March 26, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For More Information Contact:

Holly Martin

816-383-5143

HMartin@angus.org

Angus Foundation Announces Talon Youth Education Learning Program Intern and Host Ranch

Sydney Heims, Monticello, Iowa, will intern with Point Pleasant Angus, Bland, Virginia.

The Angus Foundation introduces Sydney Heims, Monticello, Iowa, as one of the 2020 Talon Youth Education Learning Program Interns, which will give her the opportunity to have real-world cattle experience this summer. Heims will intern with Point Pleasant Angus, Bland, Virginia.

 “By completing this internship, I hope to experience practical veterinary tasks, sales preparation and execution, artificial insemination, and pregnancy checking,” Heims said. “I want to learn how to determine the best time to sell and learn better ways to keep cattle and farm expense records.”

The Talon Youth Education Learning Program internship is the legacy of the late Camron “Cam” Cooper of The Talon Ranch, Twin Bridges, Montana. Cooper set up the Angus/Talon Youth Education Learning Program Endowment Fund in 2009 to be a holistic educational experience for students.

The internship program pairs motivated Angus youth with working registered Angus breeders/ranches to provide youth valuable education and work experience for a summer. The internship program is open to college sophomores, juniors, seniors, graduate students and recent college graduates under age 25 who are majoring in an agricultural field of study.

Heims is a sophomore at Iowa State University, where she is pursuing an agriculture business degree. Her future goals are to educate others about vaccinations in livestock and how that affects the meat we eat and to find a way to increase the number of Angus beef cattle in the livestock industry.

In addition, Heims is a member of the Jones County Cattlemen and currently serves as treasurer for the Agriculture Marketing Organization. She is also an active member of the Agriculture Business Club at Iowa State University.

“The Talon Youth Education Learning Program is a hands-on program that gives students a unique opportunity,” said Thomas Marten, Angus Foundation executive director. “Interns experience firsthand what it’s like to run a cattle operation every day, which will encourage future cattlemen and women to enter the Angus business.”

Point Pleasant Angus is a 170-head registered Angus herd on 230 acres in Virginia. Heims will work with show cattle and attend several regional shows and veterinary visits. She will learn about nutrition, ear tagging, tattooing and herd health. The internship will center around daily care of the cattle, including feeding and grooming, and preparing cattle for shows and production sales. She also will assist with heat detection, mating, and seasonal artificial insemination (AI) breeding and herd bull clean up breeding.

“We believe the future of our industry, breed and farm lie in future generations,” said Jennifer Friedel, Point Pleasant Angus owner. “We look forward to mentoring Sydney in both practical ranching skills and personal development.”

Since the creation of the Talon Youth Education Learning Program, five interns have been hosted by ranches across the country.  

 “We believe Sydney and Point Pleasant Angus are a great match for the Talon Youth Education Learning Program Internship,” Marten said. “We are confident the experience will provide a great opportunity for Sydney to grow personally and professionally.”

For more information about the Angus Foundation, visit AngusFoundation.org, or call 816-383-5100.

— Written by Amber Wahlgren, Angus Communications

About the Angus Foundation

            Established as a 501(c)(3) organization in 1980, the Angus Foundation remains focused on its mission to support Angus education, youth and research. The organization has distributed more than $3.5 million in youth scholarships since 1998 and has also invested more than $1.3 million in beef cattle research throughout the past decade.

            For more information, contact the Angus Foundation at 816-383-5100 or visit www.angusfoundation.org.

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, visit www.angus.org.

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