News Update
June 8, 2015
The Angus Journal Welcomes
Nicole Lane, Editorial Intern
Nicole Lane, Kansas State University (K-State), previously appeared in the pages of the Angus Journal writing for the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand as industry information intern and as a freelance journalist. This summer she returns to the world of Angus as editorial intern for the Angus Journal.
“I’m so excited to get to be writing about and producing content for black Angus producers again,” Lane says. “It’s an honor to get to work for such great cattlemen and one of the best publications in the business.”
During her internship Lane will provide content for the Angus Journal, the Angus Beef Bulletin and the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA. Working to cover Angus events, her summer will be spent editing, writing, taking photographs and conducting other tasks for the various publications.
Originally from John Day, Ore., Lane grew up on a small sheep farm she started with her younger sister. Heavily involved in both 4-H and the National FFA Organization, Lane found a passion for everything agriculture. A love for communicating about it led her to K-State, where she will graduate in December with a degree in agricultural communications and journalism with a minor in animal sciences.
For more information on Lane, please view the full release on the Association’s website.
BIF Symposium Starts Tomorrow;
Sign up for Live Streaming Video
The 2015 Beef Improvement Federation Research Symposium and Annual Meeting begins at 1 p.m. tomorrow with a BIF Young Producers Symposium. If you can’t attend the event in Biloxi, Miss., be sure to catch a live stream provided by LiveAuctions.tv on the Angus Journal’s meeting coverage site, www.BIFconference.com.
Visit the website now for a schedule of the June 9-12 meeting and tours.
Broad Coalition of 283 Delivers Letter to the House
Urging Rejection of COOL Repeal Bill
National Farmers Union (NFU) June 8 joined 283 organizations representing farm interests, rural America, faith, environment, farmworkers and consumers in urging members of the U.S. House of Representatives to reject the repeal of the Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) law and support commonsense food labeling.
The letter points out that although the World Trade Organization (WTO) Appellate Body has issued its decision on COOL, the United States has a sovereign right to allow the dispute process to proceed to its completion and decide how and whether to implement the adverse ruling.
“It is premature for the Congress to unilaterally surrender to saber rattling from our trading partners in the midst of a long-standing dispute,” states the letter. “COOL opponents have highlighted Mexico and Canada’s threats of retaliation as if their aspiration to seek billions of dollars in penalties were already approved by the WTO. But these unapproved, unrealistically high retaliation claims are merely aggressive litigation tactics designed to frighten the United States — a standard practice in WTO disputes, and Congress should not fall for it.”
For more information, please view the full news release.
USCA Fly-In to Take Issues to Hill: COOL, Trade and More
The United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) will host its annual Washington, D.C. fly-in this week, with producers from California, Nevada, Kansas, Arkansas, Montana, North Dakota and Texas making the trip to speak with lawmakers and agency officials about current issues facing the cattle industry. COOL, trade agreements, the “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule, new dietary guidelines and the Sage Grouse will all take center stage as ranchers take their message to Capitol Hill and the Obama Administration.
The USCA delegation will ask their members of Congress to oppose H.R. 2393, a bill that would fully repeal COOL.
USCA President Danni Beer commented on the fly-in saying, “The administration is advancing a rule that will allow the import of fresh and frozen beef products from Argentina and Brazil. These two South American countries remain plagued by challenges with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). U.S. producers view this as a significant threat to herd health. U.S. producers are also concerned with consumer demand. U.S. beef has earned a reputation for consistent high-quality, robust flavor and marbling. We want U.S. consumers to continue to be able to distinguish U.S. beef from foreign product.”
For more information please view the full release online.
YCC Concludes in Washington, D.C.
More than 50 young cattlemen and women from across the country and from a wide variety of backgrounds in the cattle industry attended NCBA’s Young Cattlemen’s Conference (YCC). Over the past week and a half, they have traveled from NCBA’s office in Denver, stopping in Chicago and wrapping up at NCBA’s office in Washington, D.C.
These outstanding leaders had the opportunity to not only learn about NCBA’s leadership role, but learned about all segments of the beef industry — from grass to retail. Stops included JBS Five Rivers’ Feedyard, the JBS Greeley packing and processing facility, Safeway, the Chicago Board of Trade, McDonalds, and Whitestone Farms in rural Virginia.
While in D.C. the group received a policy update on the wide array of issues NCBA is involved in on behalf of our members and state and breed affiliates. Those issues included the recently finalized WOTUS rule from the EPA, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Foreign Animal Disease and the Endangered Species Act. YCC participants then took their boots to the Hill to talk to their congressional delegations about issues specific to their states and affiliates, but also to stress the importance of trade and passage of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) to the cattle industry, and urge their members to support legislation to repeal COOL for beef and pork.
4-H Mission Possible Summer Camp July 7-9
to Provide ‘Inclusive’ Experience
The Texas 4-H Conference Center, 5600 Farm-to-Market Road 3021 near Brownwood, will offer its Mission Possible summer camp for youth with and without disabilities from July 7-9.
“The camp is a statewide effort to engage young people with various medically diagnosed disabilities into the 4-H program,” said Darlene Locke, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service 4-H youth development specialist, College Station. “Mission Possible campers participate in the same activities as those in the center’s County Camp, which is held simultaneously.”
Campers are teamed with 4-H mentors who help them with their activities.
Locke said the camp is open to youth ages 8-18 and offers participants a gamut of activities from shooting sports, swimming and rock wall climbing to arts and crafts and dancing.
The registration fee for campers is $175. Registration includes meals, lodging, all program fees and a Mission Possible T-shirt.
Parents or legal guardians of first-time participants are asked to complete an application, which includes information about the camper and their current level of ability. The application is reviewed to determine if the program and facilities can accommodate the prospective camper.
For more information send a request to dlocke@ag.tamu.edu or call her at 979-845-6535.
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