University of Nebraska Extension educator Monte Stauffer says he gets questions year-around from horse owners as to the type and quality of hay they should be feeding to their horses. Stauffer says there are several factors to consider.
Exec VP of Nebraska Cattlemen stepping down
May 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment
The executive vice president of Nebraska Cattlemen (NC) is leaving for his home state of Oklahoma.
Michael Kelsey will become the new executive vice president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association. He has been the top executive for Nebraska Cattlemen for the past eight and a half years.
NC president Dale Spencer says the search for new executive vice president will begin immediately.
Iowa ag leader: Crop insurance criticism is ‘unwarranted’
May 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment
The president of Iowa Farm Bureau, Craig Hill, says criticism of the federal crop insurance program is “unwarranted”.
“I don’t think it’s overly-subsidized. I think it’s properly managed,” says Hill. “In the case of Iowa farmers, we think it’s done about right.”
Hill shared his thoughts on crop insurance in an interview recorded earlier this week with Brownfield’s Ken Anderson.
Helping your pastures recover from drought
May 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Last year’s drought was very hard on pastures around the country. In some cases, those pastures were overgrazed and will need time and moisture to recover.
According to Chris Bryan, DuPont Crop Protection range and pasture specialist for Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado, the overgrazing of pastures can also lead to increased weed pressure as weakened grass plants become less competitive with weed species for space, water and nutrients. Bryan discusses that topic and offers some recommendations on how to deal with it.
Efforts to increase Iowa’s fuel tax appear to be falling short
May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment
The chances that the Iowa legislature will increase the state’s fuel tax to help fund road and bridge repair seem to be fading away—at least for this year.
That’s very disappointing, says Iowa Farm Bureau president Craig Hill.
“This is a process—the deterioration of our roads—that’s been going on for some time,” Hill says. “It’s going to continue and it will just have to come to the point, I suppose, when the public suffers enough with the loss of revenue and the economy, and damage to their vehicles, that they start stepping up.”
Hill tells Brownfield that, politically, this was probably the year to pass a fuel tax increase because next year is an election year.
“There are a number of representatives that don’t like to go into an election with a tax increase,” says Hill. “Had this been handled properly, with a reduction in property tax across the state and a reduction in other taxes, we could have shown a net decrease in taxes and still elevated the fuel tax and fuel user fee—and had roads starting to be repaired and improved.”
A special commission has recommended a fuel tax increase of eight to ten cents to help pay for a backlog of road repairs. Lawmakers discussed spreading that increase over a three-year period—three-cent increases each year for the first two years, then a four-cent increase in the final year to get to ten cents.
‘King amendment’ is part of House bill
May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment
The Farm Bill passed Wednesday night by the House Ag Committee includes the “Protect Interstate Commerce Act”, which would bar states from imposing their own animal-welfare standards on eggs, meat and other ag products brought in from other states.
The amendment is aimed at preventing farmers in other states from having to comply with measures such as California’s Prop 2 initiative that requires farms to provide more space to hens, hogs and other livestock.
The amendment was introduced by Iowa Representative Steve King.
“I’m fine if California wants to say ‘if you’re going to bring an egg in here, it has to be egg-shaped—and if you want to bring some beef in here, it needs to be produced with the idea of the regulations of the USDA in mind’,” King said. “But I’m not fine if California—and it isn’t just California, it’s other states–it’s a patchwork quilt of these issues and we need to draw the line now while we still can.”
California Representative Jim Costa objected to the amendment.
“Congress does not have the authority to regulate interstate commerce in a way that strips states—I believe—of their sovereign state authority,” Costa said. “In effect, it’s a federal takeover of a long-standing state’s internal legislative authority.”
The president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, Wayne Pacelle, warns that the King amendment could essentially “nullify” California’s Prop 2 and all state and local laws designed to protect farm animals.
AUDIO: Excerpts from House Ag Comm debate on King amendment (14:38 MP3)
‘King amendment’ gains approval from House Ag Committee
May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment
In Wednesday’s House Ag Committee Farm Bill markup session, Iowa Representative Steve King was successful in attaching his “Protect Interstate Commerce Act”, which would bar states from imposing their own animal-welfare standards on eggs, meat and other ag products brought in from other states.
The amendment is aimed at preventing farmers in other states from having to comply with measures such as California’s Prop 2 initiative that requires farms to provide more space to hens, hogs and other livestock.
Here are some excerpts from the debate that took place Wednesday evening. Speakers include King, Rep. Jeff Denham of California, Rep. Jim Costa of California, and Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, as well as committee chair Frank Lucas.
AUDIO: Excerpts from House Ag Comm debate on King amendment (14:38 MP3)
House Ag Committee passes farm bill
May 15, 2013 By 1 Comment
The House Agriculture Committee worked late into the night Wednesday marking up its version of the farm bill. The bill passed by a vote of 36 to 10.
As expected, the big issue was food stamps. In the end, the committee voted to uphold an estimated 20.5 billion dollars in ten-year savings from nutrition programs.
The committee, after a lengthy discussion, defeated an attempt to change the Dairy Security Act in the farm bill. There were no changes to other commodity programs as proposed by House Ag Committee leadership.
Iowa Representative Steve King was successful in attaching his “Protect Interstate Commerce Act”, which would bar states from imposing their own animal-welfare standards on eggs, meat and other ag products brought in from other states.
The amendment is aimed at preventing farmers in other states from having to comply with measures such as California’s Prop 2 initiative that requires farms to provide more space to hens, hogs and other livestock.
Study: Delmarva poultry pollution ‘overestimated’
May 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment
A University of Delaware-led study finds that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has significantly overestimated the poultry’s industry’s contributions to water pollution in the Delmarva Peninsula.
Researchers tell the Delaware News Journal that the multi-state study, involving thousands of manure tests, discovered that actual nitrogen levels in poultry-house manure are 55 percent lower than EPA’s decades-old, lab-based standards.
According to a meatingplace.com report, the study could force changes to cleanup efforts in the poultry-rich region. A formal proposal for changes to the Chesapeake Bay Program’s six-state pollution forecasting model could come as early as next month. That model is used to guide a federally backed attempt to restore the bay’s health and ecosystems.
The EPA’s efforts to control water pollution in the Delmarva are thought to be a model for possible future federal programs in the Mississippi River watershed.
A Brazilian’s perspective on the environment and climate change
May 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Brazilian rancher Antonio Ferreira was one of the speakers at the recent Water for Food Conference in Nebraska. The main focus of this year’s conference was climate change and the environment. In an interview with Brownfield, Ferreira gave us his perspective on these timely issues.
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