News Update
November 14, 2017
2018 Miss American Angus
Represents Nation’s Largest
Beef Cattle Breed
Many little girls grow up dreaming of becoming Miss America. For young ladies in the Angus business, becoming Miss American Angus can become a reality, and for one young lady, that dream became a reality on Nov. 6, 2017. The newly crowned 2018 Miss American Angus, Kallie Knott, Laotto, Ind., stood out due to her passion for and commitment to the Angus breed.
“Participating in the Miss American Angus contest has been a prestigious moment because you meet so many lifelong friends and you experience so much, including communications skills and being able to talk with other breeders,” Knott said. “I’m looking forward to listening to Angus breeders and being able to connect with them even more.”
The Miss American Angus competition, hosted by the American Angus Auxiliary, occurred during the 2017 Angus Convention Nov. 4-6 in Fort Worth, Texas. The crowning ceremony is always an exciting highlight of the Awards Recognition Breakfast hosted by the American Angus Association.
For nearly 50 years, five outstanding young ladies compete each year for the chance to wear the crown and represent the Angus breed.
Continue reading this Angus news release online.
USCA Sends Congress Letter on
Overpopulation of Wild Horses
On Nov. 9, Chairman of the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) Kenny Graner sent the following letter to Senate leaders. The letter supports recent recommendations from the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory board.
“Dear Chairman Murkowski, Ranking Member Udall and Members of the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Committee on Appropriations of the United States Senate:
“The United States Cattlemen’s Association requests immediate Congressional action to allow the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to fulfill their duties as outlined in the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971.
“The Act requires the BLM to ‘maintain a thriving ecological balance’ on public rangelands. Through the Act, multiple management options of excess horses and burros are available, including: adoption, sale, sterilization and humane euthanasia. Unfortunately, Congress has impeded the ability of the BLM to do its job by continuing to deny funding for common sense and ecologically sound management principles. As a result, wild horse and burro populations have been allowed to go unchecked, resulting in negative environmental impacts and forcing wildlife and livestock off public lands.”
View the letter in its entirety online.
Symbiosis, Cowboy Style
Remember symbiosis from biology class? To paraphrase, it is a relationship between two critters, and it works out well for both of them. Then again, you could just call it partnering. Whatever the label, three young Georgia cattlemen are working with a pizzeria and a pub, both of which have their own microbreweries. It’s a slam dunk for all involved.
The story in the northwest part of the state started back in September 2016, when Skip Welsh had 5-gallon (gal.) buckets of wet brewers’ grain piling up as a byproduct from his Phantom Horse Brewery.
“We had a couple of folks picking it up, but not regularly,” he says.
He contacted Will Berry, who was delighted to relieve him of the buckets, all eight a week.
“I had learned about brewers’ grain in animal nutrition class,” says Will. “I told him, I’ll take everything you got.”
The timing was perfect. Will, 25, and his brother, David, 26, had graduated from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) in Tifton, Ga., in May 2016 and had joined their family’s Huntland Farms in Chickamauga, less than a mile from the brewery. Says Skip, “I send a text to Will, they pick it up that day, and the next morning the clean buckets are back.”
Read this Angus Journal article online.
On Target
Weaning and preg-checking tell us how successful our last two breeding seasons were. While many cow herd operators enjoy calving as a time to see the fruits of their labor, I prefer weaning, when management and genetic selection come together in one package. If you fell short in meeting any challenge, like keeping pastures vegetative or replacement heifers without records, those effects are in full view when calves cross the scale at weaning.
On the positive side, if calves weigh and look at least as good as expected, we’re already fully invested in these genetics. The cows should be rebred and plans to ensure adequate fetal nutrition can begin. One key decision at weaning is how committed we are to the cows we already have. Nobody tries to maintain a below-average herd, yet the simplicity of math suggests half of every herd is below average.
Weaning data and pregnancy diagnosis results present opportunities to raise the average by removing some bottom-end and/or late-bred cows. Culling the bottom 10% by weaning performance and probable calving date will raise the average, just like selecting a better sire or replacement heifer.
Learn more in the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
Beef Market Development Efforts in China
An initial and ambitious step toward developing demand for U.S. beef in China was taken as the U.S. Beef China Roadshow, a weeklong series of events organized by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), brought exporters and importers together in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. These activities were made possible through support from the Nebraska Beef Council.
The “roadshow” moniker was an appropriate choice, as USMEF staff and 17 member companies began the journey Monday, Sept. 25, with a U.S. beef showcase in Beijing, then traveled to Shanghai for a similar program on Wednesday, Sept 27. By the end of the week, the contingent had moved to Guangzhou, where the roadshow concluded with a U.S. beef overview, trade networking, product sampling and an American-style barbecue reception highlighting alternative cuts. More than 300 Chinese importers — buyers who were selected and screened by USMEF — attended each of the three roadshow events.
“We started in the north, moved to central China and finally ended up in the south, allowing U.S. companies to see and experience different regions of the country,” explained Ming Liang, USMEF marketing director in China.
Continue reading this Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
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