News Update
December 11, 2017
President’s Perspective
Why did you run for the Board?
I believe in the cattle, I believe in the breed, and I was hoping I could contribute and build upon the success it has already had. There was no specific reason. It was more about wanting to serve a breed that had been good to us as a family, particularly with me being a first-generation Angus breeder raised in a family that had been successful in another breed.
Since you came on the Board in November 2009, the Association has faced several tough issues. What has been the most challenging?
My first true experience on the Board was with NH (neuropathic hydrocephalus), and we basically followed the same policy as with AM. Then we had CA (contractural arachnodactyly), and then DD (developmental duplication) hit.
That’s when Phil Trowbridge was president, and Phil asked me to chair the task force on DD. That’s when we changed policy to allow carriers — both bull and female — to be registered, with the thought being that the market would determine the value — either good or bad — in those cattle, which it did.
Continue reading this Angus Journal article online.
National Restaurant Association Releases
‘What’s Hot’ for Menu Trends in 2018
On Dec. 5 the National Restaurant Association released its annual survey of 700 professional chefs — members of the American Culinary Federation — to predict food and beverage trends at restaurants in the coming year. The annual “What’s Hot” list gives a peek into which food, beverages and culinary concepts will be the new items on restaurant menus that everyone is talking about in 2018.
According to the survey, menu trends that will be heating up in 2018 include doughnuts with non-traditional filling, ethnic-inspired kids’ dishes, farm/estate-branded items, and heritage-breed meats. Trends that are cooling down include artisan cheeses, heirloom fruits and vegetables, and house-made charcuterie.
Top 20 food trends:
- No. 1. New cuts of meat (e.g. shoulder tender, oyster steak, Vegas Strip Steak, Merlot cut);
- No. 2. house-made condiments;
- No. 3. street food-inspired dishes (e.g. tempura, kabobs, dumplings, pupusas);
- No. 4. ethnic-inspired breakfast items (e.g. chorizo scrambled eggs, coconut milk pancakes);
- No. 5. sustainable seafood;
- No. 6. healthful kids’ meals;
- No. 7. vegetable carb substitutes (e.g. cauliflower rice, zucchini spaghetti); and
- No. 8. uncommon herbs (e.g. chervil, lovage, lemon balm, papalo).
For more information, read the news release online.
Rich History
“I just walked in and sat right out there, as a matter of fact,” Rich Wilson says, motioning toward the hallway outside his office. “The wall wasn’t there then,” he clarifies, just a table and chair, until they figured out an office space.
That was nearly half a century ago, and until Oct. 14 of this year, Wilson had a spacious office with a table and a couple of chairs. Outside that office was a plaque that read, “Richard Wilson, Chief Financial Officer.”
Wilson began his tenure with the American Angus Association Oct. 14, 1969. Forty-eight years later, he walked down the steps and out the door of the stately brick building on Frederick Ave. for the last time to begin his retirement.
Forty-eight tax seasons completed.
Forty-eight fiscal years come to an end.
Forty-eight years of presentations to the Board of Directors behind him.
Countless memories.
A native of Sheridan, Mo., Rich grew up on a farm in Worth county. In 1966, he graduated from Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Mo., before taking a job with the state auditor in Des Moines, Iowa.
Keep reading this Angus Journal article online.
AG Hawley Renews Fight to End
California’s Restrictive Farming Regulations
Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley Dec. 4 announced his office will renew its efforts in the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge California’s attempt to impose agricultural regulations on the state of Missouri.
Missouri is challenging a California law requiring Missouri egg producers to comply with California’s farming regulations in order to sell eggs in California. The suit claims that California’s regulations violate both a federal law prohibiting states from imposing their own standards on eggs produced in other states, and the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which gives Congress exclusive authority to regulate commerce among and between states.
In 2016, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Missouri and the other plaintiff states lacked standing to pursue their claims. Today’s filing in the U.S. Supreme Court answers this by providing a careful economic analysis that establishes the impact of these burdensome regulations.
“These regulations are unconstitutional and a clear attempt by big-government proponents to impose job-killing regulations on Missouri,” Hawley said. “This discrimination against Missouri farmers will not stand.”
Read this news release online.
AFBF President Zippy Duvall Appointed
to White House Trade Advisory Committee
American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall has been appointed to the White House’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN).
Members of the ACTPN advise the president on the potential effects of proposed and current trade agreements. The ACTPN, which is administered by the U.S. Trade Representative, is the main trade advisory committee that provides policy information and advice to the president.
“I am deeply honored to be called to serve as a member of the White House’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.” Duvall said. “I look forward to taking a seat at the table on behalf of America’s farmers and ranchers as we look to further our agricultural trade opportunities. We must keep building on our current gains in markets abroad, foster lasting relationships with our international partners and, of course, effectively enforce current trade agreements to ensure agriculture continues to boost our economy and create jobs for all Americans.
Duvall has been appointed by the president for a four-year term. Established by the 1974 Trade Act, the ACTPN brings together up to 45 individuals from the private sector who represent key economic sectors affected by trade.
For more information, view this Farm Bureau news release online.
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