CBS News Two-Part Story on “Antibiotics on the Farm" Set to Air February 9-10 on “CBS Evening News with Katie Couric”
 
The following information was researched and prepared largely by Steve Kopperud, executive vice president of Policy Directions Inc. and AFIA’s government affairs consultant. He may be reached at skopperud@poldir.com. Readers also may contact AFIA’s Joel Newman (jnewman@afia.org), Anne Keller (akeller@afia.org) or Richard Sellers (rsellers@afia.org) for information.
 
A two-part CBS News report on the use of antibiotics in agriculture will air Feb. 9-10 at 6:30 p.m. (EST). The first promotion ran the evening of Feb. 1 at the end of the “Evening News” broadcast. The two stories, to be reported by “Evening News” anchor Katie Couric, coincide with the beginning of television’s February “sweeps” rating period, one of four periods each year when viewership is used to calculate advertising rates for the coming year. Stories aired during these times tend to be more sensational.
 
American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) has worked closely with its animal health company members, as well as with the national organizations representing our customers, to try and ensure the CBS reports are balanced. We know several activist groups including the Pew Commission on Industrialized Farming, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health’s “Center for a Livable Future” – which promotes “Meatless Mondays” – have been providing CBS with their views.
 
The CBS reports will likely condemn the practice of antibiotic use on-farm to prevent disease and enhance feed efficiency as a significant contributor to human antibiotic resistance; hold up Denmark and the European Union, both of which banned growth promotion/feed efficiency antibiotic use, as successes; focus on “natural” and organic production as viable alternatives for consumers; and ultimately, provide a forum for the congressional author of a bill to ban antibiotics on the farm to promote the legislation.  
 
CBS sent crews to Missouri, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and Denmark to gather video and conduct interviews. As AFIA advised you in January, at least two AFIA member-companies were approached to allow filming of stock footage, also known as b-roll, inside their feed mills to show antibiotics being added to feed; to our knowledge, these requests were turned down.  
 
CBS interviewed organic and natural pork producers, as well as a “natural” turkey producer in Pennsylvania. In the face-to-face interview with Couric, an Iowa hog producer who uses low-level antibiotics later reported that Couric repeatedly referred to “factory” and “industrialized” farms, asked him if he was “apologetic” about using the products, asked him if he was concerned about resistance in humans and asked whether he’d been “coached” for the interview. The “natural” turkey farmer was interviewed on a neighbor’s farm because his barns were empty.  
 
Dr. Liz Wagstrom, assistant vice president of the National Pork Board and a veterinarian and public-health expert, was interviewed by Couric in New York last week. Her experience was much the same as that of the Iowa farmer. Liz reported many of the 50-60 questions were emotional, as in “Don’t you care?,” “Aren’t you worried?,” etc. Couric allowed as how the Danish ban was a great success story, that legislation to ban the products is “common sense,” and that antibiotic use in agriculture “obviously” leads to greater resistance in humans. Also interviewed for the segments were Dr. Ellen Silbergeld of Johns Hopkins, a long-time critic of on-farm antibiotic use and author of the Pew Commission’s section on antibiotic use, and Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), author of legislation to ban the use of most antibiotics on farms.
 
AFIA will respond to the CBS reports, and we provide you the following talking points so that you, too, can make CBS aware of your views on their coverage:
 
