News Update
March 5, 2014
Food Nutrition & Science Launches the Social Media Farmer of the Year Award
Food Nutrition & Science, a leading trade publication for the food industry, announced the launch of the first Social Media Farmer of the Year Award March 3.
The new award recognizes farmers who have incorporated social media, digital media and Internet strategies to achieve their business objectives including growing revenue, sharing information for more effective farming practices, and promoting positive awareness of the industry.
Nominations for the award are now being accepted. Farmers can nominate themselves or a colleague at www.foodnutritionscience.com/2014award/. The deadline for nominations is March 31, 2014. The winner will be presented with a trophy and other prizes at the FMI Connect show, the international conference for the food-retailing industry, in Chicago on June 11.
“Social media has provided farmers with a unique opportunity to communicate directly with other farmers, customers and consumers,” says Phil Lempert, editor of Food Nutrition & Science. “This award will honor their innovation and outstanding efforts that not only results in a greater person-to-person dialogue, but elevation of the industry as a whole.”
More farmers are turning to social media to help sell their products, but also speaking directly to end users about their farming practices and the origin of their food.
A panel of global business, media and food and farming industry leaders will evaluate all entries and the overall winner will be selected based on innovation and success in the use of social media for business purposes.
For more information, please view the full release here.
NFU Statement on President’s FY 2015 Budget
National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued a statement following the announcement of President Obama’s fiscal year 2015 budget:
“The president has submitted a forward-looking budget that builds on the agricultural economy’s successes while investing in innovative solutions to future challenges.
“The president’s proposed Climate Resilience Fund will provide farmers and ranchers with much-needed assistance after extreme weather events, which are occurring with increasing frequency. I hope Congress follows the president’s lead and takes action to comprehensively address global climate change in a way that engages and recognizes the valuable contributions the agricultural community can make to reducing our nation’s carbon footprint.
“The 2012 Census of Agriculture confirmed what farmers and ranchers have known for some time: The average age of farmers continues to rise and mid-sized farms are disappearing. The proposed budget wisely invests in lending for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers to help grow the next generation of agriculture.
“The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s workforce has suffered a 5% reduction in recent years after facing mandatory budget cuts due to sequestration and prolonged budget impasses. Given this reality, it will be difficult for farmers, ranchers and rural residents to expect the same level of local services they have enjoyed before. Secretary Vilsack and his team stretch resources as far as they can, but spending cuts have consequences.
“I look forward to continuing to work with Congress and the administration to ensure smart investments that support family farmers, ranchers and rural communities.”
For more information, please view the full release here.
Tools Available for Beef Producers
Record-high cattle prices early this year mean there’s that much more at stake for the 2014 breeding season, according to Kansas State University (K-State) beef reproduction specialist Sandy Johnson. She is reminding producers of tools available to help choose optimal breeding systems and implement them successfully.
“The AI Cowculator is available for handheld devices to compare the cost of artificial insemination to natural service,” said Johnson, who is based at the Northwest Area K-State Research-Extension Center in Colby. The tool was developed based on data generated at the University of Minnesota by then graduate student John Rodgers, working under Cliff Lamb. Rodgers now works in the industry and Lamb is with the University of Florida. More information about the AI Cowculator is available at the AI Cowculator Facebook page.
The AI Cowculator is built on data from a study of eight herds that compared fixed-time AI to natural service. The study showed the net advantage for use of timed AI was $49 per cow exposed to bulls, Johnson said. Producers input their own values pertaining to such factors as bull maintenance cost, bull purchase price, useful life, AI cost and percent calf crop to assess the economics in their own herd.
For those who artificially inseminate their cows, but have limited time and labor, synchronizing estrus is helpful, she said. An updated program called the Estrus Synchronization Planner, an online, downloadable Excel-based tool at K-State’s Research and Extension beef page, can help producers select and implement a synchronization protocol. A version for use on handheld devices (EstruSynch) has also been released recently.
For more information, please view the full release here.
AgriLife Extension Sets Weed and Brush Management Workshop for March 25 in Lampasas
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office in Lampasas County will conduct the Weed and Brush Management Workshop from 1-5 p.m. March 25 in the Lampasas County Farm Bureau building, 1793 North U.S. Hwy. 281 in Lampasas.
“Noxious weed and brush encroachment onto native and tame pastures creates a constant headache for land managers,” said Heath Lusty, AgriLife Extension agent in Lampasas County.
“Fortunately, there are some new products available on the market now that are effective in slowing this woody onslaught, and in some cases they are even less expensive than previously used herbicides. Also, labels on herbicide products are always changing, so we’ll have DuPont and Dow AgroScienes company representatives on hand to provide those updates and answer questions related to their products. So our goal with this program is to introduce the various options available for specific pests and then to wrap-up the program with a look at how the different products have worked on a test basis.”
Individual registration is $15. Lusty asks those planning to attend to preregister by March 21 by calling the AgriLife Extension office in Lampasas County at 512-556-8271. More workshop information can also be obtained at that number.
Three Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units, one laws and regulations, one general and one integrated pest management, will be available for those with a private applicators license.
The program topics to be presented by AgriLife Extension personnel and company representatives will include: Controlling Weeds with DuPont Products, David Stichler, DuPont representative from China Spring; Controlling Cedar, Mesquite and Prickly Pear, James Jackson AgriLife Extension range program specialist at Stephenville; Dow AgroSciences Product Updates, Haley Baumgardner, Dow AgroSciences representative at Leander, and Lampasas County Result Demonstration Reports, Lusty.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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