News Update

July 19, 2016

Forty-two Angus Juniors
Receive the Elite Gold Award

The National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) recently recognized 42 outstanding NJAA members as recipients of the Gold Award during the 2016 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) in Grand Island, Neb.

To receive the Gold Award, members must earn their Bronze and Silver Awards through the National Junior Recognition Program (NJRP) by earning a total of 1,000 points toward each award. This means they must have accumulated 3,000 points over their junior careers. Points can be earned by participating in junior activities, performance testing, production and merchandising of Angus cattle, or via other beef industry activities.

Established more than 40 years ago, the NJRP was designed to help recognize juniors who went above and beyond in their success within the Angus breed.

“There are more than 5,000 active juniors within the Angus breed, and these are the members who have been exceptionally involved and dedicated to the NJAA,” says Jaclyn Clark, American Angus Association director of events and education.

To view a complete list of Gold Award recipients, access the Angus news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Bridget Beran, Angus Media.

U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef General Assembly

Last week, the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (USRSB) concluded its second annual General Assembly meeting, wrapping up two days of successful meetings aimed at advancing the sustainability of beef in the United States. This year’s meeting focused on reviewing accomplishments over the past year, aligning to a work plan for the coming year and approval of a strategic plan for the future, which will guide the group’s efforts moving forward, according to newly-elected USRSB Chairman John Butler, a cattle producer from Kansas.

“We had about 150 participants here for this year’s meeting, so we’re very pleased with the turnout and engagement for advancing the USRSB efforts,” said Butler. “Each of the stakeholder groups were well represented. During this first year we’ve accomplished two key goals. We approved a strategic plan which provides a roadmap for the future and will guide our efforts for the next couple of years.”

The development of high priority sustainability indicators for the beef industry was another key development for USRSB during its first year.

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

— Adapted from a release by John Robinson, U.S. Roundtable on Sustainable Beef.

Wheat Harvest, Research Successful in the High Plains

Something can be learned from every wheat harvest, but Texas A&M AgriLife Research wheat breeder Jackie Rudd said it is just “fun” to see the success of this year’s bounty.

After four years of drought, a battle with stripe rust and a hailed-out crop last year, reaping 65-70 bushels-per-acre dryland wheat and 90-100 bushels-per-acre irrigated wheat this year in the AgriLife Research plots was a nice change, Rudd said.

“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “It was outstanding this year because of the high yields. As a breeding program, what we do is develop new varieties for this area, and the research is all dependent on the environments we get.”

Rudd explained that research plots are similar to those of the producer, subject to losses from disease, pests, hail, drought and flooding.

Continue reading in the AgriLife news release online.

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

Ag Journalists Discuss Industry Advancements

Nine young leaders from across the globe gathered in Bonn, Germany, for the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ)–Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism boot camp. The nine bright minds learned lessons in leadership and professional development in order to advance the agriculture industry.

The two-day boot camp, led by Owen Roberts, journalist, columnist, and adjunct professor in the Department of Animal Biosciences and the research communications director at the University of Guelph, heard from Patrick Charlton, Alltech vice president and CEO of Coppens International, Steve Werblow, writer for The Furrow agriculture journal, and Hugh Maynard, global manager of the IFAJ.

Sarah Hill, a freelance journalist and Angus Media contributor from Brookings, S.D., USA, and Julienne Isaacs, a freelance writer based in Winnipeg, Man., Canada, took part in the 2016 IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism boot camp event.

For more information, view the Alltech news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Alltech.

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.

— Announcement from the American Angus Association.

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