The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has launched a new Web site to inform stakeholders about the national animal identification system (NAIS). The Web site, available at www.usda.gov/nais, is designed to be a resource to facts about NAIS.
In addition to news, the site provides contact information for state and tribal animal health authorities. The states and tribes are responsible for providing each premises under their purview with a nationally unique identification number – the starting point of the NAIS. All states should be able to assign nationally unique premises identification numbers to locations where animals are managed or held by mid-2005.
Over time, APHIS plans to add to the new Web site resources targeted to specific species and industry-segment groups. Currently, NAIS working groups comprised of industry and government representatives have been established for cattle and bison, sheep, swine, poultry, horses, llamas and alpacas, deer and elk, and livestock markets and processors.
In implementing the NAIS, USDA’s goal is to provide animal health officials the ability to identify all animals and premises that have had contact with a foreign or domestic animal disease of concern within 48 hours after discovery. As an information system that provides for rapid tracing of infected and exposed animals during an outbreak situation, the NAIS will help limit the scope of such outbreaks and ensure that they are contained and eradicated as quickly as possible.
APHIS will receive approximately $33 million for NAIS implementation under the recent passage of the fiscal year 2005 Consolidated Appropriations Act. USDA also transferred $18.8 million from its Commodity Credit Corporation to APHIS during fiscal year 2004 to support the NAIS.
Brooks Retires
Willie Franklin Brooks Jr., a long time supporter of the rendering industry within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), retired January 31, 2005, after 33 years of service to the USDA. He spent 20 of those years as a marketing specialist for the rendering industry.
Cattlemen Names New President
After serving as president elect, Jim McAdams of Adkins, TX, became the new president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) in early February. He replaced Jan Lyons whose term had ended.
Mike John from Huntsville, MO, was chosen to serve as NCBA president elect for the coming year and will succeed McAdams when his term expires in 2006. John Queen of North Carolina was chosen as the group’s new vice president.
ContiBeef and Smithfield Merge Cattle Feeding Business
ContiBeef, LLC, a subsidiary of ContiGroup Companies, Inc., and MF Cattle Feeding, Inc., a recently acquired subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, Inc., have agreed to form a 50/50 joint venture cattle feeding business. The new entity will include all six feedyards owned by ContiBeef and the four feedyards owned by Smithfield since October 2004.
The new entity will have facilities in five states – Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas – with a one-time total feeding capacity of 811,000 head and expects to sell cattle to multiple U.S. beef packing firms throughout the United States.
The joint venture will be a stand-alone operating company, independent from both ContiGroup and Smithfield Foods. Mike Thoren, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of ContiBeef since 2003, will be named president and CEO of the joint venture. The new entity expects to formally commence operations by April 30, 2005, after regulatory approval and execution of a definitive agreement.
De Smet and Ballestra to Merge
Belgian-based De Smet and Ballestra S.p.A of Milan, Italy, announced in late 2004 their decision to integrate their operations.
De Smet, founded in 1946 by Jean-Albert De Smet, is a world leader in the field of engineering and delivery of installations and equipment for the edible oils and fats industry. Ballestra, founded in 1960, is a world leader in technologies for the surfactants and detergent industry as well as for the manufacturing of several chemical products related to this industry. Ballestra is also associated with Mazzoni LB S.p.A of Busto Arsizio, Italy, a world leader in the design and fabrication of complete plants and machinery for the production of soap and glycerin.
The De Smet and Ballestra groups have sales and engineering offices in 15 countries and representation networks in another 22 countries. They have sold 5,700 plants in 148 countries worldwide. In 2004, they realized a total turnover of over $250 million.
Food Security Checklist Available
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has released a document titled, “Industry Self-Assessment Checklist for Food Security.” FSIS said that all food slaughter and processing establishments and all import, export establishments should take steps to ensure the security of their operations. The document is based primarily on the food security guidelines that FSIS published in 2002. The checklist consists of the following sections: food security plan management; outside security; inside security; slaughter and processing security; storage security; shipping and receiving security; water and ice supply security; mail handling security; and personnel security.
