Southern Livestock Standard

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Jim Banner is co-owner of Southern Livestock Publishing and has over 25 years of experience in the field of livestock publishing, advertising and marketing. Banner grew up in the Texas Hill Country where his family raised commercial cattle in Llano County. He was active in 4-H and FFA participating in livestock judging and showing. He was the past recipient of the 4-H Gold Star Award and participated in the Farm Bureau Youth Leadership Program. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Education from Texas A&M University in 1981 and was a member of Saddle & Sirloin and Collegiate FFA. In 1983, Banner began his career with Gulf Coast Publishing located in San Antonio, Texas. He was assigned the job of advertising director for the The Beefmaster Cowman magazine, the official publication for Beefmaster Breeders United. In this position, he learned the publication business including advertising, photography and cattle marketing. In 1989, with business partner Michael Sturgess, he formed Southern Livestock Publishing, a multi breed, bi-weekly newspaper which serviced the area located in the southern portion of Texas. In 1993, he was instrumental in starting the San Antonio Livestock Show & Rodeo All Breed Bull and Female Sale. Banner is a member of the Independent Cattleman's Assn., Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Assn. and has been active in the Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course. Loren Jackson brings a wealth of beef cattle knowledge to Southern Livestock Publishing with over 30 years of experience in numerous aspects of the beef business in addition to a strong background in advertising, promotion and marketing. Jackson was raised on a diversified farming and registered beef cattle operation in Mechanicsville, Iowa. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from Iowa State University in 1978. Jackson was a member of the ISU Livestock and Meat Judging Teams accumulating an array of livestock judging and beef showing awards throughout the United States. Upon graduation from college, Jackson was employed by the American Hereford Association in Kansas City, MO. In over ten years of service with the organization, Jackson served in a number of positions including: Associate Editor of the Hereford Journal, Director of Shows, Director of Youth Activities and Total Performance Records Field Director. In 1989, Jackson joined the staff of the International Brangus Breeders Association, San Antonio, TX as the Director of Brangus Herd Improvement Records. During his nearly eighteen years of service with the organization, he served in several positions and was instrumental in developing and advancing a number of new and innovative programs for IBBA. Jackson served as IBBA Executive Vice President from 2001-2004, and also held positions as the Director of Research and Program Development, Director of Commercial Marketing and Director of Shows during his tenure. Under Jackson's direction with IBBA the association made great strides including the development of the first beef cattle ultrasound carcass EPDs, implementation of the Commercial Marketing Program, Commercial Brangus Edition, International Marketing Program, Brangus Summit, DNA Parentage Verification, Herd Selection Indexes, International Marketing Program, Brangus Derivative Program and the breed's first online cattle registry and performance data tracking system. Jackson has served the beef cattle industry in a number of leadership positions having served on the board of directors of the Beef Improvement Federation, Ultrasound Guidelines Council, Texas Purebred Cattle Alliance, American Breed's Coalition, Brangus Publications, Inc, U.S. Beef Breeds Council and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association Research Committee. Born in 1960, Michael Sturgess was raised in Dumas, Texas, in the Texas Panhandle. He grew up on the family farm where they also operated a purebred swine operation and ran stocker cattle. The Sturgess family still remains the onl