AFIA TALKING POINTS ON ANTIBIOTIC USE IN AGRICULTURE:
    * FDA-approved antibiotics are used in a targeted manner – when animals are sick or exposed to disease – to prevent, control and treat livestock and poultry diseases. Some are also used to enhance growth and nutritional efficiency of the animals and birds. All FDA-approved antibiotics must meet/exceed rigorous animal and human food safety standards.
    * FDA-approved antibiotics protect the health of animals, ensuring a safe, compassionate, sustainable, affordable and reliable food supply for consumers.
    * Studies demonstrate judiciously used antibiotics actually contribute to reduced risks of bacterial contamination of meat and dairy. Banning these products will cause animal suffering, reduce farm income, and work against making food safer.
    * FDA-approved antibiotics are added to feed because this is the most efficient way in which to reach entire herds and flocks with these important animal health products. The amount of antibiotic in a specific feed is set by FDA – generally in grams per ton of feed – and these feeds can only be mixed by facilities operating on federal regulations specifying Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and are inspected on a regular basis by FDA and state inspectors.
    * FDA conducts not only pre-approval review of all antibiotics used in feed, it maintains stringent post-approval monitoring, participates in USDA’s routine residue monitoring programs, cooperates in “responsible” and “judicious” use programs with veterinarians, farmers and ranchers, and actively tracks patterns of antibiotic resistance in humans.
    * There is no “smoking-gun” science establishing the link between on-farm antibiotic use and human resistance.  However, there are mountains of data showing a link between over-prescription in human medicine and hospital-acquired infections.
    * Legislation to ban antibiotic use is naïve and shows a basic lack of understanding of how the products are used, how much is used, how they’re regulated and the impact on animal welfare, food quality, safety and affordability, and human health.
    * Critics assert 70% of all antibiotics sold in the U.S. are fed to food animals for non-therapeutic purposes. There is no basis for this claim, nor do activists attempt to explain the number. The number is an agenda-driven number. To reach the 70% number means critics include drugs approved years ago, but never sold in the U.S., include products specifically developed for farm animals with no human medical use, and assume farmers medicate all animals throughout their entire lives at the maximum permitted dosage.  All wrong.
    * The “Danish experience” is anything but a success. European reports, interviews with Danish producers and veterinarians and others familiar with the aftermath of the ban on growth promotion and feed efficiency uses of the products, demonstrate a re-emergence of swine diseases not seen in Denmark for decades; a near-100% increase in the use of antibiotics to treat sick animals, and no material impact on human resistance, reaffirmed by the findings of a congressional fact-finding mission to Denmark in December 2009.


NCBA Urges Congress to Examine the Science in the Discussion of Antibiotics

Kansas State University's (KSU) Michael Apley, a veterinary clinical pharmacologist, traveled to Capitol Hill yesterday with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) to educate lawmakers and their staff about the use of antibiotics in the beef industry. Dr. Apley and NCBA met with Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Congressman Leonard Boswell (D-IA) to discuss H.R. 1549, Rep. Slaughter's bill to ban the use of antibiotics in livestock.

"We appreciate Congresswoman Slaughter taking the time to visit with us today. I'm encouraged by her willingness to sit down for an open discussion and that she has extended an offer for us to be involved in the discussions moving forward," said Apley. "As a veterinary clinical pharmacologist, I work to evaluate the benefits and risks of use of antibiotics in livestock. It's extremely important that data-driven review and analysis be the guiding force behind every decision that affects the care of our animals and the safety of the food we eat."

Rep. Boswell, who also has concerns about H.R. 1549, was part of a recent congressional delegation trip to Denmark to examine the impacts that their antibiotics ban had on the country’s swine population.

"In Denmark, we heard from farmers who saw increased mortality and illness, in addition to higher production costs, soon after the ban was put in place,” Boswell said. “In fact, many small Danish farmers who raised pigs went out of business after the ban. Only the farmers who could afford to implement the ban did survive the transition.”

In addition to the meeting with Reps. Slaughter and Boswell, NCBA held a congressional briefing for staff, where Apley discussed the judicious use of antibiotics in the beef industry as one of the critical tools used to raise healthy cattle. The briefing was part of NCBA's ongoing "Beef 101" series to educate policy-makers about the beef production process, including the industry's commitment to producing the world's safest, most abundant, nutritious and affordable beef supply.

"Unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions and outright misrepresentations out there about why and how antibiotics are used in the cattle industry," said Apley. "The truth is, cattle producers and veterinarians utilize many tools including vaccines, herd health management, genetics and animal nutrition to avoid the need for antibiotics.

“They must adhere to strict, science-based guidelines in the use of antibiotics to treat, prevent, and control disease in livestock. These antibiotics have passed a stringent FDA-approval process, which has demonstrated they are safe and effective."

Apley is a KSU veterinary professor, beef cattle veterinarian, fourth generation beef producer, and clinical pharmacologist. He is also a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Clinical pharmacology. Apley works with veterinarians throughout the United States concerning the use of medicine in food animals and also in the area of beef cattle-health.

"Prevention of disease is a cornerstone in both human and animal medicine," Apley continued. "Veterinarians and producers are intent on fulfilling their obligations to both human and animal health, and our current regulatory process provides methodologies for further evaluating the use of antibiotics in food animals. It would be a tragedy to lose any valuable tools for preventing animal disease without substantial evidence for a benefit to human health."



