News Update
May 2, 2013
Applications are Available for Angus Juniors to Participate in The Scoop 2013
The National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) and the Angus Foundation are pleased to again provide NJAA members who have completed the ninth grade with an opportunity to gain experience in the areas of communication, business, writing and photography. This year marks the sixth year for The Scoop, an annual electronic publication produced by NJAA members, who work as a team to create stories and artwork with the help of top communication professionals.
In addition to gaining experience, The Scoop provides networking opportunities between other juniors and industry leaders. After participating on The Scoop staff, hopefully junior members will be prepared to pursue majors and careers in photography, communications, marketing, advertising or public relations.
Junior members who participate in The Scoop often conduct interviews and write stories about events at the National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) or other topics in the beef industry. For those who prefer the artistic side of the publication, there are opportunities to assist with contributing photos or artwork, as well as assisting with the layout.
The Scoop staff will meet at 2 p.m. Sunday through Thursday during the 2013 NJAS in Kansas City, Mo., but the opportunity is also available to members who do not plan to attend the show.
Robin Ruff, director of junior activities for the American Angus Association, says if juniors have even the slightest interest in photography, communications, marketing, advertising or public relations, they should sign up for The Scoop experience and learn more about working in a real-world communications setting.
“Communication skills are vital in any profession, and The Scoop allows juniors to get hands-on experience and have their work published, whether that’s a written story, photo or artwork,” Ruff says. “Juniors are also able to learn more about the NJAA, interact closely with fellow junior staff members of a similar age and gain a greater grasp on the issues facing the beef industry.”
The application is available online at www.njaa.info or www.angusfoundation.org. Applications should be postmarked by June 15, 2013, or sent electronically to Katie Allen, Angus Foundation director of marketing and public relations, at 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506 or kallen@angusfoundation.org. Juniors who apply will be notified of their status on the staff prior to the NJAS.
Multi-county Beef Cattle Field Day
Slated for May 24 in Martinez, Texas
The 2013 Multi-County Beef Cattle Field Day, presented by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Bexar County Agricultural Committee, has been set for May 24 in Martinez, said event coordinators.
Martinez is in east-central Bexar County, about 10 miles east of downtown San Antonio. The event will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Bexar County Junior Livestock Show Association Grounds, 7514 Farm-to-Market Road 1346.
Field day registration, including coffee and donuts, begins at 8:30 a.m. with presentations starting shortly after 9. Activities begin with a welcome and introduction by Cheree Leita, AgriLife Extension agriculture youth educator for Bexar County.
“This field day will be a great learning opportunity for people involved in the beef cattle industry,” Leita said. “There will be a lot of useful information, including cattle-handling and land-management techniques, that can be applied to beef cattle operations.”
The cost of the event is $10. Checks should be made payable to Bexar Agricultural Committee and mailed to: Beef Cattle Field Day, 3355 Cherry Ridge Drive, Suite 212, San Antonio, TX 78230.
Attendees are also asked to RSVP to Angel Torres at 210-467-6575 by May 22.
Three Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units — one laws and regulations, 0.5 integrated pest management and 1.5 general — will be available to attendees.
For more information and a listing of other area meetings, visit the Angus Journal Virtual Library.
17th Edition of Farm Estate and
Business Planning Now Available
This 471-page soft cover book is an excellent guide for farmers and ranchers who want to make the most of the state and federal income and estate tax laws to assure the least expensive and most efficient transfer of their estates to their children and heirs. This book contains detailed advice on assuring worry-free retirement years, using wills, trusts, insurance and outside investments as estate planning tools, ways to save on estate settlement costs, and an approach to setting up a plan that will eliminate arguments and friction in the family.
“This edition is rather special,” says author Neil Harl, “in light of the tax legislation passed in December 2012.”
The book contains extensive coverage of that landmark legislation and updates the 26 chapters with recent developments in farm and ranch estate planning and farm and ranch business planning since the 16th edition was published in 2011. The book is written in easy-to-read language and is designed for use by farm and ranch families.
The book also includes discussion of employment taxes, formation and advantages of use of business entities, federal farm payments, state laws on corporate ownership of farm land, federal gift tax law, annuities, installment obligations, and charitable deductions — all with an eye to the least expensive and most efficient transfer of the farm to heirs.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Conservation Stewardship Program
Applications Due by May 31
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2013 sign up for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) will be due by May 31. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will accept slightly more than 12 million acres into the program.
While CSP enrollment is continuous, interested farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners must complete the initial application form by May 31 to compete for a spot in the 2013 enrollment class for the program.
Earlier this month, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), which helped develop the program and has followed its progress closely, issued an Information Alert on the 2013 sign-up. In addition to providing the timeline for the sign-up and enrollment process, the Alert includes basic sign-up information and describes changes made to the program for this sign-up, including new conservation enhancements being offered. We encourage interested organizations and individuals to post or forward the Information Alert to help get the word out to farmers and ranchers about this pending opportunity.
“This is a great opportunity for producers to enhance and build upon the conservation that they are doing on their land,” said NSAC Policy Associate, Greg Fogel. “However, we are operating under an extremely tight deadline, so farmers and ranchers must act quickly to complete their initial application form.”
This year’s enrollment was delayed for six months while Congress negotiated and passed a final “continuing resolution” to fund government programs through the end of this fiscal year. The delay means that this year’s cut-off date for applications is much later than usual. It also means that the agency will have to move very quickly through the enrollment process in order to finish on time.
For more information and the full release, click here.
National Grange Fights Against Estate Tax by Filing Brief
The National Grange filed an amicus brief Monday in opposition to the estate tax and a recent court decision in which defendants were ordered to pay more in inheritance taxes than what the inherited property was worth.
United States v. MacIntyre, heard by the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, has presented the question: Does the law permit the government to collect more from a donee than the value of the gift received?
The Grange, along with the National Black Chamber of Commerce who initiated the action, and the Sixty Plus Association, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, and the Center for Individual Freedom, have responded with a resounding “no,” insisting that the government’s pursuance of such funds amounts to little more than greed.
“The Grange has long been an opponent of the estate tax. It does nothing but prevent the American dream from becoming a reality,” National Grange President Edward Luttrell said. “Farmers and ranchers all over the country have worked their entire lives in order to leave their children something substantial that could be passed on to future generations and the inheritance tax does nothing but work to destroy that legacy.”
“So many multi-generational farms and ranches have been lost because of the inheritor’s inability to pay the estate tax on the property. The original owners already worked to pay off this land so their children would be land owners able to support continued operations or realize the investment of ownership,” National Grange Legislative Director Grace Boatright said.
The amicus brief will be put on the record and allows the voices of farmers, ranchers and other landowners to be heard.
For more information and the full release, click here.
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