News Update
August 19, 2013
Orr Beef Research Center
Field Day Scheduled for Sept. 18
The annual Orr Beef Research Center Field Day will begin at 5 p.m. Sept. 18, at the John Wood Agricultural Center on State Highway 104 in Perry. Speakers from the University of Illinois (U of I) will lead discussions that address research, current topics and situations producers are facing on farms. A meal will be served at no charge to those who take part in the discussions and tour.
“Although this year has seen more rainfall and fewer production challenges, producers still continue to face higher input costs and smaller margins,” said U of I Extension beef specialist Travis Meteer. “This field day will equip producers with the newest research findings, applicable management strategies and practical knowledge to help increase profits in their cattle operation.”
At the field day, U of I cow-calf researcher Dan Shike and U of I graduate research assistants will update attendees on the newest research. Topics will include new methods of alkaline treatment applied to corn stover to increase use of the poor-quality forage, grazing novel endophyte fescue grasses, and fetal programming with two levels of dried distillers’ grains with solubles (DDGS). Graduate students will also discuss some on-farm trials investigating frequency of supplementation when cows are grazing during the summer slump and the effects of grazing corn residue on soil.
Meteer will discuss supplementing dry matter and energy on lush spring pastures, as well as current and future research projects at the Orr Research Center. He said that speakers will be happy to address any questions from producers during the evening event.
A tour of the Orr Center will be given immediately following the discussion. Producers will have the opportunity to view facilities, cattle and pastures. A freeze-branding demonstration will be performed as well.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Controlling Volunteer Wheat an Important Step
In Protecting the Crop
The recent wet weather through much of Kansas has caused volunteer wheat to emerge and grow rapidly, said Jim Shroyer, Kansas State University (K-State) Research and Extension crop production specialist. Wet soil conditions may keep producers out of the fields for an extended period, or result in multiple flushes emerging, making it even more difficult than usual to control the volunteer.
To protect the state’s planted wheat crop, volunteer wheat must be controlled, Shroyer said. Volunteer wheat within a half-mile of a field that will be planted to wheat should be completely dead at least two weeks before wheat planting, he said.
Volunteer wheat that emerges during the summer and is still present when planted wheat emerges creates numerous problems for the crop. Shroyer and K-State Research and Extension entomologist, Jeff Whitworth, reviewed some of the most serious potential problems.
The most important threat from volunteer wheat is the wheat streak mosaic virus complex, which is carried by the wheat curl mite. In most cases, infection can be traced to a nearby field of volunteer wheat, although there are other hosts, such as corn, millet and many annual grasses, such as yellow foxtail and prairie cupgrass. Control of volunteer is the main defense against the wheat streak mosaic virus complex.
Another reason to control volunteer is that volunteer and other weeds use up large amounts of soil moisture, Shroyer said. When water storage is important, such as in summer fallow, volunteer must be destroyed.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Field day to feature 75 years of
‘Southern High Plains Agricultural Advancements’
A field day highlighting 75 years of research conducted by the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Texas A&M AgriLife Research will take place Aug. 29 west of Bushland.
Registration in the AgriLife Research Porter Building at the Conservation and Production Research Laboratory will begin at 8:15 a.m., with field tours at 9 a.m., according to Jerry Michels, AgriLife Research entomologist and co-chair.
The tours will be followed by a luncheon with featured speakers, a historical perspective and a forward-looking panel discussion with local agriculture experts in the afternoon, and a light evening meal, said Dave Brauer, USDA ARS research agronomist and co-chair.
Three Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units (CEU)— one integrated pest management and two general — will be offered. Producers are advised that TDA will no longer accept a driver’s license or Social Security number; a valid applicator license number must be provided to obtain CEUs, the co-chairs said.
Inside booths will include plant disease diagnostics by Ron French, AgriLife Extension plant pathologist, and Jacob Price, AgriLife Research associate.
Guest speakers at the lunch program will be Craig Nessler, AgriLife Research director from College Station, and Dan Upchurch, USDA ARS Southern Plains Area director from College Station, along with Caleb Pool of Amarillo, district representative for U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX).
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Online Program Teaches Veterinarians Small Business Basics
Veterinarians can strengthen their business knowledge and skills thanks to a program launched in partnership with Kansas State University (K-State).
Five courses and 25 video modules will be offered online to address topics like budgeting, recruiting and hiring new employees, improving client satisfaction, personal financial management and sales forecasting. The program targets veterinarians in rural areas.
The National Food Animal Veterinary Institute, based at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Mo., created the program with the help of faculty in K-State’s College of Business Administration, College of Veterinary Medicine and College of Agriculture. The veterinary institute fosters the development of large-animal veterinarians in the United States and is supported by Louisiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Michigan, Texas and Kansas.
“Kansas State University was a logical partner because of its location and participation in the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor; outstanding faculty; the operations at the Beef Cattle Institute; the strong support of Dr. Ralph Richardson, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine; and the large-animal programs in our region,” said Gary Clapp, a board member for the veterinary institute.
The program allows veterinarian practices to stay in business and turn a profit so that they can grow and hire more people, said J. Bruce Prince, professor of management.
“Veterinarians come out of school with really strong scientific and technical skills within the context of veterinary medicine, but sometimes they may lack the knowledge to run a small business, which is exactly what they will be doing,” he said.
It is critical that these businesses stay afloat because they help protect America’s food supply, said Kevin Gwinner, professor and head of the department of marketing.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Fall Session of Ranch Management University
set Oct. 28-Nov. 1 in College Station, Texas
New landowners interested in learning to manage their ranch’s resources while protecting the environment can do so during the annual Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Ranch Management University on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station.
The workshop is scheduled Oct. 28 through Nov. 1 at the TAMU Beef Center, 7707 Raymond Stotzer Parkway, said Larry Redmon, AgriLife Extension state forage specialist.
“Applying fertilizer based on soil test recommendations and using pesticides in accordance with the pesticide label are important parts of protecting our environment and valuable water resources,” Redmon said.
“Ranchers are important stewards of our state’s valuable natural resources, and we want to ensure new landowners get off to a good start. We do this with the goal of optimizing economic return while at the same time protecting the environment. This helps with our additional goal of producing safe food products.”
Registration is $500 and attendance is limited to the first 50 people who enroll. Slots will go fast, so he advised those interested to not wait to get registered. To register online and for more information, go to http://agriliferegister.tamu.edu and enter “ranch management” into the search window.
Redmon said the intensive five-day workshop is offered twice a year. This fall session will cover the fundamentals of soils and soil fertility, forage establishment, pasture management, and livestock and wildlife management. Grazing management, stocking rate and body condition scoring will be highlighted, and horse and small ruminant management presentations will be conducted.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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