Ag Analysis

It seems that people are classified by where they live—in the country or in the city.  With this comes the assumption that if you live in the country, you’re a hillbilly that drives a tractor or if you live in the city, a snob that doesn’t know a thing about agriculture. However, no matter where you live or how you were raised, everyone is affected by agriculture. It’s important that everyone is aware of what goes on in the agriculture business.  American farmers and ranchers have provided food to people in the United States and around the world since the late 1700s.  How many people who weren’t raised on a farm or ranch know how this food is produced?  Do people appreciate the hard work that it takes to put a steak on the grill?  No, I don’t think so.  People of all ages need to realize that agriculture does affect everyone, and that they don’t have to live on a farm out in the country to know what agriculture is all about.

There are many opportunities out there for kids to learn about agriculture and become involved, even if they live in the city.  FFA and 4-H are two rewarding organizations that promote agriculture.  FFA was founded in 1928, and today has over 495,046 members across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.  According to the National FFA Organization’s website, their organization is “dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.”  Another prospect for interested students is 4-H.  According to a 4-H website (www.4husa.org), 4-H is the largest out of school youth program in the U.S. with over 7 million members and 500,000 teen and adult volunteers.  “4-H is a community of young people across America who are learning leadership, citizenship and life skills,” said the National 4-H Council. 

Agriculture awareness programs provide ways for “city kids” to learn about agriculture.  Such programs are held across the U.S.; they are organized and presented by FFA members, 4-H members, and college and community groups.  For example, here in Fargo there were two such programs that I volunteered at during the month of April.  The first was held on NDSU’s campus at Shepperd Arena.  The Saddle and Sirloin Club (S & S) held Kiddie Days, which is a petting zoo full of farm animals.  Over 2,500 preschool children and adults are invited.  The attendees are given a tour by an S & S member who gives a little information about the animals and gives everyone a chance to pet the animals.  The other program was Living Ag Classroom which was held at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds.  Over 25 groups are there to present information about some aspect of agriculture.  It is geared toward fourth graders.  They have the opportunity to learn about farm machine safety, livestock, careers in agriculture and the dairy industry to name a few. 

I was raised on a farm/ranch and was a member of 4-H for 11 years.  I have chosen to further my education with an animal science degree and hope to find a career for the betterment of agriculture.  I have seen first hand how “city kids” enjoy agriculture awareness programs, and I truly believe that knowledge and respect for the agriculture industry will only make them better people and truly appreciate the food on their table.

(Instead of a column about agriculture, I have written a restaurant review for this week.)

(Instead of a column about agriculture, I attended the Kenny Chesney concert last weekend and have written a concert review.)

It sure felt like summer last Saturday in the Fargo-Moorhead area—the sun was shining for the first time in days, everyone was outside doing something and Kenny Chesney’s tour was back in town.  His Flip Flop Tour included performances by Pat Green and Sugarland.  Chesney was in Fargo in 2005 with his Somewhere in the Sun show, which was attended by a record 17,000 fans.  According to the Fargo Forum, the Fargodome didn’t release ticket sales for this concert, but it was estimated that the crowd size was close to those that attended Chesney’s first concert in Fargo.

Texas native Green started right at 7:30 p.m. with the title track from his 2006 CD, “Cannonball”.   He’s one of those cute guys that you could take home to meet your mom and just stands up there and sings from his heart.  After “Cannonball”, Green sang the romantic “Dixie Lullaby” and “Baby Doll”.  He ended with one of his big hits from 2003, “Wave on Wave”, which brought the crowd to its feet.

Sugarland hit the stage with lots of energy.  Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush know how to sing, perform, and get the crowd excited and on their feet.  They started with their newest release “Settlin’”.  Nettles didn’t stop bouncing around and always seemed to have a smile on her face.  Bush did a fantastic job on guitar and background vocals.  They sang a few slow, romantic songs from their new CD, “Enjoy the Ride”.  The crowd went nuts when the duo sang “Down to Mississippi” and “Baby Girl”.  Sugarland ended with “Something More”, a fast-paced song from their first CD, “Twice the Speed of Life”, released in 2004.

