11-25-09 PETA Protest Ruffles Feathers in South Dakota…

(The BARN – Briggsdale, CO) The South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association disapproves of PETAs attempt to misrepresent dairy production and all livestock producers at this time of Thanksgiving. Cattlemen’s Executive Director Jodie Hickman says her group received word PETA was planning to hold a protest in Rapid City today…112509_BAN_PETAProtestRufflesFeathers_2m37s_128k

SOURCE: NAFB News Service

11-25-09 Colorado 4H Update for Thanksgiving Week…

4-H Update for this week is now available for your reading pleasure.

Highlights this week include:

-       National Western Stock Show Catch-a-Calf deadline extended

-       Western Region 4-H Leader’s Forum

-       2010 National 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor Workshops

-       Two Ways to Give to 4-H On-line

-       4-H Bird Photo Contest

-       Military Extension Internship Program Application deadline extended

-       National Western Stock Show Group Sales Offer

11-25-09 Beef Checkoff Export Update – Asia-Pacific Markets…

(The BARN – Briggsdale, CO) In this final report in the series of foreign marketing updates comes from Joel Haggard, senior vice president, Asia-Pacific region for the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program. Haggard says there has been a lot of talk about consumer sensitivity and resistance in the Korean, Taiwan and Japanese markets for U.S. beef. However, he remains positive about the opportunities that exist for 2010…

11-25-09 *The White House* President to Attend Copenhagen Climate Talks…

Office of the Press Secretary – The White House – Washington D.C.

President to Attend Copenhagen Climate Talks

Administration Announces U.S. Emission Target for Copenhagen

The White House announced today that President Obama will travel to Copenhagen on Dec. 9 to participate in the United Nations Climate Change Conference, where he is eager to work with the international community to drive progress toward a comprehensive and operational Copenhagen accord.   The President has worked steadily on behalf of a positive outcome in Copenhagen throughout the year.  Based on the President’s work on climate change over the past 10 months – in the Major Economies Forum, the G20, bilateral discussions and multilateral consultations – and based on progress made in recent, constructive discussions with China and India’s Leaders, the President believes it is possible to reach a meaningful agreement in Copenhagen.  The President’s decision to go is a sign of his continuing commitment and leadership to find a global solution to the global threat of climate change, and to lay the foundation for a new, sustainable and prosperous clean energy future.

11-25-09 *CSP NEWS* Fatal Crash in Weld County

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Date: 11-25-09 Time: 8:45 a.m.

On November 24, 2009 at approximately 4:05 p.m., Colorado State Troopers responded to a fatal crash on westbound Interstate 76 at milepost 51 in Weld

County. A 1992 red Freightliner with semi trailer was traveling westbound on Interstate 76. A 1966 white GMC Farm Truck was also traveling westbound on Interstate 76. The Freightliner went to pass the GMC on the left, when it struck the left rear of the vehicle. This caused the GMC to travel off the right side of the roadway and roll.

11-25-09 *CSU NEWS* Colorado State University National Precipitation Monitoring Network Expands to All 50 States on Dec. 1…

FORT COLLINS – Colorado State University State Climatologist Nolan Doesken really just wanted more accurate statistics about Fort Collins rainfall when he created a volunteer precipitation-reporting network in 1998.

Now, the program he created – the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network or CoCoRaHS – will add its 50th state on Dec. 1 when Minnesota formally joins. CoCoRaHS already counts 14,600 volunteers across the country.

“We are pleased that this simple backyard monitoring program has become so popular,” said Doesken, a senior research associate in the Colorado Climate Center in Colorado State’s internationally known atmospheric science department. “These volunteers are providing scientists around the country with excellent precipitation and hail monitoring statistics for tracking weather patterns and water supplies.”

11-12-09 The Allmer’s Give Thanks Every Day…

Tim Stutzman’s HPL / CBC / FARMCO Weekly Update…

CLICK HERE to visit HPL's Website!

