News Update
January 29, 2014
Meet NJAA Intern Lindsay Bowman
The American Angus Association welcomes Lindsay Bowman, Prairie Grove, Ark., as an eight-month intern in the Junior Activities Department. Based in the Association headquarters in Saint Joseph, Mo., Bowman will play a significant role in coordinating events for members of the National Junior Angus Association (NJAA).
“Lindsay is going to be a great asset to the junior activities department this spring and summer,” says Jaclyn Upperman, Association director of junior activities. “She has a strong background in the beef industry and a true passion for youth organizations.”
Bowman attends the University of Arkansas where she is pursuing a degree in agricultural communications and education. She earned her associate’s degree at Connors State College in Oklahoma.
A Colorado native, Bowman grew up on an Angus and Maine-Anjou operation with her mom, Lianne, and brother, Zane. She is a past member of the Connors State College and University of Arkansas livestock judging teams. She has been active in the Connors State College Ag Ambassador club, Collegiate FFA and her local 4-H club.
“With my experience in other livestock associations, I am excited to be a part of the American Angus Association and learn from the superior staff,” Bowman says.
During her internship, Bowman will assist with daily in-office tasks, preparation for NJAA-sponsored shows and conferences, including Raising the Bar conferences, organizing the Green Coats: Coast to Coast program and much more. She will also assist with the NJAA website, Directions newsletter, National Junior Recognition Program, and other programs available to the NJAA membership.
“I believe that the core and the future of America’s cattle industry starts with youth associations — where young leaders are taught how to effectively motivate, educate and inspire their members,” Bowman says.
For more information, please view the full release here.
House Praised for Approving Farm Bill Funding
to Help Save Working Farm and Ranch Lands
One of the nation’s leading conservation groups, the Land Trust Alliance, praised the U.S. House of Representatives Jan. 29 for approving a Farm Bill conference report, 251-166, that will provide more than $1 billion for a new consolidated conservation program to save working farm and ranch lands over the next five years. The Senate is expected to approve the bill as soon as next week.
“This funding is a great investment for future generations of farmers, ranchers and all Americans. It will enable the purchase of perpetual conservation easements from landowners who are willing to restrict their land development and help secure food and fiber, clean water, wildlife habitat and our rural heritage,” said Rand Wentworth, president of the Land Trust Alliance, which represents 1,700 nonprofit land trusts that protect 47 million acres of farms, ranches, forests, wildlife habitat and other open spaces.
The $1 billion in funding will go the new Agricultural Lands Easement (ALE) program, which consolidates the former Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) and Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) into a single program. FRPP and GRP have conserved more than one million acres of economically and environmentally important agricultural lands, but applications for FRPP and GRP have far exceeded the available funding.
Each year, an estimated two million acres of America’s farms, ranches, forests, wildlife habitat, and other open spaces are fragmented into smaller parcels or lost to development, according to the president’s 2013 Annual Economic Report to Congress.
For more information, click here.
NCBA Opposes Farm Bill
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced that it will oppose the Agricultural Act of 2014, the farm bill conference report. NCBA sent a letter to the Hill, expressing its opposition to the bill. The following is a statement by Scott George, NCBA president and Cody, Wyo., cattleman:
“NCBA has worked on this farm bill for over three years now. First as the 2012 Farm Bill, then the 2013, and now with the actions of a few in Congress, it has become the 2014 Farm Bill. After all of this, the bill that the conference committee released Monday is not one that addresses the priority issues that our members had for this farm bill.
“We are calling on Congress to fix the mistakes they have made, mistakes that are costing cattlemen and women money every day. Mistakes like mandatory country-of-origin labeling (mCOOL), which has already resulted in steep discounts to our producers and caused prejudice against our largest trading partners. This program was created without the consent of producers and has been a failure by every measure.
“We are disappointed in all members of Congress and especially the members of the Conference Committee for allowing this process to go this far without a solution. Failure to fix mCOOL at this juncture will lead to retaliatory tariffs on a host of commodities and it is only a matter of time before the World Trade Organization rules in favor of Canada and Mexico. Once that happens, producers will realize the full costs of this failed legislation.
“This farm bill is foundationally flawed, and the livestock sector is standing shoulder-to-shoulder in opposition of a farm bill that will only serve to cause greater harm to rural America.”
For a complete list of commodities on the Canadian retaliatory list, click here. For the commodities on the Mexican retaliatory list, click here.
NFU Responds to State of the Union Address
National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s State of the Union address:
“NFU is encouraged by the president’s commitment to our country’s energy future. Passage of the Farm Bill conference report, with an investment of $900 million in renewable energy, will take the initial step toward reaching the president’s goal. As the president said, ‘climate change is a fact,’ and America’s farmers and ranchers are positioned to be a part of the solution.
“The president placed emphasis on bringing jobs home to America, and ‘Made in the USA’ goods. Family farmers and ranchers, too, are proud of the fruits of their labor, which is why we stand up for consumers by supporting country-of-origin labeling (COOL).
“Fair trade is important to family farmers, ranchers and rural communities, and I hope the president changes the United States’ approach to negotiating trade deals. We must deal with systemic issues, such as currency manipulation, and set a strategic goal of reducing our enormous trade deficits, which directly harm U.S. economic growth and kill too many American jobs.
“Immigration reform is critical to farmers and ranchers across the country. I hope Congress takes the president’s sentiments to heart and makes comprehensive immigration reform its next priority. This ought to be a priority for liberals, moderates and conservatives alike, as it will reduce the deficit by $1 trillion in two decades.
