12-14-11 Third Annual “From Our Lands to Your Hands” Expo Feb 2nd, 2012…Boulder County Fairgrounds in Longmont, CO

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“From Our Lands To Your Hands” Expo 

Third Annual Event will be February 2, 2012

(The BARN – Briggsdale, CO) December 20th, 2011 – Joining the BARN by telephone to detail the educational workshop for 4th Grade students in northern Colorado is Nancy McIntyre, NRCS-CO- Longmont & Boulder Valley District Manager and Sylvia Hickenlooper, Longmont Field Office Soil Conservationist…

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December 14th, 2011 - If your child will be a fourth grade student in the 2011-2012 school year or if you are a fourth grade teacher and would like to have your students attend this great event, please call the Conservation District Office at (303) 776-4034 ext. 3 or e-mail nmcintyre@bouldercounty.org for details on how to register.

View the Video for a taste of what the event is all about. 

2011 Summary

The definition of agriculture in the Webster Dictionary is fairly straightforward:  “The science, art, and business of cultivating soil, producing crops, and raising livestock; farming.”  But agriculture touches our lives on a daily basis from the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the products we use, as well as the wildlife that flourishes on the open spaces of agriculture lands, the history and culture that formed where we live, and the overall diversity.  However, agriculture within itself is not something we think of everyday.  When we are putting on our leather sneakers, how often do you think about the cow that was raised from eating the alfalfa, the corn, the rangeland, and the water that provided us the leather for the shoes?  That is exactly what the Second Annual From Our Lands To Your Hands event set out to do; to teach local fourth grade students the importance of agriculture in their daily lives, as well as put a face with local producers.

The Boulder Valley and Longmont Conservation Districts host this event, with partnership from the Longmont Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency, Colorado State Extension Boulder County, and Boulder County Parks and Open Space.  This year the Boulder County Commissioners awarded the Districts funds to provide bus transportation for the students.  Sponsorships from Quality Irrigation, American Pride Co-Op, Valley Irrigation, Pawnee Butte Seed Company, Laber Livestock, and Bill and Jean Turner provided lunch for the presenters, volunteers, and group leaders.

12-14-11 US Senator Bennet (D-CO) Supports Country-of-Origin Labeling for Meats to Provide Colorado Consumers More Information

Urges Appeal of WTO Ruling

Washington, DC – Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet is fighting to support explicit labeling of beef and pork sold within the United States, so that Colorado families know the origins of the meat they consume.

In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, Bennet, along with 18 senators, urged them to appeal a recent panel ruling at the World Trade Organization (WTO). The panel affirmed that the United States is within its rights to administer the COOL program. However, the ruling also stated that the manner in which the program has been implemented discriminates against meats imported from abroad.

In addition to an appeal of the WTO ruling, Bennet also called on Vilsack and Kirk to work to ensure that the U.S. COOL program both meets our international trade obligations and continues to provide important information to consumers.

“As you are aware, included in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill) was a common sense plan for implementing a food labeling program to provide consumers with information about the origins of the food they purchase,”the Senators wrote in the letter. “It was the intention of Congress in developing this provision that such labeling would be nondiscriminatory in its treatment of imported products by requiring the labeling of both domestic as well as imported products. We request that your agencies take appropriate actions to appeal the DSP’s ruling and to work to ensure that our COOL program both meets our international trade obligations while continuing to provide such information to consumers.”

Full text of the letter is included below:

12-14-11 NCBA Hosts Hands-On Education at Annual Convention Feb 1st in Nashville, TN

— Annual Cattlemen’s College and Demonstration Area Highlight 2012 Convention

WASHINGTON (Dec. 14, 2011) – The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) will host the 19^thannual Cattlemen’s College sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health on Wed., Feb. 1, 2012 in Nashville, Tenn., in conjunction with the 2012 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show. In addition, events at the Stockmanship and Stewardship Demonstration Area will be featured throughout the week for all convention participants.

The annual educational events focus on progressive ranching practices and this year will touch on a number of issues, including reproductive technology, beef safety strategies and value-added management practices. CattleFax Market Analyst Lance Zimmerman said the addition of value-added management practices will allow producers to be more profitable.

12-14-11 *US Senate News* Enzi, Bennet Lead Bipartisan Effort to Improve Disaster Assistance Claims Process for Livestock Producers

Constituents Report Eligibility and Reporting Requirements for Current Livestock Indemnity Program Applied Inconsistently

Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) are leading a bipartisan, bicameral effort to improve the process for range livestock producers to receive assistance for excess losses due to extreme weather conditions.

In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Enzi and Bennet, along with Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Mark Udall (D-CO) and John Thune (R-SD) and Reps. Scott Tipton (R-CO), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Denny Rehberg (R-MT), asked the Department to address reports from livestock producers in their states that Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) eligibility and reporting requirements were applied inconsistently among county and state Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices.

