2013 Idaho Master Composter and Recycler

The Idaho Master Composter and Recycler (MCR) is a train the trainer program that trains individuals in environmental education topics related to the pollution prevention cycle (reduce, reuse, recycle, treatment, disposal), resources usage reduction and efficiency (energy, water, soils), composting at the home, farm, and municipal level, and vermicomposting. The program meets once a week for seven sessions plus a field day. We provide attendees with information on a wide arrange of sustainability topics and a lot of resources to enrich themselves and to teach others, enabling them to serve as a community resource in environmental education. The program is open to the general public, but audiences that for sure will take a lot of applicable knowledge home include teachers, students, Planning and Zoning, and city public works personnel, elected officials, private companies representatives (stores, hotels, farms, manufacturing, restaurants, etc.). Participants share their experiences and questions, and learn more about sustainable practices and how to increase sustainability in their businesses, schools, farms, communities, or simply at home with their family.

NOP Releases New Guides for Organic Certification

Written by NCAT experts, guides are part of NOP ‘Organic Literacy Initiative’ 

Beginning farmers and existing organic operations can find detailed information about organic certification in a series of new guides available now on the ATTRA-National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service website.

Food Safety for Value-Added Producers

If you missed this webinar by Londa Nwadike's presentation on Food Safety for Value-Added Producers. The recording and presentation materials are now available at http://www.extension.org/pages/16076/etc-webinar-archive.

Hope to see you again soon at one of our monthly webinars for rural businesses and farms.  For a complete listing of all the available webinar topics please check out https://learn.extension.org/

Sustainable-ag question? Text an expert

  ATTRA expands its popular phone helpline and email service

 Got a question about sustainable agriculture? Shoot us a text.

The popular “Ask an Ag Expert” feature on ATTRA’s website now includes a texting option. Just text a question to askanag@ncat.org, and you’ll get a reply via your phone from the National Center for Appropriate Technology’s (NCAT) staff of sustainable-agriculture experts.

Tax and Financial Risks Due to Drought and Disaster Webinar Recordings

RECORDINGS POSTED FOR:

AAEA Extension Section & Ag In Uncertain Times webinar -
Presentations and presenters included:

  Weather-Related (Drought) Sales of Livestock:  Income Tax Management Issues-

     J.C. Hobbs (Oklahoma State University)

  DROUGHT: Cash Flow Planning and Analysis-

     Danny Klinefelter (Texas A&M University)

  Major Unresolved Ag Tax Issues-

     Roger McEowen (Iowa State University)

Point your browser to AgInUncertainTimes.FarmManagement.or g for presentation slides and webinar recordings posted as: PDF, video, MP3, and more . . . 

Reproductive Strategies for Beef Cows

Ron Torell is teaching a reproductive strategies class through Great Basin College next month for livestock producers in Nevada.  This is another great learning opportunity that is being offered to producers in Ely, Winnemucca, Elko, Battle Mountain, Eureka, Gardnerville, and Pahrump through interactive video class rooms. 

Whole Farm and Multi-Peril Crop Insurance Program Dates Approaching in Early 2013

SPOKANE, Wash., December 5, 2012 ----- USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) reminds producers of the fast approaching winter and spring sales closing dates for Multiple Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) programs. This also includes the whole farm insurance programs Adjusted Gross Revenue Pilot (AGR) and Adjusted Gross Revenue-Lite (AGR-Lite). AGR and AGR-Lite cover most farm-raised crops, animals, and animal products.  

Cow Camp Chatter: Nutrient Shopping

Ron Torell, Long-Standing Educator and Advocate of Agriculture
 

Hay prices are skyrocketing.  In some instances the price has doubled from what it was just a few short years ago.  These escalating prices are primarily due to a nationwide drought which has reduced supply and increased demand for hay, grain and standing forage.   The price relationship of protein and energy sources parallel corn and other grain commodities.  Whether you are selling, purchasing or feeding hay it is important to know what you are dealing with.  The best and most appropriate way to accomplish this is to compare price per pound of nutrient, not price per ton of feed. This is when an accurate forage/hay sample and analysis will save/earn you valuable dollars. 

