News Update
June 28, 2011

Missouri FFA Chapter Donates Winnings to Help Joplin High School FFA

A Missouri high school FFA chapter that received a first-place prize in a recent regional competition has donated its winnings to help students in tornado-ravaged Joplin, Mo., rebuild their FFA chapter and operations.

A multiple-vortex EF5 twister killed more than 150 people as it carved a six-mile-long, mile-wide path through the town of 49,000, destroying Joplin High School and 11 other school buildings May 22. Franklin Technology Center, operated by the school's FFA chapter, was one of the destroyed structures.

Just three days before the Joplin disaster, an FFA chapter some 400 miles north learned it was among the top winners of an FFA competition sponsored by Monsanto. Princeton R-V High School's FFA chapter received a first-place $1,500 credit line prize in the inaugural FFA Chapter Challenge, a pilot competition that encouraged FFA chapters in seven states to forge new relationships with area farmers in turn for their online votes of support. The credit line can be used to buy FFA jackets, chapter banquet supplies, chapter medals and awards and fund trips to FFA functions.

"We were proud of our accomplishment and very grateful to FFA and Monsanto, but after what happened in Joplin, I spoke with my chapter officers and we felt that donating our winnings to Joplin High School's FFA chapter was the right thing to do," said Bryan Williams, Princeton's FFA advisor. "We talked about what we would do if such a disaster happened here and what our needs would be. We determined that the best way we could help is to give our Chapter Challenge award to help the FFA students in Joplin."

When the 2011-2012 school year begins Aug. 17, students will attend school at a local shopping mall. Efforts to rebuild Joplin's FFA chapter are under way.

"We don't know what we have left and what we can salvage. We have been ordered not to enter our facilities since they are hazardous areas," said Joplin High School FFA Advisor Jay Jackman. "This most likely means we won't be allowed to salvage anything."

The Joplin FFA chapter is accepting financial donations to help rebuild its program. Donations can be made by check made out to "Joplin FFA" with "Joplin FFA tornado recovery" in the memo line and sent to Joplin FFA c/o Joplin schools, Attn: Kim Vann, 102 Gray Ave., Joplin, Mo. 64801.

"What an exceptional act of kindness and support," said National FFA Foundation Executive Director Rob Cooper when hearing of the Princeton FFA chapter's decision. "FFA teaches students core values of integrity, service and innovation and these values were remarkably demonstrated by the Princeton chapter's decision to help their neighboring FFA chapter obliterated by such a tragic natural disaster."

John Raines, vice president of customer advocacy at Monsanto, echoes Cooper's praise. "We are committed to sponsoring programs that support FFA chapters and students," said Raines. "This donation to Joplin embodies the kind of goodwill we are hoping to spread among those in the agricultural community."

— Release by FFA.

Although Delayed, Producers Still Have Time to Make More Hay

Exceptionally wet weather delayed hay cutting this spring, but producers likely still have time to make enough hay to last them through the winter.

While many producers were able to make hay during the hot, dry weather the first two weeks of June, producers of alfalfa and alfalfa-mixed grasses were about a month behind with their first cutting. This delay will likely cost them one cutting this year.

A significant amount of fescue and fescue-mix grasses also are still in the fields, but there's a good chance producers can get a quality second cutting, said Tom Keene, hay marketing specialist in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.

"For the fescue-type grasses, this isn't so unusual," Keene said. "We call this 'holiday hay' because it usually doesn't get cut until the Fourth of July, but by that time, any nutritive value it had is gone."

Some livestock producers' hay supplies may be low this year due to either recent drought years when they fed their animals for longer periods of time or from increasing their herd size in the past year. Those producers need to get as much hay from their pastures as possible to ensure their supplies last through the winter. Those wanting or needing more hay can likely get a good-quality second cutting this year, but they need to replace the nitrogen lost from the first cutting, especially if they didn't apply any this spring.

"As long as we continue to get rain, there's a good chance of getting a quality second cutting of grass pastures, but producers need to apply nitrogen, about 40 pounds per acre, to ensure the ground has the nutrients it needs," Keene said. "If they don't want a second cutting, applying nitrogen to fields now will also give producers good late-summer pasture for their animals to graze. The biggest risk associated with the nitrogen application is if it stops raining."

— Release by Katie Pratt, University of Kentucky.

Does Grilling Kill E.coli O157:H7?

Top sirloin steaks have been getting a grilling in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) food safety studies. USDA microbiologist John Luchansky and his colleagues are conducting experiments to help make sure that neither the foodborne pathogen Escherichia coli O157:H7 nor any of its pathogenic relatives will ruin the pleasure of eating this popular entrée.

