News Update
July 15, 2011

Beef Marketing Workshop Set for July 25 in Miami

A Beef Marketing and Risk Management meeting will take place July 25 at the Roberts County Emergency Service Building at 214 S. Main, Miami, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service agent.

“Twenty years ago, the decision was easy — haul the calves to market when they were ready,” said Brandon Dukes, AgriLife Extension agricultural and natural resources agent in Roberts County. “Today, your options as far as selling and marketing your cattle and calves abound.

“Which option suits your operation best? What are the pros and cons of different marketing techniques? These are questions that will be answered at the workshop.”

Registration for the event will be $10 per person. Two Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units — one general, one laws and regulations — will be offered for pesticide applicators, he said. The CEU portion of the workshop will begin with discussion at 11 a.m.

For those who do not need the CEUs, registration will be at noon, Dukes said.

Everyone is asked to RSVP by July 20 to 806-868-3191 for planning purposes.

Following a noon lunch, the program will consist of the following presentations:

– The Traditional Livestock Auction, Dukes.
– Video and Online Auctions, Dukes.
– Retained Ownership, DeDe Jones, AgriLife Extension risk management specialist, Amarillo.
– Grid Marketing, Ted McCollum, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist, Amarillo.
– Niche Markets, McCollum.

The program is scheduled to end at 3:10 p.m. with an evaluation, Dukes said.

— Release by Kay Ledbetter for Texas A&M AgriLife Communications.

What's Driving Food Prices in 2011?

At its Forum Tuesday, July 19, Farm Foundation, NFP will release a new report on the factors driving recent increases in agricultural commodity and food prices.  Commissioned by the Foundation, the report, What’s Driving Food Prices in 2011?, was authored by three Purdue University economists: Wallace Tyner, an energy and policy economist; Philip Abbott, whose work is on international trade and international agricultural development; and Christopher Hurt, whose area of focus includes grain and livestock markets.

The Forum will be 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C. After the authors present their findings, the floor will be opened for questions and discussion. There is no charge to participate in the July 19 forum, but registration is requested by noon Friday, July 15. Click here to send your e-mail registration. If you have already registered for the event, it is not necessary to do so again. 

The report being released July 19 builds on previous work commissioned by Farm Foundation. The 2008 report, What’s Driving Food Prices?, identified three broad sets of forces driving food price increases:  global changes in production and consumption of key commodities; depreciation of the U.S. dollar; and growth in the production of biofuels. In 2009, after global economic conditions had changed dramatically, the authors updated their report, concluding the same three factors were at work but with differing outcomes.

The new report examines whether the same forces contributing to 2008 price spikes are at work today, or whether there are new drivers in 2011.

— Release by Farm Foundation.

Alltech to Build Optigen® Production Plant in New Mexico

Due to increasing demand, global animal health and nutrition company Alltech has started construction on its 32nd production facility globally, and ninth North American in one of its fastest growing regions in the United States, “the land of enchantment.”

The new site will call Clovis, N.M., home and will be the fifth of its kind to produce one of Alltech’s emerging technologies, Optigen®. Optigen, a non-protein nitrogen source originally developed by Cornell University and then later purchased from Agway, has found a niche in today’s volatile dairy market. By creating space in the diet, the inclusion of Optigen allows producers to use on-farm feeds and have more flexibility during formulating.With corn prices doubling since last summer and natural disasters and drought impacting this year’s planting, the southwest has seen an increasing demand for the protein alternative.

The Optigen plant is part of the company’s overall growth plan and reinforces its commitment to the Southwest animal feed production industries. Alltech New Mexico first opened its doors in 2008 to support local sales in New Mexico and Western Texas and offer a local distribution site for its growing customer base. Yea-Sacc®1026  Farm Pak 2X, a live yeast culture feed additive and Alltech’s signature product, is currently manufactured at the Clovis facility.

“The local community has been very welcoming to us, and a physical presence has helped us to strengthen our relationship and better serve the Southwest agriculture industry. We are eager to add this plant to our present facility in Clovis so we can continue to meet the needs of our customers,” said Aaron DeHaan, Alltech New Mexico territory sales manager.

Clovis, which sprang up as a result of the East-West Railroad, was built in 1909 in the heart of a newly developing farming and ranching region in eastern New Mexico. New Mexico is home to 360,000 dairy cows and 45% of the dairy cows reside in Curry and Roosevelt counties.

Across the state line, the Panhandle of Texas holds approximately 150,000 cows.
Construction should be completed on the Optigen plant by the end of July with product manufacturing starting soon after. At least three people, including one quality control position, will be added to the Alltech New Mexico staff to operate the plant. Also due to increased success in the southwest, the Clovis office plans to expand their sales team on the dairy and beef sides.

For more information on any of these positions, please contact Aaron Dehaan at 505-353-2170 or adehaan@alltech.com.

— Release by Allie Hembree for Alltech.

National Cowgirl Museum And Hall Of Fame Announces 2011 Honorees

The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is proud to announce Sarah “Sally” Buxkemper, Sandy Collier, Mary Lou LeComtpe, and Anna Mebus Martin as inductees to the Hall of Fame for 2011. This year a special group induction will take place of four extraordinary cowgirls from the “Golden Era” of women’s rodeo. This group includes Marie Gibson, Eloise “Fox Hastings” Wilson, Mary Emma Manning Lillie “May Lillie,” and Pauline Nesbitt. All eight women will be honored during the 36th Annual Induction Luncheon Ceremony on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas. For ticket information, call 817-509-8965 or go to the website; www.cowgirl.net. Space is limited, and past luncheons have been sold out.

The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is the only museum in the world dedicated to honoring and celebrating women, past and present, whose lives exemplify the courage, resilience, and independence that helped shape the American West, and fosters an appreciation of the ideals and spirit of self-reliance they inspire. It is the legacy of legends. 

The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to preserve the history and highlight the impact of Western women living roughly from the mid-1800s to the present: the artists and writers, champions and competitive performers, entertainers, ranchers (stewards of land and livestock), trailblazers and pioneers. Today, there are more than 200 extraordinary women who have been inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame since 1975.

— Release by the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame.

— Compiled by Linda Robbins, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.