News Update
February 19, 2018
Randy White, Dinah Johnston Earn
2018 Herdsman of the Year Award
Randy White and Dinah Johnston were selected by their peers as cowinners of the American Angus Association 2018 Herdsman of the Year. The award recognizes the exhibitor(s) who has done the best job during the past year preparing and displaying their Angus cattle.
“At the end of the day, we don’t ever leave the barn and say, ‘Well, I’ll do it tomorrow,’ ” White said. The couple, who oversee the sale cattle and show cattle prospects for Pollard Farms, Waukomis, Okla., were honored at the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) in Denver before the conclusion of the bull show.
White and Johnston humbly say they don’t differ much from other effective herdsmen, but Johnston says White’s “meticulous perfectionism” is a large driver of their success. His incredible work ethic, high standards and unabashed expectations of excellence from others have influenced her own habits.
They are always willing to keep learning and are not afraid to ask others’ opinions and thoughts in a constantly changing industry. She notes that you’re not ever going to agree with everyone, but there is a common ground and mutual respect for those who make this their living.
Read the full Angus news release online.
Raising a Successful Livestock Guardian Dog
Workshop set March 15 in San Angelo
A workshop on bonding and starting livestock guardian dogs is set for March 15 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at San Angelo.
The program will be from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the center, located north of San Angelo on U.S. Highway 87. Individual registration is $15 by March 12 and $25 thereafter. The fees include a noon meal. For more information and to register, call the center at 325-653-4576.
The “Raising a Successful Livestock Guardian Dog Workshop: Covering the Basics Needed to Get Through the First Year,” is part of the center’s ongoing effort to help producers adopt the age-old practice of keeping specially bred and trained dogs with livestock as a deterrent to predation, said John Walker, Texas A&M AgriLife Research director at the center.
“We have 14 dogs out at different ranches working right now, and we’ll have six to eight dogs here for the workshop,” he said. “We have two pups onsite we’re bonding with sheep, and we’ll have more in coming days. The dogs involved with the workshop will be at various stages, so we can demonstrate everything from how to get started all the way to having them ready to put out on the ranch and go to work.”
For more information please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events.
Hemphill County Beef Conference April 24-25
to Address Market Turning Points
The 2018 Hemphill County-Texas A&M AgriLife Beef Cattle Conference and Ag Tour set for April 24-25 will include experts who will help participants understand how and what they do on their ranches makes a difference in the market.
Ranchers in the Texas Panhandle and throughout the beef-producing regions of the United States play a role every day in establishing the market; their actions create turning points for the industry, said Andy Holloway, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agriculture and natural resources agent for Hemphill County.
Holloway said the cattle conference has grown in size and emphasis, bringing producers from across the nation to hear experts address industry hot topics.
“This beef conference has truly become more than a regional event,” Holloway said. “Last year we had participants from 11 states and 22 Texas counties. We really try hard to address important, critical issues and select the top speakers on these subject matters from throughout the nation,”
The main conference will be in the Jones Pavilion, 1101 N. Sixth St. in Canadian, Texas. For both the beef conference and tour, there will be 15 nationally recognized speakers, three beef meals, a trade show with 50-plus agribusinesses represented, two ranch tours, a tour of the Hemphill County Pioneer Museum and entertainment from the Sons of the Pioneers.
For more information please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events.
Texas A&M University International Beef Academy to Debut
Applications for the inaugural Texas A&M University International Beef Academy are being accepted.
The academy, available exclusively online, will begin in September and continue through July 2019.
“The International Beef Academy will offer an exclusive, customized and advanced learning experience tailored to the educational and professional needs of each participant,” said Reinaldo Cooke, associate professor in the department of animal science at Texas A&M University in College Station. “Participants will have access to emerging technologies in cattle reproduction, nutrition, genetics, health and welfare related to all phases of beef production, including cutting-edge practices for the quality and safety of beef products.”
The academy will be limited to 30 students and applications will be screened for selection. All of the instruction will be online and there will be nine modules to complete, Cooke said.
“Upon conclusion, students will come to campus here in College Station for hands-on learning opportunities and participate in the annual Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course before graduating,” Cooke said. “After graduation, they will be ambassadors of the academy where they will promote the information they’ve learned and also have the opportunity to come back in a few years and learn even more.”
For more information please view the full release here.
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