News Update
June 4, 2009

June 5 is Deadline For Submitting Performance Information

June 5 is the deadline for submitting Angus Herd Improvement Records (AHIR®) data for inclusion in the next National Cattle Evaluation (NCE), which generates the values published in the Fall 2009 Sire Evaluation Report. It’s essential to both individual herds and to the breed to collect and submit performance records promptly.

Performance information can be submitted through AAA Login, Angus Information Management Software (AIMS) or via conventional mail, e-mail or fax. If you have questions, contact the Performance Programs Department at 816-383-5100.

— Provided by the American Angus Association.

Gold Standard Labs Opens New Facility in Nebraska

Gold Standard Labs, the leading private diagnostic laboratory for testing cattle to detect those persistently infected (PI) with Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) virus, this week opened its sixth facility — this one located in Alma, Neb. The other five labs are located in Hereford, Shiner and Schwertner, Texas; Garden City, Kan.; and Bowling Green, Ky.

“Our decision to establish a lab in Nebraska is a response to the needs of feedlot owners and cow-calf operators in that area of the Central Plains,” explains Chris McClure, manager of Gold Standard Labs. “The South Central Nebraska region is home to many cattle operations. The Alma lab is within easy reach of both feedlots and cow-calf operations in Nebraska, as well as northern Kansas.”

The new lab is located next to the sale barn in Alma. Samples may also be shipped to its address at 70924 US Highway 183, Alma, NE 68920. For additional information, lab personnel can be reached at gslalma@yahoo.com or by calling 308-928-2411.

The new lab can test cattle of all ages, McClure says. “By testing to detect PI individuals, our labs help identify those animals, in order to isolate them — thus safeguarding the health of the rest of the herd and increasing profits.”

Additional information can be found at www.bvd-pi.com, or by calling 806-363-1700.

Land Prices on the Rise

After spending months on the sidelines, investors are starting to return to the nation’s agricultural land as a home for their investment dollars.

Investors have long played a role in the land-buying market, but toward the end of 2008 those once active investors retreated, according to Lee Vermeer, vice president of real estate operations at Farmers National Co.

“Investors stepped aside around November, but they have gotten back in the game,” Vermeer said. “Everyone was trying to figure out the stock market and whether the economy had bottomed out. Some believe it has. Now that the uncertainty has subsided, buyers are looking for investments they can feel good about.”

During the past six months, owner/operators around the country took advantage of the decline in investor attention and purchased available land to expand their operations. It was that activity that kept land values steady despite the turbulent economy.

“A good indication of the strength of the land market was that even with all the uncertainty and the stress on the market the past six months — land values held,” Vermeer said. “I think that speaks to the quality of the land, but also shows the confidence today’s buyers have in the land market as an investment opportunity.”

Vermeer said the land market did slow somewhat last fall and there were some weak spots around the country during the first part of 2009. He attributed the slowdown to the drop in commodity prices. In the past 30-45 days, however, Vermeer said the market is gaining ground.

Farmers National Co. is seeing strong buyer interest. In fact, some land sales have been at the same price levels recorded in the middle of 2008. There have been very few forced sales, according to Vermeer, resulting in land being in very stable hands.

— Release provided by Drovers News.

USDA to Make H1N1 Virus Available to Manufacturers

USDA announced that the master seed virus for the strain of H1N1 that emerged in the spring will be available to veterinary biologics manufacturers later this summer.

In a release, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB) said it will issue a notice to manufacturers next week. The agency believes the master seed virus will be ready in early- to mid-July.

The master seed virus is being derived from a sample acquired from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through collaboration between Agricultural Research Service’s National Animal Disease Center (NADC) and CVB.

Since 1993, CVB has licensed swine influenza vaccine for several strains of swine influenza virus. However, preliminary results from work conducted at NADC in response to the 2009 H1N1 situation seem to indicate that current swine influenza vaccine products may not provide adequate protection against the new strain. APHIS and ARS continue to run additional tests to determine if any vaccines currently available protect against the 2009 H1N1 strain.

By providing all interested manufacturers with the same approved H1N1 master seed virus, APHIS eliminates the need for each manufacturer to develop its own master seed that would then require CVB confirmatory testing. Instead, while the “global” master seed virus is undergoing tests at CVB, each interested manufacturer can begin working on the next steps involved in novel vaccine production.

Producers could have a vaccine available as early as November or December 2009.

Training on Cutting Home Utility Bills Slated June 6

As summer approaches, it’s important to know how to conserve water and electricity to keep utility bills down, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service agent in South Texas.

“Lots of Texans are struggling to pay their utility bills, especially in these tough economic times,” said AgriLife Extension’s Yolanda Morado, family and consumer sciences agent for Starr County.

“As the temperatures rise,” she said, “so do water and electricity bills. But there are many ideas, gadgets and methods to conserve and keep utility bills manageable, which we’d like to share with the public.”

Morado and others will present “Flip the Switch, Stop the Drip,” an educational event from 8 a.m. to noon June 6 at the South Texas College Mid-Valley Campus, located at 400 N. Border Ave. in Weslaco.

The event is free and open to the public, Morado said. Several AgriLife Extension experts will be on hand to discuss and demonstrate household conservation methods and systems, she said. The event will include a native plant sale, door prizes and a drawing for rain barrels to collect water from home rain gutters, Morado said.

The event is funded by the Texas Water Resources Institute and co-sponsored by AgriLife Extension and the South Texas College Biology Club. For more information, contact any of the following AgriLife Extension offices: Hidalgo County, 956-383-1026; Starr County, 956-487-2306; or Cameron County, 956-361-8236.

— Release provided by Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

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