News Update

August 19, 2016

Deadline Extended:
Cattlemen’s Boot Camp in Nebraska

Cattle producers, mark your calendars. A Cattlemen’s Boot Camp will be hosted Sept. 21-22 at the Animal Science Complex on the University of Nebraska’s East Campus in Lincoln, Neb.

The educational event will be hosted jointly by the American Angus Association and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) and will provide purebred and commercial cattle producers with timely information presented by academic and industry professionals.

Register online at www.angusonline.com, or download and send your application by mail before Aug. 29 to ensure you don’t miss all that this event has to offer.

“The Cattlemen’s Boot Camp workshop is a great event for cattle producers across the country,” says Jaclyn Clark, Association director of events and education. “The workshop offers industry-specific information from speakers and research that will offer insight into the beef business for both seedstock and commercial producers.”

— Adapted from a release by Shelby Mettlen, Angus Media.

Scholarship Opportunity

The Association’s Future Angus Stockmen program is aimed toward fostering the next generation of commercial cattle producers and offers young cattlemen and women opportunities to gain the knowledge they need to be successful. Together with partners at Allflex USA, Future Angus Stockmen will award a $1,000 scholarship to a college student involved in the commercial-Angus business.

Scott Holt, of Allflex USA, said of the program, “Future Angus Stockmen is a scholarship that was initiated last year. It’s really driven by the volume of really good young people who want to be in the commercial industry.”

Holt says the goal is to find a young person that maybe wouldn’t be found through a traditional scholarship setting, but who is an active participant in the beef industy.

For more, tune into this week’s The Angus Report online. You can also catch the show at 1:30 p.m. CST Saturday or 7 a.m. CST each Monday morning on RFD-TV.

— Adapted from The Angus Report.

State of Improvement

It’s easy to complain about the government, especially for those in agriculture. Overregulation and high taxes are often present in the news. What we don’t hear regularly is when a state’s legislature actually ramps up its support of agriculture. Such is the case in Missouri.

Richard Fordyce, director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, explains that Missouri usually trades second and third place nationally in size of the cow-calf sector with Oklahoma. There are about 56,000 beef farms in Missouri, with an average size of 30-35 head. The beef industry is a large contributor to the state’s economy, and he says legislative support has been building in the last few decades.

Shortly after he accepted his position 2 1/2 years ago, Fordyce says the governor asked him where the state should exert its efforts to move agriculture forward. In the span of a 90-second conversation, he explained the importance of the cow-calf sector. The governor was on board and asked Fordyce to take a “deep dive” into the state’s beef industry.

— Adapted from an article by Kasey Brown, Angus Media.

Farmer of the Year Contest

Farmers’ Almanac, in partnership with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), announces its search for three farmers or ranchers to be recognized as “Farmers’ Almanac Farmer of the Year.”

The contest, announced in the special 200th Collector’s Edition of the 2017 Farmers’ Almanac, seeks to recognize and share the dedication, hard work and contributions farmers make to our world and society. Stories of outstanding individuals who work hard to bring food to our tables are sought.

“We’re looking for farmers and ranchers who have figured out how to keep their centuries-old, family run farms alive and thriving, as well as newcomers who may have just started out in farming or ranching,” said Farmers’ Almanac Managing Editor Sandi Duncan, Philom.

For more information, view the Farm Bureau news release online.

— Adapted from a release by the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Report From Animal Rights National Conference

The Animal Agriculture Alliance released a report Aug. 18 detailing observations from the Animal Rights National Conference, hosted July 7-10 in Los Angeles, Calif., by the Farm Animal Rights Movement. According to conference organizers, more than 1,700 individuals were present at the event, described as “devoted to advancing the vision of animal rights.”

“We are alarmed by the statements animal rights movement leaders made at this conference encouraging activists to be increasingly aggressive in seeking liberation for farm animals,” said Kay Johnson Smith, Alliance president and CEO. “The speakers made their end goal — ending animal agriculture and securing a vegan society — very clear. If you have a vested interest in producing, processing or selling meat, poultry, eggs and dairy, you need to read this report and understand the forces our industry is up against.”

Various conference speakers offered a consistent message — the animal rights movement is pushing for an end to the consumption of animal products, and they believe they are progressing toward that goal. “We are trying to destroy animal agriculture,” said Wayne Hsiung, Direct Action Everywhere.

For more information, view the news release online.

— Adapted from a release by the Animal Agriculture Alliance.

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

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