News Update
April 7, 2015
Apply for Auxiliary Scholarships Now
The American Angus Auxiliary annually awards scholarships to graduating high school seniors. The postmark deadline for the national contest is May 1.
Junior Angus members must first be chosen as a state auxiliary scholarship winner before advancing to the national competition. Applications are available at www.angusauxiliary.com. For more information, contact Lynne Hinrichsen, American Angus Auxiliary president and scholarship chairman, at rlangus@bluevalley.net.
Scholarships Support Beef’s Future
The Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand awarded $26,000 to six students for their community and beef industry leadership and achievements.
Since its inception in 1999, the Colvin Scholarship Fund has supported the education of nearly 50 future leaders in agriculture and animal sciences. These scholarships honor Louis M. “Mick” Colvin, CAB’s founding executive director of 21 years.
The scholarship emulates Colvin’s role in making dreams a reality and inspiring others to do their best. For 2015, the annual prizes increased from $20,000 to $26,000 to award higher cash amounts to deserving students. Each of the six awards is $1,000 higher to keep pace with rising education costs, and thanks to the generosity of partners in the program.
Undergraduate applicants were asked to identify what role science and genetics play in delivering more predictable beef sizing and a high-quality eating experience.
To find out who was awarded scholarships, look for “Scholarships Support Beef’s Future” in the May Angus Journal, which has a junior emphasis and an expanded circulation.
Missouri State Fair Scholarships Awarded
to 4-H and FFA Youth
Missouri State Fair Director Mark Wolfe announced April 7 that 32 youth, selected from Missouri 4-H and FFA, will be awarded scholarships by the Missouri State Fair Foundation Youth in Agriculture (YIA) committee. These students are seeking higher education in agriculture-related fields and will receive their scholarships Friday, April 17, during the annual State FFA Convention in Columbia.
“The Youth in Agriculture tradition financially assists Missouri’s next generation of agriculture leaders with their educations,” Wolfe said. “Gracious agricultural supporters, who give back year after year, make these scholarships possible.”
The scholarships are funded by the Missouri State Fair Foundation and by YIA supporters at the 2014 Sale of Champions; a list of those supporters and auction results is available on the fair’s website.
Scholarship applicants were evaluated in a variety of areas including Missouri State Fair participation, grade point average, community involvement and leadership roles. Since 1992, the YIA committee has awarded 506 scholarships totaling $453,000.
Bailey Kemp, of Auxvasse, has been selected to receive the $5,000 platinum scholarship offered by YIA supporters. Walter Schaefer, of Callao, has been selected to receive the $2,500 supreme scholarship, sponsored by Sydenstricker John Deere of Missouri/Sydenstricker Angus Genetics.
This year’s auction will be Saturday, Aug. 22, in the Lowell Mohler Assembly Hall on the fairgrounds.
The 113th annual Missouri State Fair, themed “Show Offs Welcome” will be Aug. 13-23 in Sedalia. For more information about the year’s fair, visit www.mostatefair.com.
More information, including Angus junior recipients, can be found in the June issue of the Angus Journal’s Next Generation column.
U.S. Forest Service Partnership Effort
Improves Health of America's Forests
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) announced April 7 that 1.45 million acres of America’s forests and watersheds — an area larger than Delaware — are healthier as a result of collaborative partnerships to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires.
Authorized for 10 years through the 2009 Omnibus Public Land Management Act, the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) was created to emphasize partnerships between government and local forest workers, sawmill owners, conservationists, businesses, sportsmen, outdoor recreationists and others to improve forest health and promote the well-being of local communities.
“Collaboration is working. CFLRP demonstrates that we can bring together forest industry, environmentalists, local communities and others to produce healthier forests while producing a sustainable timber supply for local mills,” said Agriculture Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Robert Bonnie. “This long-term investment gives our partners the confidence to fully engage in restoration activities. The collaboratives expand Forest Service resources — generating over $76.1 million in matching funding from partners in the past five years, and with continued support, we expect this number to grow over the next five years.”
Since 2010, the CFLRP has brought local communities and timber companies together to improve forests conditions across 23 high-priority project sites, from Florida to Missouri to Washington state and places in-between. The coordination with local partner organizations is essential to getting substantial work done.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Valley Grain Sorghum Growers Likely
to Face Rough Year with Pests
Experts say South Texas grain sorghum growers could be in for a rough year controlling pests and would benefit from attending the Preventive Sugarcane Aphid Conference for Sorghum Growers of the Rio Grande Valley.
The conference will be from 8 a.m. to noon April 14 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Weslaco, Texas, 2415 E. U.S. Highway 83. Registration begins at 8 a.m. with talks to begin at 9 a.m.
Those attending will be eligible for 1.5 Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units in integrated pest management.
Raul Villanueva, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist in Weslaco, said growers will likely have a season-long battle with insect pests, especially sugarcane aphids, sorghum midge and cutworms.
“We’re already finding sugarcane aphids on Johnson grass and volunteer sorghum plants,” Villanueva said. “That means sugarcane aphid populations are more established than in years past, and that means populations will be well dispersed throughout the Valley. Populations will appear early this year and spread rapidly.”
All of which means growers could greatly benefit from the information to be presented April 14, Villanueva said.
Topics include outreach of USDA Farm Service Agency loan programs, sugarcane aphid update,natural enemies of sugarcane aphid in sorghum, and using greenbug-resistant sorghums for cross-resistance to sugarcane aphids.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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