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Oregon Cattlemen's
Association and Oregon Cattlewomen’s New Activities Planned for Young Cattlemen at OCA’s 2009 Convention! We are excited to announce several new opportunities for OCA’s younger members to become more involved in the association and build a network of contacts within the livestock industry. OCA recognizes that involving the younger generation in the association is one of the keys to keeping the organization strong, as our young cattlemen bring fresh ideas, lots of enthusiasm, and great abilities for expressing the voice of our industry. People often ask what age qualifies to be a “young” cattlemen. For purposes of the activities described below, we have deliberately not set any kind of an age limit but would rather like to invite all those “young at heart” to participate. As we have developed these activities, we have thought about younger members that might still be in college who may be considering going back to a family ranch or looking for a job within the cattle industry. We also want to reach out to younger members who are already back on the ranch and may be interested in additional employment opportunities or those working in the industry who would like to get back to the ranch if it could be economically feasible. With all of the above in mind, here are the activities planned specifically for you! Young Cattlemen’s Reception The Young Cattlemen’s Reception will be a great opportunity for younger members to meet people who are already established in the cattle industry and work in all different aspects of the business. We hope that it will be a time for both students and for young producers (who may be back on the ranch but need some extra income) to find out about different career paths or possible part-time jobs. This is a chance to find out what it is really like to be a breed association representative, work for an animal pharmaceutical company, work at a feedlot, etc. by having the opportunity to talk with people currently in those positions. The reception is a time to ask questions about the type of background needed for different positions as well as how to go about finding a job in the industry. For the industry representatives participating in the reception, we hope it will be a chance to interact with some of the best and brightest coming up in the beef industry and to possibly recruit some top talent for any internships, summer jobs, or permanent positions that might be available. Young Cattlemen’s Table At each of the meals during the convention, we will have a designated “Young Cattlemen’s Table” where younger members can sit and visit with other OCA members and industry representatives also at the table. Again, this is a chance for younger members to get to know more people within the association and the industry while giving the established OCA members and industry representatives the opportunity to enjoy the enthusiasm and fresh perspectives of our younger members! Watch for signs designating the Young Cattlemen’s Table when you get to convention. Whether you are a young cattlemen or an established member of the association and industry, we’d love to see you there! It would be great to have so many people that we end up needing additional tables! More Opportunities During the Young Cattlemen’s meeting at convention, we will have the opportunity to hear from Lynn Voigt, recently named the State Executive Director for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Oregon. Mr. Voigt will present the latest information regarding FSA loan programs for young farmers and ranchers. We are excited to have Mr. Voigt, as he presented information at the 2008 OCA Convention, but due to time constraints, was not able to go into a lot of detail. Given the great amount of interest in hearing more about the FSA programs, we really appreciate Mr. Voigt’s willingness to come back and share the latest information and answer any questions you may have. In addition to the activities described above, OCA is also hoping to help offset some of the costs for young cattlemen coming to the annual convention. First, during the 2009 Convention, OCA will hold a drawing to give away a complete registration package for the 2010 Annual Convention. All of the young cattlemen registering for this year’s convention will be eligible to win. Second, we are offering reduced registration fees for young cattlemen to register for the 2009 Convention, see the Convention registration information in this issue. Register early to receive the discounted rate, made possible by the outstanding allied industry members that support the convention! Please note that for these opportunities, we have set an age “limit” at 40 years of age just to help us determine who is eligible, but as stated above, all of the “young cattlemen” activities of the association are open to anyone who is interested! Further, mark your calendars now for the Young Cattlemen’s Conference and Tour to be held January 22-23, 2010! OCA, in partnership with the Washington Cattlemen’s Association (WCA), is currently in the planning process to develop an outstanding opportunity for young cattlemen in both states to tour premier beef industry facilities and hear from nationally renowned speakers without having to travel too far from home. The tour portion of the event will focus around the Pendleton and Boardman areas of Oregon and will include travel to the Tri-Cities area of Washington. For the conference portion, the group will attend the 6th Annual Cattlemen’s Workshop in La Grande. The workshop has quickly become known for bringing in renowned speakers from all aspects of the cattle industry that normally producers would have to travel to national association meetings to hear. More information about this event will be announced at the 2009 Convention and in future issues of the Oregon Beef Producer, so be sure to stay tuned for all the details! Lastly, we would like to start a young cattlemen’s e-mail list to improve our communication about upcoming events, topics of interest to our younger members that could be addressed at OCA meetings, etc. If you would like to be added to the list or know someone to add, please send names and e-mail addresses to Katie Goff at the OCA office (katiegoff@orcattle.com) or Julie Laird, Young Cattlemen’s Committee Chair (julielaird@wildblue.net). We look forward to seeing all of you at the 2009 Convention! |