National Angus Bull Sale will Jan. 6
The 2023 National Angus Bull Sale will be Jan. 6 at 2 p.m. in the Super Barn Sale Arena during Cattlemen’s Congress in Oklahoma City, Okla. All consignments will be DNA-profiled, will possess a complete set of expected progeny differences (EPDs) and dollar value indexes ($Values), and must be free of any genetic conditions recognized by the American Angus Association. Bulls born before Jan. 1, 2022, will have passed a complete breeding soundness examination (sometimes referred to as a BSE) within 30 days of the sale.

The Angus Foundation Heifer Package will kick off the sale. Headlining the package is Coleman Chloe 173, donated by Coleman Angus of Charlo, Mont. Her pedigree represents the operation’s most notable cow families. The package includes transportation to the buyer’s ranch provided by Lathrop Livestock Transportation, Dundee, Ill.; and an advanced reproductive technology package from Trans Ova Genetics, Sioux Center, Iowa.

For more information about the sale, contact sale managers Jeff Mafi (816-344-4266) or Alex Tolbert (706-338-8733).

Rail strike averted
The House and the Senate took action in early December to avert a rail shutdown and the economic consequences it would cause.

“Working together, we have spared this country a Christmas catastrophe in our grocery stores, in our workplaces and in our communities,” President Joe Biden said in a statement promising to sign the bill into law as soon as Congress delivered it to his desk.

According to Biden, the agreement will raise workers’ wages by 24%, increase health care benefits and preserve two-person crews.

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack commented: “A rail shutdown would have had significant and long-lasting effects on American food and agriculture and would have been devastating to the nation’s economy. Under President Biden’s leadership, U.S. farmers and ranchers, as well as American consumers, can breathe a sigh of relief that the trains will stay on track to deliver food, inputs, raw materials and other essential items across the nation.”

Virtual nutrition center of excellence USDA Dec. 5 announced its new Agricultural Science Center of Excellence for Nutrition and Diet for Better Health (ASCEND for Better Health) in support of President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot effort to end cancer. The center will accelerate research on diet-related chronic diseases, including cancer. A long-term goal of the center is to translate research into solutions that improve public health and well-being.

“ASCEND will bring together scientists, partner organizations, and communities to develop and deliver science-based solutions that improve the health and well-being of all Americans, particularly in underserved communities,” said Vilsack. “The virtual center will connect existing resources, including people and programs, to leverage expertise and increase coordination and cooperation.”

As part of the announcement, USDA convened a panel of experts to discuss the role nutrition plays in improving overall health and reducing risks for diet-related chronic diseases.

For more visit www.usda.gov.

NCBA, PLC denounce ESA listing
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Public Lands Council (PLC) Nov. 18 announced their opposition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) final rule to list the lesser prairie chicken under the Endangered Species Act.

“Over and over the science has proven that healthy, diverse rangelands — the exact kind of landscape maintained by livestock grazing — are where the lesser prairie chicken thrives. Cattle ranchers’ efforts to conserve these acres are absolutely critical to the survival of the species,” said Kaitlynn Glover, NCBA executive director of natural resources and PLC executive director. “We are deeply disappointed by the Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to impose redundant bureaucracy and punitive restrictions on the very same people that we have to thank for the lesser prairie chicken’s continued existence on the range.”

According to an official statement offered by NCBA, the FWS is establishing a 4(d) rule for the Northern Distinct Population Segment that enables it to appoint private third parties, such as environmental activist groups, as the grazing authorities in the range of the lesser prairie chicken. FWS has stipulated that cattle producers in the Northern DPS range will only qualify for legal protection under the 4(d) rule if they are following a grazing management plan that has obtained arbitrary approval from a yet-to-be-named FWS-approved third party. By contrast, other agricultural practices that are listed as key factors in FWS’s decision are granted far more flexibility.

The rule establishes two Distinct Population Segments (DPS) for the species: the Southern DPS that covers New Mexico and the southwest Texas Panhandle, and the Northern DPS that covers southeastern Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and the northeast Texas Panhandle. The Southern DPS will be listed as endangered and the Northern DPS will be listed as threatened.

The final rule doesn’t include any critical habitat designation. Cattle grazing conserves the habitat the species needs to thrive, NCBA said. The birds favor diverse rangeland with a variety of plant species.

