The Angus Journal is a monthly magazine known for in-depth coverage of American Angus Association programs and services; the Angus business; herd management techniques; and advertising reflecting genetics herd philosophies.
Issue link: http://angusjournal.epubxp.com/i/435083
Take the challenge If you are an avid fan of Tom Field's "Outside the Box" column like I am, you've read his philosophies on the importance of being involved in industry discussions and the importance of planning vs. just working. I challenge you this winter to spend a little of those extra dollars earned on the price of your cattle to learning something new that will either help in the management and marketing of your herd, your business, or your quality of life on the farm or ranch. Better yet, put a price tag to it: What did it cost you to learn? What do you estimate the potential value to be? If you share it with us, we'll fnd a way to share it with our readers/viewers/listeners. There are a lot of options to choose from. I'll highlight a few here. Local and state cattlemen's meetings. Many state Angus association, extension and cattlemen's groups host meetings during the winter. These events may vary in the extent of program they provide, but they always feature contact with other cattlemen in the area. We publish industry meeting announcements in the Angus Journal Virtual Library (www.api-virtuallibrary.com/ meetings_other_calendar.html) and you'll fnd many state association meetings in the "Angus Almanac" published in each issue and offered online at www.angusjournal.com. Angus Convention Newsroom. We hope you've heard what a great event the Angus Means Business National Convention & Trade Show was. We include some coverage in this issue, including a couple articles from the breed improvement workshop, but there's a lot more online in the newsroom at www.angusconvention.com. The Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show will be Feb. 4-7 in San Antonio, Texas. You can see the preview in this issue on page 162 and follow up at www.beefusa.org for more. If you can't attend, look for Angus Journal coverage following the event at www.4cattlemen.com. The Angus Report. Catch an episode of The Angus Report on RFD-TV. The program airs Monday morning at 7:30, Wednesday evening at 5, Thursday afternoon at 3:30 and Saturday afternoon at 1:30 Central. Young Cattlemen's Conference. Hosted by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, this weeklong industry tour will broaden your understanding of the beef industry. The Angus Foundation sponsors an Angus member to attend each year. The meeting is in June, but applications are due Jan. 10. Find out more in "Association Highlights" (see page 22). Beef Leader's Institute. The American Angus Association hosts a similar event for 20 young members. This year's event will be June 22-26. Applications are due March 2. Read your Angus Journal, the Angus Journal Daily and the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA. Take the time to contact your customers. These are just a few examples. Contact your regional manager (see page 206), your county extension service or your land-grant universities for more ideas. Don't forget, share what you learn with us, and we'll share it with our readers. 12 n ANGUSJournal n January 2015 Angus Journal 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506; 1-800-821-5478; fax: 816-233-6575; offce hours: (M-F) 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (Central) home page: www.angusjournal.com Staff are listed by name, phone extension and email prefx. All direct phone numbers are "816-383-5…"; all email addresses are "…@angusjournal.com" General manager — Eric Grant, 118, egrant Editorial Department — Editor, Shauna Rose Hermel, 270, shermel n Associate editor, Kasey Brown, 277, kbrown n Assistant editor, Linda Robbins, 245, lrobbins n Artists, Mary Black & Craig Simmons Field editors — Barb Baylor Anderson, 305 Valley View Dr., Edwardsville, IL 62025, 618-656-0870, anderagcom@sbcglobal.net n Kindra Gordon, 11734 Weisman Rd., Whitewood, SD 57793, 605-722-7699, kindras@ gordonresources.com n Paige Nelson, 4112 E. 550 N, Rigby, ID 83442, 208-317-3095, paigenelson7236@gmail.com n Becky Mills, 185 Lovett Farms Rd., Cuthbert, GA 39840, 229-938-1698, beckymills81@ yahoo.com n Troy Smith, 44431 Sargent River Rd., Sargent, NE 68874, 308-527-3483, wordsmith@nctc.net Contributing writers — Carrie Horsley and Madison Butler Publications and Production — Manager, LaVera Spire, 220, lspire Advertising Department — Vice president of sales, Terry Cotton, 214, tcotton n Advertising coordinators, Doneta Brown, 232, dbrown; & Karri Mildenberger, 289, kmildenberger n Production coordinator, Carol Beckett, 200, 226, cbeckett n Advertising artists, Mike Bush & Monica Ford n Proofreader coordinator, Jacque McGinness Circulation & billing manager — LaVera Spire, 220, lspire Special Services Department — Coordinator, Sharon Mayes, 221, smayes n Assistants, Julie Martinez & Vickie Whitsell n Artists, Susan Bomar & Leann Schleicher n Proofreader, Melinda Cordell Web Services Department — Manager, Ethan Tierney, 227, etierney; Coordinators, Doneta Brown, 232, dbrown; & Karri Mildenberger, 289, kmildenberger n Developer, Andy Blumer The Angus Report, I Am Angus, Communications & Public Relations — Crystal Albers, 134, calbers n Jena McRell, 193, jmcrell n Lea Ann Maudlin, 155, lmaudlin n Amber Wahlgren, 159, awahlgren n Donald Korthanke, 114, dkorthanke n Josh Comninellis, 113, jcomninellis Creative Media — Becky Weishaar, 219, bweishaar n Carrie Heitman, 154, cheitman Photo Department — Photo services coordinator, Kathrin Gresham n Photo services assistant, Erin Sherwood Network systems coordinator — Bruce Buntin Board of Directors — Jim Sitz, chairman; Bryce Schumann, vice chairman; Eric Grant, president; Richard Wilson, secretary-treasurer; Scott Foster; John Elbert Harrell; Phil Howell; Vaughn Meyer; Dave Nichols; and John Pfeiffer Angus Stakes @ by Shauna Rose Hermel, editor Go fnd a new idea Winter months bring their share of seasonal work projects — cutting ice, thawing waterers, hauling hay and calving, to name a few. The longer nights, shorter days and the abundance of holiday get-togethers also provide practical time to spend a little extra with friends and family, to catch up on reading or to actively investigate a new tool or management technique you might employ on your farm or ranch. PERSPECTIVES EMAIL: shermel@angusjournal.com @Angus_Shauna