The best was saved for last—Kenny Chesney, two-time CMA (Country Music Association) entertainer of the year.  The “KennyCam” was on and found Chesney in the back and followed him to the stage.  When he opened his mouth to sing, everyone was on their feet, yelling, screaming and singing along.  He started with his newest hit, “Beer in Mexico”, followed by 2006’s chart topper “Summertime”.  Chesney sang songs from his “The Road and the Radio” and “Live: Live Those Songs Again” CDs for just over an hour.  The crowd never stopped belting the words along with him, especially when he played “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy”.  He ended with a 2003 hit, “There Goes my Life”, a ballad about high school lovers who have some tough decisions to make.  However, Chesney did not do an encore, which disappointed many fans.

The audience was filled with men and women, boys and girls of all ages.  Lesli Stortz traveled from northeastern Montana and was not familiar with Kenny Chesney’s music and just came to the concert for a good time.  "So, I not only really enjoyed the concert, but I am now a Kenny Chesney fan and would go to another concert if it was in my area," said Stortz.  Kelly Hansen, Rapid City, S.D., also thoroughly enjoyed the concert.  "I’m glad I drove up for the concert, but I wish Kenny would have sung longer," said Hansen.

The Flip Flop Tour was a fantastic, high-energy concert and was definitely worth the money.  If I ever have an opportunity to see these three artists in concert again, I won’t hesitate to buy the tickets.

In the spirit of Friday the 13^th, I’m going to take a look at the history of this “scary” day and find out what tales and superstitions are actually true and which are not so much.

According to David Emery (www.about.com), paraskevidekatriaphobia is the fear of Friday the 13^th; people who have an irrational fear of this day and refuse to do anything-go to work, out to eat, schedule an important event, etc.  It is unclear when people began suffering from this phobia, but in China and Egypt people considered the number 13 lucky. Here are some speculations on how paraskevidekatriaphobia started: the Hindus and ancient Vikings believed that when 13 people gathered at one time (for example a meal) that is was unlucky; there were also 13 people at the Last Supper; in the early days of western civilization the number 13 represented femininity.  One speculation is found in The Da Vinci Code novel; a group of “warrior monks” called the Knights Templar, was formed during the Christian Crusades to fight Islam.  According to Katherine Kurtz, author of Tales of the Knights Templar, officers of King Philip IV of France carried out mass arrests on October 13, 1307.  The Templars were charged with various obscenities and tortured for seven years; none of the charges were ever proven.  However, there is no evidence out in the research world that people suffered from this phobia until after the late 1800s.  In E. Cobham Brewer’s 1898 edition of the Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, there is no information about “Friday, an Unlucky Day” and “Thirteen Unlucky”.  But, there are entries about Friday the 13^th in later editions of the book. 

So, what do you think? Does Friday the 13^th scare the crap of out of you?  Do you completely change your plans and lock yourself in the house for the day?  Personally, I think Friday the 13^th is what you make it; you can control what happens during the day.  Also some people have better luck than others.  According to www.oldsuperstitions.com , some common good luck omens are: picking up pennies, four-leaf clovers, fingers crossed and saying ‘God Bless You’ when someone sneezes.  Some bad luck things are: spilling salt, black cats, walking under a ladder and stepping on cracks in the sidewalk.