The checklist is available on the Internet at www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Self_Assessment_Checklist_Food_ Security.pdf.
Griffin Receives Safe Feed Certification
Griffin Industries, Inc., headquartered in Cold Spring, KY, recently received certification under the American Feed Industry Association’s (AFIA’s) new Safe Feed/Safe Food program (see “Newsline,” December 2004 Render). The program is intended to demonstrate and ensure continuous improvement in the delivery of a safe and wholesome feed supply for the growth and care of animals.
Griffin is a charter member of the Safe Feed/Safe Food initiative and has received certification for 20 facilities, which includes the company’s rendering plants and bakery by-product facilities operated under the name Bakery Feeds. As a participant in AFIA’s program, Griffin is entitled to use a special certified seal and logo on its products and promotional materials.
AFIA’s Safe Feed/Safe Food program is open to feed manufacturers, pet food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, integrated producers, meat processors, feed purchasers, livestock producers, renderers, and others who want to validate a commitment to feed and food safety.
Brown Packing President Passes
Walter Eugene (Gene) Brown, president, Brown Packing Company, passed away March 16, 2005, of cancer. He was 70 years old.
Brown nurtured the beef packing company started by his father, Walter, in 1942. He helped grow it into one of Cherokee County’s most successful companies and what is now among the largest privately owned beef packing operations in the United States with worldwide product distribution.
Brown was dedicated his company and industry for nearly 50 years and was a member of the American Meat Institute Board of Directors for 25 years. He was also committed to his community.
Brown is survived by his wife Linda, four children, three sisters, two brothers, and 12 grandchildren.
Poultry Litter to Fuel Power Plant
After receiving $202 million in financing, Fibrominn, LLC, has begun building a 55-megawatt (MW) power plant that will use about 700,000 tons of biomass fuels, about 90 percent of which will be poultry litter. Initial operation is expected to commence in February 2007.
Located in Benson, MN, the power plant is the first of its kind in the United States and will use the Fibrowatt poultry litter combustion technology, which is licensed from Fibrowatt, Ltd., of the United Kingdom. Fibrowatt built three power plants that use poultry litter to create electricity in the 1990s.
The Benson plant will utilize poultry litter and other biomass fuels to produce heat that will generate steam in a boiler to drive a turbine generator. The only by-product is the ash from combustion, which will be marketed as a nutrient-rich fertilizer.
Fibrominn is wholly owned by Fibrowatt, LLC, of Philadelphia, PA, which in turn is a 70 percent subsidiary of Homeland Renewable Energy, LLC.
Turning Feathers into Plastic
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists who developed a method to turn chicken feathers into plastic products are continuing to bring the technology closer to the marketplace.
ARS chemist Walter Schmidt developed the technology to clean feathers and separate them into chopped fibers and quill pieces. Now Schmidt and fellow ARS chemist Justin Barone have developed and applied for a patent for a process to convert cleaned and chopped feather material into plastic products on a laboratory scale. Schmidt and Barone work in ARS’ Environmental Quality Laboratory in Beltsville, MD.
According to Barone, the material is made on traditional plastics processing equipment using chopped chicken feathers and other easily obtainable, naturally derived materials. The feather-derived plastic can be molded just like any other plastic and has properties very similar to commodity plastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene. This makes the feather-derived plastic a unique material for packaging or any other application where high strength and biodegradability are desired.
Previous research by Schmidt and Barone found feather fiber could be added into currently used plastics to make composites. The fibers strengthen the plastic components and reduce the weight of the material. Currently, the additives and fillers used in plastics by the automobile industry, for example, add significant weight to car parts. Using feather fiber is a viable alternative to these additives, says ARS.
Approximately four billion pounds of feathers are generated each year during the poultry production process. ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific research agency.
WUD Elects New Officers
The Western United Dairymen’s (WUD’s) board of directors have elected Case Van Steyn as its new president. Also elected were First Vice President Ray Souza, Second Vice President Joey Mendoza Jr., Treasurer Henry Van De Pol, and Secretary Jim Renner.
April 2005 Render