News Update
March 2, 2015
Apply for the 2015 Beef Leaders Institute by March 2
Many have enjoyed success in the Angus business, especially in the last few years. Yet many may also feel a greater need to guide their operations and help lead others into a well-planned future that encompasses the entire beef supply chain.
That’s why the American Angus Association created Beef Leaders Institute (BLI) for its 25- to 45-year-old members eight years ago. Participants at the June 22-26 BLI will not only gain a great understanding of how to use Association resources, but also strengthen their leadership and planning skills to help ensure future success.
The program brings Angus producers together in Saint Joseph, Mo., for informative sessions, followed by a three-day tour across several industry segments. That includes more than a day in the Wooster, Ohio, area with the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand for some hands-on learning about how the member-owned brand adds value to Angus cattle.
Along the way, BLI participants will tour a feedlot, beef harvesting and packing facility, fabricator, retailer and other industry segments, starting with and pertaining to the American Angus Association.
Scores of Angus producers have found great value in the experience since 2008, which is funded in part by the Angus Foundation, made possible with help from their generous supporters.
Dale Vitt, Fairview, Mont., who participated last year, says BLI stands out for the educational opportunity “to see other segments of the industry we don’t normally get to see.” He says one result is a fact-based assurance for customers that “the beef industry does put out a safe product, and I can be a better advocate.”
The Association provides transportation, lodging, meals and materials during BLI. Attendees will be responsible for round-trip transportation between their home and either Kansas City or Saint Joseph, Mo.
To apply, click here or contact the American Angus Association at 816-383-5100. Information can also be found on www.angus.org.
USDA Releases Data Showing How
Trans Pacific Partnership Benefits All 50 States
In conjunction with a series of Made in Rural America Executive Actions announced Feb. 26 by President Obama and the White House, the USDA released data showing the opportunities for agriculture from the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) that would help boost agricultural exports across the 50 United States. TPP is a 21st century trade agreement that will promote job growth, increase farm income, generate greater rural economic activity and help expand U.S. agricultural exports to some of the fastest growing countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
Fiscal years 2009 to 2014 represent the strongest six years in history for U.S. agricultural trade, with U.S. agricultural product exports totaling $771.7 billion, despite the fact that many other countries’ markets are not as open to American products as our markets are to theirs. Agricultural exports last fiscal year reached $152.5 billion, the highest level on record. U.S. agricultural exports now support more than one million jobs here at home, a substantial part of the nearly 11.3 million jobs supported by exports all across our country.
Here is just a snapshot of how the TPP would boost exports of some U.S. food and agricultural products:
- Soybeans and Soybean Products: Under the agreement, tariffs across the TPP region will be cut, offering new market-access opportunities to U.S. producers and exporters of soybeans and soybean products. In 2014 the United States exported $5.5 billion of this product to the TPP region.
- Poultry and Beef: Under the agreement, tariffs across the TPP region will be cut, offering new market-access opportunities to U.S. poultry and beef producers and exporters. In 2014, the United States exported about $7 billion in poultry and beef to the TPP region.
- Fresh Fruits and Fresh and Processed Vegetables: Under the agreement, tariffs across the TPP region will be cut, offering new market-access opportunities to producers and exporters of U.S. fresh fruits and fresh and processed vegetables. In 2014, the United States exported about $8.1 billion of these products to the TPP region.
Trade is a vital contributor to the U.S. economy. More than 95% of the world’s potential consumers, representing nearly 80% of the world’s purchasing power, live outside our borders. To learn how the TPP would benefit your state’s food and agricultural economy, visit www.fas.usda.gov/topics/trans-pacific-partnership-tpp.
For more information, please view the full release here.
NAMA Honors Zoetis’ Clint Lewis
with 2015 Agribusiness Leader of the Year Award
The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) has named Clint Lewis, executive vice president and president of U.S. Operations for Zoetis, as the 2015 Agribusiness Leader of the Year.
This award, which is NAMA’s highest honor, recognizes outstanding leadership in private, public or academic service and is conferred each year to a senior agribusiness executive who exemplifies excellence in agribusiness and has made significant contributions to the industry. Now in its 15th year, the award will be presented at the Opening General Session of the 2015 Agri-Marketing Conference, “Growing Greatness,” April 16, 2015, in Kansas City, Mo.
Zoetis is the world’s largest animal health company, established when Pfizer announced that its animal health business would become an independent company. Lewis helped launch the entity and now oversees the management of the livestock (cattle, pork and poultry) and companion animal (small animal and equine) businesses in the United States and is also responsible for leading the global genetics business.
For more information, please view the full release here.
NMSU Ag Professor Receives Friend of Safety Award
Dennis Hallford, the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Animal and Range Sciences interim department head, past chair of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and current chair of the University Radiation Safety Committee, received this year’s annual Friend of Safety Award for his contributions to the longstanding improvement of safety in these areas.
During the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences department head meeting Tuesday, Katrina Doolitle, executive director for NMSU’s Environmental Health & Safety, presented the golden globe award to Hallford. The Friend of Safety distinction and award is given to an NMSU employee who has implemented safety programs or policies that have positively and significantly impacted their department or college and resulted in improved safety culture overall.
Hallford received the award because of his commitment to research oversight committees at NMSU for 30 years, adding elements of safety that did not previously exist.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Tifton Beef Cattle Short Course and Bull Sale
The Tifton Beef Cattle Short Course is scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, 2015. In addition, the Tifton Bull Evaluation Center 57th Annual Sale is set for Wednesday, March 4, 2015. For details, simply go to our website www.caes.uga.edu/commodities/animals/beef/stations/index.html. Scroll down to Tifton Bull Evaluation Center; click on Catalog PDF and Beef Cattle Short Course PDF.
In addition, videos of the Tifton sale bulls are available for viewing. Simply click on the following:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlLnHp8eOWVxec8sFSf4t0HxWT38q9z0m.,
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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