“Producers want to provide the appropriate documentation for claims when available but these inconsistencies in policies have made it difficult to complete claims in a timely and orderly manner,” the Senators wrote in the letter. “We ask that the Department carefully consider these concerns and the wide variety of challenges that range livestock producers face when it is reviewing LIP claims. Although similar disaster programs have proven beneficial to field crop losses, livestock operations face unique challenges that need to be considered for LIP.”

Full text of the letter is included below…

12-14-11 USDA/NASS to Reinstate Several Agricultural Estimates Programs

CLICK HERE to visit the Colorado Field Office Website

Issued December 9, 2011 by the Agricultural Statistics Board of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). For more information, contact Sue duPont, 202-690-8122.

NASS leadership recently concluded a deliberate review of all programs against mission- and user-based criteria, aimed at finding cost savings and forward-thinking business efficiencies so that timely, accurate and useful data remains available in service to agriculture. In 2011, NASS made several enhancements within its programs and operations to deliver improved results for the American people, including opening a new national operations center in St. Louis that will centralize data collection and service to people who provide and use NASS products and services. These efforts and more over the last year have allowed NASS leadership the flexibility within its budget to retain and reinstate several key reports.

The reinstated programs are:

12-14-11 Inside Colorado Corn with Executive Director Mark Sponsler

Mark Sponsler, CEO Colorado Corn

(The BARN – Briggsdale, CO) December 14th - Joining the BARN by telephone with his monthly update from the Colorado Corn Growers Association & the Colorado Corn Administrative Committee is Executive Director Mark Sponsler. Sponsler discusses quite a few topics this month including:

• Colorado Ag Water Summit RECAP – WATCH THE WEBCAST ARCHIVES
• Colorado Ag Classic RECAP – WATCH THE WEBCAST ARCHIVES
• Boulder County Open Space GMO Issue
• Fort Collins City Council E85 Issue & recent CCGA Letter
• CCGA Annual Meeting & Banquet  in Loveland, CO on Jan 25th – CLICK HERE to register
• 2012 Colorado Farm Show in Greeley on Jan 25-26-27
• 2012 CCTA High Plains No Till Conference in Burlington on Jan 31st – Feb 1st
• Two Ag/Air Quality Summits: Feb 16th in Ft Morgan, CO & Feb 17th in Lamar, CO…More details coming about these two events
• 2012 Governor’s Forum on Colorado Agriculture in Denver on Feb 23rd
• 2012 Colorado Ag Hall of Fame in Denver on Feb 23rd
• & LOTS MORE!

CLICK THE AUDIO MP3 LINK TO LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW…

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To learn more about Colorado Corn and how they can help you “Cultivate Opportunities” on your operation – CLICK HERE

12-14-11 Zweber Becomes First AgChat Foundation Executive Director

Social media enthusiast and dairy farmer will lead management and fundraising efforts for the two-year-old nonprofit

December 14, 2011 (AgNewsWire)– Emily Zweber will become the AgChat Foundation’s first executive director. The nonprofit AgChat Foundation (ACF) educates and equips farmers with the skills needed to effectively tell their story on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, YouTube, LinkedIn and other social media services.

Zweber, an organic dairy farmer from Elko, Minn., known to many as @ezweber on Twitter, will focus on furthering ACF’s mission of connecting farmers to diverse audiences via social media platforms. She also will provide day-to-day management oversight and fundraising support.

12-14-11 Colorado State University Faculty, Staff, Friends: Save on Tickets to the National Western Stock Show

For Online Ticket Orders...CLICK HERE

FORT COLLINS - Come one, come all, and save money on tickets to the National Western Stock Show.Colorado State University employees, families, friends and guests are eligible for discounted prices on reserved seating at the National Western Stock Show. The Stock Show is Jan. 7-22, 2012, at the National Western Complex, 4655 Humboldt St., Denver.

Prices offered are not available to the general public. Tickets purchased through this special offer are free of all service charges. Save $4.50 for every ticket ordered plus $2.25 on the order itself. An unlimited number of tickets may be ordered. Tickets must be purchased through the National Western Stock Show’s Group Services office. Discounts are not available at the Stock Show Box Office.

There are several events – from rodeos to Wild West shows – where staff, faculty and friends of CSU can receive discounted tickets. For more information, call (303) 295-2979 or e-mailgroup_services@nationalwestern.com.

For online orders, go to http://www.nationalwestern.com/tickets/group-tickets.aspx. Login or create an online account, then select an event from the pull-down menu. To receive the discount, use the online order code “NWSSGEN” in the “Group Code” field, and then click on “Apply Group Code.” Select the seating area, price and number of tickets. Include “Colorado State University” in the “Group/Company” field.

12-14-11 US Forest Service Chief signs record of decision for aerial fire retardant application

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2011 – U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell signed Tuesday a record of decision establishing new direction for the use of fire retardant applied from aircraft to manage wildfires.

