NEWS BRIEFS...
How Much is Pasture Renting For?
Eldon Cole, a University of Missouri (MU) Extension livestock specialist, says the question people ask him most often is about the going rate for pasture rentals.
Fortunately, Cole can refer people to data on cash rental rates compiled every couple years by the MU Extension agricultural economics staff.
The data comes from a statewide survey of land and cattle owners to determine the range and average of pasture rentals. The most recent report, by Ron Plain and Joyce White, is based on more than 200 survey responses collected in 2008.
Rates reported by people who rated their pasture as “good” — requiring less than four acres per 1,000-pound (lb.) cow per year — averaged $29.95 per acre per year. Reported values ranged from $10 to $65 per acre.
The average rate for “fair/poor pasture,” which requires more than four acres per cow per year, was $22.34. Rates ranged from $7.50 to $40 per acre per year. Only a few reported timber pasture, which averaged $7.03 per acre.
A few respondents indicated that they rent pasture on a per-head, per-month basis. The average for that was $9.44 per cow-calf per month. Rents ranged from $4 to $27, and the average time on the pasture was 7.1 months.
A 2009 review of nine Great Plains states shows the average monthly charge per cow-calf was $16.80. The 11 states west of the Great Plains ran slightly higher at $17.40 per unit.
Complete information about farmland rental rates can be found online at http://agebb.missouri.edu/mgt/bull8b.htm.
The report should not be used as the sole basis for determining your rent, Cole said. “But it may provide a reference as you consider the factors unique to your situation …”
Tuberculosis Case Identified on Indiana Cervid Farm
The Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) is investigating a case of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in a farm-raised cervid herd in Southeastern Indiana. “Cervid” is a category of animals that includes elk and various species of deer.
A BOAH veterinarian found the TB infection in a red deer being processed for meat. A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) laboratory test confirmed the disease.
The animals in the cervid herd, which includes elk, red deer, fallow deer and Sika deer, are part of an ongoing targeted surveillance program. The farm sits in close geographic proximity to a beef cattle herd that was traced to a TB-positive cow in December 2008.
With this new finding, BOAH is collaborating with state, federal and industry partners to determine a course of action. More information will be released as it becomes available.
More information about the disease and the investigation, as it develops, will be available at www.boah.in.gov.
$60M Designated for Rural Community Facilities, More than 120 Emergency Vehicles
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced May 18 the selection of more than $60 million in essential community facilities and emergency responder projects that are being funded immediately with federal funds provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The 280 projects will help communities in 39 states.
Approximately $19 million of the $60 million being announced will be leveraged with $6.9 million from other sources to help local communities with the purchase of emergency services and systems, and fire and rescue equipment, including more than 120 fire, medical and police vehicles.
All of the funding is being provided through USDA Rural Development’s Community Facilities program, which helps finance and develop essential community facilities for public use in rural areas. These facilities include childcare centers, hospitals, medical clinics, assisted living facilities, fire and rescue stations, police stations, community centers, public buildings and transportation. Through its Community Facilities program, USDA ensures that such facilities are available to all rural residents. These funds are available to public bodies, nonprofit organizations, and recognized Indian tribes.
Funding of individual recipients is contingent upon their meeting the terms of the loan or grant agreement. More information about USDA Rural Development can be found at www.rurdev.usda.gov.
More information about USDA’s Recovery Act efforts is available at www.usda.gov/recovery. More information about the Federal government’s efforts on the Recovery Act is available at www.recovery.gov.
BSE Case Confirmed in Alberta
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced May 15 it has confirmed bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in an 80-month-old dairy cow from Alberta. No part of the animal’s carcass entered the human food or animal feed systems.
The animal’s birth farm has been identified, and an investigation is under way. The age and location of the infected animal are consistent with previous cases detected in Canada, CFIA reports.
President Obama Issues Presidential
Directive to Expand Access to Biofuels
President Obama issued a presidential directive May 5 to Secretary Vilsack to aggressively accelerate the investment in and production of biofuels. President Obama directed Vilsack to expedite and increase production of and investment in biofuel development efforts by:
• Refinancing existing investments in renewable fuels to preserve jobs in ethanol and biodiesel plants, renewable electricity generation plants, and other supporting industries; and
• Making renewable energy financing opportunities from the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 available within 30 days.
Vilsack announced he will also help lead an unprecedented interagency effort to increase America’s energy independence and spur rural economic development. As part of this “Biofuels Interagency Working Group,” Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson announced the EPA would establish four categories of renewable fuels, some of which would be produced from new sources.
The Biofuels Interagency Working Group is set to develop the nation’s first comprehensive biofuels market development program. It will also work to develop policies to increase flexible fuel vehicle production and assist in retail marketing efforts, according to USDA.
H1N1 recap
News of escalating swine flu cases and fear of a potential pandemic put many nations on alert late April, as the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed human cases worldwide, beginning in Mexico and spreading throughout North American and beyond.
Swine flu, a respiratory disease caused by type A influenza viruses, has traditionally been the cause of regular outbreaks among pigs. However, the variation of the virus, H1N1, is believed to be a mix of human and animal versions, infecting humans and spreading from person-to-person in the same way seasonal flu is spread.
While federal officials worked to stifle widespread alarm, the U.S. government distributed part of its antiviral stockpile to all states and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and others worked to calm fears with U.S. trading partners, saying pork and pork products remain safe.
Some trading partners, however, ignored U.S. reassurances. Russia, China, South Korea, Thailand, the Phillippines, Indonesia, Jordan and Japan all issued at least some form of ban or heightened restrictions, and Egypt took drastic action by slaughtering thousands of pigs.
H1N1 flu fears had detrimental effects on trading as well, sending hog futures contracts, corn futures and soybean contracts through a tailspin before stabilizing. Likewise, a widespread fear of travel sent airline and tourism stocks diving. Several nations issued travel warnings.
WHO raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 5, and the government and manufacturers began developing a vaccine.
The first confirmed case of Influenza A H1N1 in swine was discovered in a small hog herd in Alberta, Canada, in early May. Canadian animal health authorities quarantined the herd, and Secretary Vilsack said the discovery would not affect U.S. trade with Canada, adding that the agency would await confirmatory tests before considering any action.
At press time, MU Extension Economist Ron Plain told Brownfield Network the hog industry could expect a $400 million loss during the next few months.
Visit www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ for the latest health information related to the H1N1 flu.