Extension Webinar: Tax and Financial Risks Due to Drought and Disaster December 7

Date: Friday, December 7, 2012
Time: 12:00 Eastern/11:00 Central/10:00 Mountain/9:00 Pacific

Presentations and presenters include:

  Weather Related Sales of Livestock -

     J.C. Hobbs (Oklahoma State University)

  DROUGHT: Tax and Cash Flow Consequences -

     Danny Klinefelter (Texas A&M University)

  Changing Tax Law: What Agriculture Might Expect -

     Roger McEowen (Iowa State University) 

Livestock Biosecurity: What Is It and Why Should I care?

Last Updated: October 29, 2012

Biosecurity refers to strategies and management practices that lessen biological risk. On a farm, attention to biosecurity is the most important measure to reduce and prevent the introduction of diseases or pests of animals and plants. Biosecurity practices also minimize the spread of diseases or pests within a farm system. Many aspects of biosecurity are common sense, but if these strategies and practices are not enforced consistently, there is a greater risk of introducing animal or plant diseases and facing their accompanying economic costs.

Biosecurity practices on livestock farms and ranches include sanitation, animal management, feed management, facility maintenance, manure handling, and disposal of dead animals. The following is a list of best practices.

Understanding Whole-Farm Insurance for Specialized, Diversified and Organic Farms Nov 29

Understanding Whole-Farm Insurance

for Specialized, Diversified and Organic Farms

November 29 webinar will discuss AGR-Lite and other options

The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) will offer a webinar on Thursday, November 29, to explain Adjusted Gross Revenue Lite (AGR-Lite) — a unique type of federally subsided crop insurance that holds great promise to serve the needs of smaller, diverse, specialty crop, organic, and direct-market farmers.

What's Important in Ranching?

by Chad Cheyney

I give a short talk at the Lost Rivers Grazing Academy about paradigms. (No...not "pair of dimes".) The human brain is lazy, and paradigms are a trick the mind uses to make dealing with the world easier....at least for the brain. Paradigms also keep us from seeing (and understanding) the world and our businesses and professions in new or different ways....because..."that's the way we have always done it."

Cow Camp Chatter: Forage-Based Heifer Development Programs Require Slow But Steady Gain

Ron Torell, Long-Standing Educator and Advocate of Agriculture

            Many higher precipitation regions of the United States produce an abundance of quality forage year-round requiring little if any supplemental feed to properly develop heifers for breeding. For the rangelands of the arid and semi-arid American West it’s a different story. These rangelands produce fall weaned 450 - 500 pound spring born heifer calves of which 15 – 20% are often retained as replacements by ranchers.  In an effort to obtain a 700 lb-plus spring target breeding weight, winter development rations generally consist of quality homegrown native hay along with a few pounds/head/day of a grain-based supplement for added energy and protein.  This winter feed ration generally yields a 1.25 - 1.75 lb/day gain which is more than sufficient to reach spring target breeding weight.  Due to the severity of the 2012 drought and the effect it has had on the price of grain and grain by-products, the grain-based method for reaching target breeding weight may now have to be re-evaluated.

           

PHARMACEUTICAL USE IN CATTLE - ONLINE COURSE

West Texas A&M University is presenting an on-line credit course on pharmaceutical use in cattle.  Registration is open now and ends January 17th.  Class begins on January 14th.

The course will equip persons involved in the administration, distribution or sale of pharmaceuticals used in cattle to maximize therapeutic outcomes, prevent drug-related problems and protect the wholesomeness of the food supply chain.

RMA Reminds Growers of Sales Closing Dates for Pasture, Rangeland, Forage Vegetation Index Program

SPOKANE, Wash., October 30, 2012 ----- USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) reminds producers in Idaho and Oregon of the November 15 sales closing dates for the Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF) pilot program, Vegetation Index program, and the Apiculture (API) pilot program for the 2013 crop year. 

Management implications for grazing irrigated pastures in the fall

by K. Scott Jensen,

Owyhee County Extension

Reprinted with permission from Progressive Cattleman and Scott Jensen

Fall can be a critical period in the life of desirable pasture plants. While it is often common thought that plants that appear to be dormant can be grazed “to the ground” without hurting anything, perception is far from the truth. Fall residual plant materials (leaves, lower stem bases, and crowns) are essential to maximize next year’s production for perennial grasses and forbs.

Click here to read the entire article in Progressive Cattleman

LATE FALL IRRIGATION OF ALFALFA

by Bruce Anderson, Extension Forage Agronomist, Univeristy of Nebraska

               

                 Attention irrigators! Don't shut off your system for the season just yet.  Your alfalfa still might benefit from a little more water.  

