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I’m a bit disappointed that you saw it worth noting last week a
response from Barack Obama to the June 6 article, "Obama Vs. McCain
– What's The Difference." As I am sure you know, Obama never saw
or read the article he “responded” to. The last thing Obama has on
his mind is agriculture, beyond the ethanol producers in the Corn Belt
who populate his campaign team with personnel and money. On the other
hand, the windfall taxes he would like to impose on oil would seem to
fit nicely for corn and soybean growers who are also making record
profits.
As far as all of ag is concerned, they can consider a Marxist future
with Obama. Maybe this is a tempting theology for those who yearn for a
fair world but those of us who grew up in ag know that the world has
never been, or ever will be, fair.
Those who seek this illusion create an environment ripe for despotism.
Marxism and agriculture don’t do well together. History has proven
this.
Jerry Gunderson
Nevada
I read with interest Barack Obama’s remarks about ag, and my opinion
is that he’s got more bull than we do on our ranch.
Barb Brandyberry
Kansas
Apparently, Barack Obama found a staffer who could spell AGRICULTURE.
His response to questions at a town hall meeting earlier this year in
South Dakota were not too “ag savvy.” Unfortunately, as Troy
Marshall’s original article pointed out, neither candidate for U.S.
President has a good voting record for ag.
Just remember one thing: Obama is a NOT for horse processing. This
factor alone, plus many others, will keep me from voting for him.
C.J. Oakwood
Illinois
It sounds like Mr. Obama has the BS (not bad for a city boy) down
already. I believe that strengthening the USDA is his way of saying that
he is going to grow government. Just what we in the farming and ranching
business need – more government looking over our shoulder.
Mike Sagebiel
Texas
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While Canada is often thought of as an extension of the U.S. due to
the numerous similarities, it’s still eye opening to get a perspective
from outside our boundaries.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Troy Marshall
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Change, change, change. At times, it’s difficult to sit through
yet another presentation on change.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Troy Marshall
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The “Best of the Best,” Joplin Regional Stockyards’ (JRS)
annual fundraiser for Camp Barnabas, a Christian camp for kids and teens
with life-threatening illnesses and disabilities, is Aug. 9.
Set for the Missouri Entertainment & Event Center in Springfield, the
day includes the JRS “Best of the Best” calf-roping contest with the
top National Finals Rodeo qualifiers from 2007 vying for $100,000 in
prize money. In addition, “Whiplash” the cowboy monkey from Taco
John's television commercials, will display his herding prowess by
working sheep.
Also part of the day is a Cattle Industry College and Trade Show, which
includes a presentation by Mike Murphy of CattleFax on “Navigating The
Changing Business Environment.”
For more info, call 417-548-2333 or visit www.joplinstockyards.com.
-- JRS news release
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Exports of U.S. beef are continuing their upward trend, the U.S.
Meat Export Federation (USMEF) says. During the week of June 13-19, U.S.
beef export sales exceeded those for the same week in 2003 – the last
pre-BSE year – by 12%, reaching 14,700 metric tons (mt), or 32.4
million lbs. Beef export sales also exceeded the previous week in 2008
by 24%, although year-to-date exports still trail 2003 totals by nearly
39%.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
USMEF release
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The beef-cattle industry is well positioned to successfully compete
and thrive given record-high corn and energy costs, says economist Bill
Helming.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Bill Helming Consulting Services
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Congress returns next week after being gone this week for the July 4
recess. The House of Representatives will be in session until the end of
July and the Senate until the first week of August. Congress will then
recess for the August break and the Democratic and Republican national
conventions.
July is expected to be a busy month for appropriation bills. The Senate
Appropriations Committee plans to consider the fiscal year 2009 ag
appropriations bill in mid-July.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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The summer of 2008 may well be remembered as the year farmers stood
up to say “no” to falling prices and higher production costs. Or, at
least in Europe.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Meghan Sapp, Brussels, Belgium
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As if there weren’t enough competition for ethanol-production
coproducts, USDA Ag Research Service (ARS) scientists say preliminary
studies indicate distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) could
serve as a non-petroleum-based filler in plastics.
