News Update
November 10, 2014
Leading the Business Breed
The American Angus Association announced new members and officers for its Board of Directors during the 131st Annual Convention of Delegates in Kansas City, Mo. Those serving the Association for three-year terms are: Jerry Connealy, Whitman, Neb.; David Dal Porto, Brentwood, Calif.; John Grimes, Hillsboro, Ohio; James Henderson, Memphis, Texas; and Dave Nichols, Bridgewater, Iowa.
Steve Olson, Hereford, Texas, was elected as the new Association president and chairman of the Board of Directors. He succeeds Gordon Stucky of Kingman, Kan.
Jim Sitz, Dillon, Mont., was elected by delegates to serve as Association vice president and vice chairman of the Board of Directors.
Charlie Boyd, Mays Lick, Ky., will serve as the 2014-2015 treasurer.
A total of 305 elected delegates from 39 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada represented Association members during the Annual Convention of Delegates hosted at the KCI Expo Center in conjunction with the first-ever Angus Means Business National Convention & Trade Show.
2014-2015 American Angus Association newly elected board members
Jerry Connealy is one of seven children raised on the family ranch south of Whitman, Neb., by his parents, Marty and Donnie. Jerry began artificially inseminating cattle alongside his father at the age of 13 and returned to the ranch with his wife, Sharon, after graduating from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1981.
David Dal Porto was born in Brentwood, Calif., where he was raised on his family’s commercial cattle and farming operation. He and his wife, Jeanene, still manage their registered- and commercial-Angus operations near Oakley, Brentwood and other areas of northern California.
John Grimes is a second-generation Angus breeder who was raised on his family’s Angus and commercial cow-calf operation, Maplecrest Farms, near Hillsboro, Ohio, where the family remains involved in the farm’s management and operation.
James Henderson was born in Kerrville, Texas, as a fourth-generation rancher in the Texas Hill Country. He received a degree in animal science in 1977 from Texas A&M University and moved to a career in the meatpacking and processing industry. In 2004, James married Mary Lou Bradley, and the couple continues the time-tested traditions of Bradley 3 Ranch.
Dave Nichols of Bridgewater, Iowa, was raised on his father’s small cattle-feeding operation. Starting as a tenant farmer, Nichols Farms has now grown to 5,500 acres, breeding 1,500 head this spring and maintaining a small feedlot. Nichols Farms oversees the breeding of and marketing of an additional 1,500 cooperator and franchise cows.
For more news from the Angus Means Business National Convention & Trade Show, visit www.angusconvention.com. Also plan to tune in to The Angus Report at 7:30 a.m. CST Monday, Nov. 17, for full coverage on RFD-TV, and watch for full coverage in the December and January issues of the Angus Journal.
For more information, please view the full release here.
USCA Statement on Beef Checkoff Announcement by USDA
Statement from United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) Vice President Chuck Kiker:
“USCA applauds today’s (Nov. 7) announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service which stated the opening of a comment period by which input will be received from the public concerning the development of a new Beef Checkoff program. USCA commends USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack for his commitment to this matter and looks forward to taking part in the comment process and providing input as to how a new Beef Checkoff should look under the Commodity Promotion Act of 1996. USCA believes this is an important opportunity for producers to take part in the development of what we hope to be a modern and efficient checkoff program. We applaud the secretary on today’s announcement and look forward to participating in the process and encourage all other beef producers and groups to embrace this opportunity.”
Southwest Beef Symposium Set for Jan. 14-15 in Amarillo
The Southwest Beef Symposium, jointly hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service, is set for Jan. 14-15 at the Wyndham Garden Hotel, 3100 Interstate 40 West, Amarillo.
“Looking to the Future” is the theme of this year’s conference, said Ted McCollum, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist in Amarillo.
“After some very rough years of drought, we will address issues of concern to the industry at large, but also at the ranch level. Hopefully, we have turned the corner and are beginning to stabilize the national cow inventory.”
Individual registration is $80, which includes a steak dinner on Jan. 14, lunch on Jan. 15, refreshments and symposium proceedings. Registration is required by Jan. 9 and seating is limited to 150, McCollum said, advising participants to register early. Others will be put on a waiting list.
Register online at http://agriliferegister.tamu.edu or by phone at 979-845-2604.
The opening session from 1-5 p.m. on Jan. 14 will address big-picture emerging issues in the global beef industry, he said.
Issues and speakers will be:
- The Beef Industry: What’s in Store Over the Next Five Years and Next 10 Years?, Darrell Peel, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla.
- Ranching Strategies for the Long Term, Clint Richardson, Triangle Ranch, Paducah, Ky.
- Regulatory Issues Facing the New Mexico and Texas Cattle Industry, Karen Cowen, New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, Albuquerque, N.M.; and Ross Wilson, Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Amarillo.
- Where Do I Go to Get Help with Regulatory and Legal Issues on My Property?, Tiffany Dowell, AgriLife Extension agricultural law specialist, Amarillo.
The symposium on Jan. 15 will address rangeland resource management in the morning and beef herd management in the afternoon. Issues and speakers will be:
- Rangeland Resource Management in the Panhandle: A Long-Term Perspective, Andrew Bivins, JA Ranch, Amarillo.
- Tipping Points for Juniper and Mesquite Control: Canopy Cover and Forage Production, Jim Ansley, Texas A&M AgriLife Research rangeland ecologist, Vernon.
- Evaluating the Current Costs and Future Value of Rangeland Improvement Practices, Richard Connor, rangeland economist, Texas A&M University, College Station.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
How to Determine Fair Price for Farm Building Rentals
Farmers, producers and landowners who have agricultural buildings on their property they are no longer using can turn the vacant space into extra farm income, according to experts with the Ohio State University (OSU) College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Whether it is a farm building or livestock facility, farmers who want to put unused space into service to generate additional farm income first need to know how to go about creating a leasing arrangement and how to determine an appropriate rental price, said David Marrison, an OSU Extension educator.
“Many farmers may want to rent out buildings on their properties, but sometimes it’s hard to put a number on that, so it’s good to know what the going rates are on buildings in the region,” Marrison said. “Farmers need to know how to utilize those old buildings, whether it be to rent them out to another farmer or producer for extra hay space or to milk dairy cows.”
To help farmers and producers come up with fair, viable rental rates for farm buildings, the North Central Farm Management Extension Committee conducted a survey of farmers and producers across the Midwest, including Ohio and Indiana, to create the 2014 Farm Building Rental Rate Survey. The group is a partnership of extension educators from across the Midwest.
OSU Extension and researchers from CFAES’s Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics participated in the survey process, Marrison said.
The survey provides rental cost information on:
- Beef finishing, open lot and sheds
- Dairy milking parlor, cow housing
- Heifer housing — no labor, no feed
- Swine — farrowing, nursery, finishing
- Machinery storage — machine shed with or without concrete floors, high doors
- Grain storage
- Hay storage — for small square or large square or round bales
- Rural housing — two, three, four or more bedrooms
The survey was completed by farm operators, farm owners, professional farm managers and rural appraisers, Marrison said.
The survey can be found at go.osu.edu/farmbuildingrents. For more information, contact Marrison at marrison.2@osu.edu or 440-576-9008, ext. 106.
For more information, please view the full release here.
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