News Update
May 13, 2013
Protect the Harvest Supports Activities at the 2013 National Junior Angus Show
Protecting America’s hardworking farmers and ranchers is a common goal the American Angus Association, the Angus Foundation and the National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) share with Protect the Harvest, an organization with a mission to fight back against the radical animal rights movement and defend American families, farmers, animal owners and sportsmen.
This commonality in views makes Protect the Harvest and its involvement in the 2013 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) an exciting opportunity for Angus youth. Participants at the NJAS can look forward to receiving Protect the Harvest welcome bags complete with information about the organization upon arrival. In addition, Protect the Harvest will put on an educational event that will take place on Monday, July 8, at 4:30 p.m. in Wagstaff Theater. The event will feature ways to advocate for and protect the future of agriculture.
“It's important for us to reach out to and support the next generation of American agriculture, because more and more consumers are becoming further removed from the farm,” says Brian Klippenstein, executive director for Protect the Harvest. “It will one day be the responsibility of the younger generation, as American farmers and ranchers, to confidently educate the public about agriculture, stand up against increasing pressures from environmental and animal rights extremists, and defend our freedoms from intrusive government regulations.”
Protect the Harvest will also sponsor two scholarships at the NJAS, each worth $250. These will be awarded to the winners of the Career Development Contest Senior Division (ages 18-21) and Intermediate A Division (ages 16-17).
To read more about Protect the Harvest, visit www.protecttheharvest.com.
To learn more about the Angus Foundation and the programs it supports, log on to www.angusfoundation.org or call 816-383-5100.
Click here for the full release.
2013 Farm Bill Gaining Momentum
National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement regarding the release of the initial draft of the 2013 Farm Bill by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture:
“NFU is pleased to see the House Committee on Agriculture taking action on this important piece of legislation.
“I am happy to see that target price protection was included in the bill, especially target prices that are balanced and set at a meaningful level. The inclusion of stronger protection against long-term price collapse for all commodities in all regions is also a step in the right direction. The strong support for crop insurance is also a positive element for U.S. family farmers and ranchers for when natural disasters strike.”
For more information and the full release, click here.
Junior Activities Intern
Robin Ruff, director of junior activities for the American Angus Association, has asked everyone to assist her in welcoming Melissa Keyes as the junior activities intern today, May 13. Melissa will be instrumental in assisting with the National Junior Angus Show (NJAS), Angus Ambassador finals, and Leaders Engaged in Angus Development (LEAD) Conference this summer. Melissa’s main responsibility will be overseeing the numerous life-skills contests at the NJAS.
Melissa is a native of Springfield, Neb. She is a past junior Angus member, and is currently enrolled at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) where she is working toward her bachelor’s degree in agriculture communications.
Melissa can be reached at jaintern@angus.org or at ext. 143.
— Release by the Angus Journal.
Checkoff Hosts 2013 Beef Bootcamp in N.Y.
The Beef Checkoff, through the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative, hosted the 6th Beef Boot Camp event Tuesday, May 7, in Poughkeepsie and Millbrook, N.Y.
A total of 22 retail meat buyers, managers and directors representing 406 retail locations were present at the event, as well as 12 culinary instructors, foodservice distributors and restaurant operators. These retail and foodservice influencers came from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Beef Boot Camp began with two morning presentations followed by a farm tour. Mike Baker, beef cattle extension specialist at Cornell University, discussed with attendees the various choices of beef available to consumers, and Dan Kniffen, Cattlemen’s Beef Board member and beef cattle extension specialist at Penn State University, explained the role of the Beef Checkoff Program.
With the majority of attendees having little to no understanding of beef production, the tour of the Walbridge Farm provided them with a unique opportunity to see a modern-day working beef farm from pasture to plate. Walbridge finishes out the majority of their calves for sale in their on-farm retail meat market. Walbridge also markets high quality Angus genetics through their sale of live cattle as well as embryos.
For more information about the beef checkoff’s 2013 Beef Boot Camp, contact Christie Brown cbrown@pabeef.org.
For more information about your beef checkoff, visit MyBeefCheckoff.com.
For the full release, click here.
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