News Update
June 11, 2012
Feral Hog Control Meeting Set June 28 in Nacogdoches
Residents in the Attoyac Bayou watershed in Rusk, Shelby, San Augustine and Nacogdoches counties can learn about feral hog control and the pests' contribution to poor water quality in the watershed at a June 28 meeting hosted by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. and is open to the public at no cost. It will be hosted in the meeting room of the AgriLife Extension office for Nacogdoches County, located at 203 West Main in Nacogdoches.
For more information and the full release, www.api-virtuallibrary.com/meetings_calendar/Mtg_06-28-2012_Texas.htm.
World Livestock Auctioneer Championship to be June 15-16
For the past year, auctioneers from across the country have competed for a spot in the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC), to be June 15-16, in California. The annual contest, now in its 49th year, showcases the professional auctioneering skills and livestock marketing knowledge of the hundreds of auctioneers who compete in the qualifying and championship events.
This prestigious event is produced by the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA), the leading trade association serving livestock auction markets, during their annual convention. LMA believes that the open, competitive bidding method of livestock marketing affords true price discovery on every class and type of animal, and that livestock auction markets provide tremendous economic benefits to producers and rural communities.
For more information and the full release, visit www.lmaweb.com/news-information/index.html.
GenVec Announces Conditional Approval of FMD Vaccine for Cattle
GenVec Inc. has announced that the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a conditional license for GenVec's foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine for use in cattle. APHIS issued the conditional license to Antelope Valley Bios Inc., who manufactured the vaccine under a contract from GenVec. The vaccine was developed and tested under a contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology (DHS S&T) Directorate. This is the first FMD vaccine licensed by the USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics.
"This conditional approval is a significant event as it represents GenVec's first approved product," noted Bryan Butman, GenVec's senior vice president of Vector Operations and the head of GenVec's FMD program. "This achievement demonstrates GenVec's ability to bring its technology through the regulatory review process and validates the utility of our core technology to make effective genetic vaccines."
The FMD vaccine, initially discovered and tested by the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), was developed by GenVec scientists in collaboration with the DHS S&T Directorate's Targeted Advanced Development Branch at Plum Island Animal Disease Center.
For more information and the full release, visit http://ir.genvec.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=124130&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1703373&highlight=.
Beef Was the Star at the Sun BBQ Fest
Beef was the star during the recent three-day inaugural Sun BBQ Fest at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn. The beef checkoff, through the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative (NEBPI), provided educational sessions throughout the festival to ensure that beef was given top billing over other proteins, which are typically featured at BBQ festivals; and, the venue provided the perfect opportunity to educate attendees about selecting and grilling their favorite cuts of beef.
For the full release, visit www.beefboard.org/news/120608SunBBQFestRelease.asp.
Southeastern Ohio Hay Day June 21
Equipment dealers from around eastern Ohio will demonstrate the latest in forage harvesting and forage handling machinery at Southeastern Ohio Hay Day.
The field day will be Thursday, June 21, from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Eastern Agricultural Research Station at 16870 Township Road 126, Caldwell. The station is part of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC).
The public is invited to this free event to watch live demonstrations and talk with equipment personnel.
Registration and access to field equipment displays begin at 4 p.m., with demonstrations starting at 5 p.m. Company representatives will be on hand to demonstrate and discuss the various equipment lines.
For more information, contact Clif Little, Ohio State University Extension educator, at 740-489-5300 or 740-732-5681, or see the website of the Guernsey County office of OSU Extension at http://guernsey.osu.edu and click on "Events."
OSU Extension and OARDC are the outreach and research arms, respectively, of Ohio State University's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
Groups Support Creation of Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Ag Affairs at USDA
In a letter this week to House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), the American Soybean Association (ASA) joined groups from multiple agricultural sectors in encouraging the inclusion of a provision in the Chairman's Mark of the upcoming farm bill that would establish an undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs at the USDA.
"[T]he trade organizational structure at USDA has remained unchanged since it was last reorganized in 1978," stated the groups in the letter. "Over this period, the value and nature of U.S. agriculture exports has changed dramatically. In 1978, U.S. agriculture exports totaled $29 billion whereas in 2011 they reached $136 billion. In 1978, grains and oilseeds amounted to 60% of all U.S. agriculture exports while meat and poultry accounted for 3% and produce 6%. Now grains and oilseeds account for 36% of all agriculture exports while meat and poultry constitute 15% and produce 13%. Meanwhile, over the last 30 years the challenges that U.S. agriculture faces in global markets have increased and markedly changed from primarily tariff barriers to phytosanitary and other non-tariff trade barriers."
For more information and the full release, www.soygrowers.com/newsroom/news.htm.
American Farmland Trust Disappointed in the Agriculture Appropriations Bill
Reported by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture
American Farmland Trust (AFT) expressed its disappointment in the agriculture appropriations bill reported by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture June 6, 2012. The appropriations panel cleared, by a voice vote, the fiscal year 2013 spending bill, which cuts NRCS Farm Bill conservation spending by more than $700 million on the fiscal year, or approximately 20%.
Jon Scholl, AFT president, observed, "The House appropriators' indiscriminate cuts came at the same time the Senate Agriculture Committee brought its well-considered and thoughtful conservation program reforms to be debated on the Senate floor. They stand in stark contrast. While we understand the pressures to cut spending given the current fiscal environment, we believe the Senate's effort to streamline and consolidate programs to make them more cost effective and efficient, is, at the end of the day, the more fiscally responsible course."
The Senate Agriculture Committee's bill consolidates 23 existing conservation programs into 13 programs that fulfill four fundamental program functions, achieving $6 billion in deficit reduction over 10 years.
For more information and the full release, visit www.farmland.org/news/media/default.asp.
Obama Administration Releases Report on America's Agricultural Economy and Announces Commitment to Invest More than $2 Billion in Rural Small Businesses
President Obama will announce investments to help rural small businesses expand and hire. Home to some of the most diligent and self-reliant Americans, rural communities and our nation's agriculture industry are vital contributors to employment and exports from the United States. Strong and secure rural communities are essential to creating an economy built to last that rewards hard work and responsibility — not outsourcing, loopholes and risky financial deals. While the security of the middle class has been threatened by the irresponsible financial collapse and the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, rural Americans continue to come together to buckle down and make ends meet. The values that have helped hard-working, responsible families weather the storm continue to move our economy forward. As a result, while there is still work to do, a new report released today details the progress that has been made in the agricultural economy.
"As we continue to fight our way back from the deepest economic crisis in generations and build an economy that lasts, rural America is helping to lead the charge," said President Obama. "On farms and ranches; in towns and communities across this country, rural Americans know that we are stronger as a people when everybody gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules. Those are the values we need to return to, and as long as I'm president, my administration will continue to give our rural communities the support and investment they need to show us the way."
For more information and the full release visit, http://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USDAOC-4427ce.
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