Hemp Seed Evaluated as Potential Livestock Feed

from: thebeefsite.com

“Researchers with the University of Manitoba are confident the nutritional benefits of hemp seed in human food products can be effectively applied to livestock rations, writes Bruce Cochrane.

Hemp products are not currently approved for use in any class of livestock diet but hemp-based products are widely used in human nutrition.

To generate data to support the registration of hemp products in livestock rations researchers are evaluating the safety and effectiveness of hemp seed as a feed ingredient in poultry diets.

Dr Jim House, the head of the University of Manitoba’s Department of Human Nutritional Sciences, says studies have shown hemp protein to be highly digestible and that should carry over to most major classes of livestock.”

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Proposal would allow state-inspected meat to cross state lines

from: ofbf.org

“A new U.S. Department of Agriculture program that would allow state-inspected meat to cross state lines is expected to have a big impact in Ohio.

Ohio has the second highest number of state-inspected meat processing facilities in the United States, with only Wisconsin having more, said Adam Sharp, Ohio Farm Bureau’s senior director of legislative and regulatory policy.

Last month, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced it would publish proposed regulations to implement a new voluntary cooperative program under which selected state-inspected facilities would be eligible to ship meat and poultry products across state lines. According to American Farm Bureau, there are nearly 2,000 state-inspected meat and poultry plants in 27 states.

Federal laws prohibit state-inspected meat products (beef, poultry, pork, lamb and goat) from being sold in interstate commerce but other state-inspected products such as milk, dairy products, fruit, vegetables and fish are allowed to be marketed freely throughout the United States.”

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Michigan OKs animal bill; farmer questions wisdom

from: farmworldonline.com

“Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed legislation last week crafted by animal rights activists and industry groups that said they wanted to avoid an animal rights ballot measure.

Granholm signed House Bill 5127, which is directed at poultry, veal and pork producers and is meant to provide more living space for individual animals. Animal rights group Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), which had threatened to start a farm animal rights ballot drive if industry didn’t go along with the bill, was pleased with the result.

Although industry groups were thought to be against the legislation, representatives of those groups were muted in their criticisms of it. A Michigan Farm Bureau representative, for example, stated that it supported the bill because poultry, pork and veal producers were on board with it.

These groups were on board with it, they said, for reasons that included fear of a ballot drive, the long time period between passage of the bill and implementation and because veal producers are already changing housing arrangements for their animals.”

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Creating homegrown food markets

from: farm-news.com

“Latino restaurants and grocery stores in this county seat community in Marshall County prefer to make their own tortillas. But when a local supplier in Tama went out of businesses two years ago, these tiendas started looking elsewhere for their white corn supplies.

Jesus Gaytan, who owns Gaytan Tortilleria,” now travels to Chicago to get his white corn and other food supplies, but said that he would prefer to buy locally, if the food was available. He needs an estimated 600 to 1,200 bushels of white corn annually.

Enter Marshalltown Community College and several other organizations determined to help Gaytan and other local businesses with fulfilling their local food needs.

“If we can do this right,” said Norm McCoy, director of the Midwest Center for Entrepreneurial Agriculture at MCC, “(locally grown white corn) would give him another marketing angle for his customers.”

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Taking local foods to the table

from: farm-news.com

“When J.P. Howard sits down to a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup he thinks about his Aunt Liz.

“She always made the best soups,” he said. “This is nature’s elixir for what ails you.”

Growing up in Cresco, in northeast Iowa, Howard was accustomed to locally grown foods, in part thanks to his aunt who created meals with ingredients from her own gardens and livestock.

Now Howard and his wife, Jennifer, are serving up locally produced food at their trio of restaurants on Main Street.

The Howards have been featuring seasonal local dishes on their white-cloth menu at the Tremont on Main, while incorporating other local ingredients and dishes at the Tremont Grille and Tremont Sports Cafe.

The regularly featured chicken noodle soup is made with the freshest and the highest quality local chicken purchased from a Mexican market in Marshalltown, Howard said.”

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Agritourism Rolling Workshop set for Nov. 5

from: hpj.com

“Registration is open for the second Oklahoma Agritourism Rolling Workshop on Nov. 5. Seating is limited and early reservations are encouraged.

The tour will feature TG Farms, the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center, Sooner J Ranch, Woods and Waters Winery and Red Silo Productions. Abby Cash, Oklahoma Agritourism director, said anyone interested in becoming involved in this type of business venue will find the tour useful.

“The agritourism businesses we will tour offer an incredibly diverse variety of attractions and will present a lot of great ideas,” she said. “We will visit two fall attractions, an outstanding Accredited Agritourism Winery, a working ranch and hunting lodge, and a farm and ranch attraction museum.”

Participants will also receive instruction and tips regarding generating media interest and effectively dealing with media at agritourism venues, she said. Registration is $25 and includes meals. Registration after Nov. 1 is $35.

Registration forms are available online at www.oklahomaagritourism.com or by calling Cash at 405-522-5652. The bus tour will depart TG Farms in Newcastle at 7:30 a.m., Nov. 5.”

