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News Update
July 26, 2012
NCBA Statement Regarding USDA's Correction
Concerning the Meatless Monday Movement
Subsequent to a news release by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) condemning a statement by the USDA supporting the "Meatless Monday" campaign, USDA publicly stated it does not support the extremist "Meatless Monday" campaign and stated that the statement was posted on its website without the "proper clearance."
NCBA President J.D. Alexander issued the following statement Wednesday regarding this most recent USDA action.
"We appreciate USDA's swift action in pulling this disparaging statement off its website. USDA publicly stated today that it does not support this campaign. We appreciate USDA making this right. The agency is important to all cattlemen and women, especially as we face unprecedented challenges, including drought and animal rights extremist groups spreading fiction to consumers who need to know the importance of beef in a healthy diet.
For more information and the full original statement, click here.
USDA: Meatless Monday Web Posting Was an Error
The USDA says a statement on its website encouraging its employees not to eat meat on Mondays was made without proper clearance.
The Associated Press is reporting that the posting earlier this week was part of an internal newsletter that discusses how staff can reduce their environmental impact while dining at the agency's cafeteria.
The newsletter referred to United Nations data that cites animal agriculture as a major source of greenhouse gases and climate change.
USDA spokeswoman Cortney Rowe says the department does not endorse the "Meatless Monday" initiative, which is part of a global campaign.
The agency removed the posting hours after the National Cattlemen's Beef Association denounced it in a news release.
The USDA says it often promotes the beef industry by encouraging Americans to eat meat.
Ohio State to Hold First-ever Training Course
on Anaerobic Digestion
The Ohio State University will hold a first-of-its-kind training course on anaerobic digestion, a waste-management process that livestock farms and wastewater plants are increasingly using to produce biogas, a type of renewable fuel.
The course takes place Sept. 6-7 at the university's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) in Wooster in northern Ohio.
"The (anaerobic digestion) industry is growing in Ohio, but there are no educational programs that provide an understanding of the scientific principles underlying the AD process or the daily management of an AD system," said Yebo Li, the organizer of the course and an OARDC biosystems engineer.
"If the industry is to continue to grow successfully, training must be available for the workforce, including AD operators, regulatory personnel who will oversee permitting and operations, and investors who will provide funding."
Li said the course is designed for people who already work in the anaerobic digestion industry; those who want to find out if anaerobic digestion is right for their operation, whether a farm, a wastewater plant or otherwise; and those who advise others on waste-management technologies.
The goal, he said, is to provide "a practical understanding of the digestion process and the means to address operational issues in the production of bioenergy from a wide range of feedstocks."
For the full release, click here.
Stretch Pastures in Drought Conditions
As the drought continues, cattle producers are asking how to stretch their pastures. Two major techniques may be pursued, according to Iowa State University Extension and Outreach beef program specialist Denise Schwab. One is to reduce the grazing pressure from the animal side, and the other is to supplement the amount of feed available.
"Animal grazing pressure can be reduced in two ways, reducing cow numbers through selective culling and weaning calves early," Schwab said. "Consider culling any cows with structural, health, reproductive or attitude problems. Early pregnancy checking with ultrasound may be another tool to help tighten the calving period and cull very late cycling, open cows."
Research has shown calves can be successfully weaned as young as 90 days or less, but consistently weaned at 100-120 days of age. Some of that success depends on giving one round of vaccinations to the calves prior to weaning, and creep feeding for 10-14 days prior to weaning. Weaning reduces the nutrient requirements of the cow 30%-50%, allowing for energy intake to go toward cow maintenance rather than milk production.
Creep feeding is another tool to reduce the feed requirements on the cow, but feed efficiency of creep feeding is extremely variable. Calves tend to be more efficient after weaning when fed directly.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Cattle Industry Summer Conference Under way
Hundreds of cattle producers are gathering in Denver, Colo., to help create direction for cattle industry programs at the 2012 Cattle Industry Summer Conference July 25-28.
More than 650 producers and other industry participants have preregistered for the event, which includes meetings of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA), Cattlemen's Beef Board (CBB), American National CattleWomen (ANCW) and National Cattlemen's Foundation. Among the purposes of the yearly conference is to create a framework for both checkoff and policy efforts on behalf of U.S. cattle producers for the 2013 fiscal year, which for NCBA and the CBB begins Oct. 1.
