News Update
June 18, 2013
Have Your Logo Permanently Displayed at the American Angus Association Headquarters
Recognition on the second granite planter in the Building an Angus legacy! project will be offered on Angus Trading Post July 1-11.
Angus enthusiasts have a second opportunity to have their brand or logo permanently engraved into a polished black granite planter at the American Angus Association headquarters’ front entrance by making their bids for this recognition at www.angustradingpost.com. The auction will close at 10 a.m. on July 11, and the winning bidder will be announced prior to the champion owned heifer drive at the National Junior Angus Show in Kansas City, Mo.
This planter is the second of four planters available, and recognition on the two remaining planters will be offered at a later date. The winning bidder for recognition on the second planter will have the opportunity to engrave a logo or brand on one face of the planter and text that includes a name, farm or ranch name, etc., on the face directly across from the brand or logo. The winning bidder will also be able to choose the location from the three location opportunities left for this second planter.
Wilma Minix, Black Witch Farm, Hoschton, Ga., purchased recognition on the first of the four planters, for $7,500.
Feel free to visit www.angusfoundation.org for more information and to order your pavers online, or call the Foundation at 816-383-5100.
Safeway Rancher’s Reserve Beef Donates Mobile Grilling Trailer To All-American Beef Battalion
Honoring more U.S. military personnel with steak dinners is now possible with a major donation from Safeway’s Rancher’s Reserve beef brand to the All American Beef Battalion, a Dodge City, Kan.-based nonprofit volunteer group that works to provide 18- to 20-ounce ribeye steak dinners to American service members and their families. Cargill is a major supplier to Safeway for its Rancher’s Reserve beef.
Safeway is donating a large mobile grilling unit valued at approximately $50,000, which contains nearly 1,800-cubic-feet of grilling space on wheels. The trailer is self-sufficient and can simultaneously grill approximately 60 steaks. From the kitchen prep space to the serving area, this grilling unit includes everything required to serve ribeye steaks to thousands of military personnel and their families.
For his achievements in support of U.S. military personnel, Bill Broadie, founder of the Battalion, was recognized at the recent National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) convention. There, Safeway staff members took note of Broadie and began the relationship. Additionally, BEEF magazine named Broadie its 2012 Trailblazer Award recipient for creating the All-American Beef Battalion.
Broadie’s passion for the beef industry, in addition to his experience as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps., inspired him to form the battalion. “I’ve been in the beef industry my entire life and I’m now 65,” said Broadie. “America has some of the greatest beef products in the world, and thanking our brave troops by providing steak dinners is a way to give them a little something back for their service to our nation.”
Since 2008, the Battalion has served steak dinners to approximately 170,000 military service members and their families. The Battalion consists of a core group of volunteer, primarily military veterans, from Kansas, and also includes volunteers from Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado.
“One hundred percent of the money the All-American Beef Battalion receives goes to our mission of providing steaks to our military personnel and their families,” explained Broadie.
For more information about the Battalion, visit steakfortroops.com.
NFU to Ag Committee Leadership: Continue to Defend PLC
National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson sent a letter today to U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture Chairman Frank Lucas and Ranking Member Collin Peterson, praising the existing Price Loss Coverage provisions in the committee’s version of the 2013 Farm Bill.
“NFU members believe strongly in the need for farm programs for two reasons: to provide assistance in times of disastrous yields or weather conditions and to protect against agricultural commodity price collapse,” said Johnson. “The version of the farm bill approved by the House Committee on Agriculture fulfills both of those needs, through a robust crop insurance program and the inclusion of meaningful reference prices through the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) option. PLC in particular is under repeated and unwarranted attack from members of Congress, the administration, and some outside interests who seem to have forgotten the conditions of the late 1990s after the failure of ‘Freedom to Farm’ policies that eliminated farm safety net protection against extremely low market prices.”
NFU argues that modifying PLC to establish a reference price based on a five-year Olympic average price, as some have suggested, would weaken the safety net as multiple years of lower prices would decrease the support prices to very low levels.
“PLC in its current form sets fixed reference prices well below the cost of production so as to provide some help in very tough times, but not guarantee profits,” said Johnson. “For example, PLC as proposed sets a corn reference price of $3.70 per bushel (bu.), while the 2012 average total cost of production for corn was $5.41 per bu. For soybeans, the reference price would be set at $8.40 per bu., but the 2012 average total cost of production was $10.03 bu.. For wheat, the reference price would be $5.50 per bu., while wheat’s 2012 average total cost of production was $6.77 per bu. In addition, the level of support set by PLC would not distort planting decisions since the program only triggers during market collapse.”
NFU opposes any efforts to undermine the integrity of either of those important farm safety net policies.
New Nitrogen Test, ‘Subsurfer’ Injector Among Highlights at Manure Science Review
Ohio State University’s 2013 Manure Science Review, an educational program for farmers, livestock managers, certified crop advisers, professional engineers and others, is Aug. 6 in north-central Ohio.
The program features talks and field demonstrations on applying and managing manure, improving soil and crop yields, and protecting water quality.
Ohio State’s Mary Wicks, who is helping organize the event, said the highlights will include the first demonstration in Ohio of the new “Subsurfer” applicator, which injects poultry litter and other solid manures into the soil without disturbing ground cover.
The program also features details on the new Nitrogen Potential Assessment Test for corn, which enables more accurate nutrient application while being unaffected by soil temperature and moisture.
More event information can be found at the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Oklahoma Women in Agriculture and Small Business Conference Set for Aug. 8-9
Oklahoma’s Statewide Women in Agriculture and Small Business Conference will take place Aug. 8-9 at the Moore-Norman Technology Center.
“The focus of the two-day conference is to assist women and producers to successfully manage risk for their agricultural enterprises or small businesses,” said Damona Doye, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension farm management specialist.
A number of concurrent sessions will be offered during the conference. Sessions will focus on a variety of high-profile topics about agriculture, alternative enterprises and business and finance. Participants will be able to attend sessions of most interest and value to them.
Keynote speakers are Jolene Brown, professional speaker, author and family business consultant, and Celeste Settrini, a media, graphics and communications expert and founder of Couture Cowgirl ‘n Co. Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Jim Reese will provide an opening welcome.
“Opportunities for informal networking between participants and interaction with conference experts often lead to personal and professional inspiration, ideas and solutions, as do the informational booths and women-owned businesses featured in the mini-mall,” Doye said.
Post-conference training features will include the Beef Quality Assurance Program, part of a national program that provides guidelines and best management practices for beef cattle production. It will take place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 9.
Cost is $50 per participant if registering by Aug. 1 and $60 thereafter. Registration includes two breakfasts, two lunches, all refreshment breaks, conference materials, post-conference training and a Taste of Oklahoma reception on Thursday evening, Aug. 8.
Registration forms and additional information are available at http://www.OKWomeninAgandSmallBusiness.com on the Internet, or by calling the OSU department of agricultural economics at 405-744-9826.
Additional information is available at the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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