News Update
July 21, 2014
USDA Provides Aid to 73,000 Rural Californians Impacted by Drought
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced July 18 that the USDA is providing $9.7 million in emergency water assistance to 73,000 residents in 11 California counties experiencing the driest year on record.
“This drought is devastating to those who live, work and raise their families in much of rural California,” Vilsack said. “It is threatening the survival of whole communities and livelihoods of folks throughout the state. From Siskiyou County in the north to Kern County in the south, this disaster is crippling communities up and down the 600-mile spine of California.
“The emergency water grants we are announcing today (July 18) are triple the amount we committed to when President Obama and I visited the state earlier this year,” Vilsack added. “I am proud of the work USDA Rural Development staff in California and Washington, D.C., have done to get this funding to those in need and the work they have done with municipal leaders in these rural communities to help residents, businesses and agricultural producers.”
Extreme weather, such as the intense drought occurring in the western United States, is putting a strain on water supplies. The Obama administration is committed to increasing investments in the nation’s water infrastructure to mitigate the impact of climate change and to ensure that all Americans have adequate, safe and reliable water supplies. The National Climate Assessment released earlier this year illustrates the impact of climate change across the country.
The 25 rural California communities are being helped by funding provided through USDA’s Emergency Community Water Assistance Grant (ECWAG) program. This program helps rural communities that have experienced a significant decline in the quantity or quality of drinking water due to an emergency. In January, USDA streamlined the program’s application process to expedite emergency water assistance to communities in need, particularly in drought-impacted areas.
For example, the small community of Cameron Creek Colony in Tulare County is struggling due to severe drought. About 10% of its residents have no access to water because their wells have run dry. Others have only intermittent access.
The city of Farmersville, Calif., is receiving a $500,000 ECWAG grant to construct pipelines connecting Cameron Creek Colony to the Farmersville water main and linking residents to the water system. This will provide much-needed relief throughout the community.
For more information please view the full release here.
Local Communities Benefit from Ag Literacy Mini-Grants
The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has awarded 11 $500 mini-grants to communities across the nation. The grants are awarded through the Foundation’s White-Reinhardt Fund for Education program.
The grants are allocated through county and state Farm Bureaus and are used to create new agricultural literacy projects or expand on existing agricultural literacy efforts.
Criteria for selecting winners included the effectiveness of demonstrating a strong connection between agriculture and education; how successfully the project enhances learner engagement in today’s food, fiber and fuel systems; and the processes and timelines for accomplishing project goals.
“The mini-grant program was developed to help Farm Bureau members provide free tools to share with educators in their communities,” said Julie Tesch, executive director of the Foundation. “Our primary overall goal is to help teach young rural and urban students about the importance of agriculture and the vital role it plays in our everyday lives.”
The White-Reinhardt Fund for Education is a project of the Foundation in cooperation with the American Farm Bureau’s Women’s Leadership Committee. The fund honors two former committee chairwomen, Berta White and Linda Reinhardt, who were trailblazers in early national efforts to expand the outreach of agricultural education and improve agricultural literacy.
Free Beef Quality Assurance Training Scheduled July 29 in Overton
Beef producers can get free training to help them become more competitive in the industry by attending a Texas Beef Quality Producer (TBQP) program in Overton, Texas, July 29 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Overton.
The program will begin at 10 a.m., and a complimentary lunch will be served.
The training covers Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) principles, industry updates, recordkeeping, environmental stewardship and proper management practices associated with genetic selection, cattle handling, culling, vaccination, drug use and more.
Participants should RSVP by calling 1-800-242-7820 ext. 192, or email rsvp@tscra.org.
The TBQP program is a collaborative effort of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA), the Texas Beef Council (TBC) and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
The TBQP Program is sponsored by Zoetis.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
NMSU to Host Workshop at Valles Caldera
on Cow Reproduction Management
The fourth session of the New Mexico State University (NMSU) educational series at Valles Caldera National Preserve will be Wednesday, July 30. The free workshops, cohosted by NMSU Cooperative Extension Service and the Valles Caldera National Preserve, will focus on livestock, wildlife and range monitoring. On July 30, Marcy Ward, NMSU Extension livestock specialist, will discuss the value of reproductive management.
“The information provided during the workshop will show the economic and health benefits of reproductive management,” Ward said of the program.
Participants will get a demonstration of how to use ultrasound to determine pregnancy. “Also, preliminary research findings from an estrous-synchronization protocol being conducted at the Valles Caldera will be shared,” Ward said. The workshop will be from 1 to 3 p.m. at the national preserve.
Participants are asked to meet at the preserve’s staging area, located two miles off the State Highway 4 main entrance. Future workshops will be hosted in August and September.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Panhandle Ranch Management Set Aug. 18 in Amarillo
“Panhandle Ranch Management” will be presented Aug. 18 by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offices in Potter, Randall, Armstrong and Oldham counties.
The free program will begin with registration at 9 a.m., include lunch and conclude by 3 p.m. It will be at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 6500 Amarillo Blvd. West, Amarillo.
Three Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units — two general and one drift — will be offered.
Those planning to attend should RSVP to 806-373-0713 by Aug. 14, said Nathan Carr, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent for Potter County.
For more information, contact one of these AgriLife Extension offices and agents: Potter County, Carr, 806-373-0713; Oldham County, Austin Voyles, 806-267-2692; Armstrong County, Dustin Sanders, 806- 226-3021; and Randall County, J. D. Ragland, 806-468-5543.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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