News Update

May 23, 2017

Rural America Rises: The Angus Report

Gardiner Angus Ranch Recounts Wildfire
Up from the ashes of the March 6 wildfires come inspired stories of strength and hope.

Mark and Eva Gardiner, Gardiner Angus Ranch near Ashland, Kan., share what they’ve experienced and how rural neighbors, near and far, have contributed to recovery efforts.
Overcoming Tragedy at the Giles Ranch
The wildfires have left a painful mark on the land, the livestock and the families who care for them.

On the Giles Ranch in southwest Kansas, three sisters lost their homes and 60% of their family’s beef herd. After unthinkable loss, they’re grateful for each other and the incredible outpouring of support.
When Disaster Strikes, Ag Responds
If there are neighbors in need, rural America doesn’t wait.

Fires were still lingering as a convoy of donations and workers made their way to the burned regions in Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Texas. Hundreds of volunteers have provided invaluable support, and prayers, to inspire the rebuilding process.

Visit www.angus.org to watch the three-part series from The Angus Report.

— By Jena McRell, Angus Media.

Time for Prime

It’s easy to say Prime-grading beef is “just a happy accident” if you don’t produce it.

Cattlemen like Gerry Shinn of Jackson, Mo.; Berry Bortz of Preston, Kan.; or Troy Hadrick of Faulkton, S.D., wouldn’t call it that.

“I told people from the very start that we need Prime, Yield Grade (YG) 3s,” says Shinn, who commingles fed cattle to help small Missouri producers market load lots.

The very start was almost two decades ago through his family’s Performance Blenders feed service company, and just this year Shinn cited some loads reaching up to 65% Prime.

“It’s the Prime premium that is driving our ability to market cattle competitively 700 miles away,” he says, noting they’re sold on the U.S. Premium Beef (USPB) grid. “Our premium per head more than pays for transportation, the carcass data, us doing the records and putting any eID (electronic identification) tags in them — it more than covers all that on average.

Continue reading this Angus Media news article online.

— Adapted from an article by Miranda Reiman, Certified Angus Beef LLC.

Select Sires Names D.R. Monke Production Center

Select Sires has dedicated the European Union-qualified barns at their Plain City, Ohio facility as the D.R. Monke Production Center in honor of retiring vice president of production operations, Donald Roy Monke. Completed in 2010, these are bio-secure, environmentally friendly production facilities that house bulls qualified for semen shipment to any location in the world.

Monke will retire June 30 after a 40-year career at Select Sires. He was the first staff veterinarian in Select Sires history and eventually became vice president of production operations in 2003 where he coordinates the work of semen collection teams, progeny test bull herds, farming operations, maintenance, bull transport and the veterinarian department. Monke has been instrumental in coordinating and designing several construction and remodel projects.

Monke graduated from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 1977 and received a master’s of business administration degree from Franklin University in 2003. He served on the National Association of Animal Breeder’s (NAAB) Sire Health and Management Committee for many years and was chair of the Certified Semen Services board of directors for 10 years.

For more information, read the full news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Danielle Brown, Select Sires Inc.

A Case for Composting

Usually, farm and ranch kids learn early about the circle of life. When you’re raised around livestock, there can be many opportunities to witness births of animals and deaths. Kids learn that despite good husbandry practices, some newborn calves don’t survive, and cattle of all ages can and do die from the effects of disease and injury. They can be lost to blizzard, flood or lightning strike, and sometimes for reasons unknown. Kids that spend time in cow pens and pastures come to accept what Grandpa always said, “If you’ve got livestock, you’ll get dead stock.”

What do you do with the ones that die? In Grandpa’s day, animal remains may have been dragged over the hill to a spot designated as the “bone pile.” There, nature was allowed to take its course, usually with some participation by scavenging varmints or dogs. Other methods of disposal have included burial, burning or summoning the rendering truck to haul the remains away.

There is yet another method of dealing with livestock mortalities. An increasingly recommended alternative is composting.

Read the full Angus Media news article online.

— Adapted from an article by Troy Smith for Angus Media.

Kansas State University Researchers
Find New Pathogens in Soybean Seeds

A single seed seems so simple. Put it in the ground, give it some care, and you’ve soon grown food.

But Chris Little knows better. It’s why he’s spent the better part of the last six years learning more about the not-so-modest beginnings of soybean seeds in Kansas.

“Seeds have microorganisms that live on and within them,” said Little, an associate professor of plant pathology at Kansas State University. “Some of those seed-borne microorganisms are harmless and actually helpful to the seed, but pathogens also reside within the seeds.”

Since 2011, Little has been studying the biology of soybean seeds to find out what affects their ability to germinate and, thus, impact a farmer’s productivity. Pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria or other microorganisms, cause disease and thus rob farmers of greater crop yields.

“You can find a lot of different pathogens, a lot of different fungi, a lot of organisms that live in the seed and seedlings, but the question becomes are they actually pathogens” capable of causing disease, Little said.

Learn more in the K-State news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Pat Melgares, K-State Research and Extension.

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