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Couric, CBS news explore antibiotic use for livestock The CBS Evening News is set to air a two-part story Feb. 3-4 on antibiotic use in livestock and poultry production. Both segments will air at 5:30 p.m. Couric also interviewed Dave Kronlage of Manchester. Kronlage raises hogs and oversees Delaware County Meats. The company works with nearly a dozen farmers in raising quality pork marketed under the Delaware County Meats label. The farmers use antibiotics in caring for the well-being of their animals. CBS has been to Missouri, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and Denmark to research this story and is expected to focus on antibiotic use in pork and poultry production, according to industry groups that have been contacted by CBS. While the piece will likely feature both sides of the story, it's expected to leave viewers with a negative perception of how and why antibiotics are used to care for livestock. It's also expected to include theories and opinions from some who believe antibiotic in livestock use poses a threat to food safety and human health. Rep. King strongly defends livestock antibiotics Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) penned a column in The Hill strongly defending the use of antibiotics in livestock production that has attracted notice on Capitol Hill and across the country. “Chances are you may have heard about antibiotic resistance and the ‘threat’ it poses to public health,” King wrote in last Tuesday’s issue. “Antibiotic resistance is a serious issue. However, finger pointing and meritless attacks on America’s farmers as the culprit for declining human health is misguided at best, and at worst, a travesty.” “In fact, an Institute of Food Technologists expert panel report revealed that correlating the risk of antibiotic use in animals and antibiotic resistance in humans is not possible.” Pingel family Good Farm Neighbors 
The Pingel family, which farms in Cherokee and Buena Vista counties in northwest Iowa, received the January Gary Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award during last week’s Iowa Pork Producers Association’s winter pork picnic. Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey presented the award to Myron, Wayne and Paul Pingel. The family raises hogs on a diversified crop and livestock farm. They were nominated by neighbor Blaine Perry. “The Pingel family has multiple generations working on the farm, and they all are committed to taking care of the land and taking care of their neighbors,” Northey said. “They go above and beyond in their care of their animals, their land and their neighbors.” The Wergin Good Farm Neighbor award is made possible through the financial support of The Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers. Nominations welcomed for GFN Award Nominations are needed for the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award and you can help! The award recognizes farmers who take pride in doing things right while showcasing farm families committed to being outstanding citizens! Think of a livestock, dairy or poultry farmer in your neighborhood that has a tradition of doing things right… from helping neighbors to caring for the environment and their livestock. Then, send an e-mail to Megan Ritter, the Coalition’s Sr. Field Coordinator, at mritter@supportfarmers.com. Provide the livestock farmer’s name, home town and county and a sentence or two as to why the family is deserving of recognition. EPC livestock rule public comment extended The comment period on the EPC’s livestock rule package has been extended to 4 p.m. on Feb. 15 as a result of the recent inclement weather. The rule package impacts all livestock farms in some way, but especially those with liquid manure. It changes the definitions of wells and residences, which will impact manure application setback distances. It also adds requirements to the legislation adopted last session which limits manure application on frozen and snow-covered ground. The calculations for the phosphorus index are also being changed. Written comments may be submitted by 4 p.m. Feb. 15 to Gene Tinker, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Wallace State Office Building, 502 E. 9th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319-0034; fax (515)281-8895; or email gene.tinker@dnr.iowa.gov. 
While the nation’s cattle inventory is declining, the number of cattle on feed in Iowa continues to grow. The USDA reports the nation's cattle herd totals 93.7 million head, 1 percent lower than January 2009. This marks the third decline in a row and the lowest total cattle numbers since 1959. The 1.36 million cattle on feed in Iowa is the largest reported number since 1981. Unlike other leading feedlot states, Iowa has a significant share of its feedlot inventory in feedlots with less than 1,000-head capacity. In 2010, 58 percent of Iowa’s cattle on feed (790,000 head) were in these feedlots. Iowa accounts for 30 percent of the US total in this category. During 2009, Iowa added 10,000 head-on-feed in the over 1,000 head lots and added 50,000 head to the under 1,000-head lots. Iowa milk cow numbers have also increased in recent years. Since Iowa’s low point in 2005 the state has added 28,000 milk cows. This addition is 4th largest in the nation behind, Idaho, Texas and Michigan. Law school publication looks at HSUS An article published in the journal of the University of Richmond’s School of Law takes a tough look at the Humane Society of the United States. “For less than a dollar a day, it seems like a common sense move for a pet lover with disposable income to contribute to the HSUS,” Dillard’s article states. “Who doesn’t like the idea of an organization dedicated to rescuing animals from neglect?” However, there is one minor detail left out of these commercials. Dillard writes the HSUS is primarily a special interest lobby that is clever and shrewd enough to capitalize on the good name of local “humane societies” that actually do the good work of taking in strays and finding suitable adoptive homes for unwanted pets. Activists apply pressure to extort compliance 
One of the most effective strategies being employed by activists against food companies and modern agriculture to force change is to identify the efficient pinch point in the chain from producer to consumer and to apply pressure there to extort compliance with their demands. In the modern food production and distribution system, this pinch point is centered in brand equity, writes Missouri swine consultant Dennis DiPietre. “If an entity can seriously threaten the diminishment or destruction of brand reputation, it will usually be invited to the table for negotiations and to some extent accommodated. “This approach,” he adds, “is far more cost-efficient than any of the many alternatives, since decisions made at the pinch point are effectively pushed up-chain and back-chain, often as non-negotiable policy changes by brand holders.” 
Iowa’s temperatures should moderate some in early February, but a sustained warming trend does not appear to be on the horizon during the month, according to Freese-Notis meteorologist Dan Hicks. The El Nino pattern, which could have brought warmer weather to the Midwest, has weakened, which will help to lesson chances of a significant warming trend. Overall, he expects February temperatures to be normal or a little lower and precipitation to be normal or a little higher. And in case you’re wondering, spring officially arrives Saturday, March 20. “Keep your fears to yourself but share your courage with others.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
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