News Update
Dec. 30, 2011

Happy New Year from Angus Productions Inc.!

The American Angus Association and Angus Productions Inc. (API) will be closed Friday, Dec. 31, for New Year’s Eve.

‘I Am Angus’ Series Continues with Western Focus Jan. 3

A new I Am Angus television program will air Monday, Jan. 3, at 7 p.m. CST on RFD-TV (DirecTV channel 345 or Dish Network channel 231). The hourlong show is the third program in the four-part television series produced by the American Angus Association that began earlier this fall. The January episode — titled “Western Horizons” — celebrates the history of the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) and the heritage of the Angus breed throughout the U.S.

Click here to watch a preview of this month’s program, or visit www.angus.org to watch segments from the November show.  Read more.

Annual Wyoming Day at the National Western will be Jan. 22

Wyoming Day, an annual event at the NWSS in Denver, Colo., will be Saturday, Jan. 22. The Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) has arranged for buses leaving from Cheyenne to accommodate any who would like to attend. The bus will also stop in Fort Collins, Colo., at the Harmony Transfer Center to pick up passengers traveling from Laramie.

The Wyoming Day schedule includes the following:

• Group Bus from Cheyenne and Fort Collins
• A VIP luncheon at the National Western Club
• Touring the Stock Show
• Wyoming Day Rodeo
• Dinner in Fort Collins
• Bus trip back to Cheyenne

During Wyoming Day, Wyoming citizens are recognized at the rodeo and Wyoming officials are ushered around the rodeo arena in a stagecoach. State elected officials are invited to join the group.

For more information and registration packets call the WSGA office at 307-638-3942 and speak with Kosha Olsen or visit http://www.wysga.org

— Adapted from release by WSGA.

Start the New Year with Free Webinars from eXtension and Land-Grant Universities

Experts from land-grant universities, government and industry will host webinars on seasonal topics and current research this January. A webinar is an acronym for a web-based seminar. Instead of traveling somewhere to attend a seminar, you meet in a virtual conference room on the Internet.
Currently listed January webinars of special interest to beef producers include:

• Jan. 6 — Sulfur and Distillers’ Grains in Cattle: What are the Limits? Iowa State University and University of Nebraska present at 7 p.m. Description: One way to deal with increasing corn prices is to feed less corn and more distillers’ grains. However, the amount of distillers’ grains that can be fed safely depends on the sulfur level in feed and drinking water. Extension and faculty from Iowa and Nebraska provide information and recommendations based on recent research. http://www.extension.org/events/2058
• Jan. 12 — Tax Time Techniques for Beginning Farmers. University of Vermont Extension presents at 6 p.m. Description: Delve into the federal tax code as it applies to farm businesses with information on depreciation, deductions and Schedule F forms. This webinar will answer common questions about filing federal income taxes for farmers and will help you find the resources you need to file accurately and on time. http://www.extension.org/events/2053
• Jan. 13 — Creating Valuable Web Content. Presented by the Entrepreneurs and Their Communities eXtension community at 1 p.m. Description: Creating a website and filling it with content (usually from brochures) is not enough anymore. It’s important to create content that is valuable to your audience and will lead them through a conversion process to create a business relationship. Scott Wild of WildInspire, Bismarck, N.D., will focus on content creation, frequency and how social media will play a part.http://www.extension.org/events/2061  
• Jan. 21 — Manure on Wheat and Sidedressed in Corn. Presented by Animal Manure Management eXtension community at 1:30 p.m. Description: Extension staff in Ohio have conducted five years of on-farm research related to manure application to wheat compared to conventional fertilizer. The same comparison has been made with corn using sidedressed manure vs. fertilizer. Hear about the results from Glen Arnold, Ohio State University. http://www.extension.org/events/2047

Webinars are available nationwide. The times listed are Central Time. If the scheduled time doesn’t work for you or you want to view a webinar you missed, they are archived by topic:

• Animal Manure Management, http://www.extension.org/pages/Archived_Webcasts,_Livestock_and_Poultry_Environmental_Learning_Center
• Beef Cattle, http://www.extension.org/pages/Archived_Beef_Cattle_Webinars
• Dairy Cattle, http://www.extension.org/pages/Archived_Dairy_Cattle_Webinars
• Entrepreneurs and Their Communities, http://www.extension.org/pages/ETC_Webinar_Archive
• Farm Energy, http://www.extension.org/pages/Farm_Energy_Webcast_Series
• Families, Food and Fitness, http://www.extension.org/pages/Families_Food_and_Fitness_Chat
• Horses, http://www.myhorseuniversity.com/resources/webcasts/archived
• Organic Production, http://www.extension.org/article/24989
• Personal Finance, http://www.extension.org/pages/Personal_Finance_Chats
• Small Meat Processors, https://www.extension.org/pages/Archived_Niche_Meat_Processor_Webinars

— Adapted from release written by Lynette Spicer for eXtension.

— Compiled by Shauna Rose Hermel, editor, Angus Productions Inc.