News Update
December 7, 2012
Jan. 11 Cow-Calf Conference Planned
at K-State’s College of Veterinary Medicine
Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine will host a cow-calf conference for veterinarians and producers to advance their knowledge of reproduction, calving and calf care in breeding herds. The conference is geared toward exchange of information among ranch owners, ranch hands and veterinarians. The latest information on supplementing cows and heifers on moderate- to poor-quality winter forage, selection to improve feed efficiency, management plans to prevent calf scours, current thinking on parasite control and use of a new BVD management tool in cow-calf herds are some of the presentation topics scheduled.
The conference will also feature a look into a better understanding of nutrition, breeding, calving and disease management for application to the breeding herd.
All lectures will be in Frick Auditorium in Mosier Hall of Kansas State University on Friday, Jan. 11, 2013, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Contact hours for veterinarians are 7.5 hours.
For more information or to register for the conference, contact the office of events at 785-532-4528 or online at Reproduction, Calving, and Calf Care in Cow-Calf Herds.
AgriLife Extension to Offer Nine-Month
Beef/Wildlife Series in Amarillo
Integrating beef cattle operations and wildlife will be the focus of “BEEF 2015: Rangeland Resource Management,” to be hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Potter County.
“This series of monthly meetings will be a benefit to anyone who raises beef cattle or has an interest in running livestock with an emphasis in wildlife,” said Brandon Boughen, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent for Potter County. “If you own property and want to understand how to improve it for livestock and/or wildlife, this is a great educational opportunity.”
Each month’s meeting will be from 6-9 p.m., with a meal beginning at 5:30 p.m., Boughen said. The first meeting is Jan. 10 and the final is Sept. 5. All activities will be at the AgriLife Extension office at 3301 E. 10th Ave. in Amarillo.
Preregistration is required. The fee is $180 per participant and is due by Jan. 4.
Registration forms can be found at http://potter.agrilife.org/forms/. For more information and the full release, click here.
Tri-State Cow-Calf Symposium Jan. 8 in McCook
Successfully Managing the Cow Herd in the Course of Drought will be the focus for the 2013 Tri-State Cow-Calf Symposium and Trade Show Jan. 8.
Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. Central Time at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds Community Building in McCook. The symposium is hosted in conjunction with a trade show featuring regional vendors.
The symposium is an every-other-year effort among Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska and is hosted in cooperation by Colorado State University Extension, Kansas State University Research and Extension and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) Extension services. This year’s program will open with some remarks from the new UNL Extension dean and director, Chuck Hibberd, on his vision for the future of extension.
The keynote speaker will be James Robb, director of the Livestock Marketing Information Center in Denver. Robb will provide participants with an economic update of the drought’s impact on cattle numbers and provide a current market/situation outlook for the upcoming production year.
“Three concurrent educational sessions will be available throughout the day as well, and participants will have the opportunity to pick and choose which topics they want to attend,” said Brian Strauch, UNL Extension educator.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Deciphering Dates on Food Labels
In addition to nutritional information and ingredients, food labels and packages also have different dates stamped on them.
In an effort to use foods at their peak, reduce the risks of eating potentially spoiled foods and limit the amount of food thrown away, it is important for consumers to know the difference between “sell-by,” “best if used by” and “use-by” dates on perishables such as meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products, said Barbara Brown, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension food specialist.
“A ‘sell-by’ date lets the store know how long to display the product for sale,” Brown said. “Consumers should purchase these products before the date expires. A ‘best if used by’ date is simply a recommendation for best flavor or quality. The manufacturer determines this date. A ‘use-by’ date is the last day recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. Again, this date has been determined by the manufacturer of the product.”
Except for use-by dates, product dates do not refer to home storage and use after purchase. These dates usually refer to the best quality. They are not food safety dates.
Brown said that even if the date expires during home storage, the product should be safe, wholesome and of good quality as long as it has been handled properly.
Refrigerated foods should be kept at 40° F or below. If a product has a use-by date, follow that date. If it has a sell-by date or no date, cook or freeze the fresh or uncooked product using these guidelines:
- poultry, within one or two days;
- beef, veal, pork and lamb, three to five days;
- ground meat and poultry, one or two days;
- cooked, cured ham, five to seven days;
- sausage from pork, beef or turkey, one or two days; and
- eggs, three to five weeks.
For more information and the full release, click here.
K-State’s Winter Ranch Management Seminar Set for Jan. 8
Kansas State University will host its Winter Ranch Management Seminar Tuesday, Jan. 8, in Manhattan, as well as at eight other sites around the state. The conference begins with registration at 4 p.m. at all sites, and the program starts at 4:30 p.m. Dinner is included at all locations.
Each seminar features local onsite speakers, plus presentations via webinar, including:
- Protection and Restoration of Forage and Range Resources — onsite speaker at each location.
- R.A. Brown Ranch: Management Innovations for a Changing Beef Industry — Donnell Brown, R.A. Brown Ranch, Throckmorton, Texas (webinar).
- Fetal Programming: Implications for Beef Cattle Production — Rick Funston, University of Nebraska–Lincoln (webinar).
- Tips and Tools to Reach Your Management Goals — onsite speaker at each location.
For more information and locations, click here.
Leases Help Landowners and Tenants Know Expectations
University of Missouri (MU) Extension agribusiness specialist Karisha Devlin urged northeastern Missouri agriculture lenders to encourage written agreements between landowners and renters during a recent agricultural lender seminar at Fiddlestiks restaurant in Hannibal.
The MU Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics sponsors the statewide seminar series in cooperation with regional MU Extension specialists.
“Half of all leases are done on a handshake, but termination becomes very messy and complicated when it’s a verbal lease,” Devlin said. “Farming is a business. Why would you not have a formal written agreement for a business? Make sure both sides are protected.”
Landowners and tenants don’t always share the same goals, she said. About 75%-80% of the calls to her Edina office are regarding land issues. Written agreements help to avoid future conflicts by clearly stating terms.
Devlin said that at minimum a lease should have these essential elements: names and description; terms of lease; rental rates and arrangements; right of entry; and signatures and dates.
For more information and the full release, click here.
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