News Update
June 6, 2013
Angus Youth Help Fight Hunger
at the 2013 NJAS
As many as 66,000 people each week are fed by Harvesters, a community food network in Kansas City. This summer, Angus youth are teaming up with the regional food bank by participating in a drive before and during the 2013 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) in Kansas City, Mo.
The food drive will have two phases: a virtual food drive and a canned/boxed food drive. The virtual food drive started May 15 and will continue until noon Central Wednesday, July 10. States can log on and donate money toward the purchase of meals for Harvesters. Each dollar donated equals five meals that Harvesters will be able to provide for those in need. The states that provide the most meals in the virtual food drive will be recognized during the NJAS awards ceremony. To donate for your state, please visit www.2013njas.harvesters.org.
The canned food drive will take place during the week of the show. The Missouri juniors are challenging exhibitors from each state to drop canned or boxed goods into Harvesters donation barrels. The goal is to fill up a Harvester truck that will be taken back to the warehouse and distributed through their vast network.
Harvesters work weekly with more than 620 nonprofit agencies. They provide food to those in need through emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, children’s homes, homes for the mentally disabled and shelters for battered persons. Adults and children age 8 or older can volunteer in the Harvesters warehouse in Kansas City any time during the show. For more information, contact Susan Rhode at 816-261-4821.
For a list of most-needed canned items and more information, view the full release here.
Download Angus Mobile Before the 2013 NJAS
Prior to arriving at the National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) in Kansas City, Mo., be sure and download the latest version of the Angus Mobile smartphone application. Angus Mobile allows users to keep up with events and have all of the latest Angus information at their fingertips.
“Members attending the 2013 NJAS and at home will have access to recent Angus news,” says Robin Ruff, director of junior activities, American Angus Association. “Full coverage of the show before and after will be accessible for all Angus enthusiasts.”
NJAS updates are available using Angus Mobile 2.0, and the app is free to anyone with a smartphone or tablet. Once the app is installed, the “events section” can be found under the “more tab” button at the bottom of the screen. Select the “National Junior Angus Show 2013” button and scroll through alerts, schedules, show results, maps, restaurants and more.
After the event is over, members can use the Angus Mobile app to help keep their Angus operations and news organized. The app offers tools such as a calving book and gestation calculator and serves as a direct link to the Association database in Saint Joseph, Mo. Also, the event section will be updated throughout the year to share coverage of other Angus events.
The Angus Mobile app is compatible with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S iPod touch (third generation and fourth generation), and iPad. It requires iOS 5.0 or later.
Riparian and Stream Ecosystem Workshop Set June 25
The Texas Riparian and Stream Ecosystem Education Program will present its first workshop in the Plum Creek watershed June 25 in Lockhart, said Nikki Dictson, Texas Water Resources Institute project manager and program coordinator, College Station. The no-cost educational program on how streams function and the role of vegetation in properly functioning stream systems will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at First Lockhart Baptist Church.
“Riparian education programs like this lead to informed landowners and members of the public more inclined to use practices that improve the management of riparian and stream ecosystems,” Dictson said. “Proper management, protection and restoration of these vital areas directly influences water quality and quantity, plus stabilizes stream banks, and improves fish and aquatic habitats, communities and more.”
Dictson said the workshop will include indoor classroom presentations by representatives from AgriLife Extension, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas A&M Forest Service, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Guadalupe-Blanco River Land Trust.
The workshop offers three continuing education units — two general and one integrated pest management — for Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide license holders. It offers one unit from the Texas Water Resources Institute, six hours for Texas Nutrient Management Planning specialists, six hours from the Texas Forestry Association, and 4.5 hours from the Society of American Foresters. The program is acceptable for health, safety and welfare credit from the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners and may also be used for continuing education units for professional engineers.
For more information, please view the full release here.
FY 2014 Beef Board Budget Approved
National checkoff leaders this week approved a Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) budget of about $40.7 million for fiscal year (FY) 2014, reflecting a 5.6% decrease from the FY 2013 amended budget, amid continued tight supplies and an expected slowing of cow slaughter.
The CBB Budget Committee, the Operating Committee, and the CBB Executive Committee each reviewed their respective portions of the proposed budget during separate conference calls on June 4. The budget is based on projected beef checkoff assessment revenues of $39 million in the coming year, down slightly from 2013. In addition, it incorporates an estimated $1.7 million in FY 2013 funds returned from programs coming in under budget for the current year, plus funds that the Operating Committee decided last September to carry over from FY 2013 revenues to counter the revenue decline expected in FY 2014.
As approved, the budget for the fiscal year running Oct. 1, 2013, through Sept. 30, 2014, includes more than $37.9 million for the Operating Committee — made up of 10 Beef Board members and 10 directors of the Federation of State Beef Councils — to assign for funding of national checkoff work plans from promotion, research, consumer information, industry information, foreign marketing and producer communications budget categories of the CBB budget. It also incorporates $2.8 million to fund a CBB administration and USDA oversight budget approved by the Executive Committee, as well as program development and evaluation expenses approved by the Operating Committee.
For more information, please view the full release here.
American Farmland Trust Supports
Thompson-Fortenberry Conservation Compliance Bill
American Farmland Trust (AFT) President Jon Scholl praised the introduction of H.R. 2260, The Crop Insurance Accountability Act of 2013, by Congressman Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) and Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.).
“AFT is pleased that Congressmen Thompson and Fortenberry are leading the effort to re-link conservation compliance with crop insurance premium assistance. Conservation compliance is a common-sense, reasonable policy that is good for the environment and good for farmers,” said Scholl.
The Senate version of the farm bill includes language that re-links conservation compliance with crop insurance premium assistance. Scholl said re-linking conservation compliance to crop insurance protects against soil erosion, preserves important wetlands and protects taxpayers’ investments in sound agricultural and conservation policy. Conservation compliance was de-coupled from crop insurance in 1996 and linked to the newly created direct payment program implemented that year.
“As the House of Representatives begins their work on the farm bill in the coming weeks, we look forward to working with them on this measure,” Scholl added.
NFU Supports USDA Initiatives that will
Help Farmers Adapt to Climate Change
National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement following U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s announcement that the USDA will establish seven “Regional Climate Hubs,” create new Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) climate adaptation tools for farmers, and create uniform cover-crop guidelines in an effort to help U.S. agriculture adapt to climate change:
“NFU applauds the administration’s effort to directly engage agricultural producers on solutions to addressing climate change. Changing weather patterns will lead to new threats such as floods, wildfires, the introduction of new pests and invasive species. It is crucial that the link between our producers and USDA remain strong so that farmers and ranchers have access to the best available information when making decisions on their land.”
Secretary Vilsack stated that, “by taking collaborative, regionally appropriate steps today to adapt to threats, USDA can help American agriculture continue its tremendous productivity in the years to come.” NFU has long believed that climate change is a significant threat to American agriculture, and more must be done to mitigate and adapt to the effects.
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