Michael Langenhorst, president, Anamax Corporation, was recently awarded the Green Bay Area (Wisconsin) Chamber of Commerce’s 2004 Small Business Person of the Year award for his “exceptional achievement and admirable community leadership qualities.” He was both honored and surprised by his nomination, which came from a business associate.
“It’s a real honor,” Langenhorst told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “You don’t do what you do to win awards.”
Langenhorst joined Anamax in 1989. The company had two plants and 100 employees.
Anamax now has six plants, about 300 employees, and two trading offices. It does business in more than 20 countries and over 55 percent of its sales are exports.
Langenhorst has a bachelor of science degree in microbiology and public health from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh; was a founder of the World Renderers Organization and its first president; has served as president of the National Renderers Association; has served on the boards of the American Feed Industry Association and Fats and Proteins Research Foundation; and is currently a member of the National Biodiesel Board.
AFIA Chairman Named
Joel Newman, president and chief executive officer (CEO), United Cooperative Farmers, Inc., was recently named the American Feed Industry Association’s 2004-2005 Chairman of the Board. He succeeds outgoing Chairman Steve Koenig, Bioproducts, Inc.
Prior to joining United Cooperative Farmers three years ago, Newman was with the Canadian company Maple Leaf Foods, helping to develop a “non-traditional dairy nutrition technology business” in the United States. He also served for 24 years in positions with Agway Cooperative.
In other board action, Robert Gallaway, president and CEO, Ridley, Inc., was named chair-elect.
Census Shows Decline in Farms
More U.S. farms and ranches are becoming Internet-savvy, but there are fewer of them, according to the 2002 Census of Agriculture recently released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
According to the census, half of farms and ranches have Internet access and nearly 39 percent reporting using a computer for their farm business. However, there are over 86,000 fewer farms than there were in 1997, the last time the census was taken.
Conducted every five years, the census attempts to reach every agricultural operator in the United States through a mail survey. Follow-ups by telephone or personal interview are conducted for those who do not respond by mail. Data represent all agricultural operations, defined as any place that sold or normally would have sold more than $1,000 worth of agricultural products during the census year.
Other highlights of the census include:
• The number of beef farms fell by more than 103,000 from 1997 to 2002, to just below 800,000. Over 33.3 million beef cows were reported in 2002.
• The number of hog farms decreased by over 35 percent during the same time, from nearly 125,000 in 1997 to almost 79,000 in 2002; however, the number of hogs and pigs on those farms only dropped slightly, about one percent, to 60.4 million.
• The number of broiler and other meat-type chicken farms increased over the five-year span, to 32,006 farms in 2002.
• Ninety percent of farms, or 1.9 million, are owned by an individual or family. The number of corporate farms declined by 18 percent from 1997 to 2002, which reverses a trend that has continued without interruption since 1974.
• The top five states in value of agricultural products sold are California ($25.7 billion), Texas ($14.1 billion), Iowa ($12.3 billion), Nebraska ($9.7 billion), and Kansas ($8.7 billion).
To access the census results, log onto www.nass.usda.gov/census/.
NRA to Participate in Feed Forum
Tom Cook, president, National Renderers Association (NRA), will be among the participants of a panel discussion on “What’s Important to Our Segment of Animal Agriculture” at the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) Fall Forum 2004, September 20-23, in Baltimore, MD. The session on September 21 will allow Cook and other feed-related leaders to discuss a variety of issues. The panel will be moderated by award-winning announcer Orion Samuelson and will include a question and answer session from the audience.
Other panel participants include Patrick Boyle, president, American Meat Institute; Dan Dalton, president, U.S. Poultry and Egg Association; Neil Dierks, chief executive officer (CEO), National Pork Producers Council; Ken Klippen, vice president, government relations, United Egg Producers; Jerry Kozak, CEO, National Milk Producers Federation; Alex Mathews, president and CEO, Animal Health Institute; Terry Stokes, CEO, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association; George Watts, president, National Chicken Council; and David Bossman, president, AFIA.
