News Update
January 14, 2013
Make Plans to Attend Angus Night on the Mountain II
The Angus Foundation, 2013 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) host committee and Spruce Mountain Ranch of Larkspur, Colo., invite you to once again take part in an evening of fun, all while raising money to benefit the future of the Angus breed. Angus Night on the Mountain II, hosted and underwritten by Tom and Lois Ames at their beautiful Spruce Mountain Ranch on Jan. 16, is shaping up to be another wonderful event Angus enthusiasts will not want to miss!
Spruce Mountain Ranch, located in Larkspur, is just a short drive south of Denver and provides a great location to host an event during the National Western Stock Show (NWSS). The event is free and open to anyone, with transportation provided by Spruce Mountain Ranch. Buses will pick up attendees at the Denver Marriott City Center Hotel and NWSS starting at 5:30 p.m., and following the NWSS Angus Bull Sale. Spruce Mountain Ranch will provide the bus transportation to and from the ranch; however, the ranch will be open beginning at 3 p.m. for those who would like to drive out early and see the ranch and cattle before dinner begins at 7 p.m.
To find out more and learn about the packages that will be offered at this event, click here.
Connealy Angus Donates 2013 Angus Foundation Heifer
While at the National Western Stock Show (NWSS), don't miss the annual Angus Foundation Heifer Package auction. Connealy Angus, Whitman, Neb., is donating the 2013 Angus Foundation Heifer, to sell Jan. 16, 3:30 p.m., at the NWSS Beef Palace Auction Arena.
The Connealys are offering the buyer of the 2013 Angus Foundation Heifer the pick of their 2012 spring crop of elite heifer calves. No heifers from this group will be sold until the buyer has chosen a heifer. Interested buyers can preview the American Angus Association EPDs, which can aid them in their selection considerations in making the “pick” from this elite set of Connealy Angus heifers. Igenity DNA test results will be made available on the heifers in the next several weeks.
More information about this exciting fundraising package can be viewed here.
Artificial Insemination School at the
Calhoun Stockyards in Georgia
The ABS Global AI Management School March 8-10 offers students the opportunity to learn AI techniques and herd management under skilled supervision. The curriculum includes anatomy and reproduction; reproduction and fertility; heat detection; nutrition; principles of genetics and sire selection; herd management success; proper semen placement; and insemination practice. Also, synchronization of beef cattle and planned breeding of dairy heifers will be introduced. This is a comprehensive course consisting of 24 hours of instruction: 14 hours in the classroom at the Calhoun, Ga., Stockyards Indoor Sale Arena and 10 hours in lab in the Calhoun Stockyards holding pens working with cattle. Class times will be 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
The registration fee is $350 for adults and $300 for college and high school students. This covers the cost of supplies and practice cows used at the school. This program is limited to 15 students in order to ensure as much one-to-one help during practice as possible. Therefore, registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. We offer a discount on the 2nd or 3rd attendee from the same family or farm operation.
For more information contact Allen Southard at 678-617-2945 or Chris Franklin 706-263-2008, or by email: chris@feonow.com.
Beef Sire Selection and Management Seminar Scheduled for Feb. 6
Just as cattle prices signaled the cow-calf sector to stabilize and move toward expansion, two consecutive years of drought have driven cow numbers down to record lows. If rainfall levels move back toward normal, demand for breeding stock will likely skyrocket as producers restock their once drought-stricken pastures.
Selecting the right genetics and buying the correct bull will affect the level of premiums received for cattle. Understanding the traits that will best fit the market in years to come could position a cattleman to see large profits.
The annual Beef Sire Selection and Management Seminar will equip producers with the knowledge and management strategies to increase profits. The meeting will be hosted at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Ill., Feb. 6 in Menard Hall, room 2207, on the second floor. It will start at 4:45 p.m. and finish at 8 p.m.
“The program covers important information that producers can directly implement and turn into dollars in their pocket,” said Travis Meteer, a beef extension educator with the University of Illinois.
“The current industry dynamic is set up for the cow-calf producer to see increased profit potential due to strong demand for breeding stock, as well as feeder calves,” he continued. “Genetics will play a big role in determining to what extent producers can take advantage of this scenario.”
For more information and the full release, click here.
K-State Study Showcases Beef Quality Assessment Tool
A recent study by the Kansas State University (K-State) Beef Cattle Institute (BCI) indicated that most Kansas feedlots are handling cattle in a low stress, humane manner and have protocols in place designed to ensure beef safety.
“Last year the Beef Cattle Institute and the Kansas Beef Council partnered to host seven meetings across the state which resulted in nearly 1,200 beef producers and veterinarians becoming Beef Quality Assurance certified,” said Dan Thomson, professor in K-State’s College of Veterinary Medicine and director of the BCI.
During the sessions, participants were trained in areas of low-stress cattle handling, antibiotic residue avoidance, cattle comfort, food safety, downed animal care, preconditioning practices and other areas of feedlot, cow-calf and stocker cattle production. The participants also took part in a necropsy wet lab which led to discussions on disease control and treatment programs for cattle.
“This program has developed into an annual event and we are already planning the sessions and locations for next summer. We are very thankful for the support and partnership with the Kansas Beef Council and the Kansas Livestock Association,” said Thomson, who serves as the animal welfare adviser to McDonald’s and the Food Marketing Institute and has chaired the World Organization for Animal Health’s Beef Cattle Production and Animal Welfare Committee.
Training of individuals on best management practices in the beef industry is a focus of the BCI. After the training sessions, a team of scientists and graduate students from K-State’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Department of Animal Sciences and Industry conducted a follow-up “on farm” assessment of animal welfare and food safety practices on Kansas feedlots.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Temple Grandin is Heuermann Lecturer Jan. 15
“Improving Animal Welfare and Communication with the Public” will be the topic when Temple Grandin, animal sciences professor at Colorado State University and a world leader in understanding animal behavior and designing livestock handling facilities, is the Heuermann Lecturer Jan. 15.
Her 7 p.m. lecture in the Hardin Hall auditorium on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln East Campus, 33rd and Holdrege, is free. A short reception follows the lecture.
Grandin has had a major impact on the meat and livestock industries worldwide through her research, development and outreach on use of low-stress, behavior-based livestock handling techniques and design of animal handling facilities.
Half the cattle in the U.S. and Canada are handled in equipment she has designed for meat plants. Her other professional activities include developing animal welfare guidelines for the meat industry, and consulting with McDonalds, Wendy’s International, Burger King and other companies on animal welfare.
She is the author of numerous articles and 10 books, including “Livestock Handling and Transport” and “Thinking in Pictures.”
For more information and the full release, click here.
K-State Animal Sciences Leadership Academy
Planned for June 5-8
Kansas State University (K-State) will host the Fifth Annual K-State Animal Sciences Leadership Academy June 5-8 for young livestock industry leaders in Kansas.
The program, hosted by the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, focuses on increasing participants’ knowledge of the Kansas livestock industry, as well as enhancing leadership skills.
Twenty high school students will be selected to participate, based on educational, community and agricultural involvement. Students will stay in campus housing and receive training in Weber Hall, as well as tour the university’s animal science facilities and Kansas livestock businesses.
Students must apply by Friday, March 15. Candidates have to be enrolled in high school and able to participate in the entire academy.
The academy’s sponsor is the Livestock and Meat Industry Council, a nonprofit organization focused on education and research to improve global competitiveness and efficiency of animal and food production.
More information, including registration forms, is available by clicking here.
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