News Update
September 30, 2014
Early Registration for the National Angus Convention Ends Oct. 1
The clock is ticking for cattle producers hoping to attend the Angus Means Business National Convention & Trade Show Nov. 4-6 in Kansas City, Mo. The early registration fee, at just $25, expires after Wednesday, Oct. 1.
Registration to the first-ever event located conveniently near the airport at the KCI Expo Center is available to all cattle producers. Reserve lodging soon because many hotel blocks will end next week and room rates may increase.
A detailed schedule of events, lodging information and registration is available at www.angusconvention.com. Registration fees will increase to $50 after Oct. 1 For more information or to access the official convention guide, visit www.angusconvention.com.
Kansas Angus Field Day
Join Kansas cattlemen at Eby Ranch, Emporia, Kan., Saturday, Oct. 11, for the Kansas Angus Field Day. Registration begins at 10 a.m. The program will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Attendees will enjoy a Certified Angus Beef® lunch, speakers, networking and more. Please preregister for the field day by Oct. 1, by visiting www.kansasangus.org.
USDA Awards More Than $52 Million in Grants
to Grow Organic and Local Food Economies
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Sept. 29 the award of more than $52 million in support of the growing organic industry and local and regional food systems through five USDA grant programs. Vilsack made the announcement during an event with Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe and local farmers at the Virginia State Fair.
“Local and regional food systems are one of the pillars of our efforts to revitalize rural economies,” said Vilsack. “Consumers are increasingly demanding more local and organic options. Investing in local and regional food systems supports the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers, especially smaller operations, while strengthening economies in communities across the country. Today’s (Sept. 29) announcements also improve access to fresh, healthy food for millions of Americans.”
Vilsack made the announcement while in Virginia, where M. James Faison, a farmer and business owner of Milton’s Local Harvest, was awarded a Local Food Promotion Program grant. Milton’s Local Harvest will develop aggregation and wholesale distribution channels for farmers producing local swine and cattle products in Virginia and the District of Columbia. The project will improve the commercial viability of small- to medium-scale farmers, allowing wholesalers to source locally and increasing consumer access to local, sustainable and healthy meat.
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) awarded over $27 million in competitive grants to expand marketing through the new Local Food Marketing Promotion Program (LFPP) and the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP). LFPP will invest millions annually in marketing and promotion activities for local food enterprises including food hubs, aggregation businesses, local food processors, farm to institution activities and other similar efforts. FMPP makes annual investments in marketing and promotion activities for farmers’ markets, Community Supported Agriculture groups (CSAs) and other direct producer-to-consumer outlets for local food.
“These Farmers’ Market and Local Food Promotion Program grants provide farmers and ranchers around the country with tools to reach consumers, strengthen ties between urban and rural communities, and help meet the growing demand for locally and regionally produced food,” said AMS Administrator Anne Alonzo.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Harnessing Data is Subject of Water
for Food Global Conference
Mobilizing new data gathering capabilities to improve global water and food security is the subject of the sixth annual Water for Food Global Conference, hosted by the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute at the University of Nebraska in association with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Oct. 19-22 in Seattle, Wash.
The event is the premier gathering of world experts working to develop new approaches to produce more food with less pressure on water resources. It brings together researchers and policy analysts, farmers, government leaders, and non-governmental organizations and business representatives.
Remote sensing, precision agriculture, GPS services, satellite imagery and the supercomputing power to analyze the tsunami of data available are transforming agricultural and water management.
This year’s conference theme, “Harnessing the Data Revolution: Ensuring Water and Food Security from Field to Global Scales,” will provide a forum for global experts and policy leaders to discuss ways to effectively manage and use data-gathering technology to conserve water and improve crop yields for farming systems, large and small, around the world.
“The explosion of data in recent years is having a significant impact on virtually every field of human endeavor. New and complex sets of data, from smartphone communications to remote sensing, are opening up new possibilities for better data-driven analysis and decision making,” said Roberto Lenton, founding executive director of the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute at the University of Nebraska. “If effectively harnessed, the data revolution presents significant opportunities to help ensure food and water security. However, it also introduces challenges. For example, enabling more farmers to use data effectively to improve their operations requires training and agricultural extension, which will be especially challenging in those countries where these services are already limited. We’ll explore all sides of the role of data in ensuring water and agricultural sustainability at this year’s event.”
Presentations and panel discussions will cover a range of topics, including the data needs of smallholder farmers, using climate data to improve decision-making, water’s effect on public health, and the policy and economic implications of water metering.
For additional information on the 2014 Water for Food Global Conference, including how to register, visit: http://waterforfood.nebraska.edu/wff2014. Daily conference blog updates and live web-streaming of select presentations will also be available on the website.D to
Complimentary conference registration is available to qualified professional journalists who are covering the conference for recognized print, online and broadcast news organizations. For more details, media professionals may contact Molly Nance at mnance@nebraska.edu or 402-472-5512.
For more information please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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