630 CHED.com
October 21, 2010
The Alberta government and representatives of the province's beef cattle industry have reached an agreement that will provide the foundation for livestock traceability in Alberta.
The Guiding Principles for Beef Cattle Traceability establishes an acceptable common understanding of traceability among government and industry partners as they move towards a national beef traceability system.
The Alberta Beef Producers, the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency, the Beef Industry Alliance, the Canadian Beef Breeds Council, the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency and Livestock Inspection Services all signed the agreement.
Agriculture Minister Jack Hayden says a strong traceability system enables producers to enter valuable foreign markets, China being a recent example, and receive the premium prices that their high-quality products deserve.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Field Reps Get Funding for Alberta's Beef Producers Age-Verification
Vermillion Standard
September 24, 2010
The governments of Canada and Alberta are providing more than $2 million to the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) to help Alberta's beef producers with age-verification and traceability initiatives.
"The main thing we do at CCIA is look after the animal ID database. Animal ID is mandatory across all of Canada," said Darcy Eddleston, CCIA chair. The CCIA is a non-profit, industry led organization established to promote and protect animal health and food safety concerns in the Canadian cattle herd.
"There are three pillars of traceability: animal ID, premise ID and animal movement. Age verification is not one of the pillars but we can't seem to talk about traceability without age verification," said Eddleston.
Animal ID is a unique 15-digit number found on an ear tag worn by each animal, explained Eddleston. When the producer goes into the store and buys RFID ear tags, those numbers are recorded and assigned to that producer. In the future if that animal has to be traced back for a disease reason, the number will lead back to that producer's farm. "Premise ID is a unique identification number for a specific land location," said Eddleston. "Once we have the number for that location, we have the ability to track movement." According to Eddleston, premise ID is still in the developmental phase. The Alberta government has generated premise IDs for most of the land locations in the province and the other provinces have varying levels of completion.
"What happened was the federal government turned premise ID over to the provinces," said Eddleston.
"Part of the problem from CCIA's point of view is we need to be able to integrate all the different provinces, the way they handle premise ID, into our database. Every province is doing things a little differently but in the end we'll all end up at the same spot." Animal movement is the ability to track an animal's movement from one premise to another. "We can't do movement until we get premise," said Eddleston.
"There is some movement being recorded in Alberta; any feedlot over 1,000 head has to report on a read-in basis. The industry went to a read-in basis so the average producer doesn't have to incur the cost of going out and buying a scanner so he or she can read-out the cattle when they leave the farm. Over 90 per cent of the time, when a producer sells calves they're going to a feed lot, where they're restrained and the feedlot has the ability to scan the tag anyway."
Brent McEwan, executive director of traceability within Alberta Agriculture, said the over $2 million grant will provide two years of funding for the Mobile Field Representatives (MFRs) who support producers across the province. "It's really to assist producers with age-verifying their animals," said McEwan. "All MFRs are typically available at all auction markets on sales days to help producers and enter their information into the Canadian livestock tracking system which is the CCIA database." They also help educate producers on how to keep records and address some tag issues, said McEwan. "With the number of tags and taggers out there sometimes it gets kind of confusing for producers and the MFRs certainly help out there."
McEwan said Alberta made age verification mandatory in January 2009. Feed lots feeding 5,000 head or more per year were required to report move-in within their auction markets to the CCIA database also starting in January 2009. As of January 2010, it is mandatory for feed lots feeding 1,000 head or more to report move-in, he said. "The MFRs assist the feed lots in those efforts as well," explained McEwan.
"Also, if producers are having trouble accessing the CCIA database online, all the MFRs have computers and can enter the information right then and there for producers and often even provide them a print out of their information." McEwan said his staff works closely with the MFRs to make sure the field representatives are up-to-date on the latest government programs so that they can answer any questions the producers have. MFRs are available to all producers in the province, he said. "At CCIA we're very pleased that both the provincial and federal governments saw the value of the MFRs and have contributed to the program to help move age-verification in the province forward," said Eddleston. "We're working on what the industry is capable of doing and what is required for government purposes."
September 24, 2010
The governments of Canada and Alberta are providing more than $2 million to the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) to help Alberta's beef producers with age-verification and traceability initiatives.
