AMERICAN ANGUS ASSOCIATION - THE BUSINESS BREED

News & Notes

News from across the country pertinent to farmers and ranchers.

By Shauna Hermel, Angus Beef Bulletin Editor

September 4, 2025

This edition includes:

Purina Animal Nutrition unveils second edition of the Beef-on-Dairy Industry Report;
Registration is open for K-State’s Beef Stocker Field Day;
USDA’s expands efforts to strengthen the rural food animal veterinary workforce;
USDA unveils forest health resilience projects; and
Efforts underway to stifle burdensome wastewater decision.

Purina Animal Nutrition unveils second edition of the ‘Beef-on-Dairy Industry Report’

Purina Animal Nutrition introduces the second edition of its Beef-on-Dairy Industry Report, offering producers an in-depth look at the evolving role of beef-on-dairy cattle in the U.S. beef supply chain. The updated report features the latest data, market analysis and research-backed practices for improving beef-on-dairy outcomes — from genetics and nutrition to on-farm management and marketing strategies.

Contributors include Patrick Linnell, CattleFax; Ruth Woiwode, University of Nebraska–Lincoln; Michael Steele, University of Guelph; Ty Lawrence, West Texas A&M University; Daniel Thomson, Production Animal Consultation LLC; Bruce Cobb, Certified Angus Beef LLC; and industry consultant Nevil Speer, alongside Purina Animal Nutrition and Land O’Lakes experts Tom Earleywine and Laurence Williams.

“Beef-on-dairy cattle now account for 12%-15% of fed-cattle slaughter, creating a steady source of quality beef at a time when native beef numbers are tight,” says Williams. “With intentional genetics, nutrition and management, this group of cattle can deliver consistent quality to consumers while adding lasting value throughout the supply chain.”

The report can be downloaded at https://www.purinamills.com/dairy-beef.

KSU Beef Stocker Field Day scheduled for Sept. 25

Navigating the unknown for the stocker operator and fueling performance from the inside out are among topics planned for the 2025 Kansas State University (KSU) Beef Stocker Field Day on Thursday, Sept. 25. The conference will take place at the KSU Beef Stocker Unit.

“The 26th Annual KSU Beef Stocker Field Day is geared towards providing the most updated information to beef producers as possible,” says Dale Blasi, manager and director of the KSU Beef Stocker Unit. “The morning session will specifically deep dive into the current beef market and what might be coming down the road. Attendees will learn more about the KSU work devoted to growing beef cattle and beef-on-dairy calves.”

The day will start with a welcome at 10:30 a.m. and will conclude around 5:00 p.m. Sponsoring this year’s event is Kemin.

Topics for this year’s agenda include:

Navigating the Unknown for the Stocker Operator
Fueling Performance from the Inside Out: Gut Integrity & Micronutrients Support
Making Treatment Choices for Reducing BRD & Death Loss
Theileria, the Anaplasmosis of Stocker Cattle
Managing Growth in the Dry Lot — the K-State Program Feeding Approach
Beef-on-Dairy Growing Strategies

Registration is $25 and due Sept. 11. Walk-in registration is available for $35. For more information, contact Katie Smith at 785-532-1267.

USDA expands efforts to strengthen rural food animal veterinary workforce

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins on Aug. 28 announced a commitment to new actions to increase the number of rural food animal veterinarians across the United States and recruit new veterinarians to join the USDA in its role to protect American ranchers, animals and food supply.

Secretary Rollins also announced awardees of the Veterinary Services Grant Program, which will allow for expanded capabilities to serve livestock producers in rural Mississippi, and opened a new consolidated USDA office with the state’s Rural Development, Farm Service Agency and Farm Bureau in line with USDA’s reorganization efforts.

Relocating and modernizing USDA facilities

Secretary Rollins announced a partnership with Mississippi Farm Bureau, which recently renovated USDA’s Mississippi Farm Service Agency state office space and is working to bring the USDA Mississippi Rural Development office to the same office building in order to create a one-stop-shop for Mississippi agriculture and rural businesses. The new, modernized facility will save taxpayer dollars by consolidating federal office space while relocating employees to a safer, upgraded facility out of the downtown Jackson area.

“Rural veterinarians are vital for the agricultural economy in the United States. Our farmers and ranchers rely on these critical services to prevent the transmission of animal disease, protect our food supply and support America’s rural economy,” Rollins said. “As the number of rural food animal veterinarians continues to decline, USDA is putting farmers first to ensure we build back our first line of defense in our animal food production system — the rural veterinarian. With these new investments in scholarships and pay incentives, USDA is not only strengthening our animal food production system, but also listening to producers and veterinarians across the country to ensure our programs meet real-world needs.”

Animal health threats, foodborne illnesses and complex trade barriers underscore the need for highly qualified food animal veterinarians; however, the growing shortage of veterinarians at both USDA and in rural America is alarming and has the potential to threaten the safety of the U.S. food supply chain. Secretary Rollins issued a Rural Veterinary Action Plan outlining the following actions to tackle this challenge.

Enhance and streamline veterinary grant programs. Effective later this year, USDA will make changes to the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) and the Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) to streamline applications to an online portal and will increase funding for these critical programs that have proven success rates.
Analyze rural veterinary shortages to better understand the need. To make informed policy decisions, Federal and State governments need better data about the scope of the rural veterinary shortage, which is why the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) will study this issue and produce a report in mid-2026 to be used by USDA leadership and other policymakers seeking to address this crisis.
Recruit and retain USDA veterinarians. USDA has had a shortage of veterinarians for more than a decade. Rural posts, port inspections, and export certification roles are particularly hard to staff, especially when the pay offered by private practices in urban and suburban areas is more competitive than government pay. To address this, USDA is pursuing strategies to make federal service more attractive to create a direct pipeline into public service for veterinarians. These steps represent an investment to ensure Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) have a mission critical veterinary workforce needed to safeguard animal health, public health and U.S. trade.

