News Update

July 11, 2014

2014 NJAS Open Heifer Show
is Live Online

Calli West of Texas just won Calf Division 3 Champion in the owned show at the 2014 National Junior Angus Show. Watch from home as judge Dan Shike of the University of Illinois place classes this afternoon by viewing the live feed provided by Walton Webcasting and available www.njas.info. The official site of the show, themed “Angus in the Heartland,” provides a live video feed of the show and links to a variety of resources, ranging from the schedule to show results.

Visit the site now and use the tabs on the left-side navigation to get results of Wednesday’s bred-and-heifer show and Thursday’s cow-calf pairs, bull and steer shows, as well as videos of the Auxiliary-sponsored All-American Certified Angus Beef^® Cook-Off.

Tonight’s awards ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m. EST.

44 Farms to Donate 2015 Angus Foundation Heifer

The Angus Foundation is pleased to announce 44 Farms, Cameron, Texas, as the 2015 Angus Foundation Heifer Package donor. She sells January 2015 at the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) in Denver, Colo.

“We are excited about the great work Milford Jenkins and the entire Angus Foundation team is doing to advance research, educate and inspire our youth,” says Bob McClaren, 44 Farms owner. “These are the best of times for the Angus breed and the American Angus Association. We are proud to assist because the best is yet to be.”

44 Farms was established in 1909 when S.W. McClaren acquired his first tract of Little River farmland. Today, four generations later, two of the great-grandchildren, Robert S. McClaren and Janet McClaren Salazar, are committed to honoring and enhancing the tradition of the successful farming and ranching operation.

“All of us at 44 Farms are honored and very excited to donate the 2015 Angus Foundation Heifer Package,” says Doug Slattery, 44 Farms COO. “The efforts of the Angus Foundation to advance and help educate our Angus youth are remarkable, and we are proud to be a part of it.”

Additional details about the Angus Foundation Heifer Package regarding name, registration number and pedigree will be released at a later date. More information can be found online at www.angusfoundation.org or by calling Milford Jenkins at 816-383-5100.

— Adapted from a release by Carrie Horsley, Angus Foundation.

The 2014 Western Land Symposium is Aug. 25-26

Join leading real estate, natural resource, finance, business, investment, private property, mineral, water rights, legal experts and government leadership at the 2014 Western Land Symposium, a World Organization Land Federation Event. Crane Creek Country Club in Boise, Idaho, will host the symposium.

Speakers include Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter; Natural Resource Attorney Richard Hall; Idaho State Department of Agriculture deputy director Brian Oakley; Family Business Consultant Dave Specht; Idaho Cattle Association executive vice president Wyatt Prescott and more.

Discount tickets are being offered until July 15 for $99, after which they will cost $299.

For more information, please view the full release here.

— Adapted from a release by Knipe Land Co.

Jay Leno to Address 96th AFBF Annual Convention

Acclaimed late-night TV host Jay Leno will give the closing session keynote address at the 96th American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Annual Convention and IDEAg Trade Show in San Diego on Jan. 12, 2015.

About 7,000 Farm Bureau members from across the nation are expected to gather in San Diego Jan. 11-14 to hear from distinguished leaders and participate in a grassroots policy setting process that will guide the AFBF through 2015.

Leno, an admired stand-up comedian, is also a best-selling children’s book author, TV and movie voice-over artist, pioneering car builder and mechanic, and philanthropist. He has been widely characterized as “the hardest-working man in show business.”

“We are excited to have Jay Leno as one of our keynote speakers,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “We will be considering some very important policy issues during our time in San Diego, so it will be nice to take a break from the business at hand and share a lighter moment with Jay Leno.”

Leno’s late night television ratings domination has included hosting more than two decades of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, during which the show was a quarterly ratings winner for 19 consecutive years. While he was host, the show was honored by the Television Academy with an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy, Variety or Music Series. The Tonight Show has also been honored as Favorite Late Night Show in the annual TV Guide Awards as determined by voting viewers.

Farm Bureau members can register for the 96th AFBF Annual Convention and IDEAg Trade Show through their state Farm Bureaus or online through AFBF at http://annualconvention.fb.org starting Sept. 1.

— Adapted from a release by the American Farm Bureau Federation.

QuickBooks Courses Scheduled in Amarillo and Lubbock

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will offer QuickBooks™ Pro computer short courses for the 13th year Aug. 26-27 in Amarillo and Sept. 16-17 in Lubbock.

The training sessions will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day in both cities, said DeDe Jones, AgriLife Extension risk management specialist in Amarillo, who will coordinate the event there. Jay Yates, AgriLife Extension risk management specialist in Lubbock, will coordinate the Lubbock course.

Both events will be hosted at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in their respective cities: 6500 W. Amarillo Blvd. in Amarillo and 1102 E. Farm-to-Market Road 1294 north of Lubbock.

“Our surveys have shown attendees feel they have received an average economic benefit of more than $2,000 per year after attending these programs,” Jones said. “We’ve presented the program to more than 400 producers through the years.”

QuickBooks Pro is a double-entry business accounting program often used by agricultural lenders and producers, Jones said. Participants will learn to enter transactions into the program and analyze costs and profits. No prior computer experience is necessary.

Registration is $150 per course and includes computer use and teaching materials. Couples are encouraged to attend and will be charged only one registration fee if they share a computer. Class size is limited to 15 people to provide a hands-on experience for all participants, Jones said.

Those planning to attend should RSVP by Aug. 19 for the Amarillo session and by Sept. 9 for the Lubbock session. Payment is due upon arrival on the first day of the course.

For more information or to register, contact Yates at 806-746-6101 or jayates@ag.tamu.edu, or Jones at 806-677-5667, dljones@ag.tamu.edu.

— Adapted from a release by Kay Ledbetter, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications.

— Compiled by Paige Nelson, intern, Angus Journal.