News Update
October 23, 2015
Free BQA Certification Countdown
The countdown for the free Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certification period has begun. Through Nov. 20, those who work with dairy or beef cattle may become certified for free, and, as an added bonus, they also become eligible to win a prize package courtesy of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica and the BQA program, funded in part by the Beef Checkoff.
Boehringer will pick up the $25 to $50 online training free for every person completing BQA training now through Nov. 20. You can sign up or learn more at www.BQA.org.
For more information, watch this week’s The Angus Report. You can also watch the program at 1:30 p.m. CDT Saturday, 7:30 a.m. CDT Monday or 5 p.m. CDT each Wednesday on RFD-TV.
CAB Posts Ninth Straight Record Sales Year
When the original Angus beef brand stands above 138 USDA-certified others and charts a ninth successive record year, people wonder how that can be.
The recipe includes a dash of nostalgia, a large helping of credibility and a whole lot of relevance. Throw in its niche at the very top of quality and that certain “it factor,” and you have an all-but-guaranteed formula for longevity.
A strong international presence described the brand’s fifth Chef Tour as more than 50 culinary professionals from across the states and far-flung places like the United Arab Emirates and the Cayman Islands made their way to Nebraska. CAB Corporate Chef Michael Ollier says what ties it all together are the chefs “putting a face to it and shaking the hands of the people responsible for bringing that quality product to their kitchens.”
The Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand rounded out its 37th fiscal year (FY) at the end of September 2015 still leading the beef quality movement because of that one ingredient in particular: relevance.
Please view the full Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article.
The Power of Data
We have all heard this saying over the years, but what exactly does it mean? In my nearly four-year span of being a regional manager for the American Angus Association, I have discovered that many breeders do not fully understand how to take advantage of the data that is available through the AAA Login page, which is available to registered- and commercial-breeders. I hope to enlighten you on some ways that you can utilize data that is at your fingertips.
One very simple tool that I use in my personal herd is the calving interval data. When you log in, go to your cow inventory and click on a cow’s progeny so you can see all of her progeny. Also on this page, there is a section at the top that automatically figures up that cow’s calving interval in days.
We can all agree that cows that calve closer to 365 days (excluding donor cows that have been held open on purpose) will make us more money within our operation than a cow that has a longer calving interval.
To read more of the article, view the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA.
Texas Cattle Producers take part in BQA Training
Texas cattle producers recently took part in a BQA training certification program to learn more about producing high-quality beef in a safe and wholesome environment. The Texas Beef Council, the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service sponsored the training.
“Beef Quality Assurance is a grouping of best management practices,” Joe Paschal, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist, Corpus Christi, told attendees. Paschal conducted the training focusing on many issues, including food safety, beef quality, environmental stewardship and animal handling.
Jason Bagley, senior manager for beef quality and exports with the Texas Beef Council, discussed the Texas Beef Checkoff Program. While the national beef checkoff program has been in place for many years and assesses a dollar per head, a Texas beef checkoff program went into effect in 2014. Like the national beef checkoff, a dollar is collected from the sale of each beef animal for the Texas Beef Checkoff Program and helps fund research, education and marketing efforts.
For more information, please view the full AgriLife release online.
Blazing a Successful Trail
Angus Media, with contributions from the Angus Journal, Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, American Angus Association and Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB), blazed its own trail by winning 17 awards from the Livestock Publications Council (LPC) and one award from the American Agricultural Editors Association (AAEA), for a total of 18 national awards.
The organizations’ joint meeting, themed “Blaze Your New Trail,” met in Scottsdale, Ariz., July 26-28.
Additionally, Field Editor Barb Baylor Anderson earned Master Writer (equivalent to Level Five) status and Level One Master Photographer. Achieving Level One Master Writer was Digital Editor Jena McRell and freelancer Joann Pipkin. Editorial Intern Nicole Lane won the 2015 LPC Forrest Bassford Award, the highest award for an agricultural communications and journalism student.
View awards and winners in the full Angus Journal article.
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