With Congress back in Washington, D.C. for the lame duck session, there are a few key votes which may happen over the next few weeks. One of these votes will be on whether to establish Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status with Russia. Russia joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in August of this year.  

Four years ago, the Department of Homeland Security chose Manhattan, Kansas, as the preferred location on which to build the first U.S. lab able to research diseases like foot and mouth in large animals. But plans to build the National Bio and Agro defence facility (NBAF) have run into difficulties, according to a recent BBC News article. Reviews have raised worries about virus escapes in the middle of cattle country and rising costs have cast doubts over the project's future, said the article, and the proposed site currently stands empty.

A Jan. 18 workshop in College Station will teach beef cattle producers bull selection techniques and feature discussions on breeding programs, performance data, care and management. The program, to be held at the Texas A&M University Beef Center in College Station, will be led by Jason Cleere and Jason Banta, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialists at College Station.

Farmers and ranchers have selected the electric fence solution when it comes to containing their cows, horses and other livestock because it is an affordable and safe alternative to barbed wire. Fence chargers are also used to keep predators, like feral pigs, wolves and bear, out of fenced-in areas. The short pulse of electric current that is delivered when the cow or cattle connects with the electric wire is just enough to keep them from trying to break through the fence.

U.S. pork exports in September were steady with last year’s volume, while beef exports were well below a year ago. Despite sluggish volumes, however, the value of both pork and beef exports through the third quarter of 2012 remains ahead of last year’s record-setting pace, according to statistics released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). “We are definitely in a challenging economic environment, which is making it difficult to match last year’s export volumes,” said Philip Seng, USMEF president and CEO.

Cattle producers and veterinarians now have a new option for control of Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) in beef and non-lactating dairy cattle at high risk of developing BRD. Baytril 100 (enrofloxacin) Injectable, manufactured by Bayer HealthCare LLC, Animal Health Division, has been approved by the FDA for control of all four major BRD pathogens. With the latest approval from FDA, Bayer HealthCare asserts that Baytril 100 is the first and only fluoroquinolone approved for treatment of BRD and control of BRD in high-risk cattle.