Hereford Breeders Continue Commitment To Improve Genetics KANSAS CITY, Mo. More than 300 serious Hereford breed ers from 22 states learned the im portance of improving genetics and defining their customer bases at the Hereford Directions Sum mit in Stillwater, Okla., June 20-22. The American Hereford Asso ciation (AHA) and Oklahoma State University (OSU) hosted the event. Close to half of the audience was made up of producers with 200-head cow herds. Throughout the three-day event live cattle URBANA, 111. A showdown is simmering. In one corner are Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and collaborat ing researchers. In the other is a fungal rust disease whose 2001 arrival in South America has cast a menacing shadow over U.S. soybeans. At stake is a nearly 2.9-billion-acre legume crop whose protein, oil and derivatives are used in everything from baby formula and salad dressing to . evaluations were conducted to generate conversation and get seedstock producers thinking about the type and kind of cattle that meet industry standards. Black, black baldy, red baldy and Hereford steers from K 74 Ranch in Sulphur, Okla., were fed for the conference to illustrate the differences in feeder cattle and how to add value to Here fords. John Tucker, North Platte Feeders and Glen Dolezal, Excel Corp., told producers to concen trate on moderate size, problem- Scientists Gear Up To Counter Soybean Rust Disease biodiesel and printing ink. The rust fungus hasn’t ap peared on the U.S. mainland yet, but ARS researchers Reid Fred erick, Morris Bonde and Glen Hartman aren’t wasting any time. Frederick and Bonde, for example, have already developed a molecular method to rapidly detect the rust fungus based on specific DNA sequences that are unique to it. Since 2000, all three ARS re searchers have worked with sci- free cattle that meet consumer demand. A carcass workshop at OSU’s Food Animal Processing Center highlighted the event, and participants were able to see the harvested steers and learn how the carcasses measure up in the cooler. Academia and industry-lead ing seedstock and commercial panels shared marketing advice, and attendees were eager to learn what they need to do to be profit able in this industry, the changes they needed to make in their breeding programs and what their customers demand. entists abroad to leant as much as they can about their fungal foe’s basic biology, genetic varia bility, life cycle and pathogenici ty- The so-called Asian rust strain the more aggressive of two known forms has spread to Af rica and South America, notes Hartman, at ARS’ Soybean/ Maize Germplasm, Pathology and Genetics Research Labora tory at Urbana, 111. Hartman, Frederick and * v •i < A v V r< < Bob Kropp, OSU, moderated the event and stressed that seedstock producers must be committed to consumer and cus tomer service. The white face gives a producer brand integrity, he said. In his summary, he told breeders to focus on Hereford cattle as Hereford cattle and never to compromise the strengths, which are fertility, cow maintenance, adaptability, feed efficiency and disposition. Tom Field, Colorado State University, discussed where the breed has been and where the breed should be going. He left the Bonde also will spearhead a proj ect supported by the United Soy bean Board to coordinate field tests at rust “hot-spot” regions in China, Thailand, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Brazil and Para guay. There, they’ll search for the best sources of soybean resistance to the rust fungus. Inside a biocontainment facili ty operated by ARS’ Foreign Dis ease-Weed Science Research Unit at Fort Detrick, Md., they’d also expose domestic and exotic soybean lines to multiple races of Pennsylvania Egg Production Down One Percent In May < «*'* HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Egg production in Penn sylvania during May 2002 totaled 557 million eggs, down one per cent from the 560 million eggs produced in May 2001, according to the Pennsylvania Agricultural Statistics Service (PASS). The total number of layers on hand averaged 23.5 million dur ing the month, which was down six percent from May 2001. Pro duction per 100 layers was 2,375 eggs, up five percent from the 2,252 eggs produced during the previous May. Egg-type hatch totaled 4.2 mil lion chicks during May 2002, which was down 26 percent from May 2001. Cumulative egg-type hatch for January through May, at 22.1 million, was 20 percent less than the corresponding peri od in 2001. Broiler-type hatch to taled 13.4 million during May 2002, unchanged from May 2001. Aggregate broiler-type hatch for 22nd Annual Ag Showcase at the Cecil County Fair Tuesday, July 23, 2002, 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Rain Date: Thursday, July 25, 2002 At the Fairgrounds on MD 273 near MD 213, Fair Hill, MD. Follow the signs. Special Features: Demonstrations: Lunch: Dealers: Sponsors Organizers: Cooperators: The Ag Showcase welcomes everyone Interested In agriculture. Admission Is free. For more Information, contact participating dealers or Maryland Cooperative Extension - Cecil County, 410^96*5280 "It is the policy of Maryland Cooperative Extension that no person shall be sub|ect to discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, disability, age or national origin" Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 13, 2002-A29 audience with a few positive words to think about. After in-depth discussions with seedstock and commercial pan els, it became evident Hereford breeders need to focus on bal anced trait selection. Everyone agreed it is highly important to collect more data and convert the data into information for their in dividual programs and their cus tomers. Dan Moser, Kansas State Uni versity, emphasized the need to identify genetically superior indi viduals by increasing the use of AI to high accuracy sires. the fungus to determine which offer the broadest range of dis ease resistance. And in fungicide trials, they’ll examine the chemi cals’ effectiveness and potential phytotoxicity to soybean plants. Meanwhile, lowa State Univer sity collaborator X.B. Yang is using computer modeling to sim ulate rust disease outbreaks on U.S. soybean-growing regions based on climate, wind patterns and other criteria. By one simula tion, the fungus’ establishment causes soy crop losses of up to 40 percent. January-May 2002 was 64.6 mil lion, up one percent from the pre vious year. United States’ egg production totaled 7.26 billion during May 2002, up slightly from last year. The total number of layers dur ing May averaged 334 million, slightly lower than the average number of layers during May 2001. May egg production per 100 layers was 2,172 eggs, up one percent from 2,160 eggs in May 2001. Egg-type chicks hatched in the United States during May totaled 38.9 million, down nine percent from May 2001. Broiler-type hatch totaled 798 million, up two percent from May of the previous year. There were 25.6 million tur key poults placed in the United States during May 2002, down four percent from the same month a year ago. BioFuels Learn about biofuels (soy-diesel and ethanol) as a market for area grain crops, their use in farm equipment, vehi cles and home heating; and plans for an ethanol plant in Maryland Demonstration equipment will be fueled with soy diesel and ethanol Multtflora Rose Contn View a demonstration of chemical, mechanical and biological control of multiflora rose Farmland Preservation Discover how to preserve your farm at a walk-in clinic with representatives from several MD and PA farmland preservation organizations Tractors, skid loaders, forage equipment, and all types of farming equipment for full- or part-time farmers Available on site from Cecil County Farm Bureau Women Ag-lndustnal, Inc.; W N Cooper & Son, Hoober, Inc Cecil County Weed Control, Cecil Land Trust, Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit, Sam Orr Maryland Cooperative Extension - Cecil County Cecil County Fair Board Brandywine Conservancy, Cecil County Economic Development, Cecil Soil Cons Dist, Chesapeake Bay Trust, Maryland Gram Producers Assoc , Southern States, Tri-Gas and Oil, USDA-ARS
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