                This drought has me a little worried for alfalfa.  We need some surface soil moisture to prevent alfalfa roots from drying out and dying over winter.  Soil moisture also helps keep soil temperatures from dropping too low for alfalfa plants to survive.

               

Webinar: Establishing a Microenterprise Lending Program

October Webinar - Establishing a Microenterprise Lending Program

Mark your calendars! The eXtension Entrepreneurship webinar continues Thursday, October 11, 2012 with  Establishing a Collaborative Microenterprise Lending Program with Nancy Bowen, OSU Extension and Julie Miller, Wright State University Business Enterprise Center. All webinars will air monthly on the second Thursday at 2:00pm (ET); 1:00pm (CT); 12:00pm (MT); 11:00am (PT) at https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/etc-cop.

Cattle Eating Sagebrush WSARE Tour Nov 16th

Cottonwood Ranch Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education

(Western SARE) Program Tour

Friday, November 16^th, 2012 

Agee Smith, of Cottonwood Ranch, secured a Western SARE grant in 2010 to see if they can reduce winter feed costs by having their cattle get protein and energy from sagebrush and rabbitbrush while enhancing rangeland health and resilience. Grazing has taken place during two fall/winter seasons since 2010 and an initial tour was conducted in June,

2011. We invite you to come and learn what’s come from the

use of this valuable rangeland treatment tool. 

Cow Camp Chatter: I have a beef about my beef purchase!

Ron Torell, Long-Standing Educator and Advocate of Agriculture

There is a growing popularity for consumer direct sales of locally grown, grass finished, hormone-free, all-natural freezer beef. Many consumers, however,  are in the dark when it comes to understanding  the  yield loss  of a 1,200 lb grass finished steer after harvesting.  The entire steer which has been cut and wrapped to specifications for a family of four will fit into about eight cardboard boxes once it has been harvested, aged and processed. Baffled by this, consumers want to know what happened to the rest of their beef. 

New Invasive Insect detected in Ada and Kootenai Counties

Boise, ID - A new invasive insect, the Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica), recently was detected in Idaho in both Ada and Kootenai counties. The Japanese beetle was first introduced to the United States in 1916 in plants imported from Japan. The insect is approximately ½-inch long, a shiny metallic green with copper-brown wing covers.

Adult Japanese beetles feed on trees, rose bushes, stonefruits and many garden and field crops leaving holes and skeltonized leaves. The larvae, or grubs, live under the soil surface and destroy patches of turf by feeding on roots of grass.

Cow Camp Chatter:Self-Disciplined Ranch Management

Ron Torell, Long-Standing Educator and Advocate of Agriculture

Why does it take something like a drought or low cattle market to get the attention of those of us in the cow business? It was easy for us to become complacent with $1200 yearlings, $900 calves and $1000 market ready cows.  It seemed as if there would never be another bad day in the industry.  With the cycle now moving in the opposite direction we are thrust in to a situation where forces outside of our control have brought on a downward trend and softer market. How do we deal with it?

Guard Against Nitrates By Testing Forage Pre-Harvest

Hot, dry summer weather brings about heat and drought stress on summer forage crops. Stressed plants such as the forage sorghums can occasionally accumulate dangerous concentrations of nitrates, says Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Extension animal scientist. These high-nitrate plants, either standing in the field or fed as hay, can cause abortion in cattle or death if consumed in great enough quantities.

Nevada Beef Council Seeks Education Activities Coordinator

            The Nevada Beef Council currently has an opening for an Educational Activities Coordinator. This part-time, contract position coordinates the Nevada Beef Council’s (NBC) in state outreach efforts at the producer, consumer and K-12 educational levels. The duties encompass a wide range of responsibilities, including, but not limited to, representing the NBC at consumer and producer events; attending fairs and Ag in the Classroom activities; networking with state association and beef council staff.  

For more information regarding this part-time, contract position, contact Bill Dale, executive director of the Nevada Beef Council at 877-554-2333, or email your resume and references to askus@nevadabeef.org For information about the Nevada Beef Council, visit our website at www.nevadabeef.org

"Mob Stocking": Much Ado About Something

by Dave Pratt, Ranching For Profit

Theres a lot of talk about Mob Stocking these days.  It has left me scratching my head, because what seems like a new and revolutionary concept to many is something weve been teaching at the Ranching For Profit School for over 30 years.  Mob Stocking is simply the intense application of the five cell grazing principles, with particular emphasis on two of them.

