Illinois Angus News - May/June 2024

IN THIS ISSUE:

May/June 2024

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President: Carla Jurgenson

Vice President: David Mool

Secretary: Clay Sellmeyer

Business Manager: Doug Turner

Past President: David Jenkins

Bureau County: John DeRycke

Central Illinois: Luke Lemenager

Illinois Valley: Open

Lamoine Valley: Tracy Rawlings

Logan County : Carla Jurgenson

Northern Illinois: Jarad Carroll

South Central: Richard Hurst

Wabash Valley: Shaye Harre

Directors at Large:

Grant Bedel

TJ Curtin

Jim Marsh

Bradley Wolter

Kyle Buetke

Jeff Dameron

Chris Cassady

Clay Sellmeyer

Dan Naughton

Greg McClure

David Mool

Bodee Schlipf

Brad Evans

CONTACT

To place advertisements or your latest Angus news contact: Olivia Hoots Illinois Beef Editor Illinois Beef Association 217-787-4280 olivia@illinoisbeef.com www.illinoisbeef.com

ON THE COVER

The Mool family wins IJAA Farm Family of the year at the annual IAA banquet in Bloomington.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Visit the Events page at www.illinoisangus.com for a list of other upcoming events and Angus sales this spring.

Director of Member Services, Jerry Cassady, retires

Long-time American Angus Association employee, Jerry Cassady, retires April 30.

Jerry Cassady’s name became synonymous with service long before he took up the helm in the Member Services department at the American Angus Association®.

“Serving the members, over the years, has been a highlight and primary focus,” said Cassady. “It truly has been where my passion lies; making sure their needs are being met and working to promote the Angus breed.”

The long-time employee will retire at the end of April.

“I truly appreciate Jerry’s three decades of service and dedication to the breed and the members,” said Mark McCully, chief executive officer of the American Angus Association®. “Jerry’s leadership and professionalism in both his role as Regional Manager and Director of Member Services has been integral to the success of the organization.”

Cassady began his career with the Association in 1992 as a regional manager for Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin.

During a time when the role was expanding and regional managers were finding their schedules booked up, Cassady was dedicated to connecting with and assisting as many breeders as possible. He offered a new option to members: local and regional educational sessions.

“There were a lot of small producers in the region I was covering,” recalled Cassady, “and when they had the opportunity for some type of collaboration with other breeders with like minds and common goals it always tended to lead to really good interaction, networking and exchanging of ideas.”

During his time in the field, Cassady spent many weekends helping at junior events. As a 4-H and FFA Alum, Cassady recognized the tremendous value derived from time spent in the show ring at a young age.

“You watch them grow up to become future leaders of our industry at state, regional and national levels, which is rewarding,” Cassady told the Angus Journal in a 2004 article.

Cassady became Director of Member Services in 2016. During his tenure, Cassady helped facilitate organizational changes that have helped the Association more effectively serve members.

“When I started, the folks on the Member Services team were very specialized,” said Cassady. “Today, with efficiency for members in mind, we’ve undertaken enormous cross-training efforts so we can provide the services that the member needs with just one phone call.”

McCully commended Cassady for his dedication to the members.

“Jerry’s deep institutional knowledge and understanding of Association rules and policies was always coupled with his commitment to providing the best service to all members,” remarked McCully.

With Cassady’s retirement, Levi Landers has been promoted to Director of Member and Field Services.

“The leadership that Jerry Cassady provided the organization was unmeasurable. I hope to continue down the path that Jerry has provided for the members during his career,” said Landers.

-Written

by Jessica Hartman, AAA Communication Specialist

Jerry Cassady, Director of Member Services at the American Angus Association® retires.

Jerry Cassady, Director of Member Services visits with others in the industry during the 2023 Angus Convention Tradeshow.

2024 Illinois Angus Association Banquet

Bloomington | March 16 | Photos by Cindy’s Livestock Photos

Cindy Cagwin-Johnston awarded IJAA Appreciation Award.

Grant Bedel and Jim Marsh each completed six years on the IAA Board of Directors.

IAA Board of Directors - Front Row (L to R): Doug Turner, Dave Mool, Carla Jurgenson, Clay Sellmeyer, Middle Row (L to R): Dan Naughton, Tracy Rawlings, Luke Lemenager, Kyle Buetke, Jeff Dameron, Back Row (L to R): Jarad Carroll, Brent Henkel, Vaughn Kiner, Sam Brumleve, Chris Cassidy

Left to right: Vice President David Mool, President Carla Jurgenson, Business Manager Doug Turner, Secretary Clay Sellmeyer

IAA President Carla Jurgenson leads meeting.

American Angus Association CEO Mark McCully.

IJAA Family of the Year The Mool Family: Shelia, Dave, Ashlyn and Lauryn. The annual banquet included a silent auction, Seeds of the Future Auction and the IJAA T-Shirt Auction.

IJAA 2024 Outstanding Junior Ashlyn Mool

IJAA President Reese Anderson and Auxiliary President Cindy Anderson

National Junior Angus Association Award winners (L to R): Anna Parr (Silver), William Miller (Silver), Macie Bartlow (Bronze), Audrey Curtin (Bronze and Silver) and Madaline Bergmann (Bronze).

Illinois Angus Queen Audrey Curtin First Vice President Anne Dameron

Illinois Angus Ebonettes Cylee Kirchner and Macie Carroll (left) and Illinois Angus Princess Claire Kuipers (right) pose with Angus friends.

