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Tarleton State University recently claimed the national championship at the Cargill Meat Solutions Hi-Plains Meat Judging Contest held in Plainview.
The championship concluded an unprecedented season for the team, which went undefeated, and included four of the team members being chosen for the American Meat Science Association's prestigious All-American teams.
Team members Brady Pendleton, Jason Gaston, Danielle LaVista, Amanda Barmore, Landi Woolley and Brandt Edwards claimed the A-Division National Championship, competing against teams from across the nation.
The team traveled to six collegiate contests, beginning with the Beef Empire Days contest in Garden City, Kan. and ending with the national competition in Plainview.
Team coaches were Casey Mabry, department of Animal Science graduate assistant, and Randy Hines, interim Animal Science department head. Both attribute the team's success to their dedication to practice and their competitive nature.
"It's very unique for a team to go undefeated throughout an entire judging season because there are so many variables that must be overcome before that can happen," Mabry said. "This team's competition with each other and their drive to succeed as a team is what made them so successful."
Tarleton's team further validated their talent with four of their six team members being chosen as All-American team members, including Woolley, LaVista, and Edwards, who were chosen for the first team, and Gaston, who was chosen for the second team.
AFBF Leadership, YF&R conferences merge
The American Farm Bureau Federation's National Leadership Conference will seem just a bit larger this time around—and for good reason. The 2005 NLC is a joint conference to be held in conjunction with the national Young Farmers and Ranchers conference. The Joint NLC kicks off Feb. 10 in New Orleans.
"This is a great opportunity for state Farm Bureaus from across this nation to assemble all of their leaders for one comprehensive leadership conference," said AFBF President Bob Stallman. "Farm Bureau leaders attending this meeting, including our youngest leaders, will have the chance to become energized for the year ahead as we prepare to implement Farm Bureau policy."
The conference will provide Farm Bureau leaders the latest tools and information they need to be contributors to AFBF's policy activities at the national level, as well as be even more effective at the state and county levels. An awards program for participants in Farm Bureau's FB ACT grassroots action program, and graduation for the 2004-2005 Partners in Agricultural Leadership class also will be held. Events also are slated for the real Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
AgMRC to offer ag business e-tools
New electronic tools soon will be available to farmers and ranchers creating or expanding value-added agriculture businesses. Beginning in February, farmers raising unique or organic crops will be able to use an interactive Web site through the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (AgMRC), according to Mary Holz-Clause. Through the site, growers will be able to better assimilate information on their products for attracting buyers. In addition, the center is unveiling an on-line tutorial to aid farmers and ranchers in understanding how to produce food under international quality control systems, Holz-Clause said.
AgMRC was created by the 2002 farm bill and is a joint effort of Iowa State University, Kansas State University and the University of California-Davis. It is partially funded by the Agriculture Department's Development program and is located on the Web at www.AgMRC.org. Farmers and ranchers needing additional information can contact the center by email at agmrc@iastate.edu. The Web site also provides an extensive directory of resources, such as consultants and state contacts, to aid farmers.
AFBF has Cuba trade concerns
The American Farm Bureau Federation is concerned that new federal guidelines could put an end to agricultural imports to Cuba.
Exports of U.S. farm goods to Cuba have gone from zero in 2000 to $400 million in 2004, thanks to the Trade Sanctions and Export Enhancement Act of 2000. The law made an exception to U.S. trade sanctions in place for more than 40 years, allowing sales of food.
However, the State Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is mulling a new requirement that Cuba pay for the exports before they ever leave U.S. shores. Currently, payment must be made before ownership of the product is transferred and the product is off-loaded from the ships in Havana, the delivery point. That's how trade normally works, and changing rules could jeopardize hundreds of millions of dollars in agricultural exports, according to AFBF and other agricultural groups who wrote President Bush recently, urging no change in the required payment terms.
"This would run counter to the norms of international trade, which do not require sellers to receive payment before transportation takes place; but instead require payment to be received prior to the release of goods," said AFBF and other groups.
—Susan Dudley, director of regulatory studies for the Mercatus Center of George Mason University, a regulatory watchdog group.
