Ginette Kurtz
The Source
Future Angus Stockmen program unveiled.
I attended the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association Convention and Meeting recently. They had some great speakers. The producers were engaged and interested by the number and quality of questions volleyed between Kent Anderson from Zoetis and several participants. He was one speaker who captivated the audience with his topic: "The benefits of genetic-testing replacement heifers."
Members of Future Angus Stockmen will experience mentoring opportunities to help on their own operations.
I asked a professor from a local college some questions about the students who planned to return to their family operations. He felt there was more student interest in production agriculture than in the past, but indicated there should be some discussion before the student returned to the operation. Some students were very excited to be going back home to the operation, but did not know how they would fit into the day-to-day activities or how much they would be paid.
Today, many college students explore their career choice by taking an internship in their field of study to research a job or several before making a final life decision. This professor was familiar with one registered-Angus breeder who utilizes student interns. This breeder had college-aged youth, as well. They also plan to return to the farm.
While many students return to their home operation to work over the summer, this breeder encouraged his offspring to take an internship each year with another operation. He wanted them to learn from other successful cattlemen about different ways to manage and diagnose problems. In addition, he felt this was an excellent time to build relationships with their peers in different parts of the country.
New program
Future Angus Stockmen is a new program scheduled to begin March 2015. It is not an internship, but an education-based program aimed toward college-aged or recent graduates who want to raise high-quality, Angus-based cattle. Participants will enroll each year and utilize some American Angus Association programs such as Beef Records Service (BRS) or MaternalPlus® at a reduced cost.
Maybe they are trying to decide which heifer would make the best replacement. If they have at least 75% Angus-based females, participants have the option to use DNA technology like GeneMax® Focus™ or GeneMax® Advantage™. Marketing feeder calves and replacement females can be challenging, so they can enroll in AngusSource® or AngusSource Genetic. Educational opportunities, entrepreneurial spirit and leadership development will be some of the overall benefits each participant can take away from this program.
Allflex and Destron Fearing will be providing scholarships to students enrolled in a two- or four-year college who are majoring in agriculture and enrolled in this program. Watch www.angus.org for more information on deadline information. Scholarship winners will be announced at the 2015 Angus Means Business National Convention & Trade Show, Nov. 3-5, 2015, in Overland Park, Kan.
During the 2014 Angus Means Business National Convention & Trade Show, outgoing American Angus Association President Gordon Stucky said, “To emphasize the importance of those commercial cattle producers, our Board learned at our recent meeting this past Monday that the major source of new members to this Association over the past four years — by a factor of more than 20 to 1 — is commercial cattlemen.”
The connections, confidence and communication skills that can be gained from this program will be priceless to any young, enthusiastic producer. Creating opportunity for our young producers — commercial and seedstock — will create continued breed success for every producer.
Editor’s Note: Ginette Kurtz is the director of commercial programs for the American Angus Association.