12page1.qxd 1/2/03 4:54 PM Page 1 The National Livestock Weekly January 6, 2003 • Vol. 82, No. 12 “The Industry’s Largest Weekly Circulation” www.wlj.net • E-mail: [email protected] • [email protected] • [email protected] A Crow Publication House Resource brouhaha brewing — New Jersey’s vast expanses of open landscapes. Saxton expected “He (Saxton) is a great guy and House Resource* Chairmanship Timeline I consider him a very good friend, (Past 27 Congresses; 1946-2002) next chairman. but he doesn’t live in the West and has what I consider little knowledge Session of Congress Name Party State — Conservatives about the environmental and nat- 80th Richard Welch R CA worried about senior ural resource issues of extreme im- member’s voting portance to the western U.S.,” said 81st J. Hardin Peterson D FL record. a fellow House member, speaking 81st Andrew Somers D NY to WLJ on the condition of By Steven D. Vetter anonymity. “We need to get some- 82nd John Murdock D AZ WLJ Editor one in that position who is well 83rd A.L. Miller R NE Following the retirement this versed on the issues particularly af- fecting western land and resources. 84th-85th Clair Engle D CA year of Rep. Jim Hansen, R-UT, the House Resource Committee ap- That’s not to say other parts of the 86th-92nd Wayne Aspinall D CO pears to be on the verge of an east- country don’t have issues of im- 93rd-94th James Haley D FL ern-state congressman’s leadership portance, but it is fact the West for the first time in some 25 years. has far more open space and avail- 95th-101st Morris Udall D AZ However, there are challenges to able resources than other parts of 102nd-103rd George Miller D CA that, led by several western-state the country.” ranching interests. Saxton was first elected to the 104th-106th Don Young R AK Jim Saxton, R-NJ, with more se- House in 1985 and was chairman 107th Jim Hansen R UT niority than any other Republican of the Resource Committee’s fish- eries subcommittee from 1994 to *Prior to 103rd session, committee was known as Committee of Interior & Insular Affairs. on the committee, is first in line for the committee’s chairmanship 2000. when the new Congress convenes His opponents have said Sax- later this month. However, western ton comes from an area having First test for tender beef gene congressional representatives, plus hardly any public lands falling un- logging, ranching and other in- der the Resource Committee’s ju- of the technology, Australia-based lutions, said a bull and cow both risdiction, compared to several By Sarah L. Roen Genetic Solutions. with 2-STAR ratings will pass on dustry interests, are questioning Saxton’s background and knowl- western states made up of over 50 WLJ Associate Editor The technology, called GeneS- the desirable traits to 100 percent edge of western land, as well as percent public lands. In fact, Neva- There’s a strong movement in TAR Tenderness, promises to allow of their progeny. da has 80 percent public land, the beef industry to understand his expertise on natural resources. producers to identify and breed an- “A major scientific effort has now Western representatives com- there’s 66 percent in Utah and 60 customers, and then market to imals carrying a tenderness gene. delivered beef producers a simple plain Saxton doesn’t understand percent-plus in Idaho. their desires. One of the most im- GeneSTAR Tenderness is a test live animal test that will help them how grazing, mineral and land Also, several sources said Saxton portant desires is for a quality, ten- identifying two variations of a nat- meet customer expectations,” said management decisions made by has frequently voted with the ex- der product. Tenderness is an issue urally occurring enzyme, the cal- Dr. Hetzel. “The commercial re- the committee shape the West’s (See House on page 5) with which beef producers have pastatin gene, which inhibits nor- lease of this test heralds a new era been striving to achieve consisten- mal meat tenderization during the for beef consistency and consumer cy — to increase demand. post-harvest aging of a carcass. satisfaction, capable of sustaining Start of ’03 feeds Variation in tenderness contin- One variation of the gene is asso- and growing demand.” ues to be a major concern of beef re- ciated with increased tenderness, Another advantage of this test is tailers and restaurateurs as well, while the other variation is one it can be carried out at any stage market optimists because the present beef-quality that researchers are associating of a cattle’s life cycle, making it the rollover of the futures market to grading system does not accurate- with increased toughness. — Holiday, weather only pre-harvest test available. Pri- cut feeder trade short. 