News Update
August 20, 2015
Plan for 2015 NAILE Angus Events
In a few short months, Angus cattle enthusiasts will travel to Louisville, Ky., for shows and events during the 2015 North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE). From competitive events in the showring to a prestigious honor for Angus breeder Dave Nichols, Bridgewater, Iowa, the week’s activities begin Sunday, Nov. 15.
All shows will begin at 8 a.m. in the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center (KFEC) Freedom Hall. The Angus Junior Heifer Show takes place Sunday, Nov. 15; the Super-Point Roll of Victory (ROV) shows for bulls, cow-calf pairs and females (in that order) will be Monday, Nov. 16. Bruce and Amie Stertzbach of Louisville, Ohio, will judge the ROV Show. The junior show judges are to be announced.
If you’re exhibiting at the NAILE, the entry deadline is Oct. 1. The ownership deadline for the Angus Junior Heifer Show is Sept. 15. For more information or to submit entries, visit www.livestockexpo.org.
For more information including details on the Saddle & Sirloin Induction Ceremony, please view the full Angus news release online.
Simplify AI
Technology in the beef business will lead the way as more consumers demand high-quality products. Today, practices such as artificial insemination (AI) are easier for cattlemen to take advantage of than ever before. Cliff Lamb, University of Florida animal scientist, says his research herd was able to increase revenue by nearly $50,000 using this one management tweak.
“One of the things that we've been able to do is we’ve followed a beef herd for the last seven years, from when we when they did not use artificial insemination and synchronization to where we are now,” Lamb said. “And during that period of time, we’ve managed to decrease the breeding season by about 50 days, at the same time increasing the overall breeding season pregnancy rates and increasing the calf value. And I think a lot of people don’t realize the net benefits of synchronization and AI together as an economic benefit.”
That $169 per-calf increase comes from a tighter calving season, better rebreed rates and a more uniform calf crop. To hear more from Lamb, watch this week’s video news release from Certified Angus Beef LLC and the American Angus Association.
Documenting Ag Life
In the continuing effort to educate consumers about how their food is produced by farmers and ranchers, video clips and movie documentaries are proving to be a powerful tool to share agriculture’s message.
As examples, the Kansas trio of Peterson Farm brothers Greg, Nathan and Kendal has tapped video technology to create educational and entertaining YouTube videos with ag-related lyrics set to popular music to showcase farm life. Additionally, last year’s Farmland documentary featured six young farmers from across the country, sharing each producer’s personal story of the challenges, risks and rewards in raising food for the world.
Now, another documentary — titled True Beef: From Pasture to Plate — is showcasing the story of the beef industry through the eyes of high school culinary students.
The idea for a film about the beef industry came from Austin, Texas, Chef Mike Erickson, who has done everything from opening restaurants to teaching culinary arts for 12 years at the college and high school level. In Erickson’s most recent role as culinary arts instructor for a vocational program at John B. Connally High School, part of Pflugerville Independent School District (ISD) in Austin, he wanted his students to understand the origin of beef.
For more information, please view the full Angus Journal article.
Tips to Minimize Heat Stress
Don Spiers, environmental physiologist within the Department of Animal Science at the University of Missouri, says there are several management tips producers can use to keep cattle cool this summer.
The most helpful thing to do for cattle in hot weather is provide shade and plenty of fresh, clean water that is at a temperature lower than 80° F.
“If water sits in the sun getting hot, cattle won’t drink it,” Spiers cautions. “You need to shade not only the animals but also the water. If it’s cool, they’ll drink it, and this will help cool them.”
Cattle need at least 2 gallons (gal.) of water per 100 pounds (lb.) of body weight daily, Spiers advises. “This may need to be increased if it’s really hot.”
Reduce biting flies. Cattle expend energy trying to get rid of flies, which creates body heat, and they also tend to bunch up when fighting flies, he says. “If they bunch up, they don’t get much air flow over and around the body and will suffer more heat stress.”
For more information, please view the full Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article.
Women Landowners Focus of Natural Resource Conference
“Women – Taking the Reins in Natural Resource Management,” a two-day conference aimed specifically at women in the Edwards Plateau, will take place in Fredericksburg, Texas, Oct. 5-6 at the Inn on Barons Creek.
The conference, funded by the Ruth and Eskel Bennett Endowment, is a unique effort to reach women who are becoming landowners through inheritance or other means, said Larry Redmon, co-chair and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Bennett Trust specialist.
Cost of the two-day conference is $75 and includes all meals, break refreshments and tour transportation costs. Hotel rooms are available at the Inn on Barons Creek for $99 per night under the Bennett-TAMU group code.
Rick Machen, AgriLife Extension specialist from Uvalde, said the conference will include wildlife biologists, animal scientists, range scientists, estate attorneys and financial planners.
The conference’s agenda for the first day includes a presentation on the history of Hill Country plants, animals and early people, using wildlife as agriculture to satisfy the 1-d-1 Open Space Lands tax valuation, managing brush, financial literacy, estate planning and understanding cattle markets.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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