News Update
March 11, 2015
Future Angus Stockmen Enrollment Online
Today’s cattle business is one driven by information, technology and market-savvy producers. In order to meet the needs of a growing population hungry for quality beef, the next generation of cattlemen will require an eye for quality and passion for continuous improvement.
To meet that goal, the American Angus Association recently launched a new program called Future Angus Stockmen — an effort to impact young cattle producers through learning and networking opportunities, while also building a bond with the Angus breed and its member-driven organization.
“Our goal with the Future Angus Stockmen initiative is to give young producers, who want to play a role in beef production, the jumpstart they need to be successful in the business,” says Ginette Kurtz, Association director of commercial programs. “Strong skills in communications, marketing, data analysis and business planning are critical in our industry’s challenge to produce quality beef.”
Future Angus Stockmen is aimed toward college-age or recent graduates who want to raise high quality Angus-based commercial cattle. The program will offer educational opportunities that teach participants how to thrive in the cattle industry, social networking to connect them with fellow producers, and leadership development to instill an entrepreneurial spirit and drive to improve their businesses.
Enrollment forms are now available online, and can be completed at any time.
There are two options when enrolling in the Future Angus Stockmen program. Participants can choose to enroll 15 or 30 head, and receive substantial cost savings for valuable programs, such as GeneMax Focus™ DNA tests, AngusSource or AngusSource Genetic, and MaternalPlus® or Beef Record Service enrollment.
For more information, please read the full release online.
R-CALF USA Helps Promote COOL to White House Domestic Policy Council
In a meeting March 10 with White House Domestic Policy Council staff, R-CALF USA and other farm and consumer groups urged that President Obama direct his U.S. Trade Representative, Michael Froman, and his Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, to steadfastly defend the United States’ recently implemented country-of-origin labeling (COOL) law and regulations.
The White House Domestic Policy Council is responsible for ensuring that domestic policy decisions and programs are consistent with the President’s stated goals and it monitors the implementation of the President’s domestic policy agenda.
“Our message was that if the President successfully defends COOL, then COOL will become the only livestock competition-related campaign promise the President will have achieved during his two terms in office,” said R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard.
Referencing the President’s abandonment of his campaign promises to better enforce antitrust laws and restore competition in U.S. livestock markets, Bullard said COOL is the only significant livestock competition reform still on the table.
The COOL law and its implementing regulations were recently upheld on constitutional and statutory grounds by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The favorable COOL ruling arose from a 2013 lawsuit filed by domestic and foreign meatpackers and their allies.
While COOL has been upheld by U.S. courts, Bullard said an appeal is underway at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to determine if the international tribunal will recognize the United States’ sovereign right to inform consumers about the origins of their food.
Bullard explained that congressionally-passed domestic laws like COOL are also susceptible to being undermined in trade agreements. He said about 80% of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement involves rewriting domestic policies, including food safety, and that the President must not allow his trade negotiators to weaken COOL in the TPP or in any other trade agreement.
For more information, please view the full release here.
BQA Transportation Symposium Registration Open
Attention all cattle transporters, dairymen, cattle farmers and ranchers: The Cattle Transportation Symposium, funded in part by the beef checkoff, is set for May 14-15 in Fort Collins, Colo. The symposium provides a venue for industry experts and stakeholders to gather and discuss issues, research and solutions that directly relate to cattle transportation. The goal is to provide clarity about the state of the industry and the future of cattle transportation in the United States.
Registration for the event is now open and a tentative schedule has been posted.
“Producers will have the opportunity to hear more about loading and unloading practices for ranch, feedlot and dairy cattle, how to select animals that are fit for transport and principles of proper cattle transportation using stock trailers, including loading, hauling, and unloading, as well as weather-related considerations,” says Dan Thomson, Jones professor of production medicine and epidemiology and director of the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and 2015 National Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Educator of the Year.
“Managing cattle stress at the time of transportation is vitally important for the health and well-being of the cattle and the safety of the people working with the cattle,” Thomson said. “Cattle that are stressed are difficult to handle, and the quality of their beef can be affected. This symposium is aimed at teaching producers, packers and dairymen how to get the most value from the carcass and provide consumers with the highest quality beef possible through best animal handling and transport practices.”
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Texoma Cattlemen’s Conference Addresses Industry Issues
All phases of the cattle industry are experiencing record high markets. Many cow-calf producers are reaping unprecedented prosperity. Producers will continue to face challenges and opportunities but at a new and higher level.
To help beef producers successfully manage their livestock operations during these record markets, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation will host its fourth annual Texoma Cattlemen’s Conference: Prosperity, Volatility and Sustainability, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, March 21, at the Ardmore, Okla., Convention Center. During the conference, regional and national industry leaders will closely examine some of the major interests and issues facing the industry: beef sustainability, ag credit, risk management and the cattle outlook.
“Cattlemen are perhaps operating with greater exposure to associated risks,” said Hugh Aljoe, consultation program manager. “But higher risks usually mean there is potential for greater rewards. So where are the opportunities? What are the risks producers need to manage? How do producers do that successfully? We’ll answer those questions and more at this year’s Texoma Cattlemen’s Conference.”
Texoma Cattlemen’s Conference is one of the premier one-day educational events in the Southern Great Plains. Registration and trade show open at 8 a.m. Registration is $40 and includes a steak lunch. For more information or to preregister, please visit www.noble.org/agevents or contact Maggie Scott at 580-224-6375.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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