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The Angus Journal Daily, formerly the Angus e-List, is a compilation of Angus industry news; information about hot topics in the beef industry; and updates about upcoming shows, sales and events. Click here to subscribe.

News Update

May 23, 2014

Offices Closed May 26, 2014

The American Angus Association and Angus Journal offices will be closed Monday, May 26, in observance of Memorial Day.

Antiquities Act Abuse, Obama Designates Half-Million Acre Monument

On May 21 President Obama signed a proclamation designating a new monument in southern New Mexico that will cover nearly a half-million acres, the largest monument designation Obama has made to date. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) opposes the decision. Contrary to the White House’s claim of rancher support, the designation encompasses 68% of public grazing lands and 9,000 head of cattle in Dona Ana County, threatening the livelihood of these family ranching operations.

Under the 1906 Antiquities Act, the president has power to declare monument designations, which often come with overreaching and restrictive management provisions in the name of environmental protections.

The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument is Obama’s 11th monument designation, a clear abuse of power with a designation of this size and scale, said New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association President and NCBA member Jose Varela Lopez.

“This is just another decision made by the administration driven from pressure by radical special-interest groups without the consideration of the negative impact on local economies or the will of local residents,” said Valera Lopez. “Our industry has operated on western rangelands for over a century in some areas creating and contributing to the very landscapes this monument claims to protect. Adding layers of red tape and regulation will only hinder ranchers’ ability to continue operating in the area, removing the people that care for and manage the range every day.”

Despite claims that grazing will continue within the monument boundaries, the proclamation excludes livestock grazing in the purposes section. This will give the managing agency the power to diminish or eliminate existing ranching operations in an effort to “protect” the land. Furthermore, if a rancher proposes a range-improvement project or any other activity that is determined to be in conflict, it will be disallowed, a far cry from the multiple-use concept under which these lands have been successfully managed, said Varela Lopez.

For more information, please view the full release here.

NFU Statement on House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations

On May 20 both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees marked up legislation for the 2015 fiscal year.

National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson previously submitted testimony to both the House and Senate subcommittees outlining a number of priorities, some of which were reflected in the draft legislation. NFU was also part of broad coalition letters that opposed any attempts to undermine country-of-origin labeling (COOL) or the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture’s authority to enforce the Packers and Stockyards Act.

“I commend House and Senate appropriators for leaving the COOL law alone. Consumers want to know the origins of their food and farmers and ranchers want to tell them. There’s no need to do harm to COOL,” said Johnson.

“It is concerning, however, that the House bill included a harmful rider that would allow abusive market behavior by livestock and poultry processors,” said Johnson. “NFU appreciates the outspoken opposition to this rider by Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, during the subcommittee markup and urge the full Appropriations Committee in the House to follow suit and remove it.”

The House bill cuts important funding from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, limiting the agency’s ability to implement reforms included in the 2010 Dodd-Frank law and protect farmers and other end-users from excessive speculation.

“NFU opposes the House’s attempt to rehash 2014 Farm Bill battles by cutting funding for farm bill energy and conservation programs. These programs were robustly debated throughout the long farm bill reauthorization process, and Congress’ actions must not be undermined through appropriations. I encourage the House to emulate the Senate’s more reasonable approach as the bill progresses,” said Johnson.


Wheat Nearing Critical Growth Stage, Time to Scout for Foliar Disease

Wheat in Ohio is nearing the critical growth stage, and with recent heavy rainfalls and the forecast calling for cooler temperatures over the next few days, growers should scout their fields for any indication of disease development, said a wheat expert from Ohio State University’s (OSU) College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

The rainy weather helps to create conditions favorable for foliar disease to develop, producing spores and new infections, said Pierce Paul, an OSU Extension wheat researcher.

The amount of moisture experienced recently favors significant foliar diseases that impact wheat crops near critical growing stages, said Paul, who is also a plant pathologist with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC).

Growers should be on the lookout for foliar diseases such as Septoria blotch and powdery mildew, Paul said.

“Septoria blotch, which is typically the first disease to show up, has already been reported in some fields,” he said. “Septoria favors high moisture and cooler temperatures, typically between 50° to 68°.”

Although scouting for foliar disease is critical for healthy yields, this year is even more significant as winter wheat production is forecast to decline 9% from last year to 1.4 billion bushels, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The agency said as of May 1, U.S. wheat yield is forecast at 43.1 bushels per acre, down 4.3 bushels from last year.

While earlier fungicide applications will provide adequate control of Septoria and powdery mildew, growers should first scout their fields to see how susceptible their crops are to the diseases, Paul said.

“Growers should walk their fields and look for disease, especially if the variety they are working with is susceptible,” he said. “They should look for Septoria and powdery mildew on the lower leaves.

“Septoria blotch will appear as dark, irregularly shaped lesions with black dots in the center. At this early stage, powdery mildew appears a fluffy white powdery growth on the surface of the leaves and lower stems.”

As most of the major foliar diseases usually develop and reach the flag leaf after the wheat growth stage known as Feekes 8-9, Paul said, the greatest benefits from foliar fungicide applications are obtained when they are made between Feekes 8 and 10, and cultivars are susceptible.

 
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