The American Meat Institute (AMI) has elected six new officers for the next year.
Elected to the chairmanship was Richard L. Bond, president and chief executive officer of Tyson Foods, Inc. David Miniat, president of Ed Miniat, Inc., will serve as vice chairman and Rod Brenneman, president and chief executive officer of Seaboard Foods, will serve as AMI’s treasurer for 2006-2007. Serving as secretary for the next year is Jeffrey Ettinger, president and chief executive officer of Hormel Foods Corporation.
Robert “Bo” Manly, executive vice president of Smithfield Foods, Inc., becomes the immediate past chairman, and J. Patrick Boyle was reelected by the AMI membership to serve an eighteenth year as the organization’s president and chief executive officer.
Animal Health Report Released
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released the 2005 U.S. Animal Health Report, a national overview of domestic animal health in the United States.
The report addresses the many components of the U.S. animal health infrastructure, animal population demographics, approaches to foreign animal disease surveillance, and new initiatives. As an annual publication, the report is updated and refined each year and provides a valuable method to communicate with stakeholders and the public about the status of animal health in the country.
Animal health initiatives highlighted in the 2005 report include the national aquatic animal health plan (NAAHP) and the revisions to the national veterinary accreditation program. The purpose of NAAHP, developed in cooperation with industry, state, and local governments, is to foster and support effective and efficient aquaculture, protect the health of wild and cultured aquatic resources in the United States, and meet national and international trade obligations.
The national veterinary accreditation program emphasizes the lifetime education of accredited veterinarians through training modules that provide the latest information on the transmission, recognition, and reporting of exotic diseases and emerging diseases and updates on program policy and procedures.
The 2005 U.S. Animal Health Report is available on the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Web site at www.aphis.usda.gov/publications.
Aquaculture a Billion Dollar Industry
Aquaculture production in the United States is a billion dollar industry, with sales of fish, shellfish, and related products growing by 11.7 percent over the past seven years, according to results of the 2005 Census of Aquaculture.
The 2005 count was the second nationwide aquaculture census conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The first took place in 1998. Results show that between 1998 and 2005, U.S. sales of aquaculture products grew from $978 million to nearly $1.1 billion.
Census results show that food fish – including catfish, perch, salmon, hybrid striped bass, tilapia, and trout – accounted for 62 percent of all aquaculture sales in 2005. Mollusks – including abalone, clams, mussels, and oysters – comprised 19 percent of 2005 sales. Crustaceans, such as lobsters and shrimp, and ornamental fish, such as koi and tropical fish, each accounted for about five percent of sales. They were followed by baitfish at four percent and sport fish at two percent.
Mississippi led the nation in sales of aquaculture products, with nearly $250 million dollars in 2005. Arkansas, Alabama, and Louisiana were the other states with sales topping $100 million. Louisiana had the largest number of aquaculture farms – 873, more than double the number in any other state.
The 2005 Census of Aquaculture collected detailed information on issues including production methods, water sources, sales, distribution, and farm labor. For the purpose of the census, an aquaculture farm was any commercial or non-commercial place from which $1,000 or more of aquaculture products were raised and sold, or distributed for restoration, conservation, or recreational purposes during the census year.
Complete results of the census is available online at www.nass.usda.gov/aquaculture.
Blanton Appointed to USDA Position
Bruce Blanton has been appointed to serve as deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Congressional Relations for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). He had served as special assistant to the administrator of the Farm Service Agency for the last three years.
Prior to rejoining USDA in 2003, Blanton worked in the rendering industry for a decade, first as executive director of the National Renderers Association for four years and then at Moyer Packing Company for six years.
Blanton previously worked at USDA from 1989 to 1993, first as executive assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture then as special assistant to the USDA Under Secretary for International Affairs and Commodity Programs.
Chicken Council Installs Officers
Mark Hickman, president and chief executive officer of Peco Foods, Inc., was recently installed as chairman of the National Chicken Council (NCC). Mike Welch, president and chief executive officer of Harrison Poultry, took office as vice chairman, and Michael Roberts, president of the Poultry Group of Perdue Farms, Inc., became secretary-treasurer.
George Watts was elected to another term as president of NCC, a position he has held since 1972.
Cargill Closes Feed Mill, Purchases Eagle Milling
Cargill has decided to close its feed mill facility in Goodfield, IL, after the mill suffered a major fire in early September. The fire destroyed two warehouses and caused significant damage to adjacent structures, including the feed mill, extrusion, and packaging areas of the plant.
“We had been hopeful of re-opening the facility, and our employees had been helping in the cleanup,” said Cargill Animal Nutrition General Manager Larry Whipple. “But in the end, it was clear that the damage was too extensive to make a start-up feasible.”
An investigation into the cause of the fire is still underway. The mill’s employees will be provided severance and, wherever possible, opportunities elsewhere in Cargill.
In a separate announcement, Cargill Animal Nutrition has purchased certain assets of the feed milling and pet and animal wholesale products business Eagle Milling, Inc., of Casa Grande, AZ. The sale was finalized in early November.
Cargill will combine its nutritional technology and management systems with Eagle Milling’s strong customer base and market presence.
Dupps Names Project Coordinator
The Dupps Company has appointed Ray Jobe as a new project coordinator. His responsibilities will include project management and engineering, process engineering, and assistance with Dupps’ sales efforts.
Jobe brings over 26 years experience in the rendering industry to his new position. Prior to joining Dupps, he worked for AC Corporation and Atlas Stord, Inc. (formerly Stord-Bartz, Inc.), where he served in various capacities including project engineering, project management, sales, and new market development.
