News Update

December 3, 2012

National Western Stock Show Nears

For many ranch families, the holidays aren’t over until the National Western Stock Show (NWSS). Hundreds will make the trip to Denver, Colo., this January to join in on the 107-year-old tradition. Angus events kick off Wednesday, Jan. 16, and continue through the weekend with shows, sales and other activities.

“There’s nothing quite like Denver in January,” says Shelia Stannard, American Angus Association director of activities and events. “The NWSS is one of our biggest shows of the year, it is home to the breed’s only pen and carload show, and hosts elite Angus sale offerings.”

While at the NWSS, stop by the Listening Post in the Yards, where Association, Angus Genetics Inc. and Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) staff members will be available to visit with producers about Association programs and the cattle industry.

The NWSS Angus headquarters hotel, the Marriott City Center, offers a shuttle that travels to the NWSS daily, each morning and evening, as space is available. To make reservations, call the Marriott at 303-297-1300 and ask for the American Angus Association block.

— Adapted from a release by the American Angus Association.

I Am Angus Features Five UNL Feedlot Management Interns Tonight on RFD-TV

Like many occupations, a career in agriculture evolves with experience — up-close, hands-on, real-life experience that builds student appreciation and knowledge in a field of study. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) provides that through its one-of-a-kind Feedlot Management Internship Program.

The internship prepares students to meet a growing need for trained, responsible feedlot managers. Interestingly, many of the enrolled students are women. In an upcoming episode of I Am Angus, a documentary series produced by the American Angus Association, five UNL women are featured in a discussion about future leaders in the cattle industry.

“The business of producing beef requires a number of steps — from the ranch to the retailer, and everywhere in between,” said Galen Erickson, UNL animal science professor. “And we need talented people involved to provide a quality product for consumers. That’s why young people are fundamental to this industry.”

I Am Angus, airs at 7 p.m. Central Dec. 3 on RFD-TV. UNL students involved in the Feedlot Management Internship Program and featured on I Am Angus are Stephanie Moore, Cheyenne, Wyo.; Caitlin Swartz, Winchester, Ky.; Kaylee Reedy, Maryville, Mo.; Meredith Bremer, Saint Edward, Neb.; and Feedlot Internship Recruiter Kari Gillespie, Kevin, Mont. For more information visit I Am Angus .

— Adapted from a release by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.

Statement from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Soaring U.S. Exports

The USDA released its second Outlook for U.S. Agricultural Trade in fiscal year 2013, and the latest forecast continues an astonishing trend for American farm exports that began in 2009. In the years since, U.S. agricultural exports have climbed more than 50% in value, from $96.3 billion in 2009 to the most-recent forecast of $145 billion in 2013. Overall, these exports support more than 1 million American jobs. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack released the following statement on the forecast:

“Today’s forecast is further confirmation of the concerted effort by President Obama to expand export opportunities and level the playing field for American businesses and workers. Because USDA is working harder than ever to remove unfair barriers to trade and provide businesses with the resources they need to reach new markets, American agriculture is booming. Demand for products like American soybeans, wheat and tree nuts is surging across the world, with notable gains in China, Europe and Southeast Asia expected to support strong cash receipts through the year. Earlier in the week, USDA forecast net farm income at its second-highest level since the 1970s. Taken together, this data shows a robust agricultural economy poised to recover from the worst drought in more than a generation.

“Since 2009, more than 1,000 U.S. companies and organizations — mainly small and medium sized businesses — participated in 110 USDA-endorsed trade shows in 24 countries, racking up 12-month projected sales estimated at more than $4.2 billion. We’ve led nearly 150 U.S. businesses on trade missions to China, Colombia, Georgia, Indonesia, Iraq, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, Vietnam and Russia. And we’re keeping good-paying jobs here at home by resolving issues and removing barriers to trade that have freed up billions of dollars in American-grown products.”

— Adapted from a release by the USDA.

Sources of E. coli Are Not Always What They Seem

USDA scientists have identified sources of Escherichia coli bacteria that could help restore the reputation of local livestock. Studies by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist Mark Ibekwe suggest that in some parts of California, pathogens in local waterways are more often carried there via runoff from urban areas, not from animal production facilities.

ARS is USDA’s chief intramural scientific research agency, and this work supports the USDA priority of ensuring food safety.

Even though most strains of E. coli are non-pathogenic, the bacterium is monitored by public health officials as an indicator of water quality. Cows are often seen as the culprits when E. coli is found in local lakes, rivers and other bodies of water.