"The main thing we do at CCIA is look after the animal ID database. Animal ID is mandatory across all of Canada," said Darcy Eddleston, CCIA chair. The CCIA is a non-profit, industry led organization established to promote and protect animal health and food safety concerns in the Canadian cattle herd.
"There are three pillars of traceability: animal ID, premise ID and animal movement. Age verification is not one of the pillars but we can't seem to talk about traceability without age verification," said Eddleston.
Animal ID is a unique 15-digit number found on an ear tag worn by each animal, explained Eddleston. When the producer goes into the store and buys RFID ear tags, those numbers are recorded and assigned to that producer. In the future if that animal has to be traced back for a disease reason, the number will lead back to that producer's farm. "Premise ID is a unique identification number for a specific land location," said Eddleston. "Once we have the number for that location, we have the ability to track movement." According to Eddleston, premise ID is still in the developmental phase. The Alberta government has generated premise IDs for most of the land locations in the province and the other provinces have varying levels of completion.
"What happened was the federal government turned premise ID over to the provinces," said Eddleston.
"Part of the problem from CCIA's point of view is we need to be able to integrate all the different provinces, the way they handle premise ID, into our database. Every province is doing things a little differently but in the end we'll all end up at the same spot." Animal movement is the ability to track an animal's movement from one premise to another. "We can't do movement until we get premise," said Eddleston.
"There is some movement being recorded in Alberta; any feedlot over 1,000 head has to report on a read-in basis. The industry went to a read-in basis so the average producer doesn't have to incur the cost of going out and buying a scanner so he or she can read-out the cattle when they leave the farm. Over 90 per cent of the time, when a producer sells calves they're going to a feed lot, where they're restrained and the feedlot has the ability to scan the tag anyway."
Brent McEwan, executive director of traceability within Alberta Agriculture, said the over $2 million grant will provide two years of funding for the Mobile Field Representatives (MFRs) who support producers across the province. "It's really to assist producers with age-verifying their animals," said McEwan. "All MFRs are typically available at all auction markets on sales days to help producers and enter their information into the Canadian livestock tracking system which is the CCIA database." They also help educate producers on how to keep records and address some tag issues, said McEwan. "With the number of tags and taggers out there sometimes it gets kind of confusing for producers and the MFRs certainly help out there."
McEwan said Alberta made age verification mandatory in January 2009. Feed lots feeding 5,000 head or more per year were required to report move-in within their auction markets to the CCIA database also starting in January 2009. As of January 2010, it is mandatory for feed lots feeding 1,000 head or more to report move-in, he said. "The MFRs assist the feed lots in those efforts as well," explained McEwan.
"Also, if producers are having trouble accessing the CCIA database online, all the MFRs have computers and can enter the information right then and there for producers and often even provide them a print out of their information." McEwan said his staff works closely with the MFRs to make sure the field representatives are up-to-date on the latest government programs so that they can answer any questions the producers have. MFRs are available to all producers in the province, he said. "At CCIA we're very pleased that both the provincial and federal governments saw the value of the MFRs and have contributed to the program to help move age-verification in the province forward," said Eddleston. "We're working on what the industry is capable of doing and what is required for government purposes."
Monday, September 27, 2010
EBRD Trade Finance Facility for SBERBANK Kazakhstan
EBRD trade finance facility for SBERBANK Kazakhstan
$50 million to support local exporters and importers
Author(s): Ina Coretchi
Date: 22 September 2010
The EBRD is stepping up its support to Kazakhstan’s exporters and importers with a $50 million trade finance guarantee facility to SBERBANK Kazakhstan, a subsidiary of SBERBANK of Russia, to facilitate the financing of foreign trade at a time when lending to the real economy remains limited.
Founded in 2007, SBERBANK Kazakhstan offers a wide range of banking products, serving over 10,000 corporate and more than 101,000 retail clients throughout the country. It is the first foreign subsidiary of the Russia-based SBERBANK to join the EBRD’s Trade Facilitation Programme (TFP) as an Issuing Bank. SBERBANK of Russian Federation joined the TFP programme in 2000.
The EBRD facility will support SBERBANK Kazakhstan in enhancing its trade finance services and will facilitate transactions with longer maturities.
“Through this transaction the EBRD is addressing the unmet demand for trade finance in Kazakhstan, supporting further development of trade in the region in the current market conditions. With the signing of this agreement, SBERBANK Kazakhstan becomes our new partner bank in the country”, said Rudolf Putz, Head of EBRD’s Trade Facilitation Programme.
