News Update
March 27, 2017
Rising from the Ashes
An outbreak of wildfires left a path of destruction across Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas earlier this month. The fires burned more than 700,000 acres in 21 Kansas counties, with more than three-quarters of that acreage burning in Clark and Comanche counties.
More than 23,000 acres burned near Amarillo, Texas, threatening more than 150 homes; a fire in the Texas Panhandle near the Oklahoma border burned more than 156 square miles.
In Colorado, more than 45 square miles burned in Logan County, threatening nearly 1,000 homes and forcing the evacuation of three schools. Fires in Kansas caused thousands to evacuate their homes and left many in shelters.
According to a USDA press release, the USDA has announced the availability of more than $6 million in funding to implement practices that will help private farmers, ranchers and forest landowners affected by the wildfires in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
Read more in the Angus Media news story online.
Angus Juniors ‘Raise the Bar’ in Louisiana
Angus juniors have the opportunity to travel the country with the National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) and learn from knowledgeable experts in the beef cattle business. Most recently, NJAA members met March 2-5 in Baton Rouge, La., to participate in a Raising the Bar conference.
The conference hosted 21 Angus junior leaders from 12 state junior Angus associations. Participants toured the Louisiana State University (LSU) campus, heard from industry experts, took part in leadership-training workshops and spent an evening watching a movie.
The group also made stops at three Angus operations: Continental Genetics, 12 Star Ranch and K Bar Ranch. Raising the Bar participants were able to experience Cajun culture and what it’s like raising Angus cattle in the southern state.
Continue reading this Angus news release online.
Manage Molds and Mycotoxins for Optimal Rumen Function
Mycotoxins can be the source of several important herd health problems ranging from reduced feed intake to suppressed immune response. With consequences like these, it pays for producers to manage — and prevent — mycotoxins before contaminated feed hits the bunk.
Yet prevention isn’t always possible and ensuring rumen function is maximized can help head off herd health problems, notes Anthony Hall, technical services, ruminant, with Lallemand Animal Nutrition.
“Mycotoxins are produced by specific molds, which are impossible to entirely avoid in the process of growing and storing crops for cattle feed,” Hall says. “Ruminants are actually more resistant to the effects of mycotoxins than monogastric animals like pigs and poultry. However, the toxins can disrupt rumen function in important ways.”
For more information, view the Lallemand Nutrition news release online.
Beef Quality Assurance Training set for April 26
A Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Training is set for April 26 in San Angelo, Texas.
The program is a collaborative effort among AgriLife Extension offices in Tom Green, Coke, Concho, Runnels, Sterling, Irion and Schleicher counties, the Texas Beef Council, the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and premier sponsor, Boehringer Ingelheim.
The training will start with a sponsored noon meal followed by the program from 1-4 p.m. at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center about 8 miles north of San Angelo at 7887 N. U.S. Highway 87.
Josh Blanek, AgriLife Extension agent in Tom Green County, said the Texas BQA Program is meant to help producers learn proper management techniques to ensure the beef they produce is a safe and wholesome product for the consuming public.
For more information, visit the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events.
American Angus Association Member Notice
Preparations for the 2017 Annual Convention of Delegates have begun. The American Angus Association will mail delegate nomination forms only to active regular and life members who qualify as eligible voting members prior to the deadline of 4:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT) on April 7, 2017.
To be active and eligible, you must be at least 18 years of age, as well as a life or regular member, when the nomination period begins (April 10, 2017). Dues must be current and paid in full. In addition, you must have registered at least one animal or have conducted a minimum $250 worth of business with the American Angus Association or Angus Genetics Inc. within the 12 months preceding the nomination period (April 10, 2016-April 7, 2017).
Please make sure you meet all the eligibility requirements by the close of business (4:30 p.m. CDT) April 7. Members can determine their eligibility status through AAA Login at My Account > Your American Angus Association Information.
The Association’s annual meeting will be convened Monday, Nov. 6, during the Angus Convention in Fort Worth, Texas.
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