News Update
April 8, 2009

Junior Officers Raise the Bar in Nashville

The National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) hosted a Raising the Bar Conference, April 3-5, 2009, in Nashville, Tenn. Twenty-seven junior officers and advisors from six states were provided the tools to build stronger state associations.

There were several workshops prepared and conducted by the NJAA Board of Directors, which included public speaking, parliamentary procedure, and securing and retaining membership through the use of a mentoring program, fundraising, team building and goal setting. The interactive workshops allowed for the individuals from various states to exchange ideas and learn from their peers.

Special guest speaker, John Woolfolk with the Tennessee Farm Bureau, spoke to the group about desire. “It is the strong desire to achieve one’s goals that most often leads to success,” Woolfolk says.

The attendees also participated in a team building activity at a ropes course, ice breakers, bowling and a Sunday morning devotional.

Raising the Bar is a highly intensive leadership training program designed for officers and advisors to develop stronger leadership teams within junior associations. It also cultivates regional relationships among participants. Raising the Bar is open to five officers and two advisors from each state in that region, and is funded by the Angus Foundation.

This is the third year for Raising the Bar that allows officers and advisors from state junior Angus associations to meet regionally.

The NJAA promotes the involvement of young people in raising Angus cattle, while also providing leadership and self-development opportunities for nearly 7,000 active members nationwide. For more information about Raising the Bar Conferences or the NJAA, look online at www.njaa.info or call the Association at 816-383-5100.

— Release provided by the American Angus Association.

FoodLogiQ Signs Agreement with Canadian Beef Breeds Council

FoodLogiQ, a food safety and traceability software provider, announced yesterday they have signed an agreement with the Canadian Beef Breeds Council (CBBC) to provide a traceability solution to its members that will enable sharing of valuable information relating to purebred beef cattle production.

Acccording to FoodLogiQ, the traceability software, through agreements and protocols, will enable producers and others to access and apply important information relating to the impact of genetics on the overall efficiency and profitability of the beef cattle industry. The project is an outcome of the CBBC’s ongoing purebred risk assessment work.

Data will be entered and retrieved through a portal accessed via the CBBC web site, and it is envisioned that data will support breed and branded programs and enhance collaboration with the commercial industry. The CBBC information system is integrated with the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association/Canadian Cattlemen Market Development Council (CCMDC) Canadian Beef Advantage (CBA) BIXS pilot that is integrating information from packers and feedlots.

According to a release, the objectives of the CBBC value chain traceability initiative are to:

• Identify and increase the demand for superior genetic quality beef; and link this information through an information sharing network to improve producer and customer access to management information, reduce risk and increase the profitability, quality and global competitiveness of the purebred product.
• Coordinate efforts in conjunction with the ongoing CBBC Purebred Risk Assessment (PBRA) project, which is addressing the development of business risk mitigation tools including improved access to, and application of, management data (economic and genetic) specific to purebred beef cattle producers.
• Avoid duplication and build on the successes and value chain initiatives already in place today, and complement industry and government efforts.

For more information visit www.foodlogiq.com or www.canadianbeefbreeds.com.

— Release provided by FoodLogiQ.

Producers Should Monitor Wheat Fields for Freeze Damage

When temperatures dipped well below freezing the nights of April 6-7, it may have caused moderate to significant damage to wheat in parts of Kansas, said Kansas State University (K-State) agronomist Jim Shroyer.

“Wheat that has either one or two joints can be injured by several hours of temperatures in the low 20s or lower,” said Shroyer, who is a crops specialist with K-State Research and Extension. “Even wheat that is not yet jointed will probably have some damage to the leaves, but this is just cosmetic injury that will not affect yields.”

Producers should not make any quick decisions about the condition of their wheat crop, however, he said.

“It will take several days of warm weather following the freezes to evaluate the condition of the crop and its yield potential,” Shroyer said. “Even if some of the main tillers are injured or killed, producers should wait to see if enough other tillers have survived to compensate for the lost yield potential.” 

If areas of a field lodge shortly after the freeze, that may indicate damage to the lower stems, he said.

“Producers should keep an eye on this wheat over the next week or so, and examine the lower stems,” he said. “Damage may not be immediately evident. If there are darkened or watersoaked lesions near the base of the stems, or if the stems are split, those tillers are damaged and will die. It’s also possible that stems may simply have leaned over due to the combination of high winds and wet conditions. In that case, the stems may eventually become upright again.”