Fusarium Head Blight a Problem in This Years Harvest

Please be aware that there are increasing incidences and severity of Fusarium Head Blight (FHB also called head scab or scab) in this year's harvested grain. This disease will cause shrinkage of kernels and sometimes the development of scabby or "tombstone" kernels, which are shrunken white kernels that are covered in fungi and spores.
To reduce grain contamination from the mycotoxins associated with this disease, it is important to increase the fan speeds on your combine in order to blow out the affected kernels. This may reduce the level of toxins detectable to more safe levels, below 5 ppm.
I have attached a picture of FHB in wheat that I took west of Idaho Falls. The disease increases in severity in areas where corn is grown and is worse where small grains directly follow corn in the rotation.
I HAVE SEEN IT IN BOTH WHEAT AND BARLEY in Idaho this year.

Ag/Chem Emergency Spill Response Trainings Aug 15-17

Far West Agribusiness Association invites you to join us for Ag/Chem Emergency Spill Response When Wednesday, August 15, 2012  - Friday, August 17, 2012 Pacific Time Where Land View Corporate Office Training Center, 20504 - 4th Street, Acequia, ID 83350-9428

Farmers Market Week Aug 5-11

In anticipation of the United States Department of Agriculture declaring the week of August 5-11, 2012 as the “National Farmers Market Week”, the Governor of Idaho will be making a proclamation naming that week as “Idaho Farmers Market Week” as well. In an effort to bring more consumers to farmers markets across the state, we encourage Idaho markets to plan special events and activities to make the most of this opportunity.  In this toolkit, ISDA has provided ideas and materials to help your market celebrate the 2012 Farmers Market Week. 

USDA Reminds Pacific Northwest Producers of Fall Crop Sales Closing Dates

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
RISK MANAGEMENT AGENCY

            Spokane, Wash., July 30, 2012 ---- USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) reminds Idaho, Oregon and Washington producers of the important 2013 crop year sales closing deadlines for Multi-Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) programs:  

Situation and Outlook: Calf and Yearling Prices

Prepared by the Livestock Market Information Center (LMIC)

From both an economic and a pasture/range resource perspective, national recovery from two years of drought will be a multi-year endeavor for the cattle industry. The 2011 drought caused national beef cow numbers to decline dramatically, led by herd liquidations in Texas and Oklahoma. This year’s drought decimated pasture/range in most of the U.S. and has damaged Midwest feed crops, dropping yields to the lowest in decades.

Cattle feeding losses were record large this summer. The result was a summer crash in calf prices. Still, in calendar year 2012, prices of all beef-type cattle are projected to set new record highs. Fed cattle prices over the calendar year will average about 7% above a year ago, while calf prices still increase about 10% despite the large summer declines. For 2012’s fourth quarter calf and yearling prices are expected continue to be under pressure and drop below 2011’s.

Looking ahead to calendar year 2013, additional gains are expected in fed cattle prices. Calf and yearling price patterns in 2013 may unfold quite differently than this year’s. If Mother Nature provides a more normal 2013, prices of calves and yearlings are expected to be highest in the second half of the year. For the first two quarters of 2013, calf and yearling prices are forecast to be below 2012’s. With increasingly tight cattle supplies, cow-calf returns will rebound once the drought subsides.

ATTRA Matches Farmers and Ranchers with Interns

Since 1989, the listing of sustainable farming internships and apprenticeships has been a boon both for producers who need some enthusiastic help as well as anyone looking for on-the-job training opportunities. The listings are listed state-by-state in an interactive map; employers list the openings for a small fee, and there is no charge for browsing to see what’s there. 

There are hundreds of listings on the site. Check them out here. https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/internships/

While many positions are for the summer, others are "full-time" or "continuously" filled.  There are currently 19 positions listed in Idaho alone!!

The Oil Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure Program (SPCC) and Farm Fuel Tanks

by Tom Karsky, Univeristy of Idaho Extension Safety Specialist

The Oil Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure Program (SPCC) can have an effect on growers that store fuel and oil on the their facilities. This program is not new, it was part of the Clean Water Act of 1974 but the part that affects farmers and ranchers is now coming into effect. The goal of the program is to prevent oil from spilling into waters of the US and adjoining shorelines. A key element of this program requires an oil spill prevention program called an SPCC plan to be completed by May 10, 2013. Those that are affected by this requirement must meet the following conditions:

1. Store, transfer, use, or consume oil or oil products such as diesel fuel, gasoline, lube oil, hydraulic oil, adjuvant oil, crop oil, vegetable oil, or animal fat. AND

2. Store more than 1320 gallons in above ground containers (only 55 gallon drums or larger should be included in the total) or more than 42,000 gallons in below ground containers. AND

3. Oil could be expected to discharge into navigable waters of the US or adjoining shorelines (lakes, rivers, streams). The nature and flow properties combined with a rain event must be considered.

