News Update
October 1, 2014
Angus Junior Selected
as National Beef Ambassador
Fifth-generation Angus breeder Will Pohlman, Prairie Grove, Ark., was recently named part of an elite group of young people responsible for promoting beef to consumers nationwide. Pohlman is a sophomore at the University of Arkansas studying biochemistry and animal science. He joins Rachel Purdy, Wyoming; Alicia Smith, Texas; Kalyn McKibben, Oklahoma; and Demi Snider, Ohio, as a member of the 2015 National Beef Ambassador Team.
Representatives were selected at the annual National Beef Ambassador competition, which is funded in part by the Beef Checkoff and managed by the American National CattleWomen Inc., contractor to the beef checkoff. Twenty senior contestants ages 17-21, were judged in the areas of consumer promotion, education and outreach strategy, media interview technique, and issues response at the event held in Denver.
Contestants from throughout the country vied for a place on this team of agriculture advocates and $5,000 in cash prizes sponsored exclusively by Farm Credit. Additionally, five educational scholarships totaling $5,000 were given by the American National CattleWomen Foundation Inc. and Monsanto.
This year’s contest also hosted a junior competition for youth beef industry advocates ages 12-16. Ten passionate contestants vied for cash prizes, competing in three judged categories: consumer promotion, media interview technique and issues response.
The first place junior winner was Phillip Saunders, Virginia. The second place winner was Bret Lee, Louisiana, and the third place winner was Abbey Schiefelbein, Minnesota. They all took home checks sponsored exclusively by Farm Credit for their top scores.
While preparing for this national beef promotion and education competition, youth across the nation learn about beef and the beef industry with support from state CattleWomen and Cattlemen’s associations and state beef councils. The preparation highlights industry issues of current consumer interest. Winners of the state competitions compete at the national level where they receive additional training.
After the event, the youth ambassadors speak to address industry issues and misconceptions and educate their peers and meal-time decision makers about beef nutrition, cattle care, safety and more during consumer events, in the classroom and online.
Follow the National Beef Ambassadors on Twitter at @beefambassador and visit www.nationalbeefambassador.org or www.ancw.org for more information.
Today is 2014 North American International
Livestock Expo Entry Deadline
For more information, the entry form may be found here. You may register online here.
AgriLife Extension Sets Oct. 7 Farm Bill
Decision-making Program in Fort Stockton
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will conduct a Farm Bill producer education and decision-aid program from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Center, 1618 Airport Dr., Fort Stockton, Texas.
“This program’s goal is to help producers through the new Farm Bill’s decision-making process,” said David Disselhorst, AgriLife Extension agent in Pecos County.
“This Farm Bill sign-up has some intricacies that require producers to process quite a bit of data in order to make rational decisions,” Disselhorst said. “This training is meant to help them through the process in the least confusing way.
“Bill Thompson, AgriLife Extension economist at San Angelo, will be our key speaker. He has been involved with similar meetings across the state and is spot-on with his instruction. Cullene Heritage from our local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office will also be in attendance to answer questions.”
Thompson said the statewide meetings are structured to recap both the programs available to producers, including Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC). They also examine any base- and yield-update options available to illustrate the data needed to complete the decision-making process.
The new Farm Bill sign-up addressing cotton won’t be in place until 2015, but most farms need to enroll acreage into one of these two coverage areas, Disselhorst said.
During his presentation, Thompson will introduce an online decision aid available to producers developed in part by the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University, College Station. The decision aid simplifies the analysis needed to choose between the PLC and ARC coverages.
RSVP by calling the AgriLife Extension office in Pecos County at 432-336-2541. For more information, call the county office or email Disselhorst at david.disselhorst@ag.tamu.edu.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Water Rule & Risk Management Tools
to be Highlighted at Upcoming Area Meetings
Livestock producers are invited to join the South Dakota (S.D.) Farm Bureau, S.D. Stockgrowers Association and the S.D. Cattlemen’s Association at any of six area meetings scheduled for Oct. 6-8. Come for a free meal and learn more about livestock risk management tools and the proposed Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule that will impact private property rights.
