News Update
June 7, 2013
Rancher Calls for Better Management and Approval of National Monuments
A Montana rancher testified before Congress June 7 on behalf of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) in support of legislation to require congressional approval for the designation of national monuments. Travis Brown, a cattleman from Sand Springs, Mont., told the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation that the National Monument Designation Transparency and Accountability Act (H.R. 2192) would place much-needed limits on the President’s unilateral power to designate national monuments and limit misuse of the Antiquities Act of 1906 by the executive branch.
Brown, a fourth-generation rancher, told committee members his family ranching operation depends on a cooperative partnership on public lands and making responsible use of the forage on those lands. However, Brown said that mismanagement of nationally designated monuments by the federal government has caused issues such as reduced livestock grazing, reduced timber management, and, as a result, vegetation overgrowth causing a major reduction in water flow and increased threat of wildfire, all threats that affect local communities and agricultural operations.
Brown finished his testimony by reminding the committee that it is in the best interest of supporters of conservation to keep ranchers in business.
“The best way to leave a legacy and protect these truly special places is by leaving them in the hands of the responsible stewards on the local level who have carefully managed this resource for generations,” he said. “Ranchers are the ones keeping private land as open space rather than housing developments. We are on the ground day in and day out, watching over the land and resources, because our livelihoods depend on it.”
To view the full release, please visit the NCBA website here.
Beef Checkoff Launches New Advertising Campaign
The new “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.” consumer advertising campaign just made its debut, bringing the recognizable tagline to older Millennials and Gen Xers. The new campaign, funded by the beef checkoff, features sizzling beef recipes, juicy details about essential nutrients in beef and the voice of one of Hollywood’s most promising new talents, Garrett Hedlund, who spent his early years on a cattle operation in Minnesota.
The new “Above All Else” campaign aims to reach the next generation of beef eaters, the older Millennials and Gen Xers — ages 25 to 44 — who care about food and nutrition.
While continuing with many brand mainstays, the new beef campaign will switch up the voice behind the famous words, “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.” Sparking a new interest for the older Millennial and Gen X target, Hedlund’s voice will take a starring role in the campaign’s radio spots. Like the target audience, Hedlund personally represents healthful living, and his strong, warm voice is perfect for invoking new understanding about beef.
Research has shown that 45% of the target demographic said they would choose beef more often if they knew about how its nutrients compared to chicken. The new checkoff campaign helps set the record straight about beef’s essential nutrients in an engaging and educational way.
Along with a strong new voice, the new “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.” print advertisements stimulate the senses with tantalizing food photography, at the same time sharing surprising news of beef’s 10 essential nutrients. Each advertisement asks, “What’s your dinner made of?” and calls out an important nutrient, such as protein: “The strip steak has lots of protein ... and your appetite’s attention.” Another ad reminds them that a dinner with beef is rich in iron — “The most lean, delicious and tender iron known to man.”
Plan Now to Pregnancy-Check Replacement Heifers
Ranchers who choose to breed replacement heifers about a month ahead of the mature cows need to determine which heifers failed to conceive in their first breeding season.
“As bulls are being removed from the replacement heifers, this would be an ideal time to contact your local veterinarian and make arrangements to have those heifers evaluated for pregnancy in about 60 days,” says Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension emeritus cow-calf specialist.
“Any heifer determined to be ‘open’ after the breeding season should be a strong candidate for culling,” he said. Culling open heifers immediately after their being pregnancy-checked serves three economically valuable purposes. First, identifying and culling open heifers early will remove subfertile females for the herd.
Selk said lifetime cow studies from Montana indicated properly developed heifers that were exposed to fertile bulls but did not become pregnant were often subfertile compared to the heifers that did conceive.
“When the heifers that failed to breed in the first breeding season were followed throughout their lifetimes, they averaged a 55% annual calf crop,” he said. “Despite the fact that reproduction is not a highly heritable trait, it also makes sense to remove this genetic material from the herd so as to not proliferate females that are difficult to get bred.”
Second, culling open heifers early will reduce costs associated with summer forage and winter maintenance. Third, identifying open heifers shortly after 60 days the breeding season concludes will allow the rancher to market the heifers while they are still young enough to go to a feedlot and be fed for the Choice beef market.
For more information, please view the full release here.
New Online Tool Helps Producers Manage Insects
Growers can now easily identify and manage insects while in the field using smartphones and tablets with a new online tool developed by Oregon State University and partners.
Last year, if a grower found a glob of frothy, white foam smeared on a patch of young alfalfa hay, one option was to comb through 600-plus pages in a three-ring binder to identify the culprit as a meadow spittlebug.
Now, growers can check the revamped <em>Pacific Northwest Insect Management Handbook website.
The website is designed for easy viewing on all screen sizes — from desktop computers to mobile devices. It includes all content from the printed handbook. Plus, most pages on the site include photos and links. Website users can also print factsheets on individual pests and share handbook content on social media.
Ed Peachey, weed specialist for the OSU Extension Service, said he has seen a shift among growers and field representatives to using smartphones as a primary communications tool in the last three years.
“Farmers will stand in their fields and use their smartphones to send photos to me, asking ‘What’s wrong with my crop?’” Peachey said. “They used to have to take photos with their camera, go home and download them. Now it’s much more instantaneous.”
Two related publications, the Pacific Northwest Plant Disease Management Handbook and the Pacific Northwest Weed Management Handbook also have companion websites. These websites will be updated to be mobile-friendly by next year.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Ag Secretary Highlights Efforts to Bring
Economic Opportunity, Technology to Rural Schools
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack hosted a media conference call June 6 to discuss Obama Administration efforts to bring broadband service and economic opportunity to schools and communities in rural America. Secretary Vilsack’s call followed President Obama’s announcement of a new initiative called ConnectED to connect 99% of America’s students to the Internet through high-speed broadband and high-speed wireless within five years, calling on the FCC to modernize and leverage its existing E-Rate program to meet that goal. The President also directed the federal government to make better use of existing funds to get Internet connectivity and educational technology into classrooms, and into the hands of teachers trained on its advantages. He called on businesses, states, districts, schools and communities to support this vision. This ambitious initiative does not require Congressional action.
USDA Trade Mission Aims to Create
Opportunities for U.S. Agriculture in Turkey
The USDA announced June 6 that Acting Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Michael Scuse is leading a mission to promote U.S. ag exports to Turkey this week. Representatives from Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and Pennsylvania, as well as 20 U.S. companies, are participating.
During the mission, the USDA delegation will travel to Istanbul and Ankara to learn about Turkey’s rapidly evolving market conditions and business environment — information that will enable businesses to develop export strategies for Turkey. Companies attending the Turkey trade mission represent a wide variety of agricultural products, including dry beans, fruit and nuts, agricultural machinery and more.
“People around the world continue to demand U.S. food and agricultural products, boosting American businesses and supporting our rural communities,” said Scuse. “By participating in this trade mission, U.S. agribusinesses will gain firsthand market information and meet with distributors, importers and other business contacts so they can position themselves to expand their presence in Turkey by promoting the quality, variety and reliability of U.S. food and agricultural products.”
With its rapidly developing economy and expanding middle class, Turkey is becoming a key market for U.S. food and agricultural products. U.S. agricultural exports to the country tripled during the last decade.
This trade mission is the first major USDA agricultural trade mission this year for U.S. companies. Successful trade missions to China and Russia were hosted in 2012.
For more information, please view the full release here.
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