News Update
May 5, 2010

Obama Administration Announces National Rural Summit

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will host a National Summit of Rural America: A Dialogue for Renewing Promise. The daylong event will take place in Hillsboro, Mo., June 3 on the campus of Jefferson College, near St. Louis, Mo.

“This Summit will be an opportunity for rural Americans to share their vision for creating a more prosperous and promising future for rural America,” Vilsack said. “The Obama Administration is committed to strengthening rural America, and now farmers, ranchers and foresters from throughout the country can have the opportunity to engage with key policymakers and community leaders to discuss the priorities and policies necessary to keep its future bright.”

Participants at the National Summit on Rural America will take part in plenary and breakout sessions on a multitude of issues that include rebuilding and revitalizing rural America, creating new jobs, improving infrastructure, improving farm competitiveness, and encouraging innovation in renewable energy. National policymakers will take the invaluable opinions and ideas from participants at the Summit back to Washington for implementation into future program and policy discussions.

Interested participants may register to attend the National Summit of Rural America: A Dialogue for Renewing Promise by visiting www.usda.gov/ruralsummit. Early registration is recommended as attendance will be limited to capacity constraints of the venue and breakout sessions. Members of the media interested in attending should RSVP to liz.purchia@oc.usda.gov.

This National Summit culminates the Rural Tour Secretary Vilsack led last year and visited 22 states to begin a conversation with farmers, ranchers, and people who live in rural communities. Last week, Vilsack joined President Obama as he visited rural communities in America’s heartland.

— Release by USDA.

AMI Releases Video Explaining Different Beef Cuts

The American Meat Institute (AMI) Tuesday, May 4, released a new educational video outlining for consumers the many different cuts of beef available in today’s marketplace. The video features meat scientist Betsy Booren, director of scientific affairs of the American Meat Institute Foundation.

The video is aimed to educate consumers as they shop for different cuts of beef at the supermarket or butcher during the unofficial start of prime grilling season and May’s National Barbecue Month.

In the video, Booren points out that not all cuts of beef can be thrown right onto the grill. “Some cuts are from muscles that are made up of proteins that must be strong in order to support the weight of the steer, so the meat from these muscles should be slow-cooked or marinated to ensure tenderness,” she notes.

To learn about the different cuts of beef and to watch the short video, visit AMI’s YouTube channel, The Meat News Network, at www.YouTube.com/MeatNewsNetwork.

The beef cuts video is the third installment of the new “Ask the Meat Scientist” series, and a video outlining the different cuts of pork will be released next week. AMI will release a new video every Tuesday during the next two months as part of its commitment to answer commonly asked questions about shopping, preparation, cooking and nutrition of various meat and poultry products.

In addition to the video, AMI’s companion brochure, “A Consumer’s Guide to the Meat Case,” offers a user-friendly grid detailing various cuts, their local and fanciful names and the best cooking methods for each. The free brochure can be downloaded at www.meatmattersinfo.org/.

— Release by AMI.

Estrous Synchronization Can Boost Cattle Producers’ Profits

Research demonstrates estrous synchronization in cows can improve calving distribution and progeny value.

Synchronizing estrous is a tool that can be used to concentrate when animals exhibit estrus and potentially calving distribution.

Calving records collected between 2000 and 2008 at the Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory near Whitman, Neb., were used to determine the effect of estrous synchronization on calving distribution and the impact of time of calving on steer weaning, feedlot and carcass characteristics.

A major goal in estrous synchronization is to increase the percentage of calves born early in the calving season. University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) research found that calves born in the first 21 days of the calving season are heavier and more uniform at weaning and have greater carcass weights and quality grades.

Data were compared from 60-day, non-synchronized and 45-day, synchronized breeding seasons, both using natural breeding. Compared to the 60-day non-synchronized season, 12% more calves were born in the first 21 days of thecalving season, and the average weaning weight was 20 pounds greater for the 45-day synchronized breeding season.

The benefits don’t stop with weight at weaning, said Rick Funston, beef cattle reproductive physiologist at the West Central Research and Extension Center at North Platte.

“There are significant benefits to the cow,” Funston said. “It benefits the cow because she has a longer time to breed back. It gives the cow a longer period of time from calving to breeding, so the postpartum interval is lengthened. This will potentially increase longevity and decrease replacement needs.”

Shortened calving periods result in more efficient use of labor inputs for calving and vaccinations and increased returns on feed inputs.

Cow nutrition can be optimized by grouping cows according to stage of gestation and feeding each group accordingly.

The synchronization system used was a single injection of prostaglandin F2-alpha given five days after bull turn in and cost less than $2 per dose.

Funston does not recommend shortening the breeding season of the cow herd with this synchronization system the first year as late calving, non-cycling cows will not respond to this synchronization protocol and may need the additional days to become pregnant.

“It is likely more profitable to have your veterinarian identify those late pregnant animals and either market them as pregnant females or calve them and sell the pair next spring,” Funston said. “The place to start is with replacement females, having a short first breeding season coupled with synchronization so they never are introduced into the herd as a late calver.

“In a modest to low input heifer development system, a non-pregnant female at pregnancy diagnosis is generally a valuable commodity as a yearling.”

For more information, visit the Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle website.

— Release by UNL Research and Extension.

AgriLife Extension Teams With Sul Ross State University On Ranch Business Program

The Texas AgriLife Extension Service and Sul Ross State University are teaming up to conduct the program, “Managing the Farm and Ranch as a Business” on May 21 in Alpine.

The free one-day program will start at 7:45 a.m. with registration and conclude at 5 p.m. It will be in Room 130 of The School of Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences located on the Sul Ross State University campus. To find the meeting site, go east on Highway 90 to the Sul Ross Ag and Natural Resource Center.

“Too often the ranching enterprise is run more like a hobby than as a profit-producing business,” said Jesse Lea Schneider, AgriLife Extension agent in Presidio County. “The purpose of this program is to share with producers the tools they need to see where they stand financially, and to get them where they want to be from a profit standpoint.”

The program’s featured speakers will be Rob Hogan, AgriLife Extension economist at Fort Stockton, and Jimmy LaBaume, agribusiness professor at Sul Ross State University.

Topics during the morning will include a beef cattle situation report and market outlook, and an introduction to farm and ranch financial management.

The afternoon session will introduce legal organizational forms and fundamental accounting concepts for the farm and ranch. Other topics will include budgets and budgeting, financial statements, financial decision making and managerial accounting.

The AgriLife Extension offices in Presidio and Brewster/Jeff Davis counties are helping present the program.

For more information call Schneider at 432-729-4746 or Logan Boswell, AgriLife Extension agent in Brewster/Jeff Davis counties, at 432-837-6207.

— Release by AgriLife Communications.

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