News Update
July 8, 2016
Golfers Raise More Than $16,000
for the Angus Foundation
Seventy-nine golfers participated in a golf tournament on July 5, 2016, sponsored by the Angus Foundation at the Indianhead Golf Club in Grand Island, Neb., raising $16,677 in gross proceeds for education, youth and research. The 16th Annual Angus Foundation Golf Tournament was hosted in conjunction with the 2016 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS), also in Grand Island, Neb.
“We are so appreciative of the folks who continue returning to the Angus Foundation golf tournament year after year as sponsors and players,” says Milford Jenkins, Angus Foundation president. “These Angus enthusiasts are helping provide for our breed’s future. As one of our fun and relaxing fundraisers, our goal is for everyone who plays and participates to have an enjoyable time golfing while knowing they are supporting a worthwhile cause.”
Golf tournament winners this year in Flight 1 included Jim Purfeerst, Matt Purfeerst, Mark Purfeerst, all of Faribault, Minn., and Lynn Ewald of Waldorf, Minn. Flight 2 winners were Cody Washam, Rick Washam and Dereck Washam, all of Pierce City, Mo. and Roger Behlmann of Saint Paul, Mo.
For more information, please view the full Angus news release online.
Seeking Member Input
The American Angus Association seeks member input in order to establish the long-range plan and strategic vision of the nation’s largest beef breed organization. Members were emailed questionnaires, which are also available within AAA Login (www.angusonline.org).
Survey responses submitted online will be accepted through July 31, and respondents may enter to win a cash drawing. The Association’s long-range initiative encompasses insight from all areas of the beef cattle business, and member input is vital and appreciated.
Contact the Association at angus@angus.org if you have questions regarding the survey.
Chairman Conaway Statement on
Passage of Global Food Security Act
On July 6, Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (R-TX) issued the following statement after the House passed S.1252, the Global Food Security Act of 2016.
“As I have mentioned before, the agricultural community is proud to have long played a crucial role in the effort to alleviate hunger and enhance food security across the globe.
“I am pleased that the Global Food Security Act reflects and capitalizes on that commitment without overhauling time-tested food aid programs that provide U.S. commodities for emergency feeding and development projects worldwide.
“While I do have reservations about the Emergency Food Security Program (EFSP), I am mindful of the need to keep ‘a variety of tools in the toolbox’ in order to effectively combat global hunger. With EFSP funding now roughly equal to that of emergency aid under Food for Peace, private voluntary organizations should have the flexibility they so desire to complement existing in-kind assistance programs.
“I commend Chairman Royce and Rep. Smith of New Jersey for their hard work on this important issue and for their willingness to work with the Agriculture Committee to ensure that the expertise of the agricultural community is fully leveraged in addressing global food security.”
For more information, please view the full House Agriculture Committee release online.
New Post at CAB Seeks Ever-better Brand
A branded-beef program that owns no cattle or beef still takes an active interest in both.
That can be hard to explain, but it’s a key to understanding and improving the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand, says Clint Walenciak, director of packing for the Ohio-based subsidiary of the American Angus Association.
His team monitors every aspect of the final product that earns that brand, from its 10 standards for marbling, consistency and appearance to the details of cuts and trim specifications and packaging.
That’s why CAB recently hired Dan Crownover for the newly created position of production and quality specialist. He’s becoming familiar with partner harvest and processing plants, spending time in those dozens of locations to evaluate performance on everything from yield and workmanship to packaging, always looking for opportunities to get better.
Crownover comes from a family Angus operation south of Dallas near Italy, Texas, and recently earned a master’s degree in animal science at Texas Tech University. Encouraged to look beyond ranching, he soon realized his background paired with a passion for meat science could provide real credibility with producers and packers alike.
For more information, please view the full CAB news release online.
Agriculture Future of America Announces CEO Change
Agriculture Future of America (AFA) announced July 7 that CEO Russ Weathers will step down as CEO at the end of AFA’s 2017 fiscal year — Feb. 28, 2017.
This decision was made during the AFA board of directors meeting hosted June 23-24 in Kansas City, Mo. Weathers will continue to serve the organization as chair of the board and work with organization leadership in an advisory role.
Weathers has led AFA since its inception in 1996 when the late R. Crosby Kemper Jr. and his son Sandy Kemper founded the organization as a national leader and career development provider for college students and young professionals in agriculture. Under Weathers’ leadership, this vision has become a reality.
More than 13,000 young professionals and collegiate students have benefited from AFA’s personal and professional development programs during the past 20 years. More than $9 million has been awarded in leader and academic scholarships. Those who have benefited from AFA programs stretch coast to coast, representing more than 200 colleges and universities from 43 states.
For more information, please view the full AFA news release online.
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