Ibekwe, who works at the ARS U.S. Salinity Laboratory in Riverside, Calif., and his colleagues collected 450 water and sediment samples from 20 sites throughout California’s middle Santa Ana River Watershed. The collection sites included urban areas, livestock feeding areas, parks, National Forest lands and three wastewater treatment plants.

Then the scientists extracted E. coli bacteria from each sample and identified 600 different isolates of E. coli in their samples, many of which could be placed into six clonal populations. They found the greatest variety of different types of E. coli in runoff discharged from areas dominated by urban development or human activities. For more information and the full release, click here.

— Adapted from a release by the Agricultural Research Service.

Duffy to Hold Land Value Survey News Conference Dec. 11

A news conference to announce the results of the 2012 Iowa Land Value Survey conducted by Iowa State University (ISU) is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11. The news conference will be hosted at the Extension 4-H Youth Building, at the corner of 13th Street and Stange Road on the north edge of the Iowa State campus.

Michael Duffy, ISU Extension economist who directs the survey, will announce the 2012 findings at the news conference. He also will be available following the news conference for phone interviews at 515-294-6160. Duffy will provide background material, along with a printed news release containing data from all 99 counties and state maps. The handout materials will be available on the Web at 10 a.m., linked from www.extension.iastate.edu/topic/landvalue. The news conference will be recorded and made available late afternoon Dec. 11. Land-value survey information from the 1994-2011 news conferences and yearly data back to 1950 also will be available on the land value website.

A news release on the 2012 survey results and a table with data for all 99 Iowa counties will be released to the media at 10 a.m. Dec. 11.

Information on how to get to the Extension 4-H Youth Building is available at www.extension.iastate.edu/news/contactus.htm. The news conference will be in the large conference room off the atrium at the southeast corner of the building. Parking is available in nearby lots. Parking permits may be picked up at the Visitor Information Booth on South University Blvd. across from Jack Trice Stadium, or at the Extension 4-H Youth Building reception area prior to the news conference.

— Adapted from a release by the Iowa State University Extension.

One Week Remains to Apply for NCGA/BASF Scholarships

With a deadline of December 7, only one week remains to apply for scholarships made available by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and BASF Corp. For the sixth consecutive year, the NCGA/BASF scholarship program will again award five $1,000 scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing a degree in an agriculture-related field during the 2013-2014 school year.

“NCGA and BASF both understand that we must actively support the best and brightest students interested in our field today if we want to have strong leadership tomorrow,” said Brandon Hunnicutt, chairman of NCGA’s Grower Services Action Team. “The scholarship program is rooted in NCGA’s commitment to nurturing youth in agriculture and to growing a bright future of our rural communities. An investment that supports excellence in agricultural education is one of the most important investments that we can make to secure the future of farming.”

Applicants for the NCGA Academic Excellence in Agriculture Scholarship Program must be entering at least their second undergraduate year or any year of graduate study, and they or a parent or legal guardian must be an NCGA member. Scholarship applications must be postmarked on or before Dec. 7.

— Adapted from a release by the National Corn Growers Association.

Don’t Neglect Stored Grain this Fall and Winter

As most dryland corn producers know, you cannot assume that the 2012 corn in the bin has not been contaminated by molds, including mold species capable of producing mycotoxins. The only defense against mycotoxin contamination in corn is to manage the grain moisture content and grain temperature to minimize mold growth in the grain.

In an August 31, 2012, CropWatch story, several recommendations were made to help protect stored grain:

Dry dryland corn down to 13% moisture if it’s to be stored for more than a month.
Run aeration fans whenever the air temperature was 10° cooler than the grain temperature since the rate of mold growth is slower at cooler temperatures.
Cool stored grain down to 30° F (plus or minus 5°) to stop mold growth. If you have not cooled the grain to the recommended temperature for late fall and winter, do so soon, especially if you plan to keep the grain into the new year.

In fall and winter, grain next to the bin wall will be cooled while grain in the center of the bin will stay warmer. The difference in temperature can result in convection air currents migrating through the grain (Figure 1). The warmer air in the center of the bin rises and the grain next to the cold bin wall sinks. When the warm rising air encounters the colder air at the top of the bin, the escaping air can go below the dew point temperature of the rising air and deposit moisture on the grain. This can create a wet spot in the top-center of the bin.

For more information and the full release, click here.

— Adapted from a release by Tom Dorn for University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension.

— Compiled by Kelli Fulkerson, intern, Angus Productions Inc.

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