News Update
December 31, 2013
Angus Journal and American Angus Association Closed New Years Day
The Angus Journal and American Angus Association offices in St. Joseph, Mo., will be closed to celebrate New Year’s Day on Jan. 1, 2014. The office will reopen at 8 a.m. on Jan. 2, 2014. Happy New Year!
Angus Summer Internship Applications Due Feb. 5
The Association offers internship opportunities for college students hoping to further their education and gain valuable real-world experience with the world’s leading beef cattle association.
The American Angus Association’s Activities & Events Department is offering an internship focused on event planning to a college sophomore, junior or senior who has agricultural interests. The internship will provide a highly organized, detail-oriented college student the opportunity to gain real-world experience planning and implementing educational and social events for the Association membership.
The Association Junior Activities Department is offering college sophomores, juniors or seniors the opportunity to assist with the planning and execution of junior shows and leadership events, and gain experience in Association work.
The Association’s Public Relations and Communications (PR) Department is accepting applications from college juniors or seniors studying communications, agricultural communications or a related field. Applicants with strong writing, editing and design backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
The Angus Journal offers a college student the opportunity to be part of the editorial team of various publications. The 10-week, writing-intensive internship offers the selected intern an opportunity to participate in producing various publications, including the Angus Journal, the Angus Journal digital replica, the Angus Beef Bulletin, the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, the Angus Journal Daily, editorial websites, and social media efforts.
All applications for internships are due Feb. 5. Contact information for each internship can be found here.
High Plains Irrigation Conference Set for Jan. 16 in Amarillo
The annual High Plains Irrigation Conference will be Jan. 16, 2014, in the Regency Room of the Amarillo Civic Center, 401 S. Buchanan St., Amarillo, Texas.
The program, hosted by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas Agricultural Irrigation Association, will address a wide variety of topics of interest to the general public, as well as to agricultural producers, landowners, crop consultants and irrigation professionals, said Dana Porter, program coordinator and AgriLife Extension agricultural engineering specialist of irrigation and water management, Lubbock.
“We wanted to offer farm owners and managers information on economic risk-management tools for limited irrigation conditions, as well as research updates and new recommendations for crop-specific irrigation management,” Porter said.
A concurrent trade show also will provide opportunities for attendees to see new products and technologies, and to visit with experts from industry, nonprofit organizations and agencies.
Registration will be onsite only, beginning at 8 a.m., with the program starting at 8:30 a.m. The fee is $30. Irrigation Association and certified crop adviser continuing education units (CEU) will be offered — five certified irrigation designer, four and a half in soil and water management, and one in crop management.
The meeting will conclude after 4 p.m. with a wrap-up, evaluation and CEU distribution.
For more conference information, go to the Texas Agricultural Irrigation Association website, http://taia.org/HPIC_2014.html. Questions about the program can be directed to Porter at dporter@ag.tamu.edu. Trade show questions should be directed to Kern Stutler at 806-786-5644.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Iowa Beef Center Heifer Series Addresses
Challenges of Rebuilding Beef Cow Herd
One of the biggest challenges facing cattlemen today is maintaining young cows in their herd long term. The Iowa Beef Center, in partnership with the Iowa Cattleman’s Association, is offering a program series focusing specifically on management practices to keep young cows in the herd to improve long-term profitability.
The Heifer Development 2: Maintaining Your Investment series of programs is a follow-up to the 2012 series on yearling heifers, Heifer Development — Rebuilding our Future. The goal of the 2014 series is to pick up where the 2012 series left off, and looks at the nutrition, health, calving and reproductive management of bred heifers through their second breeding season.
Denise Schwab, ISU Extension and Outreach beef specialist, said there are a couple of reasons for increased numbers of heifers in cow herds and producer interest in better management of these animals. “Throughout the drought the last two years, we’ve seen an increase in the number of heifers retained for the cow herd, despite the high rate of cow culling,” Schwab said. “This resulted in one of the smallest beef cow herds in the last 60 years, but also one of the youngest and most productive herds ever. Maintaining all of these young cows in the herd long term is a big challenge to cattlemen.”
Schwab points to the research conducted by the National Animal Health Monitoring System in 2007-2008 that reported 33% of all culled cows left the herd because they did not conceive during the breeding season, and nearly 16% of all culled cows left the herd before five years of age.
“If the national beef cow herd is to grow, it will require better management of the replacement heifer and young cows to improve conception and retention,” said Schwab. “This conference will give producers information they can apply to their herd management.”
All sessions include a meal for those preregistered at least two days prior to the event. The $20 fee is payable at the door. Walk-in registrations are $25 per person and a meal is not guaranteed.
2014 dates include Jan. 16, Jan. 16, Jan. 21, Jan. 23, Jan. 28, Jan. 29, Feb. 4, Feb. 5, Feb. 6 and Feb. 19.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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