News Update
July 17, 2013
Tackling the Fundamental
Challenge of Trust in Food
Now more than ever, consumers are asking questions about the food they eat: “How do I know that my food is safe? What is the role of technology and innovation? Are farmers and food companies putting profits ahead of public interest?”
The Center for Food Integrity (CFI) 2013 Food Integrity Summit: A Forum on Ethics, Values and Trust is an opportunity for food system stakeholders to address the fundamental challenge of trust in food. Across the industry, fostering the shared belief that today’s food system aligns with consumer values and is worthy of their trust is a shared responsibility.
Scheduled for Oct. 15-16 at the Hyatt Regency in Rosemont, Ill., the summit will feature a diverse group of panelists and speakers, including Mark Lynas, climate science expert and author. Lynas will offer insights into his compelling journey from perpetuating unfounded myths about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the early 1990s to his recent admission that the current controversy surrounding genetically modified (GM) technologies is one of the greatest science communications failures of the past half-century.
Hear the story of former White House Chef Walter Scheib while Carolyn O’Neil, a registered dietitian, author and former CNN correspondent, will discuss her role as a thought leader in CFIs innovative New Conversation about Food.
During the summit, CFI will unveil its 2013 consumer trust research and a groundbreaking new approach to engaging consumers. Hear what motivates consumers to trust the food industry, which messages resonate, which messengers are most credible and which communications channels are most effective.
Experts will also address topics including food insecurity, breaking through consumer skepticism, instilling trust in new technologies, building trust online and implementing radical transparency in today’s food system.
MU Greeley Center Offers Field Day Tours
on Crops and Cattle Aug. 6
After a long, wet planting season this spring, researchers will report their results at a field day Aug. 6 at the Greenley Research Center in Knox County.
“On the crop tour, we will emphasize the effects of water and nitrogen,” says Kelly Nelson, research agronomist at the University of Missouri (MU) farm.
“The most dramatic difference in corn growth will be in plots purposely flooded for one day, three days or seven days,” Nelson says. By mid-July corn flooded just one day is head-high, but corn flooded for a week is only knee-high.
Other topics include drones used in farming, burn-down treatments of herbicide-resistant weeds, and breeding and grazing beef cows.
Other topics to be covered on the beef and forage tours include timed artificial insemination (AI), getting females bred early in the calving season, strip-grazing, reducing waste when feeding hay, tillage radishes and herbicide management.
It’s traditional to have three wagon tours going at once, says Randall Smoot, superintendent of the research farm, a part of the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, Columbia. The crops, pest management, and beef and forage tours will have three or more stops each.
Those who arrive early can take all three tours before they end at noon, Smoot says. To encourage an early start and beat the heat, breakfast is served at 7 a.m. Tours start at 8 a.m. A free lunch will be served.
Meals and refreshments are provided by area agribusinesses. They will set up displays at the lunch site in the historic Greenley barn.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Register Now to Attend Aug. 10 Southern Plains
Beef Symposium in Ardmore, Okla.
Cattle producers seeking ways to better manage their operations in ever more challenging business conditions should register now to attend the Aug. 10 Southern Plains Beef Symposium in Ardmore, Okla.
“Today’s beef industry climate is perhaps unprecedented with stratospheric cattle markets and volatile input costs; cattle producers are challenged as never before to remain profitable in a sustainable way,” said Leland McDaniel, Carter County Extension director and agricultural educator. “The symposium can provide valuable insights in that regard.”
Celebrating its 23rd year, the 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. symposium will take place in the Ardmore Convention Center, located at 2401 N. Rockford Rd., just off Exit 33 from Interstate 35. Cost is $25 per participant if preregistering and $30 at the door, and includes all conference sessions, the trade show and the traditional prime rib lunch.
“The symposium has become one of the premier single-day beef events in the nation,” McDaniel said. “A truly excellent trade show, complimentary boot shines and door prizes are longstanding traditions, adding to the opportunity of participants to learn from and interact with renowned experts who will be leading sessions about cutting-edge beef topics.”
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Registration Open for Kentucky Grazing School
The 2013 Kentucky Grazing School will be Aug. 21-22 in Woodford County. Informational sessions will be hosted at the Woodford County Extension office, with hands-on activities taking place at the University of Kentucky (UK) C. Oran Little Research Center.
Hosted by extension specialists from the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, the school begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 5:30 p.m. EDT both days. Presenters will offer valuable educational information for new and experienced grazing systems managers.
The school will cover grazing information specific to Kentucky and will focus on summer and fall grazing options. A unique feature of the program gives participants the opportunity to design a grazing system based on their property. Organizers ask that participants bring a printed aerial map of their farm to the school. Maps are available through the local Farm Service Agency or online through Google Maps.
During the first day, participants will work in groups to install a rotational grazing system including assessing pasture yield and setting up small paddocks. Cattle will then graze the paddocks. On the second day, the participants will observe the grazed paddocks and hear reports from each group.
In addition, UKAg specialists in forages, beef cattle, dairy cattle and veterinary science will present a variety of topics ranging from meeting nutritional needs on pasture to implementing a grazing system. A representative from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service will discuss available cost-share programs, and a representative from a fencing company will share fence-building tips. Members of a producer panel will also share their grazing experiences with school participants.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Training on Winter Pastures for Central and
East Texas Set for Aug. 23
Many producers contact her too late for advice in establishing winter pastures, said Vanessa Corriher-Olson, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service forage specialist, Overton.
“And when it comes to winter pastures, there’s nothing worse than too late,” Corriher-Olson said.
To help producers do the best possible job of planning winter pastures, Corriher-Olson and her colleague, Jason Banta, AgriLife Extension beef specialist, will be conducting a short course, “Winter Pastures for Central and East Texas,” from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 26 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton.
Registration for the program is $60 and includes lunch and program materials. Seating will be limited to the first 50 people to register. Register online by going to https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu and entering the keyword “pasture.”
Corriher-Olson said the program will answer a lot of the questions people commonly have about establishing winter pastures, such as: Which species are best suited to a particular type of operation? How much in feed costs can they expect to save? How do I interpret seed tag information? How can I create a custom soil and production map for a farm from satellite data?
She said it will also answer many questions that even experienced producers may not think to ask but should, including questions on appropriate mineral supplementation for cattle; control costs for armyworms and other cool-season insects; and how to use USDA Web Soil Survey information to plan plantings.
“This is an intensive, daylong program that will help producers greatly reduce the amount of hay and supplementation they would otherwise need during the winter feeding program,” Corriher-Olson said. “By decreasing such costs, they can greatly improve the economic bottom line of their operations.”
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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.