Georgia State Veterinarian to Head USAHA
Georgia State Veterinarian Dr. Lee M. Myers has been elected president of the U.S. Animal Health Association (USAHA), an organization of state and federal animal health officials, practicing veterinarians, livestock producers, research scientists, and others concerned with animal health.
USAHA President-elect is James Leafstedt, a South Dakota pork producer. Other officers elected are Dr. Don Hoenig, Maine state veterinarian, first vice president; Dr. Richard Breitmeyer, California state veterinarian, second vice president; Dr. Steven Halstead, Michigan state veterinarian, third vice president; Dr. William L. Hartmann, Minnesota state veterinarian, treasurer; and Dr. J. Lee Alley, retired Alabama state veterinarian, secretary.
Benjamin Richey has been named as the first executive director of USAHA and will be responsible for relocating USAHA’s operations from Richmond, VA, to new headquarters in Kansas City, MO, over the next year. Richey will also be in charge of expanding membership and coordinating the work and reports of some 33 committees. He will also begin coordinating details for the 2007 annual meeting in Reno, NV, with an expanded trade show.
“Having a professional executive director is a new direction for us,” Myers stated. “USAHA has long been membership-driven and member-operated. We’ve relied on the time, talents, and energies of our individual members to plan meetings, coordinate committees, author reports, and produce our newsletter – all this in addition to their full-time jobs. The addition of Ben will free our executive staff from the daily administrative duties required for maintaining an organization this size.”
Previously, Richey has served as director of Communications for the National Institute for Animal Agriculture and as an account executive for a Kansas City-based advertising agency.
Smithfield and ContiGroup to Build New Plant
Smithfield Beef Group, Inc., and ContiGroup Companies, Inc., have agreed in principle to form a 50/50 joint venture to build a new state-of-the-art beef processing plant in Texas County, OK. Construction of the plant, which will create 2,500 to 3,000 jobs, is expected to begin in January 2007, with completion scheduled for mid-2008. The 650,000-square-foot facility is estimated to cost approximately $200 million and expected to process 5,000 head per day at full capacity.
After reviewing more than 30 potential locations in five states, “We selected Texas County because of its proximity to nearby feedyards, the availability of water supply, the area’s outstanding labor pool, and well-developed utility and transportation infrastructures, said Richard V. Vesta, president and chief executive officer of Smithfield Beef Group. “We also received tremendous cooperation from the state’s elected and appointed officials.
“We expect to source cattle for the plant from the plentiful nearby supply of livestock including the surrounding Five Rivers feedyards, which we believe will save considerable transportation expense,” Vesta added.
In May 2005, Smithfield Foods, Inc., and ContiGroup Companies formed Five Rivers Ranch Cattle Feeding, LLC, a joint venture between their respective cattle feeding businesses. Five Rivers is a stand-alone operating company, independent from both ContiGroup and Smithfield.
OSHA Unveils New Safety and Health Page
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched a new topics page on its Web site aimed at demonstrating that investment in workplace safety and health makes good business sense.
The new topics page, “Making the Business Case for Safety and Health,” contains direct links to resources showing the costs of workplace injuries and illnesses, economic benefits of workplace safety and health, and how accounting for employee safety in the design stage of a project can result in fewer injuries and illnesses and increased productivity. The page also has a number of additional resources, including success stories, case studies, and tools for getting started on improving safety and health in the workplace. The page is a product of several alliances with OSHA, including the American Industrial Hygiene Association, American Society of Safety Engineers, and National Federation of Independent Business, among others.
OSHA’s Web site, www.osha.gov, includes approximately 200 safety and health topics pages on various workplace issues – from accident investigation to workplace violence. The subjects of the pages include specific workplace hazards and provide assistance for complying with OSHA standards.
Swift Names CFO
Swift and Company has named Raymond P. Silcock as executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO). He previously served as executive vice president and CFO of Toronto, Canada-based private label soft drink manufacturer Cott Corporation from 1998 to 2005. Prior to that, Silcock was CFO of Delimex, a San Diego, CA-based frozen food maker. Previously, he held various management positions at Campbell Soup Company.
Bill Trupkiewicz, acting CFO since February 2006, will continue with Swift and Company as senior vice president, corporate controller, and chief accounting officer.
Tyson Resolves Employment Case
Tyson Foods, Inc., and a group of current and former workers have reached a settlement in a discrimination lawsuit involving the company’s Ashland, AL, poultry processing plant. As part of the settlement, Tyson will also pay $871,000 collectively to the 13 plaintiffs.
The agreement resolves complaints filed in federal court in August 2005 by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and 13 African American workers who alleged there was race discrimination at the plant. Their complaints included claims a maintenance shop restroom was locked and accessible to only a few white workers in July and August of 2003 and that a “whites only” sign was briefly posted on the restroom door. Tyson officials contend they did not authorize, condone, or see the posting of such a sign and noted the company does not tolerate discrimination in the workplace.
Per the settlement, Tyson denies violating any laws and has agreed to take additional steps to ensure the prevention of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in the Ashland plant. The company will designate a corporate human resources executive to ensure all Ashland employees are trained on the company’s anti-discrimination policies and procedures and to handle the company’s response to any discrimination or harassment complaints. In addition, this executive will hold Ashland workers and managers responsible for complying with the company’s anti-discrimination policies and submit reports to the EEOC on the plant’s progress.
December 2006 Render