Other highlights of the forum include AFIA committee and council meetings and a dinner honoring retiring AFIA President Bossman.
Information is available on the AFIA Web site at www.afia.org, or by calling (703) 524-0810.
Australia to Host Next World Meat Congress
The World Meat Congress, a gathering of international meat and livestock representatives held every two years, will travel down under in 2006 to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The dates are April 26-29, 2006. The 2004 World Meat Congress was held in June in Winnipeg, Canada, where the announcement for the Australian meeting was made.
“The three-day congress is expected to attract between 600 and 800 international delegates and will focus on global trends, innovations, and issues affecting the meat and livestock industry,” stated MLA Managing Director Mark Spurr.
The World Meat Congress is organized in cooperation with the International Meat Secretariat (IMS), headquartered in Paris, France. The IMS has 96 members throughout the world, including 35 from Western Europe, 26 from South America, 12 from the Far East, 10 from North America, eight from Southern Africa, and four from Eastern Europe.
Additional information on the 2006 World Meat Congress is available on the Internet at www.2006worldmeatcongress.com.au.
Research Proposals Sought
The Poultry Protein and Fat Council recently approved up to $100,000 to fund research projects that will beneficially impact the poultry rendering industry. The board also authorized $35,000 to support promotional activities of the council. Council members produce poultry by-product meal, feather meal, blood meal, chicken meal, and poultry fat.
The council solicits research proposals that will develop new and increased utilization of these products by demonstrating their efficacy in poultry, aquaculture, livestock, and companion animal rations. The council also seeks proposals that open non-traditional outlets for its products, such as utilizing poultry fat as a fuel or feathers as construction, plastic, or fibrous material components. Other research interests of the council are projects addressing the need for improved uses or re-use alternatives for lower grade raw materials (such as dissolved air flotation skimmings or hatchery by-products); improved odor control; and product processing techniques that increase product value or decrease operational costs.
Detailed information about the procedure for submitting a research proposal is available at www.poultryegg.org/PPFC/SearchEngine/research_VSearchForm.cfm.
Demand for Australian Beef Up
Demand for Australian beef continues to grow in Japan with 39,743 metric tons shipped in June, the highest figure on record, according to Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA).
MLA Chairman David Crombie said exports of Australian beef to Japan were 24 percent higher than May 2004 shipments, and 70 percent higher than June 2003 exports. In the first six months of this year, beef exports have increased 38 percent.
“Demand for Australian beef in Japan has been heightened in 2004 due to the absence of U.S. and Canadian beef from the market, combined with tight supply of chicken and higher pork prices,” Crombie stated. “Japan is Australia’s key export market with 44 percent of unprocessed beef exported from Australia in 2004 destined for the Japanese market.”
UK Beef Industry Reclassified
According to industry news reports, the European Union recently reclassified the United Kingdom as a moderate-risk country for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The move from the high-risk category allows the United Kingdom to resume exports on cattle less than 30 months of age.
There have been more than 180,000 clinical cases of BSE in the United Kingdom. The peak was more than 10 years ago (1992) at 37,000 head. Today, those numbers have fallen into the hundreds.
Veterinary Coalition Formed
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has joined the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), the American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners, the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV), the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), and the Academy of Veterinary Consultants to form a new coalition to ensure that food continues to be “abundant, safe, and whole-some” by involving veterinarians throughout the food supply system. The coalition is a new formalized group that evolved from the former Food Animal Summit Task Force.
The coalition’s first major project is a comprehensive study comprising multiple research phases addressing the demands for, and the availability of, food supply veterinarians in the United States and Canada. David M. Andrus, PhD, a professor and head of the department of marketing at Kansas State University, has been selected to lead the research team conducting the study. Bayer Animal Health and the AVMA have each committed $100,000 to pay for the estimated $300,000 cost of the project. The other $100,000 was pledged by the AABP ($50,000), AASV ($40,000), and AAVMC ($10,000).
August 2004 Render