News Update
Aug. 21, 2009

Cooperative Weather, Good Practices Lead to Potential Record-Breaking Season

Ample rain and cooler-than-normal temperatures this summer have turned an average growing season into a potential record-breaker for Ohio crop producers.

According to the August forecast by the Ohio Agricultural Statistics Service (OASS), winter wheat yield is estimated at 71 bushels (bu.) per acre, just one bushel shy of the record of 72 bu. per acre, set in 2000.

Fantastic yields have shown up in the Ohio State University (OSU) Extension wheat performance trials, where yields ranged from the 70s into the 100s. The Ohio Wheat Performance Test is available at http://agcrops.osu.edu/wheat.

Like wheat, Ohio’s corn crop is also performing well due to a combination of the environmental conditions and low insect and disease pressures. Corn yield is estimated at 165 bu. per acre. If the number holds firm, it will be a state record, climbing 6 bu. higher than the previous record set in 2006.

Despite some disease pressures, such as white mold, brown stem rot and sudden death syndrome, Ohio’s soybean crop is also performing well. According to the OASS, only 6% of the soybean crop is in poor condition. Soybean yield is estimated at 47 bu. per acre, tying the record set in 2004, 2006 and 2007.

For more information on Ohio’s field crop commodities, visit http://agcrops.osu.edu.

— Adapted from a release provided by OSU.

July Red Meat Production Below Previous Year Level

The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released a report today showing July red meat production below last year’s levels.
Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 4.12 billion pounds (lb.) in July, down 3% from the 4.25 billion lb. produced in July 2008.

Beef production, at 2.27 billion lb., was 4% below the previous year. Cattle harvest totaled 2.92 million head, down 5% from July 2008. The average live weight was up 9 lb. from the previous year, at 1,282 lb.

January to July 2009 commercial red meat production was 28.4 billion lb., down 3% from 2008. Accumulated beef production was down 3% from last year, veal was down 3%, pork was down 3% from last year, and lamb and mutton production was down 4%.

Baby Boomers Expected to Migrate Toward Rural America

As Americans age, their likelihood of migrating, their reasons for moving, and their destination choices shift dramatically. Baby boomers — born between 1946 and 1964 — are entering a stage when moves to rural locales increase, especially to areas with scenic amenities and lower housing costs.

“Boomers” have already demonstrated an affinity for moving to rural and small-town destinations, compared with older or younger cohorts. They led a short-lived rural “rebound” in the early 1990s despite being at an age when career-oriented motivations strongly influence migration decisions.

Today’s 83 million boomers, ranging from age 45 to 63, represent a fourth of the total U.S. population. There has never been such a large share of the workforce approaching retirement. By comparison, 42 million were age 45 to 63 in 1990. Boomers are now poised to significantly increase rural and small-town elderly populations by 2020, with major social and economic implications for their chosen destinations, according to an article appearing in Amber Waves. Read more.

Texas AgriLife experts offer tips on protecting livestock from wildfire

Ranchers can take precautions to reduce the risk and spread of wildfire and protect livestock from injury or death by fire, said Texas AgriLife agency experts.

“The most important thing to remember is to have a fire plan in place,” said Rick Machen, Texas AgriLife Extension Service livestock specialist in Uvalde. “You’ll have a limited time to react when a wildfire hits, so you’ll need to be prepared and practiced for it.” Read more.

CDC Report: Life Expectancy at All-Time High; Death Rates Reach New Low

U.S. life expectancy reached nearly 78 years (77.9), and the age-adjusted death rate dropped to 760.3 deaths per 100,000 population, both records, according to the latest mortality statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The report, “Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2007,” was issued Wednesday by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. The data are based on nearly 90% of death certificates in the United States.

The 2007 increase in life expectancy — up from 77.7 in 2006 — represents a continuation of a trend. Over a decade, life expectancy has increased 1.4 years from 76.5 years in 1997 to 77.9 in 2007. Read more.

‘We Saved the World From Disaster,’ Bernanke Says

The economic downturn may have been much worse if central banks hadn’t acted so forcefully last fall, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told those gathered for the Kansas City Fed’s annual retreat in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Read more.

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