News Update
November 12, 2014
Honoring Angus Breed Heritage
Generations of farmers and ranchers committed to Angus cattle are responsible for shaping what is now the industry’s leading beef cattle breed. Their shared vision of genetic improvement, performance records and raising cattle that consumers demand is what has set the breed apart during years of challenges and opportunities.
The American Angus Association recognizes breed leaders and their contributions each year by inducting individuals into the Angus Heritage Foundation. Four new additions were recognized Nov. 6 during the Association’s Awards Recognition Breakfast, hosted as part of the first-ever Angus Means Business National Convention & Trade Show in Kansas City, Mo.
The 2014 inductees are Paul Donnelly, Kansas City, Mo.; Don Greiman, Garner, Iowa; the late Bob Laflin, Olsburg, Kan.; and Lawrason Sayre, Churchville, Md.
Each inductee or a family representative received a framed Angus Heritage Foundation certificate, and their names will be engraved on the Heritage Foundation plaque displayed in the library of the Association headquarters in Saint Joseph, Mo.
Photos and biographies will be included in the 2015 edition of the Angus Heritage Foundation booklet.
For more news from the Angus Means Business National Convention & Trade Show, visit www.angusconvention.com. Also plan to tune to The Angus Report at 7:30 a.m. CST Monday, Nov. 17 for full coverage on RFD-TV.
For more information, please view the full release here.
FCS Financial Donates $5,000 to Orrick High School
After recently hearing of the need for funds from an Orrick, Mo., resident, FCS Financial announced its intent to donate $5,000 to Orrick High School to assist with the construction of a new wing to house the ag building and science lab. FCS Financial leadership will present the check to Orrick High School FFA Officers and school officials Nov. 24 at 3:15 p.m. at the high school.
“As a community with strong farming roots, we appreciate the donation from FCS Financial,” says Aerin O’Dell, Orrick High School superintendent. “The students in our ag program will benefit greatly from the improvements that will be made when we rebuild the agriculture building.”
On May 10, an EF3 tornado tore through Orrick, Mo., a town of about 800 in Ray County. The high school suffered extensive damage, losing an entire section including the ag shop. This school year, ag classes are being taught outside and in the basement. According to O’Dell, the school did not qualify for assistance from either the Federal or State Emergency Management Agencies and repairs exceed the district’s insurance coverage.
“Helping to rebuild Orrick High School’s ag program is important to us because FCS Financial is committed to the success of Missouri’s rural youth and the communities we serve,” says David Janish, FCS Financial CEO. “We believe strong agricultural youth programs produce strong leaders.”
USMEF Elects New Officer Team
On Nov. 7, 2014, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) concluded its annual Strategic Planning Conference in Arlington, Va., with election of new officers. Leann Saunders of Castle Rock, Colo., is USMEF chair, succeeding Mark Jagels of Davenport, Neb.
Saunders is co-founder and president of Where Food Comes From, an agricultural and food verification and certification company. Saunders previously worked for PM Beef Holdings, where she developed the first-ever USDA Process Verified Program for U.S. beef. She also worked as a purchasing specialist for McDonald’s Corp. and for Hudson Foods.
Saunders remains actively involved in her family’s ranching and stocker operations and is part owner of the Mayfield Heritage Cattle Co. in Animas, N.M. In her address to USMEF members, Saunders said her ranching background shaped the values and perspective she brings to the position of USMEF chair.
Roel Andriessen of Dakota Dunes, S.D., is the new USMEF chair-elect. He is the senior vice president responsible for Tyson Fresh Meats’ international sales group.
Vice-chair Bruce Schmoll is a soybean and corn producer from Claremont, Minn. He has represented the oilseeds-producing sector on the USMEF Executive Committee and is a past president of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association.
The newest member of the USMEF officer team is Dennis Stiffler, who will serve as secretary-treasurer. Stiffler is CEO of Mountain States Rosen and has represented the lamb producing and feeding sector on the USMEF Executive Committee. He is based in Bronx, N.Y.
The next USMEF board of directors meeting is set for May 20-22, 2015, in San Antonio, Texas. For more information, please visit www.usmef.org.
For more information, please view the full release here.
New CFSAN Center Director Announced
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Nov. 10 a change in leadership at the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). In January 2015, Susan T. Mayne will take the reins from Michael M. Landa, who has led the Center since 2010, providing critical leadership on major food safety and nutrition initiatives.
Mayne is an internationally recognized public health leader and scientist, who is also known as an outstanding administrator and coalition builder. With rigorous training in nutrition, toxicology and epidemiology, she understands the fundamental relationship between science and the FDA’s public health mission.
Currently the C.-E.A. Winslow Professor of Epidemiology and chair of the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health, as well as associate director of the Yale Cancer Center, Mayne has forged successful collaborations with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and USDA; worked with state legislators to pass public health bills; and mentored young public health professionals, who now occupy important positions at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and elsewhere. She has accomplished this while also conducting extensive research into the complex role of food, nutrition, obesity, and other health behaviors as determinants of chronic disease risk. She is author or coauthor of more than 200 scientific publications.
As the FDA Foods and Veterinary Medicine Program is transforming the food-safety system and taking new steps to address chronic disease and obesity, Mayne is poised to provide strong, optimistic and inspiring leadership to CFSAN. As a public health expert and effective communicator, she will play a leading role on nutrition, food safety and many other issues while also working closely with the program to engage consumers, industry and the general public. She will also provide energetic leadership around science and research, working closely with the dedicated team at CFSAN to enhance the scientific underpinnings of policy.
For more information, please view the full release here.
AgriLife Extension Sets Second Round of South Plains Farm Bill Decision-aid Meetings
The second round of Farm Bill decision-aid meetings conducted by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service county agents across the South Plains during the next two months will begin Nov. 25, said a keynote speaker for the meetings.
Jackie Smith, AgriLife Extension economist at Lubbock, said the free public meetings are collaborative efforts among AgriLife Extension, the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and various commodity groups.
The meetings are scheduled for the following dates, times and locations, with more information available by calling the phone numbers listed:
- – Nov. 25, 9 a.m.-noon, Bovina Community Center, 215 North St., Bovina, 806-272-4583.
- – Nov. 25, 1-4 p.m., Bailey County Electric, 610 American Blvd., Muleshoe, 806-272-4583.
- – Dec. 1, 1-4 p.m., Brownfield Church of Christ Family Life Building, 506 N. Atkins, Brownfield, 806-637-4060.
- – Dec. 9, 9 a.m.-noon, Dimmitt, location to be announced, 806-647-4115.
- – Dec. 19, 9 a.m.-noon, Floyd County Friends Unity Center, 990 Farm-to-Market Road 786, Lockney, 806-983-4912.
– Dec. 19, 1-4 p.m., AgriLife Extension office, 201 W. Aspen, Crosbyton, 806-675-2347.
Smith said the programs are designed to help producers through the new Farm Bill’s decision-making process.
“This Farm Bill sign-up requires producers to make several significant decisions that will affect them at least through 2018,” Smith said. “These trainings will help them through the sign-up process and teach them to use the online decision-aid tool that’s available for them. This tool will help them with the decisions they’ll need to make related to base reallocation and yield update and whether to select Price Loss Coverage (PLC), or Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) for covered commodities.”
Smith will present a demonstration of the online decision-aid tool and offer examples for demonstration purposes.
Smith said more counties will be scheduling similar meetings throughout the region. Interested persons should check with their local AgriLife Extension agent.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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