Land and Livestock Post

March March2014 2014——Issue Issue22

Managing Clostridial diseases in your herds Learn how to prevent, treat intestinal illnesses

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PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BRYAN, TX 77802 PERMIT # 23

JAMES THOMPSON GETTING TECHNICAL

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JAMES THOMPSON HELPING VETS, DISABLED

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March 2014 — Issue 2

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News From the General Manager

M

y wife and I currently are house hunting. With the new addition to our family, things have gotten a bit cramped. We found the perfect house, put in a offer — which was accepted — and then started the wheels in motion to sell our current house.

Those wheels turn kind of slow, and by the time we were ready to put it on the market it was the weekend before Thanksgiving. I’m not a real estate expert, but here is some advice: Don’t put a house on the market the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Traditionally it is the perfect time of year to sell something. Consumer demand is at an all-time high for most anything.

Flat screen TV? Sure! Cell phones? Absolutely! Clothes, toys, automobiles? You betcha’!

But houses? Not so much.

I can’t blame the public. Throwing moving onto the lengthy list of things-to-do during the holiday season is something only a crazy person would do.

Looking back, I would consider my own mental state at the time to be mostly sane.

I had the consolation that after all the frantic cleaning and staging, followed by moving, we’d soon be in our new house.

That didn’t happen.

Our contingency period expired in January and someone swooped in and closed on the house we wanted two weeks later.

It’s now been four months of keeping a house presentation- JESSE WRIGHT ready, with an infant and a toddler thrown in the mix, and I think I’m starting to lose it.

But, we have an offer now, although we have not found a new house yet. Adding a ticking clock to the stress of finding a house does not help with the keepingyour-sanity thing.

I’m sure it will all work out somehow, but as I’m writing, I’m in the interim and

it’s a stressful place to be.

I understand that the trials and tribulations of buying a bigger house are pretty low on the totem pole of hardships. I also understand that it sounds like I’m whining. Well, I am whining, but I’m not forcing you to read — just as I didn’t force the dozen or so people who “aren’t interested in a house with one bathroom” to come look at my listing for a three-bedroom, 1-bathroom house.

OK, I’m done now, taking a deep breath and getting on to this issue.

Whining and complaining rarely do any good anyhow, and that is especially true when it comes to the health of your cattle.

In our cover story, we look at Clostridial diseases and the risk factors involved. We also have news from the census about agriculture in the United States, as well as news and information about upcoming programs and events.

There are also a lot of upcoming sales that you’ll want to be sure you don’t miss, you can find information on them in the

ads throughout the issue.

Don’t forget to sign up for our e-newsletter so you can get your ag news e-mailed straight to your inbox.

The Land & Livestock Post also will have a booth at the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raiser’s convention in April — so no matter what happens with my house, I know I’ll have a roof over my head for a few days during trade show hours. If you’re heading to San Antonio for the convention, come by our booth and say, “Howdy!” I’ll even give you a free paper if you do. ’Til next time,

• For more information about content or advertising, contact Jesse Wright at jesse. wright@theeagle.com.

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March 2014 — Issue 2

located just off Hwy. 6 and OSR 1415 East OSR • Bryan, Texas 77808 Office: (979) 776-5760 • Fax: (979) 776-4818 Website: www.circlexbrangus.com Steve Densmore, Cattle Mgr., (979) 450-0819, cell • (979) 778-1055, home Chris Duewall, Operations Mgr., (979) 777-6803, cell

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News

Researchers applying high-tech to study crops

By RoBeRt BuRns Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Imagine, if you will, a tractor pulling a fertilizer wagon travelling at 8 mph to 9 mph along a field of thousands of sorghum test plants.

As the tractor moves through the field plots, an onboard computer linked to sensors measures everything from plant height and development to nitrogen needs.

While you’re at it, imagine the tractor is driverless; that its operation may be monitored remotely by a human, but the minute-tominute, hour-to-hour decisions are being made by computer software, said Alex Thomasson, Texas A&M AgriLife Research agricultural engineer, College Station.

And though such a scenario might sound like science fiction, the reality is not that far away, Thomasson said.

Thomasson has been developing hardware and software for precision agriculture and remote sensing for much of his career.

To date, precision agriculture has been largely about adjusting inputs to known variability within a field. For example, instead of applying fertilizer at the same rate across a 160-acre center pivot circle, precision agriculture systems use data on soil type and residual fertilizer variability to define different management zones within the 160 acres. Fertilizer is then applied to the management zones at optimal rates controlled by a GPS/computer-equipped tractor or through the irrigation system.

But Thomasson wants to take precision agriculture to another level. He wants to develop sensor/computer hardware and software that can determine individual plant status in real time, as the tractor automatically transverses the field.

Thomasson currently is working on a system that will be able to aid plant breeders in sorting through the thousands or even

4

tens of thousands of plants for the development of new varieties.

A team comprised of Thomasson; Bill Rooney, AgriLife Research plant breeder; and John Mullet, AgriLife Research biochemist, is designing such a system for selecting energy sorghums — cultivars used to produce bioenergy rather than food stocks.

“In general, energy crops are likely to be produced with minimal inputs in terms of nutrients, water, etc.,” Thomasson said.

“Therefore, developing cultivars that have high yield, drought tolerance and high nitrogen use efficiency is of vital importance to a successful sorghum-based energy supply industry.”

Rooney and other breeders have been working on new varieties for years. Whether produced by conventional plant crosses or genetic manipulation, the first selections of any breeding program rely a great deal upon observable characteristics of individual plants — what’s called “phenotyping.”

“A major limitation in the genetic improvement of energy crops is the collection of large, good quality phenotypic data,” Thomasson said. “Traditional plant phenotypic measurements rely on humans, and are slow, expensive and subjective.”

The team’s goal is to develop a phenotyping system for energy sorghum with the emphasis on three important traits: yield, drought tolerance and nitrogen use efficiency.

“It will enable the measurement of plants along their full g rowth cycle, allowing the traits such as speed and form of growth, flowering and final biomass yield/quality to be investigated,” he said.

The team is currently considering development and testing of five types of sensors: • Down-looking six-band, multi-spectral camera.

• Down-looking thermal imaging camera.

• Light curtain.

• Side-looking camera.

• Ultrasonic sensor.

The six-band, multi-spectral camera can be used to assess nitrogen content, growth status and plant size. The thermal imaging camera can measure plant canopy temperature and water content. The light curtain can measure plant height, projected plant profile and plant size. The side-looking camera can give a plant profile view. And the ultrasonic sensor can give yet another measurement of plant height.

“The redundancy is desirable as some sensors perform better in g reenhouses, while others are more suitable for field applications,” Thomasson said.

“Having a complementary set of

See HIGH-TECH, Page 5

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Robert Burns

One of the prototype sensors Alex Thomasson and colleagues are proposing to use for taking measurements of energy sorghum variety trial plants. Such a system has the potential to take automated measurements of thousands of plants individually, at a much higher level of accuracy than humans and even work at night.

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News

High-tech, from Page 4 devices and techniques for plant measurements will enable us to have different systems suited to specific environments.”

Other indicators of plant performance can be derived from a combination of measurements from the group of sensors.

“For example, combining projected leaf area with plant height can be a good indication of plant size and thus the amount of biomass,” he said.

Another advantage of the automated sensor approach is that readings on a very large number of plants could be collected weekly or even daily at a high level of accuracy, a process that would not ordinarily be economically feasible using human workers, Thomasson said.

An equally challenging aspect of the project is software development. First there will need to be a program running on a computer to control and coordinate the sensors. Second, there will

need be “robust image-processing algorithms” able to distinguish sorghum plants from the background. And finally, a specialized program will need to be developed to store sensor output in a relational database.

