News Update
Feb. 13, 2009

K-State, USDA Develop Web Library on Cattle Risk Management

A variety of risk management resources are available to crop growers, and now cattle producers have a centralized place to find risk management resources. The new Cattle Risk Management Information Library is posted on the web.

The library is available through Kansas State University’s (K-State’s) AgManager web site http://www.agmanager.info/crmil/. The resource is the culmination of a partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Risk Management Agency (RMA) and K-State’s Department of Agricultural Economics and Department of Computing and Information Sciences.

“The library is designed to provide cattle risk management information in an easy-to-use, centralized location,” said James Mintert, state ag economics Extension leader for K-State Research and Extension.

It makes a wide variety of information available for cow-calf, feeder, and fed cattle producers, he said. The information can be categorized by such key risks as price, financial, and production.

In addition to including K-State and USDA-RMA information, the online library has links to other resources, with special emphasis on information available from other U.S. universities.

For example, one paper on the site compares differences in fed cattle prices across various marketing arrangements. Its contributing authors are from Colorado State University, Iowa State University, RTI International and The World Bank.

— Release provided by K-State Research and Extension.

Job Loss Affects the Entire Family

As the nation’s economic situation continues to spiral down, more and more workers are losing their jobs. Nearly 600,000 jobs across the country were lost in January alone, sending the unemployment rate to 7.6%. The national unemployment rate is expected to rise to 9% over the next six months.

As of December 2008, the state’s nonseasonally adjusted jobless rate was 4.8%, up from 4.5% in November 2008. In Oklahoma, state businesses also have been hit hard in this economic downturn and will cut or eliminate nearly 2,000 workers in the next few months. Out of a workforce of 1.8 million workers, 84,690 Oklahomans are unemployed, up from 79,980 from last November.

January job losses across the country were widespread and affected nearly all major industries.

Losing a job or steady income can seriously affect the adult who is no longer working. However, job loss affects everyone in the household, said Debbie Richardson, Oklahoma State University (OSU) Cooperative Extension parenting assistant specialist.

Richardson said that sometimes grown-ups become so preoccupied with their job loss they forget that these tough times have an emotional and financial impact on their children as well.

“Unemployment is undeniably stressful for adults, but it can be downright scary for children,” Richardson said. “Children depend on their parents for emotional security. When parents are tense, upset and inattentive, much of this feeling of security is gone. Communication is key when it comes to telling your children about your job situation and how it’s going to affect them.”

Suddenly dealing with reduced income can mean lifestyle changes for the entire family. There is less money to spend, so it is important to make decisions about spending what money is available. In some cases a move to a new community or state may be necessary in order for the parent to find employment.

Unemployment can mean that other family members must find jobs, which can result in less time together as a family. Unemployment also can mean one parent is home more while another one starts a new job or picks up more hours at a current job.

“Whatever changes hard economic times bring to a family, everyone feels the impact. As the changes begin to take place, discussing your feelings and concerns as a family is important,” she said. “People who aren’t ashamed to express fears, anxieties and sorrows and are willing to seek help from others, deal with crisis the most successfully. Children who see their parents exhibit this behavior will be more likely to cope with stress as adults.”

Keep in mind that listening is just as important as talking. Everyone needs someone to listen to them, including children. Listening and responding with concern and understanding are vital to getting through a tough situation.

Parents may feel overwhelmed with their own problems when they have lost their jobs, but it is a parent’s role to help the children cope with the stress.

The following are some tips that will assist parents in helping their children:

• You can help your children best by helping yourself first. Try to get a handle on your own stress.
  
• Provide your children with information about the family’s situation in a way that is age appropriate. Do not keep the income loss a secret from children, despite the urge to spare them.
  
• Recognize symptoms of stress that may affect your children, including sleeplessness, diarrhea, withdrawal, headaches or angry outbursts. Parents who do not feel they are effective in helping their children are encouraged to talk to the children’s teachers, school psychologist, clergy member or mental health professional.
  
• Eat balanced meals, get adequate rest and get plenty of exercise to guard against health problems.
  
• Try to keep other major changes at a minimum. Too many changes at once can be overwhelming. However, some changes, such as a move, may be unavoidable.
  
• Help your children focus on the positive aspects of their lives.
  
• Hold a family discussion on how the income loss affects available money for extra activities and allowances. Discuss how each person will help control family spending.
  
• Spend time together as a family doing low-cost or no-cost activities.
  

“Family communication and coping skills have a great impact on how your family deals with tough times,” Richardson said.

— Release provided by Oklahoma State University Extension.

Food Safety Program Receives Emergency Funding from Stakeholders, Still at Risk of Closure

A long-running and crucial food safety program that began shutting down due to lack of government funding has been granted a last-minute financial stay of execution, receiving emergency temporary funding from a consortium of nonprofit organizations and individual taxpayers who believe the program is too important to public health to allow to fail.

The Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD) received a total of $17,000 in combined donations from 12 groups and several private citizens within the animal health and food safety sectors — a stop-gap grant intended to keep the program from completely closing while appeals for appropriations are made before the 111th Congress and the Obama Administration. Late last year, FARAD began cutting staff and cannibalizing its expenses to maintain a skeleton operation while it searched for the funding necessary for its survival.

Members of the donor consortium, which was organized by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), say that FARAD is essential to protecting the safety of America’s food supply and that its demise would have dramatic consequences on animal and human health.

“Recent food safety scares have again highlighted how necessary it is for us to maintain a constant vigilance in all areas of our food supply,” said Ron DeHaven, chief executive officer (CEO) of the AVMA. “Allowing FARAD to die would create a security breech in the safety of America’s food.”

To learn more, visit www.avma.org/press/releases/090205_FARAD.asp.

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