News Update
May 20, 2009

Hurricane Season Set to Begin, Reminder to Prepare for Unexpected

The official beginning of the 2009 hurricane season on June 1 should serve as a reminder for Texans and others to make preparations to protect themselves, their families and their property, said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert.

“While hurricanes have a season, most disasters don’t,” said Janie Harris, housing and environment specialist for AgriLife Extension. “Still, the start of hurricane season is a good time to remind people to take steps to prepare themselves for the unexpected.”

Initial forecasts predict an “average” hurricane season with about 10 named storms, six of which are expected to develop into hurricanes. Additionally, the 2009 forecast from the Weather Research Center suggests a 40% chance of a tropical storm or hurricane making landfall in Texas this year.

Harris said the cornerstone of emergency preparation is developing and practicing a family disaster plan. The plan should reflect what you will need when sheltering in place as well as what you need to take with you to evacuate.

“The plan should include escape routes, utility shut-off and safety information, family communication and how to protect important documents,” she said.

Harris said the plan should include a map on which to highlight escape routes when authorities give evacuation instructions.

“If you live in an area prone to flooding, know where area low-water crossings are and plan your route to avoid them,” she said.

The plan also should take into account any special needs of family members and include caring for any pets, she said.

“Perhaps the most vital part of the family plan is to predetermine how family members can communicate with one another in case of separation,” Harris said. “You can agree on a friend or relative outside the immediate area to use as a point of contact in the event of an emergency.”

When an emergency arises, there may not be time to gather important documents, so photocopies should be made and kept in a safe place away from the home, such as a bank safety deposit box, she said. Another option is to keep the copies in a “disaster kit” which families should prepare in advance of an emergency.

Important documents may include insurance policies, driver’s license or other photo identification, birth certificates, social security cards, bank and credit account information or other financial records, and a list of medications.

“You may also want to keep an inventory of your home and household possessions along with these other important documents in the event there's an insurance claim,” she said.

Harris said a complete household inventory should include photos or video of the exterior and interior of the home, showing as much as possible of the home’s features and contents.

“Try to get serial numbers for the inventory, especially for the more expensive or larger household items, like major appliances and electronics,” she said.

Making sure property is adequately insured prior to a hurricane or other disaster is another important aspect of protecting belongings, Harris added.

“People in areas prone to flooding should remember that flood is not covered on a homeowners policy and that a separate flood policy is needed,” she said. “And, generally, it’s a good idea to make sure your homeowners policy has full-replacement coverage.”

Harris added that prior to a hurricane strike, homeowners can protect their homes by covering windows, sliding glass doors and skylights with shutters or plywood.

“Put your car into the garage or another shelter if there is one,” she said. “Secure any boats or trailers and tie down any furniture or loose material outside the home. Move valuables away from windows, and bring pets indoors or try and find them shelter through your local humane society. And if you evacuate, take your pets with you.”

For disaster preparedness, Harris also suggested stocking up on canned goods and bottled water, along with ensuring adequate supplies of medicines and first-aid items.

“Every family also should have a disaster supply kit and keep it up to date,” she said.

The kit should contain enough supplies to take care of the immediate family for at least three days, Harris said. Some kit contents include water, nonperishable foods, a hand-operated can opener, mouth/nose protection masks, extra clothing, first-aid kit, gloves, blankets, toiletries, battery- or hand-powered flashlight, radio, spare batteries, garbage bags, medications and hand wipes.

“Once a hurricane watch is issued, be sure to listen regularly to your local TV or radio station for weather updates,” she said. “Listen for evacuation information and find out the location of the closest community shelters in the event you and your family have to seek shelter immediately.”

Harris added that evacuees should wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and sturdy shoes for added protection. Take at least one change of clothes for each family member.

For more information on disaster preparedness, the AgriLife Extension and Texas Department of State Health Services publication “Preparing for the Unexpected” can be downloaded free.

The publication is available in English or Spanish and can be found at the AgriLife Bookstore web site, www.agrilifebookstore.com. The publication identification number is B-6178 for the English-language version; B-6178S for the Spanish-language version.

Other information on emergency and disaster preparation and recovery can be found at the AgriLife Bookstore site, as well as the Texas Extension Disaster Education Network, Texas EDEN, web site, http://texashelp.tamu.edu.

For more information about family disaster planning, also visit the Get Prepared section at http://www.ready.gov/index.html.

— Release provided by Texas AgriLife Extension.

Producers Have Several Options for Spring Musk Thistle Control

The musk thistle control season has arrived, and the Kansas-wide noxious weed is alive and doing well, said Walt Fick, range and pasture management specialist with Kansas State University (K-State) Research and Extension.

Knowing the musk thistle’s life cycle is important to getting a good control strategy in place, Fick said. The weed is primarily a biennial or winter-annual plant.

