News Update
July 20, 2009

NCBA Members Adopt Policy on Animal ID

Beef producers approved policy on issues including the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and immigration reform during last week’s Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Denver. Nearly 800 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) members attended the meeting.

Members approved a resolution expressing continued support for NAIS to be voluntary. Producers voted to work toward an efficient identification (ID) program that meets their needs, minimizes additional costs and maintains the confidentiality of participants. The resolution calls for a system that operates at the speed of commerce, integrates private-sector databases and is phased in within and between species.

The membership amended current policy on the H-2A Jobs Program. NCBA policy continues to call for meaningful immigration reform and supports passage of “The Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits and Security Act.” The bill would streamline the current H-2A program and make it more workable for the cattle industry. Language in the amended resolution recommends provisions in the ag jobs bill ensure all livestock workers are treated fairly and address the specialized occupations required for livestock production.

“There was lively discussion of all issues facing our industry, from government regulations to food safety,” said NCBA President Gary Voogt, a cow-calf producer from Michigan. 

— Release provided by KLA.

Be Aware of Variables Regarding Hay Bale Combustion

Experienced agricultural producers in the southern Great Plains know that low wind speeds, high humidity, moist hay and hot temperatures can be a recipe for disaster.

Under such a set of circumstances, tightly stacked hay bales have been known to combust. Without proper preventative measures, hay barns or any other structures close to the blazing bales potentially might be lost.

“When you go in and immediately harvest these forages, they have a high water content, which continues the process of respiration,” said Daren Redfearn, Oklahoma State University (OSU) Cooperative Extension forage specialist.

Respiration is a normal process that plants use to produce food. Unfortunately, it also produces heat. The respiration process will continue to produce heat until the moisture content of the hay drops below 40%. At 20% moisture, the hay is considered dry.

However, Redfearn reminds producers that mold will grow through respiration and produce heat until that point. The heat produced, along with the hay itself, can mix with oxygen and cause combustion. Combustion typically takes place along the surface of the bales because oxygen has trouble penetrating into the middle.

Before this happens, there are some preventative measures that should be taken.

“Make hay while the sun is shining,” Redfearn said, referring to an old adage that has a lot of truth to it. “Producers need to get their hay dried as quickly as possible.”
The summer months in Oklahoma provide adequate drying conditions. There are high temperatures, a slight breeze and low humidity.

If there is any question as to whether the hay was baled at the correct moisture, the temperature of the bales should be closely monitored. A bale that measures less than 120º F is in little danger.

Redfearn said bales between 120º and 140º need some attention. These bales should be removed from a barn or structure and separated so that they can cool off. Once the temperature of a bale exceeds more than 140°, it is generally too late.

“Once you start moving them at that temperature, that’s when you really get the danger,” he said. “That’s when you are putting yourself in danger.”

Combustion issues typically occur within five days to seven days of baling.

— Release provided by OSU Cooperative Extension.

The July EXTRA E-mailed this Morning

The July edition of the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, the electronic supplement to the Angus Beef Bulletin magazine, e-mailed this morning to those signed up to receive it. If you’d like to receive this free monthly news service from Angus Productions Inc. (API), sign up by providing your e-mail address at www.angusbeefbulletin.com/extra/2009/jul09/about.html.

Carbon Footprint of Animal Agriculture is Topic of July 31 Free eXtension Webcast

Today’s dairies use fewer resources and have less waste output than those of 60 years ago, according to a Cornell University study.

The study found that dairy farming in 2007 produced 24% of the manure and 43% of the methane output per gallon of milk compared to farming in 1944. Modern dairy systems use 10% of the land, 23% of the feedstuffs and 35% of the water required to produce the same amount of milk in 1944.

Jude Capper, lead author of the study, and Roger Cady, a scientist at Elanco who contributed to the study, will present their research during a July 31 webcast from eXtension.

The webcast will highlight research on calculating the carbon footprint of animal agriculture, especially in dairies. The researchers will emphasize the role of production efficiency.

The Friday, July 31 session begins at 1:30 p.m. CST. The webcast meeting room opens 15 minutes before the start time. Participants should go to www.extension.org/pages/Live_Webcast_Information to view the webcast.

Another webcast slated for Aug. 21 is about evaluating innovative technologies through Farm Pilot Project Coordination (FPPC). FPPC has been involved in 37 demonstrations of innovative manure treatment technologies in 17 states. Those involved have learned about making these technologies feasible at a farm scale.

Monthly webcasts are hosted by the Livestock and Poultry Environmental (LPE) Learning Center, an information resource developed by more than 150 experts from land-grant universities, agencies and other organizations. The center is part of the national eXtension interactive Web resource customized with links to local Cooperative Extension Web sites.

— Adapted from release provided by K-State Research and Extension.

Top Administration Officials Hold Rural Health Community Forum in Louisiana

Four Cabinet Secretaries hosted a rural health community forum today in Saint John Parish, La., to share information about the federal government’s efforts to rebuild and revitalize rural America. This is the next leg of a tour launched by President Obama, showcasing how communities, states, and the federal government can work together to help strengthen rural America.

The Secretaries for the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Agriculture, Labor and Veterans Affairs listened to local residents’ perspectives and discuss solutions to the challenges facing rural communities during the 90-minute community forum.

“The President is committed to improving health care in rural communities and doing all we can to make all of America’s communities even better places to live, work, and raise a family,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said. “Rural communities face unique challenges. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. We all know that the policies that work in one area of the country may not be the best for all communities, particularly when it comes to health care.”

In June, President Obama announced that top officials from his Administration would visit communities across the nation to discuss how we can strengthen rural America. The community forums allow the Cabinet Secretaries to hear directly from people living in rural communities and advise the President on best ways to support their needs.

“To address the many challenges facing our rural communities, we are traveling across the country to listen, learn and facilitate problem-solving,” said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. “To ensure the success of rural America in a 21st century economy, it is critical that policymakers hear the thoughts, concerns and stories about each community’s vision for its future, and to collect ideas about how all of our agencies can help build a better future for all Americans.”

The forums provide for direct public input on how to build a more healthy American economy, which depends on a prosperous rural America. Rural America supplies much of our nation’s food, safeguards the environment, cultivates a vibrant small business sector, and plays a growing role in science, innovation and energy independence.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes broad support for rural communities by investing in nutrition programs, broadband, rural economic development, conservation, and in the community health centers that dot the landscape of rural America. It provides $800 million to help make rural America a leader in the green economy; and it provides $700 million in mandatory farm disaster assistance.

Rural Tour events have already been held in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Michigan. Future events are currently scheduled in Alaska, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Ohio.

Follow the Rural Tour’s progress online at www.RuralTour.gov or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RuralTour.

— Release provided by USDA.

— Compiled by Mathew Elliott, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.