Old wives’ tales are part of our oral tradition.  They are comforting little tidbits of information that are fun to believe but not necessarily true.  But, www.kidshealth.com has done a little research and found out which tales are true and which are false.  Extra weight out front means a girl; weight around the hips and bottom indicates a boy—this is false.  It depends on how the length of the woman’s torso and which direction the baby is laying.  If a woman’s carrying low, it’s a boy; if a woman’s carrying high, it’s a girl—this is false.  The strength of her stomach muscles and number of times she has been pregnant will affect where she will carry the baby.  If you go outside with wet hair, you’ll catch a cold—false.  Colds are caused by viruses.  Dry air, whether it’s inside or outside, can decrease a person’s resistance to infection.  Cracking knuckles causes arthritis—false.  But, frequent knuckle cracking can likely cause hand swelling, decreased grip strength and could possibly result in functional hand impairment.

There are some old wives’ tales that are true, but many are just a tale.  Think about growing up or when you knew someone that was pregnant-how many times did you hear an old wives’ tale?  Probably more than you think.  Even though you know the truth, old wives’ tales are a big part of our language and are so much fun to say. 

So, may your luck be good and keep the tradition of tales and superstitions alive but reasonable.

Oh, the joys of spring—green grass, flowers, warm weather and the best part of all—new baby animals running around.  But, for the last ten years or so, many farmers and ranchers have been trying a new thing, calving during the fall months instead of the spring.  Fall calving has some producers puzzled, and they’re wandering if they should change their calving season.

Before making a drastic change, like deciding what time of the year is best for their cows to calve, livestock producers need to consider some things.  They need to look at the weather in their region, work load at the ranch, available help and feed supply.  If they decide to move to a fall calving season, the ranchers should only breed a small percentage of their herd to calve in the fall.

In the late 1990s, the Streeter Research Station conducted a study to gather data to help determine the economies of fall calving in North Dakota. Some advantages the team of researchers found are: ideal calving weather; selling calves at non-traditional times of the year offers economic and management flexibility; reduce bull costs because you’ll be able to use the same bulls for both seasons; spread out the farm/ranch’s yearly work load; and spread out cash flow during the year.  However, they did find some disadvantages: cows require higher levels of nutrition during the fall, so feed costs could be higher; fall calving runs into harvest, so labor may be scarce; appropriate facilities to protect newborn calves.

My family farms and ranches in southeastern Montana where fall calving is not a common practice.  My family has traditionally calved our cows in the spring since my parents started farming and ranching in the early 1980s.  However, several cow-calf operations in North Dakota are giving fall calving a chance.  Kristi Dockter, of Denhoff, ND, says her family has had a fall calving program for the past four years, and it has worked out really well for them.  “We don’t like to get rid of our open [not bred/pregnant] cows in the spring, so this gives us a chance to breed the cows during the winter months, and they’ll calve in the fall,” said Dockter.  “It is also less work for my dad to do when he’s home by himself, and it spreads out the cash flow since we can sell calves in the spring.”

Personally, I’m not too sure how I feel about this idea.  Weather can just as bad in the fall, and fall calving will run into harvesting.  However, it would be nice to spread out the cash flow even more.  It would definitely be something to try down the road.

Fall calving is not for every cow-calf operation out there.  The producers need to do a careful evaluation of their ranch and available help.  Who knows—maybe in 20 years all calves will be born in the fall and all the harvesting will be done in the spring.

Attention Farmers and Ranchers–it is the shopping event of the spring–bulls, bulls, and more bulls.  The time of year has come for cow owners to buy bulls for the upcoming breeding season.  If you open any agriculture publication from January to May, you will find a ton of advertisements for bulls all breeds and ages for sell.  During these five months, you could easily go to a bull sale in the tri-state area (Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota) every single day to look at quality cattle and pick up a free meal.

So, how do you farmers and ranchers pick one? In general, how are sales going this year?  What determines a “good” bull sale?

According to Kris Ringwall, NDSU Extension Service, it is important to look at your herd’s data and also the data of the bull(s) you may want to purchase before making a decision.  “In the end, finding bulls that maintain or enhance growth is important,” said Ringwall.  Potential buyers need to spend some time doing their homework before they go to a bull sale.  It’s important to look through the catalog and pick out some bulls that you’re interested in.  Don’t be afraid to call the owners and visit with them about the bulls you may buy at their sale.  Consider the age of females you’ll be using the bulls on and what your breeding program goals are.  You want bulls with calving ease and low birthweights for heifers that will be calving for the first time.  But, on older cows you want to use bulls with lots of growth potential.

