News Update
November 2, 2017
Cut Costs with Stockpiled Forages
Stockpiled forages and winter annuals can reduce the need for and cost of hay and other supplemental feed for beef cattle producers in regions with adequate annual rainfall, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert.
Jason Banta, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist in Overton, said producers can reduce the need for hay and supplements by providing stockpiled forage mid-November through December and winter annuals October through May.
“If they choose these options, we want them to know how to best utilize them,” Banta said.
For stockpiled Bermuda grass and Bahia grass, producers should bale the field for hay or graze the pasture down to 3-6 inches tall in the first part of September each year. Then fertilize and allow growth until the first frost, which is typically by mid-November in East Texas, Banta said. After the frost, the forage can be utilized until the first part of January.
“Utilizing stockpiled forage helps us avoid feeding hay for four to six weeks potentially,” he said.
Banta said producers should strip-graze the pasture by using electric fencing to restrict cows’ access to the forage if possible.
Read more of this Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
USDA Invests $2.5 Billion in Rural Electric Infrastructure
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced Nov. 2 that USDA is investing $2.5 billion in rural electric infrastructure improvements to help create jobs and support economic development in 27 states.
“These significant investments will help develop and maintain modern, reliable electric infrastructure that businesses and rural communities need in a 21st Century economy,” Perdue said. “The loans I am announcing today will help utilities and cooperatives build new transmission and distribution lines, upgrade networks and facilities, and better manage the power grid.”
The funding will support infrastructure improvements in Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. The loans are being provided through USDA Rural Development’s Electric Program, which is the successor to the Rural Electrification Administration.
“We are extremely pleased that USDA is making such a major investment in rural development and infrastructure through new loans to America’s electric cooperatives,” said Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
For more information, read the USDA news release online.
2018 ‘On The Farm’ Educational Events Announced
The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has announced three On The Farm professional development events for educators in 2018. The events are designed for those who work in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and health education and have a limited background in agriculture. Applications are now open at http://www.agfoundation.org/on-the-farm.
“If you work as a STEM coordinator, health educator, instructional coach at a school district or teacher educator, this may be a great fit for you,” said Christy Lilja, acting executive director of the Foundation. “On The Farm educational events provide a tremendous learning opportunity for non-formal educators as well, such as those who design learning experiences at museums and events that explore the application of STEM and health concepts in real life,” she added.
The training was designed to bring science to life for participants with the help of American beef cattle ranchers, researchers, nutritionists and veterinarians. Two events will be hosted in 2018 for STEM education influencers and one event will be hosted specifically for health educators.
Selected participants will receive free registration, reimbursement of up to $750 for approved travel expenses and hotel accommodations for three nights and meals, in addition to educational supplies and resources.
View the Farm Bureau news release online for more information.
House Passage of Resilient Federal Forests Act
Perdue Nov. 2 applauded the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017 (H.R. 2936) as an important step toward better management of national forests. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Bruce Westerman (AR-04), seeks to implement proactive management standards for forests and paves the way for a solution to the problem of U.S. Forest Service funding. In this record wildfire season, Perdue has repeatedly called for a fix to the “fire borrowing” problem, which siphons off forest management dollars to pay for firefighting. This year, the Forest Service has spent in excess of $2.5 billion fighting wildfires.
Perdue said: “Proper, proactive management of our national forests is essential so that we may preserve them as functional, productive forests that support the environment, economic development and tourism. At the same time, we must care for our forests in a manner which mitigates the severity of the inevitable wildfires. To that point, this legislation helps facilitate the conversation about Forest Service funding, which continues to be a problem as we face escalating costs in battling wildfires.”
Learn more in the USDA news release online.
Burned but Not Lost
Short-grass native prairie to Old World bluestem-seeded pastures, grazed and ungrazed pastures, herbicide-treated to untreated pastures — a traveling caravan made its way across the Panhandle five months after a March 6 wildfire to see how the burned land was healing.
Tim Steffens, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service range management specialist in Canyon, traveled with the producers to discuss pastures in Roberts and Lipscomb counties.
“A wildfire is never a good thing, but we had good subsoil moisture and good followup moisture afterward, and the fire was moving swiftly, so it didn’t just cook plants, so recovery should be relatively quick,” Steffens said. “That’s what we want to look at: How is this land recovering?”
Plant responses and water are primary considerations, he said.
“It’s all about the water in this part of the country,” Steffens said. “We can’t do anything about how much water falls, but we can do something about how much water gets in the ground, how long it stays there, or whether it evaporates or goes through a plant first.”
Continue reading this Angus Journal article online.
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