News Update
April 20, 2009

Western States Angus breeders to meet in Reno

The 2009 Western National Angus Futurity (WNAF) and 2009 Western Regional Junior Angus Show are set for April 25-27 in Reno, Nev. Activities are planned for both juniors and adults, including shows, a sale and Angus fellowship. If you can’t be in Reno for the Angus events, you can still view show results following the weekend activities via the online coverage provided by Angus Productions Inc. (API) at www.angusjournal.com/reno.

This year, the WNAF is adding a night of entertainment for the entire family to enjoy. “Honky Tonk Laundry” is a musical duo featuring Angus breeder Cara Ayres and Beth Schreiber that promises to provide country music classics with a sense of humor while raising funds for the Futurity.

The entertainment is slated for Sunday evening, April 26, and begins at 7 p.m. Get your tickets early for $25 by calling 916-362-2697, and support a great show in the West.

— Release provided by the American Angus Association.

Production Experts to Speak at Beef Profitability Conference May 19-20

Three nationally recognized experts on beef production are scheduled to speak at the Beef Profitability Conference, May 19-20 at the Shiloh Inn, Richland, Wash.

Kit Pharo, a Cheyenne Wells, Colo., rancher, will discuss the difference between being production-driven and profit-driven, focusing on three key ways to maximize available forage.

Terry Gompert, University of Nebraska Extension educator, will talk about what it takes to produce high-quality grass-fed beef and share principles of ultra high stock density grazing and success stories from several graziers around the world.

Charley Orchard, the developer of the Land EKG™ rangeland monitoring system, will discuss the current situation and offer his predictions on the importance and application of rangeland monitoring. He will also describe EKG DataStore, a web-based rangeland monitoring data storage and report-generating system available to clients.

Other topics that will be covered include:

• Profitable alternatives to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) involving planned grazing;
  
• Feasibility of building a USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture)-inspected mobile slaughter facility; and
  
• Pre- and postharvest factors affecting the quality and consistency of grass-fed beef.

Ample time will be provided for audience interaction with speakers.

Visit www.capps.wsu.edu/grazing for information and to register for “How to Survive and Be Profitable in the Beef Business: Planned Grazing and Grass-fed Beef Production.” Registration will be limited to 175.

Cost is $205 per person. Additional members from the same family or business can register for $175.

Prepare Now To Beat the Drought

Drought is likely to be a problem for some areas of the state again this summer, says Bruce Anderson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Extension forage specialist. While you can’t predict exactly where and how severe it will be, you can take steps this spring to help minimize its potential effect on your operation.

Plant drought-tolerant forages for pasture or hay. Summer annual grasses like Sudan grass, sorghum-Sudan hybrids, and pearl millet are excellent choices. Wait until soils are good and warm before planting these grasses, usually in late May or early June. Reserve some ground now for these drought-insurance grasses, before planting everything to corn, beans and other crops. Also consider planting these grasses into wheat stubble as a double crop.

Prepare a strategy for using leftover hay. Consider feeding hay a bit longer this spring before turning cows out to permanent pasture. I know this counters my usual recommendation to graze more and feed less hay, but allowing pastures to accumulate more growth before grazing will provide more total grazable forage if drought prevents much regrowth. Leftover hay also can be used later during the grazing season to give pastures more time to recover between grazings.

If the rains don’t come, planning and acting now to reduce potential forage losses can limit your risks.

— Release provided by UNL Extension.

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Returns From G8 Agriculture Minestrial on Food Security

On Monday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack returned from the first-ever gathering of the G8 Agriculture Ministerial, held in Treviso, Italy.

“I am pleased to report that the G8 Agriculture Ministerial has produced a strong declaration of support for the critically important task of promoting food security,” Vilsack said. “Supporting food security is not only our moral obligation, as a factor impacting global economic development and international stability, it is our responsibility. We took an important step toward building a consensus around issues affecting access, availability, and utilization of food among vulnerable populations.”

USDA plays an integral role in promoting food security through food aid donations, agriculture research and Extension activities, and its support for the McGovern-Dole International Food For Education Program.

During the Ministerial, Secretary Vilsack worked with fellow G8 members to produce a food security declaration and participated in a series of plenary sessions with representatives from more than 15 nations, where he discussed America’s proud legacy of leading the world in providing emergency humanitarian assistance and President Obama’s recent pledge to double agriculture development spending.

In addition, the high-level conference provided Vilsack with an opportunity to engage in a series of bilateral discussions with agriculture ministers and other senior officials from around the world, including Japan, the European Commission, the People’s Republic of China, Australia, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, Egypt, Italy and Mexico. During the trip, Vilsack also met with senior officials from the Food and Agriculture Organization, World Food Program, and International Fund for Agriculture Development.

— Release provided by USDA.

Ohio Cash Rents, Cropland Values Expected to Slide in 2009

Ohio cropland and cash rents are anticipated to level off in 2009, and in some cases, decline slightly, according to results of The Ohio State University (OSU) Extension 2009 Ohio Cropland Values and Cash Rents Survey.

“High commodity prices and relatively low input costs drove up profits in 2007 and 2008, but this year is not the case. We are unlikely to see those profit margins in 2009,” said Barry Ward, an OSU Extension economist and production business management leader. “That’s going to put producers in a tough spot. Will they have made enough money in the last two years to weather the storm in 2009?”

According to the survey, produced by university economists within the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics, Ohio cropland values are expected to decrease by 2.4% to 4.9%, while cash rents may level off or decrease slightly by 0.24%. In some cases, depending on the region and land productivity, cash rents could increase 1.24%.

Ward said that falling commodity prices, coupled with high input costs, are driving the potential declines, and the situation isn’t likely to change much in 2010.

“Input costs are lagging commodity prices and both producers and landowners are now in a squeeze,” said Ward.

Ward said that farmers have a few options to help alleviate some of the financial pressures:

• Pay rents as they come due and cut back costs in other areas, such as new equipment or equipment upgrades.
  
• Work with the landowner to renegotiate the rent to a lower price for the remainder of the lease term.
  
• Work with the landowner to renegotiate to a flexible cash rental, where the rent “flexes” with the market. “This option gives producers some cushion if events or prices moved against them from the time the rent was negotiated initially,” said Ward.
• The Ohio Cropland Values and Cash Rents survey is conducted annually and draws on the expertise of farm managers, rural appraisers, agricultural lenders, OSU Extension educators, farmers and Farm Service Agency (FSA) personnel. The results aid producers and landowners with purchase and rental decisions.
  

Ward estimates that more than 50% of Ohio’s cropland is rented. Of that, 75% is locked in cash rents.

To learn more, contact Barry Ward at 614-688-3959 or ward.8@osu.edu. Look for a copy of the survey results online at http://aede.osu.edu/Programs/FarmManagement/MgtPublications.htm.

— Release provided by OSU Extension.

— Compiled by Mathew Elliott, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.