News Update
August 25, 2011
I Am Angus Airs Tonight, Aug. 25
Tune in to RFD-TV Thursday evening, Aug. 25, at 9 p.m. Central (10 p.m. Eastern) for an encore presentation of the American Angus Association’s popular I Am Angus television series. The program reaches a nationwide audience on DirecTV channel 345, Dish Network channel 231 or other cable providers.
Click here to read more.
Range Management Strategies to Cope with the Current Drought
A gripping drought has many Texas pastures used for cattle production becoming less and less populated with forage. To deter permanent damage to the rangeland, it’s better to take action now rather than later, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service forage specialist.
Larry Redmon, AgriLife Extension state forage specialist, said ranchers should consider the following strategies, which he shared at the Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course recently in College Station:
Have a written plan. “You cannot manage what you do not measure,” Redmon said. “Keep good records of your stocking rates and your operation overall. It doesn’t do any good to have a plan if you don’t have records. We look back and see if we’ve made progress. If we haven’t made any progress, then what does that tell us about our plan? It may need to be tweaked or modified a little.”
Stocking rates. Redmon said your grandfather’s cows that weighed 800 pounds aren’t today’s cattle, many of which can weigh 1,200 pounds. Redmon said to adjust to your current cattle and breed characteristics.
Soil test. “Without a soil test, you overapply expensive nutrients, underapply needed nutrients, or never apply the correct level of nutrients.”
Weed management. Redmon advises to apply herbicide at the right times of the year to provide better weed management. This can also save money compared to expensive pasture mowing.
Store hay in a barn. Hay costs about $120 a ton to produce. Even a moderate infestation of 10 grasshoppers per square meter can consume up to 60% of the available forage. If you lose 4 inches on the outside, you’ve lost 21% of a 6-foot bale.
Don’t guess when it comes to evaluating forages for protein content. He recommends having hay tested for nutritive value. “Overestimating your hay’s nutritive value can severely effect animal performance. Underestimating your hay’s nutritive value can lead to excess supplementation costs.”
Nitrate test for all warm season annual grass hays.
Consider alternatives to feeding hay when possible.
Consider alternatives to inorganic fertilizer.
Include forage legumes where applicable.
Finally, Redmon advises to reduce stocking rates, cull cows and move cattle to leased grazing land when all other avenues have been exhausted.
“You may also need to remove livestock from a pasture and feed stored feed supplement, but this typically is not cost-effective,” he said. “You might also consider having one pasture that is a sacrifice area. In this case, it would be best to choose one pasture or rotate. Feed them in one pasture one week and then feed in another pasture the other week. Also, make sure they always have clean water available.”
These strategies will be discussed in more detail at the upcoming fall Ranch Management University program scheduled Oct. 10-14 at Texas A&M University in College Station. Attendance is limited to the first 50 people who enroll, and the slots are beginning to fill, Redmon said. Cost is $500. For additional information and registration, contact Redmon at 979-845-4826 or at l-redmon@tamu.edu.
To register online and for additional information, go to https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu and type in “ranch management” as key words in the search window.
Glasgow, Ky., Livestock Market to Host 1st Qualifying Contest for 2012 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship
The first stop on the road to the 2012 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC) will be at the Farmers Livestock Market of Glasgow Sept. 19.
The market will be hosting 26 contestants in the first of four qualifying contests for the 2012 WLAC, sponsored and conducted by the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA).
Three winners will be named at each qualifying contest, held around the country. The top eight scorers from each contest move on to the June 16 WLAC at the Turlock Livestock Auction Yard, Turlock, Calif.
All the contests are actual sales, with livestock going through the ring and buyers on the seats. There’s no charge to attend the contest and sale at the Glasgow market, located at 3031 New Bowling Green Road.
Market President Darrell Loy said the opening ceremonies will start at 2 p.m. (CT) with the sale and contest getting under way about 2:30 p.m.
He said the contestants will be selling 2,500-3,500 head “of all classes of quality cattle.”
Everyone with the market, Loy said, “is very pleased to bring the first qualifying contest for the 2012 world championship to Glasgow. We’ve never had the opportunity to host an event of this caliber, and we’re looking forward to an exciting contest. We hope everyone who enjoys listening to talented auctioneers will join us on the nineteenth.”
LMA’s WLAC — next year will be the 49th annual — is widely considered the Super Bowl and World Series of the livestock auctioneering profession. LMA is the national trade association for progressive marketing businesses like the Glasgow market.
The master of ceremonies for each qualifying contest will be Charly Cummings, the 2011 world champion. Contest rules prohibit the world champion from re-entering. Contestants must be at least 18 years old and employed and sponsored by a livestock market.
Contest judges, all LMA members, score each contestant on clarity of chant and voice quality, bid-catching ability, and conduct of the sale. The judges also ask, “Would this auctioneer make a good spokesperson for the livestock industry?” and “Would I hire this auctioneer?”
