News Update
February 10, 2014
Accepting Applications for Women Connected II
The American Angus Auxiliary is excited to announce that it is sponsoring its 2nd Women Connected conference, which will bring together Angus cattlewomen, Auxiliary members and other women involved in the Angus industry. Twenty women will be selected from applications to join the ten-member Auxiliary executive committee April 12-14, 2014, in Saint Joseph, Mo. An application is available at www.angusauxiliary.com or can be requested by contacting conference chairman Anne Lampe at alampe@wbsnet.org; 620-874-4273. The application deadline is March 1. Registration costs including lodging and meals will be provided through the generous support of the Angus Foundation; participants will be responsible for transportation to and from Kansas City if flying and to Saint Joseph if driving.
Deadline Nearing for Beef Leaders Institute
American Angus Association members interested in becoming more involved in the agriculture industry still have time to apply for the seventh annual Beef Leaders Institute (BLI).
Hosted June 23-26, the program brings Angus producers together in Saint Joseph, Mo., for a series of informative sessions, followed by a three-day tour across several industry segments.
Applications for BLI are due March 1.
“This is one event you won’t regret attending,” says Robin Ruff, Association director of activities, events and education. “From a behind-the-scenes look to the connections made, BLI is an opportunity of a lifetime.”
BLI is designed for Association members 25-45 years old to provide insight into the beef industry, while enhancing their knowledge of the Association and strengthening leadership skills.
During the three-day event, BLI participants are able to tour a beef harvesting and packing facility, retailer, fabricator, feedlots and other industry segments, including the Association.
Funded through the Angus Foundation, the Association provides transportation, lodging, meals and materials during BLI. Attendees will be responsible for round-trip transportation between their home and either Kansas City or Saint Joseph, Mo.
To apply before the March 1 deadline, click here or contact the American Angus Association at 816-383-5100. Information can also be found on www.angus.org.
President Obama Signs 2014 Farm Bill
National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement following President Obama signing the 2014 Farm Bill at a ceremony Feb. 7:
“The president’s signature brings closure to a long process of negotiations, sacrifice and compromise. The result is a solid piece of legislation that provides an adequate safety net in times of need, aids the hungry, protects the environment, creates jobs, keeps country-of-origin labeling (COOL) intact and helps bolster rural economies.
“I am pleased that we now have certainty for our family farmers, ranchers, fishermen and hungry Americans. NFU will continue to work with the administration and policymakers on the implementation of this bill so that the U.S. agriculture industry can continue to provide feed, fiber and fuel for our country and the world.”
Grazing Improvement Act Passes
U.S. House of Representatives
The Public Lands Council (PLC) and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) applaud passage of the Grazing Improvement Act by the U.S. House of Representatives. The Grazing Improvement Act was passed with a vote of 220 to 194 as part of a larger package Feb. 6, the Public Access and Land Improvement Act, H.R. 2954. Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-Idaho) should be commended for leading the effort on behalf of the livestock industry in the west for moving this important legislation through the House. The bill would improve the livestock grazing permitting process on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service.
The bill was debated during the last session of Congress in both the House and Senate; it passed the House with bipartisan support as part of the Conservation and Economic Growth Act (H.R. 2578). PLC President Brice Lee, rancher from Hesperus, Colo., expressed PLC’s strong support for the bill, adding that the uncertainty surrounding grazing-permit renewals is threatening the ability of federal lands ranchers to keep their businesses operating.
“This legislation will contribute greatly to providing a stable business environment to federal lands ranchers, who face ever-increasing uncertainty as to the future of our livestock grazing permits,” said Lee. “By increasing the term of grazing permits from 10 to 20 years, ranchers will have certainty that their operations will remain in business and continue to operate without the fear of losing their permits on process-based grounds.”
For more information, please view the full release here.
Service Reopens Comment Period on Wolf Proposal
Following receipt of an independent scientific peer review, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is reopening the comment period on its proposal to list the Mexican wolf as an endangered subspecies and remove the gray wolf from the Endangered Species List. The USFWS is making that report available for public review, and, beginning Monday, Feb. 10, interested stakeholders will have an additional 45 days to provide information that may be helpful to the USFWS in making a final determination on the proposal.
The independent scientific peer review was hosted and managed by the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), a highly respected interdisciplinary research center at the University of California–Santa Barbara. At the USFWS’s request, NCEAS sponsored and conducted a peer review of the science underlying the USFWS’s proposal.
“Peer review is an important step in our efforts to assure that the final decision on our proposal to delist the wolf is based on the best available scientific and technical information,” said USFWS Director Dan Ashe. “We thank the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis for conducting a transparent, objective and well-documented process. We are incorporating the peer-review report into the public record for the proposed rulemaking, and accordingly, reopening the public comment period to provide the public with the opportunity for input.”
For more information, please view the full release here.
Efficient Cattle Operations Lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Direct linkages can be found between farm efficiency and carbon emissions and sequestration, according to “Factors Affecting Cow-Calf Herd Performance and Greenhouse Gas Emissions,” a Texas A&M AgriLife Research paper recently published in the Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
Conducting the study were economist Seong Park, postdoctoral research associate Tong Wang and rangeland ecologist Richard Teague, all with AgriLife Research at Vernon; Stan Bevers, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist, Vernon; and Jaesung Cho, research fellow at the Korea Rural Economic Institute.
Funding for this study was provided by a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant.
This paper provides the first study on the relationship between cow-calf farm efficiency and environmental consequences as indicated by net greenhouse gas emission, Park said. Results suggest that for the cow-calf industry, pursuing farm efficiency aligns with environmental protection goals.
“We found that carbon emissions per unit of output decrease as farm efficiency increases,” Wang said. “Higher carbon sequestration occurs on farms that are more technically efficient as a result of more acres allocated to each breeding cow.”
The greatest net carbon sequestration was found for the two most technically efficient groups — those that managed the age of weaning, cost of pasture improvement and purchased feed, the best. This indicates that pursuing technical efficiency will not compromise environmental quality, she said.
Park said the Rolling Plains’ beef cattle industry is inherently risky due to frequent drought conditions, volatile cattle prices and rising input costs.
In the face of these challenges, the beef cow-calf standardized performance analysis data have been developed. This analytical tool helps farmers and ranchers identify their strengths and weaknesses in production and financial performance, Bevers said.
For more information, please view the full release here.
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