(The BARN – Briggsdale, CO) Join Tim Stutzman inside the BARN each Monday morning with a look back at last week’s sales @ HPL and a look ahead at the upcoming sales & events @ High Plains Livestock Exchange & FARMCO, Inc. of Brush, Colorado…

For this weeks report…

CLICK HERE

CCTA Accepting Ag Scholarship Applications…until Dec 1st

Applications Accepted for Agriculture Scholarships

The Colorado Conservation Tillage Association (CCTA) is currently accepting applications until December 1, 2009 for Agriculture Scholarships that will be awarded to students majoring in Agriculture degree programs.   The scholarships will be awarded at the 2010 High Plains No-till Conference in February, 2010 in Burlington, Colorado.   Winners do not need to be present to wind a scholarship

There will be a $750 scholarship, sponsored by CCTA, awarded to full time students returning as a sophomore, junior or senior attending a higher institution of learning in Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming or Kansas majoring in Agriculture (excluding animal and equine science).  A 2^nd $500 scholarship will be awarded to a college student attending Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado and majoring in Agriculture Diesel Mechanics, sponsored by Wickham Tractor Company of Fort Morgan, CO.

For an application and details on other qualifications, go to www.HighPlainsNoTill.com and click the Scholarship button on the Home Page.  Applications can be downloaded from the website or send a request to: Kathy Rickart, Conference Co-Coordinator, 219 Cattail Bay, Windsor, CO 80550 or call 970-576-8970.

11-24-09 *CSU Extension News* Holiday Spending – Spend Wisely this Holiday Season…

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially in the stores where merchants have their racks and shelves loaded just waiting for you to spend. December is a time that people spend like no other time of the year with gifts, food, decorations, and travel.

Even though you may intend to spend more wisely this year, statistics show that you’ll likely overspend. A Consumers Report survey indicated nearly 50% of consumers who set a holiday budget exceeded it. There are 12 million Americans who are still paying off debt from the previous holiday.

11-25-09 *NAWG NEWS* This Week’s Wheat Digest for Thanksgiving…

Groups Ask for $500 Million in Competitive Grants Funding — NAWG and almost 50 other agricultural organizations wrote Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Peter Orszag this week making a pitch for a $500 million allocation for the new Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) in the FY2011 budget.

Members Urge a Vote on Three-Year-Old Colombia FTA — Thirty-five Members of the U.S. House of Representatives wrote House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday requesting an up or down vote on the Colombia free trade agreement “without further delay”.

Eaters Urged to Thank a Farmer This Turkey Day — NAWG and other agricultural organizations are urging consumers to add farmers and American agriculture to the lists of things they are thankful for when tallying up their blessings over turkey and pie.

5th Annual Colorado Ag Classic set for December 9-10th @ the Ranch…

November 3, 2009 – The annual Colorado Ag Classic will be held December 9-10 at the Thomas M. McKee Building at The Ranch in Loveland, Colorado. The fifth annual Colorado Ag Classic is the joint convention of the Colorado Association of Wheat Growers (CAWG), the Colorado Corn Growers Association (CCGA), Colorado Sunflower Administrative Committee (CSAC), Colorado Sorghum Producers (CSP), Colorado Seed Growers Association (CSGA), and Colorado Seed Industry Association (CSIA).

The convention theme is “Together We Achieve More.” The convention will begin on the evening of December 9, with a legislative social, dinner, and an auction to benefit CAWG and CCGA’s state and national legislative efforts.

Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture John Stulp will kick off the General Session on the morning of December 10, followed by Colorado State University President Tony Frank, and U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (invited). Keynote speaker Jennifer Ozimkiewicz of Monsanto will wrap up the morning session with her talk on “Monsanto’s Vision for Biotech Crops.”

11-25-09 “Improvement of India’s Agriculture Focus of Agreements”

NAFB-President Obama and India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have agreed that the two nations will work together to accelerate development and deployment of clean energy technologies and strengthen cooperation on adaptation to climate change, climate, science, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from forests and land use.

11-25-09 “Feed a Neighbor Campaign Begins”

NAFB-The President’s United We Serve: Feed A Neighbor initiative was kicked off Tuesday, after USDA reported that the current level of hunger in America is at the highest it’s has been since 1995. This new initiative is designed to raise awareness of hunger issues and equips Americans with the resources to mobilize against the hunger crisis. The Corporation for National and Community Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture and the White House joined together to launch the program.

