News Update
October 14, 2014
‘The Angus Report’ Doubles Airings
Each Week
If you enjoy Angus TV programming, there’s good news coming next month: Beginning Nov. 1, the American Angus Association’s popular news program, The Angus Report, will increase its airings from two to four times per week on RFD-TV.
Since its launch three years ago, the program has been broadcast on Monday mornings at 7:30 a.m. and Saturday afternoons at 1:30 p.m., in the Central time zone. Now, the program will air additionally on Wednesday evenings at 5 p.m. CDT and Thursday afternoons at 3:30 p.m. CDT.
“Having the program air four times a week instead of two dramatically increases our ability to communicate timely news and information about the Angus business to cattle producers across the country,” says Eric Grant, president and general manager of Angus Productions Inc. (API) “It’s also good news for Angus breeders and allied industry who advertise on our program. The broader exposure expands the frequency of their advertising — and gives them more exposure among a growing audience.”
The decision will also make it easier for viewers in all times zones to tune-in and watch the program.
“Viewers from the East coast to the West coast will have more opportunities to tune-in and enjoy the program at a time that’s convenient for their own work and personal schedules,” Grant says.
The Angus Report began airing on RFD-TV in 2011, and since that time the program has watched its viewership nearly triple, according to Nielsen, ranking it now among RFD-TV’s most-watched agribusiness programs. The program also enjoys a robust online audience, with all segments posted to www.angus.org and other popular websites each week.
RFD-TV also announced that it had reached a distribution agreement with AT&T U-Verse, which increases the network’s reach to 47-plus million households nationwide.
“We’re really grateful to RFD-TV for their commitment to expanding farm and ranch-focused TV programming to more viewers across the country,” Grant says. “RFD-TV founder Patrick Gottsch and his team have reshaped the way organizations like ours and many others reach our audience and communicate information that makes producers more competitive and economically sustainable.”
In addition to The Angus Report, the American Angus Association and API also produce a weekly 30-minute radio show, Angus Talk, that airs every Saturday morning at 10 a.m. CDT on Rural Radio Channel 80 on Sirius XM Radio; and an ongoing documentary series, I Am Angus, which is slated to air in the next couple of months on Thanksgiving evening, Christmas night and on the evening of Jan. 5, 2015, on RFD-TV.
RFD-TV is distributed by more than 625 cable operations, and can be found on DirecTV channel 345 and Dish Network channel 231. Check local listings for more information.
To learn more or to watch segments from past shows, visit www.angus.org.
Free BQA Certifications through Oct. 31
For the third time, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. (BIVI) is supporting the checkoff-funded Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program by sponsoring all online certifications this fall for producers who enroll before October 31.
BIVI will pick up the $25-$50 certification fee for beef or dairy producers who are interested in becoming certified or recertified during this period. Visit www.bqa.org/team to take advantage of the open certification period.
The BQA program is important to the cattle industry, as it gives producers a set of best practices for producing a safe and high-quality beef product. For dairy producers, this offering is also beneficial because a large percentage of dairy calves and market cows make their way into the food chain.
The BQA certification modules are customized to fit the specific needs of each segment of the cattle industry — cow-calf, stocker, feedyard and dairy operations. The program covers best management practices such as proper handling and administration of vaccinations and other products, eliminating injection site blemishes, and better cattle-handling principles.
“One of the challenges that beef producers face is having all of their employees become BQA-certified,” says Jerry Woodruff, professional services veterinarian with BIVI. “Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica’s partnership with BQA helps offset some of those expenses, and we encourage producers and their employees to use the web-based training programs.”
More than 11,000 producers have taken advantage of BIVI’s BQA certification partnership. BIVI’s partnership also includes financial support of the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University, which developed the certification module.
To become BQA certified, or learn more about the program, visit www.bqa.org/team.
To learn more about your beef checkoff investment, visit www.mybeefcheckoff.com.
NMSU’s Corona Center Hosts Symposium
on Mineral Nutrition for Cattle
Experts will help ranchers consider the importance of mineral nutrition for their cattle herds at a special one-day symposium — “Minerals and their Role in Ranch Sustainability” — set for Nov. 20 at the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Southwest Center for Rangeland Sustainability at the Corona Range and Livestock Research Center.
“Mineral nutrition can be confusing and is often neglected in our cow herds,” said Eric Scholljegerdes, NMSU beef cattle nutritionist. “The purpose of this symposium is to provide basic information on why certain minerals are important, identifying deficiencies and talking about successes and failures experienced with different mineral programs.”
Cost of the symposium is $10, which is due at the door. Preregistration is required and is limited to the first 50 participants. The $10 fee will go toward printing costs. “Another point we hope to get out of this symposium is to show that although mineral is expensive on a per-ton basis, the cost per cow is low and the benefits are far reaching and range from improvement in forage digestibility all the way to improved calf health in the feedlot,” Scholljegerdes said.
This will be the center’s first “Beyond the Roundtable” event, featuring an in-depth discussion delving into the role minerals play in livestock production and supplementation needs in New Mexico. In contrast to the format for the Rancher’s Roundtable, leading experts in mineral nutrition will present three one-hour presentations with a roundtable discussion to close the day.
Lunch will be provided and each participant will take home a bound proceedings manual with all information from the day, as well as supplemental information deemed important by speakers and New Mexico specialists.
The day will begin at 10 a.m. with an “Overview of Minerals and their Individual Function,” presented by Mark Branine, of Zinpro Corp.
At 11 a.m., Ted McCollum, of Texas AgriLife, will present “Performance Benefits of Minerals for Livestock.” Lunch will follow.
Scholljegerdes will speak at 1 p.m. on “Mineral Issues in New Mexico.” A roundtable discussion and case studies of mineral programs will take place at 2 p.m. To register and for directions to the center, visit the Corona Range and Livestock Research Center’s website at www.corona.nmsu.edu.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
USU Extension Releases New Sage-grouse App
The Utah State University (USU) Extension Community-based Conservation Program recently released a new app, “Sage-grouse Habitat in Utah: A Guide for Landowners and Managers.”
The app is the first of its kind, and, although developed in Utah, is applicable throughout the sage-grouse range, which includes 11 western states and two Canadian provinces. The app provides managers and landowners with immediate and pertinent information about sagebrush management and sage-grouse habitat needs and can be accessed from anywhere in the field. It can assist in planning management actions to help conserve the sage-grouse population.
According to Terry Messmer, USU Extension wildlife specialist and director of the Utah Community-based Conservation Program which developed the app, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated the greater sage-grouse as a candidate species for listing for protection under the Endangered Species Act. Federal, state and private partners are implementing conservation actions to avert the need for a listing. Having an understanding of the habitat associations of a species and how habitats are used by wildlife across landscapes and seasons is a basic tenet of wildlife management.
“Greater sage-grouse populations have declined because of habitat loss, and it is estimated that they currently occupy only half their original range,” he said. “They depend on sagebrush landscapes that often overlap jurisdictional boundaries, land ownerships and land uses. Sage-grouse management efforts focused on protecting and enhancing the best habitats remain an essential part of an integrated range-wide species conservation strategy.”
Messmer said the app will help landowners, federal and state partners better recognize characteristics of favorable sage-grouse habitat and assist them in developing projects to benefit species conservation across its range.
“Sage-grouse Habitat in Utah” is free of charge and is available in Android and iOS formats. The Android version is available at Google Play (www.playgoogle.com) and the iOS version can be accessed through the iTunes App Store.
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