USDA Risk Management Agency Billing Date Changes

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
RISK MANAGEMENT AGENCY
Contact: Jo Lynne Seufer, (509) 228-6320
jo.lynne.seufer@rma.usda.gov 

USDA Risk Management Agency Billing Date Changes 

Spokane, Wash., July 12, 2012 ---- The Risk Management Agency’s (RMA) Spokane Regional Office reminds Alaska and Pacific Northwest producers of the new billing date for Federal crop insurance premiums on most crops: August 15, 2012. Insured producers have until October 1^st to pay their premiums without being charged interest for crops with an August 15 billing date.  Interest will begin accruing until October 1 at a 1.25 percent per month. 

Cow Camp Chatter Strategic Weaning:Managing Cow Body Condition During Drought

Ron Torell, Long-Standing Educator and Advocate of Agriculture  

Many regions of the country are experiencing one of the driest precipitation cycles in recent history.  These extreme drought conditions require management intervention on behalf of the bovine. Some ranchers are turning their cows out on irrigated pasture with no plans of haying their meadows. Others are reducing the size of their herds through stringent culling and marketing. Cattlemen are faced with making critical management decisions. They need to either increase nutrient supply, which is costly, or decrease nutrient demand.  During periods of drought strategic weaning is one management option ranchers can use to reduce nutrient demand in an effort to manage cow body condition relative to the available nutrient supply.      

Livestock Judging Team Coach Wanted

Instructor, Livestock Judging Team Coach
Part Time / Regular Agriculture Department	Location: Twin Falls - Main Campus	Closing Date: 7/22/2012
(View Summary) (Full Announcement)

Judy Heatwole, 
MTDHuman Resource Specialist

COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN IDAHO

315 Falls Ave, PO Box 1238

Twin Falls, Idaho 83301

Ph: 208-732-6269

Release of the National Beef Quality Audit

Dear Beef Producer,

Every five years the National Beef Quality Audit is released which interviews/surveys ranchers, feedlot operators, packers, retailers and government and allied industry.  The purpose of the audit is to document accomplishments, future challenges and to identify areas that need improvement.  Among the advancements that all of the industry should be proud of are the advancements made in tenderness, palatability, animal care, quality assurance, animal welfare,  stockman ship and stewardship, beef safety and continuing to tell the beef story.  As a prelude to the release of the results on July 26 at the summer National Cattlemens Beef Association (NCBA) meetings in Denver (by scientists from NE, TX, and CO), I would like to share with you a video which provides a summary of the challenges and opportunities identified from the audit and the road map to continuously  improve beef demand and quality.  The video highlights from a strategy team made up of  41 seed stock, cow/calf, feeders, packers and retailers who provided their reaction to the challenges and future opportunities identified by the audit.   Just click on it and it should start for you. This video and the audit would not have happened without the support of the beef checkoff and the Cattlemen's Beef Board.   Best regards.  JP

http://www.youtube.com/nationalbqa 

Certified Crop Advisor Exam Registraion Closes June 22

Announcement
To:	All FWAA Members and Northwest Certified Crop Advisers (NWCCA)
From:	James F. Fitzgerald, Executive Director
Subject:	CCA Exam Registration - Closes June 22, 2012
Date:	June 15, 2012

Stripe Rust and Frost Reports from Juliet

Two small reports:

Stripe rust was found in Lewiston, UT on Xerpha soft white winter wheat. The pictures sent to me look like the heat in that area is shutting down the infection. In these areas (northern Utah, southern Idaho), winter wheat is in grain fill.  In southeast Idaho, winter wheat is in the boot, flowering, and in early grain fill depending on planting date, variety etc. Dryland winter wheat is suffering greatly from drought.

Cow Camp Chatter: Adding Value to Bred Heifers

Ron Torell, Long-Standing Educator and Advocate of Agriculture

 As we enter the rebuilding phase of our national brood cow herd market analyzers are predicting high demand and record prices for bred females. Last year we saw commercial bred heifers sell anywhere from $1200 to $1800. These pay outs were disappointing given the record high prices paid for calves, yearlings and market ready cows.  It is  anticipated that bred female prices will adjust in 2012  and trade in the range of $1500 to $2300.  So why the disparity and huge price range associated with this class of cattle?  Could it be that some sellers are producing what the buyer wants?

