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News Update

February 22, 2012

Popular Heifer-Development Series
Adds Southwest Iowa Location

Providers of a popular series of workshops on assisting cattle producers with heifer development have added a southwest Iowa location. Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach beef program specialist Clint McDonald said producers and private business representatives recognize the need for the type of information presented in these workshops and worked to arrange a location near Lenox in early March.

"The session focuses on currently available technologies and management to increase productivity and longevity of heifers and includes topics ranging from health protocols to ration recommendations," he said. "Doctors Heidsieck and Hensley from the Tri-County Veterinary Clinic of Lenox and Clearfield will be conducting on-site ultrasound evaluations of fall bred heifers to demonstrate the advantages of early pregnancy detection."

This session will be at the Mike Standley farm north of Lenox on March 8 beginning at 6 p.m. Cost is $15 per person and you're asked to preregister to ensure adequate meal and materials count. For more information, contact McDonald at 712-355-1034 or Joe Sellers at 641-203-1270. Preregister by calling Harrison County Extension at 712-644-2105.

A list of series and site specific sponsors is on the Iowa Beef Center website. Directions: From Casey's in Lenox go 2 miles east to Vail Ave. Turn left (north) for 1 mile. At Adams-Taylor St., turn right east) and go to the second place on the left (north). Look for the ISU Extension signs.

USMEF's Seng Sees Positives in Chinese Leaders' Visit to Iowa

When leaders of the world's largest agricultural products importer and the largest agricultural products exporter meet in constructive dialogue, only good outcomes are to be expected.

That's the assessment of U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Philip Seng after his participation in last week's U.S./China High-Level Agricultural Symposium in Des Moines, Iowa. It was part of a five-day U.S. tour by Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, who is positioned to be the next leader of China.

The symposium was built around the themes of food safety, food security and sustainability. At the conclusion, Chinese and U.S. representatives signed a five-year cooperative agreement that focuses on those three food-related areas in addition to biotechnology and transparency.

"So often, meetings of this nature are conducted to resolve disputes," said Seng. "The tone of this meeting was forward-looking and underscores a spirit of cooperation. The atmosphere was favorable to the desired outcome of partnership and collaboration."

Seng noted that while there are trade issues yet to be resolved between the United States and China, this meeting appeared to be a different approach than the U.S. has taken with other trading partners.

"This was a constructive exchange that other countries may be viewing with circumspection and, possibly, a tinge of envy," said Seng.

According to the USDA, China became the top market for U.S. agricultural goods last year, purchasing $20 billion worth of U.S. agricultural exports, with those exports supporting more than 160,000 American jobs across a variety of business sectors. In 2011, the China/Hong Kong region was the No. 3 market for U.S. pork exports, purchasing 483,323 metric tons (more than 1 billion pounds) valued at $910 million, increases of 64% in volume and 96% in value compared to the prior year.

China is not currently open to U.S. beef exports, but analysts estimate that in the first full year of exports, China likely would purchase at least $200 million of American beef.

"China has 23% of the world's population but only 9% of the arable land," said Seng. "It will always need to import food, and American agriculture is positioned to truly establish a relationship based on trust, transparency and mutual benefit between the two countries."

Iowa State Ag Program Connects Top Students, Businesses

The Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative at Iowa State University (ISU) has created a program offering businesses access to exclusive workshops, strategic leadership roundtables and interaction with top College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students.

The Affiliates Program, launched in 2011, has a limited number of memberships available for companies and organizations. Applications are accepted at www.entrepreneurship.ag.iastate.edu/affiliates.html.

"Membership in the Affiliates Program provides support for important work in agricultural entrepreneurship," said Larry Petersen, CEO and general manager of Heartland Co-op. "It supports our efforts in strategic innovation. For example, we're working on a strategic development project where a team of ISU students will support development of a business plan over the course of the summer."

Affiliate memberships are based on a three-year commitment of $10,000 annually. The support gained through affiliate memberships enables the Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative to continue to provide College of Agriculture and Life Sciences undergraduates with educational programing and entrepreneurial experiences. To date, more than 1,300 undergraduates have participated in entrepreneurship and business development activities through the initiative.

"I've had a number of opportunities to interact with and learn from key industry professionals, especially affiliate members, through the Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative," said Alicia Humphrey, sophomore in agricultural communications. "Being part of their business development projects has helped to broaden my knowledge base while preparing me for my future in the agricultural industry."

Director of the initiative Kevin Kimle, Rastetter Chair of Agricultural Entrepreneurship, says the Affiliates Program is a way to broaden the initiatives reach and engage more of the agriculture industry in entrepreneurship and innovation.

"Our view of entrepreneurship and innovation in agriculture is that it must take place across the full range of organizations in our industry, whether start-up companies or companies with a much longer history. Our aim is to create a constructive ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship across agriculture."

The Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative at ISU was established in 2005. The initiative works to broaden understanding of entrepreneurship among faculty and students of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at ISU by providing educational experiences to develop students' entrepreneurial skills and increase interaction among students, faculty and agricultural entrepreneurs.

 

 
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