Headquarters, Blake Nelson

MAINE-ANJOU Headquarters

M. BLAKE NELSON AMAA Executive Vice President

Greetings,

Well, this summer has flown by! The National Junior Heifer Show was a tremendous event due to the hard work of Lindsey Broek, her team as well as all the great sponsors. The Oklahoma Maine-Anjou Association were great hosts and helped provide a great experience for the many junior members and their families that attended. The 500 juniors representing 24 states exhibited over 625 head of Maine- Anjou cattle the end of June in Chickasha, Okla., which is a record number of head shown. This event is one of the major highlights for the American Maine-Anjou Association (AMAA) each year by supplying an educational opportunity for our future leaders and showcasing some of the best cattle that Maine-Anjou has to offer. After leaving this event I feel both motivated and very blessed by the members that have and are investing in our breed, thank you!

Just recently we have had two AMAA employees that have moved on to other opportunities. Rhonda Boddicker is retiring and I want to recognize and show my appreciation for Rhonda’s work and commitment to the AMAA, she has been an intricate part of the headquarters and the AMAA for over 30 years. Rhonda had been a great friend and mentor to many in our office and the breed. I also want to thank Paige Jones for her outstanding work with DNA and social media the last few years. I hate to see these ladies move on but I wish both of you the best and once again thank you for your contribution in the betterment of the American Maine-Anjou Association.

There are so many things to be planning for this fall; state fairs, national shows and the many spring born sales that will be offered. This is always our busiest time in the office so please work with us and we will do our very best to take care of your registration and transfer needs. Remember when you are registering cattle that need to be tested there will be a minimum of thirty days required to get test results, please plan accordingly.

Some other activities that it is time to start planning for are our two AMAA National Sales which are the Bright Lights Sale in Oklahoma City and the National Western Online Sale in Denver. The Bright Lights sale has historically featured some of the very best herd sire prospects and females that our breeders have to offer. The National Western Online Sale is held in conjunction with the NWSS in the yards. This is an excellent opportunity to market your program at the Super Bowl of livestock shows. The nominations forms will be available in the coming months and if you have any questions please contact us.

Our new genetic evaluation will be finished very soon and uploaded into Digital Beef. Take a look and if you have any questions or concerns please contact us at your convenience. I would like to wrap up by thanking all the sponsors, volunteers, families and our staff that played a part in the Maine-Anjou National Junior Heifer Show, great job!! We truly have some of the most dedicated, selfless people in the cattle business that support Maine-Anjou and its members.

Best Regards, Blake MAINE-ANJOU - Vision, Vigor, Value!