Calendar of Events

Presentation and Sale Preview
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
6 pm
Elanco's finest- Dr. Thach Winslow and Kinzie Davis
Preconditioning <-----> Reputation


6th Annual "Focus Now, Value Later" Bull and Female Sale
Saturday, April 24, 2021
1 pm

 

                          VA Beef Cattlemens Field Day- August 18, 2012

The Virginia Beef Cattlemen’s Field Day was held on Saturday, August 18th at Lazy Acres Angus in Rocky Mount, VA. A joint effort between the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association and Virginia Angus Association, over 200 attendees enjoyed a blessing from Mother Nature with great weather, some good BBQ BEEF and lots of educational opportunities.  The day kicked off with a greeting from Jess Herbers, Field Day Chairman, outlining the day’s events.  Shortly after Jess, Dr. Chris Sumner from Farm Veterinary Services, Inc. addressed the crowd with information about Breeding Soundness Exams on breeding bulls and how a small investment in the exam could be one of the best insurance policies ever purchased.  Following Chris was Anne Jones with the Virginia Beef Industry Council who got our taste buds flowing with some great grilling tips.  With assistance from Jason Carter, she pushed us over the top with an appetizer of flank steak just before lunch.  Leaving hungry was your own fault with a BBQ BEEF, beans and coleslaw lunch provided by our hosts.  Melissa Waller, Franklin County Ag technician conducted an old school judging contest with Adam Motley lining them up as our judge. Randy Wilmuth from Scottsville, VA took home the top prize with a perfect score followed closely by Buddy Shelton of Gretna, VA. In the youth division, Caroline Maxey of Chatham, VA led the way followed by Calhoun.  No siesta’s at Lazy Acres as the afternoon events kept everyone entertained. Jason Carter, Executive Director of the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association, moderated a“Fertility- Fact or Fiction” discussion from a panel including Dr. Bill Beal-professor emeritus from Virginia Tech, Cliff Marshal- Vice President of Operations from Select Sires, Inc. and Bill Tucker- owner of Tucker Family Farms.  The trio shared their thoughts and provided insights as the crowd asked questions ranging from what is the right number of cows per bull to how to manage a synchronization program.  At one point, the crowd and the panelist were so engaged that Dr. Beal had to stand up. Great discussion and good fellowship more than outweighed the travel time to get there.  A big THANK YOU to the sponsors who helped make a great event.  They were as follows: Southern States, Novartis, May Building Supply, Pfizer, Select Sire Power, First Bank and Trust, Blue Ridge Soil and Water Conservation, Veterinary Services, Montgomery Co. Farm Bureau, Franklin Co. Farm Bureau, VA Farm Bureau, Anderson Tractor and Equipment, Southern States- Martinsville Coop., Rocky Mount Tractor, Genex, Daltons on the Sycamore, Farm Credit and Country Mortgages, Southside Large Animal Clinic, Renaissance Animal Nutrition, and Americo Energy, LLC.

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Virginia Cattleman Attends Elite Beef Industry Conference

 WASHINGTON (June 8, 2012) –  Steve Furrow, Beef and Product Promotions Manager at Select Sire Power, Inc., was one of more than 50 young cattlemen and women selected to participate in the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) 33rd Young Cattlemen’s Conference (YCC). Furrow was  sponsored by the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association. The YCC program is a comprehensive, nationwide tour of beef industry sectors, created to enhance leadership skills in your beef industry professionals.
 
“YCC is a prestigious and competitive program designed to foster the future leadership of our industry,” said Forrest Roberts, NCBA chief executive officer. “The participants selected to attend YCC were chosen because of their exceptional contributions to the beef industry and their potential to be a strong voice in our future development. I look forward to seeing Mary take an increased leadership role within NCBA and the beef industry.”  
  
Furrow grew up in Virginia raising cattle on his grandfather’s Angus farm. Today, as President of Lazy Acres Angus, Inc., he carries on the  legacy as the fourth generation to raise cattle in Rocky Mount, VA.  In addition to the cattle business, Furrow works as Beef and Product Promotions Manager at Select Sire Power, Inc., one of 9 cooperatives that comprise Select Sires. He is incoming President of the VA Cattlemen’s Association and has been very involved in numerous agricultural organizations.  
  
Furrow married his high school sweetheart, Lettitia, and together have two children, Ethan, 3 and Benjamin, 1.  “This was a tremendous opportunity to meet other producers and learn valuable tools to take back home to our operations,” he said. “It’s great to learn how we as producers can have an impact on policy issues as well.”
 
The  eight day tour began at NCBA headquarters in Denver, Colo., where participants were given an organizational overview of NCBA and the Beef Checkoff Program.  While in Denver, the group also heard from representatives of Cattle Fax and the U.S. Meat Export Federation. They toured a Safeway retail store and learned about Rancher’s Reserve brand beef marketing efforts. The group spent a day in Greeley, Colo., visiting JBS Five Rivers feed yards and processing facilities. 
 
“It is really important for participants to see each sector of the beef industry –
from farm to fork,” said Furrow. “Traveling from a cow/calf ranch to a feedlot
and processing plant really drives home the point that our industry is composed
of many sectors, sectors that are all striving to produce a healthy end product.” In Chicago, the group met with the senior management of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange at the Chicago Board of Trade. They had the chance to watch the activity on the trading floor and witness futures trading firsthand.

Participants also visited Otto & Sons Industries, a family owned company
providing quality products and custom solutions for the food industry since
1909. This tour offered a view of how boxed beef is turned into custom order
portions for both major restaurant chains and some of the nation’s top
steakhouses. 

The group then traveled to Washington, D.C., where participants were greeted at a reception hosted by John Deere. The following morning, the group received
an issues briefing from NCBA’s government affairs staff about policy issues
currently facing the cattle industry.

 Later in the day, these future leaders were given the opportunity to visit one-on-one with members of their state’s congressional delegation, expressing their
 viewpoints regarding the beef industry and their cattle operations. During
 their congressional visits, participants focused on issues including the 2012
 Farm Bill, federal lands ranching and overreaching regulations proposed by the
 Environmental Protection Agency. 

The group then traveled to Aldie, Va., for a tour and barbeque at Whitestone Farms, one of the nation’s elite purebred Angus operations.  

For more information on the YCC program or to nominate someone for next year’s tour, contact your state cattlemen’s association or Marvin Kokes at 303-850-3339 or  mkokes@beef.org.