All Roads Lead to Georgia
Map your way to Athens, Ga., for the 2011 National Angus Conference & Tour,
set for Sept. 6-8.
The American Angus Association and the Georgia Angus Association will host the 2011 National Angus Conference & Tour (NAC&T), themed "All Roads Lead to Georgia," Sept. 6-8 in Athens, Ga. Land O'Lakes Purina Feed LLC is sponsoring the event.
"We've put together a great lineup of speakers to address a variety of top-of-mind topics like family farm succession and speaking out about agriculture. You definitely will want to hear our headliner, Bruce Vincent," says Shelia Stannard, Association director of activities and events. "Following the conference, Georgia byways and backroads will take us to scenic Angus farms. Don't miss this annual opportunity to see old friends and make new acquaintances."
Click here
for a welcome from
our major sponsor.
Speaker lineup
The conference will kick off at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, at The Classic Center in Athens, with a welcome by Association President Joe Hampton.
Tom Field, executive director of producer education for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA), will set the tone of the conference, providing his outlook for planning for the future of the beef industry.
Planning for the future includes incorporating the next generation into the business and planning for the transition of the family farm. Curt Lacy, a livestock economist and associate professor at the University of Georgia, will moderate a panel focused on transition planning, with perspective from the next generation. Representing a diversity of operations, panelists include Scott Bennett of Knoll Crest Farm Inc., Red House, Va.; Don Schiefelbein of Schiefelbein Angus Farm, Kimball, Minn.; and Tommy Maples, Maples Stock Farm, Elkmont, Ala.
After the morning break, speakers will focus on marketing the product, with an emphasis on marketing the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand. General manager of Buckhead Beef, a CAB licensee in Atlanta, Ga., Chad Stine will focus on the domestic market. Geof Bednar, director of international sales for Certified Angus Beef LLC, will focus on international markets.
Symposium attendees are set for a real treat as featured speaker Bruce Vincent, co-owner of Environomics, shares his message, "Where There is Vision There is Hope." The third-generation logger from Libby, Mont., will share what he learned as the timber industry dealt with environmental activists and apply those lessons to how the livestock industry might better deal with animal rights activists.
"Purina is pleased to be the major sponsor for this conference," says Rod Nulik, cattle business leader for Land O'Lakes Purina Feed. "We believe that the American Angus Association is a leader in developing programs and support mechanisms to help improve the competitive advantage of its breeders. Again this year your staff has assembled an excellent agenda that should make this conference a very wise investment of your time."
The tour
The tour will begin Tuesday afternoon following the conference, with an initial stop at the University of Georgia. UGA is home to two purebred Angus herds — one at the Wilkins Unit about 30 miles from Athens and another at the Coastal Plains Experiment Station in Tifton.
Attendees will be treated to dinner Tuesday evening at Partisover Ranch near Colbert, Ga., where guest speaker Gary Black, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner, will address the group.
The tour will continue Wednesday, with stops at Acres Away Angus (breakfast), Lovejoy; Lane Packing (lunch), Fort Valley; and Kensington Farm (dinner), Molena. Thursday's tour stops include Wakefield Farm (breakfast), Hartwell; Bramblett Angus, Elberton; Britt Angus (lunch), Hartwell; and Mayfield Dairy, Braselton.
CAB will sponsor product for meals at many of the stops.
Registration and lodging
Registration is available online at
www.angus.org. Early registration is $150 per person if paid on or prior to Aug. 1 and $175 if paid after Aug. 1.
Attendees should make their own hotel reservations. The Hilton Garden Inn (390 E. Washington St., Athens) will serve as hotel headquarters. Call 706-353-6800 to make reservations, and ask for the Angus block.
GeorgiaSkies provides limited air service directly to Athens-Ben Epps Airport, and taxi service and rental cars are available. For more flight options, consider the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, serviced by most major airlines, only 80 miles from Athens. Rental cars are available, or contact Groome Transportation
(www.groometransportation.com) at 706-410-2363 for airport transportation.
For more information about the NAC&T, visit www.nationalangusconference.com or contact the Activities Department at 816-383-5100 or Shelia Stannard.
Click here for a tentative schedule.