News Update
April 29, 2013
Angus Foundation Scholarship
Deadline Approaching,
New Scholarships Announced
Each year, the Angus Foundation, the non-profit entity of the American Angus Association, makes available scholarships to students pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees in higher education. Applications for Angus Foundation scholarships must be postmarked by May 1, 2013.
The scholarship funds are meant to assist deserving Angus juniors in paying for the cost of higher education. Angus breeders, allied industry interests and friends trust the Angus Foundation with their generous gifts of endowed and non-endowed monies to make these scholarship awards possible.
Two $5,000 undergraduate scholarships will be given in memory of Richard "Dick" Spader, former Association executive vice president. A number of $3,000 and $1,000 undergraduate scholarships will also be awarded. In addition, the Angus Foundation will award five $5,000 graduate student scholarships.
For more information, click here.
Cattle Markets in Need of Warmer Weather
Although most of Oklahoma is still suffering from drought conditions, recent weather is providing state cattle producers with a measure of relief in the form of much-needed moisture.
“We were ahead of schedule last year, warmer much sooner than usual,” said Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension livestock marketing specialist. “This year, we’ve been slow to green up. Recent moisture is helping to relieve at least some of our short-term drought concern. Now we need some warm weather to capitalize on that.”
In addition, Old Man Winter’s late-season effects have forced a number of beef producers across much of the United States into something of a stall pattern in terms of getting on with their normal spring plans. Wintry conditions are still present up north in many areas, and recent big snows have extended feed demands for many producers.
“In fact, we’ve seen increased beef cow slaughter the last two or three weeks over last year’s levels,” Peel said. “We would expect to be down from last year and significantly down from last year if, in fact, we weren’t liquidating.”
Peel believes the industry is experiencing short-term liquidation simply because some beef producers have run out of resources before winter’s end. Call it, “a chill on U.S. cattle markets,” both literally and figuratively, as the nation’s cold, wet spring continues to have a variety of effects on both the supply and demand sides of cattle and beef markets.
Domestic beef demand is stagnant and certainly seems to be lacking the seasonal push that usually accompanies warm weather. Choice boxed-beef cutout has been hovering near the $190 per hundredweight (cwt.) range with little sense of direction the past three weeks.
“The Choice-Select spread has widened seasonally but is the result of weaker Select values rather than strength in Choice values,” Peel said. “International demand for U.S. beef also has weakened amid Russian concerns with ractopamine and weakness in major markets, such as Mexico, where relatively high U.S. beef values have been aggravated by a somewhat stronger dollar since January.”
Total beef cow slaughter has increased 11.1% the last month after declining early in the year. Year-to-date beef cow slaughter has decreased only 3.7% from last year. Increased beef cow slaughter appears to be regionally widespread, though regional slaughter data are incomplete.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Webinar Will Explain Farm Bill Options to Producers
A University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) Extension webinar will help producers sort out their options under the farm bill.
The sessions will be offered 10:30 a.m. to noon Central Time April 29 and May 3. The first hour will feature discussion of farm bill implications and performance for last year and beyond; the rest of the time will be used for discussion of the online Excel-based Nebraska Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) tool for producers.
Both sessions will cover the same material.
Congress this year extended the 2008 farm bill to cover production in 2013.
The extension of this legislation requires producers to again make an election regarding which FSA farm program they will enroll under: the traditional Direct and Counter-Cyclical (DCP) program or the newer ACRE program.
Timothy Lemmons, UNL Extension educator, said it’s critical that producers understand how each program has performed in the past and how it’s anticipated to perform this year.
The April 29 and May 3 webinars provide an opportunity for producers to re-educate themselves on the workings of the ACRE and DCP programs, as well as hear expert analysis of how these programs might extend risk management protection in the near future, Lemmons said.
“We will also demonstrate the updated Nebraska ACRE Model Excel program available for download at http://agecon.unl.edu/farmbill,"he added.
Scheduled speakers include Brad Lubben, UNL Extension public policy specialist, and Lemmons.
Producers can participate in the webinar at http://connect.unl.edu/farmbillmeeting. The webinar also will be aired at the following sites: Chase County, 135 West Fifth, Imperial, April 29 and May 3; Valley County Extension Office, April 29 and May 3; Jefferson County Extension Office, April 29 and May 3; Haskell Ag Lab in Concord, May 3 only; Washington County Extension Office, 597 Grant St., Blair, May 3 only; and Cuming County Extension Office, courthouse, West Point, April 29 only.
In addition, the sessions will be recorded and available later by <em>clicking here.