“By joining the Trade Facilitation Programme as an Issuing Bank SBERBANK is gaining access to medium-term up to 3 years and long-term up to 5 years guarantee facility for our customers, participants of foreign-trade activity, at lower rates than classic financing, which will facilitate their business development”, commented Oleg Smirnov, Chairman of the Board, SBERBANK Kazakhstan.
The EBRD's Trade Facilitation Programme promotes foreign trade to, from and within the EBRD countries of operation, including Kazakhstan. Through the Programme, the Bank provides guarantees to international confirming banks, taking the political and commercial payment risk of international trade transactions undertaken by banks in the countries of operations.
According to the Trade Facilitation Programme’s 2009 annual results, Kazakhstan ranked fourth among all EBRD countries of operation in terms of the number of transactions, after Russia, Georgia and Ukraine.
The EBRD is the largest financial investor in Kazakhstan, having committed to date over €2.8 billion through 135 projects in various sectors of the country’s economy.
$50 million to support local exporters and importers
Author(s): Ina Coretchi
Date: 22 September 2010
The EBRD is stepping up its support to Kazakhstan’s exporters and importers with a $50 million trade finance guarantee facility to SBERBANK Kazakhstan, a subsidiary of SBERBANK of Russia, to facilitate the financing of foreign trade at a time when lending to the real economy remains limited.
Founded in 2007, SBERBANK Kazakhstan offers a wide range of banking products, serving over 10,000 corporate and more than 101,000 retail clients throughout the country. It is the first foreign subsidiary of the Russia-based SBERBANK to join the EBRD’s Trade Facilitation Programme (TFP) as an Issuing Bank. SBERBANK of Russian Federation joined the TFP programme in 2000.
The EBRD facility will support SBERBANK Kazakhstan in enhancing its trade finance services and will facilitate transactions with longer maturities.
“Through this transaction the EBRD is addressing the unmet demand for trade finance in Kazakhstan, supporting further development of trade in the region in the current market conditions. With the signing of this agreement, SBERBANK Kazakhstan becomes our new partner bank in the country”, said Rudolf Putz, Head of EBRD’s Trade Facilitation Programme.
“By joining the Trade Facilitation Programme as an Issuing Bank SBERBANK is gaining access to medium-term up to 3 years and long-term up to 5 years guarantee facility for our customers, participants of foreign-trade activity, at lower rates than classic financing, which will facilitate their business development”, commented Oleg Smirnov, Chairman of the Board, SBERBANK Kazakhstan.
The EBRD's Trade Facilitation Programme promotes foreign trade to, from and within the EBRD countries of operation, including Kazakhstan. Through the Programme, the Bank provides guarantees to international confirming banks, taking the political and commercial payment risk of international trade transactions undertaken by banks in the countries of operations.
According to the Trade Facilitation Programme’s 2009 annual results, Kazakhstan ranked fourth among all EBRD countries of operation in terms of the number of transactions, after Russia, Georgia and Ukraine.
The EBRD is the largest financial investor in Kazakhstan, having committed to date over €2.8 billion through 135 projects in various sectors of the country’s economy.
Biodiversity Talks Bog Down over Genetic Resources
Biodiversity Talks Bog Down over Genetic Resources
By Aprille Muscara
UNITED NATIONS, Sep 21, 2010 (IPS) - While officials meeting in Montreal, Canada failed to finalise a key protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Tuesday, biodiversity is scheduled to be at the top of Wednesday's agenda of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
Some 140 world leaders have gathered here this week to reaffirm their commitment to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by their 2015 deadline. Goal seven, environmental sustainability, includes a target to "Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss."
But experts say that the loss of biodiversity is occurring at an unprecedented rate. As a result, the MDG7 target aim to substantially curb this trend by the end of this year will not be met.
"Tropical forests continue to be felled, destroying valuable endemic species and disrupting local, regional and global climates," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said earlier this year. "Climate change and ocean acidification are destroying coral reefs. Fisheries are increasingly overexploited, condemning millions of the world's poorest people to unemployment and malnutrition."
Ban designated 2010 as the 'International Year of Biodiversity' to raise awareness of this issue. And the MDG summit's last day, Wednesday, will coincide with the world body's first-ever high-level meeting on biodiversity.
