With October's arrival, there are just three months left to 2007.
Did you accomplish all that you wanted to in the past year? Have you got
a plan for the year ahead? In this issue, popular columnist Noel
McNaughton shares an article (listed below) about the importance of
planning.
Likewise, BEEF Cow-Calf Weekly contributor Troy Marshall also
talks about planning and being progressive, saying, "I've long felt it
absolutely essential that, as managers, we must focus not only on making
incremental improvements to our product and production efficiencies, but
also embrace bold approaches to management and marketing." Read more of
his thoughts and share some of your own on the American Cowman
blog at blog.americancowman.com/community_blog/2007/10/08/getting-better-and-getting-radical/
In the meantime, we all better dig into our "to do" list for 2007,
because 2008 will soon be here.
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Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner has announced 23 grants
totaling $900,000 under the Farmers Market Promotion Program. The awards
will aid local governments, nonprofit and economic development
corporations and agricultural cooperatives in 16 states and the District
of Columbia. Funds will support projects that establish, expand and
promote farmers markets and other direct producer-to-consumer market
opportunities.
"Farmers markets are increasingly becoming a larger and more integral
part of our rural and urban communities," Conner said. "We support this
community spirit that helps increase farmer revenues, and provides
consumers with fresh, local farm products."
In this second year of funding, USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service
(AMS), which administers the program, will grant awards for the
following projects...To read the complete article, click on the
headline above.
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Life in the country can evoke some great emotions. Daphne Huffman
recently submitted two poems by her daughter, 17-year-old Kerrie
Huffman. Kerrie has been riding horses for the past 5 years, and when
she was just 15, she penned these two poems to capture how she felt.
Barn Feeling
By Kerrie Huffman, Virginia
The wide doorways
lead to the barn
The sweet smell
of hay hits you
but ever so gently
Listening to the many
conversations
between horses
and people
To read the complete poem, click on the headline above.
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Exchanged Glances
By Kerrie Huffman, Virginia
Hazel eyes meet brown eyes
Soft warm nose nuzzles small tan nose
Strong and fearless overpowers weak and nervous
Both as stubborn as can be
To read the complete article, click on the headline above.
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Over the next two months, many ranchers will wean their calves and
historically, the majority of calves are sold within 45 days of weaning.
Many calves in fact are sold and shipped on the day of weaning, a
practice that generally places more stress on the calves and results in
greater sickness and death loss.
Some producers favor this alternative because after they wean the
calves, they are done with them; and their stress level (not the calves)
is reduced.
However, it will likely result in an increase in your net income if you
will invest some time, animal health dollars, and feed into these calves
before they are sold and shipped. There have been several recent studies
conducted to evaluate the economics of pre-conditioning calves. To
read the complete article, click on the headline above.
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 University and farm proven to be reliable and persistent.
Let MaxQ tall fescue add more profit to your cattle operation.
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Corn harvest is nearly in full swing. When corn stalks become
available for grazing, several decisions need to be made. For starters,
how soon should you move cows to stalks?
Most years you probably should start grazing stalks as soon as possible.
The nutrient value of stalks declines the longer they are exposed to
weathering. Grazing stalks right away will put more condition on cows
and faster gains on young stock. To read the complete article, click
on the headline above.
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FMC Corp. has announced that Mustang Max insecticide has received
approval from the EPA for use on pasture and range grasses to control a
variety of insect pests, making it the first pyrethroid federally
registered for insect control in pasture and rangeland. The insecticide
has a zero-day postharvest interval (PHI), allowing producers to manage
herds more easily through rotational grazing. To read the complete
article, click on the headline above.
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For the first time in 29 years, student membership of the National
FFA Organization broke through the half million mark. This year, there
are 500,823 members in 7,358 FFA chapters across the United States,
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
"We are growing and steadily spreading our membership opportunities to
youth not only in rural areas, but urban and suburban towns as well,"
said Dr. Larry Case, chief executive officer and national advisor for
the National FFA Organization. "Because career opportunities in
agriculture and the food and fiber industries are diverse and plentiful,
FFA membership is appealing in all geographic areas."
The last time national FFA membership topped 500,000 was in 1978 with
507,108 members. To read the complete article, click on the headline
above.
If you'd like to read about how FFA impacted young people's lives, log
on to the American Cowman blog at blog.americancowman.com/community_blog/2007/10/08/ffa-going-strong/
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The National Cattlemen's Foundation (NCF) and Fort Dodge Animal
Health have announced a new scholarship program -- the Fort Dodge Animal
Health Legacy Scholarship. Through producer participation, Fort Dodge
Animal Health will sponsor five scholarships of $5,000 each.
Cattle producers can use their Fort Dodge Animal Health invoices to help
support this scholarship program -- in turn, helping cattle production
and cattle-producing families for the next generation. To read the
complete article, click on the headline above.
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I've read "middle age" is when you begin considering the number of
years you have left. I've also read men in their 50s are more conscious
of -- and worry more about -- their remaining time than men in their
60s and beyond.
It's as though an internal mechanism is triggered in our 50s to remind
us we've put off some important personal goals, and it's time to get
started.
In coaching farm and ranch folks, I've found they invariably have a
dream of what they'd like to do someday. It might be a trip, a community
project, learning a skill or helping in a third-world country.
Most, however, don't have a plan to realize it. They put it off until
they "get time" or "can afford it," not realizing most dreams are far
easier to achieve than they think. All that's needed is a plan.To
read the complete article, click on the headline above.
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For much of the U.S., it was a long, hot, and dry summer. As a
result, most pasture forages are low in quality, particularly protein.
If you are lucky enough to have stockpiled forage, crop aftermath, or
residual pasture -- even if it is low in protein and appears to have
little value --it should be considered for use. Dry, brown, and mature
forages can actually be a tremendous low-cost resource to help extend
the grazing season if protein can be strategically supplemented to cows.
To read the complete article, click on the headline above.
In his recent article, Dr. Ahola discussed the value of cull cows to
beef operations. He says, "A producer once told me: 'we spend all of our
time fighting tooth-and-nail to get another dollar or two on our calves,
and then we give away our culls.' I couldn't agree more." To read
the complete article, click on this link americancowman.com/business/consider-keeping-feeding-open-cows-2008/
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A new DVD from the Rural Landscape Institute has been developed to
assist new landowners in transitioning into Montana's rural way of life.
Titled the "Path to Eden," the DVD is designed to help landowners be
better able to make informed decisions central to Montana's communities,
wildlife, natural resources and ranching heritage. Pertinent topics such
as community relations, wildlife management, noxious weeds, water
rights, historic preservation, and responsible construction are all
addressed by Path To Eden.To read the complete article, click on the
headline above.
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 Gallagher has a field staff of 26 fencing professionals
willing to come to your farm or ranch to review your needs,
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Rotational grazing, predator problems, horse fencing or any fence
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Check out the Gallagher web site for the professional
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