News Update
Sept. 21, 2010

Cattlemen’s Boot Camp Planned

The American Angus Association and The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation will host the next Cattlemen’s Boot Camp Nov. 29-30 in Ardmore, Okla.

The popular event, which is sponsored by the Angus Foundation, is geared toward both beginning and veteran producers and will include 11/2 days of speakers, educational materials and hands-on labs.

Cattlemen’s Boot Camps are open to all cattle producers and feature Association, academia and industry experts presenting a variety of topics.

Minnie Lou Bradley of Bradley 3 Ranch in Memphis, Texas, will begin Monday’s presentations by discussing business mentality in the beef industry. The Noble Foundation’s Clay Wright will then speak about reproductive performance, while Deke Alkire will discuss optimal cow herd nutrition. Read more.

American Angus Auxiliary to Meet in Louisville

The American Angus Auxiliary is planning its annual meeting and activities in conjunction with the 127th annual meeting of the American Angus Association and the 2010 Super-Point Roll of Victory (ROV) Angus Show in Louisville, Ky., Nov. 13-15. The Auxiliary will begin activities on Saturday, Nov. 13, at 3 p.m., with the Annual meeting, election of officers and announcement of new regional directors at the Crowne Plaza-Airport.

All Angus enthusiasts are invited to attend the popular and entertaining American Angus Auxiliary Breakfast on Sunday, Nov. 14, 8 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza. Tickets are required and can be purchased at the Angus registration desk. A limited number of tickets are available and reservations are requested; e-mail reservations to the Auxiliary secretary-treasurer Anne Lampe at alampe@wbsnet.org or phone 620-874-4273.

Auxiliary president Kathi Creamer will host a reception for all members and ladies interested in learning more about the Auxiliary on Sunday afternoon from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the President’s Suite.

Later on Sunday, take in the speeches given by the five young women selected from outstanding scholarship applicants vying for the title of Miss American Angus. The speech portion of the Miss American Angus contest is open to the public as is the crowning of the 2011 Miss American Angus on Monday, Nov. 15, just prior to the selection of the champion Angus bull at the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE).

For more information on the American Angus Auxiliary and its programs visit www.angusauxiliary.com. 

Virginia Angus Association’s 72nd Annual Spotlight Show and Sale

The Virginia Angus Association will host the 72nd Annual Spotlight Show and Sale this Saturday, Sept. 25, at McConnell Angus Farm in Somerset, Va. Cattle will be available for viewing starting at 9 a.m. The Spotlight Show begins at 10 a.m. A Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) ribeye lunch will be served at 11 a.m., and the sale will start at noon. The sale will feature 46 lots, including heifer pregnancies, show prospects, open/yearling heifers, fall- and spring bred heifers, fall- and spring bred cows, fall and spring cow-calf pairs, and embryos.

Directions to the sale: The GPS address is 10074 High Point Rd., Somerset, VA 22972.

From points north (Washington, D.C.), take Route 29 South to Route 15 South. Turn right onto Route 20 South. The farm is on the left just past Montpelier.

From points south (Richmond), take I-64 West to Zion Crossroads exit, which is Route 15 North. Follow Route 15 North to the town of Orange and make a left onto Route 20 South. Farm is on the left just past Montpelier.

If you have any questions please contact Felicia G. Roberts at Virginia Angus at 540-337-3001.

— Release by Virginia Angus Association.

Dakota Feeder Calf Show Set for Oct. 16

The North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension Service is partnering with the Dakota Feeder Calf Show to offer cattle producers an opportunity to explore possibilities for retaining ownership of cattle beyond the cow-calf phase of production.

The 12th annual Dakota Feeder Calf Show and Feedout is set for Saturday, Oct.16, in Turtle Lake. Cattle will be accepted at the weighing station before 11 a.m., then exhibited. Spring-born steer calves consigned to the Dakota Feeder Calf Show and Feedout then will be fed to market weight at the NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center feedlot.

“When cattle prices are low or high, it’s important to know how well your cattle perform through the market chain,” says Karl Hoppe, Extension livestock specialist at the Carrington Research Extension Center. “This cattle feedout project will give producers information on how their calves perform in the feedyard and on the calves’ ultimate carcass value.”

The feedout is a low-risk way of learning about these options with three or four calves instead of 100, he adds. Also, cattle producers have used the feeding and carcass information to select bulls that will improve the feedlot value of their calves.

During last year’s feedout, the calves gained an average of 652 pounds (lb.) in 199 days, with a total feeding cost (excluding interest) of 55.4 cents per pound of gain. The average sale weight was 1,277 lb. The calves were fed with a market weight breakeven of $75.79 per hundredweight.

“It’s the variation among cattle that makes this project educational,” Hoppe says.

In the 2009-10 feedout, the spread in net return per head between the average of the top five herds and average of the bottom five herds was $129.82. The top profiting herd made $411.90 per head, while the bottom herd made $166.31 per head. Weight gain per day of age was 3.65 lb. for the top profiting herd and 2.86 lb. for the bottom herd.

“Small differences in production have a huge impact on profit,” Hoppe says.

Feedout project staff will gather data on rate of gain, feed conversion and other characteristics during the trial. After the calves are marketed, the staff will collect and provide information to the entrants on carcass weight, meat quality and value.

Producers will be assessed an entry fee of $15 per calf. Dakota Feeder Calf Show officials will present $2,500 in awards to producers at the end of the trial.

For more information or to preregister calves, contact Hoppe at 701-652-2951; Darwin Chesrown, Turtle Lake Farmers Union Oil, at 701-448-2356; Teresa Presser, Bank of Turtle Lake, at 701-448- 2323; or Pat Carpentier, McLean County Extension, at 701-462- 8541, ext. 208.

Cattle may be registered the day of the show, but the feedout is limited to 160 head.

— Release by NDSU Agriculture Communication.

—Compiled by Mathew Elliott, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.