News Update
January 8, 2013
American Angus Auxiliary Scholarships
Available for Junior Angus Members
The American Angus Auxiliary will award approximately $12,000 in scholarships for Angus youth in the upcoming year. Each state auxiliary is eligible to submit one male and one female application to the national contest. From there, the top five male and top five female applicants are chosen. The winners will be announced July 10 during closing ceremonies of the 2013 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) in Kansas City, Mo.
In addition to the scholarship competition, the five finalists for the Miss American Angus contest are selected from the top national female applicants.
The American Angus Auxiliary Scholarship application is now available online. Interested junior Angus members may download the application, access directions and general information on the website.
Applications from the state contest must be postmarked by May 1, 2013. For specific state and local Auxiliary scholarship deadlines and information, visit the Auxiliary website, or contact the state or regional Angus Auxiliary.
Additional questions about the American Angus Auxiliary scholarships can be directed to Cortney Holshouser, Auxiliary scholarship chairman, at 919-796-2346 or at kncholshouser@aol.com.
The American Angus Auxiliary consists of individuals interested in the welfare of the Angus breed. Its members work to provide educational activities for junior Angus members, such as scholarship programs, awards and competitions.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Pfizer Announces HD 50K, GeneMax™
Sweepstakes For Cattle Producers
Heath Zuellner is the first grand-prize winner of the HD 50K and GeneMax™ Sweepstakes from Pfizer Animal Health. He is a recent graduate from the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis, Neb., and the new owner of Zuellner Farms in Campbell, Neb. As part of this sweepstakes, Zuellner is one of five producers who will receive $1,000 to use toward either the purchase of an animal with genomic-enhanced expected progeny differences (GE-EPDs) powered by HD 50K or testing their own herds with GeneMax.
Zuellner says winning this sweepstakes grand prize offers him a great opportunity to try HD 50K.
“I’m excited to see what kind of results we’ll have with the first purchase of an HD 50K-tested bull on my operation,” Zuellner says. “I think having genetic tools such as this will have big influence on my future bull purchasing decisions and which heifers to keep and sell.”
This sweepstakes offers winners, such as Zuellner, a chance to advance herd genetics.
“We’re pleased to be able to provide Heath this opportunity to help invest in the future of his herd,” says Michael Amos, associate director, marketing, Pfizer Animal Health. “Ensuring his foundation animals are genetically superior provides a great chance to start his herd off on the right track.”
Four more winners will be announced monthly during the sweepstakes, which ends March 31, 2013. Black Angus animals with GE-EPDs powered by HD 50K are eligible for purchase with this grand prize. Or, if producers choose to apply the grand prize toward GeneMax testing, those tests can be used on any high-percentage black Angus animal.
To enter the HD 50K and GeneMax Sweepstakes, click here. There is no purchase necessary to enter the promotion. The official rules, complete list of prizes and entry instructions are available at www.genomeXchange.com/sweepstakes.
Gypsum Event to be Hosted with
OSU Conservation Tillage Meeting at Ada, Ohio
The third annual Midwest Soil Improvement Symposium: Research and Practical Insights into Using Gypsum is planned for March 7, 2013, in conjunction with the Ohio State University (OSU) Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference (CTC) in Ada, Ohio. The CTC is scheduled for March 5-6. Both events will be at the McIntosh Center on the campus of Ohio Northern University.
Co-sponsors for the Midwest Soil Improvement Symposium are the Gypsoil division of Beneficial Reuse Management; the Conservation Technology Information Center, West Lafayette, Ind.; and the Ohio State University. Confirmed speakers for the March 7 event include:
- Warren Dick, professor, Environmental and Natural Resources, Ohio State University, Wooster, Ohio;
- Allen Torbert, research leader, National Soil Dynamics Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Auburn, Ala.;
- Darrell Norton, soil scientist (recently retired) from the National Soil Erosion Research Lab, USDA ARS, West Lafayette, Ind.;
- Jerry Bigham, professor (retired), Environmental and Natural Resources, the Ohio State University, Wooster, Ohio;
- Ron Chamberlain, agronomist and director of gypsum programs for Beneficial Reuse Management, marketer of Gypsoil™ brand gypsum.
Background on gypsum use, research highlights, and gypsum impacts to soil and water quality and crop productivity, plus tips for gypsum application, will be discussed. In addition, there will be panel discussions with growers and consultants experienced at using agricultural gypsum. Additional session speakers for the March 7 event will be announced as they are confirmed.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Missouri State Fair Youth in Agriculture
Scholarship Deadline Feb. 1
The Feb. 1 deadline is approaching for high school seniors interested in applying for a Missouri State Fair Youth in Agriculture scholarship. Thirty-six $1,000 scholarships and one supreme $2,500 scholarship will be awarded to qualified applicants pursuing higher education degrees in the field of agriculture. The application form is available online at www.mostatefair.com/youth-in-agriculture.
“Scholarships will be awarded to youth who have participated at the annual Missouri State Fair,” said Wayne Yokley, Missouri State Fair Youth in Agriculture Committee chairman.
To be eligible, scholarship applicants must plan to enroll in an accredited Missouri college or university with the ambition to acquire a degree in agriculture. Applicants must be high school seniors and active members of 4-H or FFA. While the applicants must have participated at least once as a 4-H or FFA exhibitor at the Missouri State Fair, applicants cannot have sold livestock in any past Missouri State Fair Sale of Champions Auction. The names of the sponsors and buyers from the 2012 Auction, whose contributions make this program possible, are available on the Missouri State Fair’s website.
For more information please call the Missouri State Fair at 1-800-422-FAIR (3247) or e-mail questions to mostatefair@mda.mo.gov.
Women’s Ag Conference Announced
The 2013 Women Managing the Farm Conference is scheduled Feb. 7-8 and will be hosted in Manhattan, Kan., at the Hilton Garden Inn.
The popular agriculture conference for women will be the eighth in a series. It began as a regional offering before becoming a multi-day conference in Hutchinson, Kan., and, in recent years, in Wichita, Kan.
Moving the conference to Manhattan allows greater access to resources at Kansas State University (K-State) and K-State Research and Extension, said Janet Barrows, who, with Robin Blume, are serving as volunteers for the educational effort.
Moving the conference also provides an opportunity for adding a preconference session, which Barrows dubbed “Blue Jean Basics” Feb. 6. The session is being planned as a less formal introductory and interactive opportunity for participants to learn from K-State crops and livestock specialists.
The conference is recommended for women who are landowners, farm or ranch managers, partners or employees, absentee landlords, or career women engaged in agricultural careers.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Retail Food Prices Decline Slightly in Fourth Quarter 2012
Shoppers paid a bit less for food at the grocery store during the fourth quarter of 2012, with some popular fruits and vegetables showing a decline in retail price. Lower retail prices for Russet potatoes, bagged salad and apples, among other foods, resulted in a slight decrease in the latest American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Quarterly Marketbasket Survey.
The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare one or more meals was $50.54, down $1.36 or about 3% percent compared to the third quarter of 2012. Of the 16 items surveyed, 10 decreased and six increased in average price compared to the prior quarter.
“While prices were down from the third quarter, compared to a year ago, the marketbasket price was actually higher compared to a year ago, by about 3% percent,” said John Anderson, AFBF’s deputy chief economist. “Throughout 2012, food prices were relatively stable, thanks to very slow but steady growth in the general economy coupled with fairly stable energy prices. For this year, we expect food prices to rise by 3% to 4% percent, which is slightly higher than the average rate of inflation over the past 10 years.”
For more information and the full release, click here.
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