News Update
September 5, 2014
Calling All Cattlemen to Kansas City
No matter how you make your living in the cattle business, there’s a place for you at the 2014 Angus Means Business National Convention & Trade Show. The event, scheduled to be Nov. 4-6 at the KCI Expo Center in Kansas City, Mo., is a meeting place for everyone with an interest in quality beef production.
The $25 early-bird registration fee, applicable until Oct. 1, grants access to Angus University, a comprehensive all-day educational event; and nationally known entertainers, including cowboy comedian Baxter Black, country legend John Michael Montgomery and an Eagles tribute band. Plus, all attendees will be given a chance to win a brand-new Yamaha Viking VI.
“The Angus breed offers much to the industry, and the Association is proud to welcome all partners to the convention this fall,” says Bryce Schumann, American Angus Association CEO. “This is an unprecedented opportunity for everyone with a stake in the success of the beef cattle business to congregate, share ideas, see old friends, make new ones and enjoy an in-depth look at the future of our industry.”
Other scheduled highlights include a slate of acclaimed speakers, such as Richard Picciotto — the highest-ranking firefighter to survive the World Trade Center collapse and two evening galas on the Trade Show floor, featuring nearly 100 allied industry partners.
Sponsored by Merck Animal Health, Angus University will be hosted Nov. 3 and is themed “The Story of the Steak.” The daylong event builds on the successful television and editorial campaign developed by the High Plains Journal. The “Story of a Steak” series, which appears on The Angus Report, a news program on RFD-TV, emphasizes the importance of all industry sectors working together collaboratively to improve the quality of beef and the profitability of producers, feeders and packers.
Headlining the event will be keynote futurist Lowell Catlett, who will share his perspectives on emerging technologies and their potential impacts on the cattle industry.
In addition, Angus University will feature speakers representing all sectors of the beef industry — from ranchers to chefs — and include producers and others profiled in the successful TV segments.
“The ‘Story of a Steak’ expands upon some of the most pressing and engaging topics facing the cattle industry today,” Schumann says. “By bringing together every sector of the business, we, along with our generous sponsors at Merck Animal Health, hope to inspire creativity and collaboration to meet these challenges and opportunities.”
Angus Means Business Workshops Nov. 4 will provide practical applications for a variety of tasks on the farm or ranch. Commercial programs, recordkeeping, financial planning and marketing are a few topics that will be covered throughout the afternoon sessions.
For more information watch the October Angus Journal, which features a special editorial section on the convention and a convention guide insert, or visit www.angusconvention.com.
Missouri Ag Students Receive New Curriculum
Agriculture students in Missouri high schools and junior colleges are learning from a new curriculum this school year. Funded by FCS Financial through a grant to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), the Ag Management, Economics & Sales curriculum is the first curriculum developed as a partnership between the public and private sectors.
“A needs survey conducted three years ago identified a new curriculum was at the top of the list for Missouri’s ag teachers,” says Scott Gardner, FCS Financial vice president of sales and marketing. “The curriculum they were using was developed in 1988.”
In response, FCS Financial and DESE joined forces with Vivayic, a learning solutions company, to develop the Ag Management, Economics & Sales curriculum, which was unveiled in July during the Missouri Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association (MVATA) conference.
“This curriculum is just what Missouri ag teachers needed as we continue to prepare students for future endeavors in the agriculture industry,” says Ross Hastert, instructor at Rockport High School. “Thanks to FCS Financial and Vivayic, we have an up-to-date and detailed curriculum that is easy to follow and implement into the classroom. I am excited to introduce this curriculum to the juniors and seniors at Rock Port High School this fall.”
The comprehensive goal was to bring together concepts from agricultural economics, management, sales and marketing and personal finance. The nature of today’s agricultural industry is reflected to prepare students for career success.
“The activities within each lesson allowed for hands-on experience and complete understanding,” says Chase Holcumbrink, instructor at Savannah High School, who taught the course during its pilot phase last year. “This curriculum allows students to make real-world connections and learn valuable, lifelong lessons.”
The curriculum is web-based and available for free on the Missouri FFA Association website to provide the extra benefits of building in real-world links and projects as well as easy, around the clock access.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Akey Named Interim Director at Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab
The Texas A&M System Board of Regents named Bruce L. Akey interim director of the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) Sept. 3. Akey began as executive deputy director at the lab in June of this year.
“Dr. Akey has many years of outstanding leadership in veterinary diagnostics,” said Bill Dugas, acting vice chancellor and dean for Texas A&M AgriLife. “I am pleased to have Dr. Akey’s experience and expertise to guide TVMDL forward in ensuring both animal and human health for Texas.”
For six years, Tammy Beckham served as the lab’s director, and since 2010, also directed the Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases (IIAD), a U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology Center of Excellence affiliated with Texas A&M AgriLife Research. In August, she announced her intention to leave the lab to become full-time director of IIAD.
A graduate of the College of William and Mary with a bachelor’s degree in biology, Akey holds a master’s in parasitology from the University of Florida and a doctorate of veterinary medicine from the University of Minnesota. He served three and a half years as assistant state veterinarian for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, was the chief of the Office of Laboratory Services at the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for 13 years, and was in private clinical practice for four years prior to that. From 2006 through mid-2014, Akey served as assistant dean for diagnostic operations and the executive director of the Animal Health Diagnostic Center in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University.
An agency of the Texas A&M University System, the veterinary diagnostic lab operates in College Station, Amarillo, Center and Gonzales.
For more information on the TVMDL, visit http://tvmdl.tamu.edu.
Local Ranching Event Scheduled Sept. 10 in Placedo
The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA), Claude Koontz and Mary Sue and Tom Nelson will host a ranch gathering Wednesday, Sept. 10, at the HK Ranch in Placedo, Texas. Registration will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by a complimentary beef dinner. The event is free and open to the public.
TSCRA Special Ranger Gary Baros will give an update on law enforcement activities and share advice on how ranchers can keep their livestock and equipment safe. Additionally, TSCRA staff will update cattle raisers on important legislative issues.
Please RSVP to 1-800-242-7820, ext. 192, or rsvp@tscra.org.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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