News Update
March 7, 2014
Join the NJAS Media Team
National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) members who are interested in journalism, communications and marketing are encouraged to apply for Media Crew, a new opportunity that covers news and events surrounding the National Junior Angus Show (NJAS). Applications are now available online and are due April 1.
Media Crew is offered by the NJAA and funded by the Angus Foundation, similar to The Scoop offered previously, and is available to NJAA members who have completed the ninth grade. The experience will combine The Scoop — an established youth-led publication — and The Angus Agenda newsletter distributed daily during the NJAS. Youth may also choose to help update the NJAA social media websites as a selected Media Crew member.
“We hope Media Crew will modernize communications for NJAA members who are interested in this career field,” says Jaclyn Upperman, American Angus Association director of junior activities. “Public relations is a growing field in the agricultural industry, and we wanted to give youth the opportunity to explore this area.”
Many assignments will be completed prior to the event, giving participants time to conduct interviews and work through edits with Association advisors. While at the NJAS, Media Crew will meet daily with group members, job shadow the Angus communications team and see their work printed in The Angus Agenda.
“Media Crew represents a unique opportunity for junior members outside of the showring,” says Bryce Schumann, Association CEO. “This is sure to be a rewarding experience for anyone who participates.”
For more information, please view the full release here.
AgriLife Extension Unveils New Feral Hog Management App
For many farmers and ranchers, it may seem as though feral hogs are well on their way to taking over the country. Now at least, the new app, Feral Hog Management, developed by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, is here to help landowners learn the legal strategies available to impede this apparently unending flow of unwanted porcine invaders.
“Feral hogs are fast becoming the No. 1 single most destructive invasive species threatening agriculture and wildlife in the U.S.,” said Mark Tyson, AgriLife Extension wildlife and fisheries associate at College Station. “They contribute to poor water quality issues, disturb native ecosystems, and wreak havoc on landscapes and gardens. Their growing numbers are now making them a menace on our roadways, with collision damage often exceeding several thousands of dollars per incident.
“Even as they become ‘Public Enemy No. 1,’ their population relentlessly continues to explode. In Texas alone, their numbers are now estimated at a conservative 2.6 million head, with $52 million in damages chalked-up to them annually. With an estimated 134 million acres of suitable habitat in Texas for feral hogs, their skyrocketing numbers are ripe for some major expansion.”
For 99¢, Tyson said the AgriLife Extension app, available at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/
feral-hog-management/id784847089?mt=8, provides landowners with the key to a wealth of the very best information now available on various control measures.
“This app, which is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, gathers years of science-based information and field experience from a host of sources into a single easy-to-use format right at your fingertips,” Tyson said. “The app provides valuable features, notably control methods like snare-building and strategic shooting, as well as bait recipes and trap design. The visuals are outstanding, with the vivid photographs providing users with the detailed examples many of us need to help us further understand the management practices outlined.”
For more information, please view the full release here.
Invasive Species Conference Buzzing in Oklahoma
We have all had unwanted and even uninvited guests overstay their welcome in our homes. That anxious feeling of wanting those people to leave without knowing how to ask is all too familiar.
It is a similar feeling that many property owners in Oklahoma are experiencing with invasive species of insects, plants and animals. The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service is hosting the Oklahoma Invasive Species Conference March 25 to discuss this issue.
“The mission of this conference is to educate the people of Oklahoma about invasive species that threaten the economic and ecological health of our state,” said Karen Hickman, natural resource ecology and management professor at Oklahoma State University. “A study from about 10 years ago found the U.S. is spending about $138 billion annually in lost production and cost for control.”
The event will be hosted at the Wyndham Garden Hotel, 2101 S. Meridian Ave., in Oklahoma City from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The $35 early registration (before March 10) includes continental breakfast, refreshments and lunch. Registration after March 10 is $50.
The conference offers sessions on the biology and management of non-native insect pests, the plant protection and quarantine approach; invasive aquatics in Oklahoma; an introduction to the bagrada bug, a cole crop pest from Africa; and the status of kudzu in Oklahoma.
“Kudzu is a threat to our forested areas, as well as our roadsides and tourist areas,” Hickman said. “It grows rapidly (up to 18 in. per day) and can very readily take over trees.”
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Combustible Dust Prevention Workshops Planned
for Mid America Farm Show in Salina, Kan.
As on-farm grain storage increases, and the size of bins and silos expands, it is even more important for everyone to understand the risks and causes of grain-dust explosions. Anyone who handles grain, from family farms to county elevators to export facilities, should be informed on how to prevent grain-dust explosions.
Kansas State University (K-State) will offer its popular Combustible Dust Workshop at the Mid America Farm Show in Salina, Kan., Thurs., March 27 from 1 to 5 p.m.
“Grain dust does not discriminate between on-farm grain storage and commercial storage — all grain dust has the potential to create an explosion,” said program coordinator and K-State assistant grain science professor Kingsly Ambrose.
The workshop will create awareness regarding grain dust explosion hazards among workers and supervisors, Ambrose said. The workshops, along with handouts and lecture materials, are offered free of charge to participants.
The initiative is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor — Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Grain-dust explosions are caused by five factors: powder-fine grain dust, confinement of dust in an enclosed space, dust dispersion, an ignition source and oxygen. Reducing combustible dust, keeping it out of the air and controlling ignition sources can significantly reduce the number and extent of grain-dust explosions, Ambrose said.
Online registration for the workshops is available at International Grains Program (scroll down on the right side). More information is also available by contacting Ambrose at graindust@k-state.edu or 785-532-4091.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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