News Update
March 25, 2009

National Weather Update

The nation’s main weather event on Wednesday will be a snowstorm system spinning over the Upper Midwest and the Great Lakes regions, according to The Associated Press (AP).

Several inches of snow were expected over the Northern Plains, undoubtedly complicating efforts there to battle widespread flooding in the region.

USA Today reported continued evacuations today along the swelling Missouri River. Ice jams and new snowfall have reportedly complicated flooding conditions, especially in the Bismarck, N.D., area.

Earlier flooding concerns continue to affect cities along the Red River, including Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn., where volunteers race to build dikes between the river and low-lying dwellings.

President Barack Obama has deemed North Dakota a federal disaster area.

Meanwhile, people in Wyoming and parts of South Dakota and Nebraska continue to dig themselves out of blizzard conditions complicated by several inches of snow and widespread high winds. The National Weather Service (NWS) reported snowfall totals generally ranging from 5 inches (in.) to 15 in. — but nearly 2 feet of snow in the northern Black Hills.

In other weather news, the cold front associated with the Northern Plains storm system will extend from the storm down to the Southern Plains, AP reports, and a line of showers and thunderstorms will extend from the Upper Midwest, down across the Mississippi Valley and into Texas.

Parts of the mid-Atlantic states and the Southeast can expect the line of precipitation to reach the area by the end of the day, according to AP.

Areas of heavy rain and gusty winds associated with the front are anticipated from the Upper Midwest out to the mid-Atlantic, while hail, damaging winds and possibly a tornado will develop across the mid- and lower-Mississippi Valley and the Southeast.

Areas of the Central and Southern Plains behind the front can expect partly to mostly clear skies for the first part of the day before clouds filter in.

Farther east, lingering high pressure will keep skies mostly clear over New England, while most of the Southeast will see clouds and precipitation by the end of the day.

Out West, a second storm system will produce wet weather over the Northwest and down into the Rockies in the Southwest. Areas of heavy snow are expected across the region, and several inches of snow accumulation are expected, according to AP.

New Mexico Granted Split-State Status for Bovine TB

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has granted New Mexico split-state status for bovine tuberculosis (TB), designating a Modified Accredited Advanced (MAA) zone for Curry and Roosevelt counties along the state’s eastern border. According to USDA, the remainder of the state will be added to the list of accredited free zones.

Gov. Bill Richardson released a statement, saying, “In a time of economic uncertainty, this decision will save millions of dollars for the New Mexico dairy and beef industries in the state, while continuing to assure the consuming public of safe, wholesome food products.”

USDA first downgraded New Mexico’s bovine tuberculosis (TB) status in September 2008, deeming the entire state in Modified Accredited Advanced status. At that time, New Mexico applied to USDA for a return to split-state status. The plan was recently accepted by USDA, and the rule allowing return to split state status became effective on Monday, March 23.

There are a number of new requirements for livestock TB testing and movement that will affect producers throughout the New Mexico, the New Mexico Livestock Board (NMLB) reports. These requirements are designed to facilitate the elimination of the MAA zone and return the entire state to Accredited Free status, according to NMLB.

The requirements incorporated into the MAA Zone Memorandum of Understanding between the State of New Mexico and the USDA focus on four basic requirements:

1. Sexually intact cattle will be required to have a negative TB test within 60 days to leave the MAA zone, including those being sent to sale barns outside the zone. Cattle being sent directly to slaughter, as well as feeder heifers and steers, are exempt from this requirement.
   
2. NMLB is to be notified of all livestock movement between points within the MAA zone. Contact your NMLB Livestock Inspector or the NMLB office for details.
   
3. All sexually-intact NM dairy cattle, inside or outside the MAA zone, will be required to have a negative TB test within 60 days of entering or re-entering any dairy herd in the state.
   
4. All sexually intact cattle in the MAA zone will be required to have official identification (ID) in order to leave the zone for any purpose. Nursing calves are exempt from this requirement.

NMLB will host local meetings in the Clovis/Portales area with producers and other interested parties to discuss and explain the new MAA zone and its associated testing and movement requirements. All are welcome to attend. Individuals may also direct their questions to the NMLB office and can access the website at www.nmlbonline.com for more information.

Bill Introduced to Ban Antibiotics Use

Legislation introduced recently would ban the use of antibiotics from being used on livestock unless animal they are ill, according to Reuters.

The bill, introduced in the House of Representatives by Louise Slaughter and in the Senate by Edward Kennedy, would reportedly allow drug companies to sell antibiotics for uses other than humans if they can show there is no danger to public health from microbes developing resistance to them, according to Reuters.

Proponents argue that long-term use of antibiotics in healthy animals leads to new strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, as Dave Warner of National Pork Producers Council maintains, it remains doubtful that antibiotic use in livestock is linked to development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

According to Reuters, similar legislation to ban antibiotics use in livestock has been introduced repeatedly since the 1980s but has never been passed.

CME Report: Meat Demand a Concern

The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) released its “Daily Livestock Report” yesterday, noting that Choice beef cutout values continue to fall below last year’s levels despite reductions in harvest rates for February and March.

“Demand clearly remains a concern in the meat complex in general and especially for beef products,” the report notes.

According to the CME report, fed cattle harvest will likely remain below last year’s levels due to smaller feedlot inventories and concerns for retail and foodservice demand.

Live cattle futures yesterday were weaker, partially due to “concerns that weak cutout values will keep packer margins in the red and limit near-term demand for fed cattle.”

Of course, some of the lower harvest rates are being offset by heavier carcasses due to good feelot conditions this winter and a trend to placing heavier cattle on feed.

— Information derived from CME’s “Daily Livestock Report.”

Yamaha Announces New Scholarships for Ag-Comm College Students

Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., has launched a new scholarship program to provide financial assistance to members of the Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT).

ACT is a national college student association with 354 members located on 17 college and university campuses across the country. ACT’s mission of fostering professional development is at the core of the new Yamaha-ACT Scholarship Program.

“The Yamaha-ACT Scholarship Program was developed in conjunction with ACT to help meet recipients’ immediate financial needs while furthering their long-term goal of professional development,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha’s ATV and Side-by-Side group marketing manager. “As future professional communicators, Yamaha is looking to these students to help deliver messages of safe, responsible use of our products throughout the greater agriculture and farming community.”

“These are the agricultural writers, broadcasters, and PR professionals of the near future. Contributing to their professional development is definitely a solid investment for those interested in preserving the future of agriculture,” said Jeff Miller, professor of agricultural communications at the University of Arkansas and national adviser of ACT.

The Yamaha-ACT Scholarship Program is broken out into two individual student scholarships and one chapter scholarship.  All three scholarships are aimed at helping students attend the annual Agricultural Media Summit (AMS).

As the largest gathering of crop and livestock media professionals in the country, the AMS is ACT’s primary career development networking opportunity each year.

Applicants will be judged based on merit, need and quality of submission materials by a review committee consisting of Yamaha employees, an ACT faculty advisor, members of the American Agricultural Editors’ Association (AAEA) and members of the Livestock Publications Council (LPC).

Applications must be postmarked no later than Friday, March 27, and winners will be notified by May 1, 2009.  Further information and guidelines, along with the application form, can be found online at www.nactnow.org.

For more information on Yamaha, visit www.yamaha-motor.com.

— Release provided by Yamaha.

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