The U.S. Agriculture Department has authorized $2.6 million from Commodity Credit Corp. funds to implement a surveillance and indemnity program for chronic wasting disease. CWD is a progressive disease that affects deer and elk. It is part of a group of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, a group that includes scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or "mad cow" disease.

While considered rare, CWD is endemic to free-ranging deer and elk in a limited area of Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska, and has been found in captive elk herds in those states and in Montana, Oklahoma and South Dakota. All positive herds are under state quarantines.

The emergency funds will be used to reduce the spread of CWD among captive elk. Elk farmers often sell their animals to smaller meat processors to be made into jerky and sausage.

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will implement the CWD program by purchasing CWD-positive and exposed elk from CWD-infected herds; enhancing surveillance and diagnostic testing for CWD; and increase training for producers and veterinarians.

At present, there is no live animal test or vaccine for CWD, nor any evidence that the disease is linked to the human variant of BSE or similar neurological conditions in domestic animals, other than deer and elk.

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Kansas Livestock Association reports that news about beef's positive contributions to a low-fat diet was recently delivered by a somewhat surprising source in one of the nation's leading newspapers. University of California-Berkley Professor Emeritus of Public Health and Nutrition Dr. Sheldon Margen told readers of the Los Angeles Times that beef "contains good amounts of vitamins B6 and B12, as well as iron and other vitamins and minerals.

"Americans are not fleeing from beef and it's time for advice about how to incorporate it into a sensible, low-fat diet," said Margen.

Margen's "Eating Smart" column appears twice each month in the Times, which has a daily circulation of 1.02 million. He begrudgingly attributed his apparent change in philosophy to reports from NCBA that beef demand increased five percent during the second quarter of 2001 compared to the same time period a year earlier.

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Dana Hauck, a cattle producer from Delphos, Kan., and co-chairman of the beef industry U.S./Mexico Cross Border Working Group, has been appointed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of the United States Trade Representative's Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee for Trade.

In addition, Chuck Lambert, chief economist for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, has been appointed to the USDA and USTR Animals and Animal Products Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade.

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Scientists and the Veterinary Infectious Disease Organization in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan believe that needle-free vaccine delivery options, such as patches and nasal sprays, will reduce meat damage, improve vaccine effectiveness, and make disease treatment easier for producers.

Bruises, scars, and infected lesions from faulty injections reduce the value of carcasses at the processing level. Meat inspectors can condemn a large portion of meat for one small needle prick lesion. Injection site lesions have reportedly shown up in 16 to 20 percent of case-ready chuck cuts, as modified atmosphere gas in case-ready trays reacts with substances in certain vaccines and causes a green or green-brown discoloration.

From a science perspective, intranasal and skin delivery could improve vaccine effectiveness. Patches for larger animals, such as cattle, could require tiny micro-needles to permeate the hide, or a roller type device with needles could be used to apply vaccine directly to the skin.

Finding the right delivery method is also crucial for intranasal vaccine delivery. Currently a new intranasal gun for delivering vaccine into the nasal passage is being tested at VIDO. A high-pressure air gun for "shooting" vaccines into the skin is also being tested at VIDO. More work is needed to perfect the technology, but early tests have shown promise.

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The American Sheep Industry Association's American Wool Council plans to soon place an order for Lyco Dominator wool balers. The Wool Council will pay for freight and shipping costs for the balers to a central shipping point in Texas, allowing producers the opportunity to purchase the balers at cost similar to that of going to the factory directly.

Cost of the balers to the grower is $5100 for an 11 horsepower Honda gas engine model and $5300 for a 110-volt electric model. A $500 down payment at ordering time will be required. Producers wishing to reserve a baler should contact Bob Padula at (303) 771-3500 ext. 23, Seco Mayfield, (915) 387-2543, or Ronald Pope (915) 655-1783.

The Wool Council is exploring options with the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center to provide low interest loans to grower groups for the purchase of the balers.

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Restaurant owners were already anticipating a down year, with discretionary consumer spending on the decline. However, the tragic events of Sept. 11, and the wall-to-wall TV news coverage in its aftermath, have provided a minor sales boon for takeout and fast-food restaurants.

Port Washington, N.Y.-based research and consulting firm NPD Group reports that restaurant sales for the week ended Sept. 16 increased 1.4 percent vs. the same period a year ago. But those sales gains were not universally shared. While fast-food and takeout restaurants posted strong growth, upscale steakhouses and casual dining eateries suffered declines, the report stated.

Following the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., pizza restaurants had one of their best weeks of the year, posting a 3.2 percent gain. In contrast, casual dining restaurant sales declined 5.8 percent.

Consumers' reluctance to indulge in dining out was beginning to impact revenues long before Sept. 11. Industry researcher Technomic Inc. released figures last week showing that for the first time in 10 years, foodservice, which accounts for roughly half of all food dollar expenditures, will show zero or possibly negative real growth in 2002.

Sales for 2001, originally expected to be around 2.7 percent, have now been revised to a range of 2.1 percent to 2.5 percent. Adjusted for inflation, that implies that the foodservice sector is already in recession, with little improvement predicted for next year.

Recreation, travel and airline foodservice will be particularly hard hit, with declines anywhere from 10 percent to 30 percent in 2002 vs. 2001, according to Technomic.

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eMerge Interactive announced recently that it has reached an agreement with the Five State Beef Initiative to manage individual-animal data-collection and information-management for the FSBI's new, vertically coordinated beef production, marketing and information sharing system. It's a system designed exclusively for eastern Cornbelt cattlemen in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois.

FSBI is a consortium of five partners — each state's Department of Agriculture, Cattlemen's Association/Beef Industry Council, and Farm Bureau, United Producers, a livestock marketing cooperative operating in five states, and finally land grant universities including the University of Kentucky, Ohio State University, Purdue University, Michigan State University, and the University of Illinois.

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McDonald's Corp. is reportedly planning to eliminate as many as one-quarter of its franchise agreements in coming months. Though executives said the company would meet third-quarter expectations, they admitted that earnings projections are for a flat year overall.

McDonald's controls about 43 percent of the $45.4 billion U.S. fast-food burger market, according to market research Technomic Inc.

McDonald's has already announced a new internal grading system that some observers say will help the company purge operators who don't meet expectations for food quality, speed of service and cleanliness.