John Goggins, of the Western Livestock Reporter, says sales are going good this year. 

“The bull sales around the United States have been really, really strong.  It goes without say that many of the producers have increased the number of bulls that they are trying to sell—therefore, some days we have had a few too many bulls to try to sell.  But, most operations have been selling about the same number of bulls as they did a year ago, and have been in the ‘ball-park’ of what they averaged last year.”

A good bull sale is different to every cattle producer that has a sale.  They may want to be above their average from the previous year(s), or they might just want to get rid of all the bulls.  A good sale may also be determined if the producers break even on their costs and cover all of their expenses.

If you’re in the market for one bull or ten, it’s important to do some background checking.  Also, visit with the owners-they’ll enjoy it.  Have fun bull shopping.

Many forms of poultry are consumed in the U.S.; in 2003, Americans ate 100 pounds of poultry per person.  Chicken nuggets, strips and sandwiches, Thanksgiving turkey, and for the game eaters out there duck and goose are all part of this figure.  But, what if the bird flu, also known as avian influenza, hits the U.S.?  What would you do?  Would you think twice about ordering Chicken McNuggets the next time you’re at McDonalds?

According to www.pandemicflu.gov homepage, the bird flu occurs naturally among birds and is caused by the influenza A virus.  There are different subtypes of the virus due to certain proteins (hemagglutinin [HA] and neuraminidase [NA]).  The bird flu strain that people are mostly concerned about now is H5N1 subtype.  Wild birds around the world carry these viruses in their intestines naturally and rarely get sick from the influenza.  But, it is very contagious among birds and can make some domesticated birds (chickens, ducks and turkeys) deathly ill.  In cases where humans have contracted the disease, they have had contact with the infected domesticated animals.  The bird flu can be in two main forms, low pathogenic or high pathogenic.  The low pathogenic form may be undetected and usually causes mild symptoms, such as ruffled feathers and a decrease in egg production.  However, the high pathogenic version affects the internal organs and has a very high mortality rate.

So, what are the chances of the bird flu hitting the U.S.?  Well, it kind of all ready has in the wild bird population.  In October 2006, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released an article that stated wild ducks in Ohio tested negative for avian influenza.  However, there have been confirmed, positive cases in six states (MI, MD, PA, MT, IL and OH).  These cases are situations in which wild birds have tested positive for the “North American strain” of low pathogenic H5N1 (LPAI H5N1).  This strain does not pose any threat to human health.  But, this low pathogenic version sometimes can mutate into the high pathogenic version.

USDA, along with local and state governments, is ready for anything.  Any low pathogenic cases of avian influenza are followed closely, and states with infected birds are provided funding, expertise and support personnel.  In the case of a high pathogenic case, USDA and state personnel are primarily responsible for acting because it has the potential to spread rapidly and have a high death rate among poultry.  If an outbreak were to happen the USDA would take these five basic steps: quarantine (restrict movement of poultry and poultry-moving equipment into and out of the control area); eradicate (humanely euthanize); monitor region (broad area of testing); disinfect (kills virus); and test (confirm that the poultry farm is avian influenza virus-free).  USDA also has a large supply of bird flu vaccine that can protect healthy birds outside of the control area.

Do Americans have a reason to worry?  No, the government has it under control and is ready to act quickly and efficiently.  Yes, people in Africa, Asia and Europe have died from the disease.  But, the U.S. is prepared, and you don’t have any reason to worry.  So, please enjoy your chicken nuggets.

More information can be found at:

http://www.pandemicflu.gov/

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome

During the month of February, we had several days in a row that were below zero.  In the last two days over 12 inches of snow have fallen.  The thought of global warming seems far away-could it really affect us here in North Dakota?

