News Update
November 7, 2013
USDA Invests in Research
to Convert Beetle-killed Trees
into Renewable Energy
The USDA announced Nov. 6 it has awarded nearly $10 million to a consortium of academic, industry and government organizations led by Colorado State University (CSU) and their partners to research using insect-killed trees in the Rockies as a sustainable feedstock for bioenergy. The award, provided under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), is part of USDA’s effort to develop modern solutions for climate challenges in agriculture and natural resource management. AFRI is provided under the farm bill, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack highlighted the need for passage of a comprehensive, long-term Food, Farm and Jobs Bill to continue groundbreaking agricultural research across the nation.
“Infestations of pine and spruce bark beetles have impacted over 42 million acres of U.S. forests since 1996, and a changing climate threatens to expand the threat from bark beetle on our forest lands,” said Vilsack. “As we take steps to fight the bark beetle, this innovative research will help take the biomass that results from bark beetle infestation and create clean, renewable energy that holds potential for job creation and promises a cleaner future for America. This is yet another reminder of the critical investments provided by the farm bill for agricultural research, and I urge Congress to achieve passage of a new, long term Food, Farm and Jobs Bill as soon as possible.”
Vilsack noted that the funding for this research is provided by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the AFRI — a 2008 Farm Bill program — and reiterated the critical need for passage of a new Food, Farm and Jobs Bill that adequately invests in groundbreaking agricultural research.
For more information and audio, please view the full release here.
Ninety-two New Exhibitors Keep
Nebraska Power Farming Show Fresh
With 92 new exhibitors set to make their debut at the 2013 Nebraska Power Farming Show, attendees are guaranteed to see many exciting new ag products and services. The new additions drive the total number of ag-related exhibitors presenting at the show to more than 1,000, making it the second largest indoor farm show in the United States.
New equipment companies attending the 2013 show include: Bigham Brothers, BLU-JET, Calmer Corn Heads, Capello Corn Heads, Chandler Equipment, CL Fabrication, Diamond Mowers, GEI Inc., Jesse Company, Kongskilde Industries, MDS Mfg. Co., Midwestern Equipment, Mustang, Niffty Ag, Turbosaw, and VRTS System.
“It’s important that we keep the lineup of exhibitors fresh so each year farmers continue to see and learn about all the best and latest ag products and services that are available,” said Tom Junge, co- director of the Nebraska Power Farming Show. “We also want farmers to see real equipment at the show, not just literature, which is why we keep adding equipment companies that are bringing exciting new products to market.”
In addition to the many big ag brands that present each year, the Nebraska Power Farming Show also offers smaller innovative companies an opportunity to launch new products. Leading Edge Industries plans to unveil a new product at the show that allows farmers to load their grain trucks precisely and remotely from the cab of their truck. CL Fabrication will introduce its EZ-Puller XL-PRO Skid Steer Tree Puller and multi-purpose grasping tool. Eck Fabrication will introduce a new patent-pending product called Chem-blade, which opens and thoroughly rinses chemical jugs/bags when pouring them into an inductor tank.
For a complete list of exhibitors or to learn more about other new products that will be introduced at the 2013 Nebraska Power Farming Show, please visit www.nebraskapowershow.com.
Western Sustainable Ag Crops and Livestock Conference
Dec. 7 at Ogallala: Using Cover Crops in Western Nebraska
“Using cover crops in western Nebraska” is the theme for the Annual Western Sustainable Ag Crops and Livestock Conference set for Dec. 7 at Ogallala.
Speakers with decades of experience in sustainable, organic and holistic agricultural operations will share their expertise in using cover crops, as well as vegetable growing, grazing management, wheat breeding, and the impact of bees on food production. The conference will take place at the Ogallala Extended Campus Mid-Plains Community College, 512 East B Street, South, from 8:45 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Preregistration is due by Nov. 27. To download a brochure and registration form, go to http://ckb.unl.edu. For more information about the conference or exhibitor booths, contact Extension Educator Karen DeBoer at the UNL Extension Office in Sidney; telephone 308-254-4455; email: kdeboer1@unl.edu.
Sponsors include University of Nebraska Extension, Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society (NSAS) and Organic Crop Improvement Association Nebraska Chapter 2.
Keynote speaker Dale Strickler’s topic is “Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery: Looking to the Short Grass Prairie for Inspiration.” Strickler, agronomist with Star Seed Kansas, will share his 25 years of experience working with farmers and ranchers in the Great Plains from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border on forage systems and cover cropping.
Strickler started cover cropping on rented ground in 1988. He bought his first farm in 2000 and converted it from a furrow-irrigated corn farm to a subsurface drip irrigated, management intensive grazing operation. Cover cropping has become an integral part of his operation, and that of many of the farmers he works with.
Strickler will discuss how integrating cover crops into a cropping system can improve soil health and decrease input costs. For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
2013 Show Star Series Deemed
a Great Success by Parents, Youth
Nearly 250 aspiring showring stars and their parents attended the recent 2014 Show Star Series training in Nacogdoches.
As in previous years, the event was hosted at the Nacogdoches County Expo Center and teaches youth the basics, as well as the finer points of livestock exhibiting, said Aaron Low, AgriLife Extension agent for Cherokee County and program planner.
Learning to show livestock by trial and error can be an expensive venture, Low said. “We want to get them started off on the right foot without it costing them an arm and a leg,” he said.
The best measure of an event’s success is the praise it has received from attendees, he said.
“My son did not know much about showing until we attended our first Show Star Series three years ago,” said Jennifer Reynolds, Angelina County 4-H parent. “In the two days that we were there, he gained a lot of knowledge about showmanship, bathing, feeding and anatomy — and so did we!
“The one-on-one interaction between the people teaching and the kids is just what the kids need. My son learned quite a lot about showmanship and has won several buckles due to the series. We look forward to attending the clinic each year, and we have met several good people who are now our friends. Thanks to all the county extension agents who take time out to do this. You are great mentors to our kids.”
“We voted as a committee to pay for any 4-H member wishing to attend this worthwhile clinic,” said Jan Windham, Shelby County Ag Livestock Coalition member.
“The East Texas Show Series is a great opportunity for Bayer Animal Health, a global provider of Livestock Animal Health Care solutions, to assist in the agricultural education of students at a local community level,” said Jay Quade, regional sales/business manager with Bayer and one of the program sponsors. “Today’s youth are the future of our agricultural industry, and Bayer Animal Health is excited to assist the ETSSS team in further educating prospective leaders of the food animal production industry at such a great event.”
For more information, please view the full release here.
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