News Update

January 12, 2016

NWSS Coverage Available Online

American Angus Association members and livestock enthusiasts will gather this week in Denver, Colo., for annual Angus events in conjunction with the 2016 National Western Stock Show (NWSS). A tradition more than 110 years in the making, the NWSS is often considered one of the livestock industry’s most competitive events.

Angus activities begin Wednesday, Jan. 13, and continue through Saturday, Jan. 16. Visit www.angus.org for a quick link to live showring coverage, social media updates and candid photos.

Showring competition begins with the Angus Bull Sale Show at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13, in the Stadium Arena. A panel of three judges will evaluate the bulls using a composite system to establish a sale order. Judges are Scott Bayer, Ringle, Wis.; Mark Nikkel, Maple Hill, Kan.; and Jake Tiedeman, North Platte, Neb. Immediately after, the ROV Angus Bull Show is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. in Stadium Arena. Judges Jeff Dameron, Towanda, Ill., and Chris Cassady, Tuscola, Ill., will evaluate the ROV entries.

For a complete event schedule, view the Angus news release online.

— Adapted from a news release by Jena McRell, Angus Media.

NWSS Features Stewardship of Antimicrobial Drug Use

Stewardship of medically important antimicrobial drugs in food animals is the subject of a workshop to be offered Saturday, Jan. 16, as part of the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) in Denver, Colo. This free workshop will take place from 9 a.m. to noon at the Beef Palace Arena on the NWSS grounds.

A collaboration of Farm Foundation, NFP and the Livestock Division of the NWSS, the workshop will focus on two Guidance for Industry (GFIs) issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the use of medically-important antimicrobial drugs in food-producing animals, as well as the FDA’s revised veterinary feed directive (VFD).

This workshop will be webcast live by BARN Media, as well as archived for later viewing. To access the webcast go to http://livestream.com/BarnMedia/events/4637175.

— Adapted from a release by Farm Foundation, NFP.

USDA Announces 2015 Wildfires Burned Record Acres

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that in 2015, wildfires burned a record 10,125,149 acres across the United States, surpassing the previous record set in 2006. The Secretary renewed the call for Congress to pass the bi-partisan Wildfire Disaster Funding Act.

In 2015, there were more than 50 fires that exceeded 50,000 acres each; of those, 20 fires exceeded more than 100,000 acres each. In 2015, more than 4,500 homes and other structures were destroyed by wildfires and a total of 13 wildland firefighters, including seven U.S. Forest Service firefighters, lost their lives in the line of duty.

“Today’s disquieting report should serve as a powerful call to once and for all fix how the Forest Service pays for firefighting,” Vilsack said. “With a predictably long fire season on the horizon in 2016, lives, property, and the future of our forests and grasslands hang in the balance. Congress must fix this issue once and for all.”

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

— Adapted from a release by the USDA Office of Communications.

Reputation Means Reward

Time can be tricky in the cattle business. Figuring out what deserves the most attention and when can be a losing battle. Yet take a few beats to think about the impressions you create every day and how it affects your reputation.

“The first thing that people need to think about are three questions,” said Ken Schmidt, a nationally known communications consultant. “And they are: What are the people that are most important to you saying about you? What do you want them to say? And then, finally, what are you doing to get them to say it?”

Schmidt, who once led the Harley-Davidson communications team, says no matter the business you’re in, it’s important to be in control of your message: “So, who’s going to seize this, who’s going to get in front of it, who’s going to own the message that people are talking about a week from now, six months from now, a year from now?”

— Adapted from an Angus video news release.

Gathering of the Green March 16-19

Thousands of antique John Deere tractor enthusiasts from across the United States and Canada are traveling to the Quad Cities in March to attend the “Gathering of the Green” conference.

The Gathering of the Green is a biennial event for John Deere two-cylinder and New Generation tractor collectors, restorers and enthusiasts. Through the years, thousands of event participants have traveled to the Quad Cities from coast to coast and from foreign countries to spend time with fellow John Deere fans.

The upcoming event will take place at the RiverCenter, 136 E. 3rd St. in downtown Davenport, Iowa, on March 16-19. With the theme, “Forge to Farm” the convention-style conference offers admirers of John Deere antique two-cylinder and New Generation tractors and implements an opportunity to enjoy workshops and shop the vendor area. There will also be an opening reception, evening speakers, John Deere factory and ag-related tours, a fun auction and an ending banquet.

Learn more about the event online.

— Adapted from a release by the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau.

— Compiled by Jena McRell, Angus Media.

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