News Update
May 25, 2017
Delegate Nominations Due in Office
by 4:30 Central June 9
Don’t forget to return your nomination forms in preparation for the 2017 Annual Convention of Delegates this November in Fort Worth, Texas. Forms to nominate delegates to the convention were mailed to every active life and regular Association member who qualified as an eligible voting member prior to April 7.
The nomination period is April 10-June 9. Each eligible voting member is allowed to nominate one eligible voting member who resides in the same state or district, including himself or herself. The candidate should be highly involved in the Angus business, willing to attend the meeting and able to represent Angus breeders.
Signed nomination forms must be received in the Association office no later than 4:30 p.m. Central June 9, at which time every qualified nominee will be included on a state ballot. State ballots will be mailed to eligible voting members July 7 to vote for the final slate of state delegates. When you receive the petition, please return it promptly. Ballots must be received in the office no later than Aug. 8, 2017, at 4:30 p.m. Central.
Rancher Calls on Congress to Address ‘Sue and Settle’ Abuse
If family ranching operations and rural economies are going to survive another generation, Congress must address the problem of so-called “sue and settle” abuse. That’s the message that Darcy Helmick, Land Manager for Simplot Land & Livestock, stressed to Congress in subcommittee testimony May 24.
Helmick testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Affairs, and Subcommittee on the Interior, Energy and Environment during its hearing to examine how environmental advocacy groups and federal agencies regulate through consent decrees using citizen lawsuit provisions in environmental laws, which is known as “sue and settle.”
“In my extensive experience dealing with the federal grazing system and western land use in general, offensive litigation tactics by outside activist groups have served to totally derail business operations,” said Helmick. “While it is critical that we maintain the right of citizens to litigate when necessary, reform is needed to prevent that right from being abused or exploited.”
It is critical that permitted public lands users have a role in any settlement agreements and that federal employees at a local level have input, Helmick said.
Learn more in the NCBA news release online.
Disrupt or be Disrupted in an Exponential World
During ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE17), 70 speakers, including the brightest international minds in science, agriculture, technology and business, highlighted technologies that have the potential to revolutionize agriculture and make the next big leap in productivity possible.
Across all agricultural sectors, digital technologies and applications are emerging that are disrupting production systems and supply chains, creating radically different business models and enabling farmers and agribusiness to work with levels of precision and insight that were previously unimaginable.
“Technology will change beyond belief,” said Pearse Lyons, founder and president of Alltech. “Things are changing at a rapid pace, and companies need to start thinking like startups: go and grow fast.”
Sharing his perspective from more than 36 years in business, Lyons listed his five key elements for success in this ever-changing marketplace:
- 1. speed,
- 2. leadership,
- 3. culture,
- 4. training, and
- 5. a unique dynamic of “fun.”
“We’re in the midst of an agri revolution — it’s happening right here, right now, and it’s exciting,” said Robert Walker, CEO of Keenan, who addressed attendees on disruptive and data-driven technologies.
Continue reading this Alltech news release online.
USDA Webinar: Using Fire and Grazing
to Manage Grasslands, June 1
Using fire and grazing management effectively is critically important in maintaining the ecological health of grasslands.
In this webinar, Chris Helzer, director of science with The Nature Conservancy, in Aurora, Neb., discusses:
- fire and grazing management techniques,
- the value of biological diversity and ecological resilience in maintaining healthy grasslands,
- how fire and grazing can sustain wildlife habitat, pollinator communities and other important components of grassland ecosystems, and
- how landowners can evaluate the success of their fire and grazing management practices from a conservation standpoint.
Education credits are available from the American Forage and Grassland Council, the Society for Range Management and The Wildlife Society.
This webinar, sponsored by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, is scheduled for June 1, 2017, at 2 p.m., Eastern. Connect to the webinar at www.conservationwebinars.net/adobe-connect-webinar-access-instructions. Audio is computer broadcast only.
For more information, visit the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events.
Southwest Heifer Sale Averaged $1,714
after Tornado Slowed Start of Bidding
An F1 tornado didn’t stop the sale of 339 Show-Me-Select replacement heifers. As a storm warning covered southwestern Missouri, the sale went on. It averaged $1,714 at Joplin Regional Stockyards May 19.
Attendance was low and bidding started slow, says Eldon Cole, University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist, Mount Vernon.
Bidding picked up once Tier Two artificially inseminated (AI)-bred heifers came in the ring. Bidders know to pay for quality beef, Cole says.
The sale-topping three heifers averaged $3,200. They had stacked genetics. First, the crossbred Angus-Simmentals ranked Tier Two, being out of proven sires bred to proven sires. Next, they were AI-bred, a growing trend. Beyond that, they were DNA genomic-tested. That means genetically enhanced expected progeny differences (GE EPDs.)
The new genomic-tested heifers are called Show-Me Plus.
The entire lot of seven sold for an average of $2,786, the top for a single farm. They came from Shiloh Land & Cattle Co., Mount Vernon, Mo. Owners Darrel and Anita Franson retired last year but came back for one more sale.
Learn more by reading the full MU news release online.
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