Recognizing veterinary services grant program recipients

As part of USDA’s Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP), Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced two grant awards to help expand veterinary practices in rural areas of Mississippi:

A $125,000 grant to Kimberely Klunk will serve Mississippi veterinary shortages in Adams, Franklin and Lincoln counties. The grant will support community needs assessment, procurement of new tools to provide advanced livestock reproductive services for farmers and producers, and procurement of more efficient methods for transporting needed equipment to farm calls.
A $125,000 grant to Rachel W McCurdy Veterinary Services will serve Mississippi veterinary shortages in Newton and Scott counties. The grant will support procurement of updated diagnostic tools and equipment to ensure rapid detection of disease on upward of 200 recurring client farms. The investment will also support more efficient methods of transporting equipment to farm calls and educational outreach to enhance producer knowledge of critical veterinary services.

Catalog federal resources available to veterinarians for starting a practice. To better educate veterinary schools and recent veterinary school graduates about programs available to help finance clinics, USDA will catalog relevant USDA programs, including Rural Development programs such as the Business & Industry Loan Guarantees and the Community Facilities Program.
Work with and listen to stakeholders, including veterinary schools, to understand the barriers to entry and increase recruitment from rural areas. A low percentage of veterinary school students come from rural areas, or express interest in serving rural backgrounds, and an even lower percentage of recent veterinary school graduates enter into production animal practice. These are concerning trends and exacerbate the rural veterinary shortage. To further understand problems and solutions, USDA will hold listening sessions between now and Oct. 1, 2025, to hear from stakeholders to determine what additional actions can be taken to reverse these trends and recruit food animal veterinarians to USDA and rural areas.

These actions build on USDA’s commitment to ensuring rural America has access to quality veterinary care for large animals, critical to preventing the spread of diseases like New World screwworm (NWS) and building upon our strong food safety inspection systems that protect American families and our food supply.

USDA announces forest health resilience projects

The USDA is investing more than $8 million for five new projects to reduce wildfire risk, protect water quality, and improve forest health across the nation. The announcement Sept. 3 builds on Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins’ commitment to wildfire preparedness and President Donald Trump’s vision to safeguard American families. USDA and its agencies are working together to take action to protect people, communities and the natural resources on which this country depends.

The Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership Program is a collaborative effort between USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Forest Service to work across public-private boundaries and at a landscape scale. The $8 million investment in new projects is in addition to $32 million for 24 existing three-year-long Joint Chiefs’ projects.

The five new projects are:

Alabama — National Forest in Alabama “Alabama Chattahoochee Fall Line Restoring Longleaf”
Colorado and Wyoming — Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest “Headwaters of the Colorado”
Montana — Lolo National Forest “Blackfoot River Valley Landscape Mosaic”
North Carolina — National Forests in North Carolina “Uwharries to Sandhills, Phase 2”
Oregon — Mt. Hood National Forest “Hood River Wildfire and Watershed Resilience”

“Wildfires have no boundaries, and neither should our prevention work,” said Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz. “We need everyone at the table to deliver the kind of active management that will return our forests to health and productivity. Joint Chiefs’ puts local leaders in the driver’s seat, enabling cross-boundary work based on shared priorities with states, partners, industry and forest landowners. It’s a win-win.”

“With the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership, NRCS is implementing our Farmer-First mission with our nation’s foresters,” said NRCS Chief Aubrey J.D. Bettencourt. “Providing technical and financial assistance to private forest landowners is key to supporting locally led conservation, especially in the wildland-urban interface. This allows us to address multiple challenges in one project, such as reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire, protecting clean water and improving wildlife habitat.”

NPPC, other stakeholders work with EPA to stifle burdensome wastewater decision

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s longstanding Meat and Poultry (MPP) Effluent Guidelines and Standards will stand, as EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced Aug. 30 that proposed changes to the regulation are unnecessary. In reaching its decision, EPA determined existing federal wastewater regulations under the Clean Water Act are effective and the burdens that proposed changes would inflict on meat and poultry processors are unwarranted.

“The National Pork Producers Council applauds the Trump administration and EPA Administrator Zeldin for taking a commonsense approach on the Meat & Poultry Processing Rule,” says Duane Stateler, National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) president. “As proposed by the previous administration, this rule — which provides no environmental benefits — would have been devastating to small- and medium-sized meat processors across the country and the livestock farmers who rely on them as markets for their animals.”

The decision closes the book on a nearly two-year comment and consideration process in which the NPPC and other stakeholders have worked with EPA to better inform the agency’s decision and preempt unnecessary harm. The more-stringent permitting guidelines under CWA would have packed a significant punch for meat processors, requiring them to upgrade facilities and install costly new wastewater treatment technologies, affecting meat and poultry packing and processing plants nationwide. EPA’s own internal analysis showed that dozens of facilities, likely small and medium-sized, would be unable to afford these changes and shut down. Overall, the industry would have realized additional costs estimated at greater than $1 billion a year.

Editor’s note: This article is compiled with stakeholder news releases.

Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, Vol. 17, No. 9-A

Topics: Events , Health , Management , News , Pasture and Forage , Policy

Publication: Angus Beef Bulletin