News Update
January 7, 2015
Missouri Cattlemen's Association
Elects 2015 Leadership
During the annual meeting of the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association (MCA), leaders were elected for the year. Janet Akers from Clinton, Mo., elevated to president of the association. Akers said she is proud to serve as president alongside the other volunteer leaders.
“It is an honor to be afforded the opportunity to lead the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association as its president. This organization is the largest and oldest association in the state solely representing the interests of cattle producers,” said Akers.
Elected to serve as president-elect was Keith Stevens from Bolivar, Mo., who will also chair the association’s membership committee. Butch Meier from Jackson, Mo., will serve as the association’s vice president and chair of the convention committee. David Dick, Sedalia, Mo., will serve as secretary and Sheryl Brewe, Marthasville, Mo., will serve as treasurer and chair of the budget and finance committee. 2014 MCA President Jim McCann will serve as past president and chairman of the MCA Executive Committee. McCann said he is proud of the direction the association is going.
“We have an outstanding association and we are growing day by day,” said McCann. “The newly elected leadership will continue representing the members of this association by working to protect and grow the cattle industry for the next generation.”
Akers said MCA has seven regional vice presidents serving as the voice for all regions of the state. Mike Henderson from Wellsville, Mo., was elected to serve as vice president for region two. Bobby Simpson, Salem, Mo., was elected to serve the southeast part of the state as region three vice president. Mark Garges, Cameron, Mo., was re-elected to serve the northwest part of the state as vice president for region four. Marvin Dieckman, Cole Camp, Mo., was also re-elected to serve as vice president for region six. No other regional vice president seats were open.
Representing the cow-calf council on the executive committee is Chuck Massengill from California, Mo. The stocker/feeder council will be represented by Jimmie Long, Cole Camp, Mo., and the seedstock council will be represented by Tom Black, Warsaw, Mo.
Elections took place during the 47th Annual Missouri Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show Jan. 2-4, in Osage Beach, Mo.
Nominations Are Now Open for the Meat Industry
Hall of Fame Class of 2015
Now celebrating its seventh year of honoring the best in the industry, the Meat Industry Hall of Fame is requesting nominations for members of the class of 2015. Eligible candidates must meet three key qualifications:
• Candidates must have spent a significant portion of their professional careers in an industry-related field (animal agriculture, food processing, government, academia, retail)
• Candidates must have contributed significant innovation, achieved notable business success or otherwise positively impacted their organization, institution or larger industry segment
• Candidates must have successfully undertaken significant community service or philanthropy
To nominate someone who’s worthy of membership in the Meat Industry Hall of Fame, simply request a nomination form by contacting Chuck Jolley at Chuck@MeatIndustryHallofFame.com or 913-205-3791.
A list of qualified candidates will be assembled and ballots will be sent to the board and members of the Meat Industry Hall of Fame on March 16. Their votes will be tallied and six new members will be announced on May 18.
Help us celebrate by planning to attend the induction ceremony in the fall of 2015. The date and location will be announced soon.
.USDA Observes Kick Off of the International Year of Soils
The USDA on Jan. 6 began its celebration of the International Year of Soils to highlight the importance of healthy soils for food security, ecosystem functions and resilient farms and ranches.
“Healthy soil is the foundation that ensures working farms and ranches become more productive, resilient to climate change and better prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said during an event Jan. 6 at USDA headquarters. “We join the world in celebrating this living and life-giving resource.”
With an increasing global population, a shrinking agricultural land base, climate change and extreme weather events, the nations of the world are focusing their collective attention to the primary resource essential to food production — the soil. The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), working within the framework of the Global Soil Partnership, spearheaded the adoption of a resolution by the UN General Assembly designating 2015 as the International Year of Soils. The year of awareness aims to increase global understanding of the importance of soil for food security and essential ecosystem functions.
“Most people don’t realize that just beneath our feet lies a diverse, complex, life-giving ecosystem that sustains our entire existence,” said Jason Weller, chief of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). “We are helping producers unlock the power of soil health as part of an important and very successful national campaign. Our campaign demonstrates our renewed commitment to soil conservation and soil health.”
NRCS is coordinating activities to mark USDA’s involvement in the International Year of Soils. Nearly 80 years ago, NRCS, formerly the Soil Conservation Service, was created to improve the health and sustainability of our nation’s soils. The agency’s original mission continues to this day — providing assistance to producers looking to improve the health of the soil on their land.
Conservation that works to improve soil health is one of the best tools NRCS has to help landowners face these impending challenges — and maintain and improve their productivity with the use of soil management systems that include cover crops, conservation tillage and no-till and crop rotations. These systems reduce sediment loss from farms and ranches; buffer the effects of drought, flood and other severe weather; sequester carbon; and create biodiversity in our rural landscape.
“International Year of Soils provides an opportunity for us to learn about the critical role soil conservation and improved soil health play in the economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture,” Weller said.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Blackland Income Growth Conference Feb. 3-4
to Highlight Sugarcane Aphid, Cattle Marketing
An overview of the sugarcane aphid in sorghum and cattle marketing considerations are only a couple of the topics to be featured at the 2015 Blackland Income Growth Conference Feb. 3-4 at the Extraco Events Center in Waco, Texas.
According to event coordinators, the conference will offer sessions on a variety of commodities — beef, grain, horticulture, cotton, forage, wildlife and more.
“The Blackland Income Growth Conference has a long history of providing the latest research information and production management practices for farmers and ranchers throughout the region,” said Ronald Woolley, conference coordinator and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service regional program leader at Stephenville. “This year’s conference will feature several important topics of interest to Blackland producers. We have several experts who will be featured in each commodity session.
“Overall, we think we have something for everyone, and producers will take home plenty of strategies they can incorporate into their operations.”
The annual conference is sponsored by AgriLife Extension and the Waco Chamber of Commerce.
Registration for the main Blackland Income Growth Conference on Feb. 3 is $20 per person and includes lunch. Several sessions will award continuing education units. Producers can download the brochure at http://bit.ly/17IGNEB to see specific continuing education credit allocations, sessions and speakers.
The keynote luncheon speaker Feb. 3 will be Rudy Tarpley, department head for agricultural and consumer science at Tarleton State University.
For additional information, contact the AgriLife Extension agent in your county or call 254-968-4144.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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