Sandhills
Cattle
Association
130 S Hall
PO Box 786
Valentine, NE 69201
402-376-2310
1-800-658-0551
sca@sandhillscattle.com
|
|
Click
image for larger view
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.
|
| Sandhills Cattle Association 69th Convention May 22 in North Platte |
The Sandhills Cattle Association will hold its 69th Annual Convention on Thursday, May 22 in North Platte, Ne. The day's activities will be held at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds.
The event will feature speakers, an industry trade show, the Association's annual meeting and election of officers and directors for 2008-09.
CattleFax analyst Mike Murphy will lead off the program at 10:30 a.m. with the presentation “Navigating the Changing Business Environment.” A 12-year veteran of CattleFax, Murphy is the analyst responsible for the North Central Plains cow-calf and stocker producers, the Nebraska feedyards as well as being heavily involved in Risk Management analysis. Murphy’s appearance is sponsored, in part, by Tier One Bank.
The Sandhills Cattle Association will hold its annual business meeting and election of officers at 1 p.m. followed by the presentation of scholarships. At 1:30 p.m., Dr. Monty Kerley, a Professor of Animal Sciences at the University of Missouri, will discuss the “Potential Importance of Selecting for Efficiency.” Dr Kerley has studied ruminant nutrition and his research is focused upon understanding nutritional and biological influences on metabolic efficiency in cattle. He is involved in a variety of research projects including maximizing gain efficiency, optimizing diet formulation for animal performance and evaluating by-products generated from bioenergy production.
At 2:45 p.m., Duane Gangwish, Vice President of Environmental Affairs for the Nebraska Cattlemen, will discuss LB 677, which gives cow-calf operators defined as animal feeding operations until January 1, 2009 to request a facility inspection without incurring late fees. He will explain under what circumstances a rancher must request an inspection.
“We are the Champions” is the topic at 3:30 p.m. for radio personality and sixth generation farmer Trent Loos. The creator of the radio program Loos Tales, he travels the country exploring the interesting people and places of rural America. Loos Tales, the TV program, takes a look at the people and places in rural America and explores the issues affecting U.S. animal agriculture and today's food production. Loos can frequently be found addressing agricultural and non-agricultural groups alike. Among his favorite audiences are our nation's youth where he takes the opportunity to talk with them about the importance of food as a matter of national security and the value of their involvement in today's food production system.
Dave Thorell of KRVN Radio will wrap up the afternoon presentations with the entertaining speech “Life with the Supreme Commander.” For over 30 years, he has been on the KRVN staff. Currently, he is the “Dave of all Trades” entertaining listeners from 9 to 1 each day and assisting in the farm and production departments.
At 5:30 p.m., participants will move to the trade show for the evening activities. The trade show will feature over 50 exhibits of supplies and services for the cattle industry. The Association’s annual benefit auction will be held that evening in the trade show. Kyle Schow of Schow Realty/Schow Auction Service of Paxton, Ne., will serve as auctioneer for the event. Over 35 items have been donated to the auction. Proceeds fund the Sandhills Cattle Association’s Scholarship Program and other educational and promotional programs.
The convention is open to all interested cattle producers. Pre-registration fees are $30/person for Association members and $45/person for non-members. Half day rates are available. After May 15 registration fees increase $10/person. For more information, contact the Sandhills Cattle Association at 402-376-2310 or 1-800-658-0551 or email: sca@sandhillscattle.com.
|
| SCA Convention Set for May 22 |
The Sandhills Cattle Association will hold its 69th Annual Convention on Thursday, May 22 in North Platte, Ne. The day's activities will be held at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds.
The event will feature speakers, an industry trade show, the Association's annual meeting and election of officers and directors for 2008-09. Two other events will be held in conjunction with the convention to raise funds for scholarships and educational programs of the Sandhills Cattle Association. One is the benefit golf tournament, held the day before the convention, and the other is the annual benefit auction held during the trade show.
The convention is open to all interested cattle producers. For more information, contact the Sandhills Cattle Association at 402-376-2310 or 1-800-658-0551.
Convention Documents:
Convention Registration(pdf)
Golf Registration(pdf)
Exhibitor Information(pdf)
Trade Show Contracts(pdf)
North Platte Motels(pdf)
|
Start saving your empty RALGRO wheels. Empty wheels can help the SCA raise money for educational programs and scholarships at the annual benefit auction. For every 10 empty wheels received, Schering-Plough will donate one full RALGRO wheel to be sold at the auction. RALGRO wheels can be turned in at the Schering-Plough booth in the trade show area during convention on Thursday, May 22 or dropped off at the SCA office prior to May 19.
|
| Annual Benefit Auction to be held at Convention |
Plans are underway for the Sandhills Cattle Association’s Annual Benefit Auction, which will be held during the trade show at the 69th Convention on Thursday, May 22. Proceeds from the auction fund scholarships and educational programs for the Sandhills Cattle Association. Following is a list of items that have been donated to this year’s auction. Pearson’s Inc., Thedford — Headgate; Eric Connot, Clearfield, SD — Western Style Steel Wall Hanging; Ag West Feeds, Burwell — Bronze Sculpture; Sandhill Oil Co., Thedford — 500 ft. of Pipeline with Hydrant; Allflex, Tod Adams, Norfolk — 2 Allflex Syringes. We appreciate these generous donations.
If you would like more information about the auction or have an item you would like to donate, please contact the SCA office at 800-658-0551 or 402-376-2310.
|
| 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.
|
| Association Leaders for 2007-2008 |
Ken Stephens of Valentine, Ne., is serving as president of the Sandhills Cattle Association for 2007-08. Vice-president is Duane Kime of Nenzel, Ne., and Kay Fred of Rose, Ne., is serving as the treasurer.
Elected to serve their first term on the Board of Directors were Jim Goggins of Springvew, Ne.; Jan Drinkwalter of Valentine and Lemoyne Dailey of Thedford, Ne. Re-elected to the Board were Kay Fred and Ken Stephens. Each will serve a three-year term on the board and join other board members: Dennis Bammerlin, Millboro, SD; Zane Connell, Whitman; Eric Connot, Clearfield, SD; Paul Davis, Lakeside; Duane Kime, Nenzel; Shane Keller, Valentine; Tim Marlatt, Gordon; Tim Nollette, Nenzel; Jay Stewart, Newport; and Gary Woita, Atkinson.
Retiring form the Board of Directors were: Henry Beel of Johnstown; Rob Brawner of Wood Lake and Shawn Zutavern of Dunning.
|
• 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.
|
|
|
