News Update
March 18, 2015
Hit the Greens During the Angus Foundation Golf Tournament
Angus golfers and sponsors take note — the Angus Foundation’s 15th annual golf tournament will take place Tuesday, July 14, at the Forest Ridge Golf Club in Broken Arrow, Okla. The event, held in conjunction with the 2015 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS), helps fund education, youth and research initiatives.
The 2015 event sponsor is Gary and Sharon Stevenson and family of Flying G Ranch, Caldwell, Texas. Stevenson purchased the sponsorship during the 2015 Angus Night on the Mountain fundraiser at Spruce Mountain Ranch, Larkspur, Colo., this past January.
Eight additional sponsorship levels are available for individuals, farms and ranches. Each sponsorship level contains various promotional opportunities, including recognition in the tournament program, post event news release, the Angus Journal, and the Angus Foundation’s website and annual report. Available sponsorships are: luncheon, beverage/player cart, club house, hole-in-one, gift, tee box, hole and flag. Sponsorship deadline is May 29.
In addition, Cusack Meats of Oklahoma City, Okla., will provide the Certified Angus Beef® brand steaks for the tournament awards luncheon.
Interested players may register until June 22, by either downloading the registration form online or by contacting the Angus Foundation for a quick registration. Adult golfer registration is $100 per player, and National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) member registration is $75 per player. After the June 22 deadline, a $10 late fee per player will apply to the rates.
More information about the annual golf tournament, as well as the event schedule, can be found at www.angusfoundation.org.
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House Agriculture Subcommittee Reviews Definition
of “Waters of the United States” Proposed Rule
On March 17, Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee, held a public hearing to review the definition of “Waters of the United States” proposed rule and its impact on rural America.
Enacted in 1972, the Clean Water Act (CWA) established a federal-state government partnership to better regulate and manage the nation’s waters through a range of pollution and control programs. The CWA states that it is the “policy of the Congress to recognize, preserve, and protect the primary responsibilities and rights of State to prevent, reduce and eliminate pollution, to plan the development and use (including restoration, preservation and enhancement) of land and water resources, and to consult with the [EPA] Administrator in the exercise of his authority under this Act.”
Members of the House Committee on Agriculture asserted that the Administration has acted on its own, without input from the states and stakeholders, to broaden the scope of the CWA, threatening the livelihood of farmers, ranchers and rural America.
Chairman Conaway said at the hearing, “I strongly support legislation to block the Waters of the United States rule and hope we can put legislation to this effect on the president’s desk, whether as a stand-alone bill, as part of a larger measure, or both. The better route, of course, is for EPA and the Corps to pull this regulation, work with state and local stakeholders to develop a new and proper set of recommendations, and submit these recommendations to Congress for consideration and approval.”
Click here for more information, including Subcommittee Chairman Thompson’s opening statement, Chairman Conaway’s opening statement, and the archived webcast.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Animal Agriculture Tells House: It’s Time to Ditch the Rule
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Past President Steve Foglesong testified before the House Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry at their March 17 hearing titled, “Waters of the U.S. Rulemaking and its Impact on Rural America.” Foglesong, from Astoria, Ill., raises and feeds cattle and hogs in addition to growing corn, soybeans and hay on his Black Gold Ranch and Feedlot. Foglesong testified to the subcommittee on behalf of animal agriculture, urging Congress to act in order to prevent the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers from finalizing their “Waters of the U.S.” rule.
“Let’s be clear — everyone wants clean water,” said Foglesong. “Farmers and ranchers rely on clean water to be successful in business. But, expanding the federal regulatory reach of the EPA and Army Corps does not equal clean water. After reading the proposed rule, I can say that only one thing is clear, the proposed rule and its definitions are ambiguous.”
NCBA and others in animal agriculture are calling on the EPA and the Army Corps to withdraw the “Waters of the U.S.” proposed rule and then engage in a serious and meaningful dialogue with the agricultural and business communities to find the necessary solution that will provide the clarity and certainty we require.
For more information, please view the full release here.
— Adapted from a release by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
Agriculture Committee Chairman Conaway Responds to Announcement of Short-term DGAC Comment Period Extension
At a hearing March 17 of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Under Secretary for Agriculture Kevin Concannon indicated that the Department would grant a short-term 30-day comment period extension for the report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.
“The 571 page report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee not only went way out of scope in dealing with non-nutritional science issues, the advisory committee potentially excluded influential scientific studies when crafting their recommendations,” said Chairman Conaway. “Our constituents will use this additional time to ensure that all pertinent studies are submitted for review by the Secretaries.”
Conaway, along with Subcommittee Chairs Walorski and Rouzer, wrote to Secretaries Vilsack and Burwell on March 3requesting that the comment period be extended and that the Secretaries commit to fully reviewing and considering the comments they receive.
“While I appreciate some recognition of the complexity of the issues presented by extending the comment period,” said Conaway. “I must once again call on the Secretaries to commit to a process wherein those comments will be fully reviewed and considered.”
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