News Update
December 30, 2015
NJAA Members, Upcoming Events
National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) members can look forward to a number of activities and events in the upcoming New Year, and there’s no better time to start making plans for 2016.
That’s according to American Angus Association Director of Events and Education Jaclyn Clark, who is encouraging NJAA members to reference their “green books,” which were recently distributed through the mail, to submit event registration in a timely manner.
Made possible through donations to the Angus Foundation, the NJAA’s Raising the Bar conferences are an opportunity for junior members to experience college campuses across the country, learn about careers in agriculture and connect with other cattle enthusiasts.
The University of Arkansas will host a Raising the Bar conference March 3-6, 2016, in Fayetteville, Ark.; and South Dakota State University will be the host April 7-10, 2016, in Brookings, S.D.
View a full list of upcomming events and deadlines online.
The Source
Earlier this year producers had the opportunity to respond to a survey in the Angus Beef Bulletin. There were a variety of questions and answers from the more than 250 producers who responded to the survey. I have pulled out the highlights to share here.
More than 90% of the producers who submitted their comments were commercial cattlemen, with 33% being younger than age 35. Producers in the 35-50 age range were fewer in number at just 27%, while producers 51 and older accounted for 35% of the responses.
Approximately 27% of the commercial producers reported they managed 35 commercial females or fewer, while 12% of the producers said their herd size was between 35 and 49 head. Seventeen percent of the producers reported having 50-99 females, and 20% reported having 100-249 females. The last three size groups made up 18% of the total producers, with 13.5% reporting 250-499 females, 4.1% reporting 500-999 females and 0.4% having more than 1,000 head.
For more information, please view the full Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
Takeaways from a Global Conversation
In October I had the opportunity to expand my knowledge of global agriculture while attending the Borlaug Dialogue International Symposium in Des Moines, Iowa. This annual event is called the “premier conference in the world on global agriculture.”
It is convened in tribute to Iowa native Norman Borlaug, who prompted the Green Revolution and is credited with saving more than a billion lives with his development of improved, high-yield wheat varieties that began to be grown in Mexico, Asia and Latin America in the 1950s and 1960s.
Today, the Borlaug Dialogue features the humanitarian and agricultural efforts of researchers and philanthropists from around the world. Topics this year highlighted global initiatives in precision agriculture, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Education for Girls, aquaculture, growing sweet potatoes to supply better nutrition to children in Africa, and soil health.
For more information, please view the full Angus Journal article online.
BioZyme Hires Joshua Brockman
BioZyme® Inc., manufacturers of Amaferm®, VitaFerm®, Sure Champ® and other proprietary, natural supplements for cattle, swine, poultry and show livestock, recently hired Joshua Brockman of Montgomery, Texas as show products marketing and growth coordinator.
In his new position, Brockman will work with 4-H and FFA chapters and agricultural instructors to help them reach their livestock project goals. Brockman will also be working to grow BioZyme’s Make Your Own Luck camps and clinics. These events give young livestock enthusiasts the opportunity to learn about nutrition, general animal care, showmanship and grooming from leaders within the industry.
For more information, please view the full BioZyme news release online.
Texas State Veterinarian Retires
Dee Ellis, state veterinarian and executive director of the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), has announced that he will retire Dec. 31, ending his more than 30 years of service to the state’s livestock and poultry health regulatory agency.
Ellis first joined the TAHC as an animal health inspector in 1977, while completing a bachelor’s degree in animal science. After obtaining his doctorate in veterinary medicine from Texas A&M University, Ellis returned to the agency in 1985 as a field veterinarian. In 1986, he was promoted to region director for Central Texas, a position he held for 18 years.
In 2002, Ellis completed a master’s degree in public administration from Texas State University and the year after, he transferred to the TAHC’s Austin headquarters as a staff veterinarian. In 2004, Ellis was named assistant executive director for animal health programs. He served in that role until January 2010, when the commission announced that Ellis would lead the agency as the executive director and state veterinarian.
Andy Schwartz, longtime assistant executive director of epidemiology & laboratory systems for TAHC has been appointed interim executive director.
For more information, please view the full news release online.
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