February VEAL BLOG
Promotions
The North America Meat Institute, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, will conduct the Seventh Annual Summit for all Veal Producers, Packers, Processors, Distributors, Retail/Foodservice partners and State Beef Council Staff.
The objective of the Summit is to provide an update on the FY2020 Veal Promotion and Veal Quality Assurance programs, highlight new initiatives, seek input on the Long-Range Plan and 2021 prioritizing for the 2021 Authorization Request.
The Summit information is as follows:
Date: March 25, 2020
Time: 7:30 am to 3:30 pm
Place: Hershey Lodge
325 University Drive
Hershey, PA 17033
Additional information, including an agenda, lodging and teleconferencing information will be forwarded in the near future.
Beef and Veal Day
The veal promotions program brought Veal Blogger the Souffle Bombay to the PA Farm Show for Beef and Veal Day. Our blogger engaged with chefs and culinary students on the culinary stage as two beautiful veal dishes were prepared; Veal Tenderloin and Veal Osso Bucco. Attendees of the Farm Show watched the cooking demonstrations and then waited in line to sample the delicious veal dishes. Our blogger then shared her experiences with her followers educating them on veal production and sharing the new recipes.
Veal Quality Assurance
Save the Date: March 24 Crisis Training Workshop
How prepared are you to communicate with the public and stakeholders when an unexpected event occurs that could have a negative impact on your organization’s and the industry’s reputation? And even more importantly, how quickly are you able to communication with key audiences? A 2019 study by CRISP indicated 53% of consumers expected companies to respond within an hour of a crisis and 90% of consumers surveyed they are likely to shop with a brand that responds well to a crisis. To assist the industry to effectively manage and respond, a Crisis Training Workshop will be held March 24 prior to the Veal Summit in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The workshop will begin at 1 pm. Watch for further details.
NEW YORK STATE BEEF COUNCIL
Veal Recipe Contest Winner Announced!
The New York Beef Council (NYBC) hosted New York’s second Veal Virtual Farm Trip & Recipe Development Competition. Collegiate culinary schools from throughout the state were invited to participate. The competition took place in two stages. First students learned about veal production through a “virtual tour” of Provitello Farm in Elba, NY. The second phase of the competition took place at the students’ school kitchens. Teams of students were challenged to work together to develop a consumer-friendly veal recipe using ground veal or veal cutlets. After developing and testing their recipe students were also asked to put together marketing material including photos of the completed dish and a “hands and pans” style video that could be used to teach a consumer how to prepare the dish. Monroe Community College was announced this year’s winner with their Veal Cutlet Caprese recipe.
PENNSYLVANIA STATE BEEF COUNCIL
For Immediate Release January 16, 2020
THEY CAME BY THE HERD TO THE PA FARM SHOW
Bedford – The 104th Pennsylvania Farm Show, took place January 4-11, in Harrisburg. The Pennsylvania Beef Council (PBC) enjoyed engaging with thousands of visitors who strolled through the state’s largest indoor agricultural event. The council’s 30’ x 40’ exhibit space worked to portray the journey of beef and veal from “Farm to Plate,” both visually and interactively connecting with consumers.
The beef exhibit served as a destination for visitors throughout Farm Show week. Those desiring information about everything from animal care on the farm to selecting, cooking and preparing beef at home. Even the youngest of beef fans had loads of fun digging into the corn filled water troughs.
PBC is thankful to the beef community for their willingness to join this educational opportunity on behalf of beef and veal farmers. Visitors, once again, had the chance to interact directly with the beef community including farmers, cattle nutritionists, veterinarians, and industry experts.
Opening weekend featured special guest, Dr. Marissa Hake, Calf Veterinarian from western Ohio. Hake spends her days caring for veal calves. While at the PBC exhibit, she took the opportunity to share the many improvements in calf care, housing and nutrition in veal.
“Wow, what an education! Learned the connection between dairy and veal. Learned about grass vs. grain-finished beef. This was such a great educational experience, and much appreciate the information,” noted local Chef Ken Brown.
Back by popular demand, beef and veal cutting demonstrations were featured on the Ag 101 Educational Stage. These demos shared tips on further processing primal cuts to make beef more economical for families to enjoy at home. Many thanks to Dr. Jonathan Campbell, Penn State Meat Extension Specialist for his knowledge and enthusiasm to share the art of meat cutting.
In addition to the display, the PA Beef Council and the Beef Checkoff through Veal Made Easy partnered to sponsor Beef and Veal Day at the PA Preferred Culinary Connection Center which took place on Wednesday, January 8th. The highlight of the day was the Taco Showdown which took center stage at 1p.m. featuring kids in the kitchen assisting talented Harrisburg area Chefs and a kid taste-testing panel of judges. To view more event photos from the Farm Show, visit the beef council’s Facebook page.
