News Update
August 26, 2010

2010 Nebraska Angus Tour Runs Sept. 10-11

Broken Bow, Neb., is the launch sight of the 2010 Nebraska Angus Tour. Events will kick off the evening of Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m. for a social and registration at the Custer County Fairgrounds.

On Saturday morning, the event begins at 7:30 a.m. with the Herd Bull Alley (a display of Nebraska Association member herd bulls) and a continental breakfast at the Custer County Fairgrounds. The registration table will open at 7:15 a.m. The tour bus will load at the fairgrounds.

From the fairgrounds, the tour group will head north to Summitcrest Angus, hosted by Jeff Johnson. Slagle Angus and a lunch stop featuring Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brisket will be next on the schedule. From Slagle Angus, the tour group will head to Dunning for a visit with Minert-Simonson Angus.

Heading west on State Highway 2, the tour winds into the heart of the Nebraska Sandhills and a stop east of Thedford with Lemoyne, Rhonda and Matthew Dailey of Dailey Angus.

The final stop of the day will be southwest of Mullen and Kraye Angus. John and Julie and their crew will treat tour-goers to their bull sale special menu. The bus will return to Broken Bow following the last stop of the day.

Registration forms can be downloaded at www.nebraskaangus.org, click on the tour banner link, or you can call Suzy Hebbert, secretary-manager, at 308-577-6700 for further information.

— Provided by Nebraska Angus Association.

MSU Extension to Hold Grazing School for Livestock and Dairy Producers

Livestock and dairy producers who want to learn more about grazing practices and systems can register for a two-day program offered by Michigan State University Extension (MSUE) this fall.

The MSUE grazing school will take place Sept. 15-16 at the Lake City Experiment Station in Lake City. Classes will be from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 15 and from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 16. The school is designed for dairy (cattle, goats and sheep) and livestock producers.

Participants will be introduced to grazing management practices through a combination of classroom instruction, hands-on activities and producer-led discussions.

Topics that will be covered on the first day of class range from an introductory overview of managed grazing to livestock nutrition to soil fertility and management. Attendees will also learn about plant growth, forage quality and species selection, as well as determining yield and allocating pasture, and identifying forage species. As the first day draws to a close, dairy and livestock producers will divide into breakout sessions and hear testimonials from producers.

On Day 2, the following topics will be discussed: grazing systems, layout and design; water systems and requirements; animal health concerns on pasture; building and using fences for grazing; and pasture establishment and improvement.

Allen Williams, CEO of Kansas-based Tallgrass Beef Co., will conclude the program with his talk titled “The Future of Grassfed Beef.” Founded in 2005, Tallgrass Beef Co. is the industry leader in producing grass-fed, grass-finished beef in the United States.

The registration cost is $100 for the first participant and $50 for the second and subsequent registrants from a farm or business. Registration includes meals and meeting materials. Participants are responsible for reserving their own lodging.

The registration deadline is Sept. 10.

For more information on the MSU Extension grazing school, contact Jason Rowntree, MSU assistant professor of animal science, at 517-974-9539 or rowntre1@msu.edu.

— Release by MSUE.

Rainwater Harvesting Course To Be In Kinney County

A Rainwater Harvesting Workshop will be held from 1-5 p.m. on Sept. 17 at the Kinney County Civic Center, 200 E. Spring St. in Bracketville.

The workshop, presented by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, will be led by Billy Kniffen, AgriLife Extension specialist in water resources management.

“Billy Kniffen is an expert on rainwater harvesting and has extensive experience with many types of rainwater catchment systems,” said Tyler Bobinmyer, AgriLife Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources for Kinney County and workshop coordinator. “He has worked with private landowners homeowners, schools, cities and counties, lending expertise and technical assistance toward building many catchment systems.”

Bobinmyer said program topics will include water quality and quantity concerns, and rainwater harvesting systems for home use, landscape irrigation, wildlife and livestock. The workshop also will include hands-on construction of a ‘wildlife guzzler’ rainwater catchment system using a rain barrel and connections for drip irrigation.

“With the state’s growth and limited water resources, efficient water use is increasingly important,” he said.

The cost for the workshop is $5 at the door, but attendees are requested to RSVP to the AgriLife Extension office in Kinney County at 830-563-2442 to ensure adequate seating.

Concern with corn crop causing more producers to harvest early

The 2010 corn harvest has begun in far western parts of the state, and producers are finding several issues in their fields as a result of extreme heat and dry weather. Producers who haven’t started harvesting in this area, and those farther east, need to scout for problems, so they’ll know which fields to harvest first, said Chad Lee, grain crops specialist with the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Agriculture.

While far western Kentucky counties have experienced the most extreme heat and driest conditions this summer, the whole state has had above normal temperatures. Western Kentucky also has been abnormally dry, and other areas of the state have sections that are dry.

One of the biggest concerns with these conditions is weakened cornstalks. Dry weather caused crops to stop taking in nutrients during seed development. With no other source of nutrients, the seeds might have pulled nutrients from the stalks in order to complete their development.

To check for stalk deterioration, farmers need to grab a plant at chest height, pull it toward them until it is at an angle and let go. If the stalk snaps back and stands up, it is strong. It’s weak if it falls over. If farmers find weak stalks in their fields, they may want to go ahead and harvest those fields first. If the state were to get heavy rain or strong winds before these fields are harvested, lodging could occur. This would make harvest difficult and possibly cause crop loss.

The earlier start may require producers to harvest at a higher moisture content and dry the crop. In areas where harvest is already under way, some producers are reporting grain with 25% moisture content or higher. Growers can determine whether the costs of drying grain would be offset by the costs of anticipated harvest losses on the UK grain storage systems extension website www.bae.uky.edu/ext/Grain_Storage/calculators.htm.

Another concern is ears falling off the plant, which could complicate harvest and create yield losses. In most cases, these are heavier ears. In areas that have been abnormally dry, like Graves County, kernels are falling off the ears in corn with low moisture levels, said Kenny Perry the county’s agriculture and natural resources extension agent. These issues are both due to the hot, dry weather that caused the corn to rapidly mature and dry down.

“Corn normally goes through seed set and seed fill for about 60 days in Kentucky,” Lee said. “This year, much of that corn reached maturity two or even three weeks early, dramatically reducing the time needed for seed set and seed fill.”

UK agriculture and natural resources extension agents in far western Kentucky are reporting significant yield losses in the portion of the crop that has already been harvested. Tom Miller, Ballard County’s agent, said his county’s yields are ranging from 100 to 140 bushels (bu.) per acre with average yields around 130. The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) estimated the county’s 2009 average yield at 167 bu. per acre.

Perry said yields vary widely across fields in his county depending on an area’s soil type and moisture holding capacity. He reported yields between 30 and 180 bu. per acre and 90 and 210 bu. per acre in the same fields. He estimated the county’s 2010 average yield will be around 120 bu. per acre. The county’s 2009 average yield estimate was 154 bu. per acre.

Yields also vary across fields in Fulton County, said Cam Kenimer, county agriculture and natural resources extension agent. With about 35% of the county’s corn harvested, average yields are around 125 bu. per acre. This is below the county’s 2009 estimated average yield of 174 bu. per acre, but he added that 2009 was the county’s best yielding year on record.

— Release by UK College of Agriculture.

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