News Update

5) Visit www.ANGUS.org.

The American Angus Association will host a reception for attendees at 6 p.m., Monday, Nov. 17, at the Crowne Plaza. Please take this opportunity to socialize with breeders from throughout the country. The complete Angus schedule is available online.

— Adapted from a release by Jena McRell, Angus Productions Inc.

A Century of Angus Cattle Production: Laflin Angus

History runs deep in the cattle business. Today’s nearly 25,000 American Angus Association members have their Angus predecessors to thank for the breed’s well-earned reputation of success.

To honor the breed’s most long-standing operations, the Association presents Century Awards to recognize herds, their owners and families, who have been in continuous production of registered-Angus cattle for 100 years or more.

This year’s Century Awards were presented Nov. 6 during the Association’s Awards Recognition Breakfast, hosted as part of the 2014 Angus Means Business National Convention & Trade Show in Kansas City, Mo.

Cody Sankey accepted the Century Award on behalf of the Laflin family, which raises quality Angus cattle in Kansas and Nebraska.

Laflin Angus, residing in Kansas and Nebraska with their family operations, can trace their cattle roots back to 1799. However, their Angus heritage began in 1900, when Eugene B. (E.B.) Laflin purchased the family’s first Angus cattle. Today, the operation remains one of the oldest continuous Angus herds in the United States.

Even at the turn of the century, E.B. stressed that his cattle be efficient, exceptional in size and have bred-in-performance — a tradition that continues today. He was one of the first breeders of registered-Angus cattle in Nebraska, and his early dedication to turn the West “black” set the stage for generations committed to the Angus breed.

To his name were the following bulls: Louis of View Point 7, Glen Eyrie Black and Eline’s Marshall, son of Earl Marshall. E.B. served as the second president of the Nebraska Angus Association and on the American Angus Association Board of Directors in 1924.

Succeeded by his son Lewis E. Laflin, the Laflin Angus legacy continued to gain strength. A skilled manager, Lewis guided the herd through the depression-ravaged 1930s, even giving $500 of his own money to keep the Nebraska Angus Association afloat.

When the drought-stricken state ran out of feed, Lewis decided to ship the cattle to the northern Flint Hills near Bigelow, Kan., for summer grazing. The cattle were shipped back to Nebraska for wintering; this system continued for nearly 30 years. Like his father, Lewis also served on the American Angus Association Board of Directors from 1935-1941. He also served as the fifth president of the Nebraska Angus Association.

In 1962, Lewis’s sons, Bob and Lew, expanded the operation with Bob buying a ranch near Olsburg, Kan., and Lew staying on the home place near Crab Orchard, Neb. Lew served as president of the Nebraska Angus Association in 1981 and 1982.

Today Barbara Laflin, wife of the late Bob Laflin, still raises Angus cattle at Olsburg, Kan. All four of Bob and Barbara’s children are active members of the American Angus Association. Lew and his wife, Virginia, and sons raise Angus in Crab Orchard, Neb.

The Laflin family’s fifth generation is raising Angus cattle and the sixth generation has just arrived. They are spread throughout the United States, and continue to share a passion for the Angus breed set forth by their ancestors more than 100 years ago.

— Adapted from a release by Jena McRell, Angus Productions Inc.

Cold Temperatures Expected To Affect Wheat in Kansas

The sudden sharp drop in temperatures across Kansas during the week of Nov. 10-15 will certainly cause the wheat crop to go into dormancy. Whether it will injure the wheat to any degree depends on several factors, said Jim Shroyer, Kansas State University (K-State) Research and Extension crop production specialist.

“The moisture level in the topsoil will be important. Soil moisture was generally good in most of the state going into October, but the warm temperatures in October caused some of the wheat in the state to put on excessive amounts of topgrowth, which dried out the soil,” Shroyer said.

The cold weather will be more likely to cause injury to wheat if the plants were showing drought stress symptoms, he said. Also, dry soils will get colder more easily than wet soils.

Another important factor in wheat’s response to the cold is whether the wheat had time to become properly cold hardened, he added.

“Although the weather was warm overall in October and early November, there may have been enough cold nights to have allowed the wheat to develop cold hardiness,” Shroyer said.

The extent of the unusually large and rapid drop in temperatures from well above normal to well below normal is a concern, he added. If the wheat did not develop sufficient cold hardiness, it would become more susceptible to injury from the recent cold snap.

“We likely won’t know for sure about cold injury until next spring as the wheat comes out of dormancy,” he said.

The first thing producers will be seeing is a lot of burndown of the wheat from these cold temperatures, Shroyer explained. If the wheat was bigger than normal, the plants may look “rough” with a lot of brown dead-looking foliage on the soil surface, he said.

“That doesn’t mean the plants are dead, however. The important factor will be whether the crown below the soil surface remains alive. Having a well-developed secondary root system will help the plants survive,” Shroyer said.

— Adapted from a release by Steve Watson, K-State Research and Extension.

USDA Announces Karis Gutter as USDA’s First Military Veterans Agriculture Liaison

USDA Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden announced Nov. 14 that Karis T. Gutter, a Marine Corps Reserve veteran and current USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services (FFAS), as the first USDA Military Veterans Agricultural (MVA) Liaison. The MVA Liaison will coordinate USDA leadership across the department to provide information, resources and support for active duty military and veterans interested in agriculture. The MVA Liaison will also have authority to facilitate formal relationships between USDA and other government agencies and nonprofit organizations to strengthen USDA support for veterans.

Harden made the announcement at the Farmers Veterans Coalition and Drake University Agriculture Law Center’s inaugural national conference in Des Moines, Iowa.

“Many of America’s veterans come from our rural communities and are often drawn back to the land upon returning to civilian life,” said Harden. “Veterans are key to building our future generation of farmers, land stewards and conservationists. USDA already has a number of initiatives to help veterans find meaningful work in agriculture upon returning home, but this new position will help coordinate our efforts and make programs easier to navigate. I look forward to Karis’ leadership as we continue to support America’s heroes.”

The USDA MVA Liaison, which reports directly to the Office of the Secretary, is a new position created by the 2014 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill also authorizes USDA to offer priority preference to veterans in several programs including the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) and the Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program.

For more information, please view the full release here.

— Adapted from a release by the USDA Office of Communications.

— Compiled by Paige Nelson, field editor, Angus Journal.

 
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