When people think of global warming, they think of a slow melting ice glacier up at the North Pole, and it doesn’t really concern them.  As it turns out global warming is coming a lot faster than we think.  According to Jeffrey Kluger’s article, “Global Warming Heats Up”, published in Time magazine, when disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, cyclones in Australia, huge drought fires in Indonesia and chunks of ice the size of small states breaking off of ice glaciers in the Artic and Antarctic, it is time to worry.  “Things are happening a lot faster than anyone predicted,” said Bill Chameides, chief scientist for the advocacy group Environmental Defense and former professor of atmospheric chemistry.  “The last 12 months have been alarming.  The ripple through the scientific community is palpable,” says Ruth Curry of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. 

According to a study conducted by TIME, ABC News and Stanford University, 85% of the respondents agree that global warming is probably happening, and they want some action taken.  87% think that the government should either encourage or require lowering of power-plant emissions, and 85% think something should be done to get cars to use less gasoline.

Animals and plants are dying around the world from global warming and the disasters are going to keep coming.  So, what can we do?  Somehow the CO2 levels need to be decreased.  Kluger’s article also said that during the last age the atmosphere’s CO2 concentration was about 180 parts per million (p.p.m.), which put the Earth into a deep freeze.  In the past 150 years, the level has risen to 381 p.p.m.  Because of this 2005 was one of the hottest years in a century.  Environmental activists are working hard to encourage local, state and national governments to take action.  Mayors of more than 200 cities have signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which says several things, but the main point is to meet the Kyoto goal of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions in their cities to 1990 levels by 2012.  The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative’s purpose is to develop a cap-and trade program that would set ceilings on industrial emissions.  Companies that overperform would be able to sell pollution credits to those that underperform.  Nine eastern states have established this program.  You still may be wondering what you can do.  For starters, support these programs if your city or state is involved.  In the market for a car?  Look into buying a vehicle that can use alternative fuels.  These may seem like little things, but if we all work together we can make this world a better, cleaner place to live.

Is this the real deal?  Yes, according to many scientists it is high time to start worrying and acting.  Be concerned and become informed and involved in making Earth a better place for your children and grandchildren.

Pretend for a minute that your sister just had a baby.  She calls the day they get home from the hospital and exclaims that the doctor inserted a computer tracking device in her son’s ear.  For his entire life, someone out there (the government) will be keeping records of everything he does from his first kiss to his honeymoon.

Well, in the livestock industry this procedure is real and happening in several states around the United States and world.  According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is a voluntary program that is intended to protect a farmer or rancher’s premises and livelihood; reduce hardships caused by an animal disease outbreak in your community; protect a farmer or rancher’s access to markets.

However, several people in the livestock industry are a little skeptical of this government program because they are not completely informed.  Some common misconceptions are: producers will be fined if they don’t participate in NAIS; every animal, including pets, is supposed to be identified; all livestock will be identified and all movements will be tracked.  Because NAIS is a voluntary program, there are no penalties or other “enforcement” for not participating; it is completely the producer’s choice.  Household pets, such as cats and dogs, are not included in the NAIS program.  NAIS focuses on livestock and poultry.  People who own cattle, bison, poultry, swine, sheep, goats, deer, elk, horses, mules, donkeys, burros, llamas and alpacas should consider enrolling in the program.  Another focus of NAIS is to track animals that are moved from their home to a place where they come in contact with other animals (livestock yards, meat packing plants).  So, it would be impractical to track animals that never leave their home and just move pasture to pasture. 

Why is this program important? How will producers benefit from it?  A program such as NAIS is extremely important because there is always a possibility for a disease outbreak.  If a disease were to break out (mad-cow disease in Dec. 2003), the affected animal could be found within a short amount of time (within an hour or a week) compared to the four months it took to find the affected cow back in 2003.  The more quickly a disease can be found the more quickly it can be contained.  NAIS is way to spare producers from going thorough the suffering that occurs when a disease is found, and they have to pay the consequences.  It is also a way for farmers and ranchers to protect their way of life and protect their access to different markets. 

