This is Heather Lassen, special projects editor for the Angus Journal, with the September 1, 2023, update from the AJ Daily. Today’s update contains an opportunity to listen to an interview recapping this week’s meetings of the American Angus Association’s Board of Directors, a reminder about the closure of the Association offices in observance of the Labor Day holiday and an announcement naming the Association’s new regional manager for Region 11, a story about the importance of grazing management, and a report on net farm income forecasts for 2023.
Focusing on the Commercial Cattleman, Balanced Budgets and Continued Learning
The Angus Conversation recaps board action from this week’s meetings
Adapted from a release by Miranda Reiman, Angus Media
Remaining competitive — that was a theme of the August 2023 American Angus Association Board of Directors meetings — and that applies to breeders and commercial cattlemen alike.
A special edition of The Angus Conversation recaps many of the discussions, and it’s available now, wherever you listen to podcasts.
The commercial programs committee report was full of good news, according to chair Jim Brinkley, Milan, Mo. This summer, enrollments in AngusLinkSM were up 300%, with more than 150 lots carrying the AngusLink logo.
President Chuck Grove, Forest, Va. , said, “I think as people saw those premiums being paid, the questions are coming, ‘Well, how do I get enrolled in this? What do I need to do?’ Again, I can’t stress enough how it’s starting to really work, the pull-through effect, and the demand for registered Angus bulls.”
The Board moved to make genetic tools easier for commercial cattlemen to understand by using common language when reporting GeneMax® scores, and will begin offering an AngusLink maternal score in the near future.
To continue gaining knowledge on important topics, the board heard from three staff members at the Food and Drug Administration related to the gene edit approval process.
Brinkley said, “One of the big takeaways that I got from them was the slick edit was just the tip of the iceberg. They’ve got a lot of stuff they’re working on. It’s coming faster than I really realized, and it’s going to come in waves.”
In addition, legal counsel covered patent laws and how they apply to animal agriculture.
Grove said, “It’s the Board’s job to be as educated as they possibly can on what’s happening around us.”
Other meeting news includes balanced budgets despite increasing costs, successful initiatives in all entities and updates on heart health and functional longevity. To hear Grove, Brinkley and Smitty Lamb, Wadley, Ga., search for The Angus Conversation on your favorite podcast platform, or go to theangusconversation.com.
Offices Closed Monday, Sept. 4
Announcement by Angus Media
In observance of the Labor Day holiday, the offices of the American Angus Association and Angus Productions Inc. will be closed. Normal business hours will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 5.
Andrews Hired to Serve Angus Association’s Region 11
Adapted from a release by Sarah Kocher, Angus Communications
Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah will welcome a newly hired regional manager with the American Angus Association in mid-September 2023. Landon Andrews of Spanish Fork City, Utah, brings industry experience to the position as the co-owner and manager of Shandar Angus Ranch.
Andrews says, “There is no other cattle breed with stronger genetics, valuable seedstock and marketability like the Angus breed.”
He says he looks forward to working as a resource to support members throughout the four-state Region 11.
Andrews says, “I have deep family roots in the Western cattle industry. I hope to educate members and commercial breeders of the great programs our Association offers.”
To read more, go to angus.org.
True Stewards
Adapted from an article by Megan Silveira, Angus Journal
There are nearly 654 billion acres of grazing lands in the United States, with 127 of those being used strictly for the production of livestock. Of the total acreage available, 70% is degraded in some form.
It’s a truth Hugh Aljoe, director of ranches, outreach and partnerships at Noble Research Institute, recited with certainty. The numbers weren’t meant to scare listeners who gathered at Cattlemen’s Conference in Stillwater, Okla., May 24-25, 2023, but they were intended to create a sense of urgency.
Aljoe knows cattle producers are familiar with the word “sustainability,” but he urges them to think outside the box when it comes to the hot topic. He labels sustainable practices as “regenerative ranching.”
For the full story, go to angusjournal.net.
USDA Forecasts 23% Drop From 2022 Farm Income Levels
Adapted from a Market Intel article by Daniel Munch, American Farm Bureau Federation
USDA’s most recent Farm Sector Income Forecast, released Aug. 31, dropped net farm income expectations for 2023 lower than initial February estimates to $141.3 billion, down 23% from 2022’s $183 billion. This $41.7 billion decline nearly erases the $42.9 billion increase that was forecast between 2021 and 2022, but is smaller than the $46 billion gain between 2020 and 2021 following the COVID-19 pandemic. When adjusted for inflation, net farm income, a broad measure of farm profitability, is expected to decrease $48 billion (25.4%) in 2023. The forecast also shows farm and ranch production expenses continuing to increase, rising by $29.5 billion (7%) in 2023 to $458 billion, following a record increase of $56 billion in 2022.
For more information, visit fb.org.
The AJ Daily is compiled by Paige Nelson, field editor for theAngus Journal. For more Angus news, visit angusjournal.net.