MFA NEWS

 

MFA's Kent Haden wins regional beef industry award

The primary developer of the MFA Health Track program was recognized at the recent Cattle Industry Annual Convention in Denver as a 2006 Beef Industry Vision Award regional winner. As regional winner, Dr. Kent Haden was a finalist for the national award which recognizes outstanding beef innovations which have been incorporated into cattle operations and helped to enhance the individual business as well as the cattle industry overall.

“I was the one to accept the award. They had to put a name to it, somebody had to walk forward. But, it’s really the 550 to 600 producers who will participate in Health Track this year who are the true innovators,” Haden said.

MFA Health Track was developed 8 years ago to help producers add value to their calves by weaning them and feeding them for 45 more days. Haden said they have been able to help producers realize an average added premium of between $45 and $50 per animal.

“We’ve done over 200,000 calves in the period of time we’ve been doing it. And if we are talking about $50 a calf, that’s about a $10 million return to Missouri cattlemen by this program.”

Haden said more than 60,000 calves will be involved in the MFA Health Track this year, which also qualifies them under Missouri’s Quality Systems Assessment program.

“All of our cattle are QSA approved, which means they are age and source verified though the Missouri Department of Agriculture QSA program. That means they qualify for Japanese export which requires cattle to be age-verified and under 20 months of age,” he said.

According to Haden, an added benefit to Health Track producers is being prepared for a national animal identification program.

“In essence, the people who are in Health Track already have been doing national ID and getting paid $40 or $50  a head for it for the last 6 or 7 years. For some people, national ID would be a true cost. For our producers, national ID will not really create any problems for them because they’re already doing it.”

The Beef Industry Vision Award is presented by the National Cattlemen’s Foundation and is sponsored by Micro Beef Technologies. Last year’s winner was Jim Schwertner of Capital Land and Livestock in Schwertner, Texas. Schwertner was recognized for his involvement in innovative efforts such as the Vac 45 program, known in the industry as Schwertner Select, Beef Advantage and Consolidated Beef Producers.

Mike John, director of the MFA Health Track program and an independent cattle producer, is now wearing yet another hat as the new leader of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. John of Huntsville, Mo., was elected president of the 23,000 member organization in February.

John said one of the most important issues facing the cattle industry right now is trade.

“We need to make sure that we’re staying proactive in that process. There’s been good news with additional markets opening up and talk of a free trade agreement with Korea, so that’s good news,” said John.

The new NCBA president said he is very excited about the beef cattle industry’s new long range plan.

“When you look at some of the goals of the plan—moving from a billion pounds of exported product in 2005 to three billion in 2010, when you look at increasing consumer demand by ten percent by 2010—if we just meet those two goals, the profitability change for the industry will be significant.” John encourages everyone involved in the beef cattle industry to participate in NCBA.

“We have to work together; we have to be a team. The industry is too small to fragment. And the reason that I’m here is that NCBA is open to everybody who has anything to do with the beef industry.”

John has previously served as chairman of NCBA’s animal identification commission and its membership and association services committee. He also served as group chair of industry and producer services for NCBA. At the state level, John was president of the Missouri Beef Industry Council and was also president of the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association. He is a 1980 graduate of Kansas State University, with a degree in animal science.

Look up and live  

Coming into contact with overhead power lines can kill you. Alan Mahoney, manager of MFA's safety, environmental and regulatory department, said that news reports about accidental power line contact are an unfortunate given year to year. He said that farmers should be particularly careful during planting and harvest as they hurry to make this year’s crop. Mahoney also pointed out that MFA delivery vehicles and application rigs must follow OSHA guidelines when it comes to working around power lines.

You don’t have to be moving big equipment or augers to get on the losing end of a fight with electricity. Not paying attention is enough to get cross wired and hurt.

If equipment comes in contact with a power line

1. Stay on the equipment.

2. Call or radio for help so the utility company can remove the danger.

3. If there is an emergency, such as a fire, and you must leave the equipment, jump with both feet as far away from the equipment as possible. Be sure to land with both feet together.

4. Do not walk away but instead shuffle both feet, keeping them together. If you take a step and there is a voltage difference between your feet, you may be shocked by the electricity in the ground which can travel up to 100 feet from the equipment. Do not allow any part of your body to touch the equipment and the ground at the same time.

5. Once you are away from the equipment, do not attempt to get back on or even touch it until the utility company determines that it is safe.