News Update
May 8, 2013
USDA Funds Major Research Initiatives to Study Affects of Weather and Climatic Variability on Beef and Dairy Cattle
The USDA today awarded $19.5 million to support research, education and Extension activities associated with climate solutions in agriculture aimed at the impacts of climate variability and change on dairy and beef cattle. USDA remains focused on carrying out its mission, despite a time of significant budget uncertainty.
“We have seen the impact that variable climate patterns have had on production agriculture for the past several years. These projects will deliver the best tools available to accurately measure and respond to the effects of climate on beef and dairy production,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Farmers and ranchers need sound, science-based information and solutions to help them make management decisions that will sustain their productivity and keep their operations economically viable.”
The University of Wisconsin (UW) in Madison, Wis., received $9.9 million over five years to study the environmental impact of various dairy production systems and develop best management practices for producers to implement at the farm level.
The project’s ultimate goal is to increase the resiliency of dairy production systems while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The team will also develop an agricultural education curriculum with an urban foods focus at Vincent High School in Milwaukee in an effort to educate future leaders and consumers about the contributions of the dairy industry to economic and environmental sustainability. Curricula at the high school and college levels will be developed related to mitigation and adaptation to climate change and agricultural sustainability.
Oklahoma State University (OSU) in Stillwater, Okla., received $9.6 million over five years to better understand vulnerability and resilience of Southern Great Plains beef in an environment of increased climate variability, dynamic land use and fluctuating markets.
The team’s goal is to safeguard regional beef production while mitigating the environmental footprint of agriculture. The project also includes education and Extension components to train the next generation of producers and researchers in addressing the impact of climate on beef cattle. Using a community- and citizen-science approach, the project will train young students and citizens to use GPS-enabled digital cameras and smartphones and web-data portals to participate in field data collection. The geospatial data will be integrated into a portal for community-based analysis and inventory and used to educate the general public on climate change related to range-based beef production.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Missouri, Tennessee FFA chapters win 2013 Chapter Challenge
FFA chapters from Missouri and Tennessee are the big winners in a documentary and portfolio competition sponsored by Monsanto.
More than 265,000 FFA members in 3,800 FFA chapters across 15 states began competition in the 2013 Chapter Challenge in January. To enter the competition, FFA members had to either interview and document the lives of agriculturalists in their local communities or build a portfolio of interviews, develop a social media plan and produce a video that promotes agriculture awareness.
Entries were submitted to the National FFA Organization and judged in March by a panel of marketing, communications and education professionals.
FFA chapters in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin were eligible to compete in the 2013 event.
The Cameron High School FFA chapter in Cameron, Mo., won grand prize in the interview and documentary division while the Siegel High School FFA chapter in Murfreesboro, Tenn., won grand prize in the portfolio division.
The two grand-prize-winning FFA chapters earned both a $2,000 certificate of credit with the National FFA Organization that can be used to cover FFA-related expenses throughout the year and an all-expenses paid trip for up to six students and their FFA advisor to the 2013 National FFA Convention & Expo in Louisville, Ky. Each grand prize is valued at $12,000.
The top FFA chapters in each division of the competition earned a line of credit for use on FFA expenses, including supplies or convention and conference registration fees. Those prizes ranged from $2,500 to $500. Overall, Monsanto provided nearly $300,000 in prize money for the FFA chapters competing in the 2013 Chapter Challenge.
For the full release, click here. To see the full list of 2013 FFA Chapter Challenge winners, please click here.
Wildlife Tax Valuation & Farm Pond Workshop June 8 In Moore
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offices in Atascosa, Frio and Medina counties will host a multi-county workshop and tour on wildlife tax valuation and farm pond reclamation June 8 in Moore, Texas.
The program, which takes place from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., will be at a Frio County Paloma Partners tract located at 8110 County Road 1301.
“This program will address the principles of developing a wildlife management plan and will focus on 1-D-1 tax exemptions,” said Dale Rankin, AgriLife Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources, Atascosa County. “It will be helpful to both landowners and appraisal district officials.”
