News Update

December 10, 2015

Apply to Attend the
Young Cattlemen’s Conference

For the 15th year, the Angus Foundation will again sponsor a young Angus leader to attend the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Young Cattlemen’s Conference (YCC). The application deadline is Jan. 11, 2016, and the application can be found on the Angus Foundation website.

The YCC offers young leaders the chance to see firsthand and better understand all aspects of the beef industry. Attendees participate in a nationwide tour of the beef production chain from the ranch to the feedlot and to the packing plant, through marketing and regulatory affairs, and finally ending at consumer foodservice.

The Angus Foundation’s sponsorship covers travel costs and registration fees. The applicant must be between 25 and 50 years old and must also be a member of the NCBA.

For more information, please view the full Angus news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Melinda Cordell, Angus Media.

NCBA: Private Property Rights Threatened

The White House issued a statement Dec. 8, threatening a veto of Rep. Mac Thornberry’s (R-Texas) bill, H.R. 2130, the Red River Private Property Protection Act. NCBA President Philip Ellis called the veto threat another example of egregious federal overreach.

“The President’s threat to veto the Red River Private Property Protection Act is par for the course for this Administration, and it is yet another example of our executive branch’s blatant disregard for private property rights and commonsense compromise.

This bill would settle the dispute over 90,000 acres of land along a 116-mile stretch of the Red River the Bureau of Land Management claims may be considered public domain by requiring a survey of the contested area to be completed within two years and approved by the states of Texas and Oklahoma. For more than 100 years, private land owners have owned, successfully managed, and paid property taxes on lands along the Red River.”

To read more, view the full NCBA news release online.

— Adapted from a release by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

Reactions to WTO COOL Ruling

South Dakota Stockgrowers Association President Bill Kluck and Vice-President Gary Deering issued the following statements in reaction to the World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) arbitration decision claiming the United States’ mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) law caused Canada and Mexico to suffer annual losses of $780 million and $228 million, respectively.

Kluck said, “We are really frustrated at the result of this ruling by the World Trade Organization, and we cannot understand how the WTO concluded that COOL caused so much harm to foreign markets at a time when Canadian and Mexican cattle producers have enjoyed record high cattle prices and meat exports…We encourage our members and anyone who is concerned about where their food comes from to call our Congressional delegates and ask them to continue defending COOL.”

For more information, view the full SD Stockgrowers Association news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Silvia Christen, South Dakota Stockgrowers Association.

USDA Announces Strengthened PVP

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced Dec. 7 improvements to strengthen the USDA Process Verified Program (PVP). For almost 20 years, AMS has administered the PVP to help agricultural suppliers differentiate their products in an increasingly competitive marketplace. The changes announced build on that strong tradition by providing the public with even greater transparency and confidence in the “USDA Process Verified” shield.

First, in order to ensure consistency, increase efficiency and protect the integrity of the PVP, AMS moved the program to a single management structure that works across commodity programs. By providing uniform requirements and auditor procedures, this guarantees that the “USDA Process Verified” shield represents the same level of transparency and independent USDA verification regardless of the product.

For more information, please view the full USDA news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Sam Jones-Ellard, USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.

California Agriculturalist of the Year

Since 1854, the California State Fair has showcased the progress and advancement of the state’s agricultural industry. In celebration of those individuals who have substantially contributed to that success, the California State Fair is seeking nominations for the 2016 Agriculturalist of the Year.

The Agriculturalist of the Year award is presented to an individual who has moved the state’s agricultural industry in a positive direction through demonstrated leadership. Individuals nominated must have clearly represented the industry over a number of years in one or more of the following areas: finance, government, production agriculture, education, labor, research, communications, trade and public service.

2016 Agriculturalist of the Year nomination forms can be found on the California State Fair website under Agricultural Advisory Council.

For more information, please view the California State Fair news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Jennifer Castleberry, California State Fair.

— Compiled by Paige Nelson, field editor, Angus Journal.