News Update
September 19, 2013
McNeese State University Field Day
The McNeese State University (MSU) Fuller Farm in Kinder, La., is holding a Beef Cattle Field Day on Thursday, Oct. 10 from 3:00-6:00 p.m. The Louisiana Cattlemen’s Association will provide a meal. Attendance is free. For additional information or directions, contact Bill Storer at 225-266-1821 or MSU Agriculture at 337-475-4690.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Junior Cattlemen Participate in Elite Industry Conference
The Missouri Junior Cattlemen's Association (MJCA) hosted its 2013 Leadership Conference, “Meat Me in Columbia; Pasture to Plate,” Sept. 5-7 at the Missouri Cattlemen's Association (MCA) headquarters. The conference was a three-day educational event for junior members.
Students enjoyed touring the stops between the pasture and the plate by starting at a cow-calf facility and concluding at a gourmet restaurant. MJCA Board Member Nathen Beach said the opportunity helped him gain a better insight of the cattle industry in addition to meeting cattlemen his own age. “This conference allowed me to see how other farms and ranches work. I can take this information home with me to use every day, so I may improve our family’s farm,” said Beach. “I learned how to better care for my livestock, feed them more efficiently and prepare them for the next step in production.”
The participants also had the opportunity to engage in discussions about advocacy, meat science and leadership.
Participants voted Claire Silvers, El Dorado Springs, as the 2013 Outstanding Leadership Participant. Silvers will come back for the 2014 Leadership Conference to serve as ambassador.
Also attending the conference were Bailey Crouch and Lauren Stewart, Fair Grove; Martha Cowherd, Blackburn; Colby Dowell, Odessa; Rayne Faulconer, Warsaw; Brant Francis, Paris; Chris Kahlenbeck, Union; Kristofer Kranjec, Marquand; Olivia Loges, Sweet Springs; Aaron Mott, Boone; Elizabeth Otte, Saint Mary; Cooper Sadowsky, Eagleville; Sydney Thummel, Sheridan; David Warfield Jr., Butler; Hannah Bartholomew, Archie; and Kendra Pryor, Pleasant Hill.
NCBA Accepting Applications
for Spring and Summer Public Policy Internships
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) government affairs office in Washington, D.C., is accepting applications for spring and summer 2014 public policy internships. The deadline to submit an application for these opportunities is Oct. 6, 2013.
“NCBA’s public policy internship gives college students a one-of-a-kind view into the policy-making process in Washington, D.C., while helping them prepare to transition from college to career,” said NCBA Executive Director of Legislative Affairs Kristina Butts. “We are looking for college students with an interest in the beef industry, public policy and communications to help NCBA represent cattlemen and cattlewomen in Washington, D.C. The internship is designed to work closely with the lobbying team on Capitol Hill and assist with NCBA’s regulatory efforts.”
The full-time spring internship will begin Jan. 6, 2014, and end May 9, 2014. The full-time summer internship will begin May 19, 2014, and end Aug. 22, 2014. To apply, interested college juniors, seniors or graduate students should submit the application, a college transcript, two letters of recommendation and a résumé to internship@beef.org. More information and the internship application are available on NCBA’s website.
Ohio State University Promotes Injury Prevention, Safety
for Senior Farmers During Farm Safety Week Sept. 15-21
As growers prepare for the upcoming harvest season, safety experts from Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences are offering safety tips for senior-aged farmers, particularly those who may have diminished sensory levels but are still very much actively working on the farm.
The average age of a farmer in Ohio is 57, with more elderly farmers staying involved with the farm for financial reasons, because they want to remain active or because it’s their lifestyle, said Kent McGuire, Ohio AgrAbility program coordinator for Ohio State University (OSU) Extension.
Ohio AgrAbility is part of a USDA program that promotes independence for people in agriculture who want to continue farming after experiencing a disabling condition. OSU Extension has partnered with Easter Seals TriState to combine resources, knowledge and outreach to bridge the gap between farmers with a disability and the resources and services available to help them remain productive on the farm.
With increased work during busy seasons such as harvest, older farmers are also at an increased risk of injury or even death, said McGuire, who is also a part of the college’s agriculture safety team.
“The Farm Fatality Injury Database of Ohio indicates 40% of farm-related fatalities in the last 10 years involved farmers ages 61 and over,” he said. “For older farmers, a physically and mentally demanding harvest season can present a variety of health and safety issues, including a higher risk of injury due to diminished sensory systems.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Pushmataha Field Tour Enhances
Landowner Management Choices
Landowners looking to get the most out of their natural resources should plan now to attend the Fire, Wildlife, Timber and Cattle Grazing Annual Fall Field Tour on Oct. 8 at the Pushmataha Wildlife Management Area.
The tour will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. There is no cost to attend. The Pushmataha Management Area headquarters is located two miles south of Clayton off State Highway 271, approximately three miles west on a county road. Signs will be visible.
“American Indians have managed this country with fire for more than 10,000 years, and to great benefit to people, plants and animals,” said Terry Bidwell, Oklahoma State University (OSU) Cooperative Extension rangeland management specialist. “Our scientific inquiries are helping to rediscover the extent of those benefits. The application of science-based management can and has helped provide for sustainable, healthy ecosystems.”
Participants will gain a better understanding of how to use prescribed fire, timber harvest and cattle grazing to meet land management objectives; integrated timber, livestock and wildfire management; stocking rate and carrying capacity considerations for running cattle; and ways to maintain and promote overall forest health.
Also included will be a history of the Pushmataha Wildlife Management Area and some of the many land use and efficiency insights and benefits that research on its 19,000 acres has yielded.
Sessions will be led by Bidwell; Jack Waymire, senior biologist and Pushmataha site manager; and John Weir, research associate with the OSU department of natural resource ecology and management.
“Nobody had any idea that the on-site studies started back in 1982 would still be yielding valuable insights today, or that they would generate such beneficial additional areas of research,” Bidwell said. “It has been quite the land-management detective story.”
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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