News Update
November 27, 2012
Auxiliary Awards Distinguished Woman of the Year
In 2012, the American Angus Auxiliary celebrated 60 years of preparing young women for the future, educating consumers about the beef industry and supporting junior activities. It’s a legacy built by countless volunteers dedicated to the Angus breed, so it was only appropriate for Auxiliary charter member Bette Votaw, Welfleet, Neb., to be recognized as the 2012 Distinguished Woman of the Year. Votaw was honored Monday, Nov. 12, during the 60th Annual American Angus Auxiliary Breakfast in Louisville, Ky.
As Auxiliary advisor Barbara Ettredge, Pilot Point, Texas, began her speech describing the award recipient, all eyes turned to Bette. While Ettredge transported the audience back in time, sharing Bette’s devotion to the Auxiliary, tears began to flow down Bette and her daughters, Kathy and Kerri Ann’s faces. One can only imagine the memories Bette recalled as she was reminded of the moment that changed her life forever.
A complete list of winners can be found by clicking here.
Preconvention Tour to Highlight
Florida’s Rich Agricultural History
Participants registered for the 2013 Cattle Industry Convention and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Trade Show can count themselves in for an exciting, jam-packed week. In addition to participating in policy committee meetings, educational events and networking with thousands of cattlemen and women, convention participants will also have the opportunity to learn about Florida’s rich culture and history during a preconvention agricultural tour on Feb. 4-5, 2013.
“This year’s preconvention tour will give cattlemen and women the opportunity to see Florida’s vibrant agricultural economy and explore the state’s unique history,” said NCBA President J.D. Alexander. “From a visit to a central Florida cattle operation to a stop at a vineyard, tour participants are going to have a fun and educational experience during this tour.”
The tour kicks off with a Monday night dinner at the Florida Cattlemen’s museum exhibit and Cracker Country, a rural Florida living-history museum recreating rural pioneer Florida history and folk life during 1870-1912. The Florida Cattlemen’s museum exhibit traces cattle ranching from its early beginnings in colonial Florida through present-day cattle ranching. Some of the topics included in the exhibit are colonial Florida, Seminole cattle ranching, cracker cowboys, cow dogs, auctions, oral traditions and rodeo.
On Tuesday, the first stop on the tour will be Barthle Bros. Ranch, a diversified agricultural operation in central Florida. The Barthle family breeds purebred American Brahman cattle, raises American Quarter Horses, produces crossbred calves and offers guided quail and turkey hunts at the ranch.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Feeder Calf Buyers Want Preconditioned Calves
The West Branch Feeder Calf Sale was hosted in October and, according to sale organizers, was highly successful. A survey of buyers was conducted by Michigan State University Extension educator Phil Durst at this sale to learn more about what they are interested in and willing to pay for. Thirty surveys were completed and returned from approximately 45 buyers.
Informal conversations with buyers had indicated that the vaccination protocol was important, but how important? A 2011 Kansas State University study, publication MF3017 entitled Value of Preconditioned Certified Health Programs to Feedlots, reported the results of a survey of feedlot owners across the U.S.
These operators indicated that cattle having identified health programs before entering the feedlot are likely to have lower morbidity and mortality, better feed efficiency and better daily gains. This report also suggested that for cattle listed as vaccinated against respiratory (viral and bacterial) and clostridial diseases, treated for internal and external parasites and weaned at least 30 days, buyers were willing to pay a premium of $7.28 per hundredweight.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Prescribed Burning School Dates Set for 2013
The Academy for Ranch Management has set the dates in 2013 for their annual Prescribed Burning School and Advanced Prescribed Burning School at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research-Sonora Station located on State Highway 55 between Sonora and Rocksprings.
The basic prescribed burning workshop will provide information on the history of fire, weather, planning a burn, fuels and fuel moisture, and equipment. It will be hosted Feb. 21-23, according to Ray Hinnant, a Texas A&M AgriLife Research senior research associate in College Station and a workshop presenter. The fee for this school is $395.
The Advanced Prescribed Burning School is set for March 7-9, also with a fee of $395. This workshop builds on the previous school, providing more information on fire behavior, fire effects, and planning and conducting a prescribed burn, Hinnant said.
The academy’s primary goal is training ranchers for effective rangeland management, and the focus now is on prescribed burning for rangelands, he said. Prescribed burning is a tool that can be used to manage rangeland vegetation for livestock and wildlife use, and also reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires by removing hazardous fuel loads.
For more information and the full release, click here.
OSU Extension, NRC to Discuss Forages and Pasture Management at 3-Day Grazing School
Farmers and producers interested in learning more about how to improve forage and pasture management after a drought, including an in-depth look at fence and livestock watering systems, can participate in a discussion of the issues by experts from Ohio State University Extension and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) during a Grazing School Dec. 4, 6 and 8 at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) Jackson Agricultural Research Station.
