News Update
April 10, 2018
National Junior Angus Association Leaders Attend STAR Conference
National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) state association officers and advisors traveled to American Angus Association® headquarters March 22-25 in Saint Joseph, Mo., for the inaugural State Training and Angus Retreat (STAR) conference.
Twenty-two NJAA members and five adult leaders from 13 states were represented at the conference. Attendees were given the opportunity to tour the Association office, network with staff and partake in leadership training exercises. Educational sessions ranged from public speaking, facilitating events, goal setting and brainstorming to social media etiquette, working show rings and resolving conflict.
NJAA Board Member and Membership Director Michaela Clowser crafted the idea for the first-ever STAR conference and helped see it to fruition.
“The STAR conference exceeded any and all expectations we had,” said Association Events Coordinator Caitlyn Brandt. “The conference was extremely successful, with nothing but good comments from both advisors and the junior members. Not only was the educational content extremely useful, but the networking and brainstorming among juniors from across the country was invaluable.”
For more information about a future STAR conference, visit the NJAA website, or contact the events and education department at 816-383-5100.
NCBA Lays Out Principles for Regulating Fake Meat
On April 10 the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) submitted official comments to the USDA outlining key principles for the regulation of fake meat products. The comments, filed in response to Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) Petition Number 18-01, encourage USDA to look beyond modifying “standards of identity” in order to provide adequate protection for beef producers and consumers.
“It is critical that the federal government step up to the plate and enforce fair and accurate labeling for fake meat,” said Kevin Kester, president of NCBA. “As long as we have a level playing field, our product will continue to be a leading protein choice for families in the United States and around the world.”
NCBA’s regulatory principles are designed to effectively address both plant-based and lab-grown imitation beef products. Specifically, NCBA:
1. Requests that USDA work with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to “take appropriate, immediate enforcement action against improperly labeled imitation products."
NCBA firmly believes the term “beef” should only be applicable to products derived from actual livestock raised by farmers and ranchers.
For more information, read this NCBA news release online.
USCA Statement on Effort to List Feral Horses
as Endangered Species
Friends of Animals, a Connecticut-based activist group, is challenging in court the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) rejection of their petition to list the feral horses inhabiting the Pryor Mountain Herd Management Area under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The feral horses, located on the border between southeast Montana and north-central Wyoming, are subject to management by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to maintain a “thriving, natural ecological balance” on the rangelands the horses graze.
USCA Board Representative for Region VI (Montana, Idaho) Maggie Nutter issued the following statement:
“The Endangered Species Act, when used appropriately, has had its fair share of success stories. However, to utilize the Act in this manner, for a species that is non-native and invasive, would be counterproductive to the original purpose of the Act and consume much-needed resources for truly perilous species.
“While this may be a highly emotional issue for some groups, the science plainly shows that the condition of our rangelands deteriorates where wild horses and burros overpopulate an area. The Endangered Species Act is not the vehicle to manage feral horses and burros.
Learn more in the USCA news release online.
Perdue Commits to One Federal Decision Framework
for Environmental Reviews and Permits
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue April 9 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with other President Donald Trump administration cabinet secretaries and leaders of federal agencies, committing to following the President’s One Federal Decision framework for processing environmental reviews and permits for major infrastructure projects. Under the direction of Trump, One Federal Decision will drive infrastructure projects to meet environmental standards, but complete the review and permitting process in a reasonable amount of time.
“This MOU will eliminate the potential for conflicting decisions, so that project sponsors don’t get one answer from agency and another answer from another agency. In agriculture, we’ve gotten some of those mixed signals before, and they’re very frustrating,” Perdue said. “President Trump is making good on his promise to free our economy from needless regulations and bureaucratic delays, and One Federal Decision is another example.”
Many of the major projects the USDA is involved in can be very complex and require input and decisions from many other federal agencies. Projects like the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipelines, which require extensive research and inter-agency coordination, are challenging under the old system.
Read more of this USDA news release online.
Grazing School Set for May 9-10 in Osceola
St. Clair County Soil and Water Conservation District, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, University of Missouri (MU) Extension, and Missouri Forage and Grassland Council will host a school on management-intensive grazing (MiG) May 9-10 in Osceola.
“This school should help livestock producers cut costs in their operation through better livestock, grazing and pasture management,” said MU Extension livestock specialist Patrick Davis.
Topics include development, management and economics of grazing and livestock management within a grazing system. There will be a tour of grazing systems at the John and Thomas Stewart farms near Lowry City.
Those who attend all of the sessions may participate in SWCD’s planned grazing system cost-share program, said Davis. “Furthermore, by attending the school it gives a better chance to participate in NRCS EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program), which provides incentives for implemented soil and water conservation practices,” he said.
Cost is $120 per person or $140 per couple sharing materials. Registration fee covers refreshments, meals and materials. Register and pay by April 30. No refunds will be made after the April 30 deadline.
For more information please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events.
Editor’s Note: The articles used within this site represent a mixture of copyrights. If you would like to reprint or repost an article, you must first request permission of Angus Productions Inc. (API) by contacting the editor at 816-383-5200; 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506. API claims copyright to this web site as presented. We welcome educational venues and cattlemen to link to this site as a service to their audience.