2003 live cattle contracts. Down ly predict the eating quality of beef. Once evaluated, cattle are given or to this advance, the Warner- south, cattle feeders were more in However, producers may now have a rating of either 2-STAR, 1-STAR Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF) test — Cull market still the “driver’s seat,” thanks to re- the technology to reach this goal or 0-STAR to indicate how many was the only method available to strengthening. cent inclement weather that re- and send the steak knife to the copies they express of the tender provide tenderness data. The WB- stricted supplies of slaughter-ready scrap heap, according to an an- form of the gene. Dr. Jay Hetzel, SF test presents information on The turning of the calendar cattle. turned out to be a time of celebra- nouncement from the marketers chief scientific officer for Genetic So- the average pounds of force re- The past two to three weeks saw tion for cattle producers as last packers significantly draw back quired to shear through a steak week’s trade happened at prices prepared according to 1995 Amer- slaughter levels, largely as a re- $1-2 higher, compared to the last sult of the Christmas and New ican Meat Science Association stan- full week of 2002. While the num- % of GeneSTAR Tenderness genotypes dard cooking protocol. Some of the Year’s holidays falling in the mid- ber of cattle trading hands last dle of the week. Consequently, beef breed associations used this data (By breed group) week was almost nonexistent supplies are below overall storage 80 to identify animals with genetical- through most of Thursday, mod- capacity and packers need to pick ly heritable traits for tenderness. erate trade was reported Thurs- up kill rates to not only fill up that Because this process has not been day afternoon at $75 live and $118- storage space, but to meet mid- to 60 widely used and involves a certain 119 dressed late Thursday or Fri- late-January fresh beef needs. amount of difficulty, the expense day. Last week’s trade was expected added up. The new method claims As of mid-afternoon Thursday, to include cattle that would be part Texas had only traded 3,000 head, 40 to be reasonable enough for all pro- of beef production during the first ducers to use. Kansas 10,000, and Nebraska al- full week of the new year. Percent “GeneSTAR Tenderness should most 13,000, but at prices better “The holiday (market) lull is pret- have long-term benefits for beef than the close of last year. Many ty much over,” said Jim Gill, Texas 20 prospective sellers held out to trade Source: Genetic Solutions, LLC quality around the world,” said Cattle Feeders Association, last cattle even later in the week, hop- Hetzel. The company is making Thursday. “Packers will be pur- ing for another $1. chasing larger volumes of cattle this claim based on the idea the new There was enough optimism that 0 test will provide the pleasure of now on the premise they’ll be op- British Brahman Santa Gertrudis Belmont Red some southern cattle feeders asked (See Markets on page 10) enjoying melt-in-the-mouth beef $76. Packers started out bidding 0-Star 1-Star 2-Star consistently. That’s although ge- $72, $115, early in the week. How- netic improvement of tenderness ever, as of noon Thursday, bids has proved very difficult because were up to $74 live, $116 dressed NEWS British breeds had the highest percent of cattle with the tenderness gene since approx- the trait is hard to measure and is and then to $75 and $118 about 2 NEWS imately 80 percent of the British cattle evaluated expressed two copies. Fifty-five to influenced by many pre- and post- p.m. (EDT). sixty percent of the Bos Indicus composites that were genotyped contained two copies slaughter environmental factors. The leading indicators for a of the tenderness gene, while approximately 30 percent of the Brahman influenced The Australian-patented tech- stronger cash market were the fore- cattle expressed two copies. All breeds evaluated included animals that carried the nology is based on gene marker re- cast for a pickup in packers’ slaugh- toughness gene. search conducted by Australia’s ter volumes, continued strength in (See Test on page 4) the boxed beef complex, and the (priority handling) (priority handling) INSIDE WLJ RECORD CONSUMPTION — ROADLESS BATTLE — The BRANDED REGS — USDA’s INTERNET UPDATES — The INDEX Per-capita meat consumption in fight over a Clinton administra- Agricultural Marketing Service re- Christmas and New Year’s holi- Beef Bits . .P-3 the U.S. hit a record in 2002, ac- tion regulation banning develop- cently announced it has opened days have left us in a situation Markets .