“As a biennial, seed will germinate in the spring and the plants will remain as rosettes during the entire growing season. Then, after surviving a winter, the plants will bolt, flower, and produce seeds, thus taking parts of two growing seasons to complete their life cycle,” he explained. “As a winter annual, musk thistle emerges in the late fall with moisture. The plants go through the winter, then produce seed the following year.”

Musk thistle only reproduces by seed. Thus, the goal of any control program is to reduce and/or eliminate seed production, Fick said.

Control options include mechanical, biological, cultural, and chemical methods, the agronomist said. These options include:

• Mowing at the bloom stage will prevent seed production, but killing musk thistle usually takes two or three mowings at 2- to 4-week intervals. Individual plants can be cut off 2 to 4 inches below soil level.
  
• The musk thistle head and rosette weevils can both help reduce seed production.
  
• Cultural control practices, including prescribed burning and good grazing management, can help keep musk thistle populations at reduced levels. Burning by itself will not kill musk thistle but it can remove the excessive amounts of litter that prevent good coverage when spraying. Plus, proper burning can stimulate warm-season grasses that compete favorably against musk thistle. Spraying areas with musk thistle should follow about 10 to 14 days after burning. Proper grazing that maintains and/or improves the vigor of competing vegetation can also help keep musk thistle populations down.
• Musk thistle plants are most easily controlled by herbicides applied during the seedling and rosette stages of growth. Such common herbicides as 2,4-D, dicamba, and picloram are very effective on rosettes. Products containing metsulfuron, chlorsulfuron, and aminopyralid are also effective on musk thistle.

Once plants begin to bolt, products such as picloram + 2,4-D (Tordon 22K + 2,4-D), metsulfuron + 2,4-D (Escort XP + 2,4-D), metsufuron + chlorsulfuron (Cimarron Plus), metsulfuron + dicamba + 2,4-D (Cimarron Max), or aminopyralid alone (Milestone) or in combination with 2,4-D (ForeFront R&P) are more effective. For bolted to bud-stage thistles, products containing clopyralid (Curtail and Stinger) provide excellent control.

“In other words, treat musk thistle before it starts to bloom,” Fick said. “Although some herbicides, such as metsulfuron, have proven to reduce seed viability when applied at the bloom stage, they are unlikely to eliminate all seed production. And, it only takes one seed to keep the population going.”

Herbicide recommendations for musk thistle control are available in “2009 Chemical Weed Control for Field Crops, Pastures, Rangeland, and Noncropland.” That publication is available at any county or district K-State Research and Extension office, as well as on the Web, at http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/crpsl2/SRP1007.pdf. Fick can field further questions via phone at 785-532-7223 or e-mail at whfick@ksu.edu

“Always read the herbicide label, too,” he advised, “paying particular attention to precautionary statements, grazing or haying restrictions, and rates of application.”

— Release provided by K-State Research & Extension.

Beef Board Budget Recommended

The Beef Promotion Operating Committee has recommended a $41.5 million Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, reflecting a slight decrease from the FY 2009 budget, but down more than 15% from 2008.

The 2010 budget recommendation still must be approved by the full Beef Board, which administers the national checkoff program, and by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“After the severe cuts we have faced in the last couple of years, we continue to be challenged to do more with less in Fiscal 2010,” said CBB Chairman Lucinda Williams, a dairy producer from Massachusetts who also chairs the Operating Committee. “We have to continue to operate as efficiently as possible without eliminating the checkoff’s effectiveness.”

Chairman Williams said she believes the state beef councils, producer leaders, and the Budget and Operating committees did the best job possible of laying out a budget strategy for Fiscal Year 2010.

“Nobody likes cutting back budgets when there’s so much more to be done,” Williams said. “But we understand that the industry, the country, and the global economy are all in the same boat right now, and we're doing what we have to do. We look forward to the creative programs that beef industry groups will bring to the table for investment through this budget.”

The CBB Executive Committee also ratified the Operating Committee’s budget recommendation. In the coming stages of the Fiscal Year 2010 budgeting process, the full Beef Board will be asked to approve the budget at its meeting in Denver in July. Joint industry advisory committees and subcommittees also will meet in Denver to prepare recommendations for specific program proposals to be funded with that budget. These proposals will be considered by the Operating Committee in September, before the Oct. 1 beginning of the fiscal year, and must finally be approved by USDA before any checkoff dollars may be spent.

For further information visit www.beef.org.

— Release provided by CBB.

U.S. Beef Gaining Popularity in Middle East

According to an article released by Meatingplace.com, high-quality U.S. beef is gaining popularity in the Middle East, a region with markets traditionally successful for beef livers and other variety meats.

In the first quarter of 2009, U.S. beef muscle-cut exports rose 84% in volume and more than 40% in value over the same quarter last year, according to U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

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