Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/56441
Saturday, February 25, 2012 – Daily News 5A Agriculture & farm We were part of the crowd of 3,000 to hear and see former President George W. Bush speak at the Ag Warriors Gala, during the World Ag Expo in a huge tent (56,000 sq. ft.) on the grounds. Ticket prices ranged from $50 to upwards of $25,000 for a table of 10. The priciest tickets included a complete din- ner with china and crystal, white table cloth, a beef entrée, a meet-and-greet with Bush and an auto- graphed copy of his book "Decision Points." Bush was the keynote Local breeders recognized nationally Several Tehama County breeders have been recognized nationally by the American Angus Association in the 2012 Pathfinder Report. Results are as follows: •Tehama Angus Ranch of Gerber was recog- nized for having 21 registered Angus cows and two registered Angus bulls included in the Asso- ciation's 2012 Pathfinder Report. • Gary J and Patricia Ford of Red Bluff were recognized for having one registered Angus cow included in the report. • David J Holden, Red Bluff, California, has been recognized nationally for having 1 regis- tered Angus cow included in the report. • Byrd Cattle Company LLC, Red Bluff, has been recognized nationally for having 1 regis- tered Angus cow included in the report. Only 2,027 of the nearly 30,000 American Angus Association members are represented in this year's report, according to Bill Bowman, chief operating officer and director of perfor- mance programs of the Association with head- quarters in Saint Joseph, Mo. The Pathfinder program identifies superior Angus cows based upon recorded performance traits economically important to efficient beef production. These traits include early and regular calving and heavy weaning weights, Bowman says. Over 1.9 million eligible dams and more than 6.5 million weaning records were examined to determine Pathfinder status. All registered Angus cows that meet the strict Pathfinder stan- dards are listed, along with their owners, in the Pathfinder Report that is published annually by the Association. The 2012 report lists 8,761 individual cows and 231 Pathfinder sires. It is published online at www.angus.org, and printed copies are available from the Association. The largest number of Pathfinder cows from a single herd this year is 74. Started in 1978, the Pathfinder Program continues to recognize outstanding breeders participating in the Angus Herd Improvement Records Program. The Pathfinder Program identifies superior Angus cows based upon recorded performance traits that are economically important to efficient beef production. Over 1.9 million eligible dams and more than 6.5 million weaning records were examined to determine Pathfinder status. In addition, bulls that have sired a minimum of five or more Pathfinder Cows are recognized as Pathfinder Sires. All registered Angus cows and sires meeting the strict Pathfinder standards are listed, along with their owners, in the annual Pathfinder Report. speaker at the event to benefit a newly formed program training military veterans for careers in agriculture. The program will work with California State University, Fresno; Cal Poly; College of the Sequoias in Visalia and West Hills College. Participants will be given classwork, field work, exam preparation, testing, mentorship and internships in the agricul- tural industry. The pro- gram isn‚t up and running yet, but generating lots of interest locally and nationally. New York City's singing policeman, Daniel Rodriguez opened the Gala singing Star Spangled Banner. He was followed by the Ag Warrior Orchestra play- ing old favorites like Yankee Doodle Dandy, This is my Country, You're a Grand Old Flag, Over There, and the themes of the various military branches, con- cluding with Stars and Stripes Forever. When President Bush was introduced there was cheering, shouts and a standing ovation from the audience. We were not allowed to use recording devices, cell phones or cameras and the media was allowed to listen to only the first three minutes of his speech. The audience complied. The Fresno Bee — "Bush spoke about his transition from public life to a private life, calling it liberating. His wife, Laura, asked him soon after leaving Washington, D.C., how he was feeling and he said: 'Free at last.'" Our evening hearing the President speak was another high light of the World Ag Expo. The previous night we had tickets for the Trace Adkins "Concerts for a ranch World Ag Expo Courtesy photo The World Ag Expo was cold and damp; coats and jackets plus vests were worn by California CattleWomen members Adele Bartholomew, Tammi McElroy, Linda Arata, Melanie Fowle and Jean Barton as they worked in the CCW booth. Cause," with proceeds to benefit ag education at local, state and national levels. No cameras, etc Jean allowed, but everyone was standing using their smart phones, and the nearby man was using his cam- corder. It was a rude audience that stood all the time, blocking your view of the stage and the large screens. Since the people in front of us must have been football players with wide shoulders as well as tall, we left after three songs. Barton The Beef & Livestock pavil- ion had demon- strations in the two arenas dur- ing the day, and