News Update
November 9, 2017
American Angus Association
Elects New Officers, Board Leadership
The American Angus Association announced the 2017-2018 board of directors and officers elected by state delegates during the 134th Annual Convention of Delegates in Fort Worth, Texas. Those elected to serve the Association for a second three-year term are: Jerry Connealy, Whitman, Neb.; David Dal Porto, Oakley, Calif.; John Grimes, Hillsboro, Ohio; James Henderson, Memphis, Texas; and Dave Nichols, Bridgewater, Iowa.
Kevin Yon, Ridge Spring, S.C., was elected as Association president and chairman of the board. He succeeds Charlie Boyd, May’s Lick, Ky. Yon and his wife, Lydia, established Yon Family Farms in 1996, and the operation is now home to 700 head of Angus brood cows and 300 commercial cows. Yon has served on the Association board for six years, was treasurer in 2016, and was vice president and vice chairman of the board this past year. He also has served as president of the South Carolina Angus Association and South Carolina Cattlemen’s Association, and as chairman of the South Carolina Farm Bureau Beef Advisory Committee, among other positions.
John Pfeiffer Jr., Mulhall, Okla., was elected by the delegates to serve as Association vice president and vice chairman of the board. Don Schiefelbein, Kimball, Minnesota, will serve as the 2017-2018 treasurer.
Continue reading this Angus news release online.
That’s a Wrap on a
Successful 2017 Angus Convention
With almost 2,500 attendees, the three-day 2017 Angus Convention was a resounding success. The American Angus Association celebrated a year full of progress and innovation, including two groundbreaking announcements during convention.
Allen Moczygemba, Association CEO, announced the acquisition of Verified Beef and its Reputation Feeder Cattle® program during the Opening General Session on Saturday, Nov. 4. The deal is a pivotal decision that will grow the value and relevance of the Angus breed today and in the future. Then, the Association introduced a new genomic profile, Angus GS™, which offers breeders an affordable tool to empower genomic selection. The forward-thinking Angus Genetics Inc. team developed the tool specifically for Angus cattle and designed it to genotype the whole herd, not just bulls.
“This year’s Angus Convention was a tremendous success thanks to our dedicated membership and talented staff,” Moczygemba said. “It was truly a monumental year of innovation and progress for the Association and will set up 2018 to be an even more successful year. The Angus breed enjoys a leadership position today because of the collective efforts of producers, industry partners and Association supporters.”
Read more of this Angus news release online.
Brush up Your BCS Skills
Whether you’ve scored thousands of cows or just a handful, here are some quick tips to help boost your body condition score (BCS) skills. Some tips may be refreshers while others may be new to you. Regardless, all will help you become a better herd manager.
“Body condition scoring can tell you quite a bit about your herd, and the results can be used to make important management decisions,” says N.T. Cosby, and cattle nutritionist with Purina Animal Nutrition. “Because the data captured is so vital, it’s good practice to recalibrate your scoring skills.”
Here are 10 tips to brush up your BCS skills:
No. 1. Calculate the percentage of each BCS in your herd. For example, 23 cows in a 115-cow herd with a 5 BCS equals 20% of the herd. However, do most cows fall between 4.5 and 6 BCS, or are the majority between 3.5 and 7? Both situations result in roughly the same average score (5 BCS), but they tell different stories of herd performance.
No. 2. Score on a regular basis.
For more information, View this news release online.
Ranch Group's COOL Petition
Gains Nearly 34K Signatures Since Mid-October
Less than one-month ago, Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) issued a member alert seeking help in gaining thousands of signatures on a petition addressed to U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. The petition urges Ross to reinstate country-of-origin labeling (COOL) for beef during his ongoing renegotiations of various U.S. trade agreements. To date, at nearly 34,000 signatures, the ranch group’s expectations for thousands of signatures has turned into tens of thousands.
“We’re expecting even more before our Nov.14 deadline, at which time the petition will be delivered to Secretary Ross,” said the group’s spokesperson, Carrie Walling.
While R-CALF USA carries the petition in the farming and ranching community, the consumer group, Food & Water Watch is circulating an identical petition to consumers.
The group says the tremendous response to the petition shows widespread support within the ranching community for reinstating COOL during the Trump administration’s renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
“Anyone who wants to know the origins of the beef they buy for themselves and their families should go to address listed below and sign the petition before Nov. 14,” Walling said.
The petition is posted at www.change.org and is available at www.change.org/p/secretary-of-commerce-wilbur-l-ross-bring-back-country-of-origin-food-labeling.
Forbes World’s Best Employers Thin
on Food Companies at the Top
Forbes magazine came out with its annual list of the world’s 2000 best employers for 2017, a list heavy on technology and investment firms at the top on and light on food companies. A look at the top 300, yielded the following food-related companies:
- No. 26 — Switzerland-based Nestlé
- No. 67 — South Korea-based CJ Cheiljedang
- No. 77 — Switzerland-based Lindt & Sprungli
- No. 81 — U.S.-based Starbucks
- No. 84 — French food retailer Carrefour
- No. 101 — Saudi Arabia-based food processor Almarai
- No. 119 — Swedish food retailer ICA Gruppen
- No. 138— U.S.-based spice maker McCormick
- No. 144 — Brazilian food retailer Companhia Brasileira de Distribuicao
- No. 191 — Thailand-based food processor Charoen Pokphand Foods
- No. 212 — Thailand-based food retailer CP All
- No. 236 — UK-based Compass group
- No. 261 — U.S.-based food retailer Performance Food Group
- No. 269 — U.S.-based food processor Hershey
- No. 274 — Portuguese food retailer Jeronimo Martins
- No. 276 — U.S.-based food processor JM Smucker
- No. 297 — U.S.-based McDonald’s
- No. 299 — U.S.-based Hormel Foods
“On behalf of our 20,000 team members, we are honored to be recognized as one of the best employers in the world,” said Jim Snee, president and CEO at Hormel Foods.
Read the full article online at www.meatingplace.com.
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