News Update
May 20, 2013
Only 10 Days Left for Farmers to Sign Up for Conservation Stewardship Program
The deadline for farmers and ranchers to sign up to participate in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) this year is May 31, just 10 days from now. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will accept slightly more than 12 million acres into the program this year.
While CSP enrollment is continuous, interested farmers, ranchers and forestland owners must complete the initial application form by May 31 to compete for a spot in the 2013 enrollment class for the program.
“Participating in CSP can improve both conservation outcomes and the bottom line for producers,” said National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) Policy Associate Greg Fogel. “To seize that opportunity, farmers and ranchers must act quickly to complete their initial application form.”
CSP is an innovative working lands conservation program administered by NRCS that rewards farmers and ranchers nationwide for the conservation and environmental benefits they produce. CSP contracts last five years and are renewable.
In April, the NSAC issued an Information Alert on the 2013 sign-up. In addition to providing the timeline for the sign-up and enrollment process, the Alert includes basic sign-up information and describes changes made to the program for this sign-up, including new conservation enhancements being offered.
In addition to information available in the Information Alert, producers will find more detailed information about CSP in NSAC’s Farmers’ Guide to the Conservation Stewardship Program, available for free download by clicking here.
Zoetis, Texas Tech University Partner in Salmonella Research
Zoetis Inc., formerly the animal health business unit of Pfizer, announced May 20 a gift of $100,000 for salmonella research to the Texas Tech University College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Department of Animal and Food Sciences. The research gift will help provide resources to better understand and describe the ecology of salmonella in cattle populations and to discover and evaluate tools that might ultimately result in a safer food supply.
Establishing partnerships with top research institutions such as Texas Tech University is essential to managing foodborne pathogens like salmonella during the preharvest stage, Rob Kelly, vice president, U.S. cattle and equine business unit at Zoetis, added.
“Salmonella continues to threaten human health. With new understandings of how it interacts with livestock populations, we can develop better tools that can lead to meaningful improvements in food safety,” said Guy Loneragan, epidemiologist and professor of food safety and public health at Texas Tech University. “This sort of industry collaboration is vital to the discovery and development of tools to keep food safe, and the research gift from Zoetis will greatly support and enhance our activities to discover and deliver these solutions.”
Because the Zoetis gift is allocated to research and discovery in the area of salmonella and not tied to a specific project or endowment, it has a lot of potential, Loneragan added. “The flexibility of this research gift ensures that we can pursue new developments as they arise.”
Michelle Haven, DVM, PhD, senior vice president, corporate development, alliances and solutions at Zoetis, said that research focused in the cattle industry at large will not only help provide important solutions in Salmonella research but also offer opportunities for education and training for graduate students at Texas Tech University.
“Texas Tech University has a talented and enthusiastic research team, including microbiologists, molecular biologists, epidemiologists, meat scientists, animal scientists and those focusing on education,” she continued. “We’re glad to help bring everyone together to identify these complex problems and solutions.”
This research gift really reflects an ongoing and growing relationship between Zoetis and Texas Tech University that is built on success and trust, Dr. Loneragan added.
“Without industry partnerships such as this, our ability to achieve food-safety research goals and drive innovation in the area of foodborne pathogens is greatly diminished,” Dr. Loneragan said. “This relationship with Zoetis is helping us to better understand Salmonella and will provide support to help deliver tools to producers to improve the health of cattle herds and the safety of the food supply.”
United States Cattle on Feed Down 3%
Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 10.7 million head on May 1, 2013. The inventory was 3% below May 1, 2012.
Placements in feedlots during April totaled 1.75 million, 15% above 2012. Net placements were 1.68 million head. During April, placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 600 pounds (lb.) were 375,000; 600-699 lb. were 270,000; 700-799 lb. were 455,000; and 800 lb. and greater were 650,000.
Marketings of fed cattle during April totaled 1.86 million, 2% above 2012. Other disappearance totaled 69,000 during April, 12% below 2012.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Summer Ranchers’ Roundup Slated for June 6 in Crane
The Summer Ranchers’ Roundup is set for 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. June 6 in the Crane County Exhibit Hall in Crane, Texas. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program will feature topics of interest for Far West Texas ranch operators and owners.
“During the morning we’ll discuss cattle herd retention strategies and brush control,” said Caleb Eaton, AgriLife Extension agent in Crane County. “After lunch, we’ll hear three unique presentations on feral-hog management, then open the floor for a roundtable discussion on the topic of feral hogs.”
Topics and speakers will include Beef Herd Retention in Drought, Bruce Carpenter, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist, Fort Stockton; Brush Control Update, Alyson McDonald, AgriLife Extension range specialist, Fort Stockton; Crane County Trapping Program Update, Gill Turman, Crane County trapper; Commercial Hog Hunting Success Story, Ernest Woodward, rancher, Girvin; and Feral Hog Q&A, Ken Cearley, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist, Amarillo.
Two Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be offered — one general and one integrated pest management.
Individual preregistration is $10 and includes the noon meal. Eaton asks that those planning to attend RSVP by May 31, so an accurate meal count can be made.
For more information and to RSVP, contact Eaton at 432-558-3522, cleaton@ag.tamu.edu.
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