there was a small crowd watching the horse "Equine Vitals, head to tail," "Equine Injury First Response" with Coleen Davis or "Comfort your horse and your body" with Kevin Keeler. If you want a crowd, just have a stock dog working cattle. They were four deep around the arena and both grand- stands were filled when Ryan Pascoe and Blaine Ketscher demonstrated cow dog training. The adjacent booth was the Moly Mfg. Silencer booth with sales rep Art Leetch and a diesel heater. It was won- derful to be able to thaw out, because our pavilion was a large tent with openings on all four sides so the cold breeze came in. The weather was changeable, with rain in the mornings, then sun- shine and puffy clouds, while it was dark to the north and east. He said he had had the heater at Red Bluff Bull Sale, and that Silencer squeeze chute was deliv- ered to Jack Cowley in Montague after the bull sale. A CCW cattle- woman Pat Shepherd had purchased this chute at WAE for her husband as a Christmas and Valentine's present. Several times during the day a second Silencer was used in demonstra- tions in the arena. Jon Mollhagen demonstrated Low Stress Cattle Han- dling, then it was used to hold the heifers in John Openshaw's Carcass Evaluation and Preg. Checking & Digital Tech. demonstrations, or How your ultrasound works with Gary Verserat. It was a 13-hour bus trip from Utah for a group of 30 FFA members. As we left on Thursday we noticed school buses lined up in the parking lot, and were told that there would be many students visiting that day, as well as the previous days. Each day in the heated World Ag Women Pavil- ion there were cooking demonstrations by chefs and you got to taste what they had prepared earlier. We watched a tomato/meat sauce demonstration for pasta using a cup of chopped garlic and a gallon of tomato puree plus other ingredients, simmered for 4 to 6 hours. Don't know how he kept it from burning. We also watched an Antique Quilt Show of 19th cen- tury quilts as the owner told about each one in her collection. In the Farm Credit Dairy Center, we enjoyed the chocolate milk a Dairy Princess handed out at the Real California Milk exhibit. Delicious, rich and creamy. The official program listed 34 food booths run by service clubs, schools, and churches. The Sundale Union School served only Rib- eye Steak Sandwichs, beans and drinks on the South Greenbelt between K & L Streets. No hot dogs, hamburgers or Lin- guica. There was a large Harris Ranch Beef ban- ner on the wall, and the men were barbecuing steaks on large grills. I asked how many pounds they planned to serve, and I was told, 10,000 lbs of ribeyes were ordered to make 20,000 sandwiches. At noon time all the service win- dows were busy filling the orders. Assemblymember, 5th District, Dr. Richard Pan visited our booth with his Chief of Staff, Crystal Strait and perhaps there were other legislators at the World Ag Expo. Forgot to mention Kern County Cattle- Woman Erin Rogers who came with Sheila Bowen to help build the booth on Monday, and returned to help take it down on Thursday. It was interesting to note the almonds were in bloom in Tehama County and just in bud Stockton southward. Must be cool- er due to the bay breezes. The early peaches were in bloom, and there were large orchards of pink near and south of Fresno. Jean Barton can be reached at jbarton@theskybeam.co m. Almond Board of California election results The Almond Board of Cali- fornia has released election results for the Board of Direc- tors positions, whose terms of office are March 1 through Feb. 28, 2013. The names of the following nominees have been sent to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture for approval and appointment: Independent Grower Position One, Member (One- year term): Brad Klump, Escalon Position One, Alternate: Mike Mason, Wasco Position Three, Member (Three-year term): Scott FIREARMS TRAINING Call for Class details March 3RD & 4TH Walt Mansell 527-1154 Early morning & evenings Your tax experts 32 Years Plus Experience "Enrolled to practice before the IRS" Open Year-Round New Clients Welcome www.lassentax.com Enrolled Agents: Rose Hablitzel, EA Rex Cerro, EA (530) 527-8225 208 Elm St., Red Bluff All major Credit Cards accepted Hunter, Atwater Position Three, Alternate: Holly King, Fresno Independent Handler Position Two, Member (Three-year term): Dexter Long, Ballico Position Two, Alternate: Todd Meyer, Chico Position Three, Member (One-year term): Keith Rigg, Le Grand Position Three, Alternate: Dinesh Bajaj, Orland Cooperative Grower Member (Three-year term): Bill Brush, Modesto Alternate: Tony Ramos, Newly Remodeled! RIDGEWAY PARK RECREATION HALL & GYMNASIUM Available for events, meetings & team practices Tehama County Parks for reservation information Reasonable rates Call An alcohol-free facility 528-1111 COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened 30K, 60K, 90K SERVICES AT LOWER PRICES Smog Check starting at $ (most cars and pick-ups) 2595 + cert. Pass or FREE retest 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. Fresno The Almond Board of Cali- fornia administers a grower- enacted Federal Marketing Order under the supervision of the United States Department of Agriculture. For more infor- mation, visit AlmondBoard.com.