News Update
July 29, 2013
Angus Selects Youth Breed Ambassador
The National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) announces Maci Lienemann of Princeton, Neb., as the 2013-2014 Angus Ambassador, serving a one-year term as a spokesperson for the organization’s nearly 6,000 members at cattle industry events across the United States and Canada.
“Angus is known as the business breed because of all the potential the Association has to offer to cattlemen,” Lienemann says. “As the Angus Ambassador, I will hear other people’s stories from every sector of the industry, and possibly help someone get started in the Angus business, which will ultimately improve the sustainability of the nation’s cow herd.”
Lienemann, an animal science sophomore at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, was named the new Angus Ambassador during a competition held July 25 at the American Angus Association headquarters in Saint Joseph, Mo. Joining Lienemann in the group of top finalists were Emma Jumper, Paragould, Ark.; Jacob Steph, Tatum, Texas; and Jennifer Keyes, Springfield, Neb.
“The Angus Ambassador program is an excellent opportunity for Angus youth to represent our entire organization,” says Jaclyn Upperman, Association director of junior activities. “I have full confidence that all of our candidates have bright futures ahead, and we are fortunate to have these young people as part of our breed.”
A proud and passionate beef producer, Lienemann can trace her love for Angus cattle back to one of her earliest childhood memories: conducting cattle shows in her family’s living room. She started by helping her dad, Trevor Lienemann, around their family’s operation, Lienemann Cattle Company. When she was 10 years old, he paid her with her first Angus heifer. Since then, she has built her personal herd up to 20 registered-Angus cattle. She has also participated in numerous NJAA contests and events over the years.
For more information, please view the full release here.
NFU Signs Coalition Letter Supporting Competitive Rail Markets
National Farmers Union (NFU) was among a group of 37 organizations that sent a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation urging action to strengthen competition in the U.S. rail transportation market.
“Family farmers and ranchers — and the rural communities in which they live — need access to fair rates for rail shipments,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “NFU has long advocated for the protection of captive shippers, and federal regulators haven’t kept pace with an increasingly anti-competitive business climate for users of rail transportation.”
The top four shippers control 90% of freight rail service, and 78% of the 28,000 places where cargo is picked up have access to only one rail carrier. Not coincidentally, rail rates have increased two-and-a-half times more than both trucking rates and inflation.
The joint letter stated: “Lack of competition in the freight rail industry is hurting American manufacturers and producers. Importers frequently pay lower rates for transporting their foreign-made goods inside the United States than U.S. producers and manufacturers that often are dependent on a single railroad for service. Moreover, excessive domestic rail rates are making our exports less competitive in the world marketplace, cost American jobs and drive up the prices American consumers pay for a wide range of products from electricity to food. The nation needs a pro-competitive national freight rail transportation system to ensure fair prices and reasonable service for rail dependent shippers.”
Farmers, Ranchers Share Tax Reform Priorities with Congress
As the Senate Finance Committee takes a hard look at what should stay and what should go in the tax code, farmers and ranchers are urging lawmakers to consider comprehensive reform that address individuals, as well as corporations.
Like their Senate counterparts, House lawmakers have said they intend to address tax code reform this fall as well. Earlier this year, Farm Bureau shared farmers’ and ranchers’ tax priorities with a number of House Ways and Means Committee tax reform working groups.
More than 96% of farms and 75% of farm sales are taxed under IRS provisions affecting individual taxpayers, according to Farm Bureau. Any tax-reform proposal that fails to include the individual tax code will not help, and could even hurt, the bulk of agricultural producers who could lose business deductions but not benefit from lower corporate rates.
In a recent letter to Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), chair and ranking member, respectively, of the Finance Committee, American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman focused on some of the much-needed tax tools that help producers deal with the uncertainties of farming and ranching.
Among those tools is cash accounting, which “combined with the ability to accelerate expenses and defer income gives farmers and ranchers the flexibility to manage their tax burden on an annual basis,” Stallman explained.
Also important are tax provisions that accelerate expensing and depreciation to allow farmers and ranchers to better manage cash flow, minimize tax liabilities and reduce borrowing. The ability to immediately expense capital purchases also offers the benefit of reducing the recordkeeping burden associated with the depreciation.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Georgia Beef Challenge Annual Meeting to be July 31
The annual meeting of the Georgia Beef Challenge will take place July 31 at 1:30 p.m. in Athens, Ga. The location will be at the Animal and Dairy Science Livestock Instructional Arena. at 2600 South Milledge Avenue. (Take Exit 6 off of Loop 10, and go south on Milledge approximately 1.5 miles. The facility will be on the right.)
You are invited to attend and learn more about the Georgia Beef Challenge. You will have opportunities to visit with fellow producers, as well as discuss the various aspects of the program. Visit the website, www.caes.uga.edu/commodities/animals/beef/challenge/index.html, for more information about the Georgia Beef Challenge.
‘Turning Your Land Into a Sponge’
is Focus of Upcoming Webinar
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Trinity Waters are continuing their land and management series with the webinar “Turning Your Land Into a Sponge.”
The webinar is set from noon-1 p.m. Aug. 8. To view the webinar, go to the Forestry Webinars Portal at http://forestrywebinar.net/ and click on Turning Your Land Into a Sponge.
“Dr. Larry Redmon, AgriLife Extension state forage specialist at College Station, will conduct this webinar,” said Blake Alldredge, AgriLife Extension Trinity Waters associate. “He will be discussing different techniques ranchers can employ to protect their pastures before, during and after drought to continue being sustainable, productive and profitable in their livestock operation.
“By implementing proper management practices, landowners will enhance not only their livestock operations but also the wildlife component and water resources in their area, which will greatly benefit many Texans elsewhere.”
Alldredge said the purpose of the webinar series is to enhance land stewardship and water conservation in rural and urban areas of the Trinity River basin which are critical for water availability in the future.
The first webinar on July 11, “Treasuring the Trinity: Challenges and Opportunities,” can still be viewed at the Forestry Webinars Portal under the “Previous Webinars” tab.
The final webinar, “Meeting the Water Needs for Texans and Wildlife,” will be conducted from noon-1 p.m., Sept. 12.
For more information, please visit the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Nationally Awarded Farm/Ranch Women’s Program
Comes to Texas High Plains
Getting a grip on today’s agriculture business and becoming an effective farm partner and decision-maker is the focus of Annie’s Project, a women’s workshop series, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist.
The mission of Annie’s Project is to empower farm women to be better business partners through networks and by managing and organizing critical information, said Jason Johnson, AgriLife Extension economist in Stephenville and state coordinator for Annie’s Project.
“Often farm women do not feel comfortable in the coffee shop network that is so familiar to farm/ranch men,” Johnson said. “Annie’s Project provides a place where farm women can learn both from the perspectives of local agricultural professionals, as well as the experiences of other class members.”
The series will be offered in six sessions, from 6-9 p.m. each Tuesday, Sept. 17 through Oct. 29, with the exception of Oct. 8, at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Amarillo. Cost is $50 per person and class size is limited to 30, he said. Registration slots will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. The conference is sponsored by AgriLife Extension, with program support provided by Farm Credit Bank of Texas.
“The program is based on the experiences of farm wives who spend their lifetime learning how to be an involved business partner with their farm husbands,” Johnson said. “The reality is that over 90% of farm women usually end up managing their personal and farm business finances at some point in their lives as a result of death, divorce or disability.”
A brochure and registration form is available by contacting Johnson at 254-968-4144 or DeDe Jones, AgriLife Extension risk management specialist in Amarillo, 806-677-5600. The registration form is available at http://bit.ly/12HTxJ4.
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