News & Notes
Stay current with headlines important to today’s beef producer.
March 20, 2025
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Ag Secretary takes action Day 1
On her first full day in office Feb. 14, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins took bold action, the agency reported, to advance President Trump’s agenda and ensure the USDA serves American farmers, ranchers, loggers and the ag community.
Among seven key initiatives detailed in “News from the Hill” in the Feb. 19 Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, Rollins issued a memorandum rescinding all Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) programs and celebrations. Instead, USDA will prioritize unity, equality, meritocracy and color-blind policies.
She sent a letter to the nation’s governors, outlining her vision for USDA and inviting them to participate in a new “laboratories for innovation” initiative.
She also reviewed and implemented findings from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to optimize the USDA workforce, the full details of which are located on the USDA website.
Jentz Promoted to Chief Operating Officer
Casey Jentz brings a deep respect for the history of the Angus breed paired with a passion for the future to his new role as COO of the American Angus Association.
“Angus is the heartbeat of the beef industry,” Jentz says. “The people before us have done a great job of leading Angus and positioning the breed as a leader in the industry. We can build on that and push forward into the future.”
For more than 10 years, Jentz has served as regional manager in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. During that time, he worked directly with Association members helping them understand Association programs, market their cattle with Angus Media services and answer their questions.
In his new role, Jentz will be responsible for direction and strategy of several departments, including member and field services, communications, performance programs, commercial programs, and events and junior activities.
“We are thrilled to promote Casey to this new role,” says Mark McCully, CEO. “Not only does he have years of experience working with Angus breeders in the field, but his knowledge of the Association and its programs will also be invaluable as COO. In particular, I love Casey’s unwavering commitment to the breed.”
It’s the Angus family that drives Jentz.
“The Angus business is a combination of great people and great cattle, where great things can happen,” he says.
“There are a lot of things that get me excited with possibilities for the future,” he says. Whether that’s seeing a great Angus cow, meeting a new member or seeing the future through the eyes of a junior, Jentz is looking forward to his new role.
Jentz assumed the role of COO March 3. He and his wife, Kayla, and their two daughters will be relocating to Saint Joseph, Mo., in the coming months.
A position for a new regional manager in Jentz’s territory has been posted on www.Angus.org/careers.
Mandatory labeling of beef by country of origin reintroduced
On Feb. 5 U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) reintroduced the American Beef Labeling Act to reinstate mandatory country-of-origin labeling (sometimes referred to as mCOOL) for beef.
The legislation would insert “beef” and “ground beef” back into the existing mandatory country-of-origin labeling law that requires country-of-origin labels on many food commodities, including meat from chickens, sheep and goats.
The proposed legislation would allow delay of the implementation of mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef for up to one year, allowing the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and the ag secretary six months to develop the means of reinstating mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef in a way that complies with the applicable rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The initial six-month period would then be followed by a second six-month period, during which the USTR and ag secretary may implement mandatory country-of-origin labeling by the means they have developed.
Read the full text of the legislation at https://bit.ly/4hE5pIM.
Angus Foundation Scholarship applications open
Since 1998, the Angus Foundation has championed the success of Angus youth by investing in their education. In the past 27 years, the Angus Foundation has awarded more than $4.9 million in scholarships, including $388,500 in 2024 alone. These scholarships help support students in their educational endeavors. Applications opened Feb. 1 and are due by May 1.
Angus Foundation undergraduate and graduate scholarship applications are available to National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) members through their American Angus Association login.
In addition to offering scholarship opportunities to NJAA members, the Angus Foundation also offers opportunities to youth from a commercial cattle operation background through the Commercial Cattlemen Scholarship program (see “Commercial Cattlemen Scholarship”).
Applications for the Angus Foundation’s Certified Angus Beef/NJAA and Commercial Cattlemen Scholarships can be accessed online at www.angus.org/foundation and submitted through email.
Food for Peace move to USDA suggested
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) Feb. 13 spoke on the Senate floor about legislation he introduced that would move the administration of the Food for Peace program to the USDA. Moran highlighted the importance of Food for Peace for national security, feeding the hungry and providing a market for American farmers.
“In conjunction with the President’s action, I’ve introduced a bill with Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) and Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Rep. Tracey Mann (KS-01) to move Food for Peace from the turbulent USAID and move it to the Department of Agriculture in an effort to prevent waste and bring the program closer to farmers that depend upon it,” said Moran. “By placing Food for Peace under USDA’s authority, we can make certain that the program is in good hands and can continue to bring revenue to American agriculture.”