The scientists are learning more about the movement of E. coli into "subprimals," the meat from which top sirloin steaks are carved. Their focus is on what happens to the E. coli when subprimals are punctured — as part of being tenderized — and the effect of cooking on survival of those microbes.

Luchansky is with USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), based at the agency's Eastern Regional Research Center in Wyndmoor, Pa.

In early studies, the researchers applied various levels of E. coli O157:H7 to the "lean-side" surface of subprimals, ran the meat (lean side up) through a blade tenderizer, and then took core samples from 10 sites on each subprimal, to a depth of about 3 inches (in.). In general, only 3% to 4% of the E. coli O157:H7 cells were transported to the geometric center of the meat. At least 40% of the cells remained in the top 0.4 in.

Next, the group applied E. coli to the lean-side surface of more subprimals, put the meat through a blade tenderizer, then sliced it into steaks with a thickness of three-fourths of an inch, 1 in., or 1.25 in. Using a commercial open-flame gas grill, they cooked the steaks — on both sides — to an internal temperature of 120° F (very rare), 130° F (rare), or 140° F (medium rare).

The findings confirmed that if a relatively low level of E. coli O157:H7 is distributed throughout a blade-tenderized top sirloin steak, proper cooking on a commercial gas grill is effective for eliminating the microbe.

Luchansky conducted the studies with Wyndmoor colleagues Jeffrey Call, Bradley Shoyer, Anna Porto-Fett; Randall Phebus of Kansas State University; and Harshavardhan Thippareddi of the University of Nebraska. Published in the Journal of Food Protection in 2008 and 2009, these preliminary findings have paved the way to newer investigations.

— Release by USDA ARS.

USDA Designates Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

The USDA has designated counties in Tennessee, Georgia, Colorado, Ohio and Texas as natural disaster areas.

Tennessee: USDA has designated 15 counties in Tennessee as natural disaster areas due to losses caused by severe storms, tornadoes, winds and flooding that began April 23 and continues. These conditions have caused severe damage to corn, wheat, forage and nursery crops, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

The counties declared natural disaster areas include Dyer, Giles, Greene, Hancock, Hardeman, Hardin, Hawkins, Henderson, Knox, Lake, Madison, Obion, Shelby, Tipton and Washington.

Farmers and ranchers in counties contiguous to these also qualify for natural disaster assistance. Those counties include:

• Anderson, Blount, Carroll, Carter, Chester, Claiborne, Cocke, Crockett, Decatur, Fayette, Gibson, Grainger, Hamblen, Haywood, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lincoln, Loudon, Marshall, Maury, McNairy, Roane, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, Wayne and Weakley in Tennessee;
• Lauderdale and Limestone in Alabama;
• Crittenden and Mississippi in Arkansas;
• Fulton and Hickman in Kentucky;
• Alcorn, Benton, De Soto, Marshall, Tippah and Tishomingo in Mississippi;
• New Madrid and Pemiscot in Missouri;
• Madison in North Carolina; and
• Lee and Scott in Virginia.

Georgia: USDA has designated 22 counties in Georgia as natural disaster areas because of losses caused by drought that began Dec. 15, 2010, and continues. The drought has caused severe damage to forage crops, pasture, oats, rye and wheat, said Vilsack.

The counties are Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Brantley, Brooks, Bryan, Chatham, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Dodge, Effingham, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Lanier, Lowndes, Pierce, Telfair, Thomas, Wayne and Wheeler.

Contiguous counties also qualifying for natural disaster assistance include:

• Berrien, Bleckley, Bulloch, Camden, Charlton, Clinch, Echols, Evans, Glynn, Grady, Laurens, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Mitchell, Montgomery, Pulaski, Screven, Tattnall, Tift, Toombs, Truelten, Turner, Ware, Wilcox and Worth in Georgia;
• Hamilton, Jefferson, Leon and Madison in Florida; and
• Hampton and Jasper in South Carolina.

Colorado: USDA has designated three counties — Baca, Crowley and Otero — in Colorado as primary natural disaster areas due to losses of wheat and forage crops caused by ongoing drought that began Jan. 1, 2011.

Contiguous counties also qualifying for natural disaster assistance include:

• Bent, El Paso, Kiowa, Las Animas, Lincoln, Prowers and Pueblo in Colorado;
• Morton and Stanton in Kansas;
• Union in New Mexico; and
• Cimarron in Oklahoma.