Most of the sensors Thomasson is proposing have been proven in one application or another, but not comprehensively for purposes of selection of breeding lines, and not on an autonomous platform, he said.

“There has been some sensorbased phenotyping research done in the past on plants, but a turnkey system doesn’t exist,” he said.

“My goal is always to try to get the technology to a commercialization phase, and I think this has potential.

“At this point, however, we want to demonstrate that our platform can provide rapid and cost-effective ranking and screening of hundreds of candidate lines for the desired traits, and eventually lead to a more efficient energy sorghum breeding program,” Thomasson said.

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News

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Possibility of war in Ukraine pushes wheat markets higher

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DES MOINES, Iowa — The possibilities of a war in Ukraine have the CME Group corn and wheat markets pushing higher on March 3.

At mid-session, the May corn futures contract is trading 8 cents higher at $4.71. The May soybean futures contract is 2 cents lower at $14.12. May wheat futures are 37 cents higher at $6.39 per bushel. The May soymeal futures contract is trading $5.30 per short ton lower at $452.40. The May soyoil futures are trading $0.66 higher at $42.45.

In the outside markets, the ICE Brent crude oil is $2.01 per barrel higher, the dollar is higher and the Dow Jones Industrials are 202 points lower.

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News

Keeping bees

USDA spending $3 million to feed honeybees in Midwest

By M.L. JOHNSON Associated PreSS

MILWAUKEE — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it will spend millions of dollars to help farmers and ranchers improve pastures in five Midwestern states to provide food for the nation’s struggling honeybees.

Commercial honeybees pollinate an estimated $15 billion worth of produce each year.

Many beekeepers bring hives to the Upper Midwest in the summer for bees to gather nectar and pollen for food, then truck them in the spring to California and other states to pollinate everything from almonds to apples to avocadoes.

But agricultural production has been threatened by a more than decade-long decline in commercial honeybees and their wild cousins due to habitat loss and pesticide use. Colony collapse disorder, in which honeybees suddenly disappear or die, has made the problem worse, boosting losses over the winter to as much as 30 percent per year.

The USDA hopes to stem those losses by providing more areas for bees to build up food stores and strength for winter. The new program will be “a real shot in the arm” for improving bees’ hab-

AP Photo/USDA, Lance Cheung

A queen Italian honeybee, the large bee just left of center, is surrounded on an apiary nest in Washington, D.C.The USDA hopes to help honeybees by providing $3 million to farmers and ranchers in five states to improve their pastures. itat and food supply, said Jason Weller, chief of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Dairy farmers and ranchers in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakotas can qualify for about $3 million to reseed pastures with alfalfa, clover and other plants appealing to both bees and livestock. Farmers also can get help building fences, installing water tanks and making other changes that better enable them to move their animals from pasture to pasture so the vegetation doesn’t become worn down.

The goal is to provide higher quality food for insects and animals.

“It’s a win for the livestock guys, and it’s a win for the managed honeybee population,” Weller said. “And it’s a win then for orchardists and other specialty crop producers across the nation because then you’re going to have a healthier, more robust bee population that then goes out and

See HONEYBEES, Page 9

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News Honeybees, from Page 8 helps pollinate important crops.”

The USDA is focusing on those five states because 65 percent of the nation’s estimated 30,000 commercial beekeepers bring hives there for at least part of the year.

With limited funds, Weller said, the goal is to get the biggest payoff for the investment.

Corn, soybean and other farmers can qualify for money to plant cover crops, which typically go in after the regular harvest and help improve soil health, or to grow bee-friendly forage in borders and on the edges of fields.

The program is just the latest in a series of USDA efforts to reduce honeybee deaths. The agency has partnered with universities to study bee diseases, nutrition and other factors threatening colonies. Agriculture Secretary AP Photo/USDA, Lance Cheung Tom Vilsack also recently created a working group on bees to Honeybees with“saddlebags” of pollen attached to their hind legs return to an apiary in Washington, D.C.The USDA hopes to help honeybees by providing $3 million to farmers and ranchers in five states to improve their pastures.

See PASTURES, Page 13

4400 East Hwy 21, Bryan, TX 77808 AP Photo/USDA, Lance Cheung

A honeybee is attracted to a flower near an apiary in Washington, D.C.The USDA hopes to help honeybees by providing $3 million to farmers and ranchers in five states to improve their pastures.It turns out that dairy cows and bees like many of the same plants.

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News

AgriLife experts talk about profitable alternative crops

By Blair Fannin Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

WACO — Farmers heard the latest in alternative cropping solutions at the recent Blackland Income Growth Conference in Waco.

Clark Neely is Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state small grains and oilseed specialist in College Station. He provided an extensive overview of several alternative crops that could help diversify a producer’s crop portfolio.

He said sunflowers is one crop that could provide opportunity for farmers, which is marketed both for confectionary and the oilseed market. He said it’s very drought and heat tolerant, but does use a lot of water.

Yields of 2,000 pounds to the acre are possible with 40 percent oil content.

“For oilseed, you should plant roughly 18,000 plants to the acre, while confectionary varieties require a lower planting rate of approximately 15,000 plants,” he said. “Bird damage can be a problem. There’s not a lot you can do about that, but selecting varieties with drooping heads can help.”

Meanwhile, sesame is another crop that requires low inputs, he said.

“It’s very heat, drought and disease resistant,” he said. “It has a fairly short season, so there’s potential for double cropping with wheat. Yields are less than some of the other crops, but high value

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo

by Robert Burns

According to Clark Neely, sunflower is one crop that could provide opportunity for farmers. and low input costs can make it a profitable crop. The biggest concern with sesame is poorly drained soils and weed control.

Pre-emergent weed control is critical.

“Seed is very small and contains about 50 percent oil, so combine settings are very important to minimize harvest losses. If you’ve seen sesame seeds on your hamburger bun, you know how small they are. Sesame doesn’t tolerate soil that doesn’t drain well, but planting onto beds may be one way around that on heavy clay soils.”

Another alternative crop is barley. Neely said he’s taken a personal interest in the crop since he’s fielded a lot of calls and received questions on the species.

“You treat it essentially like wheat — you can use barley for forage, grain or for malting — and it uses nitrogen and water more efficiently than wheat,” he said. “In this region of the Blacklands, 70 bushels to the acre is a reasonable goal. The biggest concern with barley are certain diseases (i.e. barley yellow dwarf virus and fusarium head blight) and insects (aphids).”

Looking at returns, Neely provided a table of prices per acre.

The highest-valued crop in 2012

See CROPS, Page 11

SALE EACH SATURDAY 10

March 2014 — Issue 2

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News Crops, from Page 10 was sesame at $16 a bushel, followed by canola at $15 a bushel.

Flax, sunflower (confectionary) and safflower were valued at $13, $10 and $10 a bushel, respectively.

“That’s just one part of the equation,” Neely said. “You have to look at the inputs of the crop and yield potential.”

He said barley and sunflower can yield close to 70 bushels to the acre — the highest yielding of the alternative crops.

“Confectionary sunflower have the potential for the highest expected returns at $392 per acre, while barley for grain would bring only $88 per acre,” he said.

Regarding direct costs, Neely said canola can be a high maintenance crop at $256 per acre, while sesame at $159 is one of the lowest.

Even though it costs more to produce, canola is favorable because it has an established market and prices are relatively stable compared to some of the other alternative crops and is generally more profitable than wheat.

“Expected returns on confectionary sunflower came out a winner at $392 per acre followed by malt barley at $272 an acre with 70 bushel yields,” he said. “It’s great if you can get a malt barley contract, but specialty brews using locally grown Texas barley are in their infancy, so the market is very small. Also, if the weather doesn’t cooperate and you don’t meet strict standards, your crop is downgraded to feed grade and net returns are lower than wheat.”