DDGS have a high fiber content and a molecular structure suitable for
binding, two attributes that make it a candidate as a filler in
plastics, says ARS ag engineer Kurt Rosentrater, based at the ARS North
Central Ag Research Lab in Brookings, SD. He conducted the research with
Robert A. Tatara of Northern Illinois University.
The researchers compressed molded blends of DDGS and phenolic plastic
resin (ranging from 0 to 90% DDGS) and found DDGS concentrations between
25 and 50% worked best as fillers in plastics. Fillers such as clay,
talc, glass, paper and metals are commonly used in plastics to increase
strength, and also to save costs by reducing the amount of actual
plastic resin used.
Using bio-based fillers such as bamboo, kenaf, corn stover, soybean
hulls or even chicken feathers is receiving increased attention as a way
to use less petroleum in plastic products. Thus both DDGS and
distiller's dried grains are candidates for use as biofillers for
plastics.
-- ARS News Service
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According to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia,
“opportunity cost” is defined as "the cost (sacrifice) forgone by
choosing one option over an alternative one that may be equally desired.
Thus, opportunity cost is the cost of pursuing one choice instead of
another. Every action has an opportunity cost."
Opportunity cost has always been a factor in ag budgeting, and one
frequently cussed and discussed over the years at feed mills, grain
elevators and anywhere else farmers gather. With accurately assessing
costs during the process of budgeting for cow-calf and feedlot-cattle
enterprises now at the top of many discussions, opportunity costs have
once again surfaced as a confusing and somewhat controversial issue.
Writing in the July 2 Beef Cattle Letter (beef.osu.edu/), Ohio State
University (OSU) Extension’s Stan Smith says the primary point of
discussion (argument) seems to revolve around how one might value feeder
calves that were home-raised with the expectation of finishing them on
the farm. Also, the value of homegrown corn, hay or other feedstuffs
frequently comes into question.
Some of us prefer to use the cost of production of the calves or
feedstuff as the basis for budgeting, even though the opportunity exists
to market those commodities for more than the cost of production. Simply
put, if one is to accurately account for the real value of the inputs
that were home-raised, the value at which the commodity could be sold
for on the open market, minus transportation and marketing costs, must
be the value used for the enterprise budget.
In the case of feeding homegrown feed to cattle, even though one might
have raised corn on the farm at a cost of production of $3.50/bu., if it
can be transported to the local elevator at a cost of 10¢/bu. and then
receive $7 cash for it, the value, or opportunity cost, of the corn
entered into the fed-cattle budget must be $6.90/bu. ($7 minus the 10¢
transportation cost).
It's much the same when valuing home-raised feeder calves as one
considers the pros and cons of retaining ownership and finishing them
out. Regardless of the cost to produce them, their value for budgeting
purposes is simply what they would bring in the marketplace, minus
transportation and marketing costs.
Don't be fooled by your neighbor when he suggests, " . . . I'll make
more because . . . I've already got them in the pasture, or in the barn,
or in the hay mow, or in the bin!"
-- Stan Smith, OSU Extension
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After a one-week respite, the U.S. average retail price for regular
gasoline climbed 1.6¢ to a new record high of $4.095/gal. Meanwhile,
the U.S. average retail diesel price dropped for the second consecutive
week, falling by .3¢ to $4.645, for the week ending June 30.
Gasoline was up everywhere but the West Coast, which saw a .4¢ drop to
$4.456. The East Coast added 1¢ to $4.057, the Midwest 3.5¢ to $4.031,
the Gulf Coast 0.9¢ to $3.928, and the Rocky Mountain region 3.2¢ to
$4.034. California was down 1.2¢ to $4.573.
