Health Track attains Quality Systems Assessment program status; age and process verified calves ready for export.

Now that Missouri's Quality Systems Assessment program has been accepted by the USDA, Health Track calves comply with the new federal designation. That means they have the go-ahead for the toughest of export markets.

On the federal level, the QSA program is administered by the USDA Agriculture Marketing Service. The intent of the program is to provide suppliers of agricultural products and services the opportunity to assure customers of consistent quality products or services. The shadow of BSE has much to do with the importance of this program. Specifically, post-BSE negotiations with trading partners like Japan have made QSA a necessary bargaining tool. Importers want traceability that includes traceback to live animal production records that include animal age.

MFA Health Track manager Mike John said that when trade with Japan reopens, there will be obvious and immediate benefits from having QSA certification. "Missouri is the only state that has applied for QSA status," he said. "It should bring additional buyers into the state."

 Moreover, Health Track is an ideal program to raise marketable calves that meet the target age.

To become QSA eligible, Health Track made minor adjustments to its successful program.

"You can see very slight changes in the program," said John. "Essentially, the change we addressed is in the sign up process. Producers now need to be evaluated by our certified field reps. That means the field rep will ascertain that the producer has the proper documentation to show he is the owner of the cows that produced calves being entered into Health Track and that the age of at least the first- born calf in the group is documented."

To participate, producers must have a state-issued premises ID number on file.

All QSA-qualified calves certified by the Health Track program will require both an RFID and a program panel ear tag.

For more information about Health Track, call the Health Track office at 888-514-BEEF(2333) or e-mail healthtrack@mfa-inc.com.

MFA donates feed for Rita-stricken livestock

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita delivered a devastating one-two punch to the Gulf Coast. Farmers and livestock producers, no less than their town-dwelling neighbors, suffered terrible losses. USDA puts the damage to Gulf agriculture at $900 million.

Among the hardest hit were producers in Cameron and Calcasieu, Louisiana's southwestern-most parishes—a low-lying marshy region that took the brunt of a tidal wave pushed on-shore by Hurricane Rita.

"Cameron Parish is completely devastated," said Kirk Smith, with the Farm Service Agency at Lake Charles, La. "There were about 60,000 head of cattle in the parish when Rita hit. At least 5,000 of them were killed outright. We have moved most of the cattle that survived to higher ground, but salt water still covers a lot of the area. Getting those animals through winter is now going to be our biggest problem."

Hurricane Rita left little in its path. Pasture flattened, hay destroyed, fences gone. And people from around the country pitched in to help. Ron Sites, an attorney, and others in the Kansas City area organized a "feed lift" for livestock in the decimated parishes.

"Sites contacted MFA and we agreed to donate several tons of feed," said Dr. Alan Wessler, manager of the MFA feed division. "Things can get put together in short order, when people are all of the same mind."

MFA feed division's Tom Staudt   spearheaded the effort to get feed manufactured, bagged and wrapped in plastic for transport to the Gulf. Feed was manufactured at the Lebanon, Mo., MFA feed mill since Lebanon is the shortest distance to southwest Louisiana.

 "Anything we get will help," said Kirk Smith. "And we can assure people that it will be used by people who sorely need it."

Earlier, MFA coordinated shipments of fuel to Gulf dairymen stricken by Hurricane Katrina and food and supplies to Hattiesburg, Miss.