Overall top-indexing bull in Clemson test
Wells Farm, Rayle, Ga., consigned the overall top-indexing bull on test and top-indexing Angus bull to the 2025 Clemson University Bull Test, Feb. 1, in Clemson, S.C. Wells Jameson W328 is a September 2023 son of Basin Jameson 1076. He posted an average daily gain of 6.71 pounds (lb.), with an adjusted yearling weight of 1,571 lb. and an off-test weight of 1,782 lb. Pictured are (from left) Erica Webb and Johnathan Wells, Berry-Wells Farm. [Photo by Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service.]
Rollins takes actions to optimize USDA
On Feb. 14, Ag Secretary Rollins addressed more than 400 USDA staffers, stakeholders and friends pledging to bring greater efficiency to USDA to ensure it better serves American farmers, ranchers and the ag community. She reviewed the DOGE findings and welcomed the opportunity to optimize the USDA workforce and stop wasteful spending.
Since Jan. 20, USDA has begun a comprehensive review of contracts, personnel and employee trainings, and DEIA programs.
In its first round of reforms, USDA terminated 78 contracts totaling more than $132 million. Additionally, more than 1,000 contracts are currently under review for potential termination. Examples of contracts terminated or proposed procurements discontinued before going into effect include:
- media contracts, including Politico subscriptions: $2.77 million;
- DEI onboarding specialist: $374,000;
- diversity dialogue workshops: $254,000;
- Brazilian forest and gender consultant: $229,000; and
- Central American gender assessment consultant: $29,000.
USDA is pursuing an aggressive plan to optimize its workforce by eliminating positions that are no longer necessary, bringing its workforce back to the office, and relocating employees out of the National Capital region into the nation’s heartland to allow rural communities to flourish.
Rollins says she will review thousands of contracts, grants, cooperative agreements and spending across the agency to ensure every dollar is spent as effectively as possible.
Commercial Cattlemen Scholarship
The Angus Foundation will award five $1,500 scholarships to undergraduate students who use Angus genetics in a commercial cattle operation’s breeding program or whose parents use Angus genetics. Emphasis will be placed on applicants’ knowledge of the cattle industry and perspective of the Angus breed.
The applicant or their parent/guardian must have transferred or been transferred an Angus registration paper in the last 36 months (on or after May 1, 2022) and must be considered commercial and not seedstock in their operation. The scholarship applies to any field of study.
“This scholarship program is designed to support students with a commercial cattle background in the beef industry,” says Jaclyn Boester, Angus Foundation executive director. “Supporting youth in their education is an important part of the Foundation’s mission.”
Boester elaborated on the scholarship program noting, “The Angus Foundation scholarships are one of the most prominent and consistent ways our donors support Angus youth. Our scholarships pave the way for a bright future for our industry by ensuring young people can reach their full potential.”
To download the application, visit https://bit.ly/3X1XWeh. Scholarship applications should be submitted to scholarships@angus.org by May 1, 2025.
White paper looks at future of phenotyping, commercial data
A white paper released by Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI) Jan. 28, with support from the Angus Foundation, discusses the future of phenotyping and expansion of data collection into the commercial sector. Written by Troy Rowan, assistant professor of beef cattle genomics at the University of Tennessee–Knoxville, the paper examines industry research and results from Imagine: AGI’s Beef Genetics Forum, which took place Sept. 25-26, 2024. The event was attended by professionals from academic, research, allied industry and ranching backgrounds.
One of the major themes of the paper is the numerous technological developments poised to affect phenotype collection. Examples include computer-vision technology and wearable sensors.
“By using these technologies to measure traits on continuous scales rather than the categorical scales we currently use for traits like hair shedding or foot angle, we can increase precision of phenotype measurements and consequently increase the quality of EPDs (expected progeny differences) over time,” Rowan says.
Rowan also discusses in the paper the types of data most important and economically viable for the industry to pursue.
“We should work on developing genetic selection tools that capture all elements of commercial profitability, continuing to improve yield and the eating experience of our end product while also making our cow herd more efficient, adapted and productive,” Rowan says.
Advancing terminal and maternal traits, health and other challenging areas of production require data integration and more advanced tools, he says in the paper.
André Garcia, senior geneticist with AGI, says AGI is uniquely positioned to help facilitate these conversations, and the white paper will help to advance discussions.
“We have a lot of discussion about the importance of commercial data, but the underlying question is how to make collection an easier process,” Garcia says. “It will take a coordinated effort to tackle these issues, on all fronts, really — the technology development and application, costs, data sharing, use of the data, etc.”
The complete white paper is available online here.
Topics: News , Events , Industry News , Association News , Award winner , Policy , Record Keeping
Publication: Angus Beef Bulletin
Issue: April 2025
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