The beef exhibit was made possible through partnerships with the South Dakota Beef Industry Council, the PA Department of Agriculture and the PA Beef Council.
Media Contact: Nichole Hockenberry, 570-295-8049; nhockenberry@pabeef.org.
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The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval
Regulatory Affairs
AMS Seeking Comments on Proposed New Regulation to Packers and Stockyards Act. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is inviting comments on a rule regarding the Packers and Stockyards Act (Act), which aims to protect fair trade, financial integrity and competitive marketing for livestock, meat and poultry. The proposed regulation would specify criteria the Secretary of Agriculture would consider when determining whether an undue or unreasonable preference or advantage has been given in violation of that Act. Developing the criteria has been controversial and comes from a provision in the 2008 Farm Bill. Comments are due March 13, 2020. Supplemental and background information is available here.
FSIS Adds Lymph Node Testing, Additional Slaughter Classes to NARMS Surveillance. Beginning in February 2020, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will expand cecal sampling beyond young chickens, young turkeys, dairy cattle, beef cattle, market hogs, and sows to include veal, sheep, goat, and lamb. FSIS also issued a notice providing instruction to public health veterinarians at beef slaughter establishments for collecting a paired sample set, which includes mesenteric lymph nodes and cecal samples from the same carcass for microbiological and antimicrobial resistance testing under the FSIS National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) Program. FSIS will also perform antimicrobial resistance (AMR) analysis on E. coli and Enterococcus isolates obtained from Siluriformes samples and Salmonella isolated from mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) from cattle selected for cecal sampling. In addition, FSIS laboratories will test a subset of cecal content isolates from bovine and swine for Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteriaceae. FSIS will also assess bacterial AMR diversity within a sample by analyzing multiple bacterial colonies. More background information on the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System is available here.
USDA, FDA, EPA Launch Website for Biotechnology Regulation. In recognition of January’s National Biotechnology Month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Agriculture launched a Unified Website for Biotechnology Regulation. The website streamlines information about the three regulatory agencies charged with overseeing agriculture biotechnology products and is part of President Trump’s Executive Order on Modernizing the Regulatory Framework for Agricultural Biotechnology Products. “Agricultural biotechnology has been and will continue to be an essential tool in helping America’s farmers and ranchers feed, fuel, and clothe the world,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. More information about the website and background information on it are available here.
Japan Beef and Pork Import Tariff Reports Available. The U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement (USJTA) entered into force on Jan. 1, 2020. Once USJTA is fully implemented, nearly 90 percent of U.S. food and agricultural products imported into Japan will be duty free or receive preferential tariff access. USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) released two reports that provide concise overviews of how the agreement affects certain product groups. One report details pork imports and the other details beef imports. In 2018, the U.S. exported $1.6 billion of pork products to Japan, making Japan the top overseas market for U.S. pork. The U.S. accounted for one third of Japan’s total pork imports. Additionally in 2018, the U.S. exported $2.1 billion of beef products to Japan, making Japan the top overseas market for U.S. beef. The U.S. accounted for nearly half of Japan’s total beef imports. Under the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement, the United States will obtain tariff treatment for beef equal to the countries in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership
Meetings, Events & Education
Registration Open for the 2020 Beef Industry Safety Summit. Registration is open for the 2020 Beef Industry Safety Summit, taking place from March 3 – 6 in San Antonio, Texas. The Beef Industry Safety Summit has been established as the premier event that brings industry leaders and safety professionals together from all sectors of the beef industry to focus on strategies to improve beef safety. The meeting promises to deliver the latest research information and access to safety experts. For more information about the conference, to register or to reserve hotel rooms, visit Safety Summit Website. Additionally, the Beef Industry Safety Summit Planning Committee is seeking proposals for talks on big food safety ideas to be presented during a special spotlight session. Visit the Safety Summit Website for more information.
Exhibit Sales, Registration and Housing Open for 2020 Annual Meat Conference. Exhibit sales, registration and housing are now open for the 2020 Annual Meat Conference (AMC), which will take place March 2 – 4, 2020, in Nashville, Tennessee at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. AMC offers a complete education and networking experience, featuring nearly five hours of exhibits showcasing the latest in new meat and poultry products and the products and services retailers need to increase their bottom line. Comprehensive education sessions include a variety of ways to explore the latest developments in meat retailing today. For more information on registration and housing, plus special offers, visit the AMC website here.
INTERNAL LINKS ARE FUNDED AND MAINTAINED BY THE BEEF CHECKOFF. ALL OTHER OUTGOING LINKS ARE TO WEBSITES MAINTAINED BY THIRD PARTIES