Patience is the key at this point in the season, he added. There should be time left in April to destroy the crop if necessary and plant corn, and even more time to plant grain sorghum, soybeans, or sunflowers, if herbicide carryover restrictions allow and depending on crop insurance considerations.

The most important thing to do right after a freeze is to carefully evaluate the effect of the freeze on the wheat, he said.

More information is available by contacting Shroyer at 785-532-5776 or jshroyer@ksu.edu. Information is also available in the Extension publication C646: “Spring Freeze Injury to Kansas Wheat,” available at www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/crpsl2/c646.pdf.

Freeze Injury Symptoms for Wheat in Jointing Stage

Three factors are important in determining whether there was damage to the wheat crop from recent freezes: stage of wheat development, temperatures, and wind speed, said Jim Shroyer, K-State Research and Extension crop production specialist.

Whether actual freeze injury occurred would depend on how low the temperature reached, how long the temperatures stayed that cold, temperature gradients in the field, wind speed, canopy density, and other microclimate factors, he said. Soil moisture is another factor that is usually important in determining freeze injury.

Wheat in much of southern Kansas was in the jointing stage at the time of the most recent hard freeze, the agronomist said.

“In the jointing stage, if temperatures get into the low 20s or lower for several hours, there can be some injury to the lower stems, the leaves, or the developing head. If it is windy during the nighttime hours when temperatures reach their lows, this increases the chance of injury,” Shroyer said. “The soil may help radiate heat into the canopy and help protect wheat from freeze injury unless conditions are windy. If the soil has a good cover of residue, it will not be able to radiate heat as well.”

If temperatures warm up rapidly within a few days after the frigid weather, damage may be apparent soon after the freeze. If temperatures stay cool for another week or two, it will take longer to notice any freeze injury, he added.

Injury symptoms will vary. If the main tillers were injured, secondary tillers may begin growing normally and fill out the stand. The wheat may have a ragged appearance because the main tillers are absent, but there may still be enough surviving tillers to produce good yields if spring growing conditions are good, Shroyer said.

“If the leaves of tillers are yellowish when they emerge from the whorl, this indicates that those tillers have been damaged. Where tillers are damaged at early jointing, they may stop growing and the head will never emerge. Later in the jointing stage, some of the damaged tillers may still exert the head but the head may be partially or entirely blank,” he said.

It’s not just leaves in whorl that can be damaged by freeze injury at this time, he added. A hard freeze at jointing can also damage the existing leaves so severely that they turn bluish, then bleach out. This usually results in the field having a “silage smell,” the agronomist said.

If the lower stems were damaged by freeze injury, the wheat plants will likely lodge at some point, he added.

“Lodging could also be caused by other factors, however, so it will be important for producers to examine the lower stems on lodged plants to determine the cause. Plant may have simply leaned over due to environmental factors, such as a hard rain or high winds, after a freeze and will eventually come back up if the lower stem isn’t damaged,” he said.

More information is available by contacting Shroyer at 785-532-5776 or jshroyer@ksu.edu.

— Release provided by K-State Research and Extension.

USDA Study Shows 29,000 Cooperatives Employ More Than 2 Million

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has helped produce a comprehensive new study and database assessing the national economic impact of cooperatives. The study, “Research on the Economic Impact of Cooperatives,” is the result of extensive research that began in 2006.

It shows that more than 29,000 American cooperatives generate revenues of more than $654 billion and employ more than 2 million workers.

“Historically, cooperatives have always been extremely important to rural America, serving as economic engines and innovators. This study shows how significant their impact is nationwide,” Vilsack said.

USDA’s Rural Development received a $1.5 million Congressional appropriation to develop the project in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the National Cooperative Business Association and other private-sector associations. The study is the first of what is expected to be a series of reports, analyses and web-based resources stemming from this multiyear effort. Here are some of the key findings of the study:

Number of Cooperatives: 29,284
Total Revenue: More than $654 billion
Income: $133 billion
Wages: $75 billion
Number of Employees: More than 2 million

The data and findings from the study are available at http://reic.uwcc.wisc.edu. A cooperative is a business mutually owned and democratically controlled by members who benefit from its products and services. Cooperatives are formed to meet the specific objectives of members, and are structured to adapt to members’ changing needs.

For more information about rural programs, including Business and Cooperative Programs, contact a local USDA Rural Development office or visit www.rurdev.usda.gov.

— Release provided by USDA.

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