Angus Producers Meet in Montana
Record crowd turns out for 2010 National Angus Conference in Bozeman.
Angus producers turned out in record number for the 2010 National Angus Conference & Tour in Bozeman, Mont., Sept. 15-17. More than 630 registered producers attended Wednesday’s conference, while ranches fed upward of 850 at individual tour stops as cattlemen from 33 states and three countries met in Montana.
The event was hosted by the American Angus Association and the South Montana Angus Association with sponsorship of Purina Mills LLC and Alpharma Animal Health.
Conference speakers Tracey Erickson, Chef John Doherty, Charlie Powell, Lee Dickerson and Randy Blach focused on the challenges and opportunities facing the cattle industry:
• Vice president of marketing for Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB), Erickson shared reasons for the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand’s staying power — even during the recent financial recession. She shared the brand’s marketing efforts and invited producers to join in the effort to make a personal connection with the consumer.
• Doherty, former executive chef of New York City’s famed Waldorf=Astoria, shared with producers how to elevate their businesses by leading rather than managing. He challenged producers to raise more CAB Prime product to keep it on the menu.
• “Anyone today with access to electricity and the Internet can potentially impact your business faster than any news organization in history,” said Charlie Powell, senior public information officer for Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Powell discussed why "social media" are today essential business communication tools and how producers.
• Lee Dickerson of Purina Mills brought cattlemen a practical production message: Cow nutrition during the entire gestation cycle greatly influences calf fetal development and future health and performance of that calf. While nutrition discussions often focus on the last trimester, research in the field of epigenetics is showing the importance of cow nutrition throughout pregnancy to fetal health and lifetime production.
• Cattle-Fax CEO Randy Blach ended the conference on a positive note. Providing an economic “state of the industry,” Blach explained why he envisions some of the most profitable times in history ahead, especially for cow-calf producers.
As many as 13 buses and an entourage of cars navigated the scenic byways of the Gallatin Valley around Bozeman to glimpse some of area’s premier Angus genetics. Stops included KG Ranch, Three Forks; Hyline Angus, Bozeman; Armstrong Angus Ranch, Cardwell; Wheeler Mountain Ranch, Whitehall; Split Diamond Ranch, Whitehall; Van Dyke Angus Ranch; Manhattan; the Montana State University Animal Bioscience Lab, Bozeman; Leachman Angus Ranch, Toston; and Sitz Angus Ranch, Harrison. In addition, several other producers displayed cattle at the scheduled stops.
API provides online coverage
Angus Productions Inc. (API) is providing online coverage of the event at www.nationalangusconference.com. Visit the Newsroom for summaries of the speakers' presentations, along with the PowerPoints they presented and audio. Bios on the speakers are available on the Speakers page.
Visit the Photo page to see photo galleries of the conference and tour stops. Overviews of each of the tour stops and guest ranches are availbe on the Tour Stops page.
For more information about the conference or next year's conference in Georgia, contact Shelia Stannard, director of activities and events for the American Angus Association, at 816-383-5100. For questions about this website or to report a broken link, contact editor Shauna Hermel or designer Craig Simmons at 816-383-5270.