More information on alternative crops is available at varietytesting. tamu.edu and @TXSmallGrains on Twitter.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Blair Fannin

Clark Neely,Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state small grains and oilseed specialist in College Station,gives an overview of alternative crops at the recent Blackland Income Growth Conference in Waco.

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11

News

Ag census shows boom in American farm sales

By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press

WASHINGTON — American agriculture has experienced a boom, with market values of crops, livestock and total agricultural products reaching record highs even as the amount of U.S. farmland declined, according to a new government survey.

C o n t i nu i n g a l o n g - t e r m trend, the number of U.S. farms dropped to 2.1 million in 2012, about a 4 percent drop from five years earlier.

But some of the bigger farms got bigger. The average farm grew from 418 to 434 acres.

The state with the most farms was Texas, which saw the number of farms increase slightly during the five years. Still, it lost about 200,000 farmland acres over the same period.

The survey, taken every five years and released Feb. 27, shows some growth in nontraditional

elements of agriculture. While the industry is still overwhelmingly white, there’s been a rise in the number of minority-operated farms. And there are more farms in New England and many states in the Mountain West, while that number has declined in many states in traditional farm country.

In Connecticut, for example, the number of farms jumped by 22 percent over the five years.

All told, U.S. farms sold nearly $395 billion in products in 2012, a third more than five years earlier.

That averaged to about $187,000 per farm — or an increase of $52,000 over 2007 totals.

In Montana, Department of Agriculture Director Ron de Yong said crop prices have fallen since 2012. “It’s part of the cycle, and we should cycle back up again,” he said.

While most of farm country is getting older — the average farmer is 58.3 years old — more people under the age of 34 are trying their hand at farming.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the small boost in the number of younger farmers — around 2 percent — is due partly to increased interest and government support for locally grown foods and a thriving export market. Many younger farmers work at smaller operations, where the good farm economy and a rising consumer interest in where food is grown have helped.

Vilsack said he wants farm country to “be aggressive” about recruiting and retaining younger people, as a third of farmers were older than 65 in 2012.

“The reality is, over time those folks won’t be able to continue farming, and the question for all of us is, if they don’t, who will?”

Vilsack said after the report was released.

Vilsack has made the revitalization of rural America a pri-

See FARMS, Page 14

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March 2014 — Issue 2

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News

AP Photo/USDA, Lance Cheung

Three of the 80 beehives on Brookview Farm in Manakin-Sabot,Va., are seen.The USDA is focusing efforts on protecting dwindling numbers of honeybees throughout the U.S.

Pastures, from Page 9 coordinate efforts across the department.

The work already is paying off with changes to once-common beekeeping practices, such as supplementing bees’ diet with high-fructose corn syrup, said David Epstein, a senior entomologist with the USDA. He noted that the quality of bees’ food is as important as the quantity.

“You can think of it in terms of yourself,” Epstein said. “If you are studying for exams in college, and you’re not eating properly and you’re existing on coffee, then you make yourself more susceptible to disease and you get sick.”

Tim Tucker, who has between 400 and 500 hives at sites in Kansas and Texas, said he may take some of his bees to South Dakota this year because the fields around his farm near Niotaze,

Kan., no longer provide much food for them.

“There used to be a lot of small farms in our area that had clover and a variety of crops, whereas in the last 20 years it’s really been corn, soybean and cotton and a little bit of canola,” Tucker said.

“But those crops don’t provide a lot of good nectar and pollen for bees.”

Tucker, who is president of the American Beekeeping Federation, said the last “really good” year he had was 1999, when he got more than 100 pounds of honey per hive. Last year, he averaged about 42 pounds per hive.

He hopes dairy farmers, beef cattle ranchers and others will sign up for the new USDA program by the March 21 deadline.

It’s not a “cure all,” Tucker said, but “anything we do to help provide habitat for honeybees and for native bees and pollinators is a step.”

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March 2014 — Issue 2

13

News

Farms, from Page 12 ority at USDA. As people have moved to suburbs and cities, many communities have increasing poverty and fewer young people to take over family farms. He has also argued that the dwindling population has led to less

14

political clout — made evident by a recent three-year congressional struggle to enact a new farm bill. In February, President Barack Obama signed the bill, which provides farm subsidies and food stamps.

“My question is not just who is

going to farm, but who is going to defend them?” Vilsack said.

Vilsack said he is most concerned about the survival of middle-sized farms, which declined in the past five years. The number of larger and smaller farms mostly held steady.

He said he believes that decline partly came from a lapse in disaster assistance while Congress haggled over the farm bill, drought in many states and rising feed costs.

Ideally, he said, many of the younger farmers who are working on smaller farms eventually will expand their operations.

One area of growth for agriculture is farms that are minorityoperated. The number of farms operated by Hispanics, African Americans, Native Americans and Asians all grew between 2007 and 2012. The number of Hispanics who were principal operators of farms grew by 21 percent. Still,

See GROWTH, Page 18

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File

This Feb. 5 file photo shows Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack speaking in the White House briefing room in Washington.The number of U.S. farms is declining even as the value of their crops and livestock has increased over the past five years, a new government census ofAmerica’s agriculture said.Also,farmers are getting older — the average age is 58.3 years. But Vilsack points to a bright spot: a small rise in the number of farmers between 25 and 34 years old.

March 2014 — Issue 2

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News

Fewer women farmers in U.S., but more in Texas

By CORRIE MACLAGGAN and NEENA SATIJA The Texas Tribune

The number of women farmers in Texas is increasing, bucking the national trend, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Census of Agriculture.

The number of women principal farm operators in Texas increased 10 percent between 2007 and 2012, while the number of women principal operators across the country declined, according to the data released recently.

About 38,500 farms in Texas had women principal operators in 2012, an increase from 35,000 in 2007. Meanwhile, the number of farms in Texas with male principal operators declined, as did the overall number of farms in the state.

Jason Johnson, associate professor at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Stephenville, said that the growing number of women principal farm operators in Texas isn’t

Photo by David Bowser

DeDe Cummins sits next to an irrigation well at her farm in the Texas Panhandle. surprising because of increased participation among women in agriculture and because more women are being left in charge of farms after their husbands die.

“Such a large percentage of farm women end up managing the operation simply because women live longer,” said Johnson, the Texas coordinator for Annie’s Project, a series of class-

es that teach women about farm management. (The next series begins in April in Georgetown.)

Across the country and in Texas, women farmers are a minori-

ty. Fourteen percent of U.S. farms in 2012 had principal operators who were women, a percentage that has not changed since 2007.

The percentage of farms in Texas with female principal operators increased from 14 percent to 15 percent during that same period.

The data released so far also shows that in both Texas and the nation, farmers in all demographic groups saw a significant increase in income, on average, despite record drought conditions in Texas. The market value of all crops sold in Texas jumped from $21.1 billion in 2007 to $25 billion in 2012. For livestock in particular, the market value increased from $14.4 billion in 2007 to $18 billion in 2012, even though the drought caused Texas to lose some 15 percent of its cattle herd between January 2011 and 2013.

Carmen Fenton, spokeswoman

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The preliminary report included demographic information on principal farm operators, but not on other farm operators. That information will be included with the release of the final report, which is expected in May. Data also will be released for each individual county in Texas and other states.

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News

Poor prognosis

Managing Clostridial diseases in cattle

By RoBeRt FeaRs Special to The Post

W

hen Clostridial diseases are mentioned, most of us immediately think of blackleg; but there are many species and types of bacteria in the Clostridium genus that cause cattle diseases (chart below.

Clostridial diseases are noted for showing little or no sign of illness until death occurs. Most beef cattle producers protect their herds by vaccinating with 7- or 8-way combinations of clostridial organisms.

