News Update
October 31, 2013
Farm Bill Conference Committee Meets
National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement upon the 2013 Farm Bill Conference Committee holding its first public meeting today:
“I am pleased that the conference committee has begun to officially meet. It is encouraging that the ball is now rolling and we are closer to a final bill than we have been in the past two years.
“We have met with many of the members of the conference committee and their staff. We told them that we need to maintain permanent law, establish fixed reference prices for commodity programs, enact an inventory management tool as part of the dairy safety net, provide $900 million in mandatory funding for renewable energy efforts, oppose unnecessary legislative changes to the country-of-origin Labeling law, and include adequate funding levels for the Farmers Market and Local Foods Promotion Program.
“I urge the members of the 2013 Farm Bill Conference Committee to keep in mind that this legislation impacts all Americans. There is a need for certainty for U.S. family farmers, ranchers, fishermen, rural residents and hungry Americans. The farm bill must be completed this year.”
NMSU’s Ranch Management Series Focuses on Restocking Strategies for Ranchers
The well-received rains across much of New Mexico in August and September have improved rangeland conditions and optimism in the ranching community. While most would agree that there is uncertainty as to whether the drought has subsided, ranchers are cautiously strategizing options to restock New Mexico rangelands.
“As the growing season comes to a close, most ranchers across the state will be playing ‘a different hand of cards’ than the last few years, since most ranchers have grown some grass with the late season rains. The largest wildcard is determining how to play out the winter season from a resource- and cattle-management standpoint,” said Manny Encinias, Extension beef cattle specialist for New Mexico State University (NMSU) Cooperative Extension Service.
The second annual Ranch Management Series in northeastern New Mexico, hosted by the NMSU Cooperative Extension Service, is focused on providing ranchers with tools and discussion platforms to assess range readiness, winter nutrition, risk management and restocking options for their ranches.
The series began in late October focused on providing ranchers with tools, methods and criteria to determine how well their rangelands have responded to late summer rains.
The November series, slated for Nov. 13 in Roy and Nov. 14 in Tucumcari, will be focused on evaluating risk management strategies when buying and selling cattle.
“Short supplies of live cattle and continued high demand for U.S. beef are keeping the cattle market strong,” Encinias said, “but it is making the initial investment of buying cattle to restock a little more challenging without a risk management or marketing plan.”
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Stream and Land Stewardship Workshop Slated for Nov. 8 in Austin
A Stream Health and Land Stewardship Workshop will be hosted from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Travis County East Service Center, 6011 Blue Bluff Road in Austin. Check-in for the program will be from 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m.
The program is being presented by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Lower Colorado River Authority, Colorado River Land Trust, Taylor Soil and Water Conservation District and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
“The workshop is designed to help landowners understand how to they might better manage their land and make the most of natural resources, including water resources,” said Julie Ansley, AgriLife Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources, Travis County. “We’ll have experts presenting topics related to best management practices for maintaining soil, water and wildlife habitat.”
Ansley said the workshop will also address benefits of having and properly caring for streams and riparian areas, as well as funding opportunities for landowners who follow conservation land-management practices.
Program topics and speakers include Riparian Habitat Management, Garry Stephens, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; Noxious Plant Management, Barron Rector, AgriLife Extension range specialist; Land Management Programs and Landowner Opportunities, Jeremy Hasty, NRCS; and Bobby Humphrey, Lower Colorado River Authority and Rob Stroup, Colorado River Land Trust.
Two Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units in the general category will be available to workshop attendees.
Registration is $20 and includes lunch and refreshments. To register, go to http://agriliferegister.tamu.edu and enter “Riparian” in the search box.
Attendees must preregister for the workshop. The deadline for registration is Nov. 5.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Forage Quality Among Topics at Women’s Ag Conference
Women will learn how to test hay for moisture and analyze its nutrient content at the “Pearls of Production: Women in Agriculture” conference, Nov. 8-9 in Columbia.
University of Missouri (MU) Extension specialists Amie Schleicher and Valerie Tate will talk about forage on Saturday morning.
The conference covers beef, swine, goat and sheep production topics. There will be classroom and networking opportunities, as well as hands-on breakout sessions.
Forage management is key to farm profitability, Schleicher said. She and Tate will talk about plant identification and growth, forage fertility, weed management and cover crops.
They will show how to use pasture-monitoring tools such as grazing sticks, rising plate meters and feed readers. Participants will learn how to take soil samples and interpret the results.
The MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, Lincoln University Cooperative Extension, and MU Extension host the annual event.
Sign-in on Nov. 8 starts at 8:30 a.m. at the MU Bradford Research Center, east of Columbia.
On the second day, breakout sessions will take place at MU farms in Boone County. The beef session is at the MU Beef Farm. Pork will be in the Swine Teaching Barn at MU South Farm. Small ruminants and forage sessions are at Bradford.
The $100 registration fee includes meals featuring new beef and pork products. Breaks and educational texts are also included. For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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