Members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) probably know Chase Adams, who has been a farm broadcaster with KBHB radio in Sturgis, South Dakota for the past eight years. But, Chase just left the Black Hills behind him and moved inside the Beltway to become the new Director of Communications for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), filling …
Federation Adds $6.6 Million to Checkoff Efforts
Beef producers serving state beef council boards throughout the country have chosen to supplement national and international research, education and promotion programs funded by the Beef Checkoff Program by about $6.6 million in fiscal year 2013, which began Oct. 1. The supplemental funds, invested through the Federation of State Beef Councils, are to be added to $40.3 million invested through …
Do The Right Thing
During the 2012 NAMA Boot Camp a highlight for me was a breakout session on crisis management. Daren Williams, Executive Director of Communications for NCBA, spoke with attendees about the ins and outs of dealing with crises in the agriculture industry. In my interview with Daren he shared his role of promoting the wonderful world of beef to consumers, how …
Farm Bill Now Coalition Calls for Action by Congress
A coalition of 39 farm groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Corn Growers Association, and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, is calling on Congress to pass a new farm bill before the old one expires at the end of September. The group, Farm Bill Now, has an interactive web portal at www.FarmBillNow.com, that lets you connect with …
Livestock and Poultry Groups Seek RFS Waiver
Livestock and poultry producers are filing a petition with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeking a waiver from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in light of the current drought situation likely to cause feed shortages. “We need a waiver now,” said Randy Spronk of Minnesota, National Pork Producers Council president-elect. “I and NCBA support American ethanol,” said National Cattlemen’s Beef …
2012 W. D. Farr Scholarship Recipients
During the Cattle Industry Summer Conference two graduate students, one studying animal science and the other agricultural water management, received the 2012 W.D. Farr Scholarships from the National Cattlemen’s Foundation. The $12,000 awards recognize superior achievements in academics and leadership and will allow the students to further their study in fields that benefit the cattle and beef industry. The scholarships …
NCBA Leading Forward
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO, Forrest Roberts, gave a passionate speech this morning during the closing business session at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference. He encouraged everyone to keep “leading forward.” I visited with him beforehand to find out what his vision is for NCBA moving ahead and he focused on three key areas, Challenge, Change and Courage. He says …
Cattle Industry Summer Conference Going Well
The President of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is J.D. Alexander. I talked to him about how the Cattle Industry Summer Conference is going. He says it’s going well in spite of challenges like the drought. There are over 700 people registered which is about normal for this meeting. When it comes to the weather related issues affecting the industry …
2012 Cattle Industry Summer Conference
The 2012 Cattle Industry Summer Conference is underway in Denver, CO. The opening general session is going on right now. I’ll be Beef Board Blogging once again for the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and will have stories to share here on AgWired soon. We’ve got a Beef Board Update session coming up where I’m sure I’ll get some interviews to share. …
USDA Apologizes for Meatless Mondays Gaffe
After an internal USDA newsletter promoting “Meatless Mondays” was made public Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack personally apologized to the president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and said the document was not only pulled from the website, it was edited and re-sent to USDA employees without suggestions that meat production was bad for the environment and human health. “We …