News Update
October 10, 2012
New Pasture Grazing Topics Set for
Lake Ozark Meeting, Nov. 5-6
New ideas for pastures will be discussed at the Missouri Forage and Grassland Council (MFGC) meeting, Nov. 5-6 at Lake Ozark, Mo.
Topics include updates on new nontoxic tall fescue available to replace drought-stricken pastures, supplemental feeding on pasture and multispecies grazing.
Grazing sheep and cattle together will be explained by Joe and Hoss Hopping of Hopping Bros. Livestock, Wagoner, Okla. They manage 600 ewes with 150 cows or 200 to 225 stocker calves. "We made lots of mistakes," Joe said. "We started with goats, but now sheep are our main deal. They make money."
The cattle eat grass, but sheep eat weeds and brush. "We thought only goats would do that," Joe added.
The MFGC program features farmers as well as University of Missouri (MU) and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) specialists.
Craig Roberts, MU Extension forage specialist, will talk about managing fescue toxicosis and follow with updates on novel-endophyte fescue.
Justin Sexten, MU Extension beef nutritionist, will explain the advantages of feeding supplements on pasture vs. pasture only.
Abner Womack, founder of the MU Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, will review "Impact of Economic Climate on Farm Prices."
Nitty-gritty topics include flexible fencing by Ian Kurtz of Ozark, Mo., and how to grow grass with less nitrogen fertilizer by Mark Kennedy of Houston, Mo. He is an NRCS grassland conservationist. Kurtz, formerly with NRCS, now consults on grassland farming.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Study Finds No Volatile Chemical Residues in U.S. Soybeans
When a Japanese soy importer found higher-than-allowed residues of a fungicide in a small shipment of U.S. soybeans, it was up to the U.S. soy industry to demonstrate that the discovery was an isolated incident.
The industry did just that, thanks to a study funded by the United Soybean Board (USB).
"We fund studies that support the sale of U.S. soybeans around the world," says Dwain Ford, USB director and soybean farmer from Kinmundy, Ill. "In this case, because USB partners in Japan had a full agricultural chemical analysis of the 2011 U.S. soybean crop in hand, they were able to assure the Japanese importer that this was a unique occurrence and avoid a trade disruption with our third-largest export market."
The USDA Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) conducted the analysis, which has been funded by USB's Global Opportunities program.
Using statistically representative export samples of the most recent crop, this study analyzed the soybeans to determine if more than the allowable levels of agricultural chemical residues exist.
Remaining consistent with past years, the analysis of the 2011 crop showed no violations of agricultural-chemical-residue levels in U.S. soybean exports.
Further results show that the fungicide detected in this instance has never shown up in a GIPSA analysis of U.S. soybeans.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Ground Beef Recalled Due to Possible Contamination
A Macon County meat packing plant has voluntarily recalled approximately 90 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with bacteria.
Stewart Bros. of Decatur, Ill., issued its recall because the products were made from beef trim potentially contaminated with E.coli that was subject to another recall announced by the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Sept. 28.
The products were produced Sept. 12 and distributed to local restaurants. Their packaging bears the Stewart Brothers establishment number of 447 inside an Illinois seal of inspection and was stamped with a code of 255 or 256.
E. coli is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. The elderly, very young and persons with weak immune systems are most susceptible to foodborne illness. However, the Illinois Department of Agriculture has received no reports of illness associated with consumption of this meat. Persons concerned they may have contracted a foodborne illness should call a doctor.
Consumers with questions about this recall should contact the company's representative, Jeff Stewart, at 217422-7741 or the Illinois Department of Agriculture at 217-782-6684.
Rumen-Fluid-Based Analysis Gives Ranchers
More Definitive Source of Best-Digested Forages
A laboratory test using beef cattle rumen fluid can pinpoint which forages will be best utilized by Texas livestock, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist.
Tony Provin, who leads the Texas A&M Soil and Forage Testing Laboratory in College Station, gave beef cattle producers at a Brazos County workshop a firsthand look at Invitro True Digestibility analysis, which gives ranchers "a truer picture" of the digestibility of warm season grasses consumed by cattle.
"This test is determined by the actual cattle rumen fluid," Provin said. "We put that (rumen fluid) in with a sample and incubated.
"The advantage of this method is that it gives us a true picture of digestibility of warm-season forages dominating Texas that are fed to our feeder calves and non-dairy animals. What this will do for our cattlemen is provide them with great information on when to supplement or not supplement, which directs their feed dollars and their bottom line."
Provin said the rumen fluid is added to an unknown forage sample and incubated for 48 hours. The remaining material is considered non-digestible, giving an indication of what portion of nutrition the forage is available to the animal, Provin said.
