News Update

Industry Events
March 8, 2007

MU Thompson Farm beef workshop
March 13, Spickard, Mo.

A nutrition and reproduction workshop will take place at the University of Missouri (MU) Thompson Farm at 4:30 p.m., March 13.

The session will cover recent advances in beef breeding research conducted at the farm. The farm is part of the MU Agricultural Experiment Station.

David Patterson, MU Extension beef specialist, will tell of recent successes in synchronizing cows and heifers to be artificially inseminated (AIed) in one day. The technique reduces labor required for AI breeding.

Daniel Schafer of MFA’s livestock division, Columbia, will report on the value of using proven sires in AI breeding. Schafer conducted research at MU Thompson Farm and other Missouri research herds. Chris Zumbrunnen, a regional livestock specialist based in Milan, Mo., will discuss using ethanol byproducts as supplemental feed for cows on winter pastures. In addition, Joe Koenen, MU Extension farm business specialist, Unionville, will discuss beef-cow economics.

The program will run from 4:30 to 8 p.m., with dinner at 6 p.m. The program is free; however, advanced registration is required. To register call Tamie Carr at (660) 895-5121 at the MU Forage Systems Research Center in Linneus, Mo.

The MU Thompson Farm is located seven miles west of Spickard at the end of Highway C in northwest Grundy County.

Outreach Seminars continue in March and April
Clemson, S.C.; Rochester, Minn.; Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa.; East Lansing, Mich.; and Reno, Nev.

The Association continues its series of Outreach Seminars.

An Outreach Seminar is set for March 16 in Clemson, S.C. The seminar begins at 3 p.m., and precedes the South Carolina Angus Association Annual Meeting and Banquet.

March 20 will be the date of the Outreach Seminar in Rochester, Minn. To be conducted just prior to the Minnesota Angus Association Annual Meeting, the seminar will begin at noon at the Holiday Inn South. A light lunch will be provided.

An Outreach Seminar will begin at 9 a.m. March 30 at the Penn State Livestock Evaluation Center, Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa., prior to the Pennsylvania Performance-Tested Bull Sale.

On Saturday, April 14, a seminar will be conducted in East Lansing, Mich., as part of the Michigan Angus Association’s Educational Day. Educational Day activities begin at 10 a.m., with the Outreach Seminar starting at 1 p.m., in Michigan State University’s Anthony Hall.

Association staff will also conduct an Outreach Seminar in Reno, Nev. The Seminar will be at 6 p.m. April 28 at John Ascauga’s Nugget.

Outreach Seminars last about two hours and allow the membership to interact with staff. Watch for additional times and locations at www.angus.org.

Calf care workshop
March 20-21, Wooster, Ohio

Livestock producers looking to brush up on their calf-rearing skills have the opportunity to attend an Ohio State University (OSU) calf care and management workshop.

The Neonatal Calf Care and Management Workshop II will be March 20-21 at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) in Wooster, Ohio.

Topics of discussion will include diagnosis, treatment and prevention of calfhood diseases, assessing calf health, dehydration and fluid therapy, nutrition and growth, hygiene, and managing the calf enterprise. The workshop will include lab work, roundtable discussions and an optional evening session on March 20.

The workshop is sponsored by the Extension Center at Wooster, Veterinary Preventive Medicine, and the OSU Department of Animal Sciences.

Registration is $190 per person and includes resource materials, weigh tapes, growth charts, two sets of disposable coveralls, booths and gloves for lab work, lab supplies, lunches and refreshments. Registration is $155 for those who participated in the 2006 workshops. Be sure to bring your reference notebook. Registration is $155 per additional person. A $10 discounted rate is available for Ohio Dairy Producers Association members. The workshop will take place from 9:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 20 and from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 21.

For more information or to register, contact Dianne Shoemaker at (330) 257-3377, or shoemaker.3@osu.edu, or log on to http://dairy.osu.edu. The registration deadline is March 16, or until the workshop is full.

Farm Pond Management Workshop
March 22, San Antonio, Texas

The Texas Cooperative Extension for Bexar County will present a free farm pond management workshop from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. March 22 at Palo Alto College, 1400 West Villaret in San Antonio.

“Farm Pond Management — A to Z” will be presented in Room 100B of the college’s Performing Arts building, with registration beginning at 6 p.m. Program topics will include a farm pond introduction and overview, requirements for maintaining a farm pond, stocking rates and fish management, aquatic weed and brush control, and the benefits of managing a farm pond. Two general continuing education units will be offered to workshop attendees.

