News Update
August 13, 2009

Registration deadline nears for Michigan State Cattlemen’s Boot Camp

Michigan State University (MSU) will help host a Cattlemen’s Boot Camp Sept. 22-23 in East Lansing. Co-hosted with American Angus Association® and the Angus Foundation, the one-day session is open to all seedstock and commercial cattle producers. The registration deadline is Sept. 1.

Grazing management, herd health, animal welfare, marketing and end-product merit are just a few of the topics that will be discussed by industry experts from MSU, the American Angus Association, Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB), and the Michigan Beef Industry Commission. In addition, hands-on sessions on identification methods, body condition scoring, cattle handling and administering vaccinations will be covered.

Registration is $75, and covers meals and materials. Enrollment is limited, so register today to ensure your space in this Boot Camp. Printable registration forms and online registration is available at www.angus.org.

A hotel block has been established for the Boot Camp attendees at the Comfort Inn in Okemos. A negotiated rate of $79 is available until Sept. 12. Call the hotel directly at 517-347-6690 and ask for the MSU Animal Science and Angus Association block.

For more information or to register, contact the American Angus Association at 816-383-5100 or go to www.angus.org. Cattlemen’s Boot Camps are just one of several educational events planned by the American Angus Association and funded by the Angus Foundation, which supports education, youth and research.

— Provided by the American Angus Ass’n.

Drought causing historic cotton losses

For the first time in more than a century, a severe South Texas drought has claimed the entire cotton production of Kleberg County, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service personnel.

“Since the founding of Kingsville in 1904, not a single pound of cotton was produced this year in Kleberg County, which includes the King Ranch, one of the area’s largest producers,” said John Ford, an AgriLife Extension county agent for agriculture based in Kingsville.

Other Coastal Bend counties have not fared much better, experts say.

“Nueces County planted 124,000 acres of cotton and about 95% of that failed,” said Jeff Stapper, an AgriLife Extension agent in Corpus Christi. “San Patricio County planted about 130,000 acres with a fail rate of more than 90%. Grain sorghum did only a little better.”

Ford said he and Larry Falconer, an AgriLife Extension economist in Corpus Christi, estimate the economic hit to Kleburg County alone at about $50 million.

“That’s not just lost crop revenue in cotton and grain sorghum,” Ford said, “That includes money lost to motels that house the harvesting crews, labor costs at gins and grain elevators and other related losses.”

Kleberg County normally produces between 30,000 and 40,000 acres of cotton and 40,000 to 45,000 acres of grain sorghum.

Like many areas of South Texas, Ford said, Kleberg County has not seen significant, widespread rainfall in almost a year.

“From January to now, we’ve had about two inches of total rainfall,” he said. “But in the crop year, from Sept. 1, 2008, to now, we’ve had under 5 inches. Normally in a 12-month period we’ll have 27 to 28 inches of rainfall.”

Ford said local historians claim this is the worst drought they’ve ever seen.

“The drought of the 1950s has always been the severe-drought measuring stick around here,” he said, “but the old-timers say this drought is much worse. It’s dry.”

In late July, Texas AgriLife Extension Service economists reported that agricultural drought losses throughout the state had reached $3.6 billion and by the end of the year could exceed $4.1 billion.

— Adapted from release provided by Texas AgriLife Extension.

Cattle Industry Opens Nominations for 20th Annual Environmental Stewardship Award

Nominations for the annual Environmental Stewardship Awards are now open for 2010. The award, now in its 20th year, recognizes producers at the regional and national level who demonstrate outstanding stewardship practices and wildlife habitat improvement, while maintaining profitable cattle operations.

“Cattle producers doing good things for the environment isn’t unusual, but their efforts often go unnoticed,” says Dave Petty, the Eldora, Iowa, cattleman who chairs the selection panel. Petty was the national winner in 2001. “By recognizing our best stewards, we encourage other producers, and we show the public some real positive things going on across the country — things that are done by a lot of cattle producers.”

Any organization, group, or individual may nominate a U.S. cattle producer. From the field of nominees, seven regional winners are selected by an expert panel representing the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), conservation and sportsmen’s groups, federal and state agencies, and land-grant universities.

Judges consider the management of water, wildlife, vegetation, air and soil, as well as the nominees’ leadership and the sustainability of the business as a whole. Regional winners will be announced in July 2010. From the seven regional winners, judges will choose a national winner to be announced at the Cattle Industry Annual Convention in January 2011.

“Producers are the original, true environmentalists,” Petty said. “Winners of the award set an example for fellow producers by demonstrating successful management practices that not only benefit the environment, but also help their bottom line.”

The program is funded by Dow AgroSciences and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). For more information, including examples of past winners, visit: www.environmentalstewardship.org or contact the National Cattlemen’s Foundation (NCF) at 303-694-0305.

— Release provided by NCBA.

Flinchbaugh to lead Farm Foundation

Barry Flinchbaugh, professor of agricultural economics at Kansas State University (K-State), has been elected chair of the board of trustees of Farm Foundation. He succeeds Richard Hahn, retired president of Farmers National Co. Greg Heying, senior vice president of distribution for Supervalu Inc., was named vice chair. The election took place at the board’s annual meeting in June in Sacramento, Calif. Flinchbaugh and Heying also serve as chair and vice chair, respectively, of Farm Foundation NFP, the not-for-profit corporation responsible for Farm Foundation’s day-to-day activities.

Established in 1933, Farm Foundation is directed by a board of trustees comprised of leaders in agriculture and the food system. Farm Foundation works as a catalyst for sound public policy by providing objective information to foster a deeper understanding of issues shaping the future of agriculture, food systems and rural regions. Farm Foundation does not lobby or advocate. Its primary product is comprehensive, objective information on economic and public policy issues.

Flinchbaugh has taught at K-State since 1971, focusing on national agricultural and economic policy. He is much sought after as a speaker, and has authored more than 100 publications, including an agricultural policy textbook.

— Adapted from release provided by Farm Foundation.

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