Friday, September 23, 2011

Award-winning film pays dividends for ranchers

A film project promoting the cattle industry is paying dividends, the executive secretary of the Oregon Cattlemen's Association says. Ten cents of the checkoff fee, paid when an animal is sold in Oregon, financed three 10-minute "Land of Contrasts" films promoting the industry, including the winner of the first "Down to Earth Film Festival" during the Oregon State Fair. "We have ... received a lot of positive response to the DVDs," Kay Teisl said during an interview. "Each one has a heartfelt message that resonates with viewers." "Ranching's Commitment to Wildlife" won the $2,500 first-place award during the first Agri-Business Council of Oregon's film festival. The North by Northwest Productions film "Willamette Egg Farms" was the runner-up. More than 100 people attended the festival, said Geoff Horning, the council's executive director. Teisl suggested the film project in 2007 when the board was exploring how to describe contributions Oregon's 12,000 ranching families were making to the economy, to the environment and to fish and wildlife enhancement. A total of $37,755 of state checkoff funds was invested in producing the films by Angus Beef Productions Inc., a for-profit subsidiary of the American Angus Association. The first was "Ranching's Commitment to Oregon" and the second was "Tales From Oregon's Eastern Frontier." The DVDs will be made available to students and teachers during October, which is designated as Farm to School month, Teisl said. Each of the three DVDs is available for $5 and appears on the council's website -- www.orcattle.com -- and on YouTube.

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