American Proteins Awarded
American Proteins, Hanceville, AL, was awarded an honorable mention in the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association’s 2003 Clean Water Award competition for full treatment facilities. The award recognizes outstanding water treatment facilities in the poultry industry.
According to the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association, the rendering company received the honorable mention because of its commitment to environmental preservation and community enhancement. The plant does not allow hunting on its 600 acres. Production and wastewater operations utilize about 100 acres, leaving 500 acres for wildlife habitat including pastures that serve as forage for the deer population.
In order to better support environmental initiatives, American Proteins established a separate environmental department. The company’s wastewater facility includes a sophisticated biological nutrient removal activated sludge plant producing a pristine effluent. American Proteins has also aggressively pursued water recycling, minimizing its discharge flows.
Besecker Joins Rouse Marketing
Randall L. Besecker has joined the Cincinnati, OH, firm of Rouse Marketing, Inc., accepting the position of vice president. Founded by Raymond H. Rouse in 1970, Rouse Marketing is an agricultural marketing/consulting firm specializing in animal and vegetable fats for the animal feed industry.
Besecker has held previous commodity management positions with Cargill, Inc., and Ferruzzi/Central Soya Company, Inc., and served as vice president of consulting with the agricultural marketing/consulting firm of Richard A. Brock and Associates, Inc. During the mid-1990s, he was commodity manager for the livestock feed manufacturer MoorMan’s, Inc., before moving to the futures brokerage firm of Frontier Risk Management, Inc. Most recently, Besecker served as senior manager, Poultry Risk Management for Sara Lee Foods US.
Darling Announces New CEO
Darling International, Inc., has announced the appointment of Randall C. Stuewe as its new chairman and chief executive officer (CEO), replacing Denis Taura, who is leaving Darling to resume his role at a crisis management consulting firm in New Jersey. Stuewe will be based at the company’s corporate offices in Irving, TX, and will be responsible for the overall operations of Darling.
Before joining the rendering company, Stuewe worked for ConAgra Foods, Inc., from 1996 until last year, where he focused on business development and restructuring. Most recently, he served as president of Gilroy Foods, Gilroy, CA.
DeSmet Picks Jenkins as U.S. Rep
DeSmet Rosedowns Ltd., Hull, England, has selected Jenkins Centrifuge Company LLC, North Kansas City, MO, to market the European equipment manufacturer’s press-wear parts for Dupps and Stord presses.
DeSmet has been manufacturing oil seed presses since the 1800s and Jenkins has been serving the food processor, meat packer, and rendering industries with centrifuge repair services for over 30 years.
Feed Presentations Available
The Food and Drug Administration presentations on the detection of prohibited proteins in ruminant feed made at the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Midyear Meeting in Tucson, AZ, are now available on the AAFCO Web site at www.aafco.org, under the meetings section.
Some of the presentations listed cover detection of meat and bone meal using infrared microscopy camera; speciation of feeds and meat and bone meals by immunoassay; assay development for detection of meat and bone meal residues in animal feed; and the British experience. The presentations are available in various formats such as PowerPoint, PDF, and document files.
Idaho Cattleman NCBA President
Eric Davis, a beef producer from Bruneau, ID, has become the new president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). He assumed the position during the NCBA’s recent convention and trade show after serving as president-elect and vice president of the organization.
Davis is past president of both the Owyhee Cattlemen’s Association and the Idaho Cattle Association, where he also served as chairman of the Beef Quality Assurance Committee. He was also chairman of the Idaho Beef Council.
Jan Lyons, a beef producer from Manhattan, KS, is the new NCBA president-elect, and Jim McAdams of Lubbock, TX, was elected vice president.
Kemin Hires Technical Manager
Barbara Howe has been appointed as technical services manager for Kemin Nutrisurance, Inc. Her primary responsibilities will be to provide technical service and sales support to pet food manufacturers throughout the United States.
Howe received her degree from Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO. She also has advanced training on the Principles of Thermal Process Control from Chapman College and on Thermal Process Development from the National Food Processors Association.
NCC Files Lawsuit on CAFO Rule
The National Chicken Council (NCC) and several other agricultural groups have filed lawsuits concerning the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) new regulation on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). According to NCC, environmental advocacy groups have also filed lawsuits.
The NCC lawsuit was filed for the purpose of securing the industry’s legal rights in what is expected to be multi-faceted, multi-party litigation concerning the regulation. The petition was filed in the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
According to the association, the NCC adopted a voluntary program in 1998 that is strongly supported by member companies. According to an NCC survey covering the year 2001 (the most recent annual survey conducted), more than three-quarters of the nation’s chicken farmers have either implemented nutrient management plans or are in the process of developing them, well ahead of the schedule set in the plan.