The U.N. estimates that species are disappearing at one hundred times the natural rate of extinction. Twenty-one percent of mammals, 30 percent of amphibians, 12 percent of birds and 27 percent of reef-building corals are in danger of dying off, says the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which compiles a 'Red List of Threatened Species.'
"Communities everywhere will reap the negative consequences [of biodiversity loss], but the poorest people and the most vulnerable countries will suffer most," Ban said. "Seventy percent of the world's poor live in rural areas, and depend directly on biodiversity for their daily sustenance and income."
Meanwhile, a three-day meeting meant to iron out the details of a CBD draft protocol on Access and Benefits-Sharing (ABS) finished in Montreal Tuesday with important issues still outstanding.
"Money will flow if we can reach an agreement on this, so we're calling on governments to show real leadership and try to get over their differences and come up with something they can agree on," Jane Smart, global thematic director of the Biodiversity Conservation Group of IUCN, told IPS. "It's become very politically a hot issue."
Entered into force in 1993, the CBD is a legally-binding international treaty aimed at conserving biodiversity, ensuring the sustainable use of resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits.
The latter objective, referred to as Access and Benefit- sharing, has become a contentious topic in discussions among member states. According to the Secretariat of the CBD, ABS "refers to the way genetic resources – whether from plants, animals or microorganisms – are accessed in countries of origin, and how the benefits that result from their use by various research institutes, universities or private companies are shared with the people or countries that provide them."
Next month, the tenth meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP10) to the CBD is scheduled to take place in Nagoya, Japan. It was hoped that the ABS protocol, which has undergone heated negotiations since last March, would be ironed out at this week's Montreal meeting. "It's very, very critical for the Nagoya COP that the ABS regime is finalised, because then the convention can come together with its three objectives… on the way to being now fully implemented," Cyriaque Sendashonga, director of programme and policy of IUCN, told IPS.
At the last meeting to negotiate the ABS protocol, held in Montreal in July, Canada objected to generalised ABS requirements, instead favouring contractually negotiated terms depending on the parties and resources involved. But developing countries and rights groups worry that this approach might result in inequitable outcomes for indigenous and other minority peoples.
"We go to Nagoya with a number of key issues to finalise," said Timothy Hodges of Canada and Fernando Casas of Colombia, the co-chairs of this week's meeting, in a statement. Governments have agreed to conclude negotiations as soon as possible and no later than the COP10, they added.
"What we're really hoping is that the final outcome, the final regime is one that is fair and agreeable to all parties involved and is able to achieve the objective it's meant to achieve: To facilitate or encourage… access to genetic resources, ensure that there is fairness in those agreements, ensure that… the indigenous people, the local communities, the women… who have a primary role, a key role in protecting those resources are rewarded for that effort," Sendashonga told IPS.
Published Sep 17 2010 by NHK
By Aprille Muscara
UNITED NATIONS, Sep 21, 2010 (IPS) - While officials meeting in Montreal, Canada failed to finalise a key protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Tuesday, biodiversity is scheduled to be at the top of Wednesday's agenda of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
Some 140 world leaders have gathered here this week to reaffirm their commitment to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by their 2015 deadline. Goal seven, environmental sustainability, includes a target to "Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss."
But experts say that the loss of biodiversity is occurring at an unprecedented rate. As a result, the MDG7 target aim to substantially curb this trend by the end of this year will not be met.
"Tropical forests continue to be felled, destroying valuable endemic species and disrupting local, regional and global climates," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said earlier this year. "Climate change and ocean acidification are destroying coral reefs. Fisheries are increasingly overexploited, condemning millions of the world's poorest people to unemployment and malnutrition."
Ban designated 2010 as the 'International Year of Biodiversity' to raise awareness of this issue. And the MDG summit's last day, Wednesday, will coincide with the world body's first-ever high-level meeting on biodiversity.
The U.N. estimates that species are disappearing at one hundred times the natural rate of extinction. Twenty-one percent of mammals, 30 percent of amphibians, 12 percent of birds and 27 percent of reef-building corals are in danger of dying off, says the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which compiles a 'Red List of Threatened Species.'
"Communities everywhere will reap the negative consequences [of biodiversity loss], but the poorest people and the most vulnerable countries will suffer most," Ban said. "Seventy percent of the world's poor live in rural areas, and depend directly on biodiversity for their daily sustenance and income."