Strip Rust Update

The latest update on stripe rust:

Oliver Neher, Extension Plant Pathologist for the University of Idaho in Kimberly, reported three fields of Brundage showing stripe rust infection south of the Kimberly exit off of Hwy 84. Upper leaves were infected, indicating the occurrence of a recent spring infection, not an overwintering event. All three fields were sprayed with a fungicide to control the infection.

Stripe Rust Alert: Strip Rust Identified in the Magic Valley 5/28

Stripe rust was observed in the Magic Valley as of 5/28/2012 and confirmed on 5/30/2012 by Dr. Oliver T. Neher, University of Idaho.  Infection was reported on winter wheat ‘Brundage’  planted the second week of September the previous year.

 Resistant varieties should not need fungicide applications, but nevertheless, growers should scout all wheat fields as the prevalent strains of the fungi can change, affecting different varieties.

Barley Commission Activities and Educational Opportunties

Wallace Center’s National Good Food Network Free Webinars

The Wallace Center is offerin the following free webinars that could be potentially helpful to ranch operators in central Idaho

May 31, 2012 at 9 AM Eastern:
The One Page Business Plan and One Page Financial Plan

June 21, 2012 at 3:30pm Eastern:
Grass-Based Beef: The Business Case

June 21, 2012 at 3:30pm Eastern:
Grass-Based Beef: The Business Case

The Wallace Center supports entrepreneurs and communities as they build a new, 21st century food system that is healthier for people, the environment, and the economy.
Our role is four-fold:

• We build links in the growing and diverse network of food and farm innovators with events and communications that bring participants together.
• We strengthen this network by gathering information from it and sharing participants’ learning through the network and with policy makers.
• We prime the pump of change by monitoring the emergence of useful models and helping others adopt or adapt them.
• We work to bring financial resources and other capacity-building support to good-food innovator

• Please note – all of these webinars are completely free of charge. Times are listed in Eastern – please adjust as necessary for your time zone.

If you would like to hear about these opportunities as they come up (we run a webinar every month) , sign up for our newsletters here. The webinars are announced on the National Good Food Network mailing list. 

Celestine Duncan Coming to Custer County May 30th

I am happy to announce that Celestine Duncan from Helena, MT will be joining us in Custer County on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 to teach a Weed Identification & Control Course (see attached flyer for additional information). Celestine brings with her a large variety of live plants (weeds) that she grows in her greenhouses in Montana. This provides a great, hands-on learning environment for those in attendance.

Besides weed identification, Celestine will be covering integrated weed management, new herbicides on the market, important considerations for herbicide application, and sprayer calibration.

The class will be held at the Y Inn Dining Room from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. Lunch will be served. 4 re-certification credits have been applied for. Cost of the workshop is $20/person. This fee includes lunch and all course materials.

Cow Camp Chatter: The Postpartum Anestrus Period

Ron Torell, Long-Standing Educator and Advocate of Agriculture

        The structure and function of a cow’s uterus is fascinating. It accepts the calf, a substance that is completely foreign to it, while blocking the body’s normal defense mechanism designed to destroy foreign invaders.  The uterus nourishes, protects, and sustains the developing calf while growing up to 24 inches or more in diameter. When the time is right, the uterus receives a signal from the calf and transforms itself into a delivery system forcibly expelling the calf. It then begins the amazing process of  preparing itself for a repeat of the whole cycle.  The recovery process for a cow between calving and her next pregnancy is critical to a profitable beef enterprise and is quite frequently misunderstood.          

Entrepreneurs and Their Communities: Direct Marketing Webinar May 10th

Thank you for joining us on Thursday, April 12 for the Entrepreneurs and Their Communities webinar on product displays for direct markets. The recording and presentation materials are now available at http://www.extension.org/pages/16076/etc-webinar-archive. Please feel free to share the link with others that may be interested and feel free to explore some of our other topics while you are there.

Our next webinar will be Thursday, May 10, 2012 at 2:00pm Eastern. We will pick up the discussion where we left off this month continuing the discussion of the art and science of direct marketing. Be sure to mark your calendar and join us.

