News Update
December 16, 2014
NJAA Members, Upcoming
Events Approaching Deadlines.
The National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) prepares the next generation of Angus leaders by hosting educational and social events throughout the country. As the new year begins, NJAA members are encouraged to consider attending one of several events, including the upcoming Mini-Leaders Engaged in Angus Development (LEAD) retreat in West Virginia, and two “Raising the Bar” conferences in March and April.
Mini-LEAD Retreat in West Virginia
Angus juniors, parents and advisors are invited to attend a mini-LEAD retreat hosted by the West Virginia Junior Angus Association Feb. 20-22 at the Canaan Valley State Park in Davis, W.Va. Like the national LEAD conference, the weekend retreat will give NJAA members a chance to explore the area, take in workshops and make new friends.
The $30 registration fee will cover lunch and workshop expenses. Participants are responsible for additional costs for skiing, ice-skating and other activities. Lodging can be reserved at the state park by calling 1-800-622-4121 and asking for the $109 room rate. The registration deadline is Jan. 7, 2015.
Raising the Bar Conferences
The NJAA hosts several leadership training sessions each year that encourage Angus youth to “raise the bar” for their state and regional junior associations. This spring, two Raising the Bar conferences will be hosted at the University of Illinois and the University of Georgia.
Made possible through financial support from the Angus Foundation, Raising the Bar is open to five state officers and two state advisors from each state in the region. The intensive leadership training encourages officers to work together to build stronger teams, as well as develop regional relationships for both youth and adults.
The University of Illinois event takes place March 19-22, 2015, in Champaign–Urbana, Ill., and the conference moves to the University of Georgia April 9-12, 2015, in Athens, Ga. The tentative schedule for both conferences includes a campus tour, educational workshops, farm and ranch tours, as well as social activities and games.
To participate, visit the NJAA website to download registration forms, which are due back mid-February 2015. The $100 registration fee covers lodging, conference meals and materials.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Statement by Texas Medical Doctor and Cattle Producer
on Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Meeting
Statement by Texas medical doctor and cattle producer Richard Thorpe on the Dec. 15 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee meeting to discuss the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, where the committee made clear their intention to remove lean beef and reduce red meat consumption from healthful dietary patterns:
“Despite a large body of strong and consistent evidence supporting lean beef’s role in healthy diets, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee appears to be out of touch with today’s lean meat supply in the retail counter and the 30+ years of nutrition advice showcasing benefits of lean beef. I am deeply disappointed that the committee missed this opportunity to positively influence the American diet by blatantly disregarding sound science and removing lean beef from a healthful dietary pattern.
“Today, for the second time, the committee presented and agreed to evidence showing that there are healthy dietary patterns with red-meat intake above current U.S. consumption levels. Against their own review of the science, the committee is recommending healthy diets should be lower in red meat than they are today. The committee has turned a blind eye to their own evidence-library criteria, arbitrarily excluding peer-reviewed, sound science on the health benefits of lean beef. To recommend that Americans eat less of a heart-healthy protein, the only area of the existing guidelines currently consumed within the recommended amounts, demonstrates that this committee has its own agenda, and it is not guided by the evidence. This flawed process and committee bias is preventing a fair and reasonable discussion of the true science. I encourage the secretaries to take a step back and look closely at the inconsistency and absurdity of the committee’s recommendation.”
National Western Hiring for the January 2015 Stock Show
The National Western Stock Show (NWSS) is hosting a job fair in search of friendly and hard-working people to be a part of Denver’s largest annual event.
“The Stock Show is a long-standing tradition in our community and state; we invite you to be part of it,” says Joanne Herrera, human resources coordinator. The job fair is Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014, at the National Western Complex, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Applicants will have a chance to interview with the various hiring departments and complete new-hire paperwork if hired.
There are several important positions in maintenance, janitorial, parking and guest relations. Many of the positions are outdoors, regardless of weather, and shifts run 8-12 hours per day for the 16 days of Stock Show. These are paid positions with hourly wages starting at $8 (Colorado minimum wage changes to $8.23 on Jan. 1, 2015), depending on job and skill level. Positions are seasonal (temporary) and run the duration of the Stock Show. Valid ID and social security information is required. Applicants must be 18 years or older, eligible to work in the United States and able to pass a background check. NWSS is a drug- and alcohol-free employer.
Genex Launches PregCheck™ Fertility Ranking
Genex Cooperative Inc. is first in the industry to launch sire fertility rankings on beef sires.
“We are excited to launch a beef sire fertility ranking model,” states Keith Heikes, Genex COO. “This fertility ranking, called PregCheck, evaluates an individual sire’s frozen semen conception rate.”
The PregCheck evaluation, available only through Genex, shows the expected difference in a sire’s conception rate. PregCheck uses a 100-base system, meaning a value of 100 is average. Every one-point difference is equivalent to a 1% difference in conception rate. For example, if Sire A has a PregCheck of 102 and Sire B has a PregCheck of 98, sire A is predicted to average a 4% higher conception rate compared to sire B when bred to females with similar reproductive ability.
“Genex members and customers can expect increased conception rates when breeding females to higher-PregCheck sires. An increase in conception rate adds up to more artificial insemination (AI) pregnancies and pounds of calf per year,” explains Heikes.
PregCheck rankings will be published in the 2015 Beef Genetic Management Guide. As additional sires achieve reliability, their PregCheck rankings will be updated on the Genex website. Visit the Genex website at http://bit.ly/BeefPregCheck for a current listing.
For more information, please view the full release here.
American Royal Livestock Show Sees
Increase in Entries and Exhibitors
As the American Royal closes the books on a very successful 2014 season, it is pleased with the growth of its livestock show. Now in its 115th year, the American Royal Livestock Show continues to draw exhibitors showing the best livestock from across the country. This year’s event saw an increase of 8% for the total livestock entered (3,977) and a 7% increase in exhibitors (1,792 from 34 states) who came to the show.
“The roots of the American Royal are in the livestock show. The first American Royal in 1899 was a national Hereford cattle show held in a tent. Today our livestock show includes several breeds of cattle, hogs, lambs and goats. There are more than 25 different shows within our overall event that takes place for two weeks in the American Royal Complex,” says Mariner Kemper, chairman of the American Royal.
In 2014 the livestock show included twelve open breeding cattle shows, eight junior heifer shows, four junior market shows (steer, hog, lamb and goat), and a junior pedigreed-gilt show.
The livestock show focuses greatly on the purpose of the American Royal by providing scholarships, youth agriculture education, awards and competitive learning experiences that help instill hard work, leadership skills and agrarian values. The American Royal Junior Shows are highly regarded in the livestock industry and award junior exhibitors between the ages of nine and 20 for their hard work throughout the year in raising their livestock projects.
The American Royal Association is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that has been a Kansas City tradition since 1899. Each year more than 270,000 people attend events at the American Royal Complex. In addition to its educational mission, the American Royal generates some $60 million in economic impact, $4.4 million in local tax revenues and supports 450 jobs. For further information, see www.americanroyal.com.
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