News Update
July 25, 2013
Reality TV Show Makes
Farming Cool Again
American television hasn’t had a hit show about farming since Green Acres almost 50 years ago. That’s all changing now.
The August/September issue of Farm & Ranch Living takes a look at the new television show Farm Kings to see how Joe King and his clan are making farming cool again.
While Joe King, 29, and his 10 siblings, nine boys and one girl, grew up farming, they took things into their own hands by getting a loan to start Freedom Farms on a property their mother owns in Pennsylvania. Joe hopes the show will draw more young people back to the land, especially at a time when so many people are disconnected from where their food comes from.
As you might expect, the Kings quickly discovered that farming with a camera crew takes some serious time and patience, but they think it’s worthwhile to inspire and encourage entrepreneurial spirit. For more information on the show, go to gactv.com/farmkings or freedomfarmspa.com and tune in to the Great American Country cable network tonight, Thursday, July 25, at 9 p.m. EDT for the show’s season premiere — including a special mention of Farm & Ranch Living!
NFU Reaction to Hearings on the ‘Future of the CFTC’
National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement regarding the two hearings this week by the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management on the future of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC):
“Farmers and ranchers — and the cooperatives and other business that serve them — are end-users of commodities. Markets should be functional, stable, transparent and competitive, so that our members can use them to manage risk and price their products.
“NFU agrees with the members of the subcommittee: well-functioning markets are essential to grow the economy. But we strongly disagree with some of the members’ arguments that in order to help markets work better, the Dodd-Frank Act and many other market regulations should be repealed. Instead, Dodd-Frank must be fine-tuned and perfected, and regulators like the CFTC be provided the resources needed to do the job.
“I find it difficult to understand why the House Agriculture Appropriations Committee would reduce funding for CFTC for Fiscal Year 2014 if they truly believe we need a marketplace that serves the interests of end-users.”
Alliance President to be Featured
in Upcoming National Geographic Series
Animal Agriculture Alliance’s President and CEO Kay Johnson Smith will be featured in a new National Geographic Channel series, “Inside: Secret America.” Johnson Smith will appear in a segment captioned, “Animal Undercover,” July 31, 2013.
The Alliance was approached in late February by series producers and investigative journalists Mariana van Zeller and Darren Foster about a segment focusing on the animal-rights movement, undercover videos and farm protection, or so-termed “ag gag” legislation. The producers indicated they were initially drawn to this topic because of the deceptive and sometimes extreme tactics employed by activist groups. Johnson Smith sat down with van Zeller and discussed the real motivations behind the animal-rights movement and the truth about undercover videos.
“The American public has a knowledge gap about farming and ranching; people really don’t have any firsthand knowledge about how food is produced, so they’re very susceptible to videos presented by activist groups, ” said Johnson Smith. “Legislators in many states have stepped up and recognized the importance of agriculture, and have decided to protect our nation’s farm families.”
Van Zeller and Foster also interviewed several members of animal-rights groups including Mercy for Animals, a group that frequently uses undercover video footage, often in a misleading way, to disparage animal agriculture.
“We were pleased that the Alliance would be contacted to appear on a new show airing on a network as prestigious at National Geographic,” said Johnson Smith. “It’s important to engage with journalists — even on such controversial topics — so that agriculture’s story isn’t told by detractors.”
The series premiered on the National Geographic Channel in early July and episodes air every Wednesday at 10 p.m. EST.
East Texas Regional Forage Conference Set for Aug. 29
The authors of one of the most widely read books on the establishment and utilization of southern forages will be featured speakers at the upcoming East Texas Regional Forage Conference, set Aug. 29 in Longview.
In 1991, Southern Forages, was originally planned as “just a practical book for forage crops” for the southern region of the United States, said Don Ball, professor emeritus at Auburn University, and one of the book’s authors.
But to date, Southern Forages, currently in its fifth edition, has sold about 50,000 copies and is used as a textbook at more than 60 colleges. It has been published in Polish, Chinese, Czech, and within a few weeks, Spanish, Ball said.
Ball will be accompanied with one of his co-authors of Southern Forages, Garry Lacefield, University of Kentucky.
Registration is $15 and includes lunch. Three continuing education units will be offered for holders of Texas Department of Agriculture private pesticide licenses, one in laws and regulations, and two in the general category. The conference will start at 9 a.m. and end at 3 p.m.
“It’s Gregg, Harrison Panola, Rusk and Upshur counties that are putting this on,” said Randy Reeves, AgriLife Extension agent in Harrison County. “But it’s really a regional program. We’re inviting agents and the public from the whole region, as well as Extension agents in Louisiana and Arkansas.”
For more information, please visit the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Aug. 15 Workshop to Offer Producers Tips
to Improve and Expand Sales Using ‘Apps and Maps’
Producers wanting to make sure their food business or operation has a strong, income-building presence in the mobile-media arena can learn tips and techniques from food-marketing experts from Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences during a workshop Aug. 15.
The “Maps and Apps” workshop will teach participants how to make the most of mobile-media marketing as a way their businesses can benefit from free listings on Internet maps, GPS systems and mobile apps, said Eric Barrett, an Ohio State University Extension educator.
“Ohio food producers wanting to increase their markets, grow their customer base, improve profitability and increase their visibility can learn strategies on how to leverage the Internet, GPS, mobile applications and social media to increase business opportunities,” he said.
Statistics show that 91% of U.S. citizens who own mobile devices have them within their reach 24 hours a day, seven days a week, said Barrett, who will help present the workshop. Research shows that consumers do more than 3 billion local searches each month for nearby products and services, he said.
The workshop runs from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The cost is $40 per person and $10 for each additional person from the same business. Registration includes materials and lunch.
For more information, please visit the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Beef Cattle Institute and Kansas Beef Council
to Host BQA Training Sessions
The Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University and the Kansas Beef Council are partnering to host seven advanced beef cattle care and health training sessions throughout Kansas during August and September. The beef checkoff-funded sessions will provide beef producers and veterinarians with up-to-date standards and technologies to improve animal welfare and food safety. The training sessions will be led by Dan Thomson, Chris Reinhardt, and Dave Rethorst, all of the Beef Cattle Institute.
The meetings are scheduled as follows: Aug. 12, Winter Livestock in Dodge City at 6 p.m.; Aug. 20, Oakley Livestock Commission Company in Oakley at 6 p.m.; Aug. 22, Holton Livestock Exchange in Holton at 6:30 p.m.; Sept. 4, Paola Livestock Auction in Paola at 6 p.m.; Sept. 9, Coffeyville Livestock Market in Coffeyville at 6 p.m.; Sept. 12, Central Livestock of South Hutch in South Hutchinson at 6 p.m. and Sept. 16, Marysville Livestock in Marysville at 6 p.m.
Producers and veterinarians will receive Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) training and information relevant to the cow-calf, stocker and feedlot industry segments; animal husbandry best-management practices; and downed animal care and humane euthanasia training. In addition, stockmanship principles and low-stress cattle-handling techniques will be studied. All producers and veterinarians who attend will earn BQA certification. BQA certification is valid for three years.
For more information, please visit the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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