According to Dr. Sheila McGuirk of the University of Wisconsin, a single vaccination with most Clostridial vaccines does not provide adequate levels of protection and must be followed within a period of three to six weeks by a booster dose. Young calf vaccination does not yield adequate protective immunity for at least one to two months. As a result, most vaccination programs target the pregnant cow so that maximum immu-

16

On the cover Most producers help protect their herds by vaccinating with 7- or 8-way combinations of clostridial organisms.

Photo by Robert Fears

nity is imparted to the calf through the colostrum.

The focus of this article is Clostridium perfringens, one of the organisms that cause enteric diseases. These diseases are infections that develop in the intestinal tract and are some of the most important disease syndromes in cattle, affecting both calves and cows. They can be caused by viruses and parasites as well as bacteria.

Types and effects

“Clostridium perfringens is a spore forming, anaerobic bacteria widely distributed in soil and the digestive tract of many domestic animals,” said Dr. Michael Piontkowski with Colorado Serum Co. “Six Types (A, B, C, D, E and F) have been identified on the basis of the toxins

Photo by Robert Fears

Clostridium perfringens Type D is associated primarily with sheep and less frequently with cattle and goats. duced, it is in small quantities and passproduced, with Types B,C and D being es through the animal without causing the most commonly associated with disease in domestic animals.” problems.

“When an animal is exposed to a sudType B is a highly fatal intoxication of den increase in carbohydrates, such as young lambs and is commonly referred a heavy feeding of milk, lush pastures to as lamb dysentery. It also has been or supplementary concentrates, resiassociated with disease in young calves. dent bacteria may multiply rapidly and Type C is associated with hemorrhagic enteritis (inflammation and bleeding in produce large amounts of toxin. These toxins may damage the intestines, fathe intestinal tract) and necrotic enteritis in cattle, sheep, goats and swine. Type cilitating the absorption of toxins to the bloodstream.

D is associated primarily with sheep, “End result of this intoxication is usuless frequently with cattle and goats, and ally rapid death. The collective term for commonly is referred to as “pulpy kidthis disease is enterotoxaemia,” Piontney disease” or “overeating disease.” kowski said.

“Clostridium perfringens normally inhabits the digestive tract in small numbers without causing disease,” See CLOSTRIDIAL, Page 17 Piontkowski said. “If any toxin is pro-

March 2014 — Issue 2



The Land & Livestock Post

News Clostridial, from Page 16

Occurrence in adult cattle

“Producers and their veterinarians have recognized, with increasing frequency, a syndrome in adult cattle that is referred to as Hemorrhagic Bowel, Bloody Gut or Jejunal Hemorrhage Syndrome (JHS),” McGuirk said.

“While no specific cause has been elucidated, Clostridium perfringens type A is believed to play some role in the syndrome based on recovery of large numbers of this organism from most, but not all, cases of JHS. “The disease syndrome is characterized by a sudden onset, a cow being unexpectedly off-feed, little or no milk production, a painful or stretched abdomen, hemorrhage in their intestine, very little manure production, and acute death despite medical and/or surgical intervention.

“Luckily this disease is usually sporadic and involves individual animals on individual ranches, but multiple deaths in a short period of time have been com-

mon in some herds,” McGuirk said.

McGuirk provided the following risk factors that have been identified with Jejunal Hemorrhage Syndrome in cattle: • High production.

• Less than 100 days lactation.

• Second or greater lactation.

• Recent feed change.

• Feeding total mixed rations and selection for smaller particles or decreased long-stem fiber.

• Rumen acidosis • Excessive rumen fill with spillover into the intestine of contents with high soluble protein and carbohydrate levels.

• Feeding corn silage ensiled less than one week.

• Decreased intestinal motility.

Occurrence in calves

“In calves, a sudden onset of abdominal expansion with pain, depression, feed refusal and sudden death are associated with abomasal ulcers, inflammation and gas in the wall of the stomach,”

See DISEASE, Page 18

Photo by Robert Fears

When a animal is exposed to a sudden increase in carbohydrates, such as lush pastures, resident Clostridium perfringens bacteria in the gut may multiply rapidly.

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March 2014 — Issue 2

17

News Disease, from Page 17 McGuirk said. “While there can be more than one cause for this syndrome, researchers have isolated Clostridium perfringens Type A from affected calves and reproduced the disease by placing the organism in the rumen of susceptible calves. Post mortem examination shows inflammation of the lining of the rumen and abomasums, with ulceration and hemorrhage.”

Clostridium perfringens Type C causes necrotic enteritis in newborn calves.Affected calves may die before they develop diarrhea. Calves suddenly are depressed and weak and may have an expanded abdomen or show abdominal pain. If diarrhea develops, it may have blood and tissue streaks. Intensive care with antitoxin, fluids, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs is necessary but frequently unsuccessful.

These signs are not specific for Clostridium and other causes such as salmonellosis, coccidiosis and unusual forms of E. coli should be considered.

“The classic overeating disease is produced by Clostridium perfringens Type D and is a syndrome more important in lambs then in calves,” McGuirk said.

“The disease is characterized by sudden death in thrifty, well-fed calves. Other affected calves

Growth, from Page 14 farm country remains overwhelmingly white — 92 percent of farms are operated by whites, while less than 64 percent of the general population is white and the minority population is growing.

Similarly, only 14 percent of farms are operated by women, and more than 90 percent of those were smaller farms.

The survey also found: • Most U.S. farms are small; 75 percent had sales of less than $50,000 in 2012.

• New England, Texas, Florida

18

Photo by Robert Fears

Clostridial diseases affect both calves and cows, as well as other animals. may be neurologic, uncoordinated, trembling, recumbent with head back or convulsing.

Other diseases such as septicemia, polioencephalomalacia, lasalocid (an ionophore) overdose, salt poisoning and E. coli can produce similar signs,” McGuirk said.

McGuirk relates the possible risk factors for calves as: • Ingestion of C. perfringens in the first few days of colostrum feeding.

• Ingestion of protein-rich diet in a protease-deficient intestinal tract allows rapid growth of C. perfringens organisms.

• Protein-rich milk replacers and/or high grain consumption may be risk factors.

• Inconsistent feeding practices — feed changes, temperature, mixing, frequency, volume.

• Limited access to water after feed consumption.

• Abnormal intestinal flora from abundant oral medications.

• Stressful interventions that result in erratic intakes.

“Most of the difference in disease levels among herds is due not to microbiological differences, but rather to differences in the host and environmental factors under the control of management,” McGuirk said. and many states in the Mountain West saw increases in the number of farms and some saw an increase in farmland. Many Midwestern, Southern and midAtlantic states saw decreases.

Vilsack said much of the growth in those states comes from an increase in specialty crops, mostly fruits and vegetables, that increasingly are popular with consumers.

• The 10 states with the most farms are Texas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, California, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Only Ohio is new to the list since 2007.

March 2014 — Issue 2

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The Land & Livestock Post

News

Helping veterans, producers with disabilities Texas AgrAbility reaches out to assist farmers and ranchers remain on their land

By Paul SchattenBerg Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

COLLEGE STATION — Tim Smith, who has a degenerative bone disease, is the owner of S&L Farms in Anderson, a 28-acre year-round organic agricultural operation producing a variety of vegetables, as well as laying hens and Thanksgiving turkeys.

For years, Smith, now 54, had to work his land with a 1948 Ford tractor and rototiller or plow with implements either built for the antique tractor or designed to be pulled by a horse.

But that was before he found out about the Texas AgrAbility Project administered by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, part of the Texas A&M University System.

“We had to start in January to get ready to plant in March,” he said. “It took two months to do field work that should only take four to five days.”