“The president’s message tonight is that we are ‘ready for a year of action,’ and passing the Farm Bill would be a great start. NFU will continue to work with the administration and Congress to ensure that the next farm bill is passed and effectively implemented.”
I Love Farmers, They Feed My Soul
Agricultural Advocates of the Year Announced
I Love Farmers … They Feed My Soul (ILF), a nonprofit agricultural advocacy group, has selected Ryan Goodman of Montana and Malorie Bankhead of California as the 2013 Agricultural Advocates of the Year. Those receiving Honorable Mentions include Taylor Short of Missouri, Sam Wildman of Ohio and L. Jade Halliburton of Arkansas.
In an effort to recognize and reward young people who volunteer their time advocating for American family farmers and ranchers, ILF established the Agriculture Advocate of the Year Award in honor of the late Gus Settrini, a cattle rancher from Salinas, Calif., who enjoyed helping young people in agriculture.
Winners were selected based on their advocacy efforts online in social media channels and at various public events in 2013. Goodman and Bankhead will receive custom silver buckles and a cash award.
Megan Silcott, ILF president said, “We are excited to identify and reward a strong group of young advocates for our inaugural Agricultural Advocate of the Year program. Each winner is an outstanding model for others to follow in advocating for agriculture.”
Goodman, 25, maintains an active blog called Agriculture Proud, has more than 13,000 followers on his Twitter and Facebook profiles and is a guest writer for the CNN Eatocracy food page. He is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and has a graduate degree from the University of Tennessee. He is the manager of communications for the Montana Stockgrowers Association.
Bankhead, 22, maintains a blog called Mal The Beef Gal and is active on Facebook and Twitter. She has travelled the country as a member of the National Beef Ambassador Team and with the Hunger U educational campaign. She is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University–San Luis Obispo. She is the associate director of communications for the California Cattlemen’s Association.
Short, 22, is a student at Missouri State University. Wildman, 23, is a student at the Ohio State University. Halliburton, 20, is a student at Southern Arkansas University. These students are active in social media and have conducted a variety of public agricultural advocacy events on their campus, community and states. Honorable mention winners receive an engraved glass trophy and a cash award.
AFBF Asks Court to Restore
State Authority in Chesapeake Bay Lawsuit
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) this week asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to reverse a Sept. 2013 federal court ruling that upheld the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) total maximum daily load (TMDL) for the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The court will decide whether EPA exceeded its Clean Water Act authority by mandating how nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment runoff should be allocated among farms, construction and development activities, as well as homeowners and towns throughout the 64,000 square mile Chesapeake Bay watershed.
“This case involves whether EPA can assume authority over land use and water-quality policy decisions that Congress specifically reserved for state and local levels of government,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “Last year the district court ruled that EPA can dictate how and when states and localities must restrict land uses, even to the point of banning development or demanding that specific areas be taken out of agricultural use.
“These are uniquely local decisions that should be made by local governments,” continued Stallman. “That is why this power is specifically withheld from EPA in the Clean Water Act.”
AFBF argues that the Clean Water Act divides authority between EPA and the states, leaving the states in the driver’s seat to determine how business owners and residents will share the costs and responsibility to achieve clean water goals.
“Farmers, builders, homeowners, and towns have made significant changes to protect water quality in the Bay and the results are just starting to come in,” said Stallman. “Farmers will continue to do their part to improve water quality regardless of whether we win or lose this appeal.”
For more information, please view the full release here.
Advanced Bull Selection Clinic to Cover
Genomics, $Values, and Synchronization
As bull sale season approaches, Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach beef specialists will prepare producers for the gamut of information coming at them in artificial insemination (AI) books and sale catalogs. ISU Extension and Outreach is offering two meetings for producers wanting to learn more about genomic-enhanced EPDs, how to implement $Value Indexes into selection methods and estrous synchronization program options.
Patrick Gunn, cow-calf specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, will cover how to capture the benefits of elite genetics through synchronized breeding.
“Results from our fall listening sessions and heifer-development series showed a consistent desire to know more about genetics, and these meetings are a direct response to that need,” Gunn said.
Patrick Wall, southeast Iowa extension beef specialist, will discuss genomic-enhanced EPDs, $Value Indexes and how to apply them to selection.
“Working for a breed association, I partnered with USDA to develop three $Value Indexes,” Wall said. “Genomic-enhanced or not, producers need to understand what an EPD or Index tells them, and what it doesn’t.”
These clinics should help producers gain more confidence when selecting sires or buying bulls to fit their operations’ goals. Bull-buying scenarios will be used to close the meetings, giving attendees the chance to apply what they’ve learned.
The first meeting is scheduled for Feb. 27 beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Johnson County Fairgrounds in Iowa City. Admission is free and dinner will be provided. The second event will be at the McNay Research Farm near Chariton on March 6 at 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided and there’s no charge to attend.
For additional information on either meeting, please contact Patrick Wall at 515-450-7665, patwall@iastate.edu, Denise Schwab at 319-721-9624,dschwab@iastate.edu, or Joe Sellers at 641-203-1270, sellers@iastate.edu, or visit www.iowabeefcenter.org.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Editor’s Note: The articles used within this site represent a mixture of copyrights. If you would like to reprint or repost an article, you must first request permission of Angus Productions Inc. (API) by contacting the editor at 816-383-5200; 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506. API claims copyright to this web site as presented. We welcome educational venues and cattlemen to link to this site as a service to their audience.