|
|
|
|
 Give
thanks
It's
hard to believe that Thanksgiving is almost
here. This year has flown by so quickly. It
makes me remember to cherish every day and be
thankful for what we have.
I
have a friend who is in the Army and is
currently stationed in Afghanistan. He's been
there for four months and won't come back until
February for two weeks and then back over seas
for another nine months. He has four daughters
back here in Iowa. I am truly thankful for our
service men and women who continue to fight for
our freedom and help make life better for
others.
I
am also thankful for farmers and ranchers who
provide feed, food, fiber and fuel for people
around the world. These people give their time
and work to provide us with everything we need
to survive.
I
am also thankful for family and friends. I've
always said that the agriculture community is a
tight knit community who is willing to help
others out at all times. I feel very fortunate
to be a part of that community in so many
ways.
Think
about what you are thankful for and be sure to
share it with others--thank the service men and
women, thank a farmer and rancher, and thank
your family and friends for all they do for
you.
Remember:
There is always something to be thankful
for.
|
 Ag News Headlines
for the week ending Nov. 20,
2009
| |
Conventional
ag production has economical, environmental
advantages
With
little or no new farmland to exploit, farmers
will have to become more productive in the
future in order to continue to provide feed,
food and fiber for the world, according to Alex
Avery, director of research and education for
the Hudson Institute.
"Global
food demand will at least double, and more
likely triple, over the next 50 years," he told
a group at the Feeding Quality Forum held in
South Sioux City, Neb., Nov.
10.
Avery
said population growth is not the only factor in
world food demand, though. Affluence and wealth
have just as much importance in the need for
food.
"When
people have more money, the first thing they buy
is food and more higher-quality food," he said.
"Everyone has always thought Indian people had
mostly vegetarian diets because of religious
reasons, but it is more because of economic
reasons."
China
and India's total meat production continues to
be on the rise to help meet their needs. A
recent study showed the Chinese national meat
consumption is expected to more than double
between 2008 and 2040 to 2050, with only about
10 percent of that increase due to population
growth.
"The
population around the world isn't rising all
that much. Increased demand is more attributed
to rising affluence and dietary changes per
capita," he said.
With
the increase in affluence, he said this also
leads to the need in other demands besides
higher-quality food-clothing, pet food, and beer
demands rise as well. These all add to an
increase in the need and competition of
agriculture land for other
products.
(Read
more)
|
Be
prepared in the event of an influenza
pandemic
Nearly
every day the news is reporting something about
the H1N1 flu. These reports usually pertain to
the number of new cases reported or the shortage
of the vaccine.
If
this disease should strike your family, are you
prepared?
Barbara
Brown, Oklahoma State University Cooperative
Extension food specialist, said families often
prepare for weather emergencies, but also need
to prepare for a possible pandemic of influenza.
"To
help families prepare for emergency situations,
the OSU Cooperative Extension Service has
encouraged Oklahomans to keep emergency supplies
of food and water on hand," Brown said. "In the
event of a weather emergency, a three-day supply
is usually sufficient. But in the event of an
influenza pandemic, a kit containing a two-week
supply of food and water is recommended."
Individual
and family planning is essential for two
reasons. First, emergency responders must be
ready at home to be able to respond in the
community. Second, the better prepared citizens
are in a community, the less stress on
responders and demand for limited resources.
To
begin preparation, put together a supply of
food, water, medicine and other supplies for
yourself and your family that will last for two
weeks. For those who have pets, be sure to
include all necessities for your pets as well.
(Read
more)
|
Researchers
study link between climate change, nutritional
stress
Kansas State
University's Joseph Craine, research assistant
professor in the Division of Biology, and KC
Olson, associate professor in animal sciences
and industry, have teamed up with some other
scientists from across the United States to look
into the possible effects of climate change on
cattle nutrition.
Comparing grasslands
and pastureland in different regions in the
U.S., the study, published in Global Change
Biology, discusses data from more than 21,000
different fecal samples collected during a
14-year period and analyzed at the Texas A&M
University Grazingland Animal Nutrition Lab for
nutritional content.
"Owing to the complex
interactions among climate, plants, cattle
grazing and land management practices, the
impacts of climate change on cattle have been
hard to predict," said Craine, principal
investigator for the project.
The lab measured the
amount of crude protein and digestible organic
matter retained by cattle in the different
regions. The pattern of forage quality observed
across regions suggests that a warmer climate
would limit protein availability to grazing
animals, Craine said.
"This study assumes
nothing about patterns of future climate change;
it's just a what if," Olson said. "What if there
was significant atmosphere enrichment of carbon
dioxide? What would it likely do to plant
phenology? If there is atmospheric carbon
dioxide enrichment, the length of time between
when a plant begins to grow and when it reaches
physiological maturity may be condensed."
(Read
more)
|
Coping
with moldy corn
Farmers
can cope with mold-ridden corn in fields and
bins in a few ways.
"If
you still have corn in the field, the most
important thing is to harvest as quickly as
possible," said Laura Sweets, University of
Missouri Extension Commercial Agriculture plant
pathologist. "Farmers have been docked pretty
badly when taking loads into the elevators
because of high moisture content or a lot of
mold, either of which may lower test
weight."
Two
types of mold present a particular problem this
year where wet fields measure moisture content
of more than 20 percent: Diplodia-a dense white
to grayish-white mold that mats between kernels
and husks-and fusarium/gibberella-a whitish-pink
to reddish-pink mold that typically starts at
the tip of the ears and progresses down-are both
prevalent in many corn fields. To prevent
continued mold growth when grain is in storage,
moisture needs to stay below 15
percent.
Sweets
noted that adjusting combines correctly could
help keep some moldy matter out of hoppers and
grain bins.
"A
lot of the time the kernels that have ear and
kernel rot are lighter and may be shrunken, so
if you adjust the fans a little bit you can blow
a lot of that out to keep it out of the hopper,
the truck and the storage bin," Sweets
said.
Running
combines at full capacity with concave settings
open, cylinder speed set low and fan speeds
elevated can help blow out cob pieces and fines,
which generally contain more spores and
mold.
Once
in the bin, the focus switches to aeration and
drying of corn. Aeration helps to maintain a
cool, uniform temperature throughout bins to
reduce mold
growth.
| |
|
| |