Meanwhile, a three-day meeting meant to iron out the details of a CBD draft protocol on Access and Benefits-Sharing (ABS) finished in Montreal Tuesday with important issues still outstanding.
"Money will flow if we can reach an agreement on this, so we're calling on governments to show real leadership and try to get over their differences and come up with something they can agree on," Jane Smart, global thematic director of the Biodiversity Conservation Group of IUCN, told IPS. "It's become very politically a hot issue."
Entered into force in 1993, the CBD is a legally-binding international treaty aimed at conserving biodiversity, ensuring the sustainable use of resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits.
The latter objective, referred to as Access and Benefit- sharing, has become a contentious topic in discussions among member states. According to the Secretariat of the CBD, ABS "refers to the way genetic resources – whether from plants, animals or microorganisms – are accessed in countries of origin, and how the benefits that result from their use by various research institutes, universities or private companies are shared with the people or countries that provide them."
Next month, the tenth meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP10) to the CBD is scheduled to take place in Nagoya, Japan. It was hoped that the ABS protocol, which has undergone heated negotiations since last March, would be ironed out at this week's Montreal meeting. "It's very, very critical for the Nagoya COP that the ABS regime is finalised, because then the convention can come together with its three objectives… on the way to being now fully implemented," Cyriaque Sendashonga, director of programme and policy of IUCN, told IPS.
At the last meeting to negotiate the ABS protocol, held in Montreal in July, Canada objected to generalised ABS requirements, instead favouring contractually negotiated terms depending on the parties and resources involved. But developing countries and rights groups worry that this approach might result in inequitable outcomes for indigenous and other minority peoples.
"We go to Nagoya with a number of key issues to finalise," said Timothy Hodges of Canada and Fernando Casas of Colombia, the co-chairs of this week's meeting, in a statement. Governments have agreed to conclude negotiations as soon as possible and no later than the COP10, they added.
"What we're really hoping is that the final outcome, the final regime is one that is fair and agreeable to all parties involved and is able to achieve the objective it's meant to achieve: To facilitate or encourage… access to genetic resources, ensure that there is fairness in those agreements, ensure that… the indigenous people, the local communities, the women… who have a primary role, a key role in protecting those resources are rewarded for that effort," Sendashonga told IPS.
Published Sep 17 2010 by NHK
Monday, August 30, 2010
Alberta Biosecurity Support Program gets rolling
Farm Business Communications, 8/28/2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Staff
A three-year federal/provincial grant program aimed at helping or encouraging Alberta livestock operations to set up biosecurity measures is now taking applications.
Alberta's Growing Foward Biosecurity program, which will accept applications up until Sept. 30, 2012, will cover 50 per cent of eligible expenses for approved biosecurity work by farmers, non-profit farmer groups and "farm service providers," the province said Friday.
Funding will go to eligible applicants to "adopt and promote biosecurity measures in line with industry-developed national standards and benchmarks."
The maximum amount available will be $20,000 for producer projects and $80,000 for not-for-profit and farm service provider projects.
Eligible producers, defined as farmers who produce at least $10,000 worth of ag commodities every year, can submit projects "exceeding $2,000," the province said.
Work eligible for funds include the implementation of biosecurity measures (as well as feasibility studies and risk assessments for those) as well as the purchase of approved equipment, software and other technologies.
Work such as delivering, implementing and promoting biosecurity programs and/or developing training materials to help with on-farm implementation is also eligible, the province said Friday.
The program was set up to coincide with the current Growing Forward federal-provincial ag policy funding framework, which runs to the end of March 2013. Ongoing biosecurity program initiatives will be "evaluated at that time," the province said.
The province on Friday also rolled out details for a Growing Forward Leadership Development program, aimed at boosting the industry's success through "advancing leadership skills and capacity."
Eligible costs covered under the program includes the costs of enrolment in leadership development programs with at least 12 instructional hours of curriculum offered in Canada or the continental U.S.
Topic areas that may be considered include team building and group facilitation training; media training; conflict resolution and consensus-building training; coaching and mentoring skills development; communication skill development; strategic thinking and planning; and board governance.