Food Manufacturers Immigration Coalition
Applauds Introduction of Agricultural Worker Bill
The Food Manufacturers Immigration Coalition today praised the introduction of legislation that would assist in establishing a stable workforce that can help sustain the rural communities where farmers, ranchers and food manufacturers grow and process the nation’s and world’s food supply.
“The introduction of this legislation, and the bill introduced in the Senate, are important first steps in the immigration reform process, which will be a dynamic debate featuring many proposals to reform our flawed immigration process,” the coalition said. “We commend Chairman Goodlatte, and we look forward to working on a comprehensive approach to immigration reform.”
The Agricultural Guestworker Act, introduced by House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), replaces the impractical H-2A program with a sensible guestworker program. The new program, known as H-2C, modernizes and streamlines the agricultural guestworker program and would be administered by the USDA, the federal agency that understands the unique needs of America’s food manufacturers and farm and ranch operations.
The existing temporary programs for general-labor skilled workers are for seasonal labor only. Under the Agricultural Guestworker Act, the H-2C program would offer workers and employers more choices in their employment arrangements, creating more flexibility and making it easier for workers to move freely throughout the marketplace to meet demands. This new program will support food manufacturers, cattle operations, dairies, hog and poultry farms and other year-round agricultural employers.
“An effective occupational-visa system may be the most important barrier to illegal immigration,” the coalition said. “The right visa system with the right screening tools will in effect be a ‘virtual border.’ The Agricultural Guestworker Act and the creation of the H-2C program would serve the diverse interests of the agriculture and food manufacturing industries and will boost the modern agriculture labor market.”
For more information and the full release, click here.
Don’t Fall for the Three Tillage Temptations
A Purdue Extension agronomist is urging corn farmers not to let planting anxiety drive them to fall for three common tillage temptations: too early, too wet and too often.
Heavy rainfall and cool temperatures have delayed planting and tillage operations in Indiana and Ohio. As of April 22, less than 1% of the corn crop had been planted in both states, and there had been only a few days suitable for fieldwork.
Farmers often become too eager during weather delays, which can lead to risky or unnecessary field operations, Tony Vyn said.
“A couple of weeks ago, we had a lot of growers out doing tillage well before they intended to plant,” he said. “The only time it’s appropriate to till early is if you plan to plant into a stale seedbed once the weather allows for planting.”
Instead, Vyn said corn growers should plan to postpone spring tillage until that field is within 24 hours of the intended planting time — especially in fine soils where the risk of erosion, gullies and soil crusting is highest.
Reasonably level fields with sandy and loam soils often are the best candidates for planting into a stale seedbed because soil crusting with intense rain is less likely. However, all soils are most susceptible to erosion losses when intense rain comes right after tillage and before drying cycles have had the opportunity to help restore soil aggregate stability.
Beyond proper timing of tillage operations, Vyn said producers should avoid working ground when it’s too wet.
“We’re having a wet spring, we’re expecting more rain, and farmers have a lot of acreage to plant, so the temptation is there to till when it’s too wet,” he said. “The problem is that tilling wet soils can cause compaction. You can lose a lot more yield with compaction than with delayed planting.
“Just because the tractor doesn’t get stuck doesn’t mean you should be out there.” Even if the soil surface is dry, Vyn said corn growers need to do more to determine if fields are ready for tillage.
For more information and the full release, click here.
New Legislation Needed to Maintain Movement of Grains
New legislation introduced in the House, H.R. 1152, The Mississippi River Navigation Sustainment Act, would maintain the critical movement of goods during periods of extreme weather, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF).
“The Mississippi River is a critical national transportation artery on which hundreds of millions of tons of essential commodities are shipped, such as corn, grain, oilseeds and agricultural inputs,” AFBF President Bob Stallman wrote in a letter to sponsors of the bill, Reps. Bill Enyart (D-Ill.) and Rodney Davis (R-Ill.).
“Recent low-water events on the Mississippi River created great uncertainty for those who depend on our waterway systems. Whether it is low-water conditions or devastating floods, we need to be proactive in planning and preparing to keep the Mississippi River open for commerce,” Stallman said.
He praised the recently introduced legislation because it will improve understanding of the Mississippi River system while providing additional flexibility for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to respond to extreme weather events through better water management, improved river forecasting and more effective environmental management.
“An efficient and reliable inland waterway system linked to competitive ports is vital to America’s ability to provide affordable agricultural products domestically and to compete internationally,” Stallman concluded.
Farm Bureau encourages other members of Congress to support the bill.
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