News Update
November 4, 2015
Angus Foundation Celebrates 35 Years
For more than three decades, the Angus Foundation has fostered investments toward the future of the Angus breed. Through support for Angus education, youth and research, the nonprofit arm of the American Angus Association provides invaluable insight and opportunities for those involved with Angus cattle.
The Angus Foundation celebrated a milestone 35th anniversary during its Supporter Recognition Event, hosted Nov. 2 at the Sheraton in Overland Park, Kan., prior to the start of the 2015 Angus Means Business National Convention & Trade Show.
The evening event also honored Angus Foundation supporters who have contributed $250 or more during the past fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2014 – Sept. 30, 2015).
“The Angus Foundation’s growth and progress these past 35 years can only be attributed to visionary Angus breeders, allied industry interests and friends,” says Milford Jenkins, Angus Foundation president. “We’re grateful for their continued support in our mission to advance the Angus breed through education, youth and research.”
More than 200 attendees enjoyed a delicious meal featuring the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand, while the following emcees led the evening’s festivities: National Junior Angus Board (NJAB) Chairman Alex Rogen, Brandon, S.D.; NJAB Foundation Director Evan Woodbury, Quenemo, Kan.; and Angus Foundation Board Chairman Charlie Boyd, May’s Lick, Ky.
For more information, please view the full Angus news release.
NCBA and PLC Support Federal Water Quality Protection Act
On Nov. 3 the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and Public Lands Council (PLC) sent a letter urging the Senate to vote for S. 1140, the Federal Water Quality Protection Act. This bipartisan legislation would direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw the current Waters of the United States rule and immediately work with all stakeholders to draft a rule that would bring clarity to the Clean Water Act without usurping state and private water rights. NCBA President and Chugwater, Wyo., cattleman Philip Ellis said this legislation is the best option for ensuring the rights of producers are recognized.
“The WOTUS rule is the most burdensome and far-reaching piece of regulation we have ever seen, touching almost every producer and leaving a path of regulatory uncertainty,” said Ellis. “While cattlemen and women continue in litigation with the agencies over this regulation, the Senate has the opportunity to step in and withdraw this disastrous rule. Action by the Senate now will save cattle producers and states millions of dollars in legal fees and years in litigation.”
For more information, please view the full NCBA release online.
70 Leading Ag Organizations Behind ‘SAFE Trucking Act’
More than 70 of the nation’s leading food and agriculture associations — including the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Fruit and Vegetable Processors and Growers Coalition, American Soybean Association, International Dairy Foods Association, NCBA, National Grain and Feed Association, and the National Farmers Union — Nov. 3 sent a letter urging Congress to include the Safe, Flexible and Efficient (SAFE) Trucking Act (H.R. 3488) as an amendment to the highway reauthorization legislation, which is expected to go before the full House this week.
In the letter, the organizations wrote:
“In the agriculture and food industries, our farms and businesses are growing and making products more resourcefully, but outdated federal transportation rules force trucks to leave the farm and our plants when they are partly empty. By giving states the option to raise the federal gross vehicle weight limit from 80,000 pounds to 91,000 pounds for trucks equipped with six axles rather than the typical five, the SAFE Trucking Act would safely modernize truck shipments on Interstate highways by reducing the number of trucks needed to move our commodities and products through better utilization of existing capacity.”
For more information, please view the full news release online.
Planning to Frost Seed Pasture in 2016? Start the Prep Work Now
Improving pastures with late winter frost seedings of certain legumes and grasses can be successful. If the planning and preparation is not started until seeding time, however, the odds of success may be diminished.
Frost seeding of clovers, bird’s-foot trefoils and some grasses, such as annual and perennial ryegrass, can be a very economical way to improve pasture forage growth and nutritional quality. Frost seeding is usually performed in late winter, typically 40 to 50 days before grass growth begins in the spring. Frost seeding works best on clay and loam soils that experience soil movement with the freezing and thawing action that takes place that time of year. Part of the popularity of frost seeding is its ease of implementation and low cost. Producers have to simply buy the seed, broadcast the seed and watch it grow. There is no spraying, tillage, stone picking or loss of grazing for a summer that comes with reseeding a new pasture. In many cases, the end result can be almost as good as a new seeding.
For more information, please view the full Michigan State University Extension news release.
Farmers with Arthritis
Steve Lovejoy, professor and Michigan State University (MSU) Extension specialist suggests that arthritis is not an ailment that forces farmers to quit farming. Producers can get valuable information about these best management practices from Michigan AgrAbility staff at the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo at the Devos Place Conference Center and the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids on Dec. 8-10, 2015.
Arthritis is not a glamorous subject. Yet for many farmers, it is a fact of life that is dealt with on a daily basis.
During this year’s Expo, Michigan AgrAbility will present a workshop that will provide some tips on how to work smarter in spite of arthritis. Participants will also learn the signs of carpal tunnel syndrome and how to slow or prevent its spread. The workshop will be presented by Ned Stoller, Michigan AgrAbility and Amber Wolfe of the Arthritis Foundation. They will demonstrate some technologies farmers can utilize to reduce pain caused by work and where the technologies can be sourced.
For more information, please view the full MSU Extension news release.
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