No pre-registration is required and there is no fee to participate. About 10 minutes prior to the start time simply go the Adobe Connect Pro meeting room at https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/etc-cop. You will be presented with a login screen that has an "Enter as Guest" option. Enter your full name then click "Enter Room" to join the conference. You will be able to hear the audio directly from your computer’s speakers.--

Mary Peabody
UVM Extension, Community & Economic Development
617 Comstock Road, Suite 5
Berlin, VT 05602
Phone: 802-223-2389 x202

Email: Mary.Peabody@uvm.edu

Food Safety Training for Growers and Food Vendors at Farmer's Markets May 9th

The Southern Idaho Public Health District is sponsoring a workshop to  help producers and vendor everything from fresh produce to ready to eat food do a safe job o operating at their farmer's market.  Particpation is reasonably priced.  Contact Meloday Bowyer at 208-737-5909 or mbowyer@phd5.idaho.gov is you cannot get the registration form sent in.  If they have a reasonable showing, the will work to providing more workshops around the district and the state.

Cow Camp Chatter: Artificial Insemination: Is it for your ranch?

Ron Torell, Long-Standing Educator and Advocate of Agriculture

Technology should not be oversold. A successful artificial insemination (A.I.) program takes time, labor, the facilities to properly process cattle multiple times, livestock handling skills and cows in adequate body condition and postpartum interval. It is imperative to have an understanding of the estrous cycle and heat synchronization protocol. Time and effort is required for accurate heat detection. Unless you want 30% of your cows to be open you will still need a cleanup bull or a second round of heat detection and A.I. Following the process through diligently from the beginning when the decision to A.I. is first made to the end when the last cow is bred will yield the greatest success.

‘Whole-farm’ insurance tool on USDA blog site

AGR-Lite Wizard, a free online tool that can helps diversified crop and livestock producers gauge whether whole-farm insurance protection makes sense for their operations, is featured on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “USDA Blog.”

The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and Montana Tech of the University of Montana developed AGR-Lite Wizard in a partnership funded by the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA). Jeff Schahczenski, an agricultural economist with NCAT, was the lead developer of the project.

Central Idaho Celebrates Ag Week 2012: Free Breakfast in Arco March 15th

ATTRA Project Resumes Full Level of Services

(BUTTE, MT)—When Mariah and Ira White began the Summer Kitchen Family Farm outside of Fayetteville, Arkansas, a couple of years ago, they knew they had a lot to learn. The young couple had kept chickens and sold eggs and produce while living in Fayetteville, but a full-fledged sustainable crop and livestock operation was something else again. 

“We sort of outgrew our garden,” Mariah said with a laugh.

For help, Mariah and Ira turned to the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service project, also called the ATTRA project.

A project of the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), the ATTRA project is a leading national provider of technical assistance in the sustainable agriculture and farm-energy arenas.

Federal funding for ATTRA was restored in the fall after being cut earlier in the year.

PNW Livestock Outlook 2012 Available On-Line Now

The University of Idaho Agriculture Extension Economists have posted the  Agricultural Economic Extension Series (AEES) paper on PNW Livestock Outlook 2012 by ag economists C. Wilson Gray, Erica Rosa-Sanko, Katelyn McCullock, James Robb, .  It is on the Ag Econo and Rural Sociology Resource page at the url below..

http://www.cals.uidaho.edu/aers/2012AEESAERSpublations/AEES1201.pdf

IBC Program Covering Crop Insurance, Grain Markets and Other Programs in Eastern Idaho March 12 and 13th

Barley Commission (Eastern Idaho commissioner Dwight Little, Industry Representative Clay Kaasa and I) would like to invite you to join us at one of these barley grower events scheduled in eastern Idaho on March 12 and 13 (we will discuss barley crop insurance, 2012 grain markets and IBC programs):

• MUD LAKE    Monday, March 12 at 8 a.m. – Breakfast at Country Café in Mud Lake

• ST ANTHONY   Monday, March 12 at 12:00 p.m. - Lunch at El Jalieciense Restaurant in St. Anthony (119 S. Bridge)

• RIGBY  Tuesday, March 13 at 8 a.m. – Breakfast at Me & Stan's Restaurant in Rigby

Kelly L Olson, Administrator
Idaho Barley Commission
208-334-2090
Fax: 208-334-2335
kolson@idahobarley.org

FARMER TAX-TIPS, 2011

By Paul Gutierrez and Patrick Sullivan, Extension Economist, NMSU

Tax time is here and it is a good time to step back and take a look at your business. Successful tax planning requires the taxpayer to examine the “big picture” of their operation.