Along with having to use outdated and uncomfortable equipment, Smith’s health had been growing progressively worse, with a partly severed S1 nerve that makes it increasingly difficult to perform daily work activities.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo

Preston Northrop of Brenham,center,with members of A&M Consolidated’s FFA program and Erin Pilosi of Texas AgrAbility, next to the tractor the students modified with hand controls and other adaptive technology.

“I have limited to no feeling in my feet and legs,” Smith said.

“Where most people can feel where to put their feet, I have to look down to see where I need to put mine.”

While at their local tractor supply company, Smith’s wife Stacey learned about Texas AgrAbility while flipping through a magazine. She suggested Tim contact Texas AgrAbility to see if it might have some ideas on how to make daily tasks less difficult.

“The Texas AgrAbility program sent an occupational therapist and a mechanical engineer from Texas A&M University to evaluate the operation, look at the equipment and make recommendations,” Smith said.

After years of collaboration with Texas AgrAbility and through funding provided by the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, Smith was able to obtain a new tractor and rototiller. The trac-

See AGRABILITY, Page 22

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March 2014 — Issue 2

19

News LIVESTOCK MARKET REPORT Bryan

Results of the Brazos Valley Livestock Commission’s Feb. 25 sale: Head: 532 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $225-$265; 300-400 lbs., $205-$260; 400-500 lbs., $186-$237.50; 500-600 lbs., $174-$210; 600-700 lbs., $162$185; 700-800 lbs., $160-$169.

Heifers: 200-300 lbs.,$195-$225, 300-400 lbs., $185-$217; 400-500 lbs., $174-$200; 500-600 lbs., $160-$190; 600-700 lbs., $144$171; 700-800 lbs., $140-$150.

Slaughter bulls: $99-$119.50.

Slaughter cows: $76-$108.

Bred cows: $1,150-$1,475.

Cow/calf pairs: $1,050-$1,500.

Buffalo

Results of the Buffalo Livestock Market’s Feb. 22 sale: Head: 741 Steers: 150-200 lbs., $225-$290;

200-300 lbs., $220-$280; 300-400 lbs., $200-$265; 400-500 lbs., $185-$235; 500-600 lbs., $167$215; 600-700 lbs., $160-$190; 700-800 lbs., $155-$172.

Heifers: 150-200 lbs.,$200-$275; 200-300 lbs., $195-$270; 300-400 lbs., $190-$265; 400-500 lbs., $170-$225; 500-600 lbs., $155$210; 600-700 lbs., $150-$176; 700-800 lbs., $135-$155.

Slaughter bulls: $82-$123.

Slaughter cows: $65-$108.

Bred cows: $975-$1,625.

Cow/calf pairs: $1,100-$2,300.

Caldwell

Results of the Caldwell Livestock Commission’s Feb. 19 sale: Steers: 200-300 lbs., $235-$280; 300-400 lbs., $220-$265; 400-500 lbs., $200-$250; 500-600 lbs., $180-$210; 600-700 lbs., $160$195; 700-800 lbs., $140-$170.

Heifers: 200-300 lbs.,$200-$240;

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Groesbeck

Results of the Groesbeck Auction and Livestock Exchange’s Feb. 27 sale: Head: 284 Steers: 300-400 lbs., $220$285; 400-500 lbs., $190-$245; 500-600 lbs., $180-$220; 600-700 lbs., $175-$195.

Heifers: 300-400 lbs., $190$245; 400-500 lbs., $175-$220; 500-600 lbs., $170-$195; 600-700 lbs., $170-$180.

Slaughter bulls: $97-$124.

Slaughter cows: $83-$108.

Stocker cows: $1,100-$1,900.

Cow/calf pairs: $1,300-$2,250.

Jordan

Results of the Jordan Auction and Livestock Exchange’s Feb. 27 sale: Head: 4,427 Steers: $168-$270.

Heifers: $160-$237.50.

Slaughter bulls: $104.50-$124.

Slaughter cows: $85-$140.

Cow/calf pairs: $1,200-$1,925.

Milano

Results of the Milano Livestock Exchange’s Feb. 25 sale: Head: 375 Steers: 300-400 lbs., $132$251; 400-500 lbs., $120-$225; 500-600 lbs., $125-$199; 600-700 lbs., $120-$187.

Heifers: 300-400 lbs., $130$215; 400-500 lbs., $125-$201; 500-600 lbs., $117-$203; 600-700 lbs., $111-$177.

Events Calendar March March 15 - The Stockman’s Kind Bull & Female Sale. Leona, TX. (979) 255- 4357

March 20 - Jordan Cattle Auction Special Replacement Female

Sale. San Saba, TX.

Navasota

Results of the Navasota Livestock Auction Co.’s Feb. 15 sale: Head: 890 Steers: 150-300 lbs., $150$280; 300-400 lbs., $150-$250; 400-500 lbs., $125-$240; 500600 lbs., $120-$210; 600-700 lbs., $115-$190.

Heifers: 150-300 lbs., $135$250; 300-400 lbs., $130-$225; 400-500 lbs., $120-$215; 500600 lbs., $115-$250; 600-700 lbs., $115-$165.

Slaughter bulls: $75-$121.

Slaughter cows: $65-$104.

Stocker cows: $950-$1,625.

Cow/calf pairs: $1,300-$1,675.

— Special to The Post

Annual Convention. San Antonio, TX

April 5 – Heart of Texas Special Replacement Female Sale.

Groesbeck, TX. (903) 599-2403 April 5 – Certified E6 Replacement Female Sale. Columbus, TX 210-648-5475 April 12 – Collier Farms Advantage Beefmaster Sale. Giddings, TX. 210-648-5475

April 17 - Jordan Cattle Auction Special Bull Offering. San Saba,

March 22 – 27th Annual National F-1 and Brahman Female Sale.

TX.

March 26-29 – Brazos County Youth Livestock Show. Bryan,

April 26 – Cattleman’s Brenham Livestock Auction Spring Special Replacement Female & Bull Sale. Brenham, TX.

March 27 - Jordan Cattle Auction Special Bull Offering “Featuring

April 26 – IRBBA Annual Meeting and “Divas in Red” Heifer Sale & Futurity. College Station, TX. www.redbrangus.org

Caldwell, TX. 979-450-8588 TX.

Angus of Clear Creek” San Saba, TX.

March 29 – 44 Farms Abilene Sale, Abeline, TX. (254) 697-4401 March 29 – Equipment Auction. Sealy, TX. 979-885-2400

April 26 - Spring Replacement Female & Premium Bull Sale.

Caldwell, TX. 979-450-8588

facebook.com/texasllp 20

Slaughter bulls: $91-$111.

Slaughter cows: $67-$107.

Stocker cows: $1,125-$1,675.

April April 4 – 7 - Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raiser’s Association

ollow us on

300-400 lbs., $200-$250; 400-500 lbs., $185-$240; 500-600 lbs., $175-$200; 600-700., $150-$185.

Slaughter bulls: $85-$123.

Slaughter cows: $60-$115.

Stocker Cows: $1,000-$1,400.

Cow/calf pairs: $1,025-$2,000.

March 2014 — Issue 2

Do you have a sale or event you’d like listed?

Call Jesse Wright at (979) 731-4721 or email jesse.wright@theeagle.com

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The Land & Livestock Post

News Texas now trails Nebraska in Freezing temps shouldn’t hurt number of cattle being fattened peach trees, other Texas fruits

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska has surpassed Texas in the number of cattle in the state being fattened for slaughter, according to the latest federal statistics.

Drought-ravaged Texas lost its figurative crown after its total dropped 7 percent over the past year, to 2.44 million head in feedlots with a capacity of at least 1,000 animals. That compares unfavorably with Nebraska’s loss of less than a half a percent, to 2.46 million head, the Lincoln Journal Star said (bit.ly/Mr1f8e).

