Livestock Briefs - South Dakota hay relief headed south
SIOUX FALLS, SD
South Dakota hay relief headed south
Truckloads of hay from South Dakota farmers are headed south to states where ranchers have been devastated by wildfires.
More than a dozen trucks loaded with hay bales left South Dakota destined for ranches in Colorado and Kansas.
Ranchers in Texas alone are facing at least $21 million in agricultural damages from wildfires that blackened more than 750 square miles.
Governors in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas have asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to halt grazing restrictions on federal land to give surviving cattle more places to feed.
MADISON
Organic veterinary training sessions scheduled
Veterinarians interested in learning more about organic livestock practices and regulations are invited to attend an Organic Veterinary Training Session co-hosted by the WI DATCP and Organic Valley. Two training sessions will be offered – one in Eau Claire and one in Madison – and class content will be the same at both locations.
“With the growth of organic agriculture in Wisconsin, more and more veterinarians are being called to organic farms,” said Angie Sullivan, organics and grazing specialist with DATCP’s Division of Agricultural Development. “DATCP staff, as well as the Wisconsin Organic Advisory Council, have been approached by agricultural professionals saying there is a need for this type of training.”
The sessions will be taught by veterinarians Guy Jodarski and Hubert Karreman.
The Eau Claire session will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 26, at Chippewa Valley Technical College Energy Education Center, Room 103, 400 Campus Road. The Madison session will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 27, DATCP Board Room, 2811 Agriculture Drive.
Space is limited to 50 participants in each class. Nine CEU credits will be awarded to participants who complete the full-day session, with certificates provided at the end of the training. The $25.00 registration fee includes lunch. Register online: https://uwccs.eventsair.com/ovt/reg For more information, contact Angie Sullivan @ 608-224-5095 or angie.sullivan@wisconsin.gov
MONTGOMERY, AL
Alabama Ag officials investigating three possible cases of Bird Flu
Agriculture and Industries Commissioner John McMillan says officials are investigating poultry flocks in Jackson, Lauderdale and Madison counties. The state's veterinarian, also issued a stop-movement order for certain poultry in the state.
Samples from the sites have been collected and sent to the USDA Lab in Ames, Iowa.
McMillan also said the suspected poultry cases are not a food safety issue. A department news release says none of the affected poultry made it into the food chain.
Under the stop-movement order, poultry owners and producers should refrain from moving birds to offsite locations or introducing new birds to their flocks, the department said in a news release.
KANSAS CITY, MO
NJHA scholarship deadline April 1
This summer, more than $25,000 of scholarship money is available for active National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) members who are seniors in high school or currently enrolled in a college program. In addition to scholarships, the NJHA also honors deserving members with junior and senior prospect awards as well as the prestigious junior golden bull award and B.C. Snidow Awards. All scholarship and award applications are due April 1.
The list of scholarships made possible by the Hereford Youth Foundation of America and National Hereford Women include: The Bluegrass and Buckeye Scholarship, Ed Bible Memorial Scholarship, Golden Bull Achievement Award, Hereford Herdsman Scholarship, John Wayne Memorial Scholarship, National Junior Merit Scholarship and the Poll-ette Founders Scholarship Award will be given away at the 2017 Junior National Hereford Expo in Louisville, Ky.
A new addition to the spring scholarships this year is the $1,250 Charles E. Boyd Memorial Scholarship. Applications for the spring scholarships are due April 1 to the scholarship site, hereford.myreviewroom.com.
COLUMBUS, OH
Class for 2017 Jersey Youth Academy selected
Chris Sorenson, president of the American Jersey Cattle Association, announced the class for the fifth Jersey Youth Academy, July 9 to 14 in Columbus, Ohio.
“The 30 young people from 20 states selected for this class exemplify the many talented, interested Jersey youth across the United States that our organization wants to encourage to pursue careers in the Jersey dairy business,” Sorenson said.
Building upon Jersey youth programs initiated six decades ago, the Jersey Youth Academy is an intensive educational program focused specifically on the Jersey cow and the many elements of the Jersey dairy business. Academy challenges participants to understand the long history and recent growth of the Jersey breed in this country and shows them the opportunities and challenges of the dairy business in the future.
Participants from Wisconsin attending the fifth Jersey Youth Academy, with their current academic institutions, are: Samantha J. Schuessler, Antigo (Antigo High School); Kaila Wussow, Cecil (University of Wisconsin-River Falls).