July 10, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information contact:
Laurin Spraberry, public relations and communications intern, at 816-383-5100 or printern@angus.org; or
Milford Jenkins, Angus Foundation president, at 816-383-5100 or mjenkins@angusfoundation.org
Dedicated to Youth, Eddie and Connie Sydenstricker
Eddie and Connie Sydenstricker, Sydenstricker Genetics, recognized as 2013 Honorary Angus Foundation inductees.
Eddie and Connie Sydenstricker of Sydenstricker Genetics, Mexico, Mo., have devoted their lives to improving not only the Angus breed and National Junior Angus Association (NJAA), but also the entire agricultural industry. To recognize their loyalty and commitment, the NJAA chose to induct the Sydenstrickers into the Honorary Angus Foundation during the 2013 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) in Kansas City, Mo.
“Loyal supporters of the Angus Foundation long-before I first met them in 2004, Eddie and Connie are always interested in knowing and learning how they can help us,” says Milford Jenkins, Angus Foundation president. “The Sydenstrickers do not just recognize they have a responsibility to give back to the Angus breed that has been a major part of their lives and Eddie’s late father Ralph Sydenstricker, they also take action by making a difference in the lives of Angus youth and their fellow Angus breeders through their support.”
Long-time supporters of the Angus Foundation, the Sydenstrickers have donated the heifer for the 1993 and 2012 Angus Foundation Heifer Package, contributed numerous gifts for fundraising events and most recently purchased the “Aberdeen Angus” wine barrel in support of the 2013 NJAS being hosted by the Missouri Junior Angus Association.
Eddie Sydenstricker was involved in forming the first-ever statewide junior Angus Association in 1956, and he served as its first president. He also served the Missouri Angus Association as treasurer for many years and gave three years of his time to the American Angus Association® Board of Directors.
The Sydenstrickers got started in the Angus breed in 1952, when Eddie’s father, Ralph, founded Sydenstricker Angus Farms. With the help of loyal employees, Eddie and his wife have expanded the business to focus primarily on providing customers with predictable Angus genetics that supply economically important traits. They currently calve about 800 head of cattle each year, with 20-25 percent being embryo transplant calves. The herd is maintained on 2,500 owned and 750 leased acres.
Longtime employee Ben Eggers says the family has been one of the strongest supporters of the junior Angus programs: “Through the years, in countless ways, Eddie and Connie’s support of the Missouri juniors and NJAA has been unwavering and substantial.”
In 1985, the NJAA Board of Directors established the Honorary Angus Foundation to recognize and thank those who have shown incredible support for Angus youth. Seven Angus breeders were honored as the first inductees, and each year the NJAA honors a maximum of three individuals. Any member of the American Angus Association is eligible to nominate individuals or organizations for the Honorary Angus Foundation. A complete list of members can be found online.
For more news and information from the 2013 NJAS, visit www.ANGUS.org to find contest results, awards, scholarships and show photos. Backdrop and candid photos are available for purchase online. Coverage is available on the NJAA Facebook page, as well.
Also, plan to tune in to a special NJAS episode of The Angus Report at 7:30 a.m. (central) Monday, July 22 on RFD-TV.
ANGUS MEANS BUSINESS. The American Angus Association is the nation’s largest beef breed organization, serving more than 25,000 members across the United States, Canada and several other countries. It’s home to an extensive breed registry that grows by nearly 300,000 animals each year. The Association also provides programs and services to farmers, ranchers and others who rely on Angus to produce quality genetics for the beef industry and quality beef for consumers.
For more information about Angus cattle and the American Angus Association, visitwww.ANGUS.org.
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