For diesel, the East Coast, Midwest and Rocky Mountain regions
registered slight decreases – to $4.704, $4.571 and $4.638,
respectively. The Gulf Coast and West Coast rose slightly – to $4.604
and $4.817, respectively. California added 0.6¢ to hit $4.928.
-- Energy Info Administration
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Volatility in ag is the byword for this year, and the K-State Ag
Risk and Profit conference, Aug. 14-15 in Manhattan, will look at how
producers can manage the volatility and gain a competitive edge in the
market.
The conference will allow attendees to choose up to eight of the 19
breakout sessions. Sessions include topics such as Global Supply and
Demand; Can We Feed the World?; Are Traditional Risk Management Tools
Still Effective?; Livestock: Who Wins, Who Loses and Why?; Managing the
Threat of $8 Corn; and more.
Early registration is $195 for the first attendee from an organization
and $175 for the second or more if paid by Aug. 6. After that, the fee
is $220 for the first attendee and $200 for the second or more. For
info, go to wwwagmanager.info or contact
Rich Llewelyn at rvl@ksu.edu or
785-532-1504.
-- KSU release
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A Korean retailer, the first to make U.S. beef available for sale to
Korean consumers since the first shipments were cleared for consumption
on Monday, says demand has been steady. That’s despite weeks of street
protests against the reopening, AFP reports.
Chang-Gyu Park, who heads the Korea Import Beef Association, said he
sold 880 lbs. of U.S. beef on the first day from his A-MEAT outlet in
the Shihung district of southwest Seoul. Among his customers were the
prime minister, ardent fans of U.S. beef and curious shoppers, the
article says.
"U.S. beef sales -- at a 30% discount -- until July 30!" read a banner
over the shop. Park said his special discount price was a factor in
luring back customers. He said some 80 of the 200-member beef importers'
group would take part in the discount sale nationwide.
"I hope this will help spread the idea among South Koreans that U.S.
beef is safe. They ate it before, eat it now and will eat it in the
future," he said.
Choi Seung-Joon, 58, who bought 22 lbs. on Wednesday, said he had
“taken pains to come here to buy U.S. meat to show that there are
Koreans who do not believe in the politically motivated protests against
U.S. beef. I have relatives living in the U.S. I am eating the same
beef, which I am sure is OK, as they are doing."
But the Korea Herald reports that big retailers and supermarkets
have thus far said they won’t sell U.S. beef due to low customer
confidence and ongoing protests. Even McDonald's and Outback are
advertising that Australian beef is their fare.
Meanwhile, the Korea Herald also reports that the Korean
government will implement its new country-of-origin labeling (COOL)
system on beef starting next week. The new regulation, beginning in
December, will be applied to other meat such as pork and chicken, and
kimchi, as well.
The rule requires all restaurants, retailers and catering services to
check and notify customers of the origins of animals and meat they sell,
regardless of size. Currently, only restaurants and cafeterias that have
a floor size bigger than 100 square meters are obliged to clarify the
meat's country of origin.
The new labeling system will also make it mandatory for restaurants to
declare whether the meat is from premium Korean cows, regular meat
cattle or milk cows. It will be applied to hamburgers and meatballs.
-- Joe Roybal
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Prosecutors are expected to soon request that Korean broadcaster MBC
submit all materials from a program critics allege exaggerated the risks
of BSE associated with U.S. beef, and sparked nationwide protests, the
Korea Herald reports. The requested materials include roughly 870
minutes of original videotapes that contain interviews with experts and
patients, plus other English-language content used in their coverage,
which were edited to the 45-minute edition broadcast on April 29, the
article says.
The investigative news program, PD Notepad, carried two
installments, entitled "Is U.S. beef safe from risks of mad cow
disease?" on April 29 and May 13. They are believed to have fueled BSE
scares that have triggered two months of protests over the reopening of
the Korean market to U.S. beef and hobbled the fledgling Lee Myung-bak
administration.
