USDA Announces $16.2 Million to Support Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2019 – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will issue $16.2 million in grants (PDF, 325 KB) to provide training, outreach, and technical assistance to underserved and veteran farmers and ranchers. This funding is available through the USDA’s Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program (also known as the 2501 Program), managed by the USDA Office of Partnerships and…

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Kansas leadership program kicks off two-year educational experience

New KARL class members come from farming, banking, corporate, community and more MANHATTAN, Kan. – From Kansas City to Garden City and Sharon Springs to Liberty, members of the newest class of the Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership program jumped into their first seminar recently to become better acquainted and hear updates on the state of agriculture and rural communities. And that was just the first night. “Awkward is awesome,” said one new…

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President Trump Delivers on a Key Promise to American Farmers as EPA, USDA Announce Agreement on Promoting Biofuels

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue issued the following statements after President Donald J. Trump successfully negotiated an agreement on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS): “President Trump’s leadership has led to an agreement that continues to promote domestic ethanol and biodiesel production, supporting our Nation’s farmers and providing greater energy security,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Today’s agreement is the latest in a…

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What’s in your hay?

Ted Wiseman, OSU Extension, Perry County (originally published in The Ohio Cattleman) I don’t think that anyone would be surprised if I stated that getting hay made this spring was a real struggle.  Spring arrived with beef cows in some of the poorest body conditions that we have seen in years.  It is possible for an animal to starve to death with hay in front of them every day all winter. My intent…

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USDA Invests $11M In Research That Will Support Specialty Crop Farmers

U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary Scott Hutchins announced today that the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has invested $11 million in research that will support specialty crop farmers. “This collaborative public-private research effort will focus on applying innovative solutions to pest management problems that often are otherwise not available to specialty crop farmers,” said Hutchins, who leads USDA’s Research, Education and Economics (REE) mission area. “Practical and economic crop…

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Range Beef Cow Symposium XXVI – Great Information in a New Format

Check out the exciting line up for this year’s Range Beef Cow Symposium in Mitchell, NE November 18-20. On Monday afternoon the program will kick off with beef quality assurance training and certification and you won’t want to miss the Ron Gill Stockmanship Clinic. Tuesday morning will begin the traditional program with Drs. John Hall and Benton Glaze from University of Idaho talking about when it pays to artificially inseminate and breed complementarity. …

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Effects of a Freeze on Forages

Bruce Anderson, Nebraska Extension Forage Specialist Sorghum-related plants, like cane, sudangrass, shattercane, and milo can be highly toxic for a few days after frost. Photo credit Troy Walz. Listen to a discussion of the content in this article on this episode of the BeefWatch podcast. You can subscribe to new episodes in iTunes or paste http://feeds.feedburner.com/unlbeefwatch into your podcast app. If you haven’t experienced a freeze yet this fall, you soon will. And…

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Reward increased for information on missing Clay County cattle

HENRIETTA, Texas — The reward has been increased to $10,000 for information on 489 steers missing from a ranch in eastern Clay County, Texas. Special Ranger John Bradshaw of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) is investigating the case. It was previously reported that the cattle went missing between November 2018 and August 2019. Due to the large herd maintained by the rancher, he did not discover the missing animals until…

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Study: Mandatory labeling had minimal effect on meat demand

K-State economist has released publication taking a look at impact of MCOOL MANHATTAN, Kan. – A Kansas State University agricultural economist says a law that once required mandatory reporting of the origin of meat sold in grocery stores likely did not have an impact on consumers’ demand for those products. Glynn Tonsor has completed an analysis of meat demand before, during and after the U.S. Department of Agriculture had implemented mandatory country of…

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Reducing Yucca in Rangeland

Bruce Anderson, Nebraska Extension Forage Specialist When yucca covers too much land to spray, the only cost effective way to reduce its impact is to winter graze. Photo credit Troy Walz. Yucca plants, which are also called soapweed by many people, have nearly overrun many rangelands.  There are ways, though, to reclaim those grazinglands.  Across much of western and central Nebraska, yucca has nearly taken over some pastures.  While they may be able…

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