The program is also available to "leadership program developers" such as industry organizations, producer groups and eligible schools, the province said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Staff
A three-year federal/provincial grant program aimed at helping or encouraging Alberta livestock operations to set up biosecurity measures is now taking applications.
Alberta's Growing Foward Biosecurity program, which will accept applications up until Sept. 30, 2012, will cover 50 per cent of eligible expenses for approved biosecurity work by farmers, non-profit farmer groups and "farm service providers," the province said Friday.
Funding will go to eligible applicants to "adopt and promote biosecurity measures in line with industry-developed national standards and benchmarks."
The maximum amount available will be $20,000 for producer projects and $80,000 for not-for-profit and farm service provider projects.
Eligible producers, defined as farmers who produce at least $10,000 worth of ag commodities every year, can submit projects "exceeding $2,000," the province said.
Work eligible for funds include the implementation of biosecurity measures (as well as feasibility studies and risk assessments for those) as well as the purchase of approved equipment, software and other technologies.
Work such as delivering, implementing and promoting biosecurity programs and/or developing training materials to help with on-farm implementation is also eligible, the province said Friday.
The program was set up to coincide with the current Growing Forward federal-provincial ag policy funding framework, which runs to the end of March 2013. Ongoing biosecurity program initiatives will be "evaluated at that time," the province said.
The province on Friday also rolled out details for a Growing Forward Leadership Development program, aimed at boosting the industry's success through "advancing leadership skills and capacity."
Eligible costs covered under the program includes the costs of enrolment in leadership development programs with at least 12 instructional hours of curriculum offered in Canada or the continental U.S.
Topic areas that may be considered include team building and group facilitation training; media training; conflict resolution and consensus-building training; coaching and mentoring skills development; communication skill development; strategic thinking and planning; and board governance.
The program is also available to "leadership program developers" such as industry organizations, producer groups and eligible schools, the province said.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
BIXS Cattle ID System Soon to Go Live
Farm Business Communications, 8/24/2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BIXS cattle ID system soon to go live
By Daniel Winters, Manitoba Co-operator
After extensive beta-testing by computer-savvy ranchers this summer, the online record-keeping system called the BIXS, or Beef InfoXchange System, will be ready for launch for the cow-calf sector by September of this year, says Larry Thomas, national co-ordinator for the CCA's Canadian Beef Advantage program.
"The countdown to the BIXS launch has begun," said Thomas in a presentation on the new system at the semi-annual CCA convention in Calgary. In the first stage of the launch, due to begin in September, some 6,000 users are expected to use the platform to input data on 60,000 head of cattle.
Along with the early adopters will be program partners such as members of the Beef Breeds Council, participants in the Pfizer Gold program, and the Canadian Angus Association, which will submit the contents of their databases into the system the instant it goes live.
The roll-out will come in stages so that kinks can be worked out before it is opened up the ranching public.
Lack of high-speed Internet access in rural areas is a problem, said Thomas. Those stuck on dial-up who wish to get their cattle on the BIXS will be able to order or download the necessary paper forms from the CCA, fill them out, and use a third party to input their data online.
The second phase, called BIXS 2, is touted as an information-exchange system that will eventually include all elements of the value chain, from the cow-calf producer to the feedlot operator and the packers. The developers of BIXS claim that the only limit to its future potential as a goldmine of production information will be the users' imagination.
Feedlots will be able to provide in and out dates for animals, so that cow-calf producers will be able to identify their best animals.
Packers will be able to scan carcasses for quality traits using a digital scanning camera that works in a way similar to an MRI in a hospital, then upload the data to BIXS where it can be accessed by the original cow-calf producer and compared with the national average.
Currently, Cargill and XL have scanners paid for with federal government funding already installed, and within a year portable units will be in place at other smaller packing plants across the country.
Data from the devices, which will go beyond grade information, to include carcass yield, ribeye area, marbling score and more, will be streamed back to the BIXS program so that the cow-calf operator who registered the RFID tag entry can access it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BIXS cattle ID system soon to go live
By Daniel Winters, Manitoba Co-operator
After extensive beta-testing by computer-savvy ranchers this summer, the online record-keeping system called the BIXS, or Beef InfoXchange System, will be ready for launch for the cow-calf sector by September of this year, says Larry Thomas, national co-ordinator for the CCA's Canadian Beef Advantage program.
