News Update
November 15, 2011
American Angus Association Elects Directors, Officers
American Angus Association delegates elected five members to its Board of Directors Monday, Nov. 14, at the 128th Annual Convention of Delegates in Louisville, Ky.
Elected Board Directors include Chris Sankey, Council Grove, Kan.; Arlen Sawyer, Bassett, Neb.; Doug Schroeder, Clarence, Iowa; Darrell Silveira, Firebaugh, Calif.; and Jim Sitz, Dillon, Mont. Sankey will serve his first three-year term on the Board; while Sawyer, Schroeder, Silveira and Sitz will serve a second, three-year term.
Jarold Callahan, Edmond, Okla., was elected the American Angus Association president and chairman of the board. He most recently served as vice president and vice chairman of the Board, and succeeds Joe Hampton, who, with his wife, Robin, operates Back Creek, a cattle operation near Mount Ulla, N.C., focused on the production of Angus bulls for commercial cattlemen.
As Association president, Callahan will serve as chairman of the Executive Committee and will work closely with all directors to lead the board during the next year.
Phil Trowbridge, Ghent, N.Y., was chosen by delegates to serve as vice president and vice chairman of the board. Gordon Stucky, Kingman, Kan., will serve as treasurer for the year.
More than 300 elected delegates from 43 states, Canada and the District of Columbia represented American Angus Association members and conducted the business of the Association during the annual meeting and election. The meeting was at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center (KFEC) in conjunction with the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) Super-Point Roll of Victory (ROV) Angus Show.
MU Crop Management Conference Set for Nov. 30-Dec. 1
Successful farming is an uncertain science as weather, insects and disease complicate matters each year.
University of Missouri (MU) agriculture specialists and experts from other states will offer lessons learned from these extremes at the MU Crop Management Conference, Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Columbia. “Last year we had more outside speakers and we’ve tried to continue that diversity of voices this year,” said Kevin Bradley, conference coordinator and MU Extension weed scientist.
The conference will kick off with a discussion led by Ron Plain, an MU Extension economist. At a time of near-record farm profits, concerns about the growing federal deficit has prompted Congress to mull cuts to some farm programs.
“Right now the focus is on $1.2 trillion in cuts that a congressional ‘supercommittee’ plans to present by the end of the year,” Plain said. “Farm programs like the Direct Payment Program seem to be a target, and it becomes increasingly hard to defend when farm profits are at these levels.”
Plain will discuss what the intersection of the federal deficit, exports and other cuts in the 2012 Farm Bill could mean for farmers.
Other speakers, including MU entomologist Wayne Bailey and MU plant pathologist Laura Sweets, will join Bradley to recap last year’s biggest problems and examine the outlook for next year.
Ron Hammond, an Ohio State University researcher, will expand that discussion to cover a relatively new pest: slugs, which are a growing concern with the adoption of conservation tillage practices. He will also discuss soybean pest management. New seed treatments give farmers more options for planting, but soybean aphids in the Midwest and the spread of the brown marmorated stink bug threaten profits.
Greg Tylka of Iowa State University will talk of pests farmers can’t see. Corn nematodes can have a significant impact on a crop; he will explain scouting and management of the parasites.
Peter Scharf, MU soil scientist, will turn the conversation toward nitrogen. He will discuss what a smart fertilizing plan should look like in light of the wet springs of the last four years.
Gene Stevens, MU Delta Center researcher, will speak about how to use tillage, phosphorus, chicken manure and winter cover crops to come back from a flood.
Pat Guinan, MU Extension climatologist, and MU economist Ray Massey will talk about climate variability’s effect on farming and a new multistate project to transform climate data into useful tools for farmers.
Other sessions include drainage and subirrigation systems, carbon sequestration, best equipment and additives for pesticide application, implications of biomass on soils and yield map usefulness in farming. Register for the Crop Management Conference at www.plantsci.missouri.edu/cmc. The cost is $105 for one day or $160 for both days if you register by Nov. 23. Fees increase $25 after that date.
High Prices, New Website Help
Southeast Cattlemen Weather Risk
Much like row-crop prices, beef cattle prices are high now and reached historic highs earlier this year. Facing drought and feed shortages, though, southeastern cattle producers still must make tough decisions when it comes to their financial bottom lines and keeping herds healthy.
Southeast Cattle Advisor website was developed by cattle experts with the University of Georgia, Auburn University, University of Florida and Clemson University to be “a one-stop shop for cattle producers to go there and get information related to risk management,” said Curt Lacy, the UGA Cooperative Extension economist who helped develop the website.
Brad Haire, news director with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, speaks with Lacy about how the website can help cattle producers weather their risk.
Watch High prices, new website help Southeast cattlemen weather risk.
