News Update
Sept. 23, 2008

Post-Hurricane Ike Livestock Rescue Continues in Southeast Texas

A valiant effort to save ranchers’ livelihoods in Southeast Texas continues despite incredible odds, according to a Texas A&M University (TAMU) article released Sept. 19.

“It’s the worst storm we can ever remember,” said rancher Dan Hankamer of Hurricane Ike, which slammed the Galveston coastline and trekked through Southeast Texas bringing a deluge of saltwater on prime farm and ranchland.

“It’s hard times right now,” said Charles Copeland, an Anahuac rancher now looking to find dry pastureland for his cattle as far north as Bremond.

The day after 20-foot storm surges sent water destroying nearly all of the fences throughout Chambers and Jefferson counties, forcing some 20,000 livestock to make a desperate run for high ground, the Texas AgriLife Extension Service has been directing what could be billed as one of the largest livestock rescue efforts in state history.

Joining AgriLife Extension has been Texas Department of Agriculture, Texas Animal Health Commission, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA), Independent Cattlemen’s Association, other state agencies and agriculture industry partners in an “overwhelming” show of support for Operation No Fences.

The relief effort operates from White’s Memorial Park near Anahuac, which serves as a distribution center for hay, feedstuffs, water and other supplies. As 18-wheelers continue to pour in with loads of hay, organizers disperse the rations to designated feeding points throughout the county where rescued cattle and livestock are temporarily housed. So far, more than 3,000 bales have been donated.

On Thursday, some feared the number of displaced livestock may be as high as 40,000, though the death toll is still unknown. Cattle are either stranded in tight areas, or lie dead under debris of what used to be homes, barns or other dwellings, said Monty Dozer, distribution center coordinator and AgriLife Extension Service regional program director.

So far, the water hasn’t receded enough in some marshy areas for surveillance, he said. With nothing but saltwater to drink and saltwater residue on pasture grass, livestock rescue efforts have to be quick to keep the cattle from dehydrating and ultimately dying from lack of fresh water and hay.

“Saltwater is all over the grass, and the cows can’t eat it,” Hankamer said. “It’s just a mess.”

It’s anticipated the effects of the hurricane will not be forgotten quickly.

“One of the old timers said last night during supper, ‘they won’t be talking about (Hurricane) Carla here anymore,’ ” Dozier said, referencing the 1961 storm that was one of the worst to hit the Texas coastline.

To make a tax deductible cash or credit card donation to Operation No Fences, call 979-845-2604 or go to http://agrilifevents.tamu.edu and follow the prompts to No Fences Hurricane Ike Horse and Cattle Relief.

To make a donation of hay, feed, water troughs, transportation and other in-kind donations, call the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Hay Hotline at 1-877-429-1998 or 1-800-835-5832 and press zero.

Agencies providing support are Texas Animal Health Commission, Texas Department of Agriculture, Independent Cattlemen’s Association, Texas 2-1-1, Texas Farm Bureau, TSCRA, Governor’s Division of Emergency Management State Operations Center and Chambers County officials.

— Adapted from a TAMU release.

Free Trade Agreement Implemented

Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer will lead a U.S. Agribusiness Trade and Investment Mission to the Central American region Sept. 21-24 to further promote two-way cooperation, trade and investment between the United States and companies in Central America and the Dominican Republic, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) release.

Secretary Schafer will also meet with high-level government officials and visit U.S. agricultural development assistance and export certification facilities.

“Face-to-face business contact adds great value to these trade agreements in place among our governments,” Schafer said. “There are 17 U.S. agribusinesses traveling with us, who will develop additional lines of commerce by meeting with nearly 70 Central American and Dominican Republic companies. This is an excellent business opportunity on both sides of this two-way trade equation. The Central America Free Trade Agreement is expanding trade, improving competitiveness, and accelerating economic growth everywhere it is in place throughout this region.”

In the short time the agreement has been in effect with the Central American nations of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, two-way trade of agricultural products with the United States is expected to meet or exceed $5 billion in 2008. Two-way trade grew 21% from $3.8 billion in 2006 to nearly $4.6 billion in 2007 — less than a year after the agreement had come into force with these five countries.

The mission’s goal is to promote trade and investment, particularly in the processed goods, beverages, livestock genetics, meat and poultry, agricultural equipment, dairy products, fertilizer, and organic goods sectors. Participating U.S. companies will have the opportunity to form partnerships and joint ventures with Central American companies and entrepreneurs from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

For more information, contact Darrell Upshaw of USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service at 202-690-1786 or darrell.upshaw@fas.usda.gov.

Ag Committee Suspends Base Acre Minimum after USDA Misinterprets Provision

The Agriculture Committee approved a bill last week to suspend for the 2008 and 2009 crop years a Farm Bill provision that required producers to have a minimum of 10 base acres to receive program benefits. The move was, according to the committee, in response to the USDA’s plan to deny farm program benefits to hundreds of thousands of producers.

“The Department’s notice is a substantial change from what was in place prior to the most recent Farm Bill and runs contrary to what Congress intended when it wrote this provision and passed the bill,” said Chairman Collin C. Peterson of Minnesota. “This will protect the farm safety net for producers while giving us time to decide how to correct the problem for later years.”

“I commend the Chairman for urgently addressing this issue.  I support this bill because it protects thousands of farmers who would be adversely affected by the USDA’s interpretation of this provision in the farm bill,” said Ranking Member Bob Goodlatte of Virginia.

The Committee held a business meeting late Sept. 18 to review H.R. 6849, which would have permanently allowed farmers to combine base acres from multiple working farms to meet the 10 base acre minimum established in the Farm Bill. Chairman Peterson introduced a substitute amendment that suspended the entire 10-acre provision for two years. That amendment, which was adopted by the Committee, provides a temporary, less expensive solution to the situation and is fully offset in order to meet Paygo requirements.

— Information provided by the House Ag Committee.

Operating Committee Approves National Beef Checkoff Initiatives for 2009

The Beef Promotion Operating Committee this week approved spending the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) Fiscal Year 2009 program budget of $42 million on a total of 35 national checkoff programs.

“We knew going in that it was going to be an especially difficult year,” said CBB and Operating Committee Chairman Dave Bateman, a producer from Illinois. “In July, we approved a budget that was down 6.6% from a year ago. Before our meeting this week, however, we realized that the 2009 revenue projections we made in July actually were still too optimistic, so we had to cut back even more than we had anticipated.”

At the 2008 Cattle Industry Summer Conference in July, CBB approved a program budget of $43.5 million for fiscal year (FY) 2009, which begins Oct. 1, 2008. Upon re-evaluating checkoff collections and projections again last week, however, the Operating Committee recommended an amendment that reduced that 2009 program budget to $42 million.

The Operating Committee, which is made up of 10 CBB members and 10 representatives from state beef councils, had to balance the industry’s requests for funding against anticipated checkoff collections for FY 2009. USDA still must approve the plan before any funds can be expended.

Contractors with program proposals included in the plan are the American National CattleWomen (ANCW), the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB), the Meat Importers Council of America (MICA), the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

 Cuts in program budgets were spread across various categories to minimize the overall effect of the budget reduction. Some deeper cuts were required, however, with the hardest hits in funding for producer communications, including the Beefmobile; youth education; and the Beef Ambassador Program. Despite these cuts, programs funded in new product development, consumer information and public relations have youth-education elements in them to provide continuous reach to America’s youth.

For further funding details visit www.beefboard.org.

— Adapted from a release provided by CBB.

— compiled by Crystal Albers, associate editor, Angus Productions Inc.