News Update
May 26, 2015
The Cattlemen’s Black Book
For years, Angus producers from across the country have kept herd records using the pocket-sized Beef Record Services (BRS)/AngusSource® black books. Stacks of the books, some dating back more than 30 years, contain handwritten information about the producer’s cattle, memories of where their operations have been and where they are today.
Every detail counts when it comes to managing a profitable herd, and the American Angus Association® is now accepting orders for the 2016 edition of the black book.
The 2016 books are available in any quantity for $3 each and can be customized, free of charge, with purchases of 100 or more. Customized orders may include the operation’s logo and contact information foil stamped onto the back cover, while standard orders feature the Association’s logo.
Books will be shipped on or around Oct. 15, just in time to distribute to customers during the fall marketing and holiday seasons. To place orders, contact the AngusSource department at 816-383-5100 or email blackbooks@angus.org.
For more information on black books, please view the full release on the Association’s webpage.
Senate Passes TPA Legislation
On May 22, the full Senate passed Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation (S. 995) by a bi-partisan vote of 62 to 37. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Philip Ellis made the following statement upon passage.
“This vote by the Senate is a clear indication of the support that exists nationwide for future free trade agreements. The U.S. market is already one of the most open markets in the world, and to continue to grow demand for U.S. beef, we must continue to negotiate tariff elimination worldwide.”
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also released the following statement.
“Today the Senate helped move America closer to securing responsible agreements that open markets for America’s farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses and create jobs and improve wages across the country…Last year, agricultural exports totaled more than $150 billion and for many of our products, foreign markets represent half or more of total sales. Those exports supported approximately 1 million U.S. jobs last year.”
For more information, please view the full USDA release online.
It's Time to Cast Your Vote
For the last eight weeks, the beef checkoff hosted the “Rev it Up My ROI Checkoff Challenge” to give producers an opportunity to share stories about checkoff success. The Rev it Up finalists have submitted their videos, each one sharing one thing about how the checkoff has brought the most value to their operations.
Now it’s your turn to cast your vote on the My Beef Checkoff Facebook page from June 1 through midnight Sunday, June 7. The winner will drive away in a donated Yamaha Viking EPS 4x4 valued at nearly $22,000.
“During the contest, did you as producers ever come through, with great comments and real-world proof that beef producers are responsible stewards of land and livestock. You are truly dedicated to providing a safe and nutritious product,” says Brenda Black, cow-calf producer from Deepwater, Mo., and member of the checkoff’s Producer Communications Working Group. “You’ll want to take time to watch the finalist’s videos! It’s a great opportunity to learn more about your fellow cattlemen and women, something you may or may not have known about your checkoff, then share the good news with your friends and neighbors.”
Be sure to cast your vote by midnight Sunday, June 7. The winner will be announced June 8.
When May Hay Won’t Dry, Wrap it up to Make Baleage
“I’m seeing more baleage being made than ever before,” says Rob Kallenbach, University of Missouri (MU) Extension forage specialist.
May is the best month for making high-quality forage. Also, May is the wettest month of the year in most parts of Missouri. The answer is wrapping a high-moisture bale of hay in plastic. High-moisture hay with the oxygen excluded becomes silage. Baled-hay silage becomes baleage.
Hay can dry to that 50% level in a day. But it takes three or more days to get it down to 16% for making dry baled hay. High-moisture hay wrapped in plastic will ferment and make silage.
Kallenbach urges caution when making baleage. “Moisture in hay weighs a lot. Make your bales smaller so you can lift and move them.”
Also, the wrap must be tight and without puncture holes. A quarter-size hole causes a rotten spot the size of a basketball. Some balers wrap individual bales. Other machines wrap a long, continuous row of bales at the edge of the field. The plastic wrap is 1 millimeter or one-thousandth of an inch thick. The bale wrapper overlaps the plastic by 50% on four wraps. That gives a 4-millimeter thickness.
For more information, please view the full baleage release online.
Prescribed Burning Workshop Set for Aug. 6-8 Near Sonora
The Academy for Ranch Management is offering a basic prescribed burning workshop Aug. 6-8 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Sonora Station located on State Highway 55 between Sonora and Rocksprings.
The basic course is open to those wanting to learn about the benefits of prescribed burning and the basics of planning and carrying out a prescribed burn, said Ray Hinnant, a Texas A&M AgriLife Research senior research associate in College Station.
He also said this workshop would be a great follow up for those who attended the recent Rancher’s Roundup in Abilene. The workshop also constitutes the first half of Texas’ Prescribed Burn Board-approved course required for Certified and Insured Prescribed Burn Manager licenses by the Texas Department of Agriculture, Hinnant said.
This basic workshop provides information on the history and benefits of prescribed burning, weather, fuels and fuel moisture, and the equipment that is used on a burn, Hinnant said. Developing a burn plan and coordinating a burn also will be discussed.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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