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| News Update Sept. 21, 2005 Bovine TB Found in Two Minnesota Herds Officials at the Minnesota Board of Animal Health announced yesterday that cattle from two of the state’s operations tested positive for bovine tuberculosis (TB). According to a release, the two beef cattle herds were quarantined, and whole-herd tests were conducted after a third, neighboring operation previously tested positive for bovine TB in July. Tissue samples from suspected animals were then sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa, where TB was confirmed. The finding marks three cases of TB-infected beef herds in Roseau County. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is working on the details of depopulating the infected herds, and state and federal officials have begun tracking animal movements into and out of the operations. For more information visit www.bah.state.mn.us. USDA Releases Estimates of Farm Production Losses Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns Monday released a preliminary assessment of U.S. agricultural production losses due to Hurricane Katrina and drought in the eastern Corn Belt. Hurricane-related losses are estimated at almost $900 million. However, the damage could have been worse. Hurricane-force winds missed major crop production areas in the mid-South. Substantial portions of rice, soybeans and corn production in hurricane-affected states were harvested prior to landfall of Hurricane Katrina, which also limited production losses. Short-term livestock production losses due to the hurricane are estimated in the range of $30 million, most of which was sustained by the chicken industry. Millions of chickens were killed, and producers lost eggs, poults and chicken grow-out facilities. Dairy producers discarded an estimated $3 million worth of milk due to lost electricity on farms and at dairy processing plants and might face a period of reduced cow productivity. An estimated 10,000 cattle were lost. This preliminary assessment provides estimates of 2005 production losses and does not include infrastructure or long-term losses. Crop and livestock producers face added losses in the form of damaged or destroyed barns, equipment buildings, fences, machinery, as well as losses associated with degraded farm fields, carcass disposal, electrical power losses and fuel shortages. Production losses due to the drought in the eastern Corn Belt were also assessed, with an estimated $1.3 billion in corn and soybeans losses in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. In addition to hurricane and drought production losses, the report notes that grain and oilseed producers throughout the Midwest have faced reduced prices due to the shipping interruption in New Orleans ports. In that regard, Secretary Johanns announced yesterday the USDA is taking additional steps to reduce stress on the grain transportation system, assisting with the movement of barges of damaged corn from New Orleans, providing incentives for alternative grain storage, encouraging alternative shipping patterns, and allowing producers to store USDA-owned corn on the farm with the option to purchase. For further information regarding USDA loss estimates and to view the entire report, visit www.usda.gov/katrina. Cattle Manure to Fuel Ethanol Plant A Dallas, Texas-based energy company announced this week that it plans to build an ethanol complex near Sublette, Kan., that will use cattle manure to fuel plant operations, The Hutchinson News reported. According to the article, Panda Energy plans to build the $120-million facility, which would be the first to be fueled by cattle manure, as soon as funding is secured. The complex in Haskell County would be one of the largest in the state and produce 100 million gallons of ethanol per year. The plant plans to heat manure to produce a gas similar to methane, which would then fuel the ethanol facility with less energy than those fueled by natural gas. — by Crystal Albers, Angus Productions Inc., associate editor |
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