Duane A. Lienemann,
UNL Extension Educator,
Webster County
April 27, 2012 Edition
Oh my, where do I start? This has been a busy week for agriculture. I feel like a kid in a candy store when it comes to looking for something to write about this week. We could talk about a lot of things but I only have this one page so may just touch on a couple of topics and then just concentrate on the one that could potentially have huge ramifications on Nebraska agriculture, the finding of another cow with BSE or commonly called “Mad Cow Disease”.
Arbor Day: I am writing this article on Arbor Day so I think that should take a nod. Nebraska of course is famous for many things and National Arbor Day is an example of the work by J. Sterling Morton to populate our state with trees to protect our fragile environment and change the landscape from what Nebraska used to be called the Great American Desert. Maybe we all should revisit Joyce Kilmer’s classic poem “Trees”. I hope we don’t rue the day that so many windbreaks are being torn out, along with grasslands that also nurture our woody friends. I understand why that is happening and of course that is tied to crops and the need to produce as much as we can, which leads me to another topic.
USDA Farm Bill: I think a lot of people figured that the farm bill would languish in political no-man’s land with this being an election year, but the good news is that the Senate Ag Committee passed their version of the Farm Bill yesterday and we will have to take a look at it to see all of the ramifications of the changes. I am sure it will be heavy on reliance on crop insurance and will give more responsibility for safety nets to the individual producer, and I imagine that the direct payment portion of the program will likely go away. I will leave it to the pundits to their discussion of this bill. I do know that I will most likely have to attend some educational seminars. The good news for me is that I won a Thai Pie Pizza at Old Chicago from a producer friend who bet against the early passage of this bill. I am salivating now on my keyboard.
DOL Farm Child Labor Rules: Good news! It just goes to show you that we can make a difference when we put our collective voices and pens to work. The US Department of Labor announced yesterday the withdrawal of the proposed rule dealing with children under the age of 16 who work in agricultural vocations. Here is the quote that came from the DOL: “The decision to withdraw this rule – including provisions to define the ‘parental exemption’ – was made in response to thousands of comments expressing concerns about the effect of the proposed rules on small family-owned farms.” The rule now goes back to its original basis. I have no idea what they were thinking. It does show how disconnected Washington DC is from rural America, our traditions, and how family farms work. Congratulations to all of you who rose up!
National Prime Rib Day: I am writing this column on April 27, 2012 which just happens to be National Prime Rib Day. Prime rib, or standing rib roast, is a choice beef cut from one of the eight primal cuts of beef. And if you slice the standing rib roast, so called because it is roasted standing up with the ribs stacked up vertically, you can remove the bones and get a nice number of ribeye steaks. So either way, you win! This cut contains the "eye" of the rib and is well-marbled (fat interspersed in the muscle). Just by rubbing the outside of this roast with salt and seasonings and then slow-roasting the meat, yields a tender, tasty meal that in my opinion is hard to beat. Prime rib is a delicious meal that can be enjoyed at any occasion! Just thinking about prime rib gets your mouth watering – even more than Thai Pie pizza. And of course, the only way to correctly celebrate National Prime Rib Day is to enjoy a big, juicy cut of it cooked your favorite way! Now that makes the transition into my next discussion a little dicey – a revisit of BSE.
BSE Hits America Again: The fourth confirmed case of BSE in the U.S. sent initial shockwaves through this industry this week. It brought back some very bad memories of the “cow that stole the 2003 Christmas”. I can understand why many people are on edge. The tens of billions of dollars in losses that resulted from that case will never be regained; thus, the uncertainty is certainly justified. Beef exports dropped by more than 70% after the first case. The timing of the announcement could not have been worse in many regards, as Japan was just set to bring its age requirement for U.S. beef imports into line with scientific standards. Plus, as I elude above, grilling season in the U.S. is just kicking off.
What hits me the hardest is that I believe that the beef market had just begun to recover from the media-hyped assault on lean finely textured beef (LFTB) or as so many erroneously referred to it as “pink slime.” Gosh I hate that moniker! Ironically, the LFTB fiasco may have had a part in keeping the BSE coverage from getting out of hand. After all, the media are notorious for manufacturing crisis, and then capitalizing on the sensationalism that they create. I think the industry was actually ready for this, unlike the LFTB issue. Much has changed in 8½ years. BSE isn’t received with the same level of panic that shook England in the late 1980s. The science is much better understood; people are better educated; and science-based, effective control programs that are recognized and accepted throughout the US and trading world are in place.
This California dairy cow is only the 4th confirmed case out of millions of beef slaughtered. Cattle infected with BSE have been found in the U.S. only 3 times: in a Canadian-born cow in 2003 in Washington; in a Texas cow in 2005; and in Alabama in 2006. My guess is that this cow was an old downer cow. There is much more that I could write on this subject but I suggest instead that you go to: http://www.bseinfo.org . The thing we have to remember is the diseased animal was never presented for slaughter for human consumption, so at no time presented a risk to the food supply or human health!
The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: www.webster.unl.edu/home
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