News Update

May 25, 2016

Regional Adaptability

Anticipating how cattle will effectively adapt to a new region can be difficult. However, the University of Missouri recently received $2 million in funding from the USDA to perform a study that hopes to uncover genetic advantages pertaining to various environments.

This study will explore genomic differences and performance challenges of cattle adjusting to different climates and factors such as altitude, humidity, parasites, water availability and feed type and intake. With hopes to create regional expected progeny differences (EPDs), producers should be able to better understand how cattle will adapt to their new environment, which should help increase their bottom lines.

Likewise the Angus Foundation is funding research in the field of regional adaptability and fescue toxicosis, Visit www.angusfoundation.com to learn more.

For more information watch this week’s The Angus Report. You can also catch the show at 1:30 p.m. CST Saturday and 7:30 a.m. CST each Monday morning on RFD-TV.

— Adapted from The Angus Report.

Junior Angus Member Rallies to Feed Families in Need

Center of the Plate, a nonprofit, public charity, recently donated more than 1,200 pounds (lb.) of beef and pork to four families in need in Dripping Springs, Texas. Through combined efforts with their community, Dripping Springs FFA and 4-H members are driving Center of the Plate energies to provide essential meat protein to 22 family members.

“Our desire with this initiative is to have a deep impact on multiple families in our community,” said Grace Baxter, co-founder of Center of the Plate and National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) member. “Providing over 300 pounds to each family will result in meat on the table for at least four months.”

Five market hogs and one market steer were donated by FFA and 4-H members to the Center of the Plate for processing into beef and pork. The steer was an Angus-cross donated by Baxter from her own herd.

Read more of this story in the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.

— Adapted from an article by Center of the Plate.

Hay Bales are an Investment Worth Protecting

Hay season is ramping up and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agent Fred Hall, Tarrant County, wants to remind producers that bales are an investment worth protecting.

Hay quality is a key component to animal performance and proper hay storage is a key component to hay quality, Hall said. Hay loss can be expected, even under a barn, so mitigation and risk management are the keys to protecting as much of your investment as possible.

“They get a fantastic bale made, and, by not moving them off-field, they endanger the stand and lose quality forage for their livestock,” Hall said. “Storing bales properly can reduce losses and save producers money.”

Once bales have cured, they should be taken to a permanent storage area and stacked, he said. The cutting, baling and hauling represents much of the cost of baled hay. Depending on yield, a 1,500-pound (lb.) bale can cost up to $45 to cut, roll and transport.

— Adapted from an article by Adam Russell, Texas AgriLife Communications.

Purdue Survey Finds ‘Agritourists’
Have Environmental Concerns

While most agricultural tourists responding to a Purdue University survey indicated that agriculture is an important industry, those who said they had visited a livestock farm tended to have concerns about how animal feeding operations affect water quality in their county.

The results suggest that livestock producers who open their operations to “agritourists” will have a receptive audience, but should be prepared to potentially address questions about environmental concerns, said Nicole Olynk Widmar, associate professor of agricultural economics and co-author of the study “Exploring Agritourism Experience and Perceptions of Pork Production.”

The study was designed to measure the demographics and attitudes of people who have visited a working farm or food production facility and compare those to people who have not visited an agricultural production operation.

For more information, view the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.

— Adapted from an article by Keith Robinson, Purdue University.

Crop and Livestock Budget Spreadsheets Available

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economists have updated crop and livestock budgets for 2016 to help farmers and ranchers plan and calculate expense and profit estimates for the current year.

The budgets are available in spreadsheet format at http://bit.ly/1TZd7wA.

“The spreadsheets give producers the ability to produce individualized budgets for their operations,” said Jerry Cornforth, AgriLife Extension economist, College Station. “Producers enter information and the spreadsheet formulas calculate profit or loss from the data entered.”

On the website, producers can select the appropriate region of the state, then select 2016. The 2016 page will have a list of budgets for the various crops in the region, Cornforth said. Select the “Build Your Own Budget” link at the bottom of the page to download the spreadsheet budgets.

The crop and livestock budgets vary across the state by AgriLife Extension district, Cornforth said.

For more information, view the AgriLife news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Blair Fannin, Texas AgriLife Communications.

— Compiled by Paige Nelson, field editor, Angus Media.