Beef Information Resource Now Available
Roger L McCraw

Following a successful launch at the 2000 NCBA convention, the Beef InfoBase is now available.

Developed by the ADDS Program, the Beef InfoBase is a collection of over 1,300 selected documents divided into 17 subject areas. This collection is available on CD-ROM and the web via the ADDS Center website, www.adds.org.

Articles for the Beef InfoBase were collected from extension fact sheets, university research reports and private industry materials spanning 35 states. Peer-reviewed by extension personnel, articles were selected based on merit for assisting end-users in making informed decisions.

What makes the Beef InfoBase special is not only its vast collection of information, but the ease by which that information is found. All information on the InfoBase is searchable by merely typing in the word or phrase that represents your interest. In seconds the entire InfoBase is searched, and articles containing your request are listed. You can easily browse through these documents for a specific article, and read the article on screen or print a copy for later reference.

The Beef InfoBase has been a hit among beef industry support personnel. One user commented that the Beef InfoBase put his four filing cabinets of information onto one CD. Another related how a producer called for information, and instead of wading through files of paper to find an answer, he accessed the CD, performed a search, found an article suited to answer the producer's question, printed the article and faxed it to the producer within minutes. A several-hour job was reduced to a few minutes.

The Beef InfoBase project was coordinated by the ADDS Center. It is the result of national efforts of the Cooperative Extension System and Land Grant Universities, in cooperation with USDA-CSREES, producer commodity groups and other public and private sector organizations.

The Beef InfoBase CD is available to the general public for $99 plus $6 shipping and handling. Resellers may purchase the CD for $80 and sell the Beef InfoBase at their own price, with shipping handled by the ADDS Center. For educators, the CD is available at $80, with group discounts for university and extension personnel at $50 for minimum orders of 10 to one address.

All CD purchases include a 12-month website subscription to the Beef InfoBase online version. All information contained on the Beef InfoBase CD is also available on the web. Separate website subscriptions may be purchased for $35.

For further information on purchasing the Beef InfoBase, go to the website at www.adds.org. If you would like to purchase a copy of the CD for your use in the county, please let me know. If we have enough interest, I will coordinate the order so we can get them at the reduced price of $50 each.

(Adapted from a news release distributed by Dr. Basil R. Eastwood, Program Leader, USDA-CSREES •

Here is the scoop on Beef Herd Certification for Brucellosis.
Dale C Miller

Herd must have 2 consecutive negative blood tests performed by an accredited veterinarian 10 to 14 months apart, then an annual test to maintain status.

Application forms and additional information is available from USDA APHIS-VS, 1017 Main Campus Drive, Suite 2500, Raleigh, NC 27606. Telephone number is 919/513-4170. I spoke with Dr. Tom Brignole. This agency has a website at the following address: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ •

Cattle Auctions Live on Internet
Roger L. McCraw

MLE, a division of Southern States Coop., Inc., has teamed up with Cyberstockyard to offer livestock auctions on the Internet. I am not promoting these companies or these marketing methods over other available options; however, I think you will see more of this type sale in the future. It certainly is something you may want to look at.

You may go to: http://www.cyberstockyard.com/ to register for the sales. Once registered, you may then enter the sale while it is taking place. As the sale progresses, you can view a video of the cattle and see a printed description of the animals.

The site also has a demonstration sale that you can view at any time to see how the system works. The system works very well and is interesting to see.

REMINDER: To view the Video of the cattle being offered through Cyberstockyard, you must have the free RealPlayer installed. Visit http://www.real.com to download it. •

Beef Quality Assurance Videos Available
Roger L. McCraw

Remember the BQA displays that we had so much fun with several months ago? About 2,500 producers across the state participated in programs where those were used. Yet, a number of producers who might benefit from the information, did not have an opportunity to attend one of the sessions. The presentations using the displays have been videotaped for your use in meetings or for your producers to take home to view at their leisure.

There are three separate tapes. One is entitled "Targeted Breeding Equals Customer Satisfaction". It discusses how to use a planned breeding program to combine genetic improvement for carcass traits without sacrificing too much on growth traits.

The second tape is "Proper Management Enhances Beef Quality and Product Value". It focuses on how properly performing routine management practices on the farm improves the quality and value of the beef that consumers purchase.

The third tape is titled "Responsible Culling". This presentation addresses seven quality control points and how timely, responsible culling can improve not only herd productivity and efficiency but also quality of the end product.

The Department of Communication Services has copies of these tapes available to loan out for a two week period. You may check out any one or all of the tapes by calling Angie Leach in the media library at (919) 513-3110. •