News Update
November 26, 2012
Outstanding Angus Leader,
Roll of Victory (ROV) Winners Named
The American Angus Association honored outstanding Angus leaders Monday, Nov. 12, during its Annual Awards Banquet in conjunction with North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) events in Louisville, Ky.
Five Angus Heritage Foundation inductees and two Century Award recipients were honored, in addition to the 2012 Barbara Smalstig Outstanding Leadership Award Winner; Roll of Victory (ROV) Show Heifer of the Year; ROV Show Bull of the Year; and ROV Breeder of the Year.
A complete list of winners can be found by clicking here.
CME, National Cattlemen’s Foundation
Recognize 10 Future Beef Leaders
Ten scholarships of $1,500 each are being awarded to outstanding students studying for a future in the beef industry. The awards are sponsored by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) in cooperation with the National Cattlemen’s Foundation (NCF) to graduating high school seniors or full-time undergraduate students enrolled at two-year or four-year institutions for the 2013-2014 school year.
Deadline for scholarship applications is Dec. 14, 2012.
Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to a career in the beef industry through classes, internships or life experiences. Fields of study for potential scholarship recipients must be related to the beef industry and may include education, communications, production, research or other appropriate areas. Chairman of the NCF board of trustees John Lacey said the scholarship program helps the industry build stronger industry leaders for the future.
“The future of the beef industry is represented in students who are studying to be a part of it,” said Lacey, a beef producer from Paso Robles, Calif. “These scholarships support the work of students dedicating their education to keeping the industry viable. We thank CME for demonstrating its commitment to the beef industry through these National Cattlemen’s Foundation scholarships.”
All submissions for the 2013-2014 CME NCF Scholarship must be postmarked or received via email or fax by Dec. 14, 2012. Applicants must be members of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. To download the scholarship application online, click here. To have an application sent to you, or for more information, contact Sue Dolph at sdolph@beef.org.
Post 2012 Election: Farm Bill and the Fiscal Cliff
With the election of 2012 over, it may be a good thing that the forthcoming debate over the so-called fiscal cliff of automatic budget cuts and tax increases coincides with the ongoing debate over the farm bill, an Ohio State University farm policy expert said.
The debate over the 2012 Farm Bill involves many aspects of the broader policy discussions currently occurring in the United States, said Carl Zulauf, who is also a professor in Ohio State’s Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics.
In a paper written the day after the election, Zulauf said that while it is risky to simplify the policy environment in any country as large and diverse as the United States, “many issues confronting the U.S. at present can be viewed as a debate over the components, administration, and funding of a U.S. safety net modernized for the 21st century,” he said, noting health care.
“Debate is occurring over both the form and cost of the farm safety net, as well as whether the safety net should be delivered through private agents, (for example via) crop insurance, or via government agencies, (such as) the Farm Service Agency,” Zulauf said.
“While entirely speculative, it is possible that history may reveal that the 2012 Farm Bill ultimately served to inform the resolution of the policy issues surrounding the broader U.S. safety net for the 21st century.”
For more information and the full release, click here.
MO Department of Education Overlooks
Importance of Agricultural Education
The Missouri Cattlemen’s Association (MCA) is making cattle farmers and ranchers aware of changes that the Department of Education and Secondary Education (DESE) have proposed in a new version of the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP 5) that will impact career and technical education (CTE) courses in high schools. The changes have direct implications, according to MCA Executive Vice President Mike Deering, on agricultural education and FFA.
The new wording in MSIP 5, in comparison to MSIP 4, does not emphasize CTE and student organizations such as FFA. It is important that the wording be clarified to keep these programs strong in the state of Missouri.
“Agricultural education is critical to students across the state. Agricultural education in high schools serves as a starting place for the next generation who are expected to feed a growing global population,” said Deering. “It is important to make sure DESE understands that CTE courses should remain within our children’s curriculum.”
MCA is encouraging all cattlemen and cattlewomen to take action and submit a letter of concern as soon as possible. Comments must be postmarked by Nov. 30, 2012.
Comments can be sent to Margie Vandeven, assistant commissioner, Office of Quality Schools, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, P.O. Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0480.
Deficit Irrigation Management School Dec. 7 at Gothenburg
Irrigators whose water supply is limited by groundwater allocations or reduced surface water supplies can learn strategies and guidelines to manage their water by attending a deficit irrigation management workshop sponsored by the University of Nebraska Extension.
The Deficit Irrigation Management Workshop for Limited Annual and Multiyear Water Supplies is scheduled for Dec. 7 at the Monsanto Water Utilization Learning Center at Gothenburg, Neb., from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The learning center is on Highway 47 about 2 miles south of the Gothenburg Interstate 80 interchange.
There is a $25 registration fee, and preregistration is requested by Dec. 4 to allow for a lunch count.
To register, contact Chuck Burr, extension educator at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) West Central Research & Extension Center in North Platte, Neb., at 308-696-6740 (email chuck.burr@unl.edu); or extension educator Gary Stone at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff, Neb., at 308-632-1230 (email gstone2@unl.edu). A downloadable brochure with a registration form that can be printed, completed and returned also is available by clicking here.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Sector Representatives Elected to
USMEF Executive Committee
Three new sector representatives have been elected to the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) executive committee for three-year terms — one each from the beef/veal producing and feeding sector, the packing/processing sector and the purveying/trading sector.
The three new additions to the executive committee are Mark Boyd, director of export sales for Porky Products, who will represent the purveying/trading sector; Mark Gustafson, vice president of international sales for JBS USA, who will represent the packing/processing sector; and Kevin Kester, a fifth-generation rancher from Parkfield, Calif., who will represent the beef/veal producing and feeding sector.
Five at-large seats and one advisory seat on the executive committee remain to be filled by USMEF Chairman Steve Isaf.
“USMEF is fortunate to have so many outstanding candidates willing to serve, and these three new sector representatives bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the executive committee,” said USMEF President and CEO Philip Seng.
The USMEF executive committee consists of 21 members representing nine industry sectors: beef/veal producing and feeding, pork producing and feeding, lamb producing and feeding, packing and processing, purveying and trading, oilseeds producing, feedgrains producing, farm organizations, and supply and service organizations.
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