NC has new Region 3 Director

Joel Bruns of Pender is the new Region 3 director for Nebraska Cattlemen.  Region 3 includes Dixon, Dakota, Thurston, Wayne, Cedar, Madison, Stanton, and Cuming counties.  Joel replaces Dave Hatterman who completed 2 terms on the board.  Joel and parents Leon and Mary own a feedlot northwest of Pender.  Joel and wife Connie have two children, Ella - 4 years old, and Dane - 2 years old.  



Platte Valley Cattlemen set February get-togethers

Platte Valley Cattlemen are looking forward to a busy and exciting month.  Applications for scholarships are in, and will be reviewed soon.  President Randy Svehla says thanks for the great response!  

The next meeting of Platte Valley Cattlemen will be on Monday, February 15th, at Wunderlich's Catering in Columbus.  Social at 6pm, meal to be served at 7pm.  It's Spouses Night, so bring that someone special!  The program features a presentation by Jim Ballard, owner of James Aurthur Vineyars.  Also, NC President elect Chuck Folken will give an update on what's happening in the beef industry, and Kelsey Pope will give some highlights of the Nebraska Corn Board.  

Don't forget to mark on your calendar February 27th... It's the annual banquet at 5:30pm at Scotus Memorial Hall in Columbus.  Tickets are available from any of the Platte Valley Cattlemen board of directors, Randy Svehla, Brent Wietfeld, Andrew Klug, Dan Egger, Darren Beller, Chad Settje, Brandon Groteluschen, John Eisenmenger, or Randy Haskell.  



Saunders County Livestock Assoc Feb Meetin's

Saunders County Livestock President Dan Benes wants to remind members of several important dates in the month of February.  The first meeting of Saunders County Livestock in February will be on Tuesday the 9th, at the Barn Door restaurant in Ceresco.  Social at 6pm, meal at 7pm, business to follow.  Speakers will be Cattlemen's Choice Loomix by Matt Ramsey, Platte River Byproducts by David Stithem, Riggins Equipment by Mark Sutton, and Nebraska Corn Board's Randy Klein.  The second meeting of the month is Monday, February 22nd, 6pm social and 7pm dinner at CPS Rural Ashland.  Crop Production Services' Brian Reid will provide the program.  

At the Annual Meeting and Banquet on January 26th in Prague, four were elected to the board, including Mitch Benes of Valparaiso, Lee Quick of Ceresco, Kevin Sladky of Wahoo, and Jerry Soukup of Morse Bluff.  Also at the banquet, several special recognitions were made.  Special recognition was made to Larry Smith of Ashland for all the leadership he has provided at the local, regional, and state level in promoting the livestock industry.  Also, a 35-year membership award was presented to Eugene Kremlacek.  I (Chad Moyer) served as the emcee, and fellow Rural Radio Network broadcaster Ken Rahjes provided the after-dinner entertainment.  It was great to see over 400 people at the banquet!  



Nebraska's experience in handling a epidemiological investigation looks to shape new policy.

On June 1, 2009, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture announced a cow in a Rock County herd tested positive for bovine tuberculosis.  A second cow later test positive.  This spurred a large scale investigation where 20 - thousand head were tested and no additional positive cases were discovered.  Ginger Langemeier, (Lang - a-meyer) Nebraska Department of Agriculture Assistant Director says on the bright side, Nebraska is going to have a hand in shaping the way in which bovine tuberculosis is handled on a national animal disease front.

Langemeier1   :19  Q.  beef industry.

With shaping new policy, Langemeier says it's not necessarily going in and depopulating those animals.  Rather it's trying to preserve the equity that producer has or the genetic line that producer has developed.  Officials will be able to go in, test those animals over a period of time and manage to keep those animals intact in the herd.  Langemeier says it's a different approach, but in the long run it will be to the producers benefit.



Farmers, Ranchers Reminded of NDA Hay and Forage Hotline

Agriculture Director Greg Ibach is reminding producers of the availability of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) Hay and Forage Hotline to either find available hay or post their hay for sale.

"Because of the harsh winter, farmers in some areas of the state had to begin feeding hay earlier than usual," Ibach said. "We have received calls from folks who are looking for hay, so we wanted to call attention to our Hotline and encourage its use."

