News Update
October 31, 2011
I Am Angus Offers Viewers a Real Treat Tonight, Oct. 31
The American Angus Association is launching its season of I Am Angus programs with a broadcast at 8 p.m. EST Halloween night, Oct. 31. The hour-long documentary celebrates the history and legacy of the Chicago Stockyards and the Chicago International.
“Much of the history of Chicago — and its influence on the U.S. beef industry — has been forgotten,” says Eric Grant, Association director of communications and public relations. “The personal stories we’ll share in this episode shed light on why the city played such a pivotal role in shaping agriculture as we know it.”
The Oct. 31 program features the following people:
- Patrick “Pat” Goggins, Billings, Mont., auctioneer, rancher and livestock marketer. Click here to view more information about Goggins, who will be inducted into the Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery this fall in Louisville, Ky. The Saddle & Sirloin Gallery was originally founded in Chicago more than a century ago.
- Ron “Jim” Geddes, Clark, Mo., a rancher and herdsman of several prestigious Angus farms, shares his memories of riding the rails across the country alongside prize-winning Angus show cattle.
- Loyal Alumnus IV, the 1941 International Livestock Exposition Supreme Champion Steer, raised and shown by Purdue University.
- Taso TzoTzolis and Jessy Rodriguez, Cermak Fresh Market, Chicago, Ill., retailers who explain their recent success with the Certified Angus Beef® brand.
- Brian McCulloh, Woodhill Farms, Viroqua, Wis., and why he uses the Igenity® Profile for Angus to reduce risk and improve accuracy in his breeding decisions.
- Richard Halstead, Evanston, Ill., Saddle & Sirloin Gallery portrait artist, shares his thoughts on the importance of the livestock industry and why he enjoys painting portraits of livestock leaders.
- Richard Lindberg, Chicago, Ill., historian and author, explores the history of Chicago Union Stockyards and the rise of the meatpacking industry, and examines how the Chicago experience continues to shape American society.
- Caryl Velisek, Frederick, Md., author of I Studied to be an Opera Singer, but I Married a Cowboy, voices her memories of the Chicago International Livestock Exposition.
The program is sponsored by the Igenity Profile for Angus and will air at 8 p.m. EST Oct. 31 on RFD-TV. RFD-TV is distributed by more than 625 cable operators, and can be found on DirecTV channel 345 and Dish Network channel 231. Check local listings for more information.
Subsequent programs are planned for Nov. 21, Dec. 19 and Jan. 2. February and March 2012 broadcast dates will be announced later this winter.
For more information or to watch segments from past shows, visit http://www.angus.org.
Record Number to Attend 2011 AFA Leaders Conference
More than 500 exceptional college students from across the nation will gather in Kansas City, Mo., Nov. 3-6, for the 15th annual Agriculture Future of America (AFA) Leaders Conference. This four-day leader training and networking experience provides college men and women pursuing agriculture degrees the opportunity to prepare themselves for the workplace while increasing their knowledge of the agriculture industry.
This year’s theme, “My Piece. My Place. Our Future.” demonstrates how young leaders will have to develop and strengthen their own skills, while collectively working together to shape the agriculture industry. Through academic preparation and industry involvement, each student must discover his or her own place within the vast puzzle that is agriculture.
The three tracks of AFA Leaders Conference provide participants with unique opportunities in personal and professional development. Freshmen focus on personal assessment in Track 1, while sophomores and juniors develop their communication skills in Track 2. Track 3, designed for seniors, centers around managing change and living and working in today’s global market.
More than 100 nationally recognized leaders in agriculture, business, government and education facilitate sessions of AFA Leaders Conference. Delegates engage in discussions and workshops to enhance their knowledge of personal finance, presentation skills, communicating in the work place, accepting a job offer and more.
An integral part of the AFA Leaders Conference, the AFA Opportunity Fair, allows students to connect with more than 60 organizations and businesses to discuss internship, full-time employment, graduate school and study abroad opportunities. Delegates, who represent more than 37 states and 70 colleges and universities, studying in more than 100 different majors and degree programs, also build peer-to-peer networks and share their vision of the agriculture industry.
The annual Leader in Agriculture Award Dinner, to be Friday, Nov. 4, will bring together nearly 900 global leaders, students and supporters of agriculture. AFA annually selects two people who have a record of supporting career and leader development for young men and women for the Leader in Agriculture Award. This year’s winners, Paul Engler, founder of Cactus Feeders, and Sara Wyant, founder of AgriPulse, will be recognized for their accomplishments at the dinner.
More information about the 2011 AFA Leaders Conference can be found at www.agfuture.org/2011conference.
Field Days to Explore Potential of Winter Canola in
North Central Kansas
Winter canola is becoming popular in southern Kansas as a profitable cool-season rotation crop, but there are some questions about the adaptability of winter canola to north central Kansas, said Mike Stamm, Kansas State University (K-State) Research and Extension canola breeder.
To explore the potential of this new alternative crop in north central Kansas, K-State Research and Extension, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA), has initiated a risk management education program this year, Stamm said. As part of this program, two on-farm demonstration field days will be offered Friday, Nov. 4.
The first field day will begin at 8 a.m. at the farms of David Bell and Alfred Aufdemberge near Lincoln. Producers can look at winter canola that was drilled into both burned wheat stubble and a stale seedbed.
The second field day will begin at 11 a.m. at the Dean Elvin farm near Marquette. At this field day, producers can see 24 commercial winter canola cultivars, including conventional and Roundup® Ready varieties and hybrids. The winter canola seeded around the plot was drilled into burned wheat stubble.
At both field days, Stamm will explain many aspects of canola production.
These field days are free and open to the public. This is part of a joint program between K-State Research and Extension and USDA-RMA titled “Promoting and Disseminating Good Farming Practices and Risk Management Education for Winter Canola to Farmers and Ranchers in the Topeka, Kansas, RMA Region.” Financial support is provided by the USDA-RMA. For more information, including directions to each farm, click here to see the entire release in API’s Virtual Library Calendar of Upcoming Events.
AgriLife Extension Program to Discuss Managing Feed Resources During Drought
The Texas AgriLife Extension Service office in Potter County will present “Managing Feed Resources During a Drought” at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 10.
“This program will be tailored to the needs of the producers present and it will be very interactive,” said Brandon Boughen, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Potter County. “Come get answers to your personal concerns and ideas for reducing feeding costs this winter.”
Registration is $10 per person. It will be at the AgriLife Extension office for Potter County, 3301 E.10th Ave. in Amarillo.
Ted McCollum, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist in Amarillo, will be presenting information on nutrient content of forage, utilizing supplements during drought conditions and winter feeding management, Boughen said.
Those planning to attend are asked to preregister by Nov. 9 by calling the AgriLife Extension office in Potter County at 806-373-0713.
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