The grazing school kicks off Dec. 4 with an introduction to the Jackson Agricultural Research Station by Kenny Wells, who manages the station, as well as presentations on management-intensive grazing, resource evaluation, understanding plant growth and grazing economics.
“Participants will also get to see hands-on demonstrations of production practices by OARDC experts, including different types of water devices, temporary polywire fencing to allow strip grazing of forages, and the use of different forage types,” Wells said. “The information is especially relevant this year for producers looking to mitigate forage drought losses.”
Other topics to be covered include: Forage Species Selection; Grazing Systems and Contingency Plans for the Good, Bad and Ugly; Paddock Layout and Design; and Pasture Soil Fertility. The event runs Dec. 4 and 6 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Dec. 8 from 9 a.m. to noon.
The school will also include a farm visit to view grazing management practices, including fence and livestock watering systems in the field at OARDC’s Jackson Agricultural Research Station.
2012-2013 Certified Livestock Manager
Training Workshops to be Hosted in IL
The 2012-2013 Certified Livestock Manager (CLM) Training Workshop dates have been set with the first workshop scheduled for Dec. 11 in Bloomington, Ill. Seven additional CLM Training workshops, sponsored by University of Illinois Extension, have been scheduled throughout the state from January through early March. The Illinois Livestock Management Facilities Act, passed in 1996, requires producers with more than 300 animal units in their operation to be certified in livestock manure management. Certification issued by the Illinois Department of Agriculture is valid for three years and then must be renewed.
Preregistration is strongly encouraged as seating may be limited. Participants should register at least two weeks before the workshop. To register or purchase a CLM Training Manual or CD, call 800-345-6087. Registration cost is $30 per person; same-farm registrations are $30 for the first person and $20 for each additional participant if registered at the same time. Walk-in registration is $45 per person. The CLM manual and CD can be purchased for $25 plus $7.50 shipping and handling. Participants may register via credit card. If producers have a 2003 or newer CLM manual, they will not need to purchase a new manual. Please note, only a limited number of the printed paper copy manuals are available at last year’s price. The Illinois Department of Agriculture certification exam is based on the CLM manual.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Crops and Beef Focus of Ag Progress Show Dec. 11 in Atkinson
Producers and growers can learn more about crop and beef production systems at the 2012 North Central Nebraska Ag Progress Show Dec. 11 at the Atkinson Community Center in Atkinson, Neb.
The new University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) Extension show will give crop growers and beef producers an opportunity to not only learn more in their respective systems, but also allows time for questions and viewing commercial exhibits, said Amy Timmerman, extension educator in Holt/Boyd counties.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. with the program starting at 9 a.m. Presentation topics and presenters include Herbicide-resistant Weeds Will Change Weed Control Programs in the Next Decade, Robert Wilson, UNL Extension weed management specialist; Pasture Management Following Drought, Bruce Anderson, UNL Extension forage specialist; Benefits of and Tips to Achieve a Short Calving Season, Rick Funston, UNL Extension beef specialist; Corn Diseases Update: What Could Be Lurking in Your Soil and Crops?, Tamra Jackson-Ziems, UNL Extension plant pathology specialist for corn; Use of Corn Residue as a Feed for Beef Cows — Facts and Fiction, Rick Rasby, UNL Extension beef specialist; Ensuring Water Application Efficiency for Center Pivots, Bill Kranz, UNL Extension irrigation specialist; Use of Drought-Damaged Corn Silage and the Impact of Low Test Weight Corn and Distillers’ Grains This Year, Galen Erickson, UNL Extension beef feedlot specialist.
Lunch is complimentary and there will be a door prize drawing for two tickets to the Nebraska vs. Wyoming football game Aug. 30, 2013.
Certified Crop Advisers will have the opportunity to receive continuing education hours.
Multi-County Brush and Forage Conference set Dec. 11 in Geronimo, TX
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offices in Bexar, Comal, Gonzales, Guadalupe and Hays counties will present a Brush and Forage Conference 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Friedens United Church of Christ, 2555 Friedens Church Road, Geronimo.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.
Five Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units — two general, two integrated pest management and one laws and regulations — will be offered to private pesticide applicator license holders.
“During this annual conference, we strive to provide area producers with the latest information and technology to benefit their operations, as well as address those issues that are the most pressing for them,” said Jeff Hanselka, AgriLife Extension agent, Guadalupe County.
He said conference presentations will include Brush Management, Managing Cattle Going into the Winter, Feral Hog Management, Pesticide Laws and Regulations and Broadleaf Weed Control Using Herbicides.
For more information and the full release, click here.
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