Illinois Junior Angus Association members

Show Results

2024 Dixie National Roll of Victory

Jackson, Miss. | February 10 | Judge: Craig Sand, Okla. Photos by Richmond

& Video

IJAA Spring Board Meeting

The spring board meeting was a great time. We all want to say thank you to our t-shirt and Seeds of the Future sponsors. Without you guys we would not be able to host the preview show and do fun activities. A few of our members attended the Raising The Bar conference at the end of March. Audrey Curtin, Brenna Bartlow, Claire Kuipers, Lauren Wolter, Will Miller and Ben Sellmeyer went and they all enjoyed it. They said it was a great time and they got to see multiple different operations. They got to see Five Rivers Cattle Feeding, CSU Spur, the new layout of the Denver Stockyards, AgNext research center, Parry Angus and the CSU - JBS Global Food Innovation Center. They also got to talk with Caroline Lukens with NWSS, Jena Lee Wagner with Blueprint, Michaela Clowser with NCBA, Paul Dykstra with CAB, Dr. Tim Holt(leading expert in PAP testing) and X2D Ranch Ministries. This summer Angus enthusiasts will be traveling to Madison, Wisconsin, for a “Showdown in Madtown” on June 29-July 6. Online entries are only available to junior members of the American Angus Association. Be sure to look at the NJAA website for more info like schedules, local hotels, campground info, awards and rules. Coming up in central Illinois is the CIAA/IJAA field day, be sure to download the showman app and search for the Central Illinois Angus Preview show. You will be able to find all the details and entry info there. Some important times and dates to remember are Wednesday, June 15, is the last day to enter, cattle can arrive on Wednesday, June 29, and Thursday is check-in from 10 a.m.-12 a.m. A new addition to the preview show this year is the PGS show, if we can get 15 or more entries it will happen. Without 15 or more entries it is not able to be fairly judged and it will be postponed until next year. The CIAA Preview Show is on Friday starting at 9 a.m. and the IJAA Field Day is Saturday starting at 9 a.m. Hope to see you there!

Your reporter,

Photo

Grand Champion Cow-calf Pair Diamond T Saras Dream 0206 Owned by Morgan Hutchins

Intermediate Champion Bull Destinys Prime 325 Owned by Morgan Hutchins

Fall Junior Heifer Calf Champion Destinys Saras Dream 341 Owned by Morgan Hutchins

Fall Bull Calf Champion Destinys WAF America Strong Owned by Destiny Angus Farm and Wills Angus Farm

Late Junior Heifer Calf Champion EXAR Frontier Gal 3955 Owned by Ben Sellmeyer

Reserve Senior Bull Calf Champion Destinys Back in Black 320 Owned by Morgan Hutchins, Ill. and Sawyer Eastridge, Ind.

Region 4 NJAA Members: Adaelyn Berg - IN, Allie Howell - IN, Brenna Bartlow - IL, Claire Kuipers - IL, Ben Sellmeyer - IL, Bryce Hofing - IN, Audrey Curtin - IL, Lauren Wolter - IL, Maggie Mindemann - WI, Will Miller - IL and Delaney Waterman - IN.

USDA issues guidance on cattle traceability rules

On Friday, April 26, USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced their plans for the final rule regarding cattle disease traceability. The move, a mandate aimed at strengthening the U.S. industry’s technology, tools, and process to pinpoint and respond to a foreign animal disease outbreak, had been anticipated for nearly a year.

The USDA final traceability rule amends a previous 2013 rule that requires sexually intact cattle 18 months of age or older, rodeo and exhibition cattle, and dairy cattle moving interstate to have an official form of animal identification. The 2013 rule, which cattle producers already comply with, instituted visual ID tags for interstate movement. The new final rule switches producers to electronic ID tags, which are easier to read and would yield a faster traceability response during a foreign animal disease outbreak.

The rule requires official ear tags to be visually and electronically readable for official use for interstate movement of certain cattle and bison, and revises and clarifies certain record requirements related to cattle.

The cattle industry faces immense threats from foreign animal diseases, which can be carried into the country by individual travelers, on contraband products, or through regular commerce. It is estimated that a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in the U.S. would lead to $221 billion in economic losses. Only 11% of the U.S. cattle herd is impacted by this final rule. The rule will not take effect for six months to provide time for producers to prepare.

“Rapid traceability in a disease outbreak will not only limit how long farms are quarantined, keep more animals from getting sick, and help ranchers and farmers get back to selling their products more quickly – but will help keep our markets open,” said Dr. Michael Watson, APHIS Administrator.

USDA has claimed that the most significant benefits of the rule for farmers and ranchers will be the enhanced ability of the United States to limit impacts of animal disease outbreaks to certain regions, which is the key to maintaining our foreign markets. By being able to readily prove disease-free status in non-affected regions of the United States, USDA has said will be able to request foreign trading partners recognize disease-free regions or zones instead of cutting off trade for the entire country. Traceability of animals is necessary to establish these disease-free zones and facilitate re-establishment of foreign and domestic market access with minimum delay in the wake of an animal disease event.

This rule is the culmination of goals established by USDA to increase traceability, and enhances a rule finalized in 2013 for the official identification of livestock and documentation for certain interstate movements of livestock. USDA will continue to provide tags to producers free of charge to jumpstart efforts to enable the fastest possible response to a foreign animal disease. In Illinois, those free tags are available via the State Department of Agriculture.

If you have questions about the cattle disease traceability rule, or to request free compliant tags for your farm, please contact:

Illinois Department of Agriculture | Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare

Telephone: 217/782-4944

Email: agr.premises@illinois.gov