“To truly support lesser prairie chicken habitat, the Fish and Wildlife Service should make it easier for ranchers to graze, not harder,” said Glover.

University of Nebraska breaks ground on Feedlot Innovation Center
More than 150 leaders from across Nebraska’s beef industry gathered at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center near Mead Nov. 4 to break ground for the Feedlot Innovation Center.

The $7.2 million facility will pave the way for world-class research projects and teaching and extension opportunities in a commercial-scale, state-of-the-art feedlot. In addition, the facility will serve as a one-of-a-kind testbed where industry partners can see how new and emerging technologies work.

The new center will be “a very unique facility in terms of the types of research we can do,” said Doug Zalesky, director of the extension center.

Construction of the facility marks the next step in a long history of beef innovation at Nebraska, Zalesky said. The extension center built its first feedlot pens in 1964. The next year, the university hired Terry Klopfenstein, who became the longtime leader of the university’s ruminant nutrition program and a pioneer in using byproducts from the ethanol and sweetener industries to supplement cattle feeding. Beef research remains central to the extension center’s programming.

The Feedlot Innovation Center will include commercial-scale open-air and covered pens, allowing researchers to improve cattle performance and environmental effects in varied settings. It will include a 240-head feeding facility that will allow researchers to use precision techniques to study the outcomes of various feeding protocols, measure emissions and study precision-feeding technology.

The center will allow for expanded research of the effects of low-stress animal handling and increased emphasis on animal welfare. A new cattle-handling facility and enclosed classroom will give students hands-on experience and allow for training opportunities for Nebraska’s beef industry workforce.

The facility will serve as an innovation laboratory, which industry partners, ag-tech startups, producers and others can use as a proving ground for new products, said Mike Boehm, Harlan Vice Chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) and university vice president.

Researchers across IANR are committed to ensuring that important discoveries can move quickly from lab to feedlot, Boehm said. This is important in Nebraska, which has about 720 cattle feeders with 1,000 head or more.

The new center will be a key component of the university’s Beef Innovation Hub, which aims to advance, support and communicate continuous improvement of beef production, economic vitality and natural resources stewardship through innovative research, education and extension.

Sale lot donation program launched
The Angus Foundation launched the “Fund the Future” program. The program asks breeders to donate a percentage of their choice on live or genetic sale lots in an annual production sale, consignment sale, bull sale, online genetic sale, or even on animals offered private treaty.

The Angus Foundation will provide the program logo and footnote to distinguish a Fund the Future lot in the sale book. Participants in the campaign will be recognized in the Angus Foundation Impact Report, the Angus Journal^® and on the Angus Foundation website. When Angus breeders see an offering marked with the Fund the Future logo, they know a portion of its sale will be used to strengthen the breed by investing in its future.

Proceeds will benefit the Angus Fund, which provides unrestricted dollars for the Angus Foundation’s mission of supporting Angus education, youth and research.

Celebrating 150 years with Annual Fund
In 1873, Scottish Angus breeder George Grant came to America with the dream to build a legacy, bringing the first Angus bulls to the prairies of Victoria, Kan. When crossed with the Texas Longhorn cows native to the plains, the bulls sired calves well-suited to the region. They demonstrated the Angus breed’s initial value in the United States.

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The legacy is still being built 150 years later.

To celebrate the breed’s history and future, the Angus Foundation is launching the “A Legacy Built” campaign, asking every member to give $150 to the Angus Foundation — earmarked to the Angus Fund — to build unrestricted funds for Angus programs.

“With $150, we can continue building a legacy with the Angus Foundation’s mission of advancing education, youth and research,” says Jaclyn Boester, executive director of the Angus Foundation. “Whether it’s a one-time donation or a monthly occurrence, members of any size can contribute a lasting legacy to the future of the Angus breed.”

To be a part of the “A Legacy Built” campaign, donate online at angus.org/foundation, mail a check to the Angus Foundation or pledge support during Angus events. For more information contact Boester at jboester@angus.org.

Internship deadline approaching
The American Angus Association, Angus Genetics Inc. and Angus Media will offer internships in summer 2023. College students looking for experience in media, communications, events or genetics can visit the Angus career center at www.angus.org/careers to learn more about the individual internships or to submit a cover letter, résumé and three references by Jan. 10, 2023.

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