News Update
March 24, 2014
2014 National Junior Angus
Show Heads to Indianapolis
The National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) is the highlight of the summer for many Angus families, and this year the big event takes place July 6-12 in Indianapolis, Ind. While cattle shows are the main attraction, the week includes a showmanship competition, a variety of life-skills contests and multiple activities for members of the National Junior Angus Association (NJAA).
“The National Junior Angus Show is an exciting event for Angus youth and their families across the country,” says Jaclyn Upperman, American Angus Association junior activities director. “It is more than a traditional cattle show. It’s an event that challenges youth to build skills and develop long-lasting relationships.”
Sponsored by the Indiana Junior Angus Association, the 2014 NJAS is themed “Angus in the Heartland — You gotta love it!” Indiana has hosted the show as recently as 2006, and the state association looks forward to making this event a fun-filled and educational week for junior Angus enthusiasts and their families. All activities will take place at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
More than 1,000 head of cattle are expected to compete in Indianapolis. The classes offered will provide opportunities for juniors to exhibit their owned heifers, bred-and-owned heifers, cow-calf pairs, steers, and bred-and-owned bulls.
States will join together to compete for the Best Five Head, while individual members will vie for Junior Premier Breeder and the Silver Pitcher Award.
The NJAS cattle ownership and postmark entry deadline is May 15. Entries can be made online at www.angus.org/njaa.
The 47th Annual NJAS Showmanship Contest will also take place, with two junior Angus members from each state eligible to compete for the “Top Showman” title. To qualify, juniors must first be selected during state competition.
For more information, please view the full release here.
365 Sunrises and 7 Billion Mouths to Feed — Ag Day 2014
This year’s celebration will mark the 41st anniversary of National Ag Day sponsored by the Agriculture Council of America (ACA). On this day, members of the agriculture industry join forces to promote agriculture and to help educate millions of consumers about the importance of agriculture in their daily lives.
The National Ag Day program goals include helping every American to understand how food, fiber and renewable resource products are produced; to value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy; to appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products; and to acknowledge and consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food and renewable resource industry.
Michigan State University Extension encourages everyone to get involved in the recognition and celebration of agriculture. Michigan has approximately 52,000 farms and ranks second only to California in the diversity of agriculture products grown and raised. Michigan farmers produce more than 300 different agriculture commodities and Michigan leads the nation in the production of 17 commodities. You probably know that Michigan ranks first in the nation for the production of blueberries and tart cherries, but do you know that Michigan farmers grow more pickling cucumbers than any other state? As you can see, there is much to celebrate!
For more information on this annual event or to get ideas on how to celebrate, visit the National Ag Day website. On this site, you will also find the award-winning written and video essays and the artwork selected to be the 2014 poster.
For ideas on celebrating National Ag Day in your community, contact MSU Extension agriculture literacy educators Mary Dunckel at 989-354-9875 or at dunckelm@anr.msu.edu or Nancy Thelen at 734-222-3825 or at thelenn@anr.msu.edu.
For more information, please view the full release here.
High Beef Prices Make Great Time to Own Cattle
“With record-high beef prices, it’s a great time to be in the cattle business,” Scott Brown told a meeting of Miller County producers.
The University of Missouri beef economist’s outlook shows a $250 return per cow in the coming year. In the previous beef cycle, returns topped at under $100 per cow.
“We’ve never seen anything like current prices,” Brown said.
Then he showed price projections from the Livestock Market Information Center (LMIC). Its cow-calf returns show $350 for 2014 — and 2015. Those returns are over cash cost plus pasture rent.
“Before you go home and double the size of your cow herd, remember the cattle cycle,” Brown said. When cow numbers go down, prices go up. However, when numbers go up, prices go down.
The Jan. 1 cow count shows the U.S. herd declined to 87.7 million cattle. Go back to the 1950s, when prices were high, for the previous low of just more than 90 million head.
“While supply is short, prices look good for the next few years.” Brown said. “While those outlooks are great, there are always risks.”
Weather can change. Domestic demand for beef can continue down. Thriving exports can end. “It happened with the ‘mad cow,’ or BSE, in 2001.”
The beef cow herd will expand, Brown said. “We’re at a turning point. With this much money on the table, we will add more cows.”
He reminded the 50 producers of an old saying: “The best cure for high prices is high prices.”
“To remain in the industry long term, you must be efficient,” Brown said. Least-cost production makes a difference, and every farm needs a risk strategy.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Voluntary Conservation Effort Promotes
Improved Lesser Prairie-chicken Habitat
Agriculture Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Robert Bonnie announced March 21 a renewed and expanded partnership to provide expert habitat advice to farmers and ranchers managing land within Lesser Prairie Chicken range.
“Our goal is to deliver a win-win for agricultural producers and wildlife,” said Bonnie. “We want to help farmers and ranchers succeed for the long term while also protecting and improving habitat for the Lesser Prairie Chicken and protecting the region’s ecosystem. Often, what is good for prairie chickens is good for ranching.”
As part of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Lesser Prairie Chicken Initiative (LPCI), the agency is partnering with Pheasants Forever, a national wildlife conservation organization, to jointly invest $5 million over three years to support technical assistance, including hiring non-federal field conservationists to help farmers and ranchers voluntarily maintain and improve lesser prairie chicken habitat in the Southern Great Plains.
In addition, NRCS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recently finalized a plan that can provide regulatory predictability for farmers and ranchers improving Lesser Prairie Chicken habitat, should the species be listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
Since 2010, farmers and ranchers participating in the LPCI have maintained or improved more than a million acres of habitat for the bird. The bird’s range includes parts of Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. The partnership previously funded nine positions, and that will be expanded to up to 11 in cooperation with local and state agencies.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Ohio State University to Present Farm
to School Workshops April 29, 30 and June 10
Educators, farmers, food producers, businesses and anyone else interested in beginning or expanding a Farm to School program or other related activities can learn how to do so from the experts during a series of Farm to School workshops April 29, 30 and June 10.
Ohio State University (OSU) Extension will present the Farm to School workshops as part of its goal to expand the successful program, which works to increase students’ access to healthy foods and to help them learn more about food, health, nutrition and agriculture, said Carol Smathers, an OSU Extension field specialist and the program’s director.
Farm to School is a national program, which in Ohio is led by OSU Extension and is supported by numerous agencies, foundations and industry organizations. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
Ohio’s Farm to School Program has projects and partnerships in many of Ohio’s 88 counties. Leadership of the program transitioned from the Ohio Department of Agriculture to OSU Extension in 2011. The Farm to School program works to ensure that students pre-K through college have increased access to locally produced nutritious food.
“The workshops are designed to inform participants about the benefits of and opportunities for buying and serving local foods,” Smathers said. “They are also designed to provide hands-on educational opportunities for students to learn about where food comes from and for those who want to try new menu items.”
Organizers hope that local producers will connect directly with potential school buyers at these workshops.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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