News Update
August 13, 2015
Century Award Applications Due Sept. 1
The Angus breed is built on generations of individuals and families who are committed to producing top-quality beef cattle genetics. Each year, the American Angus Association presents Century Awards to recognize Angus farms and ranches that have been in continuous production of registered-Angus cattle for at least 100 years.
If you or your family falls into this category, you can download an award application online. Submissions must be received back by Sept. 1 in order to be considered.
“It’s quite incredible when you think about the history and heritage associated with so many Angus breeders throughout the country,” says Jaclyn Clark, Association director of events and education. “The Century Award is one way we say thank you and recognize those individuals and families who have made our breed the success it is today.”
The 2015 Century Award recipients will be recognized during the Association’s Annual Awards Breakfast, which is hosted during the Angus Means Business National Convention & Trade Show, Nov. 3 - 5 in Overland Park, Kan.
For more information, please view the full Angus release online.
Rural Radio Moves to Sirius XM’s Channel 147
Fans of the American Angus Association’s weekly radio program, Angus Talk, should take note that Rural Radio has moved from channel 80 to 147 on Sirius XM. Effective today, all programing from Rural Radio can be found on the new channel.
Angus Talk airs each Saturday at 10 a.m. CDT and brings you conversations across cattle country with host Doug Medlock — voice of the I Am Angus documentary series. He is joined each week by a special guest to talk about what’s happening in the cattle business, and the latest news from the Association headquarters in Saint Joseph, Mo.
On this week’s show, Medlock sits down with Becky Weishaar, Angus Media’s Creative Media director and lead contact for the Angus Means Business National Convention & Trade Show. They’ll discuss what’s in store for the 2015 event scheduled for Nov. 3-5 in Overland Park, Kan. It’s a cattle industry meeting you won’t want to miss.
View the complete news release online for more information.
St. Louis Fed Second-Quarter Ag Survey
After an excessively wet spring that hindered planting of crops in parts of the Midwest and ongoing weakness in grain prices worldwide, Eighth District agricultural bankers reported a continued drop in farm income during the second quarter of 2015 compared with the previous year, according to the latest Agricultural Finance Monitor published by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Meanwhile, the average value of quality farmland remained steady during the second quarter after dropping sharply the first quarter.
The survey for the report was conducted from June 15-June 30, 2015. The results were based on the responses of 39 agricultural banks located within the boundaries of the Eighth Federal Reserve District. The Eighth District comprises all or parts of the following seven Midwest and Mid-South states: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.
During the second quarter of 2015, bankers reported that quality farmland values were virtually unchanged compared with a year ago, while the value of ranch or pastureland rose 3.2%. However, the report noted that the majority of lenders surveyed expect quality farmland to decline in the third quarter, while they were evenly split on whether ranch or pastureland values would rise or fall.
For more information, please view the full release online.
Maps Show Massive Increase in EPA Authority
A series of maps released Aug. 12 by the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) show how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will radically expand its jurisdiction over land use if its controversial Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule takes effect as expected Aug. 28. That expansion comes even as major parts of the rule remain largely incomprehensible to experts and laypeople, alike.
The maps, prepared by Geosyntec Consulting, show the dramatic expansion of EPA’s regulatory reach, stretching across wide swaths of land in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Montana. In Pennsylvania, for example, 99% of the state’s total acreage is subject to EPA scrutiny. Landowners have no reliable way to know which of the water and land within that area will be regulated, yet they must still conform their activities to the new law.
“Farmers face enforcement action and severe penalties under EPA’s new rule for using the same safe, scientifically sound and federally approved crop protection tools they’ve used for years,” AFBF President Bob Stallman said.
For more information, please view the full Farm Bureau release online.
Beef and Forage Field Night is Aug. 27
Water management and resource development will be among the topics discussed during the 2015 Beef and Forage Field Night Aug. 27, offered by experts with the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University (OSU).
The Jackson Beef and Forage Field Night is from 5-8:30 p.m. at the Jackson Agricultural Research Station, which is located at 019 Standpipe Road, in Jackson. The event will offer beef producers tips and techniques designed to improve their operations’ efficiency and production, said Scott Payne, branch manager of the research station.
The event will feature presentations and information from OSU Extension and Ohio Agricultural Research and Development (OARDC) researchers and educators, as well as industry representatives. Topics for the field night include preconditioning of beef calves, and grazing and forage options.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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