News Update
October 16, 2013
Cattle Raisers Urge Texans to Approve Prop. 6 in Constitutional Election
The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) urges ranchers and landowners to vote in favor of Proposition 6 during the Nov. 5 Constitutional Election. Texans can participate in early voting, which begins Oct. 21 and runs through Nov. 1.
Proposition 6 is a constitutional amendment providing for the creation of the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas and the State Water Implementation Revenue Fund for Texas. The funds will help finance priority water projects, including rural water projects, to ensure Texas has adequate water resources for the future.
“Texas is still coping with a historic drought that has left many ranchers and areas in rural Texas struggling to find adequate water supplies,” said Pete Bonds, rancher and TSCRA president. “At the same time that our water supplies are decreasing, our population is increasing. We need to ensure we preserve and conserve the water we do have so there is enough for all Texans, those in rural and urban areas.”
Bonds adds that Proposition 6 sets aside $2 billion already in the Rainy Day Fund for priority water projects, 30% of which are specifically rural water projects.
“Now is the time to ensure Texas continues to thrive well into the future,” said Bonds. “It’s crucial we pass Proposition 6.”
Early voting is Oct. 21 – Nov. 1. Election Day is Nov. 5. For more information visit www.watertexas.com/. For information on polling locations visit http://votetexas.gov/voting/where.
AAW Member Named Executive Director for the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture
American Agri-Women (AAW) is pleased to share that a distinguished member has been selected as the new executive director for the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. Julie Tesch, member of Minnesota AgriWomen, will oversee all Foundation work and be the main face of the Foundation to Farm Bureau constituencies and corporate partners. She will also serve on the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) management team.
Tesch is a 2011 recipient of the AAW LEAVEN Award, past chair of the AAW Resource Center, and co-chair of the National Convention hosted in Minnesota.
She has extensive experience in agricultural education work, program development, fundraising, relationship building and organization management. She joins AFBF after serving the National FFA Alumni Association, where she has been executive director for the past year and a half. Before that, Tesch was the executive director of the Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council for nine years and a regional Extension educator for 4-H at the University of Minnesota Extension.
She is known for her passion to develop the next generation of agricultural leaders and working to recruit and retain them in agricultural fields and organizations. Julie has a long history of working with youth and college students who find her enthusiasm for them and their future contagious.
Tesch first joined AAW as a college student at the University of Minnesota. From that experience she gained an appreciation for the mentors that she had along the way. She works closely with college students, providing guidance to young professionals as they enter careers in agriculture.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Consumers and Experts at Odds Over Solutions to
Global Hunger
U.S. consumers and international food security experts agree: supporting the adoption of agricultural technology that leads to self-sufficiency and increasing support for smallholder farmers are important to addressing growing global hunger and malnutrition. The two solutions rate highest among consumers and experts in two separate studies conducted by The Center for Food Integrity (CFI). Support for the top solutions isn’t as strong among consumers, who also are at odds with the experts when it comes to increasing organic food production and direct aid in the developing world.
Sixteen recognized leaders on food security issues from seven countries were asked to rate 14 potential solutions to global hunger in the Global Hunger Solutions 2013 survey, part of CFI’s efforts to increase awareness of critical global hunger issues. Consumers were asked to rate the same solutions in CFI’s annual consumer trust research.
“The proposed solutions are pressing because one in eight people, or 12.5% of the global population, is undernourished, according to the United Nations,” said Charlie Arnot, CEO of CFI, “with the vast majority of the chronically hungry living in developing countries.”
On a scale of one to five, with one being “not at all important” and five being “critically important,” the experts rated “public policy that supports agricultural practices that lead to greater food self-sufficiency in the developing world” at 4.4, the highest expert rating; consumers rated the same solution at 4.0. Experts rated “the application of technology that increases agricultural production and reduces the impact of the environment” at 4.2, the second-highest expert rating; consumers rated the same solution at 3.9.
For more information, please view the full release in the CFI media room.
NFU’s 2014 Women’s Conference Registration Now Available
National Farmers Union (NFU) announced Oct.15 the opening of registration for the 2014 NFU Women’s Conference, a conference for farm and rural women, based on the well-respected Annie’s Project education program. The event, set for Jan. 11-14, will provide participants with tools and information to confidently manage risks in their farm or ranch operations and develop leadership skills.
“Family farm operations are more successful when each person in the management team better understands strategic planning, business analysis, family dynamics, and transferring operations from one generation to the next,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “This conference builds on our experience in providing adult education classes specifically designed for women in agriculture.”
A variety of trained instructors will teach family farm finances, budgeting and cash flow, cooperatives, marketing, farm transfer and estate planning, business planning, leadership assessment and skills, generational issues, and action planning. Attendees will learn skills for women leading in agriculture and have peer-to-peer networking opportunities.
The conference will be hosted at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Clearwater, Fla. The $175 registration fee will cover most meals as listed on the tentative agenda and conference materials. Those interested in participating are urged to register early, as capacity is limited. Full payment must accompany registration and be received by Dec.19. More information and registration details are available at www.nfu.org/education.
Annie’s Project also helps women find new ways to balance the demands of family, community and professionalism within the agricultural community. The conference is sponsored by Farm Credit, CoBank, the FUI Foundation and the NFU Foundation.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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