"The wet chemistry method takes days, but many producers don't have a week or more to wait on laboratory analyses, particularly in drought years when hay is bought and fed nearly the same day," Provin said.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Nebraska Pasture Walk Thursday Near
Emerald-Denton Highway
Another pasture walk has been scheduled for Oct. 11 at 5:30 p.m., reports the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society (NSAS).
The walk will take place at the Troy Kash-Brown farm. Troy lives on the Northeast corner of West Van Dorn & SW 84th (55A Spur) Emerald/Denton Highway. He is grazing 12 paddocks that are about equal size (2.3 acres each). Water is available through hydrants in a central piping system. Cost share is being received from Natural Resources and Conservation Service (NRCS) on the water system and some interior fence. Property line fence consists of 7-wire high-tensile (HT) fence and 4-wire HT interior with tape gates.
Livestock grazing at this time consists of one Jersey/Holstein milk cow nursing three calves and 36 replacement doe milk goats averaging six months old. Forages run the gambit from alfalfa, clover, crown vetch to goldenrod, pine trees and thorny locust. Grasses are cool to warm season.
Come enjoy a walk on "development view farm" in the first year of grazing animals here in 22 years. Also, please bring along any tricks of the trade or gadgets that you have found or created to help make fencing easier. You can also bring along any ideas or gadgets that haven't worked for you.
For more information, contact Kash-Brown at 402-202-5686 or Dave Welsch at 402-826-5361.
Farmers Urged to Take Precautions Against EHD in Cattle
State animal health officials are urging cattle producers to take preventative measures to keep their herds healthy after a recent outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) has been spreading among deer in Wisconsin. The deadly virus is commonly spread by biting midges and black flies that primarily affect deer, but can also infect cattle and other ruminants.
"So far we haven't seen any cases of EHD in Wisconsin cattle, but until we have a hard freeze to kill the midges and flies, the virus is still a potential threat to our cattle population," said State Veterinarian Robert Ehlenfeldt.
He says signs of EHD in cattle include fever, ulcers in the mouth and gums, swollen tongue, excessive salivation, and lameness or stiffness when walking. Death loss is uncommon in cattle and there is no evidence that the EHD virus can infect humans.
Ehlenfeldt recommends that cattle farmers use insect control as a preventative measure to reduce the risk of having cattle that become infected.
The wild whitetail deer population is experiencing the disease at high levels throughout the Midwest. Eight Wisconsin counties have confirmed cases of the disease, which can kill an infected deer within seven days. EHD is more common in southerly states, but there have been previous outbreaks in Wisconsin.
Purdue Website a Resource for Growers with Moldy Corn
Farmers dealing with moldy corn from the summer drought can find helpful identification and management information at a Purdue Extension website that focuses specifically on corn mold problems.
The Managing Moldy Corn website, www.purdue.edu/cornmold, was created in 2009 to help with mold problems related to late rains and a delayed harvest, but has been updated because of this year's drought.
"It's a one-stop shopping approach, a Web resource, for farmers with moldy corn," said Jim Mintert, interim director of Purdue Extension. "It gives very good information about identifying and managing the problem. From a marketing standpoint, animal nutrition in feeding that grain and managing storage of moldy corn; it's all there."
Corn molds, especially Aspergillus ear rot, have been found in fields across Indiana this harvest season.
"Aspergillus ear rot is more problematic this year than other years because of the hot, dry weather of the drought," said Kiersten Wise, Purdue Extension field crops disease specialist. "Corn planted early in the spring was stressed during pollination and throughout the growing season, and these are the conditions that favor infection by the fungus that causes Aspergillus ear rot."
Because Aspergillus ear rot is the most common mold problem this year, there is increased concern surrounding aflatoxin, a carcinogen produced by the Aspergillus fungus that can cause health problems in livestock. Grain purchasers often reject or pay lower prices for corn that tests positive for aflatoxin, so it's possible more farmers will be claiming their crops as total losses this year.
Farm/Ranch Transition Planning Classes Set
Do you want to design an orderly, successful transition plan for your farm/ranch business? Are you uncertain about how to choose the successor or successors who are best suited to continue your business into the future? Are you concerned about the financial impacts and tax consequences of your transition plan? What are the best tools/strategies to create this plan?
These are just a few of the questions that will be answered at the farm/ranch transition planning workshop series the North Dakota State University Extension Service is hosting on Nov. 29 and Dec. 6 and 13. The sessions will run from 6:15 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. CST and 5:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. MST at the following locations across the state.
For more information and the full release, click here.
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