News Update
April 29, 2014
Scholarships Support
Future Beef Industry Leaders
The Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand awarded $20,000 to six students for their community and beef industry leadership and achievements.
Since its inception in 1999, the Colvin Scholarship Fund has supported nearly 50 future leaders in their endeavors to continue education in agriculture and animal sciences. Developed to honor the brand’s founding executive director of 21 years, the fund emulates Louis M. “Mick” Colvin’s role in making dreams a reality and inspiring others to do their best.
2014 Undergraduate Colvin Scholarship Awards:
$5,000 — Maci Lienemann, Princeton, Neb. — University of Nebraska–Lincoln
$4,000 — Kristy Klingenberg, Bremen, Ohio — The Ohio State University
$3,000 — Katherine Satree, Montague, Texas — Texas Tech University
$2,000 — Brittany Blum, Lubbock, Texas — Texas Tech University
$1,000 — Brian Highfill, Enid, Okla. — Oklahoma State University
2014 Graduate Colvin Scholarship Award:
$5,000 — Nicholas Sevart, Wichita, Kan. — Kansas State University
Taking a holistic approach, undergraduate applicants were asked to predict beef industry challenges for the next 10 years, along with how to overcome them and respond to consumer demand to usher in their vision of the industry.
For more information, please view the full release here.
New Animal Handling Training Modules Available Through BCI
A new set of online training modules for animal handling has been released at www.animalcaretraining.org. The modules, produced by the Beef Cattle Institute (BCI) at Kansas State University, focus on material and teachings by veterinarian Tom Noffsinger of Benkelman, Neb.
Noffsinger is a consulting feedyard veterinarian best known for his passion and enthusiasm for working on low-stress cattle handling in feedyards and ranches. Currently, he serves as a veterinary consultant for PAC (Production Animal Consultation).
With these modules, the BCI and Noffsinger provide an opportunity for producers to continue to learn how to successfully communicate with cattle both in a cow-calf and feedlot setting. One of the main goals of these teachings is to reduce frustration in caregivers by offering knowledge so that producers can do their job more effectively.
“The focus of the modules is to empower caregivers to make each interaction with the cattle a positive experience for the cattle and the people,” Noffsinger said.
The idea to share his knowledge of animal handling came to Noffsinger after seeing the effects of the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) training modules. He watched as BQA became more readily available to producers. With his understanding that stockmanship and low-stress cattle handling require availability and reputation, he wanted to do the same.
Tools provided in the online training are a product of what Noffsinger has learned from his work and experience in this field the past 15 years. He has incorporated these trainings into his veterinary consultation, and the skills he has developed have even changed the way he practices medicine.
“These tools have made a big difference in the safety and efficiency of caregivers,” he said. “Having this knowledge has also improved the efficiency of cattle.”
Noffsinger said he hopes that as a result of these trainings, producers will take on a new sense of responsibility and just as importantly, share this information with others.
The modules are available online, and producers can work through them at their own pace.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Entry Forms Available Thursday for State Fair Competitions
Missouri State Fair Director Mark Wolfe announced April 29 that exhibitors interested in competing at the Missouri State Fair will be able to access online entry and reserved camping forms starting at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 1, in the online Premium Guide. More than 30,000 entries are expected for this year’s annual agriculture showcase Aug. 7-17 in Sedalia. Rules, guidelines and critical deadlines are already posted in the online resource.
The 112th Missouri State Fair, themed “Harvest the Fun,” will take place Aug. 7-17 in Sedalia. For more information, visit www.mostatefair.com or call 1-800-422-3247 (FAIR). Those wanting to receive electronic news can also sign up for a free Fair Fan service on the website and can follow the fair on Facebook and Twitter.
For more information please view the full release here.
Nebraska Youth Range Camp Applications Open
Students ages 14-18 who are interested in learning more about natural resource management are welcome at the 51st annual Nebraska Youth Range Camp, June 9-13 at the Nebraska State 4-H Camp in Halsey. Applications must be submitted by May 26.
The camp consists of 4 half days of field activities, lectures, leadership and team-building activities, and field trips to a local working ranch and a national forest. The curriculum is broad enough for students with a wide array of interests, including rangeland management, conservation, ecology, animal science and wildlife. It’s also designed to be educational for every camper, no matter how much prior experience they’ve had with rangelands.
