News Update

January 12, 2015

National Western
Angus Bull Sale Approaches

The American Angus Association will host its annual Angus Bull Show and Sale Wednesday, Jan. 14, during the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) in Denver, Colo. An annual tradition, it is the only Association-managed sale hosted throughout the year.

“Denver always brings an impressive showing of registered-Angus bulls during the sale,” says Association Regional Manager David Gazda, who also serves as sale manager. “Prior to the sale, bulls will be evaluated and judged by a three-person panel at the National Western. It promises to be another great event for the Angus breed.”

Browse the NWSS Angus Bull Sale book online to read more about the 43 bulls being sold Jan. 14. The event begins at noon in Stadium Arena, where the following judges will evaluate the bulls: Chris Styles, Brentford, S.D.; Bruce Stertzbach, Louisville, Ohio; and Joe Myers, Harrodsburg, Ky. They will rank the animals using a composite system to determine sale order.

After the grand and reserve grand champions are selected, attendees will be invited into the showring, where prospective buyers can preview the bulls before the sale.

Then activities move over to the Beef Palace Auction Arena at the NWSS Complex. Immediately following the auction of the 2015 Angus Foundation Heifer Package, which starts at 3:30 p.m. MST, the NWSS Angus Bull Sale will begin. Rick Machado, Arroyo Grande, Calif., will serve as auctioneer.

Real-time bidding via the Internet will also be available on LiveAuctions.TV.

For more information on Angus events at the 2015 NWSS, go online or contact the Association office at 816-383-5100. Stay tuned to www.angus.org for the latest show results and news from the show.

— Adapted from a release by Ashley Mitchell, American Angus Association.

NWSS Breaks Record with Largest Opening Day Attendance in History

The NWSS announces the largest opening day attendance in Stock Show history with 47,207 fans. The number beats the former Stock Show record of 44,616 set back in 2008.

The opening day event lineup included three rodeo performances and the first-ever barbecue competition. “We are thrilled with the turnout for opening day. The numbers are a testament that the National Western Stock Show has something for everyone,” states Paul Andrews, president and CEO of the NWSS. “Stock Show fans came out to help us celebrate the history, tradition and western spirit of Stock Show. We appreciate all who attended and look forward to continuing the excitement over the next 15 days,” states Andrews.

The Stock Show announced that for every Broncos game day, all fans wearing Broncos gear will receive $2 off a Grounds Admission ticket in celebration of Denver being united in orange.

The next 15 days of Stock Show include Pro Rodeos, PBR Bull Riding, Gambler’s Choice, Martin Luther King Jr. African-American Heritage Rodeo, Super Dogs, Wild West Shows, Grand Prix, An Evening of Dancing Horses®, Draft Horse Shows and activities for kids like the NW Nursery, along with the largest western trade show in Colorado.

The 2015 NWSS will continue through Jan. 25. For more information and tickets visit www.nationalwestern.com or call 1-866-464-2626.

— Adapted from a release by Karen Woods, National Western Stock Show.

‘My American Farm’ Reaches 1.5 million Youth in Four Years

The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has announced that it has reached more than 1.5 million school-age youths through its educational “My American Farm” program. In 2015, the web-based resource will have a new look to improve the user experience thanks to continued support from DuPont Pioneer.

“Over the past four years, we have reached more than a million school-aged youth through the My American Farm platform — from kiosks at agriculture conferences to desktops in the classroom,” said American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Bob Stallman. “With support from DuPont Pioneer, we are increasing youth engagement in agriculture in classrooms coast-to-coast to improve overall literacy of production agriculture and inspire future food leaders.”

My American Farm is an educational game platform launched in 2011 to engage pre-K through fifth-grade learners in agriculture. Today, the free site offers 19 agriculturally themed games and more than 100 free educator resources, such as lesson plans, activity sheets and comics.

“The My American Farm website is an amazing resource for elementary teachers,” said Lauren Hartzler Arbogast, an elementary school teacher in Harrisonburg, Va. “Since most of my students are generations away from actual production agriculture, I’m thankful for a resource like My American Farm that makes agriculture exciting and relevant for the students.”

The My American Farm educational resource is a special project of the Foundation and is made possible through the support of title sponsor, DuPont Pioneer. Pioneer has contributed more than $1.4 million to advancing the programs in U.S. classrooms in the last five years.

This year, My American Farm will launch two new STEM-related games, pilot food science day camps and increase outreach to elementary school teachers. Users also can now search educational resources and sort games by grade level and subject area. In addition to being more mobile friendly, the site will provide new resources, like downloadable recipe cards, free marketing resources and ideas for setting up a learning experience at a fair or event.

To take advantage of the free My American Farm resources, games and activities, visit www.myamericanfarm.org.

— Adapted from a release by the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Hegeman of Alabama Elected YF&R Chair

Members of the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R) Committee elected Jon Hegeman from White Plains, Ala., as the committee’s chairman for 2015. He will take over as chairman in February, at the end of AFBF’s FUSION Conference, and serve for one year. He will also serve a one-year term on the AFBF board of directors.

Hegeman graduated from Jacksonville State University. He and his wife, Amy, operate a commercial greenhouse and horse training facility. The greenhouse, Greenway Plants, serves as a contract facility to several larger greenhouse operations in the Eastern U.S.

The YF&R program includes men and women between the ages of 18 and 35. The program’s goals are to help younger Farm Bureau members learn more about agriculture, network with other farmers and realize their full potential as leaders in agriculture and Farm Bureau.

— Adapted from a release by the American Farm Bureau Federation.

CattleFax Webinar Helps Producers in High-Price Environment

Cow-calf producers are at a fork in the road, according to CattleFax, the global leader in beef industry research, analysis and information. The current expansion environment has produced record profitability and exposed the segment to more financial and production risk than any other time in recent history. CattleFax will address this challenge during its next Trends+ Cow-Calf Webinar at 5:30 p.m. MST, Jan. 21, 2015.

Calf prices are nearly $100 per hundredweight (cwt.) higher than last year at this time, and bred cow values have increased nearly $1,000 per head in the last year. The dynamic market shift occurring in 2014 has motivated cow-calf expansion and created indecision at the same time.

During the one-hour session, CattleFax analysts Mike Murphy and Lance Zimmerman will discuss how producers can navigate marketing decisions and business plans for the next five to 10 years. To participate in the webinar and access program details, producers and industry leaders simply need to register online at www.cattlefax.com/meetings.aspx.

Elanco Animal Health is sponsoring the webinar — making it free for all cattle and beef producers to benefit from CattleFax’s analysis and perspective on factors influencing the cow-calf, stocker and backgrounding businesses. The webinar will include:

• A winter and spring 2015 market outlook for breeding cattle, calf, feeder-cattle and feedstuff markets

• Advice on high-return cow herd and bull-purchasing decisions

• Considerations on the long-term implications of U.S. beef cow herd expansion

For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.

— Adapted from a release by Lance Zimmerman, CattleFax.

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