Keynote speaker at Thursday's Opening General Session is Jay Lehr, a futurist in agriculture, who will speak on "Mega Trends in Agriculture: Implications for the Beef Industry." At Friday's general session, CattleFax Senior Market Analyst Kevin Good will provide an overview of the cattle market, as well as describe how the drought is affecting the entire industry.
"This year's summer conference will provide a chance for producers to learn as well as a chance to lead," according to J.D. Alexander, a beef producer from Pilger, Neb., and NCBA president. "This is definitely a working session at which important strategies for future action are developed."
For more information and to listen to the Ag Minute, click here.
Insurance, ACRE Payments on Drought-stressed
Crops Will Vary
With much of the state's corn crop prospects deteriorated, producers have been contacting their crop insurance agents, examining their insurance policies and wondering how they might be compensated.
"It is very likely that between 88 and 92% of the state's corn acreage was insured," said Cory Walters, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture economist.
Producers who suspect they have a yield loss should contact their crop insurance agents for further instruction on their crop.
Due to the condition of the crop, many producers will likely receive some type of crop insurance payment. Payments will vary, depending on a producer's coverage level, insurance type and unit type. By examining the schedule of insurance in their policies, producers can review their insurance decisions. Due to the various decisions associated with a Multiple Peril Crop Insurance policy, Walters estimated that crop insurance premiums cost Kentucky producers somewhere between $7 and $20 per acre.
"Higher coverage levels imply a higher bushel guarantee and therefore a higher possibility of payments," Walters said. "Higher coverage levels have higher insurance premiums."
Revenue protection insurance is the most common type of insurance policy. Each policy will have a revenue guarantee. Guarantees vary among producers depending upon the percentage of the crop they insured, their actual production history and whether they elected to use the harvest price or the projected harvest price to calculate a potential payment. Payments are triggered when a producer's yield multiplied by the national price is less than their revenue guarantee.
For the full release, click here.
AFBF: Report Shows Real Harm of Estate Taxes
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) it concurs with a Joint Economic Committee (JEC) report that details the financial harm posed by estate taxes on family businesses. The JEC, a bipartisan committee composed of members from the House and Senate, issued its report, "Costs and Consequences of the Federal Estate Tax," earlier today.
According to the report, there are extensive costs associated with the estate tax in terms of the dissolution of family businesses, slower growth of capital stock and a loss of output and income over time. This can be particularly hard on farm families, who own 98% of the nation's 2.2 million farms.
"With the average age of a farmer being 58 years old, the estate tax creates even a steeper barrier for young farmers and ranchers to take up the profession at a time when farming is already difficult to enter," said AFBF President Bob Stallman.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Texas Animal Health Commission Announcement:
Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) veterinarians have conducted numerous investigations for vesicular lesions in horses and Vesicular Stomatitis (VS) has not been diagnosed in Texas. We encourage horse owners and veterinarians to continue to report suspicious symptoms in susceptible species to the TAHC. For more information about VS, visit www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahss/equine/vsv/.
Addition of Microloans to Operating Loans Applications Lauded
The National Farmer's Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson submitted comments today to the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), commending the agency's proposed modifications to the Operating Loan (OL) application, which would create a new microloan (ML) category to provide flexible capital to farmers requiring operating loans of $35,000 or less. Johnson hailed the new category's particular benefit to beginning farmers and ranchers.
"NFU members believe that the ability of the next generation of family farmers to continue to produce food and fiber is critical to the economy, health and security of our nation and local communities," said Johnson. "In order to address this critical concern, the necessary programs must be in place and funded to meet the unique needs and barriers facing beginning farmers and ranchers, with special emphasis on returning military veterans, and ensure they can enter and sustain farming or ranching as a viable livelihood."
The proposed ML modifications would also streamline and simplify applications to ensure candidates do not spend excessive amounts of time on their paperwork.
"The proposed modifications to the yield reporting requirements will prevent diversified farmers growing a wide variety of produce, for example, from demonstrating inaccurate yields," said Johnson. "Additionally, decreasing the collateral requirement from 150% of the loan amount to 100% effectively secures the loan while allowing farmers with limited assets to access credit."
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