News Update
March 18, 2014
Panel on Surface-water
Rights Scheduled During
Cattle Raisers Convention
A panel discussion on surface water rights will take place Saturday, April 5, as part of the 137th Annual Cattle Raisers Convention. The panel is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in downtown San Antonio.
Bryan Shaw, chairman, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and Jim Bradbury, one of the state’s leading attorneys on water and environmental law, will serve as panelists. Jim Malewitz, energy reporter for the Texas Tribune, will moderate.
“Texas has faced a record drought now for several years, which has created a severe lack of surface water in the state,” said Pete Bonds, rancher and Texas and Southwest Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) president. “And while we’re short on water, the demand for surface water continues to grow.”
“How exactly this will affect landowners’ surface-water rights and what we should be concerned about for the future of surface water will be some of the questions answered during this in-depth discussion,” Bonds continued.
The 137th Cattle Raisers Convention is April 4-6. Highlights of the convention include the Cattle Raisers Expo, the School for Successful Ranching, and educational sessions focused on a number of issues critical to the Texas cattle industry. For more information visit www.tscra.org/convention.
Midwest Soil Still Has Not Recovered After Two-year
Drought Despite Heavy Snowfall, MU Researcher Says
A University of Missouri (MU) researcher says that soil in the Midwest has not recovered from the recent two-year drought despite significant precipitation this winter. Randall Miles, an associate professor of soil science at the MU School of Natural Resources, says the inadequate soil is hurting farmers.
“The soil in Missouri is still dry about four to five feet down where crop roots live,” Miles said. “This is an improvement from a year ago when two years of drought left many prime growing areas bone dry down to almost six feet. However, without enough moisture and nutrients, crops will produce poor yields resulting in a loss for farmers.”
In order for soil to be suitable for crops, the soil moisture must “recharge.” This is a process where water from rain and snow moves downward from the surface and fills in the space found in soil. A soil moisture recharge normally comes from snowmelt and rainfall in winter and early spring.
“Much of the moisture this winter was slightly below normal with enough running into the streams and rivers and little soaking into the earth,” Miles said. “Missouri needed a long-term drizzly type of rain or snow to replenish the soil for it to have enough residual moisture available for use at planting and harvest, but most of the precipitation this winter came in heavy doses.”
Miles says even with heavy amounts of snow and rainfall, moisture near the surface can evaporate with just a few days of high winds, higher-than-normal temperatures, low relative humidity or a combination of the three. This prevents moisture from having a chance to move deep into the soil where it is needed.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Alltech’s 30th Symposium Asks ‘What If’
We Held the Keys to Our Own Health?
What if we could detect major diseases in the womb to prevent further progression? In the future, could a healthy lifestyle be all the doctor orders for disease prevention? What if Alzheimer’s disease and adult-onset diabetes were just different arms of the same disease? These and other life-changing questions will be posed at Alltech’s Life Sciences session at “What If,” the 30th Annual Alltech International Symposium in downtown Lexington, Ky., from May 18-21.
“Many of the world’s deadliest diseases could be detected in time to prevent a patient from suffering any pain, to reduce our dependency on the emergency room and, in turn, remove a lot of distress in healthcare systems around the world,” said Ronan Power, vice president of Alltech Life Sciences.
With a new format in 2014, the popular annual event will explore the question of “What If” in sessions focusing on crop science, life sciences, Africa, business and technology, modern farming, and the algae opportunity.
Some of today’s hottest topics in healthcare, such as finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and controlling the health of an unborn child will be discussed during the life sciences session chaired by Karl Dawson, vice president and chief scientific officer of research at Alltech.
Registration for Alltech’s 30th Annual International Symposium is open now and available for an early discount price of $599 until April 10. Standard registration after April 10 will be $850. Two paid registrations from a single company or organization will receive a third registration free of charge. Delegates who are members of American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists (ARPAS) and American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) can also earn continuing education unites.
Attendees are encouraged to register early as space is limited. Of the nearly 3,000 international delegates who attended the 2013 Alltech International Symposium, 96% indicated that they plan to attend again.
For more information, please view the event page here.
Upper Gulf Coast Ranch Expo to Feature
Livestock Management, Ranch Bus Tours
The second annual Upper Gulf Coast Ranch Expo scheduled May 13 in Simonton, Texas, will feature several management topics pertaining to beef cattle production, including livestock lease agreements, and a variety of bus tours.
The event, to be hosted at Twinwood Cattle Co., 4430 Guyler Road, will feature bus tours with several Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialists discussing beef cattle production, forage production and management, weed control and pecan production.
“We are anticipating a large turnout since this is a regional event,” said Greg Kaase, AgriLife Extension program specialist-risk management, College Station. “Cattle prices continue their record run and many producers are wanting to learn how to capitalize on these high returns. Many of the topics will provide key information they can take home and apply to their own operations.”
Cost is $10 by May 6 or $20 for on-site registration. Registration and sponsored booth exhibits open at 7 a.m.
Pete Gibbs, AgriLife Extension associate director from College Station, will provide opening comments. Fort Bend County Judge Robert Herbert will also provide opening remarks. At 8:45 a.m., Levi Russell, AgriLife Extension economist, Corpus Christi, will discuss Use of Debt to Finance Herd Expansion.
Following a break at 9:15 a.m., participants will board buses for tour stops featuring Joe Paschal, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist, Corpus Christi, discussing beef cattle management/water quality; Larry Redmon, AgriLife Extension state forage specialist, College Station, discussing forage production and management; Paul Baumann, AgriLife Extension state weed specialist, College Station, weed identification and control; and Monte Nesbitt, AgriLife Extension horticulturalist, College Station, discussing pecan production.
Following a noon meal, Tiffany Dowell, AgriLife Extension economist and agricultural law specialist, College Station, will discuss livestock lease agreements/contracts. Nesbit will follow with a presentation on alternative horticultural ideas, which will include olives, pomegranates and citrus. A pesticide training laws and regulations session will be given by Melissa Barton with the Texas Department of Agriculture.
The expo will adjourn at 3:30 p.m. For more information about the event, call 281-342-3034.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Editor’s Note: The articles used within this site represent a mixture of copyrights. If you would like to reprint or repost an article, you must first request permission of Angus Productions Inc. (API) by contacting the editor at 816-383-5200; 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506. API claims copyright to this web site as presented. We welcome educational venues and cattlemen to link to this site as a service to their audience.