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said that, as of Feb. 1, there were 10.76 million head of cattle being fattened for slaughter nationally, compared with 11.07 million a year ago.

Nebraska remains far behind Texas in the total number of cattle with 6.5 million head, compared with 10.9 million in Texas.

Kate Brooks, a professor of livestock production and agricultural marketing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said record high cattle prices have helped push calves through the market.

Published by Bryan-College Station Communications, Inc. (979) 776-4444 or (800) 299-7355

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“A lot of that had to do with calves coming off of wheat pastures early due to some of the dry conditions we’ve been seeing in the Plains states,” Brooks said.

Many Nebraska feedlots can boast abundant supplies of corn and water, Brooks said, and the growth of ethanol in Nebraska has created a supply of distillers grain — a byproduct of the fermentation process.

Greg Ibach, director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, said the figures could fluctuate over the next year but that the number of feed cattle in Nebraska generally has increased over time. Ibach said the state is a “natural fit” for feed cattle because it’s the nation’s secondlargest ethanol producer, the third-largest corn producer and it offers nearly 23 million acres of range and pastureland.

Texas lost 15 percent of its cattle — or about 2 million animals — between January 2011 and January 2013, as ranchers sold them to out-of-state buyers or sent them to slaughter due to an unrelenting drought. At its worst, 88 percent of the state was in the most severe stage of drought on the U.S. Drought Monitor map.

Now, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, about 58 percent of Texas remains in drought.

Far less land is in the worst dryness categories than in previous years, while 18 percent of the state is considered abnormally dry. There is little severe or worse drought in East Texas and parts of Southeast Texas, where many of the state’s cattle are produced.

With better conditions, experts have said, more and more Texas producers are looking at handling more cattle.

By RoBeRt BuRns Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

The buds of many peach and other fruit trees were not open enough to be damaged by the latest cold front that stormed through Texas, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert.

Though he doesn’t expect wholesale damage, it’s still too early after the last bout of freezing weather in early March to say for certain what the damage was, if any, said Larry Stein, AgriLife Extension horticulturist, Uvalde.

“It got a lot colder than most people thought it was going to get,” Stein said. “Unfortunately, we did have trees starting to

bloom. We had some peaches that were bloomed out, but most things were just starting to bloom, so we’re optimistic that we had enough buds that were tight enough that they will still develop and set a crop. Also, the bud set on most trees was excessive due to the low or no crop the year before, so some thinning was indeed needed.”

The problem is not the cold weather per se, but the warm periods in between, he said. If the weather stays cool, even though fruit trees such as peaches, apricots, pears and plums have enough cold hours to bloom, they won’t — unless there are at least three to five days of spring-like warm

See FREEZE, Page 26

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Rick Auckerman

Panhandle temperatures were in the 60s one day and freezing the next, causing some damage to center pivots.

Questions About Cattle Health?

Ask the Vet! Steve Wikse - Retired DVM Large Animal Clinical Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University

WIKSE

Submit your questions to:

The Post is printed in part on recycled paper and is fully recyclable.

P.O. Box 3000 Bryan, TX 77805 or jesse.wright@theeagle.com

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March 2014 — Issue 2

21

News AgrAbility, from Page 19 tor then was adapted to his specific needs by adding new hand holds, a power inverter and a quick-release system for the new implements.

“This last year, we were able to plant about 2,000 tomato plants in two weeks, where before it would have taken us about a month to plant only 100,” Smith said. “And recently a financial advisory team from Texas A&M came out and did a projected financial analysis of the farm for the next 20 years, so I could use that as a basis to ask for additional funding.”

Agriculture is a high-risk occupation, and farmers and ranchers who are injured or disabled often have a difficult time remaining in production agriculture, said Rick Peterson, Texas AgrAbility Program director, College Station.

“Our goal is to assist, connect and empower producers, their family members and employees with disabilities or chronic health conditions so they can remain in production agriculture,” Peterson said.

Texas AgrAbility, which has served thousands of farmers and ranchers throughout the state through direct contact, education and referral, was created through the 1990 Farm Bill. It is part of the National AgrAbility program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Texas AgrAbility Project was established in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Additional support for serving its clients has been provided through the USDA’s Risk Management Agency and the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services.

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“Our staff members have experience in production agriculture, occupational therapy and agricultural engineering,” Peterson said. “We make site visits and provide recommendations for equipment adaptation, home modifications or any additional adaptive equipment that may be needed for a farm or ranch operation.

“We also connect farmers and ranchers with service providers who can assist them through training and technical assistance, as well as information and resources needed for their specific type of agricultural operation, such as assistive technology.”

Peterson said some of the assistive technology available to farmers and ranchers may include uniquely designed tools and equipment, lifts for trucks

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March 2014 — Issue 2

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The Land & Livestock Post

News

Assist, from Page 22 and tractors, modified allterrain vehicles, special wheelchairs with action tracks for rough terrain, motion-sensing solar-powered gates, even modified milking machines.

He said that from the Texas A&M University System alone, Texas AgrAbility draws expertise and skills from agricultural engineers, economists and agribusiness development professionals, occupational therapists, program specialists and AgriLife Extension agents throughout the state.

“There are currently about 50,000 people involved in production agriculture in Texas who are affected by disabilities or chronic health issues,” Peterson said. “Ultimately, what we want to do is keep producers in the field and in the driver’s seat — both figuratively and sometimes literally — of their agricultural operations.”

Another agricultural worker Texas AgrAbility is helping keep in the driver’s seat is Preston Northrop, 59, a hay farmer in Brenham who, four years ago, sustained a spinal injury that ultimately left him paralyzed from the knees down.

Northrop has spoken at AgrAbility workshops, sharing his experiences as a person with a disability who has remained involved in production agriculture.

“AgrAbility brought a team of people to assess my operation and see my personal situation and my difficulty in getting on the tractor and out to the fields,” Northrop said. “They planned out what they thought I would need and then whether we thought it would work.”

Student volunteers from the FFA chapter at A&M Consolidated High School in College Station heard about the project

See VETERANS, Page 24

The Land & Livestock Post

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March 2014 — Issue 2

23

News Veterans, from Page 23 and got involved as part of what is now the project’s Leadership with Educational and AgrAbility Programs, or LEAP — a mutually beneficial partnership between Texas FFA chapters and Texas AgrAbility. The students made needed modifications to Northrup’s tractor, allowing him to control it with only his arms.

“The AgrAbilty folks gave me some other helpful suggestions, like installing a solar-powered self-opening gate, so I don’t have to get off my tractor,” he said.

“Everything the students and AgrAbility folks did helped me do more work and feel more secure about operating all my equipment. They helped give me back the freedom to do things by myself.”

Cheryl Grenwelge, Texas AgrAbility project coordinator based in College Station, whose doctorate is in educational psychology, provides day-to-day supervision and implementation of educational instruction and case management for Texas AgrAbility clients such as Smith and Northrup.

“I grew up on ranches in multiple states, so have a personal background in production agriculture and a professional background in working with people who have disabilities,” Grenwelge said. “This gives me a unique insight and understanding of what individuals who are in production agriculture and also dealing with a disability

24

may require.”

Grenwelge, who noted that the average age of a farmer or rancher in the U.S. is currently about 60 years old, said fewer and fewer people in production agriculture are being relied upon to provide the food, fiber and other agricultural commodities needed.

“It is not only in our social interest, but also our economic interest to keep as many people as possible involved in production agriculture,” she said. “This includes people with a condition acquired through a catastrophic accident or as a result of an ongoing health situation, such as arthritis, that limits employment or the performance of work tasks.”

The Texas AgrAbility Program also has a special interest in addressing the possibilities for ranching or farming by active duty and former members of the military, Grenwelge said.

“Among all U.S. states, Texas has the second largest number of military veterans,” she said.