The Hotline was established in 2002 in response to the need to connect buyers and sellers of hay due to extreme drought conditions in parts of the state. The free service is available to all buyers and sellers; the database serves as a clearinghouse to connect those with hay to those who need it, and listings are added as they are given to NDA.

The toll-free Hotline number is 800-422-6692; the local number is 471-4876. Sellers of available hay and other forage can contact this number and have their name, contact information, and inventory placed on the "Sellers List", which is updated regularly. NDA will then make the "Sellers List" available to buyers on the web site at www.agr.ne.gov or by mail, if requested.

Once potential buyers obtain the listing, they will be responsible for contacting the sellers direct to negotiate any transactions. NDA does not participate in any transactions nor endorse any hay or forage that is sold.

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Nebraska Field Office, hay stocks on December 1, 2009, in Nebraska totaled 4.5 million tons, up 9 percent from 2008.

"Most of Nebraska had good conditions for hay production in 2009. It seems to be a matter of connecting those who have the supply with those who need it in order to deal with the cold and snowy conditions this winter has brought us," Ibach said.



EPA Issues Renewable Fuels Standard; Reactions Mixed

U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa, John Thune of South Dakota, and Mike Johanns of Nebraska reacted to the Obama administration's approval of the final rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement the new Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) following Congressional passage of the 2007 energy bill. Sadly, the final rule includes flawed indirect land use models in an attempt to discredit the positive environmental impacts of domestically produced corn-based ethanol.

"This action will provide much needed certainty for today's ethanol and biodiesel producers, as well as for those developing next-generation and advanced biofuels, but it's irresponsible for the EPA to ignore the intent of Congress concerning the inclusion of 'international' land use changes in calculating the indirect greenhouse gas emissions from biofuels," said Grassley. "By using this unproven and murky theory, the EPA has done a disservice to America's renewable fuel producers by diminishing their benefit to the environment. It's especially disheartening that the EPA is using this modeling because it's contrary to President Obama's numerous pledges to base all decisions on sound science."

"EPA is penalizing domestic ethanol production by insisting on quantifying international indirect land use changes that may be associated with ethanol production," said Thune. "Congress wrote the RFS with the intention of elevating the importance of biofuels, but punishing domestic fuels for land use decisions in other countries based on erroneous models is a step back for our country's effort to reduce its reliance on oil imports. South Dakota is in a unique position to help meet our nation's energy needs while creating jobs with homegrown fuels, but the EPA regulators are putting the brakes on necessary development. I am committed to working with my colleagues to ensure that domestic biofuels are treated fairly relative to imported oil under the new RFS rules, and that the biofuels industry continues to be an economic pillar of rural America."

Johanns said, "I am deeply disappointed that the Administration remains fixated on their flimsy, untested, and unreliable theory that holds our farmers and ethanol producers responsible for land use decisions made half way around the world. I am additionally disappointed that with all of today's announcements, there was no mention of E-15. Increasing the percentage of ethanol in gasoline to as much as 15 percent is the next logical step in the expansion of this nation's ethanol production capacity. It would not only benefit the economy, but also our nation's energy security."

The RFS in the 2007 Energy Bill mandates the use of 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2020. To qualify for the RFS, fuels must meet various goals for greenhouse gas reduction.

The EPA's indirect land use rules count the emissions of greenhouse gasses resulting from land use decisions in other countries against domestic biofuels. With international indirect land use factored into ethanol's greenhouse gas score, it dramatically reduces the overall environmental benefit of domestic ethanol production.

U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, also of Iowa, said: "We must continue to do all we can to promote the production and use of biofuels in Iowa and across the county. This industry is not only good for our economy, it reduces our dangerous dependence on foreign oil, helps prevent global climate change and conserves our natural resources. I am very encouraged that the Obama Administration continues to push forward on this critical issue."

"I am very pleased that at long last the Administration has issued this rule," said Harkin. "This keeps the nation on its trajectory of strongly expanding production and use of biofuels, including biodiesel, and gives the biofuel industry the assurance that the nation does support their efforts," said Harkin. "I am also very pleased that the RFS2 specifically requires 1.15 billion gallons of biodiesel to be used in the nation over the two year period of 2009 and 2010.

"EPA has concluded that the existing biofuels do meet the lifecycle greenhouse gas emission limits imposed as a part of the RFS2 in the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act. This clarity is very important given the uncertainty over whether indirect land use change emissions calculations that had been included in the proposed rule issued last spring might make some biofuels ineligible for inclusion under the mandate.

