News Update

News Update
June 10, 2008

Crude Prices Drop

Crude prices fell more than $3 per barrel today, although gas prices still hovered above $4 per gallon, according to CNN.com.

Light, sweet crude for July delivery settled down to $131.31 per barrel on the New York Stock Exchange.

In a CNN opinion poll released today, 83% of respondents said they think $4-per-gallon gasoline is a major problem or crisis. A majority of respondents fear a gas shortage, with 55% of those surveyed saying they were more worried about long lines at gas stations and rationing than about recent high gas prices, although 40% admitted they were more concerned with high prices.

USDA Forecasts Low Corn Stocks in 2009

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released its World Agriculture Supply and Demand report today, forecasting lowered corn stocks at the end of the 2008-2009 season.

USDA officials put the estimate at 673 million bushels of corn, a decrease of 93 million bushels from last month’s forecast. The agency also increased its marketing-year average price for corn by 30¢, according to Meatingplace.com.

Managing Manure on Small Farms is  Topic of Webcast June 20  

The term “small farm” can bring to mind anything from a couple of horses on several acres to a family dairy or feedlot. All small farms that raise livestock share the common challenge to properly manage manure with limited time and money.

Extension specialists from across the United States will share information with the public in an hour-long seminar on manure management challenges for small farms, information to help with environmental issues and how to develop a nutrient management plan.

The Webcast, sponsored by the Livestock and Poultry Environmental (LPE) Learning Center, a part of eXtension, is Friday, June 20 beginning at 1:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time.   

eXtension is an educational partnership of cooperative Extension services throughout the United States. K-State Research and Extension is a partner in eXtension.

The Web “meeting room” opens 15 minutes before the start time. Participants can go to http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/lpelc/ to view the Webcast.

The Webcasts are approved for one continuing education unit (each) as part of the Certified Crop Advisers (CCA) program and for members of the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists (ARPAS). To access CEUs, go to www.extension.org/animal+manure+management and click on “Continuing Education.”

In addition, articles about small farm environmental issues are on the national eXtension Web resource at www.extension.org/pages/Small_Farm_Environmental_Issues_Articles.

— Release provided by K-State Research and Extension.

Meetings Will Explain Nutrient, Economic Value of Feedyard Manure

The value of manure to area cropping systems will be explained at two July meetings sponsored by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and Texas Cattle Feeders Association.

As commercial fertilizer prices continue to escalate, manure is becoming a more viable option for nitrogen, phosphorus, micro-nutrients and other organic matter, said Patrick Warminski, AgriLife Extension risk management specialist.

At the meetings, experts will present current information on the nutrient and economic value of feedyard manure in irrigated and dryland cropping systems, Warminski said. Both meetings will be on July 10: the first from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in The O’Laughlin Center, 502 S. Brandt, in Spearman; and the second from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Texas AgriLife Research Station north of Dumas near Etter.

The agenda will be the same for both meetings, and a meal will also be provided. The two topics and speakers are: “Agronomic Benefits of Feedyard Manure in the Texas High Plains,” Sam Feagley, AgriLife Extension state soil environmental specialist from College Station; and “Economic Value of Manure Versus Commercial Fertilizer and Recent Manure Cost Survey.”

The meetings are free and open to farmers, ranchers, feedyard owners and managers. Those planning to attend should contact Scena Snyder at Texas Cattle Feeders Association at 806-358-3681 or by e-mail at scena@tcfa.org. For additional details or specific questions, contact Warminski at 806-677-5600 or plwarminski@ag.tamu.edu; or Ben Weinheimer at Texas Cattle Feeders Association, 806-358-3681 or ben@tcfa.org.

— Release provided by TAMU Extension.

— compiled by Crystal Albers, associate editor, Angus Productions Inc.