News Update
August 22, 2017
Angus Juniors Navigate North Carolina
National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) members traveled to Raleigh for the Leaders Engaged in Angus Development (LEAD) conference to develop as leaders and experience agriculture in different parts of the United States. Juniors from 27 states and Canada attended this year’s conference Aug. 3-6 to partake in the annual event sponsored by the Angus Foundation.
“There are very few conferences in America that could even compete with the LEAD conference’s ability to network,” says National Junior Angus Board (NJAB) leadership director, Tim Mardesen.
The LEAD conference is hosted for youth ages 14-21, and this year’s theme was “Navigating North Carolina.” While in North Carolina, participants spent two days focused on agriculture, visiting Eastern North Carolina Crawfish Farm; the Tobacco Life Museum; a sweet potato and tobacco farm, Scott Farms; an Angus operation, Wood Angus; and Caterpillar Inc.
Eastern North Carolina Crawfish farm is an industry-leading crawfish operation using deep-water ponds, which allows for increased production. NJAA members were able to see firsthand how crawfish are raised on a commercial scale.
Continue reading this Angus news release online.
Perdue Announces Tony Tooke as New Forest Service Chief
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced Aug. 21 Tony Tooke will serve as the new Chief of the U.S. Forest Service. Tooke has worked for the Forest Service since age 18 and currently is the regional forester for the southern region.
“The Forest Service will be in good hands with the U.S. Forest Service’s own Tony Tooke whose knowledge of forestry is unmatched,” said Perdue in an official statement. “Tony has been preparing for this role for his whole professional life, and at a time when we face active and growing fires, his transition into leadership will be seamless.
“He will oversee efforts to get our forests working again, to make them more productive and to create more jobs. His focus will be on ensuring we are good neighbors and are managing our forests effectively, efficiently and responsibly, as well as working with states and local governments to ensure the utmost collaboration,” he continued. “No doubt, the stewardship of our forests is an awesome and sacred responsibility, and no one knows that better than Tony, who has dedicated his career to this noble cause.”
For more information, read the full USDA news release online.
Perdue Details Response to Recent Wildfires
Perdue Aug. 21 outlined the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) assets and responses to a recent outbreak of extreme wildfires over large parts of the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies. The fires, affecting forests and grasslands, are burning across Western Montana, Idaho, Northern California, Oregon and Washington.
“Our courageous USFS firefighters do an outstanding job and are able to catch 98% of all fires before they become large fires,” Perdue said. “To help them, we will make sure firefighters have all the necessary tools at their disposal in order to save lives, property and our forests. We will also work hand-in-hand with our federal partners, particularly the Department of Interior, during this aggressive fire season.”
Many different types of equipment and firefighting resources are available to fire managers. As of Aug. 21, 2017, the resources available for wildland fire suppression included:
- 18,300 total personnel, across all jurisdictions, assigned to fires.
- 412 crews, 833 engines and 146 helicopters across all jurisdictions assigned to fires nationally.
- 27 air tankers assigned to fires nationally.
Learn more in the full USDA news release online.
Farmers are Using Additional Methods to Access the Internet
In 2017, USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) added two additional methods that farmers could select for accessing the Internet. Fiber-optic and mobile Internet service for a cell phone or other device are the two access methods added to the Farm Computer Usage and Ownership report. Fiber-optic was used by 8% of the farms, and mobile Internet service was used by 17%.
However, DSL (digital subscriber line) connection continues to be the most common method of accessing the Internet, with 29% of the farms in the United States using it, down from 30% in 2015. A satellite connection, at 21%, remained steady from 2015. Other reported methods of accessing the Internet include cable modem service, dialup service, and other or don’t know. Cable modem service is at 15%, up three percentage points from 2015. Dialup service is at 2%, down one percentage point from 2015. Other or unknown is at 8%, up three percentage points from 2015.
Nationally, 73% of farms have computer access. Of those farmers having computer access, 72%, up 1% from 2015, own or lease a computer.
Read the full USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service report online.
Land Stewardship Conference Offered
for Women Oct. 2-3 in Fredericksburg
Poultry, birding, wildlife — all offer potential revenue if the land is taken care of first. An upcoming two-day conference will help women in the Edwards Plateau region determine the best management practices to make that happen.
“Women — Takin’ On the Stewardship Challenge,” hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, will take place Oct. 2-3 at the Inn on Barons Creek in Fredericksburg.
The conference, funded by the Ruth and Eskel Bennett Trust, is an effort to reach women landowners who want to learn more about stewardship of the land they are in charge of, said Larry Redmon, AgriLife Extension program leader and associate head, Texas A&M University soil and crop science department in College Station.
“Whether they are new to a ranch or longtime caretakers, land stewardship does not always rise to the top of priorities,” Redmon said. “We want to help these ladies understand that moving it up on the priority list will help across the board in managing their property.”
Cost of the two-day conference is $75 and includes the opening breakfast as well as all other meals, break refreshments and tour
For more information, visit the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events.
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