“About 45 percent of returning vets are from rural areas, and we want to enable them — whether or not they have a disability — to return to the area of production agriculture they choose.”

It’s often difficult for military veterans to find gainful civilian employment after their service, said Erin Pilosi, Texas AgrAbility’s military workshop coordinator who presents programs

See RURAL, Page 25

March 2014 — Issue 2



The Land & Livestock Post

News Rural, from Page 24 throughout the state.

“That becomes more difficult when you’re living in a rural area, and even more difficult when you are a person with a disability,” Pilosi said. “However, those who have served their country typically show the sort of independence, commitment and work ethic needed to succeed in an agriculture-based business.”

One of Texas AgrAbility’s most popular programs, “From Battleground to Breaking Ground: A Transformational Journey,” was designed with input from AgriLife Extension, Texas AgrAbility, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service, the National Farmer Veteran Coalition, Farm Service Agency, Texas Department of Agriculture, nonprofit organizations and others. Along with a presentation by a veteran currently involved in production agriculture and overview of the Texas AgrAbility program, the workshop provides information on resources available for funding, business plan development, resource networking and more.

Audra Berry and her husband Sean, both former militarypersonnel, have attended the Battleground to Breaking Ground workshop. The couple, currently involved in two different agribusinesses — one a family hay-farming operation and the other a pastured poultry business between Richards and Anderson — is also investigating the possibility of starting an organic garden operation in the future.

“The workshop was very helpful in allowing us to network with others who are current and former military involved in agribusiness,” Audra Berry said. “We were also able to find out more about financing, which we’re now in the process of requesting through the

Farm Service Agency.

“And the business planning information was helpful, as was hearing from other veterans who are now actively involved in agribusiness. I think the networking was the most important thing.”

AgrAbility’s Pilosi said Texas AgrAbility also provides information and support to military and non-military women involved in production agriculture through these workshops.

Another military veteran who has benefitted from Texas AgrAbility is Doug Havemann, a former Army and Army National Guard member who served in Desert Storm. Havermann and wife Melissa operate Mesquite Field Farm, which they describe as “a small offgrid cottage farm located southeast of San Antonio.”

“We produce rotationally grazed grass-fed beef on about 20 acres in Nixon,” said Havemann, who left the service in 1998. “We don’t use any chemicals on our cattle, or the farm for that matter, nor do we feed them grain. Our cattle eat grass. After ensuring we had adequate grass for the cattle, we began operations in earnest in 2013.

“We made good decisions and last year we were able to increase the number of livestock on the property. And 2014 looks to be a great year. In fact, we’ve already sold out of our grassfed beef to date.”

Havemann said he learned about and attended the Battleground to Breaking Ground program while attending a farm and ranch show last year on the San Antonio Livestock Exposition grounds.

“At the program I got a lot of good information about business planning,” he said. “I only regret that I didn’t find out about Texas AgrAbility sooner — and about possible funding through the Young Farmers Grant. At 46, I’m just one year too old for that. I guess the main

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thing I took away from the program was that I was delighted that people were finally talking about the ways current and former military could get involved in production agriculture.”

Pilosi also oversees the Leadership with Education and AgrAbility Programs effort, which is seeking to bring FFA and 4-H members into the fold.

“LEAP provides a mutually beneficial partnership between Texas FFA chapters and Texas AgrAbility,” Pilosi said. “Benefits include incorporating students with disabilities into agricultural science programs, service-learning projects that provide a meaningful way of applying leadership and educational skills to address a community issue, and project opportunities to meet individual student interests.”

Texas AgrAbility is successful because of the interest and

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo

A Battleground to Breaking Ground workshop for military veterans and active duty military, with our without disabilities, was held recently in Edinburg. Similar workshops are offered throughout the year in different parts of Texas. everyone needs help from time involvement of many agencies and organizations throughout to time,” Peterson said.

For more information, go to the state, Peterson said.

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March 2014 — Issue 2

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News Freeze, from Page 21 weather.

What was interesting about this cold spell was that it seemed to travel more easterly through Texas, sparing some of the more southern fruit-growing areas such as the strawberries around Poteet, Stein said.

“We kind of dodged the bullet in that regards,” he said.

Also, it’s good news that a lot of fruit and nut crops still have tight buds, such as blackberries, pecans and apples, so they were not likely to be damaged by the cold spell, Stein said.

“If we get another one of these in seven to 10 days, it’s not going to be good,” he said. “But by the same token, if it stays cool from now to another freeze, then it’s going to slow down the development of buds and shoots, lessening the chance of damage.”

More information on the current Texas drought and wild-

fire alerts can be found on the AgriLife Extension Agricultural Drought Task Force website at agrilife.tamu.edu/drought/.

AgriLife Extension district reporters compiled the following summaries: Central — The region received a few scattered showers, but they were not enough to relieve moisture stress. Many fruit trees in the area were budding out before the last freeze and may not produce fruit this year. Our livestock are being supplemented with cubes and hay. Warm days and plenty of sunlight last week really greened up wheat and made it grow. It was time to plant corn and grain sorghum, but soils were very dry. Many producers planted anyway, hoping for rain to bring crops up.

Coastal Bend — Farmers were planting corn and grain sorghum despite highly variable temperatures. Temperatures fell about 30 degrees in 15 minutes when the

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March 2014 — Issue 2

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The Land & Livestock Post

News Smartphone app for livestock producers now available

By Rod Santa ana Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Photo courtesy of AgriLife Extension

CORPUS CHRISTI — Livestock producers pondering stocking rates now have an app to help them determine that ratio, according to experts.

GrazingCalc is a new mobile smartphone application developed by personnel at Texas A&M University’s department of wildlife and fisheries sciences, ecosystem science and management units of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

“One of the most common problems livestock managers deal with is determining the best number of livestock to have on the land without harming their resources,” said Blake Alldredge, an AgriLife Extension associate in College Station.

“That task has just become easier with the release of this new app.”

GrazingCalc is now available for iPhone and other Apple devices at the iTunes Store at itunes. apple.com/us/app/stocking-rate-calculator-for/ id814140174?mt=8, Alldredge said.

“Being overstocked beyond what the land can handle may lead to overgrazing,” he said, “result-

A smartphone app to help ranchers determine stocking rates now is available online. ing in issues such as decreased forage production, erosion problems and degraded wildlife habitat,” GrazingCalc is applicable anywhere because it is based on actual forage production as measured by the rancher, said Megan Clayton, an AgriLife Extension range specialist in Corpus Christi who, with Alldredge, developed the content of the app.

“Ranchers may need to do some work to obtain forage production on their property,” she said, “but it is easily done, and a video within the app demonstrates how to obtain this forage production value from their land.”

GrazingCalc allows ranchers to manipulate the number of types of animals, grazing months and remaining available forage.

Funding for the development of this app was provided through a Renewable Resources Extension Act grant from the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources.

For more information, email Clayton at Megan.

Clayton@ag.tamu.edu .

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March 2014 — Issue 2

27

News

South Texas research is berry good for Texas warm daytime temperatures were curling plant leaves.

Anciso also is finding that not all his strawberries are perfectly shaped.

“There are some deformities among them,” he said. “We’re not sure why. It could be because we overused fertilizer and plant hormones. It’s just one of the many aspects of growing the perfect strawberries that we still have to learn.”

A plant fungus also was once a problem.

“We got powdery mildew, which is usually hard to control.

But three treatments with a fungicide ended that problem.”

Anciso suspects that with continued research, strawberries could be profitably grown in South Texas.

By Rod Santa ana Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

WESLACO — It’s not easy to find strawberries growing among the lush, subtropical landscape of South Texas citrus, sugarcane and palm trees. But that could change, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service fruit and vegetable specialist.

