TheBeefSite Newsletter - 6 October 2010

Wednesday 6th October 2010

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Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial: Challenges Facing Beef Producers

Meeting global growing demand for beef in an environment that is increasingly aware of and sensitive to sustainability issues is a major challenge for producers, said Joel Haggard, from the US Meat and Export Federation.

However, recent changes in efficiencies have seen the US beef industry producing 13 per cent more beef from 13 per cent few animals. As well as this the use of feed, water, land, energy and carbon emissions are down.

An outbreak of foot and mouth disease has been reported in Mozambique. To date, seven cases have been reported.

It is believed there are two possible causes of the outbreak: the introduction of new live animals and illegal movement of animals.

In Botswana, a new pathogenic species of tuberculosis (TB) has been identified in wild animals. Researchers say that the pathogen, M. mungi, is unlike any other tuberculosis infections but it is hoped that greater understanding may provide insight into the control of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis group of pathogens.

Unlike other species of tuberculosis, which typically present as a chronic disease, M. mungi usually kills an infected banded mongoose within two to three months after symptoms develop, with outbreaks occurring in a largely seasonal pattern.

It is unclear yet what impact this new pathogen may have on local cattle populations.

Charlotte Johnston

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 4 new features this week:

Increasing Your Profits From Beef Farming
There are huge differences between farms in the level of profits made from beef farming. This can be seen when comparing the top 1/3 of beef farms to the average and even greater still when the bottom 1/3, says a report from Teagasc, 'Increasing your Profit from Drystock Farming'.

Antibiotics In Cow-Calf Operations
There are a lot of different opinions regarding which antibiotics are best for treating common infections, says Colorado State University, Extension Veterinarian, Dave Van Metre. For example, pneumonia and footrot. How can a cow-calf producer make the best decision about which product to use and when?

Russian Federation - Livestock and Products Semi-Annual Report 2010
Feed shortages resulting from this year's drought have accelerated the slaughter of cattle, according to Morgan Haas and Mikhail Maksimenko in the latest GAIN report from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.

Australia - Livestock and Products Annual 2010
The prospects for the Australian cattle industry are much better since the weather has improved, Mike Darby in the latest GAIN report from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. The number of pigs slaughtered is forecast to increase for next year.

Company News

Biomin Launches New Corporate Web Site
AUSTRIA - Biomin's new web site, launched this week, offers new features like dynamic recommendations and a new multimedia knowledge centre on a completely redesigned and user-friendly platform.

Innovations and Trends at EuroTier 2010
GERMANY - At a recent event organised by DLG, Dr Matthias Schick, a member of the EuroTier Innovations Commission and Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon ART of Switzerland highlighted a number of trends in the new products and ideas that will be presented at EuroTier 2010.

Global Beef Cattle Industry News