CALF_News_August_September_2020

39 CALF News • August | September 2020 • www.calfnews.net NCF, Cargill Partner to Secure Strong Future for the Beef Industry T he National Cattlemen’s Foundation (NCF) announced its partnership with Cargill to provide funding to North American cattle producers that will offer practical tools to help manage market shifts, reduce costs, manage finite natural resource availability and withstand extreme weather events. The four-year strategic partnership, which was funded by a $3 million contribution from Cargill’s protein business, establishes a professional development scholarship program, and provides educational resources through the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (USRSB) and experiential learning in partnership with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). “Cargill is invested in the future of ranchers and farmers,” said Jon Nash, Cargill Protein – North America business leader.“This contribution is just one of the ways we are investing what we’ve earned back in agricultural communities. We know we can’t deliver protein to tables without the people on the frontlines of our food system.” The Rancher Resilience Grant program, which serves as the professional development scholarship arm of the program, offsets expenses for farmers and ranchers to attend state, regional, national and global educational events. This includes industry conferences, seminars and certifications that address animal health and well- being, profitability, natural resources, sustainability, genetics and reproduction education. “This partnership furthers NCF’s vision by advancing the future of the beef industry,” said NCBA CEO Colin Woodall.“There is no better way to achieve this than by meeting producers on the ground and supporting access to continuing education through free tools and resources.” Cargill and the NCF will also work with the USRSB to sup- port free virtual education platforms for the entire beef value chain. Additional resources will support NCBA in promoting producer professional development opportunities. “The USRSB educational modules provide real-world solutions that can be applied to any operation, no matter size or location,” said Wayne Morgan, USRSB chair.“We are excited to partner with Cargill and the NCF to develop tools designed to help stakeholders across the industry continuously improve how we raise, process and distribute beef.” “Our industry continually explores technologies and produc- tion practices to support more efficient operations that focus on profitability and consistent high-quality beef,” said NCBA Execu- tive Director of Producer Education JoshWhite.“It’s exciting to see industry partners come together through a shared commitment to promote the long-term economic wellbeing of farmers and ranchers across the beef value chain while also improving our product and our care for livestock and natural resources.” The Rancher Resilience Grant program will launch this fall. Development of educational resources and promotion will begin immediately.  Industry News Dealing with stress Stress is a factor we often underestimate. Some minerals are stored in small amounts, and the body can lose these rapidly in stressful situations. That’s why it’s important to always have minerals available to cattle. Trace minerals are largely stored in the liver, available to cattle during the short term when nutrient intake is limited.When stressful events take place, cattle utilize these stores, which can be depleted quickly. Properly supplemented animals can mobilize and recover from stress more quickly, enhancing their performance. A good mineral supplement will ensure that reserves are at maxi- mum capacity to help an animal manage a stress event and bounce back to normal nutrient reserve levels. What is AMPT? ADMAnimal Nutrition has developed an Advanced Mineral Performance Technology (AMPT). It formulates mineral programs to provide an optimum ration of miner- als and vitamins for all classes of beef cattle. Precise nutri- ent levels complement cattle diets and target metabolic, reproductive and immune function needs. Care is taken to minimize interaction with other nutrients that could inhibit performance of these biological systems. AMPT products are most often used in mineral feeders in a loose form. Nutritionists will help producers identify the amount of supplemented mineral necessary to complement a given farm’s forages or feed types. Assessing your livestock’s mineral needs and supplemen- tation is complicated.We should be grateful to scientists, universities and private companies whose research is never ending. As cattle producers with our boots on the ground, we are the beneficiaries of their efforts.  foodservice quickly learned how to navigate catering and hospitality safely. Looking ahead Focusing on what we can control and prioritizing how we invest our time will help ease daily tension. Some may devote more time for family and at-home projects, secure more feed or hay resources, source more bunk or grazing space, or refocus on what is essential to opera- tion survivability. Determining how to market and being rewarded for those decisions is innovative. Permitting the shift in an operation to be innovative during these stressful times is important. Charles Darwin stated, “It’s not the stron- gest of the species that survives, nor the most intel- ligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”  E-mail comments to mjwbeef@gmail.com PRIME POINTS Continued from page 12