For several months, Juan Anciso has been on a sharp learning curve as he tries his hand at growing strawberries a few hundred yards from his office at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Weslaco.

His efforts are funded by a one-year grant from the National Strawberry Sustainability Initiative, funded by the Walmart Foundation and administered by the University of Arkansas Center for Agricultural and Rural Sustainability.

Anciso is part of the Texas Strawberry Project Team, whose goal is to make strawberries a mainstream Texas-produced delicacy.

“Texas produces very few strawberries compared to the state’s tremendous market demands,” Anciso said. “The idea is to produce more strawberries here, rather than importing from California or Mexico. The result could be an alternative profitable crop for Texas growers, while consumers enjoy a fresher, tastier product.”

Anciso had planned to hold a field day in late January to share his knowledge with interested growers, but rodents and other varmints crashed his party.

“We planted transplants in early November and started production near Christmas,” he said. “My plan was to hold a strawberry field day Jan. 20, but possums, raccoons and even birds demolished my crop, so it will be sometime in March before we can invite the public.”

Fencing off the strawberry

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ended, which allows farm equipment to move through them, and they lack any type of heat or humidity controls like a greenhouse would have.

“Here in South Texas they might serve to fend off cold winter temperatures, but we’ve found that the plants outside the tunnel are doing much better than those under the tunnel. In fact, we’ve had no production in the plants under the tunnel so far.”

The strawberry transplants were planted on three 80 foot long raised beds covered in black plastic and watered using drip irrigation. The black plastic, he said, keeps the soil warm and helps control weeds. The high tunnels cover less than half the length of the rows.

Despite a majority of cool days this fall and winter, Anciso said it became necessary once late last year to roll up the sides of the high tunnel plastic because

s

sue 24 Is

Juan Anciso, an AgriLife Extension fruit and vegetable specialist, examines one of eight varieties of strawberries growing in a demonstration plot in Weslaco. patch with chicken wire a couple of feet tall, plus other control methods, did the trick. By Valentine’s Day, production had returned, he said. Bright red, fragrant strawberries litter the ground again.

Similar strawberry demonstration plots have been set up at various Texas A&M University facilities throughout the state, including College Station, Lubbock and Uvalde.

Each plot is evaluating eight strawberry varieties, grown on both open ground and under what are called “high tunnels,” large plastic covered Quonset hut-style structures designed to offer protection from the environment to the close-cropped plants, Anciso said.

“The tunnels are 20 feet wide, about 15 feet tall in the center, and covered with plastic that can be rolled up on the sides as needed to retain or release solar heat,” he said. “They are open-

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AgriLife Communications photo by Rod Santa Ana

“We’ve still got a lot to learn, not only in how best to grow strawberries, but we need to study the economics of growing a profitable crop,” he said. “It’s a high-maintenance, expensive crop to grow with lots of inputs and constant, staggered harvesting. But because strawberries can withstand cold, I can see them in the mix of cold weather vegetables we grow down here in the winter.”

As strawberries continue to grow, Anciso said important data will continue to be compiled, including yield, quality and shelf life.

“We’ll schedule a field day for some time in mid-March when we should have lots of information to release and lots of juicy strawberries to taste.”

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March 2014 — Issue 2

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The Land & Livestock Post

News Combine good taste and nutrition for a better diet Special to The Post

If eating right is a challenge, it may be because you are trying things you simply don’t like. The key is finding options that satisfy your taste buds, experts say.

“Taste is a major influential factor driving what you eat and feed your family, so it’s important to strike a balance between foods you like and those that provide the nutrients you need,” said Glenna McCollum, registered dietitian nutritionist and president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

“Taste and nutrition are not mutually exclusive.”

March is National Nutrition Month, an excellent annual reminder to take the time to evaluate your diet and make positive changes you can sustain longterm.

As part of the “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right” theme, McClollum is encouraging Americans to return to the basics of healthful eating by combining taste and nutrition to create meals that follow the recommendations of the “2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.”

With that in mind, McClollum is providing some expert tips on how to eat right and enjoy it: • Love sandwiches? — Swap out white bread for whole grain to increase your fiber intake. Instead of mayonnaise, use avocado as a rich addition to your sandwich.

It’s more flavorful, and it’s also full of fiber, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, as well as other nutrients. To stay fuller longer, include fiber-rich veggies such as tomatoes and cucumbers.

• Balance — While there’s always room to indulge, be sure that the majority of your calories are sourced from vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, fat-free or lowfat dairy, beans, nuts and seeds.

You’ll be filling up on all the nutrients your body needs without all the extra calories. And don’t

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March is National Nutrition Month forget to limit added sugars, salt and saturated fats.

• Don’t skip dessert — Many diet fads will encourage you to skip dessert, but doing so can seem like a sacrifice, which won’t make for a sustainable change.

Instead, seek out treats that provide nutritional benefits.

For example, mango blended with low-fat milk and a splash of pineapple juice will satisfy your sweet tooth, while giving you a dose of calcium and vitamin C. • Spice it up — A great, lowcalorie way to add flavor and nutrition to meals without the fat, sugar or salt, is by incorporating beneficial herbs and spices, such as cardamom, turmeric, cinnamon cumin, thyme, basil and oregano.

Citrus juices are another great addition to recipes.

• Ask for advice — Whether you need to lose weight, want to reduce your risk for disease or just want to improve your family’s overall health, consider consulting a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), who can translate the science of nutrition into practical solutions for healthy living. Your RDN can help you plan healthy, delicious meals.

For more tips on healthful, tasty eating and to find a RDN, visit www.EatRight.org/nnm.

T his National Nutrition Month, don’t just eat for your health, eat for your happiness.

Take steps to find foods that are not only nutritious, but taste great too.

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March 2014 — Issue 2

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The Land & Livestock Post

News Texas A&M Horticulture Club plans 32nd annual plant sale

By Kathleen PhilliPs Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

The Texas A&M University Horticulture Club will hold its 32nd annual Spring Plant Sale from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 29 in College Station.

The sale will be on the lawn of the Horticulture/Forest Science Building on Texas A&M’s West Campus. Free parking is available.

The plant sale is the main fundraiser, and proceeds are used to sponsor individuals and teams at various collegiate competitions and events and to support ongoing projects, according to Leo Lombardini,

Texas A&M AgriLife Communications photo by Kathleen Phillips

Student members of the Texas A&M University Horticulture Club prepare for the 32nd annual plant sale on campus March 29.

associate professor of horticulture and faculty advisor.

A variety of plants will be available, including tomatoes, peppers, assorted vegetable varieties, house plants, annuals and perennials as well as a wide selection of heirloom and hybrid roses.

For more information, contact Lombardini at 979-458-8079 or via email at l-lombardini@ tamu.edu or view the club’s website at tamuhorticultureclub.tamu.edu.

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Fruit, from Page 26 latest winter storm pushed through the area. High winds accompanying the storm depleted topsoil moisture needed for germination. Pastures were greening up, but there was no substantial amount of forage available. Livestock producers continued to feed cattle heavily with hay and protein supplements.

East — Cold fronts continued to push across the region. Counties reported some warm sunny days followed by colder temperatures, accompanied by rain and snow.

The warmer days helped winter pastures grow. Livestock producers were still feeding hay and supplements, but hay supplies were becoming low. Cattle were in fair to good condition. Area cattle markets remained active and favorable. Calving continued.

Farmers were preparing land for corn planting and Bermuda grass sprigging. Fruit trees were being pruned. Trinity County reported that with all the moisture received during the past few months, even a small rain caused problems driving over pastures and many county roads. Feral hogs were active.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Larry Stein

Most peach trees, such as this Red Baron variety, were not in full bloom during the latest bout of freezing weather and so probably were not damaged

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March 2014 — Issue 2

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