News Update
February 18, 2015
USFRA Announces Nine New Affiliates
The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance® (USFRA), a consumer-facing organization dedicated to leading the national conversation about how food is grown and raised, has grown to more than 80 organizations with the addition of nine new affiliates. The mission of USFRA is for all of agriculture to work together to enhance consumer confidence and trust in today’s food production system.
With the commitment of its affiliates and industry partners, USFRA is leading the way in bringing experts throughout the industry to the table for candid dialogue around some of the most contentious issues in agriculture. These conversations take place through several of USFRA’s most notable programs including The Food Dialogues and the Faces of Farming and Ranching, programs that amplify farmers’ and ranchers’ voices. The documentary film Farmland, produced by award-winning filmmaker James Moll, is also a unique and creative medium in which non-ag consumers are emotionally connected with real farmers and real ranchers.
Additionally, insights gleaned from USFRA’s proprietary consumer research helps guide the development of programs and outreach efforts and is a tool exclusively available for affiliate and industry partners.
USFRA is excited about welcoming the following new affiliates this past year:
- Dairy Business Milk Marketing Cooperative
- Delaware Soybean Board
- Illinois Corn Marketing Board
- International Dairy Foods Association
- Iowa Pork Producers Association
- Maryland Soybean Board
- Oregon Farm Bureau
- Wisconsin Corn Growers Association
- Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board
For a complete list of USFRA’s affiliates and industry partners, click here.
“USFRA is a successful collaborative effort by agricultural organizations to have transparent and honest conversations between the families who grow our food and the consumers who depend on them,” said Chris Novak, CEO of the National Corn Growers Association and chairman of the Chairpersons Advisory Council for USFRA. “As the growth of USFRA demonstrates, the industry understands this must be a unified effort.”
For more information, please view the full release here.
Storage Options for Hay Discussed at
Blackland Income Growth Conference
There are several management considerations regarding hay storage and reducing feed loss, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialist.
Stephen Hammack, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist emeritus, Stephenville, shared his perspective — as well as AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist Jason Banta’s research options — for producers to consider at the recent Blackland Income Growth Conference held in Waco.
First, consider how round-baled hay is harvested.
“There’s generally less loss when net [is] wrapped versus twine wrapped,” Hammack said. “The tighter they (the bales) are, the less the loss.”
Precipitation is also a big factor in loss, Hammack said.
“The far eastern part of Texas is going to have more than the west,” he said.
According to research conducted at Louisiana State University, there was 3% loss during a 280-day period when round bales were stored in a pole barn, 9% when stored under a tarp, and 15% loss when left outside with no protection.
“You want to minimize ground contact,” Hammack said. “You can use pallets, tires, a rock pad or store bales in a barn. You also want to store in a sunny location with a breeze. You don’t want to store in shade because the bales will take longer to dry out after a rain, leading to increased losses.”
“A good way to keep those bales off the ground is to use old telephone poles,” he said.
Hammack recommends not storing bales side by side, but rather end to end. A plastic tarp covering also helps protect the bales and it prevents water from penetrating the top of the bale.
There are several methods that can be used to eliminate feeding waste. Hammack said the best way is to restrict intake by using hay rings or rolling out the hay.
“You want to require the cattle to clean up the hay before feeding any more,” he said. “You can waste a lot of money on hay or save a lot of money with different storage and feeding methods.”
Hammack recommended producers visit http://beef.tamu.edu for more information on management practices for beef cattle operations.
Center for Food Integrity CEO to Discuss ‘Big Food’
Charlie Arnot, CEO of the Center for Food Integrity, will speak at Kansas State University (K-State) at 7 p.m. Monday, March 2, in Forum Hall at the K-State Student Union. Arnot will present, “Size Matters: Why We Love to Hate ‘Big Food.’ ” The presentation examines the relationship development and pattern of trust that consumers have with food and those who produce it.
The lecture is organized by the K-State student and alumni group, Food for Thought, and is free and open to the public.
The Center for Food Integrity (CFI) was established in 2007 to build consumer trust and confidence in today’s food system. It is a nonprofit organization whose members represent segments of the food chain, including farmers and ranchers, universities, food processors, restaurants, retailers and food companies. In his role as CEO, Arnot works with companies and associations across the food system to develop and implement sustainable solutions in issues management, public relations, strategic facilitation and marketing communications.
A bonus to this installment of the Upson Lecture Series is free bacon, which will be distributed to the first 200 attendees to arrive at Forum Hall. The event is co-sponsored by the Kansas Pork Association, which is providing the bacon samples.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
National Value-added Agriculture Conference
May 18-20 in Austin
The 17th National Value-added Agriculture Conference is scheduled for May 18-20 at the Austin Marriott South, 4415 South Interstate 35 in Austin, Texas.
The conference is hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the department of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University.
The theme of the conference is “The Future of the U.S. Food System: Providing Nutritious, Sustainable and Healthy Food for All Americans.”
“This conference is held every year in a different state in the United States to address food security, rural development and value-added agriculture,” said Trang Dang, postdoctoral research associate in agricultural economics at Texas A&M in College Station. “Approximately 150 participants will attend. This year, the conference is working toward the future of the U.S food systems, on the goal of providing enough nutritious, sustainable and healthy foods for the U.S consumers.”
Speakers at this year’s conference will include Neilson Conklin, president of the Farm Foundation, who will present their The Dialogue for Food and Agriculture in the 21st Century project; Carlos Rubinstein, chairman of Texas Water Management Board; Francisco Valentin, state director, USDA Rural Development; Judith Canales, USDA Farm Service Agency Texas state executive director; and many other economists, researchers, farmers, producers and policy makers.
Dang said conference participants will also have opportunities to visit U.S Foods’ Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified facility in Buda and the Whole Foods flagship store in Austin, and tour two urban farms in Austin: Agua Dulce Farm and Springdale farm.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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