For more information please view the full release here.
2014 Next Generation Agricultural Conference
Transitioning to the next generation of farmers and ranchers will be the focus of a May 22 conference at the Extraco Events Center, 4601 Bosque Blvd. in Waco, Texas.
As the current generation of farmers and ranchers ages, the next generation must take over, according to organizers. Beef cattle will be one of several topics to be discussed at the May 22 Next Generation Agricultural Conference.
Capital Farm Credit and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will be hosting three conferences designed to help the next generation of producers transition into the business or to help current farmers and ranchers expand their operations.
The 2014 Next Generation Agricultural Conferences, also scheduled for Lubbock July 15 and Wichita Falls Nov. 13, are designed to provide production and financial management tools to farmers and ranchers, according to organizers.
“The main topics that will be covered include farm financial management, agricultural economic forecasts, general agriculture, and farm planning and budgeting,
” said Jason Cleere, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist in College Station and one of the presenters. “Keeping up with the latest operational strategies and available credit and risk management practices is the key to the most successful large and small operations. These conferences will assist with providing information that can be incorporated into those operations, making them more profitable.”
There is no cost for the conference. For more information or to register visit www.nextgenwaco.eventbrite.com or call 877-944-5500.
For more information please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Roger Winter Recognized for Outstanding Service
to the Academy of Veterinary Consultants
In recognition of his dedication to advancing technology and information sharing among bovine veterinarians, Roger Winter has been awarded the Academy of Veterinary Consultants’ (AVC) 2014 Outstanding Service Award. An advocate of continuous learning and professional advancement, Winter has committed his time and talent to ensuring that all AVC members have access to seminars, presentations, research data and more, not only to further strengthen veterinarians’ expertise, but also to advance the U.S. beef cattle industry.
Sponsored by Merck Animal Health for the past nine years, the annual award recognizes an AVC member who has made exceptional contributions to the organization, as well as the beef cattle and veterinary medical professions.
While Winter has spent more than 30 years serving beef producers both through private practice and as an allied industry technical service veterinarian, it is his unique service to AVC and his fellow veterinarians that has garnered this latest accolade. Six years ago, Winter organized the AVC audiovisual committee with the objective of making meeting proceedings, seminars, podcasts and other information on the website available to every AVC member. Much of this information has allowed AVC members to gain continuing-education credits, as well as remain up-to-date on bovine health and industry developments.
Warmer Weather Brings Need to Scout
for Alfalfa Weevil in Ohio
With the warmer weather that’s finally hit the region, growers in southern and central Ohio need to start scouting for alfalfa weevil at the end of the week (May 2), while field crop growers in northern Ohio should prepare to start scouting for the pest later next month, said an entomologist with the Ohio State University (OSU) College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
While the extended cold conditions felt in the region this winter may have had some negative impact on the alfalfa weevil, growers still need to prepare for scouting their fields for this insect, said Andy Michel, an Ohio State University Extension pest expert.
The pest, known to cause significant alfalfa damage in its larval stages, typically starts showing up in southern Ohio first, slowly progressing its way north, said Michel, who also has an appointment with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC).
“It’s hard to tell how the cold will impact overwintering insects such as alfalfa weevil,” he said. “The extended cold weather does make a difference with other types of insects, but we don’t know if there is a similar trend with alfalfa weevil.
“Normally, alfalfa weevil is controlled by parasitic wasps as well as fungal pathogens, which typically thrive in the wet conditions that we have now. So things may be slowed down this year, plus alfalfa may not be as vigorous as typical because of the colder weather, and its ability to withstand feeding may be compromised.”
The major concern for this pest is that adult alfalfa weevils can lay large quantities of eggs in the plant stems. The hatched larvae then start feeding within the folded leaves at the growing tips. Plants that experience heavy feeding can develop a frosted look and can result in yield reductions because of stunted plants.
More information on alfalfa weevil can be found in an OSU Extension fact sheet at http://ohioline.osu.edu/ent-fact/pdf/0032.pdf.
For more information please view the full release here.
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