. By taking advantage of these programs, they feel confident about the next generation’s prospects in beef production.

“I can remember the onset of the checkoff program, when the beef council decided to use checkoff dollars to create additional demand for the chuck and the round. And, I think that created a significant increase in the price of our product,” says Jeff Menges.

Suzanne Menges says due to the location of their ranch, they have large tourist traffic, and they take it as an opportunity to educate people about the industry through their catering business, Black Hills Catering.

“I have used Beef Checkoff recipes over the last 20 years, but when you’re producing that for the public, it takes on a whole new meaning.”

How does the Beef Checkoff Help?

The Beef Checkoff plays an important role growing and maintaining beef demand, thus opening new opportunities for cattle producers to sustain their businesses for generations to come. That includes keeping close tabs on what consumers want in terms of end products, as well as sharing information regarding safe and sustainable beef production carried out by cattle producers — ensuring that’s what they find at the meat case when they go to purchase food for their families.

Driggers Cattle Company, South Carolina

The Driggers Cattle Company was started in the 1970s and now spans four counties in North and South Carolina. They have continued to pass along the operation, and as natural beef producers, Jamie Drigger says the Beef Checkoff helps create marketing opportunities and increase consumer knowledge of beef quality, resulting in the ability to grow their operation.

“We want to create a product for the consumer that they desire,” says Drigger. “[The Beef Checkoff] has raised consumer awareness in quality, which is important to us because we try to focus heavily on our genetics. The checkoff has allowed us to do that by promoting a product that is good-quality, safe, it’s nutritious, and they are going to want to be return customers.”

How does the Beef Checkoff Help?

The Beef Checkoff plays an important role growing and maintaining beef demand, thus opening new opportunities for cattle producers to sustain their businesses for generations to come. That includes keeping close tabs on what consumers want in terms of end products, as well as sharing information regarding safe and sustainable beef production carried out by cattle producers — ensuring that’s what they find at the meat case when they go to purchase food for their families.

Brief Summary of 2016 National Beef Quality Audit Results Shared at Cattle Industry Summer Meeting

Data from the 2016 National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) suggests the beef industry continues to improve the quality of its products, but there is still room for improvement. Results from the research were presented at a session during the 2017 Cattle Industry Summer Meeting in Denver on July 13.

Download the 2016 National Beef Quality Audit Executive Summary here.

Among the positive findings in the 2016 NBQA are a significant increase in Choice and Prime carcasses, a high mobility score for cattle entering packing plants, and the fact that the number of blemishes, condemnations, and other attributes that impact animal value remain small. Among areas for improvement was that more bruising was evident (although bruising was less severe) and that more than 30% of livers harvested did not pass inspection and were condemned.

“The research proved the beef cattle industry has a great story to tell, but also suggests we aren’t getting that story to as many people as we should,” said Josh White, Executive Director of Producer Education for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program. “Utilizing the Beef Quality Assurance program and its principles more uniformly throughout the industry could not only enhance industry commitment to better beef, but would help increase consumer confidence and encourage greater beef demand. This research suggests that carrying the BQA message throughout the industry would benefit every beef audience.”

The NBQA, funded by the Beef Checkoff program, has been conducted every five years for the past quarter century, and provides a set of guideposts and measurements for cattle producers and others to help determine quality conformance of the U.S. beef supply. Results found through the NBQA have helped lead to improvements in cattle and beef production, including reductions in carcass blemishes and fewer lost opportunities related to branding and other practices.

Read more in-depth information about the results from the 2016 NBQA here [link to 2016 National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA): The Results Drive article].

Empire Dairy, Colorado

At Empire Dairy near Wiggins, Colorado, the Dinis family relies on the checkoff-funded Beef Quality Assurance program to teach them cattle-handling techniques, which allows them to sell better-quality beef, along with the high-quality milk produced at the farm. Following good management practices is part of their plan to pass the farm along to the third generation.

“We want to keep that animal in the best condition possible, not only for the health and welfare of the cow, but at the end of its production cycle we want to produce a quality product that we can enter into the beef supply,” says Britt Dinis. “At the end of the day, the more successful operation you can have the better chance you give your kids to carry on and continue in this industry.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Leading the Way

Frequently Asked Questions

Good and Getting Better: Key Improvements Being Made by Cattle Industry

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Adds Value

Benefits at the Ranch

Put it in Practice

Frequently Asked Questions

Generation to Generation at A-Bar Ranch, Oklahoma

How does the Beef Checkoff Help?

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Dalebanks Angus, Kansas

How does the Beef Checkoff Help?

Frequently Asked Questions

Menges Family Ranch, Arizona

How does the Beef Checkoff Help?

Frequently Asked Questions

Driggers Cattle Company, South Carolina

How does the Beef Checkoff Help?

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Empire Dairy, Colorado

How does the Beef Checkoff Help?