Ohio: USDA has designated five counties in Ohio as primary natural disaster areas after flooding along with excessive rain, high winds and tornadoes caused severe agricultural damage as well as losses to wheat and forage crops from Feb. 2-March 23, 2011. The counties are: Ashland, Delaware, Holmes, Tuscarawas and Wyandot.

Contiguous counties also qualifying for natural disaster assistance include Carroll, Coshocton, Crawford, Franklin, Guernsey, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Huron, Knox, Licking, Lorain, Marion, Medina, Morrow, Richland, Seneca, Stark, Union and Wayne.

Texas: USDA has designated 213 counties in Texas as primary natural disaster areas after one of the worst droughts in more than a century. The state sustained excessive heat, high winds and wildfires that burned hundreds of thousands of acres.

The drought, wildfires and other natural disasters — which began Jan. 1, 2011, and continue — caused 30% or more loss of forage crops, pasture, corn, oats and wheat in the following counties: Anderson, Andrews, Angelina, Aransas, Archer, Armstrong, Atascosa, Austin, Bailey, Bandera, Bastrop, Baylor, Bee, Bell, Blanco, Bosque, Bowie, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Briscoe, Brooks, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Callahan, Cameron, Camp, Cass, Castro, Chambers, Cherokee, Childress, Clay, Cochran, Coke, Coleman, Collin, Collingsworth, Colorado, Comal, Comanche, Concho, Cooke, Coryell, Cottle, Crockett, Crosby, Culberson, Dallam, De Witt, Deaf Smith, Delta, Denton, Dickens, Donley, Duval, Eastland, Edwards, El Paso, Ellis, Erath, Fayette, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Fort Bend, Franklin, Freestone, Frio, Galveston, Garza, Gillespie, Glasscock, Goliad, Gonzales, Gray, Gregg, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hale, Hall, Hamilton, Hansford, Hardeman, Hardin, Harris, Harrison, Hartley, Haskell, Hays, Hemphill, Hidalgo, Hockley, Hood, Hopkins, Houston, Howard, Hudspeth, Hutchinson, Irion, Jack, Jackson, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Johnson, Jones, Karnes, Kendall, Kenedy, Kent, Kerr, Kimble, King, Kleberg, Knox, La Salle, Lamar, Lamb, Lampasas, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Limestone, Lipscomb, Live Oak, Loving, Lubbock, Lynn, Madison, Marion, Martin, McCulloch, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Menard, Midland, Mills, Mitchell, Montgomery, Moore, Morris, Motley, Nacogdoches, Newton, Nolan, Ochiltree, Oldham, Orange, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Parmer, Pecos, Polk, Potter, Presidio, Rains, Randall, Reagan, Reeves, Refugio, Roberts, Robertson, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, San Saba, Schleicher, Scurry, Shackelford, Shelby, Sherman, Smith, Somervell, Starr, Stephens, Sterling, Stonewall, Sutton, Swisher, Taylor, Terrell, Throckmorton, Titus, Tom Green, Travis, Trinity, Tyler, Upshur, Upton, Val Verde, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Washington, Webb, Wheeler, Wichita, Wilbarger, Willacy, Wood, Young and Zapata.

Contiguous counties also qualifying for natural disaster assistance include:

• Bexar, Borden, Carson, Crane, Dallas, Dawson, Dimmit, Ector, Falls, Fannin, Gaines, Grayson, Henderson, Hill, Hunt, Kaufman, Kinney, Llano, Mason, Matagorda, Maverick, Milam, Montague, Navarro, Nueces, Real, Red River, Rockwall, Runnels, Tarrant, Terry, Uvalde, Van Zandt, Ward, Wharton, Williamson, Wilson, Winkler, Wise, Yoakum and Zavala in Texas;
• Little River and Miller in Arkansas;
• Beauregard, Caddo, Calcasieu, Cameron, De Soto, Sabine and Vernon in Louisiana;
• Curry, Dona Ana, Eddy, Lea, Otero, Quay, Roosevelt and Union in New Mexico; and
• Beaver, Beckham, Bryan, Choctaw, Cimarron, Cotton, Ellis, Harmon, Jackson, Jefferson, Love, McCurtain, Roger Mills, Texas and Tillman in Oklahoma

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas June 24, 2011, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of the losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the EM loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.

USDA also has made other programs available to assist farmers and ranchers, including the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), which was approved as part of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008; the Emergency Conservation Program; Federal Crop Insurance; and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program. Interested farmers may contact their local USDA Service Centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.

— Adapted from releases by USDA.

— Compiled by Katie Gazda, editorial intern, Angus Productions Inc.