News Update
February 17, 2012
Bayer to Acquire Animal Health
Business From KMG Chemicals Inc.
Bayer HealthCare LLC Animal Health Division announced Thursday they have signed an agreement to acquire the Animal Health business of KMG Chemicals Inc. (Nasdaq GS: KMGB). This move will further diversify Bayer's existing insecticides portfolio in the U.S., allowing the company to offer a broader range of actives and forms, in addition to its current product portfolio that includes cattle ear tags, pour-ons, dusts, and farm hygiene premise sprays.
"Bayer is committed to the animal health industry and we are excited about providing these established brands to our customers," said Ian Spinks, president and general manager for Bayer Animal Health North America. "Acquiring KMG's extensive line of ectoparasiticides, as well as its cattle ear tag product line nicely complements our existing product portfolio, giving us the opportunity to offer more robust insecticide solutions to livestock and poultry producers."
Products acquired in the agreement include brands such as the Patriot cattle ear tag and the Rabon and Permectrin insecticides. These products keep farm animals healthy by protecting them from pests that can spread disease. Bayer plans to explore ways to further develop the insecticides market and continue to bring new innovations to this category.
"KMG has undergone significant growth in the last five years, primarily in our electronic chemicals and wood-treating chemicals businesses. As a result of this growth, the animal health business no longer fits with the strategic direction of the company and it is not a material contributor to our overall results," said Neal Butler, president and CEO KMG Chemicals. "However, we strongly believe that our animal health products have a promising future. We also believe that Bayer is the best company to help this business realize its potential, and provide the level of service our customers expect and deserve."
Financial terms of the transaction are undisclosed. The agreement closing is expected to happen in the coming weeks. KMG Animal Health revenues for the last four quarters ended Oct. 31, 2011, were $11.4 million.
For more information on Bayer HealthCare Animal Health Division visit www.animalhealth.bayerhealthcare.com.
Corpus Christi Drought Symposium Slated March 6
Recovering from the historic drought of 2011 will be the focus of the Drought Management Symposium for Range and Pastures, set for 8 a.m. March 6 at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 10345 State Highway 44, Corpus Christi, Texas.
"Despite recent rainfall, our subsoils remain moisture-starved as we still need 15 to 20 inches to restore the rainfall we didn't get last year," said Jeffrey Stapper, a Texas AgriLife Extension Service agent in Nueces County.
Extremely dry conditions led to special challenges that will be addressed at the symposium, Stapper said.
"As the rains return, we are going to see a new problem emerge, that being the presence of dense weed populations as Mother Nature fills the void left on the parched rangelands," Stapper said.
Morning topics will include forage management and grazing systems, designing an early drought warning system, the economic impact of stocking strategies and different forage production systems, meeting animal nutrient needs with forage management, rangeland response and toxic weed identification.
Afternoon topics include a Farm Service Agency (FSA) update and support programs, insect pest control in drought, rainwater harvesting for livestock and wildlife, risk management with pasture insurance, weed and brush control options, and a weather outlook for the spring.
Continuing education units will be offered for pesticide applicators and certified crop advisors, Stapper said.
Registration is $20 and includes lunch. Those wishing to attend are asked to call the AgriLife Extension office in Nueces County at 361-767-5223 before March 2.
The symposium is sponsored by Texas AgriLife Research and AgriLife Extension.
USDA Announces Start2farm.gov to Support America's Future Farming Generations
Thursday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and USDA's National Agricultural Library, in partnership with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), announced Start2farm.gov, a new online portal that helps provide assistance for beginning farmers and ranchers. The portal includes links to training, financing, technical assistance and other support services specifically for beginning farmers and ranchers as well as successful case studies about new and beginning farmers and ranchers.
"America's farmers and rural communities are vitally important to our nation's economy, producing the food, feed, fiber and fuel that continue to help us grow," said Secretary Vilsack. "USDA is working to provide opportunities for the next generation to get into agriculture in order to continue the record success of America's farmers and ranchers who are seeing record farm incomes and record exports. Start2farm.gov will help us protect and sustain these successes, so that we continue to build an agriculture industry diverse and successful enough to attract the smartest, hardest-working young people in the nation."