Rankin said understanding site considerations for stock ponds, as well as reclamation and management aspects of stock and wildlife ponds and water features, will also be addressed.
He said the program also will include a farm tour on the principles of a wildlife management plan.
For more information, visit our calendar of upcoming events in the Angus Journal Virtual Library here.
Eastern Kansas Grazing School Planned Sept. 11-12
Rotational grazing is one way in which cattle producers can use rangeland and forages as efficiently as possible. That’s among the topics to be discussed at the third annual Eastern Kansas Grazing School planned for Sept. 11-12 in Ottawa, Kan.
The event, hosted by Kansas State University (K-State) Research and Extension, will be at the Franklin County Fairgrounds, 1737 S. Elm St. and area pastures. It will feature presentations by K-State Research and Extension, the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service and private industry.
A fencing demonstration will highlight advances in electrified fences. For more information, visit our calendar of upcoming events in the Angus Journal Virtual Library here.
Producer Panel Among Highlights At
Upcoming Grass-Fed Beef Conference
A panel of grass-fed beef producers providing first-hand knowledge of production practices will be one of several highlights at a grass-fed beef production conference scheduled May 30-31 at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
A panel of speakers on the second day of the conference will represent expertise in the areas of animal welfare, production and retailing, said Rick Machen, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service livestock specialist, Uvalde, and conference coordinator.
“Participants will get perspectives from each of these areas, plus they will hear numerous presentations on the fundamentals of the grass-fed business, cattle types and other information,” Machen said.
The following topics will be discussed: overview of the beef industry; defining natural, grass-fed and organic beef; forage fundamentals; cattle types suited for grass-fed beef; forage-based nutrition for cattle; preventive herd health; cattle handling for wholesome beef; carcass fabrication; consumers and their expectations; marketing a unique product; and economics and sustainability.
A carcass fabrication demonstration will be featured the second day. Cost is $250 through May 15 and $300 after. Three continuing education credits will be offered to Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide applicators license holders. To register online, visit https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/ and enter keyword “grassfed” or call 979-845-2604.
The conference is presented by AgriLife Extension with funding from Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education and the Texas Beef Council.
For more information, visit our calendar of upcoming events in the Angus Journal Virtual Library em>here.
Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Day
to Feature Industry Leaders
The 2013 Canadian Angus National Convention will be held in Guelph, Ont., June 5-10. The Canadian Angus Association would like to specially invite all commercial producers and industry representatives to attend the Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed day on Friday, June 7. This event is open to the public.
The day will kick off with an industry panel of speakers featuring John Lettieri of Hero Certified Burgers, Matt Heleniak of Norwich Packers, Mike Beretta of Beretta Farms, and Dave Ropp of Ontario Livestock Exchange, followed by a presentation from Jim Clarke with the Ontario Corn Fed Beef program. Lunch will include a keynote speaker from Canada Beef Inc. In the afternoon, there will be feedlot tour with the final stop at the Erin Fairgrounds to include dinner and artisans.
Registration for Rancher Endorsed day is due June 3. Cost is $50 for the morning speakers, lunch, tours and the evening dinner and hospitality. For more information call 1-888-571-3580, email cdnangus@cdnangus.ca or visit www.cdnangus.ca/members/agm.htm.
The Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed program guarantees that the beef used in products bearing this label come from beef cattle with 50% or more Canadian Angus genetics. All cattle in Canada are required to be tagged with a radio-frequency identification tag. The Canadian Angus Association created the Angus tag program that is available only to cattle with at least one purebred Angus parent. To qualify for the Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed program, the cattle used must bear the Angus tag that identifies them as Canadian Angus cattle.
Editor’s Note: The articles used within this site represent a mixture of copyrights. If you would like to reprint or repost an article, you must first request permission of Angus Productions Inc. (API) by contacting the editor at 816-383-5200; 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506. API claims copyright to this web site as presented. We welcome educational venues and cattlemen to link to this site as a service to their audience.