News Update
September 3, 2013
Ireland to Host First Global 500 Outside of the U.S.
The sixth installment of Alltech’s Global 500 is making its European debut this Oct. 1-3 in the Royal Dublin Society (RDS), Dublin, Ireland. Celebrating a rich history in agriculture and boasting world famous dairy and beef production, Ireland is an ideal location for the world’s most progressive dairy and beef producers to network with peers and explore the most pressing issues facing both industries today.
At the top of the agenda is how to farm an efficient, profitable and sustainable (EPS) future, beginning with an overview of the current industry and looking at future trends, specifically addressing how farmers and producers can stay ahead of the curve. Breaking out after this into dairy and beef tracks, talks will focus on industry specific issues, debating a roadmap for the industry through interactive discussions. Topics will include: forages and maximizing your return from the land, the war against protein prices, sustainability, mineral management, mycotoxin management, innovations in the industry, managing your investments for the future and a big-picture view on the global landscape.
“Each year Alltech’s Global 500 strives to bring the top experts in the agriculture industry together to shape the future of beef and dairy worldwide. This year, for the first time ever, we are bringing them to Ireland to focus on EPS: efficiency, profitability and sustainability,” said Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech. “This is a crucial time for the agriculture industry as demand for dairy and beef products is growing worldwide. The potential profitability has never been greater, which is why we must make production leaner in order for it to endure.”
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library’s calendar of upcoming events here.
Kansas Junior Angus Association Update
Kansas Junior Angus Association (KJAA) members should keep in mind that the 2013 Fall Raising the Bar conference is scheduled for Oct. 17-20 at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in Lincoln, Neb. Raising the Bar will offer a tour of the university and animal science department, as well as a fun-filled weekend of feedlot and beef industry tours. Raising the Bar is a three-day conference that builds stronger leaders within state associations, creates regional relationships, while preparing juniors for the future. Materials covered in Raising the Bar target high-school-age students and older. The registration fee is $100. Deadline is Sept. 15.
A great enjoyment of working with youth and the belief in the junior Angus program has led Joel and Mary Bunker, JMB Angus, Sharon Springs, to donate the pick of their spring 2013 heifer calves to the KJAA to use as a fundraiser. KJAA members will begin selling tickets for this generous opportunity in May and continue through the random drawing for one lucky ticket holder during the Kansas Sate Fair 100th Anniversary Angus Show in Hutchinson Sept. 14. Tickets are available for a donation of $10 each or 6 for $50, with the entire proceeds going to the KJAA.
The winner will have the opportunity to choose from approximately 85 heifer calves born between Feb.10 and April 10. Heifers in the group will be sired by Sitz Top Game, Sitz Upward, SydGen CC&7, Kessler’s Frontman, Final Answer and more. Visit www.jmbangus.com for more on their herd and program.
TSCRA to Host Free Workshop for Young Ranchers
The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) will host its next Young Leadership Series (YLS) meeting Sept. 6 and 7, at TSCRA headquarters in Fort Worth. The meeting is a chance for young ranchers and cattle industry participants, ages 19 to 40, to get an in-depth learning experience from experts about the cattle industry, as well as network with others in the cattle business.
Speakers include Jude Capper, sustainability expert and professor of animal science at Washington State University; Kim Stackhouse, director of sustainability research, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association; and Stan Bevers, professor and extension economist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. A roundtable discussion with industry experts from the cow-calf, stocker and feeder segments of the industry will also take place.
TSCRA headquarters is located at 1301 W. Seventh St., Fort Worth, Texas 76102. Participants should RSVP to Stacy Fox at sfox@tscra.org or call 1-800-242-7820. The Young Leadership Series is sponsored by Merck Animal Health.
Designer Sugarcane, Not Switchgrass, Being Retooled To Produce Biofuels
Remember switchgrass? In his State of the Union address in 2006, President George W. Bush suggested scientists use switchgrass to produce an ecologically friendly fuel. Cellulosic ethanol, he called it, produced from natural materials.
Bush’s comments made the late-night comedy talk-show circuit, but others took his comments very seriously, including a Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist who had been working on such a project for years.
Today, Jorge da Silva predicts he will release such a product from his laboratory within two years.
But da Silva isn’t using switchgrass, opting instead for sugarcane, which he said better lends itself to being redesigned and reengineered to help fulfill Bush’s dream of “providing 30% of our transportation fuel by 2030.”
“Unlike corn, or even switchgrass, sugarcane is unique in that it can be crossed with different species, including sorghum, to create new plant varieties with favorable traits that are competitive with corn in producing biofuels,” he said.
Using genetic markers, da Silva transfers favorable genetic traits from a variety of plant sources to sugarcane to make new plant material called wide-hybridization.
These new plant varieties would make up the world’s second generation of bioenergy plants, with the potential to eventually replace corn and even sugarcane in the production of ethanol, da Silva said.
“Those were the first-generation plants, corn and sugarcane,” he said. “The starch from corn and the sugar from sugarcane were converted to ethanol. But both are food plants that, when used to make fuel, create a conflict with their ability to produce food.
“An increased demand on corn, which is used as animal feed, is reflected throughout the food chain in higher prices. That is a major disadvantage and is one reason why corn is not sustainable as a feedstock for biofuel.”
Da Silva’s plants, the result of conventional breeding and selecting methods, mix the plants’ biomass — stalks and leaves — with enzymes to create ethanol.
“What we end up with is a sugarcane-based plant with biomass that is at least nine times more efficient in producing ethanol than corn biomass.”
For more information, read the full release here.
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