Start2farm.gov was funded via the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP), a program that funded the development of education, training, outreach and mentoring programs to enhance the sustainability of the next generation of America's farmers and ranchers. The program has been funded since fiscal year 2009. It was authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill with $75 million through FY12. In the first year of the NIFA BFRDP, three-year grants supported training for 5,000 beginning farmers and ranchers. In 2011, it is anticipated that these grants will have supported training for more than 10,000 beginning farmer and ranchers.
The BFRDP legislation requires the Secretary to establish an online clearinghouse that makes available to beginning farmers or ranchers supporting education curricula and training materials and programs. This clearinghouse, Start2farm.gov, allows potential and beginning farmers to search for programs and resources that will help them find training, financing, technical assistance and support networks. Additional features include a "Thinking about farming?" tutorial and an event calendar. Start2farm.gov also showcases stories of how other BFRDP grantees have started, and stayed in, farming and ranching.
Beginning farmers, by USDA definition, are those operated by individuals with 10 years or less experience operating farms. About 20% of the 2.1 million U.S. farms are classified as beginning farms, based on the USDA definition. Most beginning farmers are not young (that is, under 35 years old), do not have a college education, nor have access to farmland through their relatives, and more than one-quarter have zero value of farm production.
Most beginning farmers and ranchers experience shared challenges in getting started. The two most common and important challenges faced by beginning farmers are (1) having the market opportunity to buy or rent suitable land and (2) having capital to acquire land of a large enough scale to be profitable.
Start2farm.gov provides information about USDA programs of particular assistance to beginning farmers. Start2farm.gov is developed in partnership with the AFBF. As part of this partnership, the National Agricultural Library and the AFBF are co-hosting the second annual Beginning Farmer and Rancher Conference scheduled for Feb. 18-19 in Grand Rapids, Mich. The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Conference is yet another way beginning farmers can access the knowledge from Start2farm.gov about programs from USDA and other organizations focused on helping beginning farmers start and stay in farming.
New Fact Sheet Clarifies Meat Consumption Data, Details Rising Demand
A new fact sheet prepared by University of Missouri–Columbia (UMC) Agricultural Economist Ron Plain examines 2011 data related to U.S. meat and poultry consumption and demand. Data from recent years show that U.S. per capita meat and poultry consumption has declined, but that doesn't mean that consumer interest or demand has declined. Plain's backgrounder looks at the variety of factors affecting meat and poultry consumption and demand and concludes that meat demand is on the rise.
Plain writes, "Recent reporting about data on U.S. meat and poultry consumption has created a false and overly simplistic impression that demand for meat is declining. This is simply not the case. This backgrounder aims to explain the difference between consumption and demand and will show that meat and poultry demand has actually risen."
The full backgrounder is available at http://web.missouri.edu/~plainr/Papers/2011%20demand%20comments.pdf.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary to Host Town Hall Meeting in Nashville, RURAL TV Debut
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will join RURAL TV for a "live" television town hall meeting March 1 to discuss "A Rural America Built to Last," as the USDA strives to promote American agriculture and support job creation and economic opportunity in rural communities.
RURAL TV is a new rural business and lifestyle network being launched by Rural Media Group Inc., parent of RFD-TV. The network will hold a press conference before the town hall to announce the launch of RURAL TV. Those invited to attend the launch party and the RURAL TV town hall production are USDA contacts as well as farm bureaus, FFA members and association members from the American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers and the National Sorghum Producers.
The RURAL TV town hall broadcast is also being simulcast on RFD-TV and will take place at 9:00 p.m. (EST)/ 8:00 p.m. (CT) from the network's production studio in Nashville, Tenn.
"I encourage everyone to participate in this town hall, which will give viewers an important opportunity to hear directly from Secretary Vilsack about views on current legislation and about jobs for rural America," said Patrick Gottsch, founder and president of Rural Media Group Inc.
RURAL TV will advertise a call number during the town hall broadcast so viewers can participate by asking Secretary Vilsack questions about these ongoing efforts
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