Such a system is already being used by livestock producers in Australia.  Australia’s National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) was started back in 1999.  According to Allan Bloxsom, general manager of industry systems for Meat & Livestock Australia,

70 percent of Australia’s beef is exported to foreign trading partners, and the nation could not afford to lose any market share.  NLIS has been tested and passed with flying colors. “The NLIS has been used several times for tracing livestock during disease outbreaks, including anthrax.  In all cases it worked incredibly efficiently and swiftly with most involved livestock traced within hours, and sometimes within minutes,” said Bloxsom.

NAIS was put to the test recently in Colorado.  During the blizzards last month, several horses and cattle were stranded without access to feed or water.  The Colorado Department of Agriculture’s State Veterinarian’s Office made phone calls to producers that were registered with NAIS.  After the situation was assessed, the department tracked down the location of the animals using the NAIS.  Colorado and Wyoming National Guard were able to haul in hay and water to these stranded animals.

NAIS is a new concept that may seem expensive and too fancy to some livestock producers.  However, the possibility of a disease outbreak and the problems it could cause is much more expensive and incurs too much suffering on producers and their families.  It is time for farmers and ranchers to consider this system and its many benefits.

More information can be found at http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome.

There is a time of year at Sheppherd Arena on the NDSU campus when cows are on the lawn, 20 pickups are parked outside and a very bad smell is coming from the area. 

But, to the members of the Saddle and Sirloin Club, the largest and longest running student organization at NDSU, this is the smell of heaven and the best week of the entire year.  Yes, the 81^st Little International week has arrived, and the S & S members have been hard at work for the past 364 days.  When this week arrives (the second week in February), the members’ world becomes a whirlwind, and we put class and showering on the back burner.  Sheppherd Arena becomes our home for that entire week, and everyone steps up and comes together to help out and put on our biggest event of the year.

But, is it really worth it?  What’s the big deal?  YES, it is worth it, and it is a big deal.  We’re talking about a group of college students that have an indescribable passion for agriculture who become a family that help each other and put together this amazing show that has been a tradition for the past 80 years.  Little I is a campus event worth witnessing and an opportunity for any college student to participate in and earn a credit.  Little I is worth it and is important because it’s a hands-on experience that you won’t get anywhere else.  It’s working hard on a huge project and having that feeling of accomplishment.  It’s meeting new people, learning from each other and having lots of fun.

M.L. Buchanan, former NDSU Animal Science Chair, best sums up what Little I is all about:

            “The Little International is primarily a livestock show.  However, it is more than just a lively and entertaining educational feature.  The University has as one of its aims, the development of students in the arts, abilities, and attitudes that will be useful throughout their lives-qualities that will endure long after students have graduated from the institution.  These are attitudes the Little International fosters.”

Tradition is important to almost everyone involved in agriculture.  People in agriculture farm and ranch how their fathers did; they learn from the past and are constantly new ways to do things in our ever-changing industry.  The theme we members selected for this year’s 81^st Little International is Lessons of the Past, Skills for the Future.  We have learned from the past 80 Little I’s and are continually striving to improve our event and make it even better than the year before.  Last summer, the Little International Show was nominated by the NDSU Alumni Association for recognition by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).  At the CASE District VI convention, Little I received the top “Grand Gold” award for excellence in Groups Programming.

The Little I show starts this Saturday with the morning show at 8 a.m. and the night show at 6 p.m.  The night ends with the “Dance in the Chips” with music by October Road. 

Some people think that Division 1 sports are the coolest thing that NDSU has to offer.  However, there are a bunch of agriculture students, myself included, that think the Saddle and Sirloin Club and the Little International are the best things at NDSU.