"Despite this, I am disappointed that the Environmental Protection Agency continues to use questionable data and methods for calculating 'indirect land use changes' at all. These methods are not adequately developed, and thus should not be used in ways making it harder for ethanol and biodiesel to meet requirements of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. If we continue to do this, we'll exclude some good biofuels and stifle the investment that is so essential to our national renewable fuels strategy."

The South Dakota Soybean Association (SDSA) and the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) welcomed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) issuance of the final rule to implement the expanded Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) provided for in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007(EISA) .

"The SDSA is pleased that the EPA has issued the final RFS2 rule," said Dan Feige, SDSA Biodiesel chairman and board member of the NBB. "There are significant job creation, energy security and environmental benefits associated with expanded biodiesel use. Today's rulemaking - in particular implementation of the Biomass-based Diesel program - will allow America to reap these benefits."



Iowa DNR Extends Comment Period for CAFO Rules

The DNR is extending by two weeks the deadline to submit public comments on a proposed rule that affects livestock and poultry operations in the state.

The proposed rules incorporate new legislation that limits winter land application of liquid manure if it comes from a totally roofed confinement, sets requirements for stockpiling, and clarifies existing laws or make corrections to existing rules.

The new deadline will be Feb. 15.

"We want to make sure everyone has an opportunity to make comments on the proposal," said Gene Tinker, DNR coordinator of animal feeding operations. "We know that people have experienced some difficulties in getting to public hearings or have been challenged by the weather or electrical outages."

Written comments can be submitted no later than 4 p.m., Feb. 15 to Gene Tinker, DNR, 502 E. Ninth St, Des Moines, IA 50319, or faxed to (515) 281-8895 or e-mailed to gene.tinker@dnr.iowa.gov.

Both the proposed rules and the 2009 legislation can be found on the DNR animal feeding operations Web site at www.iowadnr.gov/afo/newrules.html.



Iowa Pork Regional Conferences Offer Wealth of Information

Iowa pork producers are invited to learn more about pig comfort, energy efficiency and producer profits at the 2010 Iowa Pork Regional Conferences scheduled for early March. The Iowa Pork Industry Center (IPIC), Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) and Iowa State University (ISU) Extension cosponsor this annual series at different sites around the state.
 
IPIC extension program specialist Colin Johnson said that while the conference will offer information for owners and operators, others in the industry can benefit from attending.

“This is a conference that will offer a lot of useful information for lots of folks,” he said. “Veterinarians, swine industry stakeholders, production employees and contract growers all will find knowledge they can use.”

Johnson said Mike Brumm, from Brumm Swine Consultancy Inc., will speak on two topics: ventilation and energy use on the farm.
 
“Mike’s presentation, ‘The Dufus Factor at Work: Common Ventilation Mistakes’ is sure to hit home with many producers,” Johnson said. “In it he’ll share some of the more common errors he sees and offer solutions and advice on correctly setting ventilation controllers and inlets. He’ll also show attendees how to measure and evaluate on-farm energy usage and give suggestions on lowering energy usage while saving money.”

Other speakers are local ISU Extension swine field specialists and a representative from Consumers Energy. That company currently is part of a partnership with IPPA, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, ISU and other agriculture groups that’s helping evaluate on-farm energy use and reduce the cost of whole-farm energy audits for producers.
 
Traditionally, this conference series has been held in February. This year’s dates of March 9-12 should better fit producer schedules and the session time of 1 to 4:30 p.m. allows for more daytime travel. There is no cost for those preregistered at least two business days prior to each location date. Walk-in registration is $5 per person, payable at the door. More information, including a link to the program brochure, is available on the IPIC Web site at www.ipic.iastate.edu/events.html .  To preregister, people should call IPPA at (800) 372-7675 or (515) 225-7675.

Program dates and locations are as follows.
    * Tuesday, March 9, Sheldon, Northwest Iowa Community College, 603 West Park Street, Building C Auditorium.
    * Wednesday, March 10, Carroll, Carrollton Inn, 1730 Hwy. 71 N.  
    * Thursday, March 11, Nashua, Borlaug Learning Center, 3327 290th St.
    * Friday, March 12, Ainsworth, Marr Park, Hwy. 92