11-25-09 “2010 Energy Drilling Lease Sales Announced”

NAFB-The Department of the Interior has scheduled 38 oil and natural gas lease sales for U.S. public lands in 2010. This includes a first sale in nearly two years in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar says – during the past year we have held 32 onshore lease sales, offering more than 2.7 million acres in the West and generating more than 126-million dollars in revenue for American taxpayers.

11-25-09 “Bio-Oil and Biochar May be Future of Corn Stover”

NAFB-Researchers around the world are trying to economically convert cellulosic biomass such as corn stover into “cellulosic ethanol.” But Agricultural Research Service scientists have found that it might be more cost-effective, energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable to use corn stover for generating an energy-rich oil called bio-oil and for making biochar to enrich soils and sequester carbon.

11-25-09 “Energy Department Supports Smart Grid Technologies”

NAFB-In Columbus, Ohio yesterday, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced that the Department of Energy is awarding 620-million dollars for projects around the country to demonstrate advanced Smart Grid technologies and integrated systems that will help build a smarter, more efficient, more resilient electrical grid. According to Chu, these 32 demonstration projects will include large-scale energy storage, smart meters, distribution and transmission system monitoring devices, and a range of other smart technologies. These demonstrations will act as models for deploying integrated Smart Grid systems on a broader scale.

11-25-09 “Group Presses for Heal Care Reform”

NAFB-National Farmers Union, ranchers and rural residents, have joined farm leaders from Arkansas, Maine and Nebraska to call on Congress to pass health care reform. An emphasis is being placed on the urgent need to protect family farms. NFU President Roger Johnson says – farmers often have to purchase insurance for themselves and their families in the individual market where premiums are higher. Also, farmers tend to be older and are more likely to suffer from chronic health conditions, and private insurers consider them to be in a high risk profession.

11-25-09 “Ag Committee to Discuss Financial Reform”

NAFB-The Senate Ag Committee will once again meet to hear testimony on the subject of – OTC Derivatives Reform and Addressing Systemic Risk. This hearing, next Wednesday, December 2nd, will examine the Administration’s proposed legislation on financial regulatory reform with Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner testifying on behalf of the Administration. The Committee will examine the proposal from various perspectives, and will also address suggested alternatives.

11-25-09 “Letter Asks NAIS be Shut Down”

NAFB – In a letter to USDA and Congress, a group of 100 agricultural organizations is urging that the National Animal Identification System be dissolved completely. They say that NAIS is fundamentally flawed: 1) no food safety benefits; 2) no analysis or quantification of the alleged benefits; 3) unfair burdens placed on family farms and sustainable livestock operations; and, 4) high costs. The groups want to work with USDA – to enhance our nation’s animal disease preparedness in a manner that builds upon our past successes and respects the interests of U.S. livestock producers and consumers.

11-25-09 “Snap Participation Varies”

NAFB – USDA has issued the latest figures available on how successful each State is in reaching families eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. According to Reaching Those in Need: State Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Rates, 66 percent of eligible persons received SNAP benefits in 2007. State SNAP participation rates varied from a low of 47 percent to a high of 100 percent.

11-25-09 “Two New Members Appointed to NFMPPB”

NAFB – Christopher Ross of Beverly, Massachusetts and Michael Bell of San Antonio, Texas will attend their first meeting as members of the Nation Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board this January. The two were appointed to the 20 member board by Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack.

11-25-09 *CSP News* Six Teens Injured in Crash on I-70 near Rifle…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Date: 11-24-2009 Time: 9:30 p.m.

On November 24, 2009 at approximately 12:50 p.m., Colorado State Troopers responded to the serious injury crash on westbound Interstate 70 at milepost 86. A silver 1998 Nissan Sentra was westbound before losing control. The vehicle traveled off the roadway through a deer fence. The vehicle then became airborne over a dry creek bed. The vehicle struck the side of an embankment and rolled.

The restrained driver has been identified as Juan Moreno-Zavala, age 17 of Glenwood Springs, Colo. Moreno-Zavala sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to St Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction.

The five passengers have been identified as: