Angus Along the Hudson
Angus enthusiasts gathered in Albany, N.Y., for 2013 National Angus Conference & Tour.
ALBANY, N.Y. (Aug. 28, 2013) — Just like suspenders support a wardrobe, the Angus family supports its members, Phil Trowbridge, American Angus Association president and chairman of the board, told more than 220 participants of the 2013 National Angus Conference & Tour (NAC&T) in Albany, N.Y., Aug. 28-30.
This year was the first time the NAC&T has been this far east, Trowbridge said, welcoming attendees to New York and encouraging them to be comfortable talking with staff and board members.
Participants heard about
- genomic updates from Tonya Amen, genetic services director of Angus Genetics Inc.;
- harnessing your passion from Chef John Doherty, formerly of Waldorf=Astoria;
- the business side of beef from David O'Diam, assistant director of business development for Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB);
- telling the beef story from Debbie Lyons-Blythe;
- marketing Angus genetics from Eric Grant, Association director of public relations and communications;
- end-product marketing from Kip Palmer, CEO of Palmer Foods; and
- preparing for the future of agriculture from Scott Vernon, professor of agriculture communications at Cal Poly-San Louis Obispo.
Association CEO Bryce Schumann wrapped up the conference and addressed the recently announced developmental duplication (DD) genetic condition. "As Angus breeders, we're used to dealing with dominant traits, not recessive traits. However, our experience now makes us more flexible, and our members have the tools to manage for this condition more creatively and efficiently," he reassured.
"We are presented with the challenge, and we can either fix it, accept it or play the victim. We don't become victims, we fix problems," Schumann said. For more information about DD, visit the Association's information portal at www.angus.org/pub/DD/DDInfo.aspx.
On the tour, participants enjoyed seeing New York's rolling landscapes and learning more about its agriculture. The first day of the tour included Garret Farms, Hillsdale; the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass.; and ended at Trowbridge Farms, Ghent. Interested tour attendees got to stay for the Trowbridge sale.
The second day of the tour included Heathcote Farm, Amenia; Walbridge Farm and Market, Millbrook; Hyde Park, which included tours of the Vanderbilt mansion and Franklin Delano Roosevelt's home; and Rally Farms, Millbrook. After the tour, interested participants got to attend the Garret Farms sale.
Angus enthusiasts can plan to attend the 2014 National Angus Convention in Kansas City, Mo., next Nov. 4-6, 2014.
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