News Update
June 22, 2012
Peterson Statement: Senate Approves 2012 Farm Bill
U.S. House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin C. Peterson, D-Minn., made the following statement after the U.S. Senate approved the 2012 Farm Bill, "The Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012."
"Today is an important step to having a farm bill in place before the current bill expires this fall. I give high marks to Chairwoman Stabenow and Ranking Member Roberts who did an excellent job securing bipartisan support and bringing the bill one step closer to completion. I'm not on board with everything they've done, but think that we'll be able to work out our differences in conference committee.
"It is crucial that we finish the farm bill before the current bill expires in September. Waiting until the mess that will occur during the lame duck session will not only make it more difficult, but could also result in several unintended consequences. If the House Ag Committee passes a bipartisan bill in early July, House leadership will then have little choice but to bring the farm bill to the floor before the August recess. I'm continuing to work with Chairman Lucas and members of the Committee to make this happen."
Weaning Calves Early May Prove Beneficial This Year
Dry conditions through large swaths of the Plains states are forcing management decisions on cattle and other agricultural operations. Among them may be the decision to wean calves earlier than usual.
"Most areas have gotten a reprieve from the 2011 drought, but others are still feeling the lingering effects of low rainfall and high feed costs," said Kansas State University animal scientist Chris Reinhardt. "Early weaning is an effective way to save on summer pasture and preserve cow body condition going into the winter. In fact, weaning earlier may be worth considering every year regardless of summer pasture conditions."
Reinhardt, who is a beef specialist with K-State Research and Extension, said a calf's rumen begins to develop at the first opportunity to consume solid food. Although calves rely on milk as their primary nutrient source as long as the supply is abundant, they also will begin to graze alongside their dam at a few weeks of age. This is when their mother teaches them what to eat and what to avoid.
The grass that is consumed early in life enters the rumen and begins to be fermented by bacteria that the calf picks up from its mother and the world around it, he said. As this fermentation progresses, and the calf consumes greater quantities of grass, the rumen grows in size and develops papillae, or finger-like projections, which aid in nutrient uptake from the rumen. So the suckling calf is actually a fully functioning ruminant by 90 days of age.
For more information and the full article, click here.
June Good Time to Establish High Reproduction
Standards for Heifers
Livestock farmers, who are now in the midst of breeding season, may find that selling heifers that aren't meeting breeding expectations may make better financial sense than keeping an animal that isn't achieving satisfactory conception rates, an Ohio State University (OSU) Extension expert said.
Considering heifers that become pregnant and ultimately produce calves offer livestock farmers more financial benefit to keep, producers may want to consider replacing those heifers that aren't meeting their breeding demands, said John Grimes, beef coordinator for OSU Extension.
"Given the current prices seen in today's cattle markets, culling heifers with poor reproductive performance shouldn't be a difficult decision," he said. "In today's cattle economy, the bottom line is, if we don't get cows pregnant, we don't get live calves.
"And having live calves to sell gives us the ability to pay the bills."
While livestock farmers may be hesitant to make the decision to weed out underperforming yearling heifers, either by selling the animals as heavy feeder cattle or by feeding them a finishing ration for a short period and then selling them as market heifers, open heifers are selling at a premium price compared to historic levels, Grimes said.
For more information and the full release, click here.
NCBA Statement About Senate Passage of 2012 Farm Bill
The U.S. Senate in a 64 to 35 vote passed the 2012 Farm Bill (S. 3240) yesterday, June 21, 2012. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) commended the passage of the legislation. NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Colin Woodall issued the following statement.
"Like many of us who have a vested interest in this legislation (S. 3240), I was pleasantly surprised by the bipartisan efforts made to move this bill through the Senate very efficiently and without much partisan rhetoric. Both Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Minority Leader Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) should be commended for their leadership on this very important piece of legislation. Their transparency and willingness to listen to all vested interests was very refreshing for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and other like-minded organizations. NCBA stands firm in our commitment to support this legislation.
"Although the amendment process was certainly concerning in its early stages, all is well for cattlemen and women thanks to their outspoken grassroots advocacy. This legislation, as written, incorporates all NCBA priorities. Bottom-line, there is no livestock title, conversation programs — specifically EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program) — are maintained and the research title is sustained. All this is done with more than $20 billion in savings to the American taxpayer.
"We support this legislation and will continue working with the House to ensure amendments that would interject the federal government into production agriculture are left out of the legislation or soundly defeated. As we focus our efforts on working with the House Committee on Agriculture to ensure another version of this legislation that is positive for cattlemen, I must stress the importance of family farmers and ranchers being engaged in this process."
UK Introduces New Grazing School
The first Advanced Kentucky Grazing School will take place July 10 at the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Agriculture's C. Oran Little Research Center in Versailles.
The one-day school is for participants who have previously attended one of UK's grazing programs. UK College of Agriculture specialists will reinforce and provide a more in-depth look at important concepts related to grazing and livestock management and share findings from recent research, said Lyndsay Jones, UK Master Grazer program coordinator.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. EDT. Topics include strip grazing and livestock management, summer annual forages, health considerations for grazing ruminants, tall fescue varieties and management, benefits and limitations of herbicides and ultra-high density grazing. The program will also include demonstrations and hands-on activities.
The registration fee is $20. Registration forms are available on the UK Forages website at http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage/ or at the local office of the UK Cooperative Extension Service. Preregistration is required by July 2. Mail registration forms and a check payable to the Kentucky Forage and Grassland Council to Lyndsay Jones, 804 W.P. Garrigus Building, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0215.
For more information, contact Lyndsay Jones at 859-257-7512 or email lyndsay.jones4@uky.edu
High Plains Ag Lab seeks support
to replace 70-year-old headquarters
A fund-raising effort is under way to build a modern office and laboratory at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's (UNL) High Plains Agricultural Lab (HPAL) north of Sidney.
The new building would replace a 1940s-era structure that was part of the Sioux Army Ordnance Depot when the U.S. government gave the property to the university in 1970.
The High Plains Ag Lab Building Project proposes construction of a new building with an estimated cost of about $500,000, according to Drew Lyon, Extension Dryland Cropping Systems Specialist for UNL and faculty supervisor of the High Plains Ag Lab. Lyon said the building will provide office space for visiting scientists and graduate students and provide a more suitable area for processing samples of grain and forage than now exists.
For more information and the full release, click here.
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