Balance Sought for Landowners
Dealing with Environmental Regulations
Attorney stresses importance of balance in environmental laws during workshop at AFBF Annual Convention and IDEAg Trade Show.
The breadth, vagueness and punitive nature of many environmental laws provide challenges and uncertainty for farmers, ranchers and other property owners when it comes to navigating today’s environmental landscape in their farming and ranching activities.
“Environmental law can be harsh, especially for everyday people,” said Jonathan Wood, an attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation. “The statutes are very broad, vague and punitive. Pacific Legal Foundation and Farm Bureau are advocating for more sensible policies to protect landowners.”
Wood echoed the chorus of voices from farmers and ranchers from around the country in advocating for a balanced approach to enforcement of environmental laws during a workshop at the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) 97th Annual Convention & IDEAg Trade Show. Read more.
Jay Nordhausen
Association Perspective
National Western serves as meeting of the minds for commercial cattlemen.
Since 1906, the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) has served as the meeting place between commercial cattlemen and their Angus seedstock providers. For the American Angus Association, the celebrated weeklong event is filled with shows and sales. The week allows our members the opportunity to showcase their genetics to cattlemen across the country. I can’t think of a better place for cattlemen to philosophize about the cattle business than Denver, Colo., in January.
After celebrating 110 years of western heritage, a new dawn is rising for the city of Denver and the National Western with a projected $1-billion project — the new National Western Complex. A majority of the funds for the project comes from extending the lodging and car rental taxes in the county of Denver. The project will give exhibitors, vendors and spectators a new venue to last the next 100-150 years. The construction will happen during the next several years and will be broken into three phases. Read more.
January Angus
Beef Bulletin Online
The Angus Beef Bulletin is now available — in its entirety — to cattlemen online through Angus Media’s newly launched website www.angus.media.
The website, which ties together Angus Media’s various communications and marketing platforms, now features the current issue of the Angus Beef Bulletin on its home page. Readers can click the image to access the issue in the flipbook format used to present sale books.
The flipbook contains articles and advertising and is searchable by keyword. This feature will allow browsers to search for an article by topic, writer or source, and to search advertisements by breeder or bull name.
Explore the January issue online now. We welcome your feedback so we can tailor this feature to meet your needs. Email your comments to shermel@angus.media.
Managing Risk
Risk management includes any technique applied for assessing, minimizing or preventing business losses.
It has been said, “Life happens,” and veteran ranch manager Wayne Fahsholtz would add, “risk is a part of life.” Formerly president of Padlock Ranches and now a principal in the Wyoming-based AgWin Group Consulting firm, Fahsholtz spoke during the 24th Range Beef Cow Symposium in November. He told the audience composed mostly of cow-calf producers that, contrary to what some people believe, managing risk in small-scale and medium-sized operations is not that different from risk management for large operations.
While many cattle folk equate risk management with price protection, Fahsholtz said risk management is any technique applied for assessing, minimizing or preventing business losses. Some of the greatest losses to ranch businesses can come as a result of weather events. Drought, Fahsholtz said, is an event that periodically visits nearly every cattle operation. Read more.
Fueling the Navy’s Great Green Fleet
First surface combatants deploy using alternative fuel made from waste beef tallow.
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack kicked off the Great Green Fleet Jan. 20 with the deployment of the USS John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group (JCS CSG) during a ceremony at Naval Air Station North Island.
The Great Green Fleet is a Department of the Navy initiative highlighting how the Navy and Marine Corps are using energy efficiency and alternative energy to increase combat capability and operational flexibility. At the close of the ceremony, the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Stockdale (DDG 106) left the pier to begin its deployment, becoming the first U.S. Navy ship running on an alternative fuel blend (made from waste beef fat) as part of its regular operations. Read more.
What’s Inside …
In this January edition of the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, you'll find valuable articles devoted to the management, marketing, and health and nutrition of your beef enterprise. Select from the tabs at the top of the page to access this month’s entire offering by category. A few select features include:
- Low-stress Stockmanship Benefits the Feedyard
- On Target: A look at the ‘growing’ cow herd
- Cold Stress in Calves
- When to Assist
- Preventing Predation on Livestock
- Evaluating and Valuing Cull Beef Cows and Their Carcasses
- FarmCheck™ for Consumers
News Briefs …
The American Angus Association and its subsidiaries generate a wealth of information to keep members and affiliates informed of what's happening within the industry, as well as with the programs and services they offer. Click here for easy access to the newsrooms of the American Angus Association and Certified Angus Beef LLC and the Angus Journal Daily archive available in the API Virtual Library.
BVD Tests: Important Tools
K-State veterinarian discusses how BVD can affect the herd and the tests to identify a problem.
Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) virus can cause a host of problems — from diarrhea to abortion and susceptibility to other diseases. Acute infection with the virus triggers an immune response, the body fights back and the animal recovers. This situation is not as concerning as persistent infection (PI) in which the animal can never get rid of the virus and is constantly shedding it for the rest of its life.
Gregg Hanzlicek of the Kansas State University (K-State) Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory says the thing to worry about most with BVD is that it causes immunosuppression.
“Thus, it contributes to higher sickness rates with other important diseases, such as bovine respiratory disease,” he says. Read more.
National Radon Action Month
Don’t allow the No. 2 cause of lung cancer to seep into your home.
January is National Radon Action Month, and Kansas State University’s Bruce Snead wants homeowners to do just that — take action. If you’ve not had your home tested recently for radon, the odorless, colorless and tasteless gas linked to lung cancer, now is the time.
Radon is produced by the decay of radioactive elements in the soil. It’s a known environmental hazard, can seep through joints or cracks in a home’s foundation (or slab), and is known to be the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer in smokers. Read more.