"The countdown to the BIXS launch has begun," said Thomas in a presentation on the new system at the semi-annual CCA convention in Calgary. In the first stage of the launch, due to begin in September, some 6,000 users are expected to use the platform to input data on 60,000 head of cattle.
Along with the early adopters will be program partners such as members of the Beef Breeds Council, participants in the Pfizer Gold program, and the Canadian Angus Association, which will submit the contents of their databases into the system the instant it goes live.
The roll-out will come in stages so that kinks can be worked out before it is opened up the ranching public.
Lack of high-speed Internet access in rural areas is a problem, said Thomas. Those stuck on dial-up who wish to get their cattle on the BIXS will be able to order or download the necessary paper forms from the CCA, fill them out, and use a third party to input their data online.
The second phase, called BIXS 2, is touted as an information-exchange system that will eventually include all elements of the value chain, from the cow-calf producer to the feedlot operator and the packers. The developers of BIXS claim that the only limit to its future potential as a goldmine of production information will be the users' imagination.
Feedlots will be able to provide in and out dates for animals, so that cow-calf producers will be able to identify their best animals.
Packers will be able to scan carcasses for quality traits using a digital scanning camera that works in a way similar to an MRI in a hospital, then upload the data to BIXS where it can be accessed by the original cow-calf producer and compared with the national average.
Currently, Cargill and XL have scanners paid for with federal government funding already installed, and within a year portable units will be in place at other smaller packing plants across the country.
Data from the devices, which will go beyond grade information, to include carcass yield, ribeye area, marbling score and more, will be streamed back to the BIXS program so that the cow-calf operator who registered the RFID tag entry can access it.
What's the Beef? Food-Inflation Fears
Wall Street Journal•
• COMMODITIES
• AUGUST 25, 2010
What's the Beef? Food-Inflation Fears
•
By LIAM PLEVEN
Cattle prices are soaring toward records, pushing up the cost of beef in grocery stores and adding to the risk of a broader wave of food inflation.
The gains are being fueled by rising appetites globally and a dwindling U.S. herd. Purchases of U.S. beef around the world have surged as emerging economies become more prosperous. At the same time, ranchers hit in recent years by drought and the financial crisis have cut the number of cattle to the lowest level in decades.
The rally has driven up the futures market for cattle by 11% since early July to reach the brink of the $1-a-pound mark, just shy of the $1.04 record set in 2008. Prices dipped 0.3% Tuesday, to settle at 99.475 cents a pound, after rising for the previous 11 trading sessions.
Consumers already are paying more, with the retail price of choice beef up 4% in July from December, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. Further increases may be in the offing; last week alone wholesale prices climbed 3.2%.
While some observers said the August rally may be short-lived, they also said the fundamentals of a cattle shortage and rising demand mean prices will remain high over the longer term.
Nations in Asia and elsewhere are buying more U.S. beef. Meantime, it will take at least two or three years to substantially increase the U.S. herd, taking into account the months of gestation and then calf growth. The U.S. is crucial because it is the biggest beef producer in the world.
• COMMODITIES
• AUGUST 25, 2010
What's the Beef? Food-Inflation Fears
•
By LIAM PLEVEN
Cattle prices are soaring toward records, pushing up the cost of beef in grocery stores and adding to the risk of a broader wave of food inflation.
The gains are being fueled by rising appetites globally and a dwindling U.S. herd. Purchases of U.S. beef around the world have surged as emerging economies become more prosperous. At the same time, ranchers hit in recent years by drought and the financial crisis have cut the number of cattle to the lowest level in decades.
The rally has driven up the futures market for cattle by 11% since early July to reach the brink of the $1-a-pound mark, just shy of the $1.04 record set in 2008. Prices dipped 0.3% Tuesday, to settle at 99.475 cents a pound, after rising for the previous 11 trading sessions.
Consumers already are paying more, with the retail price of choice beef up 4% in July from December, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. Further increases may be in the offing; last week alone wholesale prices climbed 3.2%.
While some observers said the August rally may be short-lived, they also said the fundamentals of a cattle shortage and rising demand mean prices will remain high over the longer term.
Nations in Asia and elsewhere are buying more U.S. beef. Meantime, it will take at least two or three years to substantially increase the U.S. herd, taking into account the months of gestation and then calf growth. The U.S. is crucial because it is the biggest beef producer in the world.
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