News Update
January 17, 2014
Fire Danger on the Rise
It is fire season in Oklahoma. About this time every year, Oklahomans watch thousands upon thousands of acres of land burn up in wildfires.
A weather pattern change that began earlier this month and is expected to persist for several more weeks is leading to increased fire danger across Oklahoma, said J.D. Carlson, fire meteorologist in the department of biosystems and agricultural engineering at Oklahoma State University (OSU), and program manager of OK-FIRE (http://okfire.mesonet.org).
“Many locations in the state have higher fuel loads due to the wetter conditions during the spring and summer of last year,” he said “This year’s wildfire season stands in contrast to the winter wildfire seasons of 2012 and 2013, where the intense heat and drought of 2011 and 2012 severely limited vegetative growth.”
According to Carlson, Oklahoma has entered an extended period where the jet stream is coming in from the northwest, leading to periodic cold fronts coming through the state. With such a pattern, moisture from the Gulf of Mexico is cut off and the windy conditions ahead and behind such fronts, coupled with the low relative humidity in these dry air masses, cause fire danger to peak.
Aside from the amount and dryness of native fuels, Carlson said low relative humidity is the No. 1 factor in fire danger, followed by wind speed. Thus, the period we are now in is a dangerous one, especially given the higher fuel loads of this year over much of the state.
For more information, please view the full release here.
News & Notes From the 2014 National Western Stock Show
Associate editor Kasey Brown sends us these updates from the National Western Stock Show in Denver via http://www.Facebook.com/AngusJournal:
- Thursday: Junior Angus heifer show: Congratulations to Sydney Schnoor for winning grand champion heifer with EXAR Envious Blackbird 2611 and Lydia Draper with Nelson’s Blackbird 2118 with reserve.
- Wednesday: Congratulations to Herdsman of the Year Garrett Lampe!
- Wednesday: A great afternoon and evening for the Angus Foundation! The Foundation Heifer sold for $120,000 to Herbster Angus Farms earlier today. Many special packages and lots are selling now at the beautiful Spruce Mountain Ranch.
- Wednesday: Super ROV bull show. Congratulations to Double Diamond Angus and Dameron Angus Farms for winning grand champion bull, DDA Dameron Northern Light! Reserve grand bull was BSF Opportunist Z5 by Broken Arrow Angus Ranch, Hoffman Ranch and Jake Bloomberg.
- Wednesday: January 15th the Board of Directors of Angus Productions Inc. approved unanimously that Angus Journal would join DV Auctions to provide an Online Auction site for Angus Producers. The new site will be Angusauctions.com
- Tuesday: Kasey and Troy are covering the International Livestock Congress in Denver. It is focusing on the cattle industry at a crossroads: How do we adapt to change?
For show results online, visit http://www.angus.org/showresults/denver/2014/index.html. For additional highlights, visit the Facebook pages for the Angus Journal, American Angus Association, National Junior Angus Association and Angus Foundation.
Blackland Income Growth Conference
to Feature Grain Session Feb. 4
New technologies in corn and grain sorghum, plus an overview of farm legislation and marketing options, will be featured during the grain session Feb. 4 at the Blackland Income Growth Conference at the Extraco Events Center in Waco.
The center is located at 4601 Bosque Blvd. The annual conference, which includes multiple sessions over two days and concludes Feb. 5 at 3:30 p.m., is sponsored by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Waco Chamber of Commerce. The grain session is from 9 a.m.-11:45 a.m.
“The Blackland Income Growth Conference has a long history of providing the latest research information and production management practices for farmers and ranchers throughout the region,” said Ronald Woolley, conference coordinator and AgriLife Extension regional program director at Stephenville. “This year’s conference has several experts in each commodity session. We think we have something for everyone, and producers will take home plenty of strategies they can incorporate into their operations.”
Registration for the main Blackland Income Growth Conference on Feb. 4 is $20 per person and includes lunch. Registration for Feb. 5 programs may vary depending on program choices. Several sessions throughout the conference will award continuing education units. Producers are encouraged to download the brochure at http://bit.ly/17IGNEB to see specific continuing education credit allocations, sessions and speakers.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
‘Women Managing the Farm Conference’
Planned for Feb. 13-14 in Manhattan
Women have always been an integral part of American agriculture, but never more than today. The “Women Managing the Farm Conference,” Feb. 13-14 in Manhattan, Kan., will provide educational and networking opportunities for women involved in key facets of the industry.
The conference, with the theme this year, “The Heart of Agriculture,” begins with registration at 8 a.m. Feb. 13, and adjourns at 2 p.m. Feb. 14. All activities will be at Manhattan’s Hilton Garden Inn.
“The conference being on Valentine’s Day lends an immediate connection to women’s hearts,” said Janet Barrows, vice-president of marketing and communications with Frontier Farm Credit, and Women Managing the Farm Conference chair. “Women really are the heart of agriculture. They are at the heart of business matters and often keep families connected. They are often in agriculture either because they love agriculture or love someone who is involved in a farm or ranch.”
The event’s Thursday luncheon speaker will be Gregg Hadley, Kansas State University assistant director of agriculture, natural resources and community development.
Hadley, who is also the conference co-chair, said the event will aid women in meeting challenges and capturing opportunities. He cited a backdrop of an ever-increasing world population, decreasing arable land, shrinking freshwater reserves, a rural exodus and many other complex issues facing rural families as they prepare to pass on their agricultural tradition to a new generation.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
K-State Animal Sciences Leadership Academy
Planned for June 11-14
The K-State Animal Sciences Leadership Academy is planned for June 11-14 on the K-State Manhattan campus.
The sixth annual academy will spotlight 20 high school students from across the state who wish to learn more about leadership and production in the animal science industry. During the first part of the event, students will receive interactive leadership training and tour facilities in K-State’s Department of Animal Sciences and Industry.
The second portion of the program will allow students the opportunity to tour businesses and organizations within Kansas’ diverse livestock industry. Participants will stay in campus housing, chaperoned by the event coordinator and three K-State students.
Any high school student is eligible to apply. Selection will be based on educational, community, and agricultural involvement through an application process. Applications are available on the K-State Youth Livestock Program website, www.YouthLivestock.KSU.edu and are due via email to clowers@ksu.edu by March 15.
The academy is sponsored by the Livestock and Meat Industry Council, which provides all funding except a $50 fee required of all selected participants.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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