State agriculture officials depopulated a Mineral Point deer farm last week over chronic wasting disease concerns, the second such action at a Wisconsin captive cervid facility in two months. In the most recent move, 103 deer were killed at Windy Ridge Whitetails in Mineral Point.The facility had the animals contained in a 15-acre fenced area. [node:read-more:link]
New Zealand Monday (May 28) ordered the culling of 126,000 cattle in an attempt to eradicate the painful Mycoplasma bovis disease, which causes udder infections, pneumonia and arthritis. The decision was taken to "protect the base of our economy - the farming sector," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said."This is a tough call - no one ever wants to see mass culls. But the alternative is the spread of the disease across our national herd."Mycoplasma bovis does not affect milk and meat for human consumption, and most governments are content to control outbreaks. [node:read-more:link]
Recombinetics announced that it has formed an alliance with Semex, a farmer-owned cattle genetics organization based in Canada, to implement a precision breeding program that improves animal health and well-being through hornless dairy cattle genetics. According to the announcement, the dehorning of calves is a routine procedure designed to prevent injuries both to other animals and to handlers. This procedure is uncomfortable for animals and is an unpleasant task for farm personnel. [node:read-more:link]
Tulare Mayor Carlton Jones is facing the wrath of the farming community after saying on social media that agriculture is damaging to the environment and public health. A screen shot of his comments was shared Friday on the Facebook page My Job Depends on Ag. And it didn't take long for the page's loyal followers to respond. By early Friday afternoon, the post had more than 400 comments and had been shared more than 300 times.Some called for his ouster, while others said he was ignorant for slamming an industry that is the backbone of Tulare County's economy. [node:read-more:link]
A group of dairy farmers and experts argued Wednesday that to save family farms from going out of business, the U.S. needs to adopt some form of supply management like Canada has.Farmers across the country have experienced a drop in earnings from their milk in recent years as rising milk production across the U.S. and other countries has flooded domestic and international markets. Increased milk production has resulted in a market oversupply. [node:read-more:link]
Texas Tech University’s plans for a new veterinary college—the first new veterinary school in the U.S. in 40 years—took another step forward this week.The Amarillo City Council approved a 69-million dollar funding plan to ensure construction of the school in Amarillo. Work continues to line up state funding and private donations for the school, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2021.Texas Tech officials say the school is needed to address a critical shortage of farm animal veterinarians in rural areas.The new school will be the 31st veterinary school in the country. [node:read-more:link]
Thirteen states are partaking in a national emergency response training for a Food and Mouth Disease outbreak this week. Emergency management coordinator Brad Deacon with the Michigan Department of Agriculture tells Brownfield a Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in the U.S. [node:read-more:link]
Savings and equity have helped with this year’s loan requests, but liquidity is getting tighter every day. – Eastern Nebraska Cash flows in 2018 suggest that liquidity will decline. This latest run-up in the markets should help some. – Eastern Nebraska The past year turned out to be every bit as difficult for area producers as we feared. Most borrowers lost working capital. At today's crop prices, cash flows are breakeven at best. – Southwest Nebraska We are seeing a lot of shortages in cash flows. [node:read-more:link]
Despite moderate increases in prices of key agricultural commodities, District bankers reported that farm income and spending continued to decrease. The decline in the first quarter makes 2018 the fifth consecutive year that bankers have reported lower farm income than the year before (Chart 1). Although household spending and capital spending also have continued to decline, the pace of the decline in capital spending, which has historically followed farm income, has been relatively slower. [node:read-more:link]
A representative from Kentucky said it was about consumers’ food choices. A coalition of food safety groups said it was a threat to public health — particularly children. The U.S. House just said no. With a vote of 331-79, legislators from both sides of the aisle joined to crush an amendment to the farm bill that would have allowed the interstate sale of unpasteurized raw milk. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-KY, said his proposed legislation would protect farmers from “federal interference” while respecting state laws. [node:read-more:link]
