News Update
February 05, 2015
Cattle Industry Convention Keynote Speaker Encourages Members to
Create ‘Breakthrough Opportunities’
Keynote speaker Erik Wahl encouraged cattlemen to “break outside of business as usual” to create new opportunities and become stronger through failure at the Opening General Session of the 2015 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show. The convention in San Antonio, Texas, will run through Saturday, Feb. 7.
Wahl’s unique presentation captivated the thousands of attendees, with the internationally-recognized graffiti artist using paintings created onstage to help share his message of creativity through innovations and the ability to conquer fear. His entertaining presentation has been shared with some of the country’s largest and most influential companies over the past 10 years.
“How are you going to reignite your artistry as a cattle rancher?” Wahl asked the audience. “We were always taught to be risk averse, but you need to unlock your minds to find ways to go back on the offensive to build consumer trust and loyalty. You need to see the world through different eyes.”
Wahl said cattlemen should “not be afraid to fail; not be afraid to risk.” He used on-stage paintings to demonstrate how he had created his own art and revealed breakthrough pockets of opportunity.
For the Angus Journal’s coverage of the event, visit the newsroom at www.4cattlemen.com.
Scholarships Available to Angus Youth
The American Angus Association strives to provide students with opportunities to benefit themselves and the future of the cattle business.
Through scholarship programs hosted by the Angus Foundation and the American Angus Auxiliary, Angus youth passionate about the beef industry are provided financial support to further their education.
Current high school seniors and college students should take note of the deadlines and details for each scholarship program listed below.
The Angus Foundation offers general scholarships to students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in higher education. Eligible Angus youth meeting the qualifications for the Angus Foundation’s 2015 Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarship Programs will be considered by the Angus Foundation’s scholarship selection committee. As in past years, other specific and special criteria scholarships administered by the Angus Foundation will also be available. Scholarship recipients will be recognized during the 2015 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) in Tulsa, Okla.
The Allied Angus Breeders Scholarship, also through the Angus Foundation, will provide $1,000 to three students who use Angus genetics in their seedstock or commercial operation. Applicants must be enrolled in a junior college, four-year college/university or other accredited institution for fall 2015. They can be an entering freshman or a continuing student in any undergraduate program. Applicant or the applicant’s parents/guardians must have transferred or been transferred a registration paper in the last 36 months (on or after May 1, 2012).
Applications for all Angus Foundation scholarships must be postmarked by May 1, and mailed to Milford Jenkins, American Angus Association, 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506.
Applications are available online at www.angusfoundation.org. For more information, contact Jenkins, Angus Foundation president, at 816-383-5100 or mjenkins@angusfoundation.org.
The American Angus Auxiliary awards scholarships to the top five male and top five female applicants selected from finalists chosen in the applicant’s home state. Each state auxiliary is eligible to submit one male and one female application to the national contest. The winners will be announced during the 2015 NJAS closing ceremonies.
In addition, the five finalists for the Miss American Angus contest are selected from the top national female applicants.
The application for American Angus Auxiliary Scholarships is now available online, and must be postmarked by May 1. Interested junior Angus members, who are high school seniors, may download the application, access directions and general information at www.angusauxiliary.com/scholarships/index.html.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Ag Literacy ‘Train the Trainer’ Applications due Feb. 20
An energy-focused “Train the Trainer” event hosted by the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture will be May 7-8 in Lincoln, Neb.. Leaders in agricultural literacy are invited to attend. Applications may be submitted online and are due Feb. 20.
This event will equip leaders in agricultural literacy with resources to train science teachers and/or volunteers to integrate agriculture into middle- and high-school science courses.
Attendees will receive free copies of new lesson plans.
For middle-school educators, this will include the following standards-aligned lesson plans made possible through a partnership with Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association: Energy Around Us, Energy Input and Food Production, Energy Distribution, Energy Showcase, and Putting it All Together.
High-school lesson plans available to attendees were developed by the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom and funded by the Agriculture Department’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture with the goal of fostering an appreciation for agriculture, reinforcing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills and abilities, and creating awareness of agriculture-related careers. These lesson plans address energy flow, energy use in commodity production and processing, renewable energy on farms, and biodiesel labs.
