News Update

February 15, 2016

Scholarships Available to Angus Youth

The American Angus Association strives to provide students with opportunities to benefit themselves and the future of the cattle business.

Through scholarship programs offered through the Angus Foundation and the American Angus Auxiliary, Angus youth passionate about the beef industry are provided financial support to further their education. Current high school seniors and college students should take note of the upcoming May deadlines to submit their scholarship applications.

The Angus Foundation offers general scholarships to students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in higher education. Eligible Angus youth meeting the qualifications for the Angus Foundation’s 2016 Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarship Programs will be considered by the Angus Foundation’s Scholarship Selection Committee. As in past years, other specific and special criteria scholarships administered by the Angus Foundation will also be available. Scholarship recipients will be recognized at the 2016 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) in Grand Island, Neb.

For more details on scholarship opportunities, view the Angus news release online.

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

Start Them Off Right

Healthy cows raise healthy calves, a key driver in profitability for ranchers. Kevin Hill, veterinarian for Merck Animal Health, said he realizes there are things at the ranch with bigger dollar signs behind them than health, but unhealthy animals can put ranchers out of business.

As a form of insurance to help outweigh the risk health represents, Hill suggested having clear vaccine protocols and plans. The overall goal? Effective immunization.

Hill shared there is a big difference between immunization and vaccination. Vaccination involves putting a needle through the hide of cattle, while immunization — the desired outcome — involves getting the immune system to respond correctly to receive protection from disease.

“We want protection before we get exposure,” Hill said.

To read more, please view the full Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.

— Adapted from an article by Nicole Lane for Angus Media.

Managing First-calf Females after Calving

Calving season is upon us. You’ve spent a lot of time selecting, managing and designing a breeding program for the females that are calving for the first time. If the replacements were selected from your herd, these heifers haven’t generated any income for almost two and a half years when they wean their first calf. Skimping on the groceries for first-calf females after calving is not a place to save on feed costs.

First-calf females in a beef enterprise are a challenging group. Although they may represent some new genetics as future brood cows, they require more labor and higher-quality feeds, and they reward your efforts by weaning the lightest group of calves in the herd.

We know this is temporary, because if we’ve done our homework with due diligence, they will reward us by being productive cows for a long time. That means each and every year they get pregnant and wean a calf that performs well in the feedlot or has the potential to be a productive female if selected as a replacement.

For more information, please view the full Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.

— Adapted from an article by Rick Rasby, University of Nebraska.

Secretary Vilsack, General Clark to Keynote NFU Convention

Farmers and ranchers attending the National Farmers Union (NFU) 114th Anniversary Convention will have the opportunity to hear from high-ranking experts in food and ag policy. NFU is pleased to announce USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and General Wesley Clark as keynote speakers at the annual convention, which kicks off March 5 in Minneapolis, Minn.

Vilsack and Clark will address some of the most challenging issues facing agriculture today, providing farmers and ranchers with the information and resources they need to be well-informed producers and influential advocates for the industry.

The four-day meeting will bring together NFU members, industry professionals and friends of agriculture for a series of educational breakout sessions, two industry tours, and the organization’s unique, grassroots policy adoption process.

— Adapted from a release by Andrew Jerome, National Farmers Union.

Spring Ranch Management University

The next Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Ranch Management University will be April 4-8, said Larry Redmon, Texas A&M University soil and crop sciences associate department head and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program leader, in College Station.

The Ranch Management University is a five-day event that targets new or inexperienced ranchers and landowners, Redmon said. It is hosted each spring and fall at the G. Rollie White Visitor’s Center, 7707 Raymond Stotzer Parkway on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station.

Registration is $500 and attendance is limited to 40 people, Redmon said. To register online and for more information, go to http://agriliferegister.tamu.edu and enter “ranch management” into the search window.

For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.

— Adapted from a release by Kay Ledbetter, Texas AgriLife Communications.

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

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