News Update
November 25, 2015
National Western Stock Show
Complex Makeover
A ballot measure that passed in the city of Denver spells a brighter future for the National Western Stock Show Complex. The passage of the measure in early November means city and state officials can begin moving forward with a reported $1,000,000,000-plan to expand the current National Western Complex grounds into a bigger, more modern accommodation.
“This is an exciting thing for the National Western and is part of a 10-year program to completely rebuild the grounds right in the site where it already is,” said Dan Green, a Denver historian and regular guest on Angus TV. “Funded by the Convention and Visitors Bureau Tax of the City and County of Denver, plus a partnership with Colorado State University has put in an auxiliary campus adjoining the National Western and two of their buildings were to be under construction and ready to go in 2018.”
For more information, watch this week’s The Angus Report.
Offices Closed
In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, the American Angus Association and Angus Production Inc. offices will be closed Nov. 26-27 and will resume normal office hours Nov. 30.
Our warm wishes to you and your family for a wonderful holiday!
Thanksgiving Dinner Up a Tad
The American Farm Bureau Federation’s (ABFB’s) 30th annual informal price survey of classic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table indicates the average cost of this year’s feast for 10 is $50.11, a 70¢ increase from last year’s average of $49.41.
The big ticket item — a 16-pound turkey — came in at a total of $23.04 this year. That’s roughly $1.44 per pound, an increase of less than 9¢ per pound, or a total of $1.39 per whole turkey, compared to 2014.
“Retail prices seem to have stabilized quite a bit for turkey, which is the centerpiece of the meal in our marketbasket,” AFBF Deputy Chief Economist John Anderson said. “There were some production disruptions earlier this year due to the highly pathogenic Avian influenza outbreak in the Midwest.
Turkey production is down this year but not dramatically. Our survey shows a modest increase in turkey prices compared to last year. But we’re now starting to see retailers feature turkeys aggressively for the holiday. According to USDA retail price reports, featured prices fell sharply just last week and were actually lower than last year,” he added.
For more information, view the Farm Bureau news release online.
CAB Youth Leaders Orientation Seminar
Young Angus producers looking to learn more about the brand they own — and how it impacts them — are encouraged to apply for the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand Youth Leaders Orientation Seminar.
Successful applicants will travel to the brand’s headquarters in Wooster, Ohio, for the two-day educational event, Jan. 4-5, 2016. Other participants will include the National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) board, Miss American Angus and the National Beef Ambassadors.
Thanks to a partnership with the Angus Foundation, five additional participants will earn an all-expense paid trip to join this year’s class.
“It’s really neat to see how CAB is able to take that brand and impact all aspects from gate to plate,” said Ben Conner, one of last year’s scholarship recipients from Kentucky. “It’s really neat to see what they’re doing for the Angus industry, but also the beef industry as a whole.”
Applicants must be a junior, regular or life member of the American Angus Association and must be 17-22 years old by Sept. 1, 2015.
For more information, view the full news release online.
Scholarships and Training for Agriculture Students
Graduating high school seniors and current college students studying agriculture should apply for unique scholarships offered by Agriculture Future of America (AFA) and its partners. The AFA Leader and Academic Scholarship Program provides students access to premier professional development and financial assistance for college.
Over 60 scholarships are available for 2016 through AFA’s partnerships with organizations such as the American Royal Association, the Belles of the American Royal (BOTAR), the California Cotton Alliance, the Roderick J. and Jo Anne Cyr Foundation, DFA Cares Foundation, Farm Credit Mid-America, the Stanley H. Durwood Foundation and AgriBank’s William J. Collins Scholarship.
Each scholarship has two components — leader and academic. The leader portion introduces recipients to AFA’s leader development program through a $1,000 sponsorship to the AFA Leaders Conference, a development experience for elite agriculture students. The academic component provides financial support, typically $1,600, for the recipient’s tuition and fees upon successful attendance of Conference.
Applications are due March 18, 2016. Learn more and apply at www.agfuture.org/scholarships.
Cattle Trails Cow-Calf Conference
The Cattle Trails Cow-Calf Conference, jointly hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Oklahoma Cooperative Extension, will be Dec. 3 in Wichita Falls.
Becoming as efficient as possible is the focus for this year’s conference, said Stan Bevers, AgriLife Extension economist in Vernon. Each speaker will address how ranchers can achieve efficient levels of production and financial success while minimizing risk.
Producers are asked to preregister by contacting their local AgriLife Extension county agent, their Oklahoma Cooperative Extension county educator or by contacting Allison Ha at 940-552-9941, extension 225 or by email at allison.ha@ag.tamu.edu.
The program will include the following speakers and topics: Bevers, targets for key performance activities of ranchers, including productivity levels to achieve, as well as expense levels to minimize; Ron Gill, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist from College Station, balancing safety, cattle movements and cost in designing corrals and cattle processing areas; and much more.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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