The inquiry followed a June 20 complaint by Korea’s Ministry for Food,
Ag, Forestry and Fisheries. It accused directors of the MBC program of
having defamed government officials and negotiators engaged in the beef
import deal with Washington by distorting and inflating facts about the
unconfirmed risks of BSE.
"In order to unravel numerous suspicions surrounding the PD
Notepad reporting, we need to compare the original tapes with what
was actually broadcast," a prosecution official told reporters.
-- Korea Herald
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Midwest corn producers are reporting losses of around 1.2 million
acres to extensive rains and flooding in June, according to USDA’s
June 30 "Planted Acreage" report.
USDA’s National Ag Statistics Service (NASS) reported the losses after
re-interviewing 1,200 farmers June 23-25 in the flood-affected areas.
NASS says it will conduct a more extensive acreage update survey during
July. Findings from this study will be incorporated in the August "Crop
Production" report.
Corn planted area for all purposes is estimated at 87.3 million acres,
down 7% from last year. Despite the decrease, corn planted acreage is
the second highest since 1946, behind last year’s total of 93.6
million acres. Growers expect to harvest 78.9 million acres for grain,
down 9% from 2007. If realized, this would be the second highest since
1944, behind last year.
NASS reported that farmers increased corn plantings 1.31 million acres
from their March intentions. But planting got off to a slow start across
the Corn Belt, Ohio Valley and the northern half of the Great Plains as
frequent rainfall and cool temperatures in March and April prevented
spring planting preparations.
Producers were able to make rapid progress in May, particularly across
the upper Midwest and northern Great Plains. Farmers reported that 97%
of the intended corn acreage had been planted at the time of the survey
interview compared with the average of 98% for the past 10 years.
Meanwhile, soybean planted area for 2008 is estimated at 74.5 million
acres, up 17% from last year but 1% below the record-high acreage in
2006. Area for harvest, at 72.1 million acres, is up 15% from 2007.
Planted acreage increases are expected in all states.
The largest increase is expected in Nebraska, up 950,000 acres from
2007, followed by Illinois and South Dakota, both up 900,000 acres.
Increases of at least 800,000 acres are also expected in Indiana, Iowa
and Minnesota. If realized, the planted acreage in Kansas, New York and
Pennsylvania will be the largest on record. Nationally, farmers reported
that 79% of the intended soybean acreage had been planted at the time of
the survey interview, which is the lowest since 1996.
-- Elton Robinson, Farm Press
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The public comment period has closed for the State of Texas’
waiver request concerning the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has until July 24 to make a
decision on the waiver request.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) was joined by 50 congressmen urging EPA to
grant the Texas waiver request. In a letter to EPA, Goodlatte and others
stated, “By acting now to reduce the RFS mandate, the administration
can immediately impact the supply of corn that will be used for food or
feed and lessen the severe economic harm facing millions of
Americans.”
Organizations filing comments in support of a waiver include: State of
Texas, Environmental Working Group, Grocery Manufacturers of America,
National Chicken Council, National Pork Producers Council, National
Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Petrochemical Refiners
Association, and National Restaurant Association.
Among the organizations filing comments opposing the waiver are:
American Farm Bureau Federation, National Association of State
Departments of Agriculture, National Association of Wheat Growers,
National Biodiesel Board, National Corn Growers Association, National
Farmers Union, National Sorghum Producers, American Coalition for
Ethanol, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, and Renewable Fuels
Association.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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Ten U.S. senators called on Senate leaders to convene a bipartisan
summit of energy experts in an “effort to develop a plan for securing
America’s energy independence.” Among them are: Kent Conrad (D-ND),
Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Bob Corker (R-TN), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Johnny
Isakson (R-GA), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Ben Nelson
(D-NE), Mark Pryor (D-AR), and John Thune (R-SD).
The senators said, “Our hope is to hear from the best experts on
energy policy who can present an unbiased view of the most promising
approaches – including both enhanced conservation and increased
domestic fuel production – that can reduce gas prices, lessen our
dependence on foreign oil, and strengthen our economy.”
