News Update
August 7, 2014
New Angus Scholarship
to Reach More Youth
The Angus Foundation, the not-for-profit arm of the American Angus Association, contributed more than $200,000 in scholarships this year to support the future of Angus youth. That investment will continue to grow in 2015 with the addition of a brand-new Allied Angus Breeders Scholarship.
The Angus Foundation Board of Directors approved funds to provide $1,000 scholarships to three youth who use Angus genetics in their seedstock or commercial operations. Awards will be given out in July 2015.
“There are a lot of beef industry youth in this business who use Angus cattle in their programs,” says Milford Jenkins, Angus Foundation president. “We want to reward those youth for choosing Angus and help them in their goal of receiving a higher education.”
Applicants must be enrolled in a junior college, four-year college/university or other accredited institution for the fall of 2015. They can be an entering freshman or a continuing student in any undergraduate program. Applicant or applicant’s parents/guardians must have transferred or been transferred a registration paper in the last 36 months (on or after May 1, 2012).
“Giving back is an important part of our culture in the Angus breed,” says Bryce Schumann, Association CEO. “This scholarship is an important step in giving back to the youth of dedicated farmers and ranchers who purchase registered-Angus bulls.”
Full details of eligibility requirements can be found by visiting www.angusfoundation.org. Information can be found in the resources section on the home page. The Allied Angus Breeders Scholarship application will be available online Dec. 1.
Statement by American Farm Bureau Federation
Regarding Russia’s Ban on Agricultural Imports
“This is clearly a political move. It is unfortunate that the biggest losers in this will be Russian consumers, who will pay more for their food now, as well as in the long run.
“America’s farmers and ranchers would have been more surprised if Russia’s leaders had not announced bans and restrictions on food and agricultural imports. They do so regularly for seemingly small reasons, and now they have to deal with sanctions imposed by our nation and others.”
Anthrax Confirmed in South Dakota
Anthrax has been confirmed in South Dakota livestock for the first time this year. State Veterinarian Dustin Oedekoven has confirmed that a herd of unvaccinated bison in Dewey County was found to be infected on July 31, 2014.
Anthrax is a very serious disease of livestock because it may cause the rapid loss of a large number of animals within a very short time. Affected animals are often found dead with no prior illness detected. Strict enforcement of quarantines and proper burning and burying of carcasses from livestock suspected to have died from anthrax is important to prevent further soil contamination with the bacterial spores.
Oedekoven reports that anthrax spores survive indefinitely in contaminated soil and that much of South Dakota has the potential of experiencing an outbreak. Significant climate change, such as drought, floods and winds can expose anthrax spores to grazing livestock. Alkaline soils, high humidity and high temperatures present conditions for anthrax spores to vegetate and become infectious to grazing livestock. Producers across the state should consult their veterinarians and vaccinate livestock, if deemed appropriate. Oedekoven advises livestock producers in the Dewey County area to continue to annually vaccinate cattle and other livestock for the next several years.
Texas Beef Producers Can Apply for
Federal Disaster Aid Due to Drought
Federal disaster aid for Texas cattle producers is available and officials are encouraging producers to act quickly in applying for programs.
USDA-Farm Service Agency (FSA) Texas administrators gave updates on livestock disaster programming in College Station at the 60th Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course, coordinated by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the department of animal science at Texas A&M University.
Ranchers are encouraged to call the FSA office in their county to set up appointments as deadlines approach for these programs, officials said.
The disaster programs are part of the Agricultural Act of 2014, the new Farm Bill, which will help Texas cattle producers rebuild and recover drought losses dating back to 2011, said Judith Canales, Texas state executive director for the USDA-FSA.
“(As of Aug. 6), $258 million in livestock disaster payments have been distributed in Texas,” Canales said. “We have 173 offices here in Texas to work with you, and we encourage you to schedule an appointment.”
For more information, please view the full release here.
Series of Farm Bill Briefings Scheduled to Help Producers Understand New Crop Insurance Programs
Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), Farm Credit Mid-America, the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and the USDA-FSA have organized a series of free briefings to help producers understand the new crop insurance programs in the legislation. The series will offer information on pertinent deadlines and policy requirements.
The event will feature Carl Zulauf, an economist in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics, which is a part of CFAES. Jon Coppess, clinical professor of law and policy at the University of Illinois, will also speak at the meetings.
“Growers and producers will find the presentation on new farm bill crop programs beneficial because in addition to providing an overview of the new programs, it will also focus on considerations that farmers will want to make as they decide how to move forward with their farm program decisions,” Zulauf said.
The safety net program in the most recent farm bill requires agricultural producers to choose among three programs, the Agriculture Risk Coverage county level (ARC-CO) program, the Agriculture Risk Coverage individual farm program (ARC-IC), and the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program. The ARC programs replace the Average Crop Revenue Enhancement Program (ACRE) while PLC replaces the price counter-cyclical program.
The USDA has not announced when producers will be able to enroll in the programs, nor some of the rules that will apply to the programs, Zulauf said.
“In what currently looks like a low price/low revenue year, payments by these two programs could be important for the financial health of the farm,” he said. “After a number of years of high revenue and prices, farmers are in the process of rediscovering that the farm safety net involves commodity programs, as well as crop insurance.”
The meetings are scheduled for:
Registration for the meetings can be completed online at http://go.osu.edu/summer2014farmbill.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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