The Glasgow contestants, followed by their hometowns, are:
Jeff Bynum, Southside, Ala.; Darren Carter, Ninety Six, S.C.; Eric Childress, Park City, Ky.; Will Epperly, Moneta, Va.; Dustin Focht, Stillwater, Okla.; Tom Frey, Creston, Iowa; Brandon Frey, Creston, Iowa; Conrad Green, Munford, Ala.; Doug Hahn, Watseka, Ill.; Jim Hertzog, Butler, Mo.; Garrett Jones, Los Banos, Calif.; Ed Knight, Seymour, Tenn.; Daniel Lanier, Hurt, Va.; Brian Little, Wann, Okla.; Blake McDaniel, Tuscumbia, Ala.; Justin Mebane, Bakersfield, Calif.; Daniel Mitchell, Cumberland, Ohio; Brandon Neely, Southside, Ala.; Paul Ramirez, Tucson, Ariz.; Roger Robinson, Orleans, Ind.; Jay Romine, Mount Washington, Ky.; Jeff Showalter, Broadway, Va.; Daren Shumway, Mesa, Ariz.; Chad Wilson, Portland, Tenn.; Andrew Yoder Jr., Millersburg, Ohio; and Billy Younkin, Cecil, Ala.
The champion in each qualifying contest receives a cash award and a custom-made belt buckle. A buckle is also awarded to the reserve and runner-up champion in each of these contests.
The three titlists in next June’s WLAC — the world champion, reserve and runner-up champions — win thousands of dollars in cash and prizes.
The remaining three qualifying contests will be Oct. 20 at Stockmen’s Livestock Exchange, Inc., Dickinson, N.D.; Jan. 17 at Producers Livestock Marketing Association, Greeley, Colo.; and March 8 at Groesbeck Auction and Livestock Co. LLC, Groesbeck, Texas. There is still time to enter the remaining WLAC quarterfinals. Full rules and an entry form can be found online at www.LMAWEB.com; click on World Livestock Auctioneer Championship.
The qualifying contests, and the WLAC, will be broadcast live at www.LMAAuctions.com.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Reopens Comment Period
on Revising the Delisting of the Gray Wolf in the
Eastern United States
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the Service) today announced the reopening of the comment period on the May 5, 2011, proposed rule to delist the gray wolf population in the Western Great Lakes and revise the listing to remove all or parts of 29 eastern states where the listed species did not historically occur. The action will allow for additional public review and the inclusion of any new information.
Gray wolves were originally listed as subspecies or as regional populations of subspecies in the lower 48 states and Mexico under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and its predecessor statutes. In 1978, the Service reclassified the gray wolf as an endangered species across all of the lower 48 states and Mexico, except in Minnesota where the gray wolf was classified as threatened.
In the rule issued earlier this year, the Service proposed to remove gray wolves in the Western Great Lakes area, which includes Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, and portions of adjoining states from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife because wolves have recovered in this area and no longer require the protection of the ESA.
The Service also proposed to revise the range of the gray wolf (Canus lupus) in all or parts of 29 eastern states, which, based in part on recognition of the eastern wolf (Canus lycaon) as a full species, were not part of the historical range of the gray wolf.
The comment period for this proposed rule closed on July 5, 2011, and the Service received significant comments from states and other stakeholders concerning North American wolf taxonomy. The Service is seeking all information, data, and comments from the public with respect to any new information relevant to the taxonomy of wolves in North America. Written comments on this proposal may be submitted by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments to Docket No. [FWS-R3-ES-2011-0029].
U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. [FWS-R3-ES-2011-0029]; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS 2042-PDM; Arlington, VA 22203.
All comments and materials, as well as supporting documentation used in preparing the proposed rule will be made available for public inspection.
The notice reopening the comment period will publish in the Federal Register on Aug. 26, 2011. Comments must be received within 30 days, on or before Sept. 26, 2011. The Service will post all comments on www.regulations.gov. This generally means the agency will post any personal information provided through the process. The Service is not able to accept email or faxes.
More information is available online at www.fws.gov/midwest/wolf.
The ESA provides a critical safety net for America’s native fish, wildlife and plants. The Service is working to actively engage conservation partners and the public in the search for improved and innovative ways to conserve and recover imperiled species. To learn more about the Endangered Species Program, visit www.fws.gov/endangered.
Dooley Named Texas A&M Agriculture College Associate Dean of Academic Operations
Kim Dooley has been named associate dean of academic operations for the Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
“Dr. Dooley brings both a depth and a breadth of experience and knowledge to our college’s administrative team, and I look forward to her leadership in these important areas,” said Mark Hussey, vice chancellor and dean of agriculture and life sciences.
Hussey said a “new and growing area of responsibility for this position will be providing leadership for college strategic priority areas including distance education and international academic assessment.”
He said Dooley, who currently is a professor in the college’s department of agricultural leadership, education and communications, will retain a partial teaching appointment.
“As associate dean, Dr. Dooley will oversee undergraduate academic programs for the college and serve on the university’s academic operations committee,” Hussey said. “In addition, she will be responsible for our college’s efforts in academic assessment and for helping develop a positive and productive assessment culture.”
Dooley started her career as a high school science teacher and has held positions in the Texas A&M honors program and with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.
She earned a bachelor’s in 1984, a master’s in educational curriculum and instruction in 1987 and a doctorate in educational human resource development in 1995, all from Texas A&M.
Dooley serves in leadership roles for a variety of distance education and assessment efforts at Texas A&M. She has also worked with international and study abroad programs and has served as associate department head for graduate programs.
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