Strategic planning tips for engaging science teachers in one’s community and state will be featured, along with a take-home kit of supplies. Attendees also have the opportunity to tour a local energy facility.
This training features new content and information. Anyone who attended last year’s “Train the Trainer” meeting in Denver is welcome to apply to attend this event, but previous participation in an energy training is not required.
Participants will receive a $750 stipend in addition to hotel and meal accommodations. Download the application for complete details at http://agfoundation.org/projects/train-the-trainer. Email educationdirector@fb.org with questions.
This event is made possible by generous support from title sponsor Tri State Generation and Transmission Association.
Tifton Beef Cattle Short Course
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences will host the 2015 Tifton Beef Cattle Short Course at the Tifton Bull Evaluation Center Tuesday, March 3. The standard registration is fee $10, and $5 for county extension agents and vocational ag teachers. Students, if registered before Feb. 20, are free. Registration fee includes refreshments and lunch.
The short course is scheduled from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and will discuss mineral nutrition, cattle handling, forages, beef cow nutrition, a legislative update, implications and regulations on antimicrobial use in cattle, and all participants will be invited to preview the Center’s bulls prior to the sale.
The Tifton Performance Tested Bull Sale will be March 4.
Find more information, a list of speakers and register for the short course here.
Prescribed Burn Insurance Available for Landowners
Prescribed fire is one of the most powerful and important land management practices available to agricultural producers and land stewards.
Prescribed fire helps rejuvenate native plant communities that positively impact wildlife habitat and livestock forages. However, liability is always a concern for landowners using or considering the use of prescribed fire. Liability is one of the main reasons prescribed fire is not commonly used in land management.
Knowing that prescribed fire is as important to most agricultural operations as grazing, rain and sunshine, the Oklahoma Prescribed Burn Association (OPBA), in conjunction with the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation and the Bramlett Agency have come together to provide a solution for landowners.
For the first time, Oklahoma landowners can purchase prescribed burn insurance to protect themselves or lessees implementing prescribed fire against claims for any damage on someone else’s property.
“The development of the prescribed fire insurance was need-driven for landowners and producers to be able to manage their land properly,” said Russell Stevens, Noble Foundation wildlife and range consultant and executive director of the OPBA. “We are working toward making this insurance available to other states as well.”
For the insurance policy to be issued and take effect, landowners in Oklahoma must:
- Follow all federal, state and local statutes and ordinances.
- Adhere to the requirements in Notification Requirements and Considerations for Safe and Lawful Prescribed Burning in Oklahoma: Guidelines, State Law and the Burning Notification Plan, available through the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture Forestry Services.
A written prescribed burn plan is also required, and a template can be obtained from the Noble Foundation or OPBA (www.ok-pba.org). The insurance will only cover the burn detailed in the plan, and each burn crew member must be listed in the burn plan to be covered.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Outstanding Experts to Lead the Conversation
at the 2015 NIAA Annual Conference
The National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) has some power players lined up for the 2015 Annual Conference Water and the Future of Animal Agriculture. These leading experts in water conservation and regulation will direct the conversation about water and animal agriculture.
Opening keynote speaker, Jay Famiglietti, is a professor of Earth system science and of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California–Irvine. He is also the senior water scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology and was appointed to the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board by California Governor Jerry Brown.
Famiglietti leads a research group that investigates how the water cycle and freshwater resources are being impacted by climate change.
Another keynote speaker to talk at the 2015 NIAA Annual Conference will be Aubrey Bettencourt, executive director of the California Water Alliance. She has helped to coordinate groundbreaking grassroots, state and federal lobbying efforts and public relations development.
Bettencourt is a third-generation farmer on her family’s farm in Hanford, Calif. She has also been trained in national security and was a research analyst for the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C., working with the FBI, CIA and U.S. Department of Defense and State specializing in international money laundering.
For more information, please view the full release here.
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