Kazakhstan to Use North Dakota Cattle

By JAMES MacPHERSON, Associated Press
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- Transplanted North Dakota cattle are thriving in Kazakhstan's cold climate, but many of the former Soviet republic's cowboys are still greenhorns, so it has hired Great Plains ranch hands to help out and is sending some of its own to the U.S. for training, a state trade official said. Dean Gorder, executive director of the North Dakota Trade Office, said about a dozen Kazakh cowboys will visit North Dakota ranches next month for an intensive, two-week crash-course in tending cattle. "There is no classroom work," Gorder said. "It's hands-on working with cows."
About 5,000 Angus and Herford bred to withstand North Dakota's brutal-cold winters have been airfreighted to Kazakhstan over the past two years as part of a decade-long effort to rebuild the former Soviet republic's cattle industry. Most of Kazakhstan's cattle were sold or slaughtered after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and its herd had been reduced from about 35 million animals in the early 1990s to about 2 million.
Gorder, who is returning from Kazakhstan this week, said the country's new cattle herd appears to be thriving thanks largely to North Dakota's cattle genetics and help from North Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas cowboys hired by the oil-rich country that stretches from Central Asia into Eastern Europe. "The percentage of successful calving is very high and they're very happy with the cattle," Gorder said Tuesday by telephone from Bucharest, Romania. Cattle from North Dakota typically have thicker coats, more marbling and fatty tissue, agriculture officials say.
The cattle in Kazakhstan, however, aren't fattening at the rate they would be on North Dakota ranches, he said. "They are not gaining as much weight there but we are reminding (Kazakhstan officials) that cattle are what they eat," Gorder said. "The food that they have in Kazakhstan does not have the nutritional value a typical rancher in North Dakota will feed his cattle."
A Bismarck-based company plans to fly about 3,000 more North Dakota-bred cows to Kazakhstan this fall on jumbo jets, said Dan Price, co-owner of Global Beef Consultants LLC. Price said his brother, Bill Price, has been in Kazakhstan over the past two weeks negotiating the deal. "They're building up their herd and they seem to be pleased with our cows," Price said.
Most of the cattle come from North Dakota ranches, but some come from surrounding states, Price said. Kazakhstan also has been importing cattle from Canada and Australia, Price and Gorder said. "A lot of the Canadian cattle came from North Dakota genetics," Gorder said. Kazakhstan's cold climate mirrors North Dakota's, he said. "That's where the U.S. and Canada cattle have an advantage over Australian genetics," Price said.

Target to Phase Out Pork From Cramped Sow Pens

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Target Corp. is the latest major food company to tell its pork suppliers to phase out the use of cramped stalls for confining pregnant sows. The Minneapolis-based discounter, the country's No. 4 food retailer, says on its Responsible Sourcing website that it's working with its pork vendors to eliminate gestation crates from its supply chain by 2022.
The announcement was welcomed Friday by the Humane Society of the United States, which says Target is joining more than 30 food companies that have agreed to eliminate the cages, including retailers like Costco and Kroger and producers including Smithfield, Hormel and Cargill. Pork producers use gestation crates because they stop sows from fighting, but the animal welfare group opposes them because they're typically too small to let sows even turn around.

Ok, on the surface, this looks like a good idea. But let's look a little closer. Gestation crates are used by producers for several reasons: they prevent sows from fighting, they keep the piglets safe from the sow rolling over on them and they make it easier and safer to administer medication to the sow in case of complications. Pigs are difficult to handle and the cages keep the hogs and the workers safe. Large corporations often do not realize how devices like this work and so require them to be phased out. Animal rights organizations also have a history of pushing to ban such devices and practices without actually researching why they are used. We need to keep in mind that producers really do have their animals best interests in mind and are not interested in abusing them: it hurts their bottom line and goes against their ethics.

Baker FFA Teams to Compete at National Contests

The Baker FFA Chapter is proud to have two teams competing at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, IN Oct. 24-27. The Chapter’s Agricultural Mechanics team, consisting of Cameron Kerns, Joel Rohner, Talon Colton, Mark Voboril and Mickayla Hall, swept their District and State competetitions this spring and are ready to take on the nation next week! These five individuals had to display their knowledge of agricultural equipment, welding and safety. This contest helps students develop proficiency in a broad range of mechanical skills which are essential on a farm or ranch.

Baker will also be sending Wyatt Lee, Kellie Freels, Jennie Foltz and Luke Coomer to the inaugural Veterinary Science contest. These four will identify veterinary instruments, breeds of dogs, horses, poultry, goats, beef and dairy cattle, sheep, cats, rodents and other miscellaneous pets, conduct clinical practices, solve math practicums, demonstrate their knowledge of various knots and come together to complete a team presentation. The team is one of two Oregon teams and has been studying hard since this spring and will also be required to conduct a workshop at the 2013 Oregon FFA State Convention. Selected from the Baker FFA Veterinary science class, these individuals are excited to help pilot this new contest!

There is a hum of excitement running through the Baker FFA Chapter as the date for our departure draws near. We will have a week of touring the country, making new friends and catching up with old ones, building our teamwork and leadership and representing Oregon at the largest youth leadership gathering in the world!

Have a nice day!

Japanese Olympic Chefs Use US Beef

The Japanese Olympic Chef Team will use corn-fed United States beef, provided by the Beef Checkoff, in their main dish at the International Exhibition of Culinary Art 2012. According to the team captain Miura, "Corn and soybean-fed U.S. beef is tender, tasty and juicy with just the right amount of marbling. It is a perfect match for our main dish (U.S. beef fillet wrapped in burdock and veal-base mousse). The slow-roasting of U.S. beef brings out the beautiful balance in cherry red color as well as marbling and its taste." The teams have 61/2 hours to prepare their dishes and serve them to 110 people who have purchased tickets in advance. “It is an honor for U.S. beef to be featured by Japan’s national team in this worldwide competition,” said Takemichi Yamashoji, USMEF-Japan senior marketing director. “Japan is the home of world-class Kobe beef, but the chefs felt that U.S. beef is the right choice for this event.” 

From AgInfo.net

An old cowboy was riding his trusty horse followed by his faithful dog along an unfamiliar road. The man was enjoying the new scenery, when he suddenly remembered dying, and realized that the dog beside him had been dead for years, as had his horse. Confused, he wondered what was happening, and where the trail was leading them.  After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall that looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch topped by a golden letter "H" that glowed in the sunlight.  Standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like gold.  He rode toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. Parched and tired out by his journey, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?'  'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered. 'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked. 'Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up.' As the gate began to open, the cowboy asked, 'Can I bring my partners, too?' 'I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.' The cowboy thought for a moment, then turned back to the road and continued riding, his dog trotting by his side. After another long ride, at the top of another hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a ranch gate that looked as if it had never been closed. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book. 'Excuse me,' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?' 'Sure, there's a pump right over there. Help yourself.' 'How about my friends here?' the traveler gestured to the dog and his horse. 'Of course! They look thirsty, too,' said the man. The trio went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with buckets beside it. The traveler filled a cup and the buckets with wonderfully cool water and took a long drink, as did his horse and dog. When they were full, he walked back to the man who was still standing by the tree. 'What do you call this place?' the traveler asked. This is Heaven,' he answered. 'That's confusing,' the traveler said. 'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.' 'Oh, you mean the place with the glitzy, gold street and fake pearly gates? That's hell.' 'Doesn't it make you angry when they use your name like that?' 'Not at all. Actually, we're happy they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.'