ACA Bulletin          

WORDS FROM YOUR BOARD MEMBER:
Hope this finds everyone happy and healthy after the Holiday Season. Things haves been dry around Talmo. Yes, we still need rain and things are a little tuff as far as Hay and water. We will survive. Mother Nature always seems to take care of us.

The ACA had another great National event. The quality of Chianina cattle was something to behold. Thanks to the breeders that were there. I know what it takes to get the cattle ready and the dollars it takes to present them. For those of you that did not make it this year, we missed you and we know who you are and will be looking for you in the future. The association once again raised a good bit of money to go toward the ongoing costs of running our association. THANKS to all of you who helped and continue to support the association.

We are sorry that Ed Miller will be leaving us. He will be truly missed. Ed seemed to be the person to go to when you had any kind of question or problem. He has the skills to handle any question we throw at him. It will he hard to fill his shoes. We wish you and your family much happiness.

That means there will be some changes in the staff at the ACA. Your CEO has been working hard to fill the Performance and Marketing position and we have recently hired someone to take over the job.

As a board member I want to encourage you to talk to your board members at any time, whether you have a pat on the back for your association or a problem with whatever may be going on in your program. You elected us and we are here to help.

Hope to see you all soon.

Sincerely,
Jill Miller

ACA ANNOUNCES HIRING OF NEW MARKETING DIRECTOR
The ACA is pleased to announce that beginning January 1, 2008, Ed Creason will begin his tenure as the Director of Marketing and Performance.

For over seven years, Ed Miller was employed in that position – a position that encompasses all that goes on in a breed association. Many breeders got to know Ed Miller and contacted him often. As you know, he has gone on to become a bona fide rancher in Texas with his wife, Laurel and their 2 children, Sloan and Tatum. They will surely become Chi breeders of note and we all wish them well.

Ed Creason has a farm and 4-H and FFA background. He loves showing and is very good at show ring preparation. He is also very industry oriented, having received a BS in Animal Sciences at the University of Missouri and his Master’s Degree under Dr. Bob Weaber in Animal Sciences with an emphasis in Applied Breeding and Genetics.

Creason took several years after his BS degree to get some “hand to hand combat” experience with a national semen distributor where he learned a lot about marketing, A.I. and estrus synchronization.

Ed is a leader and a worker with the background, training and intelligence to go with it.

We feel very fortunate to have Ed Creason on board who can help our breeders better help themselves. With his degree, background and training in genetics and quantitative analysis, Ed chose to utilize his passion for animal agriculture with the ACA, rather than the sometimes more lucrative other opportunities available to him.

I’m sure our breeders and the other parts of the industry he touches will accept him well and he’ll respond enthusiastically to become a positive force for ACA, the beef business and society.

Please read his article in the Chi Performance section of the journal to learn more about him.

Welcome aboard Ed!

NATIONAL C.U.P. LAB INTRODUCES NEW ULTRASOUND INTERPRETATION SYSTEM
The National Centralized Ultrasound Processing (CUP) Lab & Technology Center recently announced the completion and introduction of computer software that offers “chute-side” image interpretation of beef cattle in addition to state-of-the-art image capture technology. CUP’s Ultrasound Image Capture System, or UICS, is the newest and most advanced tool that estimates USDA Yield and Quality Grade as the animals are scanned. This feature allows feedlot operators to make sorting or marketing decisions before the animal leaves the chute. Commercial cattlemen can also use the software to adjust replacement heifers to a common age to make breeding or culling decisions.

For certified scanning technicians, UICS is truly the first paperless system on the market, using electronic chute order forms and barnsheets. This feature eliminates the need for postal mail or a fax machine by allowing technicians, feedlot operators and breeders to upload images and paperwork via the internet. The program is also available to anyone wishing to utilize ultrasound as a selection or marketing tool, but requires an approved carcass ultrasound machine and a comprehensive training course. For more information on carcass ultrasound technology, training or the new UICS program, please contact The National CUP Lab at (515) 232-9442.

ULTRASOUND DATA GUIDELINES
As a reminder, in order for ultrasound data to be entered with the ACA and adjustments made, all cattle must be registered. Please make sure the ultrasound technician has registration numbers to submit with the data.

Data received without registration numbers will not be processed.

If you have any questions, please contact the ACA staff.