The newly appointed Director of Public Relations for the American Angus Association is Eric Grant. He’s oversee the Association’s advertising, public relations and communications programs.
Grant is a 24-year veteran in agricultural communications, public relations and advertising. “For more than two decades, Eric has been an advocate of rural America and rural Americans,” says Bryce Schumann, Association CEO. “We look forward to taking a more aggressive and innovative approach to public relations, advertising and communications. We believe Eric’s ideas, energy and execution will help accomplish this and strengthen the position of the Angus breed.”
During the last two decades, Grant served as assistant editor for National Cattlemen’s Association, senior contributing editor for Farm Journal/Beef Today, and contributing editor for the American Cowboy and Range magazines. He has written for Angus Journal for more than 10 years. His award-winning photography and articles have appeared in more than 100 publications around the world.
Other Association news includes:
Shelia Stannard has been named the director of activities and events for the American Angus Association. She assumed her new responsibilities August. 1. Stannard has been with the Association nearly 11 years, starting as assistant director of public relations and most recently serving as director of communications and events.
Crystal Young has been appointed assistant director of public relations for the American Angus Association. In this capacity, she will be responsible for conducting many of the Association’s public relations and advertising efforts.
If you’re wondering where Steve Engle is then wonder no more.
Theodor Friedrich with the Crop and Grassland Service of the FAO, along with Nathan Rudgers, with 25×25 Carbon Work Group, shared the podium to discuss the ability of farmers to capture and store atmospheric carbon in their soils as a way to reduce carbon emissions. This practice to be both a boon to the air and the soil as this could provide a new financial stream for farmers.
As I mentioned in the first part of my post, I had the opportunity
After watching some participants of the Richard Petty Driving School (a program where people can pay to learn how to drive a one of the race cars that compete in the Nascar Sprint Cup Series) with much jealousy, we headed to 
One of the coolest parts of the IFAJ/AMS Big Ol’ Western Welcome Party was pretty hot – branding boards with personal brands. Dozens of ag media types, both American and international, took the branding iron in hand and left their marks.
Our buddy Harlen Persinger – photographer extraordinaire – really got into it and designed a nice brand for himself. Check out the photo album for lots more photos.
Also featured at the ranch is a playground featuring the largest treehouse in the country. For the first time ever, both children and adults have been able to experience the pleasure of sliding down a topsy-turvy slide.
The International Federation of Ag Journalists kicked off the 2009 Congress events with an all American rodeo and some sweet southern cooking at 
Inside the stadium you were greeted with the overwhelming aroma of livestock, all part of the experience, I guess. This was my first rodeo, as well as a first for most of the visitors to the conference and boy, was it a show! There was music, bull riding, calf roping, funny rodeo clowns, plenty to entertain us all. It was definitely a sight to see with something for everyone. 
The rain started at Burgundy Beef but were well informed on the all grass feeding of their cows and the complexity of the beef industry. We also sampled some of their meats and cheeses and had to brave the monsoon to make it back to our bus. The last stop on the tour was Beakley Farms, which is a family owned business that features cotton, wheat and sunflowers. We were unfortunately held on the bus for the majority of the time there but got off just long enough to peek at some of the equipment stored in the shed.