News Update
May 5, 2015
Strong Growth for Angus Sales
Sales reports submitted to the American Angus Association headquarters this season show tremendous growth for the business breed. The average price for a registered Angus bull is up 40% from this time last year, at nearly $7,000 per head. Female averages are also on the rise, with per-head prices increasing more than 55% from year-ago figures. That’s more than $5,200 for a registered Angus female.
Commercial cattlemen are also reportedly demanding more registered Angus seedstock with genomic information, which increases accuracy and reduces risk.
“I’ve noticed that if the genomic data is in a sale catalog, they definitely look at those numbers and it seems to spark their interest even more,” said Jay Nordhausen, Association regional manager in Nebraska and Colorado. “The fact that we are increasing the predictability of what they’re getting – it just makes for a more solid product at the end of the day for commercial cattlemen, and it’s definitely been seen throughout the spring.”
Watch more in this week’s episode of The Angus Report. You can also tune to RFD-TV each Wednesday at 5 p.m. CDT, Saturday at 1:30 p.m. CDT or Monday at 7:30 a.m. CDT to catch the show.
Angus Juniors ‘Raise the Bar’ at University of Georgia
Angus youth from eight different states recently gathered in Atlanta, Ga., to attend Raising the Bar at the University of Georgia. The conferences represent an opportunity for National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) members to travel to different parts of the country, learn from experts in the beef business and meet new friends with the same passion for Angus cattle.
Fifteen NJAA members met April 9-12 to tour the University of Georgia campus, participate in leadership training workshops and enjoy social events. The group also made a stop at the Partisover Ranch, Colbert, Ga., for a tour and dinner.
While on the University of Georgia campus, juniors were able to hear from a variety of professionals, including Dean Pringle, who discussed the meat processing procedure. Participants also heard from Franklin West, who gave insight to his stem cell research in large animals. Mark Froetschel discussed digestion in the ruminant animal.
Learn more about the University of Georgia ‘Raising the Bar’ conference online.
USDA Announces $235 Million
Available for Conservation Partnerships
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced an investment May 4 of up to $235 million to improve the nation’s water quality, combat drought, enhance soil health, support wildlife habitat and protect agricultural viability. The funding is being made available through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), the newest conservation tool of the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
RCPP, created by the 2014 Farm Bill, empowers local leaders to work with multiple partners — such as private companies, local and tribal governments, universities, nonprofit groups and other non-government partners — along with farmers, ranchers and forest landowners to design solutions that work best for their region. Local partners and the federal government both invest funding and manpower to projects to maximize their impact. This will be the second round of projects funded through RCPP. The RCPP program helps USDA build on already-record enrollment in conservation programs, with over 500,000 producers participating to protect land and water on more than 400 million acres nationwide.
USDA is now accepting proposals for RCPP. Pre-proposals are due July 8, 2015. For more information, view the full release online.
New Initiative to Engage Future Cattle Producers
Applications are available online to enroll in Future Angus Stockmen, a new program launched by the American Angus Association to embrace the next generation of cattlemen through learning opportunities, while building a bond with the Angus breed and its member-driven organization.
Geared toward college-age or recent graduates who want to raise high-quality Angus-based cattle, the program will offer educational opportunities that teach participants how to thrive in the cattle industry, social networking to connect them with fellow producers, and leadership development to instill an entrepreneurial spirit and drive to improve their businesses.
Participants will learn how to use proven information such as EPDs and $Values, while incorporating DNA technology to make data-driven decisions. Additional program benefits include enrollment in either AngusSource® or AngusSource Genetic, and access to Beef Record Service (BRS) or MaternalPlus® at a reduced cost for submitting data.
Prescribed Burning Workshop
Slated May 21 in Woodville, Texas
A workshop to train private landowners and land managers how to safely and legally do controlled burning will be May 21 in Woodville, Texas.
The workshop content was developed by a team of practitioners from multiple entities, including the Texas A&M Forest Service, the National Park Service, AgriLife Extension and the Nature Conservancy.
The workshop will begin at 8:30 a.m., with the indoor program starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 1 p.m. at the Big Thicket Fire Management office, 860 County Road 1040. The outdoor session will follow at the Big Thicket National Preserve and last until about 4 p.m.
The workshop is free and open to the public, but space is limited and preregistration is a must. Topics will include benefits of prescribed burning and a managed forest, Texas laws related to prescribed fire and smoke, wildlife benefits from prescribed burning, wildfire prevention with prescribed burning, and much more.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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