The new direction, initiated as a result of litigation in Montana, will help the Forest Service better protect water resources and certain plant and wildlife species on National Forest System lands when fighting wildfires. It will allow the Forest service to aggressively fight fire with the use of airtankers while protecting aquatic ecosystems.

Working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries), the Forest Service identified and mapped waterways and habitat for certain threatened, endangered, and sensitive species in order to avoid applying retardant in those areas.

To decide when or where to drop fire retardant, fire managers now have roughly 12,000 maps identifying avoidance areas on 98 National Forest System units that identify locations of waterways and areas for hundreds of  plant and animal species.

12-14-11 CSU Project Helps Livestock Producers Improve Air Quality

FORT COLLINS - A nationwide project led by Colorado State University researchers’ aims to help livestock producers reduce airborne emissions that could degrade environmental health.

Agriculture’s airborne emissions – whether dust, odor, methane or ammonia – often are the source of controversy when these byproducts provoke tension between rural and urban neighbors, or when they are eyed as possible environmental threats.

In Colorado, work on the CSU research project is particularly significant in light of concerns that ammonia emissions from livestock operations are contributing to nitrogen deposition in Rocky Mountain National Park.

“Managing emissions from livestock operations is an environmentally sound practice and a financially sound practice,” said Shawn Archibeque, an assistant professor of animal sciences who is leading the project. “That’s because nutrients emitted into the environment are nutrients that were not captured in a saleable product, such as beef, pork, milk, eggs or poultry.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service recently awarded the project about $370,000 through its Conservation Innovation Grant program.

12-14-11 Inside the Colorado Association of Wheat Growers with President Randy Traxler…

CLICK HERE to learn more about CAWG - CWRF - CWAC

CAWG President Randy Traxler

(The BARN – Briggsdale, CO) Joining the BARN by telephone is CAWG President Randy Traxler discussing the current conditions of COlorado’s Winter Wheat Crop, the wheat markets and recapping the recent 2011 Colorado Ag Classic that took place in Loveland on Dec 8-9th…121411_CAWG_PresRandyTraxler_10m22s

To learn more about the upcoming Colorado Wheat Winter Planning Meetings mentioned in the interview – CLICK HERE

If you missed the opening sessions on December 9th and want to see what happened a the following look below:

• Grain Marketing with Dan Maltby - CLICK HERE
• General Session featuring Co Ag Commissioner John Salazar & USDA/NASS Board Chair Hubert Hamer - CLICK HERE
• Keynote Speaker Reva Bhalla of STRATFOR speaking on “Colorado’s Ag in a Global Economy” - CLICK HERE

The webcast archives are provided courtesy of the BARN in association with the Colorado Ag Classic Board

BACKGROUND: Colorado has a long and proud history of wheat production. The art of growing this “prairie gold” has been passed down from generation to generation, and more than two million acres of wheat are currently planted in Colorado each year. As we move forward in our efforts to help feed America and the world, our industry will continue to make strides to positively impact yields, quality, and demand. By ensuring that Colorado remains at the forefront of nationwide wheat research and market development, we are not only caring for our own farms and families—we are also guaranteeing that future generations of Colorado wheat growers will continue to enjoy this way of life for years to come. For more information about the Colorado Association of Wheat Growers, the Colorado Wheat Administrative COmmittee or the Colorado Wheat Research Foundation visit their website @ www.coloradowheat.org

READ the NAFB’s National Ag News as heard inside the BARN for December 14th

CLICK HERE to listen to TODAY's BARN Morning Ag News with Brian Allmer...

Sponsored by the American Farm Bureau Federation

“TPP Agreement Moves Forward”

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced that on Tuesday the Leaders of the nine Trans-Pacific Partnership countries – Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, and the United States – have achieved  agreement of the broad outlines of an ambitious, 21st-century Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. This agreement will enhance trade and investment among the TPP partner countries, promote innovation, economic growth and development, and support the creation and retention of jobs.

To enhance animal and plant health and food safety and facilitate trade among the TPP countries have agreed to reinforce and build upon existing rights and obligations under the World Trade Organization Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures. The SPS text will contain a series of new commitments on science, transparency, regionalization, cooperation, and equivalence. In addition, negotiators have agreed to consider a series of new bilateral and multilateral cooperative proposals, including import checks and verification.

TPP countries have also agreed to seek a common set of rules of origin to determine whether a product originates in the TPP region. The agreement is being negotiated as a single undertaking that covers all key trade and trade-related areas. In addition to updating traditional approaches to issues covered by previous free trade agreements, the TPP includes new and emerging trade issues and cross-cutting issues.

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“Nutrient Management Standard Released”

Proper management of nitrogen and phosphorus, including the use of organic sources of nitrogen such as animal manure, legumes and cover crops, can save producers money. USDA has revised its national conservation practice standard on nutrient management to help producers better manage the application of those nutrients on agricultural land. The nutrient management standard provides a roadmap for NRCS’s staff and others to help producers apply available nutrient sources in the right amount, from the right source, in the right place, at the right time for maximum agricultural and environmental benefits.