Qualified farmer: Special rules exist for the payment of estimated tax and filing deadlines for individuals that are “qualified farmers”. For 2011, a qualified farmer is an individual that derived at least two-thirds of their gross income from farming in 2010 or 2011 (Publication 225).

Colorado State University's Temple Grandin to be Inducted into Colorado Women's Hall of Fame

March 8

CSU News Release
March 5, 2012

FORT COLLINS - Temple Grandin, Colorado State University's pioneering expert in livestock behavior and welfare, will be inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame on Thursday, March 8, when she and nine other honorees will join the ranks of innovators whose ideas and persistence have elevated Colorado women and shaped the world.

"I'm really honored," said Grandin, a professor in the CSU Department of Animal Sciences. "I'm hoping some of the things I've done will inspire young people to go out there and do some really good things. That's what makes me really pleased.

Idaho Home Garden Variety Trials

Ever wonder which of the many different varieties grow best in our area. You’re not alone… Bonneville County Extension is sponsoring a study to determine which varieties offered through the commercial gardening catalogues are best for Idaho, but we need your help!! Grow the “tried and true variety” next to the “up and coming varieties” and help us determine what does best in our area.

Cow Camp Chatter:Hypothermia &Thermogenesis

Ron Torell, Long-Standing Educator and Advocate of Agriculture

Why do some calves survive being born on a cold, wet, blustery night while others under the same conditions die of hypothermia? Most will agree that these calves have a lot of heart with a strong will to live. When these nub-eared, bobtailed survivors are brought to the branding fire cowboys generally compliment the cow as a good mother. Much of the credit, however, can be attributed to the fascinating process of body heat generation known as thermogenesis. There are two types of thermogenesis: shivering and non-shivering.

Joint Committee Hearing on Sage Grouse, Monday, February 13th, 1:30pm

The joint hearing by the Senate Resources & Conservation Committee and the House Resources and Conservation Committee will be held on Monday, February 13th at 1:30pm in the Senate and House Auditorium Room on the Garden Level of the State Capitol Building (Room WW02). Virgil Moore of IDFG will be speaking about the biology of the bird, Bill Meyers of Holland and Hard will discuss the current status of litigation and the timing for a re-evaluation of a new listing determination, and I will address the State’s policy position, as well as the Governor’s decision on the path forward. It should be informative and I hope many of you can attend!

For those of you unable to attend the hearing on Monday, it will be video streamed on the internet. Go to:

http://www.idahoptv.org/leglive/

Here is the link. From this page you will click on the hyperlink at the top that reads “Aud. Video”. Another screen will pop up, when it does click “View Stream” and you should be good to go.

New Insights into Invasive Plant Management

By Ann Perry
February 3, 2012

Over a decade of research at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has resulted in the development of a new matrix for invasive plant management. The model was created by scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Burns, Ore., and helps land managers recognize how rangeland degradation processes vary across landscapes. ARS is USDA's chief scientific research agency.

U.S. agriculture groups want to resolve the COOL dispute

Canadian Cattlemen's Association Action News

January 30, 2012

CCA President Travis Toews attended the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Annual Meeting earlier this month where he had several opportunities to update Farm Bureau delegates on the World Trade Organization (WTO) Panel report on U.S. country of origin labeling law (COOL).

The discussions identified how the U.S. will be better off by eliminating the discrimination that COOL has created for Canadian and Mexican livestock imported into the U.S. Although COOL has not produced any quantifiable benefits for U.S. agriculture, it puts at least 9,000 U.S. meat processing jobs at risk though closure of excess processing capacity. Once U.S. packing facilities start closing, the U.S. livestock producers that rely on the closed facilities will be negatively impacted.

Also explored was the potential for Canada to take retaliatory action should the U.S. not comply with the WTO ruling. With Canada being such a huge importer of U.S. agricultural and prepared food products, the AFBF concluded that it is in the best interest of U.S. farmers and ranchers to resolve the COOL dispute as soon as possible and not delay a resolution through an appeal. The AFBF expressed this by passing a policy to, "support country of origin labeling that conforms with COOL parameters and meets WTO requirements."

Furthermore, AFBF directed its staff to "Encourage the USTR not to appeal the WTO ruling on COOL, but to go straight to a legislative resolution."

Full text:

http://www.cattle.ca/action-news/2012/01-30-12.html