Sandhills
Cattle
Association
130 S Hall
PO Box 786
Valentine, NE 69201
402-376-2310
1-800-658-0551
sca@sandhillscattle.com
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The
Sandhills are 19,300 square miles of rolling,
grass-covered
hills that stretch across Nebraska and South
Dakota and sit
atop the Ogallala aquifer, one of the largest
underground water
sources in the United States. This location, along
with an abundance
of water and over 700 species of grasses, makes
the Sandhills
a prime grazing area for cattle.
The area is often
called "God's Own Cow Country." Cattle ranching is the lifeblood of
this region and the Sandhills ranchers take their
jobs seriously.
They strive to produce better cattle that will be
profitable
for both the producer and feeder, yet cost
justifiable to the
packer and provide safe, nutritious and great
tasting beef for
the consumer.
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| Speakers Announced for 70th Annual SCA Convention |
The 70th Annual SCA Convention on Thursday, May 21 will provide a day full of engaging speakers with timely and entertaining topics. All convention activities at the Cherry County Fairgrounds in Valentine. A detailed schedule with registration form appears inside.
Beginning the day’s presentations is Dr. Wes Jamison with “Animal Activism–Urban-Rural Agricultural Conflict.” Dr. Jamison’s presentation will center on opposition to agriculture, specifically the threat posed to agriculture by the animal rights movement and urban-rural conflicts.
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| 2009 SCA Convention Planned for May 21 |
The 70th Annual SCA Convention will be held on Thursday, May 21 at the Cherry County Fairgrounds in Valentine, Ne. A schedule of events and registration form for the day’s activities can be found on the convention page of this website. There is also an entry form for those who want to play in the benefit golf tourney, which is held the day before the convention. The contracts and information for the trade show is also available by following the links from that page. Those contracts are due back in the office on May 1. Golf entries are due May 15. Pre-registration rates are in effect until May 15 and will increase after that date. If you have questions about the convention and trade show, contact us at 1-800-658-0551 or 402-376-2310.
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Late last year we collected information about wages paid to ranch hands in the Sandhills area. There were 16 employers who responded to our request for information. We appreciate their cooperation and willingness to share their information. These employers represented 22 full time ranch hands and 5 part-time hands. There were 6 who hired a total of 18 day workers and one who specified they hired summer help. Eight described their operations as cow/calf/yearling, one was a yearling operation, four were cow/calf and one was a purebred and cow/calf operation. Six indicated that they ran 500 cows or less, four ran 500-1000 and four had over 1000 head.
The range of cash wages paid to full time employees was from $1350/ month to $2833/month for an average of $2,014/month.
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| 2009 Scholarship Winners to be Announced at Convention |
Scholarship committee will be interviewing the finalists for the 2009-2010 school year and the winners will be announced at the 2009 Sandhills Cattle Association Convention to be held Thursday, May 21 in Valentine, Nebraska.
Funds for the scholarship program are raised at the annual benefit auction held in conjunction with the convention. For more information contact the office at 1-800-658-0551 or 402-376-2310.
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| 2008-09 Scholarship Winners Announced at Convention |
This year marks the 17th year the Sandhills Cattle Association has presented scholarships to children of Association members. In keeping with tradition, the young people considered for this year’s scholarships are very talented and very involved in many activities. The Scholarship Committee had a tough job selecting the winners. They spent hours going through the written applications and interviews. The Committee members were: Rosemary Anderson, Whitman; Dennis Bammerlin, Millboro, SD; Mary Beel, Johnstown; Zane Connell, Whitman; Eric Connot, Clearfield, SD; and Cheryl Ravenscroft, Valentine. The Association awarded five scholarships, each in the amount of $750, along with the Howard Wright Memorial Scholarship, which is in the amount of $500.
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| Ranch Hand Wage Survey Summary |
The Sandhills Cattle Association conducted its 2007 wage survey in November and December to track wages paid to ranch employees in the Sandhills area. There were 24 employers who responded to this year’s survey. All had cow/calf or cow/calf/yearling operations with the exception of one, which was a yearling operation. Six of the respondents ran less than 500 head; four had 500-800 head, three ran 800-1000 head and six had over 1000 head of cattle. They employed a total of 43 full time employees and 20 part-time employees. Eight of the full time employees were described as either a foreman or a manager. These had worked for their respective employers for an average of 3.5 years with a range from less than one year employed to 17 years. Among the general ranch hands, the average years worked for the employer was just under three years. It ranged from less than a year to 18 years. The hours worked per week for the all of the employees ranged from 40-70 hours with an average of 55 hours/week.
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• If you are a member of Sandhills Cattle Association or a list subscriber and would like to have access to the lists, please call the office at 1-800-658-0551 or 402-376-2310 for the current user ID and password.
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