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Market Leader Tallgrass Beef to Carry DNA TraceBack(R) Seal of Authenticity

from: reuters.com

Tallgrass Beef, a market leader in branded grass-fed beef production, will use DNA TraceBack® from
IdentiGEN to provide a reliable and accurate traceability system so that every cut of Tallgrass beef can be traced back to the family farm where the animals were raised.

IdentiGEN’s DNA TraceBack, which has earned the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s certification as a “Process Verified Program” (PVP), is a product verification system providing meat companies with a process to manage food safety and quality assurance. Tallgrass Beef packages at the retail meat
case will carry IdentiGEN’s DNA TraceBack seal, a guarantee to consumers that each cut came from Tallgrass’ pasture-based, humane production and processing system.”

Link to Article

Start of a Trend? Meat Managers Step Up to Help Consumers

from: fb.org

“The continuing trend of consumers preparing and eating more meals at home rather than dining out presents a rich opportunity for meat managers at retail supermarkets. However, consumers’ strong interest in preparing meat dishes may not be matched by their culinary skills, which is where the opportunity for meat managers comes in.

With the goal of honing their skills at helping home cooks, many supermarket meat managers, meat cutters, butchers and the like are learning how to think more like chefs.

The Alabama Cattlemen’s Association hosted a “Beef Training Camp” this summer where more than 80 meat managers and the CEO of Southern Family Markets learned from chefs methods to properly grill Flat Iron steaks and discovered the nuances of dry (grilled or broiled) and wet (simmering or braising) cooking.”

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Number of Farmers’ Markets Jumps in 2009

from: hobbyfarms.com

It seems that in a struggling economy, hobby farmers who seek to sell their crop locally have something to bank on. The popularity of farmers’ markets is on the rise in the U.S., having increased 13 percent from 2008, according to an announcement from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack earlier this month.

According to the USDA, farmers’ markets open opportunities for local farmers to generate income and keep that revenue plugged into the local economy.

“Farmers’ markets connect the community to the local farmers who produce the fresh food, and play an important role in the direct marketing of produce to local farmers,” Vilsack said.

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Interest in grass-fed beef business growing

from: journalstar.com

“Grazing expert Allan Nation says the market for grass-fed beef has grown from less than 50 producers to 1,200 companies.

Nation, editor of the The Stockman Grass Farmer, recently told ranchers at a grazing conference in Kearney that grass-fed beef amounts to about 1 percent of the market, but that 1 percent equals about $1 billion.

Nation also said that lessons from feeding cattle grass can be applied to grain-fed cattle by reducing the amount of grain that is used.

Success with grass feeding, he said, requires early-maturing, mid-sized cattle. A steer would finish at about 1,100 pounds and a heifer slightly less.

Today, most cattle in Nebraska are bigger than that.”

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Organic farm offers internships to students

from: dailybeacon.utk.edu

“The UT Department of Agriculture is looking for five interns interested in learning how to farm for the 2010 spring semester.

The paid internship will be nine months long, running from March through November. Interns are required to make a 16-hour commitment per week to farm and market. Duties will include maintenance of vegetable gardens, harvesting, farm market duties, helping out with research projects and keeping a production log.

“The internship will allow the student to receive a first-hand experience on all facets of crop production including planning, planting, marketing and selling in a challenging and rewarding environment,” Grant McCarty, research assistant, said. “We believe that this will not only lead to a greater understanding of organic production but possibly a vocation.”

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Commercial goat conference to focus on production information

from: news.uns.purdue.edu

“Commercial goat producers can learn about everything from forages and fence options to marketing and doe herd traits at an Oct. 30 and 31 conference at the Harrison County Fairgrounds in Corydon, Ind.

The first Corn Country Commercial Goat Conference, sponsored by Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service in Harrison and Clark counties, will feature university speakers from Purdue, Tennessee State, Oklahoma State and Langston, as well as from the meat goat industry.

“This is a national conference about raising goats,” said David Trotter, Purdue Extension educator in Clark County and conference speaker. “Attendees will learn new production information and sources where they can go to get information after the conference ends.”

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Ohio Issue 2 – OSU Fact Sheet on Legal Questions

from: agvanwert.wordpress.com

“Peggy Kirk Hall, Director of Ag Law at OSU, has prepared the below fact sheet to answer legal questions about Issue 2, the Livestock Care Standards Board ballot issue. The fact sheet explains the ballot initiative process and the actual language of the joint resolution that created Issue 2.”

Link to Factsheet

Grass-Fed Goodness: Homegrown Meats

from: sandiego.com

“Homegrown Meats/La Jolla Butcher Shop is an upscale meat boutique and a connoisseur’s paradise in the heart of the village of La Jolla. From the stuffed trophy heads on the walls—boar, deer and moose— to the butcher cases filled with high-quality cuts of locally grown steak, this place is a carnivore’s heaven.”

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Small Meat & Poultry Plant Talks Set

from: foodsafetynews.com

“Meat and poultry producers from the 27 states that operate their own inspection services for meat and poultry processed by small plants whose sales are strictly intrastate get chances on Oct. 27 and Nov. 5 to advocate for cross-border sales.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to conduct teleconferences from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on each of those dates on its proposed regulation to allow State-inspected establishments with 25 or fewer employees to be eligible to ship meat and poultry in interstate commerce.”

More Information Here