News Update
June 16, 2014
Alex Tolbert Joins the
American Angus Association
The American Angus Association welcomes Alex Tolbert of Frankfort, Ky., as the regional manager for Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. Tolbert brings several years experience working in commercial livestock markets and managing registered-Angus cattle. In his new position, Tolbert will play a significant role in helping Association members identify herd goals, learn new programs and services, and grow into the future.
“The legacy of the regional manager for the Angus breed is one of respect,” Tolbert says. “It’s a true honor to promote a superior brand and work hard to maintain that status.”
As a regional manager, Tolbert will represent the Angus breed at various cattle events, sales, shows and other activities throughout the territory. Breeders are encouraged to ask him questions about Association programs and services or for help locating Angus seedstock. He can also advise producers on marketing opportunities available through the Association, including advertising through the Angus Journal and other avenues.
“Alex has grown up in the Angus industry, and we are thrilled he is joining the American Angus Association team,” says Bryce Schumann, Association CEO. “He has a wide variety of experiences that he brings to this position serving cattlemen in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee.”
Tolbert graduated from Oklahoma State University (OSU) with a bachelor’s degree in animal science. He most recently worked for the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) in Livestock and Grain Market News. He started there in 2007 as a market reporter and was promoted to the officer-in-charge in 2012.
In that position, he directed efforts to collect information from 50 livestock markets across Kentucky and Tennessee. The reports pertained to supply, demand, price, trends and movements of livestock, including more than 1 million head of cattle.
Tolbert’s Angus experience began on a small family operation, but today he partners in Elrod and Tolbert Cattle in Talmo, Ga. In 2006, he served as chairman of the National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) Board of Directors.
Contact Tolbert at atolbert@angus.org or at 706-338-8733. He looks forward to getting to know more Angus breeders in the area and finding ways to be of service.
Invest in Answers
Questions are plenty in the cattle business. Whether it’s an inquiry about a certain herd sire, a female’s pedigree or where calves were raised, cattle buyers are interested, now more than ever, about the details surrounding their investments. They want answers on how cattle perform and the added value they could bring.
“I’m an order buyer. I buy cattle for a lot of people and they want them black,” says Craig Vejraska, Omak, Wash. “But more and more, they are also wanting to certify that they are Angus. It’s the Angus — not the black hide — that makes them in such demand.”
The American Angus Association offers a program that gives potential buyers the reassurance they need when making those decisions. AngusSource® Genetic documents group age, source and a minimum 50% Angus genetics, while also incorporating valuable performance information from the Association database.
Now, AngusSource Genetic is joining forces with GeneMax™ Focus to provide cattlemen with even more data on the marketing document. Available online, the document authenticates the calf’s genetic integrity and potential worth and is emailed to a targeted group of buyers who have expressed interest in Angus cattle.
Producers who both test their calves using GeneMax Focus — a DNA-based evaluation of an animal’s gain and grade potential — and enroll in AngusSource Genetic can quickly provide those scores to their customer base. Overall GeneMax scores and components specific to marbling and gain are now highlighted in the marketing document and designated with the GeneMax logo.
In 2013, packers paid nearly $50 million in premiums for cattle that earned the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand. That’s according to a Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) Packer Premium Survey, which also found that nearly 30% of cumulative CAB grid premiums were paid in the last three years. This is proof that quality beef has taken off in recent years, and Kurtz says the opportunities for cattlemen who document superior genetics have never been greater.
“With sale season on the horizon, we’d encourage producers to think about getting enrolled in the AngusSource Genetic program to recognize added value at market,” says Ginette Kurtz, Association director of commercial programs.. “Plus, the combined strength of GeneMax and AngusSource Genetic will provide you valuable information today that’s sure to pay dividends down the road.”
To learn more about AngusSource Genetic, visit www.angus.org, and read more on GeneMax Focus at www.cabpartners.com.
Vilsack Travels to Europe to Discuss
Expanding Trade Opportunities
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will travel to Europe this week to meet with agricultural and trade officials and stakeholders to discuss the expansion of agricultural trade, the importance of agriculture’s role in the United States-European Union (EU) Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP), and the benefits the trade agreement will have to both the American and European economies. The secretary’s trip will include meetings and site visits in Brussels, Luxembourg City, Paris and Dublin.
“The EU is the world’s largest importer of food and agricultural products,” said Vilsack. “But despite the continued growth of this market, U.S. market share is shrinking because U.S. producers and exporters continue to face numerous trade barriers. The negotiation of the T-TIP offers a major opportunity to address these barriers and expand market access for U.S. farmers and ranchers.”
Since 2009, nearly one-third of U.S. economic growth has been due to exports. America has seen record agricultural exports during the past five years, which has been critical to creating jobs in rural America and helping our country’s economy recover. Agricultural exports alone reached a record $140.9 billion and supported nearly one million jobs in the United States last fiscal year. U.S. agricultural exports have set a new record every year for the past five years, totaling $619 billion between 2009 and 2013. They are projected to reach another record of $149.5 billion in fiscal year 2014.
“The agricultural sectors in both the U.S. and the EU stand to benefit from a strong T-TIP agreement,” Vilsack said. “Reducing barriers to trade in the agreement will be especially beneficial to the small- and medium-sized businesses that are the backbone of our respective economies.”
For more information, please view the full release here.”
U.S. Forest Service Seeks Comments on
Over-snow Vehicle Proposal
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) this week will publish a Federal Register Notice seeking public comment on a proposal that would help standardize where and when over-snow vehicles, such as snowmobiles, are used on national forests and grasslands.
“Over-the-snow access and recreation is an appropriate use of public lands, and we strive to offer a variety of opportunities for that,” said USFS Chief Tom Tidwell. “We believe it is essential that the public be engaged in decisions regarding travel management on the forests and grasslands, and we encourage the public to review the proposal and provide comments to help improve the final rule.”
Motor vehicle use on national forests and grasslands is governed by the Travel Management Rule, which provides for a system of roads, trails and areas that are designated for motor vehicles. Over-snow vehicles — vehicles designed for use over snow and that run on a track and/or a ski or skis — are currently treated differently from other motor vehicles by giving forest and grassland supervisors the discretion to develop a similar system for over-snow vehicles. In 2013, a federal court ruled that this violates Executive Order 11644, “Use of off-road vehicles on public lands.” The court ordered that the Forest Service must regulate over-snow use, but does have the discretion to determine where and when over-snow vehicle use can occur on agency lands.
In accordance with the court’s ruling, the Federal Register notice proposes amending the existing Travel Management Rule to establish consistent guidance for how forests and grasslands decide the appropriate use for over-snow vehicles. Over-snow vehicles are used for recreational purposes, as well as work tasks that include gathering firewood or subsistence hunting.
The Federal Register Notice for the proposal is scheduled to be published Wednesday, June 18, 2014. The public will have 45 days from the date of publication in the Federal Register to comment on the proposed revisions. The USFS intends to publish the final rule change by Sept. 9, 2014.
For more information, please view full release here.
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