News Update
March 26, 2018
American Angus Association Representatives to Speak May 11
Cattlemen are invited to attend an educational program featuring two representatives from the American Angus Association and one from the University of Georgia May 11 at Lemmon Cattle Enterprises, Woodbury, Ga.
Dan Moser, president of Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI) and director of performance programs for the Association, will share insights on the Angus genetic evaluation, genomics and dollar value indexes ($Values). He will explain how Angus breeders and their commercial customers can use the information to make better selection and mating decisions. Moser also will provide an update on Association commercial programs, including GeneMax® and the new Angus Link™ feeder-calf program.
Milford Jenkins, president of the Angus Foundation, will provide an overview of Angus Foundation activities and share how the Foundation impacts education, youth and research to advance the Angus breed. Jenkins will reveal goals and objectives of the recently announced Angus: Researching New Frontiers initiative to raise $1 million for beef cattle research to benefit the Angus breed and beef cattle industry.
Lawton Stewart, beef cattle specialist at the University of Georgia, will round out the educational program.
Keep reading this Angus news release online.
Cattlemen Applaud Final Approval of Omnibus Bill
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Kevin Kester March 23 said in response to President Trump signing the omnibus spending bill, which includes several provisions that will directly benefit cattle producers:
“Thanks to our dues-paying NCBA members and the hard work of our team in Washington, this omnibus spending bill includes several provisions that represent major victories for America’s cattle producers.
“First, we were able to kill the notion that our farms and ranches will be regulated like toxic superfund sites under the CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act) law. Second, we were able to secure another delay of the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate for livestock haulers. And finally, we were able to get Congress to address the 199A tax issue.
“These are all provisions that will help producers, and I want to thank all of our allies on Capitol Hill who helped secure them in the final legislation.
“I also want to again thank all of our dues-paying members — without them these victories almost certainly wouldn’t have been possible.”
For more information, read the NCBA news release online.
Livestock Groups Respond to Potential Washington
Grizzly Bear Introduction
On March 23 the Public Lands Council (PLC), NCBA and Washington Cattlemen’s Association (WCA) issued the following statements in response to the Department of the Interior’s announcement in support of introducing Grizzly Bears in the Washington North Cascades:
“We are extremely disappointed with the Department of the Interior’s support to introduce Grizzly Bears to the North Cascades of Washington. For more than a year we have heard the Secretary talk about being a better neighbor, but unfortunately actions speak louder than words. Reintroducing as many as 200 man-eating predators into an area already reeling from exploding gray wolf populations is anything but neighborly. This decision won’t just impact ranchers — it’s a blow for the entire North Cascades ecosystem, the safety of locals and visitors, and the local economy, too. In fact, the only beneficiaries of an action like this will be the radical environmental activists that support this type of ill-advised ecosystem tinkering,” said Ethan Lane, PLC and NCBA federal lands executive director.
Read the full NCBA news release online.
Secretary Perdue Applauds Fire Funding Fix in Omnibus
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue expressed his appreciation March 23 for the work of Congress to find a bipartisan fix for the way the U.S. Forest Service is funded for fighting wildfires. Perdue had advocated for the change since taking office in April 2017. Congress included the solution in the FY 2018 Omnibus Spending Package, which has been signed into law by President Donald Trump.
“The fire funding fix, which has been sought for decades, is an important inclusion in the omnibus spending bill, and I commend Congress for addressing the issue,” said Perdue. “Improving the way we fund wildfire suppression will help us better manage our forests. If we ensure that we have adequate resources for forest management, we can mitigate the frequency of wildfires and severity of future fire seasons. I thank Congressional leaders, with whom I’ve frequently discussed this issue.”
The solution included in the omnibus provides a new funding structure from FY2020 through FY2027. Beginning in FY2020, $2.25 billion of new budget authority is available to USDA and the Department of the Interior. The budget authority increases by $100 million each year, ending at $2.95 billion in new budget authority by FY2027.
Learn more in the full USDA news release online.
Feedyards Advised to Begin Pen Surface Cleaning
Now Due to Dry Weather
A Texas A&M AgriLife researcher is advising feedyard managers to begin their spring manure harvesting or dust mitigation practices sooner than later as 2018 is beginning to look like 2011.
“We are incredibly dry, and the upcoming dust season is going to be brutal if we don’t get some rain or snow,” said Brent Auvermann, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center director and air quality researcher in Amarillo.
As the dust season begins, Auvermann said the No. 1 strategy for feedyards, whether they are equipped with a sprinkler system or not, is to keep the uncompacted manure inventory at a practical minimum on the feedyard surface.
“Keep the manure from blowing, keep the neighbors happy and capture this valuable fertilizer before it is contaminated with water,” Auvermann advised.
Feedyards typically harvest manure twice a year, once before any winter moisture falls and then Auvermann said he generally advises the second harvest be completed by May 1. But this year, it needs to occur earlier, he said.
“We want to remind feedyard managers that if they haven’t already started harvesting manure, they should now,” he said
For more information, read the full AgriLife news release online.
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