The NCC represents integrated chicken producer-processors, the companies that produce, process, and market chickens. According to the association, member companies of NCC account for approximately 95 percent of the chicken sold in the United States.
New CEO at Meat New Zealand
Mark Jeffries has been appointed chief executive officer (CEO) of Meat New Zealand, assuming his position in April from outgoing CEO Neil Taylor, who is stepping down after six years as CEO to pursue other interests.
At the time of his appointment, Jeffries was serving as Livestock Improvement Corporation’s (LIC’s) group general manager-information. His portfolio at LIC includes farm management consultancy FarmWise, New Zealand’s largest dairy recording service MINDA, dairy herd testing services, a robot export business, the LIC Computer Services Group, one of the largest milk analysis centers in the world, and LIC’s animal evaluation unit. Jeffries is currently president of the International Committee on Animal Recording, which is responsible for international standards and services for animal identification and performance recording for beef, dairy, sheep, goat, and buffalo species.
NMA Elects New Officers
The National Meat Association (NMA) recently elected new officers for a one-year term beginning July 1, 2003. They are: Joe Azarro, Jr., Palama Meat Co., Inc., immediate past chairman; Terry Caviness, Caviness Packing, board chairman; Ted Miller, E.A. Miller, president; Curry Roberts, PM Holdings, vice president; Tom Campanile, Oberto Sausage, secretary; and Warren Wilcox, John R. Daily, Inc., treasurer. Rosemary Mucklow remained as NMA executive director.
Petfood Technology Book Coming
The editors of Petfood Industry magazine have been coordinating and developing a textbook on pet food production and nutrition for the past year. The book will be titled Petfood Technology and consist of 10 sections covering companion animal nutrition; palatability; plant design and engineering; plant management; ingredients and formulation; equipment and processing; packaging; and quality.
Known leaders in each field of expertise have been recruited to critique and review the content and accuracy of each chapter in their respective section. An anticipated publication date is September 2003.
Pre-publication sales are being offered at a reduced rate, as well as bulk offers for companies interested in purchasing more than 20 copies. Pricing information is available by contacting Marcia Riddle by e-mail at riddle@wattmm.com, or by phone at (815) 734-4171.
Survey Reports U.S. Pet Population
The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) has released its 2003/2004 National Pet Owner’s Survey, which reports the number of U.S. pet-owning households has increased by more than 10 million since 1992.
According to the survey, 64.2 million U.S. households report owning a pet in 2002, compared to 54 million households one decade ago. APPMA’s survey data shows 77.7 million cats; 65 million dogs; 16.8 million small animals; 17.3 million birds; 8.8 million reptiles; seven million saltwater fish; and 185 million freshwater fish are owned by U.S. pet owners today.
Biannually, APPMA’s survey examines demographics, buying habits, and other traits of U.S. owners of dogs, cats, fish, birds, reptiles, and small animals. The survey also includes a new “Lifestyle and Media Study,” which offers a profile of consumer lifestyle habits and media preferences directly affecting the purchase of pet products.
For more information on the survey, log onto APPMA’s Web site at www.appma.org.
USDA’s Top Scientists Honored
Thomas J. Jackson, Beltsville, MD, a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) hydrologist and international expert on hydrologic remote sensing, has been named Distinguished Senior Research Scientist for 2002 by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The award is the top scientific honor given by ARS, the internal scientific research agency of USDA.
Joseph Stanley Bailey, Ed Clevelend, and Susan Moran were also named as outstanding senior research scientists. Bailey is at the agency’s Poultry Microbiological Safety Research Unit, Athens, GA; Cleveland leads research at the ARS Food and Feed Safety Research Unit, New Orleans, LA; and Moran leads research at ARS’ Southwest Water-shed Research Center, Tucson, AZ.
The four scientists were recog-nized in an awards ceremony, with each receiving a plaque, cash award, and additional research funding.
The agency also named four area senior research scientists, presented an Early Career Scientist of the Year award, and honored seven Area Early Career Scientists, including Robin C. Anderson, ARS Food and Feed Safety Research Unit, College Station, TX, for development of a supplement that reduces Salmonella and E. coli 0157:H7 in poultry and livestock.
For more information on all the award recipients, log onto www.usda.gov/new/releases/2003.
April 2003 Render