News Update
January 9, 2014
Missouri CattleWomen’s Association Elects President
The Missouri CattleWomen’s Association (MCW) elected officers and board of directors for 2014 at the 46th Missouri Cattle Industry Convention & Trade Show at Tan-Tar-A Resort, Lake of the Ozarks, at its annual meeting Jan. 4.
Sue Day of Cooper County stepped into the lead as the newly elected president for MCW. She is joined by Terry Bettles, president-elect, Bates County; Marilyn Lesmeister, vice president, Henry County; Janet Crow, secretary, Howell County; and Mary Kay Lyle, treasurer, Andrew County.
Day served two years as president-elect before taking the reins. As an active board member over the past four years, she volunteered as Education Chair and continues to serve as the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. She was instrumental in pulling off a highly successful health fair last spring, helping to educate women about the healthy benefits of beef and two years ago was named the CattleWoman of the Year.
Day works in food services in the school cafeteria for Pilot Grove school district, and brings a thorough knowledge on nutrition, as well as the ability to connect with youth. She’s a pro in the kitchen, and is comfortable talking about beef from the pasture to the plate.
“I hope to encourage the CattleWomen to be active in their own communities and be available for help or offer ideas,” said Day. “I hope to continue the relationship established with the Collegiate CattleWomen as well, and work closely with them in the upcoming year.”
For more information, please view the full release here.
A Little Planning Goes Far with Prescribed Burning
There is nothing better than when a plan comes together. Also, in this case, there is nothing worse than when there was no plan at the start.
John Weir, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension fire ecologist, said well-conducted fires in the field are the result of well-written fire plans.
“It helps us to put it down on paper and think this whole process through,” he said. “So when the day comes when we’re ready to light that fire, we’ve already thought it through and have a plan to follow to help us make the burn safe and effective to meet our goals and objectives.”
A burn plan is a written prescription for the prescribed fire including critical elements such as the weather conditions under which the burn will be conducted; number of personnel and duties of each; and the type, amount and placement of equipment needs to safely conduct the burn.
Other key elements needed for a proper burn plan are a description of burn unit, including topography and vegetation in unit, a list of parameters, aerial map and smoke-management plan.
“Another good item to have is a ‘go/no-go’ checklist,” Weir said. “Have I called local fire department? Yes or no? Did I call adjoining neighbors? Are the weather conditions within my description? Do I have adequate equipment?”
If the answer is no to any of these questions, then a burn should not be conducted.
“No burn plan is perfect and no two are alike because they are as different as the burn units for which they are written,” he said. “Each burn plan may require different information or planning, with some requiring more information about a specific topic than others.”
For more information, please view the full release here.
Record-Breaking Trade Show on Tap for
2014 Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville
Those attending the 2014 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 4-7 should be sure to pack their comfortable walking shoes. The NCBA Trade Show — for years, the beef cattle industry’s largest, is getting bigger — adding more than 30 exhibitors and thousands of square feet of booth space.
In 2014, there will be more than 300 exhibitors on 247,000 square feet — 5.7 acres. These exhibitors will feature everything from animal health products and ranch equipment to real estate, seed products, software, and western art.
“The NCBA Trade Show is popular with both exhibitors and attendees,” said Kristin Torres, NCBA executive director of meetings and events. “Exhibitors like it because it consistently reaches the top cattle producers in the country — and a lot of them. Attendees like the Trade Show because it always features the cutting-edge products and services in our industry. It’s estimated that about 7,000 producers will attend the 2014 event.”
The success and rapid growth of the NCBA Trade Show has been noticed by the trade show industry. In 2013, the show received an award from the Trade Show News Network for being one of the top 25 fastest growing shows in the country in terms of attendance.
This coming year the Trade Show will not only be larger, but will feature more educational and entertainment opportunities for attendees. On the Trade Show floor will be two education areas, including a demonstration area with live animals to provide hands-on instruction. New this year is the NCBA Learning Lounge, which will feature 30-minute educational sessions to provide attendees valuable educational tips from industry experts in informal, face-to-face, technology-friendly classroom settings.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Conservation Stewardship Program
Deadline Extended to Feb. 7
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced an extension of the deadline for farmers and ranchers to apply to enroll in the Conservation Stewardship Program until Feb. 7. NRCS originally announced that applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2014 Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) sign up would be due by Jan. 17. The additional three weeks will provide interested farmers and ranchers an extra opportunity to submit their initial applications. Producers compete to get into the program, and successful applications are those that offer the highest conservation and environmental benefits.
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) helped develop CSP and has followed its progress closely. In conjunction with the USDA announcement, NSAC has issued an Information Alert on the 2014 CSP sign-up.
In addition to providing the timeline for the sign-up and enrollment process, the Information Alert includes basic sign-up information, describes changes made to the program for the 2014 sign-up, and ranks the conservation practices and enhancements being offered by their environmental benefits score.
CSP is an innovative working-lands conservation program that rewards farmers and ranchers for the conservation and environmental benefits they produce. CSP is administered by NRCS and available on a nationwide basis. CSP offers technical and financial assistance to farmers for adopting and maintaining high standards of resource conservation and environmental stewardship. Assistance is geared to both the active management of existing conservation systems and for implementing new conservation activities (called enhancements) on land in agricultural production.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Official Identification Required for Livestock at Exhibitions
The Minnesota Board of Animal Health reminds exhibitors of livestock that animals entering all classes of exhibition need to be officially identified. The Board is offering free official ear tags to help exhibitors meet the requirement.
The Board of Animal Health rules require official identification of all exhibition animals except for swine entering slaughter classes and waterfowl. Exhibitors are responsible for officially identifying their animals before bringing them to the fair. Additionally, anyone placing official ID in livestock must keep records. These rules provide better protection of animals and people at the fair by enabling the board to more quickly locate potentially affected animals during a disease event.
“Showing livestock at the fair is a great learning opportunity,” said Beth Thompson, senior veterinarian at the Board of Animal Health. “By keeping records and bringing your animal to the fair with official ID, you are doing your part to make this year’s exhibition season run smoothly.”
The board has coordinated efforts with the University of Minnesota Extension to provide free ear tags to 4-H exhibitors. Individuals showing animals through the 4-H program should contact their local extension office for more information.
Birds and poultry entering exhibition may be identified with a wing or leg band.
Exhibitors showing livestock in all other classes may obtain free official ID by calling the board at 651-296-2942 or ordering online at www.mn.gov/bah.
For a complete list of Board-approved official ID, visit www.mn.gov/bah.
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