Conrad, who organized the effort, said, “Our country is in serious
danger because of skyrocketing energy costs. This growing crisis demands
urgent action, and we must be committed to coming together in a
bipartisan way to develop comprehensive energy legislation.”
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C.
correspondent
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“Living the Legacy: Transitioning Ranch Ownership and Management
to the Next Generation” is the theme of the 5th Annual HOLT CAT
Symposium on Excellence in Ranch Management. Set for Oct. 30-31 at Texas
A&M University (TAMU)-Kingsville, the program will stress the importance
of a smooth transition and consistent operation between generations.
Early registration is $150 until Oct. 17, and $200 thereafter.
The annual symposium is hosted each year by the King Ranch Institute for
Ranch Management, part of the university’s Dick and Mary Lewis Kleberg
College of Ag, Natural Resources and Human Sciences.
R.L. “Dick” Wittman of Wittman Consulting in Culdesac, ID is keynote
speaker. He manages an 18,000-acre family farm partnership in Idaho that
involves crops, cattle and timber, and provides consulting services and
seminars in family farm business and financial management. His
guidebook, “Building Effective Farm Management Systems,” is a
toolkit for commercial-size family farm businesses to define their
ultimate vision and establish a professional management and transition
process that will lead them to that goal.
In addition, a pre-symposium training session on livestock handling,
entitled “Stockmanship and Stewardship: Forgotten Skills of Cattle
Handling…And More,” will precede the HOLT CAT Symposium. Leading the
training session will be Curt Pate, effective stockmanship and
instructor livestock handling expert. The cost for the pre-symposium is
$50.
Participants may register for both events at krirm.tamuk.edu. Find more info by
calling 361-593-5401 or e-mailing krirm@tamuk.edu.
-- King Ranch Institute For Ranch Management
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A new University of Georgia (UGA) antimicrobial wash rapidly kills
Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 on foods ranging from
fragile lettuce to tomatoes, fruits, poultry and meats, UGA scientists
say. Made from inexpensive, readily available ingredients recognized as
safe by FDA, the technology is available for licensing from UGA Research
Foundation, Inc.
The combination of ingredients kills bacteria within 1-5 minutes of
application, and can be used as a spray and immersion solution. Its
concentration can be adjusted for treatment of fragile foods such as
leafy produce, more robust foods such as poultry, or food preparation
equipment and food transportation vehicles.
Currently, a chlorine wash is often used to reduce harmful bacteria
levels on vegetables, fruits and poultry, but due to chlorine's
sensitivity to food components and extraneous materials released in
chlorinated water treatments, many bacteria survive. Plus, chlorine is
toxic at high concentrations, may produce off-flavors and undesirable
appearance of certain foods, and can only be used with specialized
equipment and trained personnel. Chlorine also may be harmful to the
environment.
"We can't rely on chlorine to eliminate pathogens on foods," says
Michael Doyle, UGA Center for Food Safety director. "This new technology
is effective, safe for consumers and food processing plant workers, and
doesn’t affect product appearance or quality. It may actually extend
the shelf-life of some types of produce."
-- UGA release
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Inexpensive and abundant corn helped move the ethanol industry into
the alternative-fuels fast lane. With corn prices now at record highs,
demand outpacing supply and crop losses inevitable with the Midwest
floods, ethanol production could soon be stalled, says Chris Hurt, a
Purdue University Extension ag economist.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this
story by Purdue University
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Keeping the ranch in the family is one of the most important
long-term goals for many operations. A seminar on basic estate planning
tools will help families make the sometimes difficult decisions on how
to do just that.
The Texas A&M University Ranch Estate Planning Seminar, Aug. 6-7 in
College Station, will offer an in-depth look at estate-management
planning tools, such as wills, living trusts, use of partnerships and
corporations, special-use land valuation, and more. Registration is
$125/person. For more info, contact Sharon Wehring at s-wehring@tamu.edu or
979-845-2226.
-- TAMU release
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