Agriculture Secretary VIlsack Announces Funding to Expand and Improve Broadband Services in Rural Areas
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced funding for telephone utilities to build, expand and improve broadband in their rural service territories across 15 states. The announcement was made on the Secretary’s behalf by USDA Rural Utilities Service Deputy Administrator Jessica Zufolo during an address at the annual meeting of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners in St. Louis, Mo.
“Today’s funding will provide residents of these rural communities with high speed internet connections to improve healthcare and educational opportunities and connect to global markets,” Vilsack said. “In addition to providing much needed services to rural businesses and residents, these investments will increase jobs, not just in the near term, but through expanded opportunities in rural areas.”
For example, in Minnesota, Rural Development Broadband Loan Program funds will be used to extend Paul Bunyan Rural Telephone Cooperative’s existing Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) network to serve rural communities in North Central Minnesota. This project will offer advanced telecommunications services to over 45,710 households and businesses. Paul Bunyan has been operating since 1952 and has been a telecommunications borrower with the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) since 1953.
In North Dakota, Rural Development funds will be used to expand Polar Communications Mutual Aid Corporation’s Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband system throughout 18 exchanges. The upgraded system will help meet current and future requirements for delivery of voice, video and high speed data to subscribers. Upon completion of this RUS-funded project, all of Polar’s subscribers will be served with broadband via various technologies.
In Indiana, Perry-Spencer Rural Telephone Cooperative Inc., (PSC) provides telecommunications services to 5,711 subscribers over approximately 1,148 square miles. This loan will enable PSC to start the process of designing and building FTTP broadband services across its service area. This investment in broadband technology creates the potential for increased business growth, while providing improved telecommunications, entertainment services, educational services, healthcare and public safety to rural communities in Indiana.
The following list of awardees will receive $410.7 million in funding, contingent upon the recipient meeting the terms of the agreement with USDA.
- Colorado
- Idaho and Utah
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Minnesota
- New Mexico
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Washington
- Wisconsin
Since taking office, President Obama’s Administration has taken historic steps to improve the lives of rural Americans, put people back to work and build thriving economies in rural communities. From proposing the American Jobs Act to establishing the first-ever White House Rural Council — chaired by Vilsack — the President wants the federal government to be the best possible partner for rural businesses and entrepreneurs creating job opportunities and for people who want to live, work and raise their families in rural communities.
USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, administers and manages housing, business and community infrastructure and facility programs through a national network of state and local offices. Rural Development has an existing portfolio of more than $155 billion in loans and loan guarantees. These programs are designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life in rural America. More information about USDA Rural Development can be found at www.rurdev.usda.gov.
Grace Period for ND Brands Ends Soon
As families gather for their annual Thanksgiving Day celebrations, it will be a good time for them to get their brand renewal forms signed and sent back to the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association (NDSA), if they haven’t done so already, according to Brand Recorder Angela Walford. By law, brands are to be renewed every five years in North Dakota. Many completed that task before the brand renewal period ended in December 2010. For those who haven’t, a year-long grace period is coming to a close Dec. 31, 2011.
“That means, on Jan. 1, 2012, brands that were not renewed by their previous owners will be eligible for others to register, as long as the brand passes a conflict check,” Walford explained. To prevent that from happening, producers who haven’t renewed their brands, but want to keep them, should send in the blue renewal form that was sent in August 2010 and mail it along with the corresponding renewal fee to the NDSA office at 407 S. 2nd Street, Bismarck, ND 58504.
For new forms or questions about your brand, contact Walford at 701-223-2522.
New Water District Irrigation Rules Prompts Dec. 8 Informational Meeting in Floyd County
The Texas AgriLife Extension Service and Texas Farm Bureau will host an informational meeting at 5 p.m. Dec. 8 for those affected by the new High Plains Underground Water District rules that go into effect Jan. 1. The meeting will be at the Floyd County Friends Unity Center at Muncy, 5 miles north of Floydada on U.S. Highway 70.
“The High Plains Underground Water District adopted rules in July that will require meters for wells and will limit the amount of water pumped per acre for irrigation,” said Mark Carroll, AgriLife Extension agent in Floyd County. “The whole purpose of this meeting is to help our producers and landowners better understand this new ruling and how it will affect them.
“AgriLife Extension and the Farm Bureau are providing this opportunity strictly as an informational meeting for our producers. We are not for or against the new regulations, but simply want to provide the best information possible, so our clientele is informed as thoroughly as possible prior to the regulations taking effect at the first of the year.”
Jim Conkwright, High Plains Underground Water District manager in Lubbock, will present the program and answer questions from the audience, Carroll said.
The multicounty meeting will involve the AgriLife Extension offices in Floyd, Crosby, Briscoe, Swisher and Hale counties and the Farm Bureau office serving Floyd and Briscoe counties.
Individual registration is $10, due at the door. The Floydada fire department will be serving a barbecue meal as a fundraiser.
For more information contact the AgriLife Extension office in Floyd County at 806-983-4912.
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