News Update
April 15, 2015
Spell Out Grazing Leases in a Written Agreement
“Grazing leases, really are good protection for both parties. The reason is it just sets out the rights and makes them very clear,” says TexasAgriLife Ag Law Specialist Tiffany Dowell Lashmet.
For many in agriculture, land is their number one asset. A clearly defined lease can protect their land for generations to come. Overall, it’s a layer of protection for both parties in case there’s ever a dispute.
Lashmet states that a written lease doesn’t have to be one sided. Both parties can sit down together and create a written agreement that puts their responsibilities and rights in writing.
Learn more about written leases on this week’s The Angus Report.
USDA Expands Beef and Pork Trade with Mexico and Peru
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced April 10 that the USDA has recently reached agreements allowing U.S. beef and pork producers greater access to consumers in Mexico and Peru. The two agreements announced Friday will allow U.S. producers to export slaughter cattle to Mexico and expand access to consumer markets in Peru for U.S. fresh and chilled pork. Vilsack made the announcements during a meeting with producers in Des Moines, Iowa.
“Our priority at USDA is not only to open or reopen markets for our producers but to help drive U.S. economic growth through trade by supporting and creating American jobs on and off the farm,” said Vilsack. “Mexico is an important market for U.S. cattle producers, with the potential to import $15 million of live U.S. cattle per year and we expect Peru’s market could generate $5 million annually in additional pork sales.”
The United States and Mexico reached an agreement that takes effect immediately and will allow U.S. producers to export slaughter cattle to Mexico for the first time in more than a decade. The USDA has been working with Mexico since 2008 to reopen this market and the final agreement was reached between USDA Under Secretary Ed Avalos and Enrique Sanchez-Cruz with SAGARPA during meetings last week in Washington, D.C. Exporters and producers can find the required documents on the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) website or through their local Veterinary Services office.
For more information, please view the full release.
NFU Disappointed by Cuts to Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency
NFU President Roger Johnson said April 14, that he was disappointed in the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Water spending subcommittee’s reduction of funds for renewable energy and energy efficiency from last year.
“Renewable energy and energy efficiency are key to building climate resilience, and many of our rural communities experience much-needed reinvestment from renewable energy development,” Johnson said. “Congress should increase, not cut, funds for renewable energy.”
Johnson noted that America’s family farmers and ranchers are already impacted by increased weather volatility related to the changing climate, including fewer workable days, increased potential for soil erosion, and increased crop insurance claims, and without support for renewables, they may have to brace for additional negative consequences.
“Other consequences, including fluctuating access to water resources and increased pest and weed pressure, will impact our efforts to produce sufficient food, fuel and fiber,” Johnson noted. “Renewable energy will also, in the long term, offer protection against volatile rates and contribute to our nation’s energy independence.”
Identifying and Preventing Neosporosis in the Cow Herd
An often-overlooked reason for late-term abortions in gestating beef cows and heifers is neosporosis, which is difficult to prevent. Gregg Hanzlicek, director of production animal field investigations for the Kansas State University (K-State) Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, said the laboratory has confirmed a handful of cases this spring calving season in Kansas.
Neosporosis, Hanzlicek said, is caused by neospora caninum, a coccidian parasite carried by dogs — wild and domestic. It was first discovered in the United States in 1988, but tests on stored older tissues have confirmed the organism’s presence since at least the 1950s.
“We talk a lot about it on the dairy side, but this organism is also present in beef cow-calf operations,” Hanzlicek said.
Dogs, coyotes, gray wolves and dingoes are the definitive hosts of neospora, and they become infected by eating bovine contaminated tissues such as muscle, placenta and aborted fetuses, Hanzlicek explained.
“(Neospora) goes into the intestine of these canines, undergoes some changes and then is shed in the feces,” he said. “It goes through another life cycle on the ground. The cow ingests the contaminated feces or ingests water or feed that contains the contaminated feces. It then moves to multiple tissues in the bovine: for example, muscles, brain and neurologic tissues, and the liver.”
Hanzlicek said neospora does not transmit from bovine to bovine, just canine to bovine and back to canine. The main effect of a neospora infection is an abortion, which typically happens after three months of gestation. The most common time for abortion to occur is during the fifth or sixth month.
“Research shows (neospora) has no effect on pregnancies less than 90 days,” Hanzlicek said. “For a newly infected herd, a lot of times we’ll see an epidemic, an abortion storm.”
For more information, please view the full release.
As Fair Season Approaches, New ‘Learn About Livestock’ Banners a Timely Option
The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture’s newest product, “Learn About Livestock” barn banners, was developed for use at fairs and livestock shows. The banners feature key information about major livestock species related to production, lifecycle, the environment, how farmers care for animals and safety.
Banners featuring information about dairy cattle, beef cattle, goats, sheep, pigs and poultry are available and are a great way to add an ag literacy component to a fair or livestock show.
In response to an overwhelming number of requests for safety-related resources at last year’s International Association of Fairs and Expositions Conference, the banners provide “Wash-Talk-Walk” safety recommendations: wash your hands before and after handling animals; toss food or drink before entering an animal area; and walk calmly and keep a safe distance from animals.
For more information, please view the full release.
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.