The last item on the agenda here at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Reno is the board meeting which is going on now. It’s a combined meeting of the Beef Board and NCBA. I thought you might be interested to hear a great report given this morning by Beef Board Chief Operating Officer Monte Reese was on the program at this morning’s board meeting to give a report on the activities of the Checkoff.
President of the NCBA
I don’t know how many dairy producers are members of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association but I thought you might be interested to hear from the President. He’s Mike John, from Missouri (left). Mike took over the reigns in January at the annual convention. Here at the Summer Conference he said he was happy to hear about how beef demand has been good recently but knows that there’s a lot of work to do to continue to grow demand for his product.
Meet The Beefmobile Wrangler
Tracey Orsburn is one of the Beefmobile Wranglers and is here at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference. She puts in a lot of miles travelling around the country and making sure producers better understand the Checkoff. Her vehicle is also a travelling billboard for beef.
Merial Sponsors The Media Room
The media room at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference is sponsored by Merial.
Thank Heaven For Holsteins
A very busy presenter here at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference is Dr. Gary Smith, Colorado State University.
What The Checkoff Means To Dairy Producers
I know I didn’t mention this before but I am attending the Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Reno, NV. Today we’ve got a Dairy Producers Education Forum which I’ll be attending to bring you more later on. In the meantime I did run into a Beef Board dairy producer member this morning.
Learn More About The Beef Checkoff
The Chairman of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board is Jay O’Brien from Amarillo, TX, seen here listening in on one of the first committee meetings taking place at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference.
Cutting Edge Alfalfa Chopping
Dr. Bill Mahanna, coordinator of global nutritional sciences for Pioneer Hi-Bred, weighs in on the recent interest in the dairy industry about how alfalfa can and should be chopped. The catalyst is the popularity of disk mowers, which allow chopping much lower to the ground. This can increase yields, but at what cost in stand longevity and forage quality?
Ethanol Byproducts For Dairies
After this highway trip I’m on I’ll be back to posing more regularly. However I thought you might be interested in this interview since it mentions the dairy business.
A New Way to Eliminate BVD?
USDA’s Ag Research Service is working to combat major diseases in the dairy industry. One of the most challenging has been Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD). The disease has typically been battled by vaccinations, but as we learn from Julia Ridpath, a microbioligist with ARS, this strategy isn’t as effective as it could be due to persistently infected animals. Past-President of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Joe Cornely has the details here: 
Julia Ridpath on BVD (2:59 mp3)