Pesticide Applicator CEU Training - June 29

On Wednesday, June 29, Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Rockwall and Hunt Counties will sponsor a training that will allow private, non-commercial, and commercial applicators, with a license from the Texas Department of Agriculture to receive 5 hours of CEU's. Certified Crop Advisers will also receive 5 CEU hours.

Topics and speakers for the program will include:
Dr. Mike Merchant, Extension Urban Entomologist, Spiders and Insecticide Resistance;
Ms. Dee Lee Smith, Van Zandt County Extension Agent, Personal Safety with Pesticides
and Sun;
Mrs. Sara Allen, Hunt County Extension Agent, Pesticide Labeling;
Mr. Mike Yudisky, North Texas Poison Control, Bites and Stings of Summer.

Hours have been approved to be given as 3 hours Integrated Pest Management, 1 hour General and 1 hours Laws and Regulations.

The training will begin at 1:00 p.m. and run until 6:00 p.m. at the Fletcher Warren Civic Center, 5501 Highway 69 South in Greenville. Registration will begin at 12:30 p.m. Participants must have their applicator license number or drivers license number for the registration process. There will be a $25 charge for all attending. Anyone with an interest in these topics is encouraged to attend, even if you are not needing the CEU credits. Anyone arriving 10 minutes after the program begins will not be awarded CEU credits.

As a reminder, if you are a Private Applicator, requirements include obtaining 15 hours of CEU's every 5 years. Credits must be obtained preceding license expiration. The 15 CEU's must include hours in Integrated Pest Management, Laws and Regulations, or Drift Management, as well as general.

 

 

Custom Agricultural Rate Survey Results

Texas AgriLife Extension Service has published online a survey of regional and state rates charged for custom agricultural operations.

To view rates for various custom operations, visit http://agecoext.tamu.edu/ .

The online publication is 34 pages. It includes data on tractor rental, tillage operations, planting operations, application of fertilizer and lime, chemicals-cotton harvesting, peanut harvesting, hauling and drying, combining and hauling grains, haying and silage operations, land preparation, brush control, other farm and ranch operations, miscellaneous livestock operations, and consulting services.

In January, a survey was distributed to select farmers, ranchers and landowners across the state. The results of the survey helped establish a baseline of rates statewide and further assist with questions inquiring about specific custom-hire activities. This data provides market information where information would otherwise be limited. This will help individuals by providing a range of rates for different services whether you are using or providing those services in your area.

Drought likely to impact cattle markets for years Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension

The on-going drought in the Southern Plains and surrounding regions is having immediate market impacts and, with each passing day is increasingly likely to have multi-year impacts in the future.  It is difficult to determine the exact impacts of the drought but some indications are emerging.  The contrast between beef cow slaughter nationally and in the drought region clearly indicates that the impacts are significant.  For the year to date, beef cow slaughter is down 4.4 percent nationally, while beef cow slaughter in Region 6, which closely corresponds to the drought area, is up 11.7 percent.
Measuring the drought impacts is difficult since it is impossible to know for sure what would have happened without the drought.  However, analysis of typical slaughter patterns and tendencies suggests a range of impacts that probably captures the drought impact.  At a minimum, Region 6 beef cow slaughter at the same rate (relative to the cow herd) as last year (which implies additional herd liquidation) would suggest about 49,000 head less slaughter than last year.  This would result in a national slaughter rate that would be down 7.7 percent compared to the observed rate of 4.4 percent for the year to date.  Moreover, a Region 6 slaughter rate that is closer to the long term average regional rate would suggest that an additional 100,000 head of cows are added to total beef cow slaughter so far this year due to the drought.  Adjusting for this would put the national rate over 11 percent less for the year to date.
For the entire year of 2011, it appears that beef cow slaughter could have decreased roughly 10 percent year over year in the absence of drought, a value that is consistent with herd expansion.  However, the additional 100,000 head of culling already estimated implies that the annual beef cow slaughter rate would be limited to a decrease of 7-8 percent.  And that assumes no additional drought-induced culling for the remainder of the year.  The drought is still very much in place and more culling is likely.  Projecting the current rate of slaughter for the southern plains for the rest of 2011 would result in a national beef cow slaughter rate that decreases only by 3 percent.
The resulting drought impacts may have implications on the cow herd for several years.  My early projections showed that it might have been possible to stabilize the beef herd this year but only under the most favorable circumstances.  Even without a drought it was likely that the cow herd might decrease another 0.5 to 1 percent in 2011.  Depending on how much additional drought liquidation occurs beef herd liquidation upwards of 2 percent is increasingly likely.  If the drought impacts stop now, the additional cow slaughter that has already occurred would likely result in beef herd liquidation of close to 1.5 percent for the year. The additional herd liquidation will extend and exaggerate the current reduced animal inventories by at least another year.  Herd growth rates will be limited when they finally do start so it is likely to take at least 4-6 years for any significant herd rebuilding.