For more information and to RSVP, call Diarte at the Bexar County Extension office at (210) 467-6575. The deadline is March 19. Attendees requiring auxiliary aids, services or special accommodations due to a disability are requested to contact the Extension office at least seven days prior to the workshop.

R-CALF USA regional meetings
March 24, April 7; Kansas City, Mo.; Columbia, Tenn.

Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) will host a series of regional meetings during the next few weeks to discuss and examine R-CALF USA membership policies and the overall direction of the organization. All R-CALF USA members, affiliates, associates and regional directors are invited.

A meeting is scheduled for March 24, beginning at 2 p.m., in Kansas City, Mo., at the Embassy Suites Hotel Kansas City International Airport. For reservations call Embassy Suites at 1-800-362-2779.

Another meeting is scheduled for April 7, beginning at 2 p.m., in Columbia, Tenn., at Destiny Angus Farm, 40 minutes south of Nashville. RSVP to Brian or Laura Hutchins at (931) 540-0001, or destinyangusfarm@yahoo.com. For overnight accommodations in the area, call Comfort Inn at (931) 388-2500, where rooms are $69.99 plus tax; the Holiday Inn Express at (931) 380-1227, where rooms start at $79 plus tax; or the Hampton Inn at (931) 540-1222, which has a room rate of $86 plus tax.

NIAA annual meeting
April 2-5, Sacramento, Calif.

Two outstanding experts, one on biofuels and the other on foodborne illnesses, will open and close the annual meeting of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) in Sacramento, Calif., at the Hyatt Regency.

The theme of the opening general session will be “BioFuels Energy: Animal Agriculture at the Crossroads,” and the annual meeting will close with a special symposium themed “Impacts of Animal Production Safety Practices on the Food Supply.” Following the symposium a special tour is scheduled for the Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of California, Davis.

An updated schedule of events and speakers is listed on the NIAA web site at www.animalagriculture.org. Registration is available online or via fax or mail.

The early registration deadline is March 16, and NIAA member discounts are available. A block of rooms is reserved at The Hyatt Regency Sacramento, at the special nightly rate of $105 for single or double occupancy. Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-233-1234. When making reservations, verify the rate and advise the reservation department that you are with the NIAA annual meeting. More information is available at www.animalagriculture.org.

Personnel Management Seminar
April 3-4, Lubbock, Texas

The two-day conference designed to help agriculture human resource managers will take place at the Ashmore Inn in Lubbock.

The conference, titled “Effective Employee Management in Agribusiness,” will feature experts from around the country who will address the issues of hiring, retaining and disciplining employees. Topics will also include issues with a multi-cultural workforce.

Registration is $125 per person, and $100 for each additional registrant from the same operation if postmarked by March 19. After March 19, the registration fee is $150 per person.

For a registration form, visit http://mastermarketer.tamu.edu. Make checks payable to: TEEF Acct. #8200, and mail to Personnel Management Conference, Box 946, College Station, TX 77841-0946. Contact Margaret Freeman at (806) 677-5600 for more information.

Food composition, consumer health, public policy conference
April 9-11, Berkeley, Calif.

The conference, organized by the Farm Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS), will focus on how agriculture and food policies influence market forces, food product composition and consumer health.

The event, titled “Food Product Composition, Consumer Health and Public Policy,” will be at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, Calif. Program, registration, and hotel information is available at the Farm Foundation web site, at www.farmfoundation.org/projects/07-24FoodProductComposition.htm.

For more information, contact Walt Armbruster, Farm Foundation, Walt@farmfoundation.org; or Elise Golan, ERS, egolan@ers.usda.gov.

KARL applications being accepted
through April 15, Manhattan, Kan.

Officials of the Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership (KARL) program have announced that applications close April 15 for those interested in participating in the 2007-2009 Class IX.

The two-year program, which includes state, national and international tours, begins in August with a weekend retreat. Eligibility is based on leadership experience and a devotion to the future of agriculture and rural communities in Kansas.

Applicants must complete a profile form that will be reviewed by KARL’s board of directors. An online application is available at www.karlprogram.com, or interested persons may request an application by calling the KARL office at (785) 532-6300.

Applicants will undergo a screening process to select up to 45 candidates who will then be invited for personal interviews in May. The ninth class of 30 members will be named in June. Each class consists of 30 individuals. The tuition fee for participants is $1,250 per year, or a total of $2,500. KARL donors pay for the remainder of the experience, which is valued at $12,500 per person.

Visit www.karlprogram.com for more information about the program and seminar details.

For more information, including how to donate to KARL Inc., the not-for-profit organization that oversees the KARL Program, interested persons may contact the program’s main office on the Kansas State University campus at (785) 532-6300.