News Update
July 30, 2012
Program to Focus on Ranching with Fewer Livestock
The Texas AgriLife Extension Service offices in Sutton and Schleicher counties will conduct the Ranch Herd Management Workshop: Making Ranching Work with Fewer Livestock program beginning at 8 a.m. Aug. 15 in the Sutton County Civic Center in Sonora.
"Virtually all our region's livestock producers had to reduce their herds in 2011 due to the severe drought and record-breaking heat," said Pascual Hernandez, AgriLife Extension agent in Sutton County. "Though conditions have moderated somewhat this year, most pastures are still in poor condition, so restocking is not an option.
"Ranchers often need a certain amount of income from the ranch to pay the bills. Less livestock and skyrocketing feed costs can make that a challenge. Thankfully, livestock prices have been excellent, so the whole point of this program will be to help producers maximize profits from the livestock they have by targeting peak markets and minimizing their overall overhead."
The day's speakers will include Rick Machen, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist, Uvalde; Benny Cox, Producers Livestock Auction, San Angelo; Charles "Butch" Taylor, superintendent of the Texas AgriLife Research Station at Sonora; and Dale Rollins, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist, San Angelo.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Texas State Fair Deadline Approaching
Texas State Fair now is accepting online entry forms, which must be submitted by Aug. 25.
For more information and to complete the online entry form, click here.
Drought Drives Cattle Inventory Down,
Consumer Demand Remains High
In recent history, drought has been isolated to various regions of the country, rather than a widespread drought threatening most of the country. Last year, for example, drought was centered primarily in the Southern Plains. According to Kevin Good, senior market analyst for CattleFax, 70% of the U.S. cattle inventory is located in regions of drought.
"The widespread drought has ultimately led to the worst pasture conditions in the past 15 years," said Good. "The U.S. calf crop is down 800,000 head. The bottom line, when all is said and done, the cattle herd will decrease by about 500,000 head. This is compared to a 900,000 decrease a year ago, so we are seeing a liquidation but at a slower pace than last year."
Despite the obvious challenges facing America's cattlemen and women, Good offered reason for optimism. Consumer demand remains strong with solid retail and foodservice sales. As consumers continue to demand nutritious beef, cattlemen are given reason to remain in the cattle business and avoid liquidation. National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) CEO Forrest Roberts said the challenges cattlemen are facing are serious, but we are encouraging them to trust the market signals and maintain cow herds, if possible.
"The thing we have to remember is that consumers continue to prefer beef on the dinner table. Consumers are sending very clear signs to cattlemen to hang tough and continue producing the protein they prefer most," said Roberts. "There is no doubt this will be tough. But cattlemen are tough people and I am confident we will weather this storm and rebuild the U.S. cow herd once weather conditions improve."
More than 700 cattlemen from across the country attended the summer conference in Denver, Colo. The event concluded July 28.
USDA Officials to Extend Drought Tour This Week
USDA officials will travel to Delaware, Wisconsin and Colorado to highlight Administration disaster assistance across the country. As serious drought conditions continue to intensify across the United States, USDA officials are fanning out to rural communities across the country to show support to farmers and ranchers affected by a string of extreme weather in 2012.
During the 2012 crop year, USDA has designated 1,369 counties across 31states as disaster areas, making all qualified farm operators in the areas eligible for low-interest emergency loans. In recent weeks, USDA subcabinet leaders have traveled across the country to Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and others to augment ongoing assistance from state-level USDA staff.
USDA officials will also provide guidance on the department's existing disaster resources and remind producers to keep thorough records of losses as the department's authority to operate the five disaster assistance programs authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill expired on Sept. 30, 2011.
U.S. agriculture is currently experiencing one of its most productive periods in American history thanks to the productivity, resiliency, and resourcefulness of U.S. producers. A strong farm safety net is important to sustain the success of American agriculture.
Estimating Yields of Stressed Corn
As the Illinois corn crop continues its rapid development with 8% of the crop in dent stage by July 22, its rating continues to decline. University of Illinois crop sciences professor Emerson Nafziger said that on July 22, only 7% of the crop was rated as good, none was rated as excellent, and 66% was rated as poor or very poor.
"It's of little comfort, but at least we're getting close to the end of the slide in ratings because they can't get much worse," he said. "But such low ratings do raise questions about just how poor crop prospects are."
In areas where there has been some rain, at least in the morning before leaves wilt in the afternoon heat, the crop has some ears and retains some green leaf area. What is the chance that such fields, many of which are rated as "poor," will produce a yield that is worth harvesting?
Some reports from recent visits to fields in central Illinois where good and poor fields are often close to one another suggest that the crop might be better than the ratings indicate, depending on whether there is rain. The poor rating may reflect uncertainty about whether conditions will improve.
For the full release, click here.
House Tackles Death Tax, Senate Strays
NCBA Associate Director of Legislative Affairs Kent Bacus offered attendees of the 2012 Cattle Industry Summer Conference an update on recent movements in Washington, D.C., regarding the estate tax. This issue, according to Bacus, is the No. 1 priority for NCBA. The issue rises to the top policy issue for family-owned small businesses, such as farms and ranches, because of the burden it places on families hoping to pass their business on to the next generation.
"The estate tax is a prime example of bad tax policy and Congress should repeal. Unfortunately, we hear from some elected leaders who claim to be defenders of the little guy. Meanwhile, they avoid opportunities to kill the death tax," said Bacus. "In order to sustain these family businesses, the future must contain a level of certainty. The next generation cannot possibly afford to take over the family business if they are taxed to death."
Bacus gave some good news to cattlemen seeking permanent relief from the estate tax. Bacus reported that Congressman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) has 218 cosponsors on his Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act. This legislation would essentially provide full and permanent relief from the tax. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota also introduced a companion bill — the Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2012 — in his chamber and that bill has 37 cosponsors. They also released an updated study proving how harmful and ineffective the death tax is from the Joint Economic Committee. Bacus said the study's key points are the estate tax continues to hurt the economy, fails as a revenue generator, creates a barrier to economic equality and could increase revenue if it were abolished.
For the full release, click here.
Using Drought-Stressed Corn for Forage
In areas hardest hit by the drought, growers are assessing grain yield potential and considering if and when they should harvest drought-stressed corn for forage.
At this time, there is still a significant amount of corn for which pollination was successful and plant tissue is green. With adequate moisture, these plants will be able to continue photosynthesizing, and kernel development will continue. Continued drought stress, however, will lead to increased kernel abortion and reduced yield potential.
Yield potential is also reduced where plant tissue has bleached or turned brown prematurely due to drought, as the photosynthetic capacity of the plant has been irreversibly reduced. In areas most affected by the drought, growers are reporting barren plants with little green tissue remaining.
If kernel growth is occurring and green leaf tissue remains, waiting to harvest will allow more dry matter accumulation in the grain, resulting in increased forage yield and quality. If the plant is barren or dead, plants should be harvested when the correct moisture for storage is reached.
Nitrate toxicity is a concern when drought-stressed corn is harvested for forage as nitrates can accumulate in drought-stressed, barren plants. Because of this, green chopping or grazing should only be considered if emergency feed is needed. Ensiling is preferred as this process can reduce forage nitrate levels by 33% to 50%.
For the full release, click here.
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