News Update

News Update
Oct. 31, 2006

‘Magic of the Vine’ Grosses $194,000 to Benefit the Angus Foundation

“The Magic of the Vine” Benefit Dinner and Auction, hosted by Jim and Sue Coleman of Vintage Angus Ranch Oct. 7, raised more than $194,000 in gross income to support the Angus Foundation’s education, youth and research initiatives.

Held at the Coleman’s home in Modesto, Calif., the event drew more than 250 Angus supporters from across the country who gathered to partake in fine dining, wine tasting, and live and silent auctions. The event also featured the premier of the Angus Foundation’s video, “The Future is in Your Hands.”

“In the spirit of giving, we are honored to welcome you to our home and host this event for the Angus Foundation,” Jim told event attendees. “Thanks to your support tonight, we will advance the future of the Angus breed by increasing the funds available to the Foundation’s education, youth and research programs.”

“The Angus Foundation will always owe a debt of gratitude to Jim and Sue Coleman for hosting this incredible event in the name of raising funds for our Angus Foundation,” Milford Jenkins, Angus Foundation president, said. “We are humbled by their generosity and philanthropy, which will allow the Angus Foundation to achieve even greater levels of funding for programs benefiting the Angus industry.”

With donated auction items ranging from art to jewelry, to exclusive trips to Angus collectibles, the live and silent auctions raised a combined $140,000.

Shining C Ranch, Ceres, Calif., purchased the top-selling item in the live auction for $18,000, a one-of-a-kind, custom-made Winchester 30-30 rifle donated by Camp Cooley Ranch, Franklin, Texas. Stan and Carol Thomas of Three Trees Ranch Inc., Sharpsburg, Ga., purchased the second high-selling item for $13,000, the No. 1 casting of “The Babysitter,” a bronze made especially for “The Magic of the Vine” by sculptor Harvey Rattey, Glendive, Mont.

The next high-seller was the No. 1/50 Gallo Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon double-magnum, an exclusive vintage in an engraved bottle featuring a hand-painted oil of Frank Champion Murphy’s “First Angus in the U.S.” Custom-made for the event and donated by the Coleman family and E. & J. Gallo Winery, the bottle of wine sold for $11,000 to Dick and Diane Beck, Red Lodge, Mont. Angus supporters purchased bottles No. 2-48/50 in a pre-event fundraiser that raised $24,000.

“We’re extremely grateful to the various Angus breeders and friends from across the country that supported the auction and other aspects of the event,” Jenkins said. “We also wish to express our appreciation to the dedicated team of volunteers who invested much of their personal time and efforts in making ‘The Magic of the Vine’ a success.”

The event steering committee was led by co-chairs Julie McMahon French, Beaverton, Mich., and Wynn Dalton Herbers, Gretna, Va., and included Sherry Danekas, Wilton, Calif.; Sara Stevenson, Hobson, Mont.; Jenni Beck, Red Lodge, Mont.; Betsie Michael, Staunton, Va.; Blanford Pierce, Creston, Ill.; Teresa Mrocka, Howell, Mich.; and Raymond Moore, Lufkin, Texas.

For more information about the Angus Foundation visit www.angusfoundation.org.

— by Meghan Richey, public relations assistant, Angus Foundation

S.D. Stockgrowers Host Area Meeting in Highmore

The South Dakota Stockgrowers Association (SDSGA) hopes local cattle producers will join them to discuss the latest cattle industry issues during an area meeting in Highmore, S.D., on Nov. 15.

According to SDSGA District 16 Director Marvin Jessen, Holabird, S.D., the meeting will be at the Highmore auditorium at 6:30 p.m. (CST). Refreshments will be served by the Harrold Steakettes. Jessen said that everyone is invited to attend (including ranchers, farmers, lenders, agency representatives, etc.) the meeting is not limited to SDSGA members.

Jessen says Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America’s (R-CALF USA’s) Checkoff Committee Chairman Jim Hanna, Brownlee Neb., will speak about the recent Beef Checkoff Task Force meetings he attended representing R-CALF.

Kenny Fox, Belvidere, S.D., SDSGA Animal Identification (ID) Committee Chairman, will discuss the Stockgrowers’ animal ID policy and their efforts to maintain simple, inexpensive animal ID options for producers.

“We hold area meetings around the state to give both members and non-members the chance to catch up on the latest happenings in the industry,” Jessen said. “It’s always fun to catch up with friends, and even better to make a new acquaintance.”

“As ranchers, we all seem to speak the same language. We are all affected by the swings in the market, the drought and other issues that seem to be out of our control,” he said. “But they are not all out of our control; we’ve learned that if we work together, we have the ability to make a difference in our industry.”

For more information, contact Carrie Stadheim at (605) 342-0429.

Short Courses Help Ag Producers Sharpen Marketing Plans

New insurance products, ethanol production and volatility in markets all play a role in agricultural marketing plans. Making the right decisions could mean thousands of dollars in the bottom line, according to a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist.

This year, the Advanced Topic Series, a part of Extension’s Master Marketer Educational System, consists of nine short courses designed to help producers get up-to-date information from experts, said Steve Amosson, Extension economist and project coordinator in Amarillo.

“There are a lot of specialized problems that producers have, and this is an opportunity to learn from the very best,” he said. “It gives producers the opportunity to have some face-to-face time with those folks and get the information they need to make informed decisions.”

The Advanced Topic Series, now in its fifth year, consists of one- and two-day short courses that combine lectures, small working groups and simulation exercises to help producers fully understand market dynamics, Amosson said.

Courses run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Registration is required one week prior to the course.

The 2006-2007 course schedule and costs are as follows.

Advanced Futures and Options, $125, Dec. 4-5, Nueces County Show Barn, Robstown.
Advanced Futures and Options, $125, Dec. 18-19, Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Amarillo.
Marketing Plan: Feed Grains, $125, Jan. 22-23, Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Amarillo.
Crop/Livestock Insurance, $75, Jan. 30, Hondo Community Center.
Marketing Plan: Cotton, $75, Feb. 7, Carson County Gin, White Deer.
Marketing Plan: Cotton, $75, Feb. 8, Moore County Gin, Etter.
Marketing Plan: Cotton, $75, Feb. 9, Hereford Community Center.
Crop/Livestock Insurance, $75, Feb. 26, Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Vernon.
Marketing Plan: Cotton, $75, March 27, College Station Conference Center.

For more information contact Amosson at (806) 677-5600 or Waller at (979) 845-1751, or any Extension economist or educator. A brochure and registration form can be found at http://mastermarketer.tamu.edu.

— release provided by Texas A&M University