News Update
August 19, 2014
‘Raising the Bar’ Conference
Heads to Georgia
Each year, the National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) hosts several leadership training sessions across the country that encourage Angus youth to “raise the bar” for their state and regional junior associations. The next Raising the Bar conference takes place Sept. 25-28 at the University of Georgia. Registration is due by Aug. 25.
“Raising the Bar conferences are an excellent way to meet fellow NJAA members, build leadership skills and learn how to make a difference in your state and regional associations,” says Jaclyn Upperman, American Angus Association director of events and education.
Made possible through financial support from the Angus Foundation, Raising the Bar is open to five state officers and two state advisors from each state in the region. The intensive leadership training encourages officers to work together to build stronger teams, as well as develop regional relationships for both youth and adults.
The University of Georgia conference will include workshops prepared and conducted by the National Junior Angus Board (NJAB), in addition to tours across the area. A few of the stops include Partisover Ranch, the World of Coke, CNN News Studio and Centennial Olympic Parkway.
To participate, submit a registration and medical release form by the Aug. 25 deadline to the Events and Education Department, 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506. The $100 registration fee includes conference meals and hotel costs.
For more information about the leadership conference, visit www.angus.org or contact the Association at 816-383-5100.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Apply for the NJAA Extended Internship
College students looking for experience planning events and working with youth across the country can apply now for the NJAA’s January-August internship. The program allows students to spend eight months assisting with junior programs and shows and traveling to a number of events.
“Our internship provides a unique opportunity for students to spend an extended amount of time working for the Association,” says Jaclyn Upperman, American Angus Association director of events and education. “We’re looking for a detail-oriented, outgoing individual who would enjoy being part of the Angus team.”
The deadline to apply for the paid internship is Oct. 1. Aimed toward college sophomores, juniors or seniors, applicants must be enrolled in an agriculture-related major and have the ability to move to Association headquarters in Saint Joseph, Mo., during the entire internship.
“The eight-month time period allows for the selected intern to take more ownership in their projects and watch their efforts grow into something successful,” Upperman says.
Responsibilities include daily in-office tasks, preparation for NJAA-sponsored shows and conferences, working with the Green Coats: Coast to Coast program, and more depending on the intern’s interests. They will also assist with the NJAA website, Directions newsletter, National Junior Recognition Program and other programs available to the NJAA membership.
Travel to the National Junior Angus Show (NJAS), Leaders Engaged in Angus Development (LEAD) Conference and other shows and events is expected.
To apply, submit a cover letter, résumé and references to Jaclyn Upperman, American Angus Association, 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506. All applications must be postmarked by Oct. 1, 2014.
The January-August internship does not replace the summer-only internship offered by the Association. More details will be released regarding that opportunity later in the fall.
For more information, contact Upperman at 816-383-5100 or jupperman@angus.org.
View the internship guidelines here.
Day in the Life of an Angus Regional Manager
This I Am Angus segment follows American Angus Association Regional Manager Radale Tiner throughout Texas. He explains his role in the Association, his interactions with Angus breeders and even how he passes the time in the car. Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjyeUaO_K64.
American Farm Bureau to Court: Stop EPA Privacy Abuses
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) public release of farmers’ and ranchers’ personal information violates basic tenets of federal law, the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) told a Minnesota federal court late Friday, Aug. 15.
The EPA surprised the farming and ranching community in early 2013 when it publicly released a massive database of personal information about tens of thousands of livestock and poultry farmers, ranchers and their families in 29 states. The information was distributed to three environmental groups that had filed requests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The database included the names of farmers, ranchers and sometimes other family members, home addresses, GPS coordinates, telephone numbers and emails.
“The EPA is displaying a callous disregard for basic privacy rights,” AFBF President Bob Stallman said. “EPA believes that if information about you can be found somewhere on the Internet, or if you own a closely held family corporation, you have no interest in protecting your personal information. All citizens should be worried about that, not just farmers and ranchers.”
AFBF’s court filing argues that privacy interests are particularly strong for farming and ranching families, who typically have multiple generations living and working on the farm. The lawsuit cites a FOIA exemption aimed at preventing federal agencies from publicly releasing personal information held in agency files.
“We wholeheartedly support government transparency, but we insist on protecting the privacy of farm and ranch families,” Stallman said.
AFBF, joined by the National Pork Producers Council, filed the lawsuit last July to block EPA from responding to new FOIA requests seeking information about farmers and ranchers in six additional states. EPA agreed not to release further information pending the court’s decision in this lawsuit. AFBF’s latest filing asks the court for a permanent order preventing future disclosures of farmers’ and ranchers’ personal information in response to similar requests.
A copy of the filing may be found online at http://bit.ly/1yRuDpQ.
Parents Projected to Spend $245,340 to Raise a Child Born in 2013, According to USDA Report
Aug. 18, the USDA released its annual report, Expenditures on Children and Families, also known as the Cost of Raising a Child. The report shows that a middle-income family with a child born in 2013 can expect to spend about $245,340 ($304,480 adjusted for projected inflation) for food, housing, childcare and education, and other child-rearing expenses up to age 18. Costs associated with pregnancy or expenses occurred after age 18, such as higher education, are not included.
While this represents an overall 1.8% increase from 2012, the percentages spent on each expenditure category remain the same. As in the past, the costs by location are lower in the urban South ($230,610) and rural ($193,590) regions of the country. Families in the urban Northeast incurred the highest costs to raise a child ($282,480).
“In today’s economy, it’s important to be prepared with as much information as possible when planning for the future,” said USDA Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Under Secretary Kevin Concannon. “In addition to giving families with children an indication of expenses they might want to be prepared for, the report is a critical resource for state governments in determining child support guidelines and foster care payments.”
The report, issued annually, is based on data from the federal government’s Consumer Expenditure Survey, the most comprehensive source of information available on household expenditures. For the year 2013, annual child-rearing expenses per child for a middle-income, two-parent family ranged from $12,800 to $14,970, depending on the age of the child.
The report, developed by the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP), notes that family income affects child-rearing costs. A family earning less than $61,530 per year can expect to spend a total of $176,550 (in 2013 dollars) on a child from birth up to age 18. Middle-income parents with an income between $61,530 and $106,540 can expect to spend $245,340; and a family earning more than $106,540 can expect to spend $407,820.
The full report, Expenditures on Children by Families 2013, is available on the web at www.cnpp.usda.gov. In addition, families can enter the number and ages of their children to obtain an estimate of costs with a calculator via the interactive web version of the report.
For more information, please view the full release here.
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