News Update
November 1, 2013
Farm Credit Associations and CoBank Donate $10,000 to KARL
A contribution by six Farm Credit Associations of Kansas with a match from CoBank combined for a total donation of $10,000 to the Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership (KARL) Program. The donation will support KARL Class XII.
“With costs at $20,000 per person as the total value of participation, the investment for 30 participants is $600,000 for each two-year KARL class,” said Mark Winger, KARL contributions committee member and KARL Class III graduate. “We as association members are pleased to be a partner with KARL to help sustain and enhance the training program.”
“The KARL program always has [been] and wishes to remain free of financial investment from public funding sources,” said Al Davis, KARL president and program director.
KARL graduates are ambassadors for rural communities, agriculture and the way of life associated with each. The program’s curriculum is designed to increase knowledge, contacts and skills focused on critical thinking, knowledge, expertise and on being an effective voice in decision making that affects rural communities and the agricultural industry in Kansas.
More information about the KARL program is available at www.karlprogram.com.
The $10,000 contribution is part of the >Farm Credit system’s and CoBank’s corporate giving programs.
Saenz Helps South Texas Farm Loan Applications Top $90 million
Applying for a loan from the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) is not a quick or easy process. After almost 20 years of helping South Texas farmers and ranchers with their applications, Vidal Saenz has it down to a science, and he’s got an award to prove it.
Since Saenz started keeping track in 1998, records show he has processed more than 700 loan applications for almost $91 million.
“I started working with farmers in 1994, so the numbers are actually higher than that,” he said. “We’re having another good year this year.”
With a couple of months still to go, Saenz has helped 65 applicants apply for almost $7 million in loans in 2013. His total for 2012 was 45 applicants and just more than $5 million.
Saenz is a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service county agent and farm adviser in Edinburg. He manages the Small Farm Outreach Training and Technical Assistance Project, administered by Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas.
“I’ve made a lot of friends over the years and helped a lot of people do what they love: farm and ranch,” he said. “When times get tough, we help people apply for emergency loans that keep them going.”
In March, Saenz was awarded the Administrator Program Delivery Award from the Cooperative Extension Program at Prairie View A&M.
Saenz was cited for his “community involvement, leadership and financial prudence.”
Once he gets a call from a farmer or rancher in need of financial assistance, Saenz informs them of the basic requirements for getting an FSA loan and emails a checklist of documents he’ll need to help process the loan.
For more information, please view the full release here.
NMSU Experts Will Answer Questions for Beef Producers in Eastern N.M.
A panel of experts from New Mexico State University (NMSU) and industry representatives will conduct two panel discussions on the state of beef production in Eastern New Mexico Nov. 6 in Grady, N.M., and Nov. 7 in Elida, N.M.
The “Eastern New Mexico Beef Cattle Discussion” at each location will have a panel of experts that will include Marcy Ward, NMSU Cooperative Extension Service livestock specialist; Nick Ashcroft, NMSU range management specialist; Kent Mills with Hi-Pro; Keith Hedemann with Zoetis; and Gary Creighton with Purina.
Topics of discussion will include grazing management, know what’s in your hay, supplemental feeding, current range health and herd health management.
The Grady discussion will be from 5 p.m.-8:30 p.m. at the Grady Municipal School bus barn. A barbecue meal will be provided by Zoetis.
The Elida discussion will be from 5 p.m.-8:30 p.m. at the Elida Community Building on the north side of the Square. A barbecue meal will be provided by Purina and Creighton’s Town & Country.
This program is being presented by the Curry and Roosevelt County Cooperative Extension Service offices.
For more information and to make reservations for meal count contact Luther Dunlap (Curry County) at 575-763-6505 or Patrick Kircher (Roosevelt County) at 575-356-4417.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Nov. 16 Chainsaw Safety Class in Nelsonville
Hocking College and the Ohio Woodland Stewards Program, part of Ohio State University (OSU) Extension, will give a hands-on course, “Basics of Safe Chainsaw Operation,” from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Hocking College Fleet Garage (Auto Petro Center), 15477 State Route 691, Nelsonville.
The course is for farmers, woodland owners and anyone else interested in learning how to operate a chainsaw safely. Classroom and field sessions will cover safety gear, saw maintenance, saw safety features, directional felling, bucking and limbing.
Chainsaws and chaps will be provided for use in the class. Participants must wear boots and bring a hard hat, eye protection (safety glasses or goggles) and hearing protection (earplugs, earmuffs or both).
Registration costs $150 and is limited to 20 participants. The registration deadline is Nov. 12. The course brochure and registration form may be downloaded at http://go.osu.edu/Xna(pdf).
The course offers six hours of continuing education credit for those participating in the Ohio Forest Tax Law program.
For more information, contact 740-593-8555, 740-710-3009 or apsley.1@osu.edu; or go to http://go.osu.edu/XnY.
NMSU to Host Cattle Pregnancy Diagnosis School in Abiquiu
A non-pregnant cow is a costly investment for a cow-calf operation. A cattle producer needs to know how to diagnose if a cow is pregnant to ensure the profitability of his operation.
New Mexico State University (NMSU) is hosting a cattle pregnancy diagnosis school, Nov. 18-21 at the Rio Arriba County Extension office, 122-A N.M. 554, Abiquiu. The event is a regional program of the NMSU Cooperative Extension Service Small Farm and Ranch Task Force (SSF&RTF). “Many management tools are available to the producer to help them become more efficient and profitable,” said presenter Steve Lucero, NMSU Sandoval County Extension agricultural agent and member of the SSF&RTF.
“Pregnancy diagnosis is a tool that every producer should use.”
The school is designed to teach participants reproductive physiology, anatomy and the stages of gestation. Participants will learn how to distinguish between a pregnant and non-pregnant cow.
The three-day workshop, beginning at 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18, will include classroom presentations and hands-on demonstrations. Besides learning hands-on palpation, participants will learn about reproductive diseases, the effect of nutrition on the cow’s ability to reproduce and much more.
“It’s our goal that every participant will go home proficient and confident in their ability to pregnancy check cattle,” said presenter Del Jimenez, NMSU Extension agricultural agent.
Cost of the three-day workshop is $175, due before the registration deadline of Nov. 11. Contact Lucero, at 505-867-2582 or toll free at 1-800-678-1802, or by email at sandoval@nmsu.edu for more information. Registration may be mailed to Sandoval County Cooperative Extension, P.O. Box 400, Bernalillo, NM 87004.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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