Meetings are scheduled in Reva, Faith, New Underwood, Philip, Chamberlain and Winner, and a beef meal will be provided at each. Silveus Insurance will demonstrate their software designed to assist landowners in determining how to make the Risk Management Agency’s Pasture/Range Forage (PRF) program work on their farm or ranch. PRF is a relatively new program intended to be the first step in providing crop-insurance-like risk management for grass producers and the Silveus software provides guidance regarding the best insurance periods for individual operations.
Following the risk management presentation, Dale Moore, executive director of public policy for the American Farm Bureau Federation, will discuss the WOTUS rule recently proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). He will share why this rule, which proposes to greatly expand the regulatory reach of these federal agencies under the Clean Water Act, should be worrisome for every landowner. Tools will be available on-site for landowners to ask EPA and the Corps to “Ditch the Rule”.
- Meetings are scheduled at the following dates and times:
- Monday, Oct. 6: 11:30 am — Reva Hall; 6:30 pm — Faith VFW
- Tuesday, Oct. 7: 11:30 am — New Underwood Community Center; 6:30 pm — Philip Legion Hall
- Wednesday, Oct. 8: 11:30 am — Chamberlain Community Center; 6:30 pm — Winner 4-H Center
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Texas Section, Society for Range Management Annual Meeting Oct. 7-9 at Marfa/Alpine
Educational field tours, international talks, a Rancher’s Workshop and social networking are all adding up to make the 65th Annual Texas Section, Society for Range Management’s annual meeting Oct. 7-9 at Marfa and Alpine a huge success, said the professional organization’s president.
“At last count we had 156 registered and that doesn’t count about 30 from Mexico that we know are coming but will register on-site,” said John Walker, who is also the Texas A&M AgriLife Research director at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension center at San Angelo, Texas.
The main meeting, dubbed “Borderland Conservation: Two Countries, One Cause,” is set for Oct. 7-9, beginning at the Crowley Theater in Marfa, Texas. That meeting will be preceded by the special Rancher’s Workshop set for 3-6:15 p.m. Oct. 6 and from 8:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Oct. 7 at Marfa’s Hotel Paisano.
The regular annual meeting’s first session, an ecological site workshop, will start at 8:30 a.m. in the Crowley Theater before reconvening at 11 a.m. at the Mimms Ranch for a site visit. The theater session will feature talks on soils, vegetation, soil surveys, developing ecological site descriptions and using ecological sites for conservation planning.
The Mimms Ranch field trip will include viewing of ecological sites, soil interpretation, map unit design and soil inclusions.
The group will reconvene at 1:30 p.m. at Crowley Theater for the Binational Symposium, featuring presentations on the Mexican and U.S. perspectives on the role of exotic grasses for cattle and wildlife, rangeland restoration efforts, successes and failures of technology transfer of grazing management, and the future of rangeland education.
The Oct. 8 field trips all depart at 9 a.m. from the Sul Ross State University Student Center parking lot in Alpine. The four concurrent tours will include Dixon Water Foundation Lands, Mimms Ranch; Rangeland Restoration, CF Ranch near Alpine; Davis Mountains Preserve; and Tour de Big Bend.
The Oct. 9 plenary session will start at 8:15 a.m. at the Espino Center at Sul Ross State University and will include talks on geology, soils and climate of the Trans-Pecos region; vegetation and community types of the Trans-Pecos; case study of the Genevieve Lykes Duncan Archeological Site on the O2 Ranch; U.S. and Mexico perspectives of ranching in the Chihuahuan Desert; Texas climate outlook; overview of the Borderlands Research Institute, and long-term vegetation trends on grazed and ungrazed Chihuahuan Desert grasslands.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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