STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSES MOUTH

Duane A. Lienemann,
 UNL Extension Educator,
Webster County
August 10, 2012 Edition

Last week I ended my column with some comments on the USDA/APHIS proposed revision of regulations implementing the Animal Welfare Act to redefine "retail pet store." I was concerned by the way it was written that if a farmer or breeder sells even one animal as a "pet" in a situation where the buyer does not come to their home, farm or place of business, they will be required to become USDA licensed, and if a farmer sold an animal for purposes such as 4-H or FFA projects, that would come under the impact of the rule. I guess that the USDA must have got the message from people and they came out this week with an update on their ruling. I feel a little better about the direction it is now going, but still have a lot of reservations about the involvement of government, even though livestock used for food production are not currently included in this rule, it could potentially present an opportunity for APHIS inspectors to gain access to agricultural operations, which is unprecedented and I feel sets an agenda that could keep creeping up to haunt us.
According to the USDA/APHIS officials the proposed rule that would redefine what a retail pet store is, will not affect farmers and ranchers as previously thought. The USDA’s APHIS held a conference call to discuss the proposed revision of regulations implementing the Animal Welfare Act. The proposed rule would expand the number and type of animal breeding and husbandry facilities subject to licensure, inspection and recordkeeping under AWA. The officials stated publicly: “We are not going to be regulating farm animals … and cold-blooded species.” The USDA officials also cleared up questions about whether farmers would be regulated if they raise and sell domesticated farm animals such as cattle, hogs and sheep to 4-H programs. They stated “All such activity would be exempt from the rule”. USDA has extended the comment period for this proposed rule change until August 15. It seems to be that we have to always be vigilant and watch our government entities like APHIS and EPA more closely than ever because of groups who would like to end farming as we know it in the United States have a huge foothold in Washington DC, and we cannot afford complacency.
Upcoming Crop Related Field Days: This next couple of weeks has some good things in store for crop producers and I think it worthwhile to spend some time talking about them and encouraging producers and all interested parties in looking at attending them. First, on August 16th near Bladen, NE, Gabe Brown of Bismarck North Dakota will be the keynote speaker at the Cover Crop School and Field Day which will be held at the Green Cover Seed Headquarters, 1 mile south and 1 ½ miles east of Bladen NE. In addition to Brown, Doug Peterson, State Grassland Conservationist from Missouri, will also share his insight and experience on grazing cover crops and other forages.
The field day will begin at 9:00 and run until approximately 4:00. Brown is one of the leaders in the field of soil health, regenerative agriculture, cover crops and grazing. Tours and other topics will complement Gabe’s presentations, as well as discussions on cover crop options for fall planting and for fall/winter grazing. I think this is going to be very important for our livestock producers after the ravages we are and will be experiencing with the current drought. There is a noon meal provided and fee to attend. You can go to:  www.greencoverseed.com to register or to get further information.
UNL research updates will be featured during an Aug. 22 Field Day at the UNL South Central Ag Research Laboratory near Clay Center. The day begins with registration at 8:30 a.m. followed by the program from 9 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Three tour topics will be held during the day including demonstrations on the SoyWater decision aid for irrigating soybeans and state-of-the-art small autonomous aerial vehicles for crop management research. There is no fee to attend, however a noon lunch is being provided so potential attendees are asked to please pre-register by Aug. 17 to shachtel1@unl.edu , 402-762-4403. SCAL is located 7.5 miles west of the Highway 14 and Highway 6 intersection or 13 miles east of Hastings on Highway 6 on the south side of the highway. More info at:  http://scal.unl.edu/Southcentralfieldday.pdf  
Nebraska soybean producers can get the latest in production research and take a chance to win some fuel by attending one of the Soybean Management Field Days, Aug. 14-17, on four Nebraska farms. UNL Extension and industry consultants will address several topics, including soybean seed treatments; row spacing and seed rates; soybean-variety development and breeding-advancement; and soil fertility options for soybean production. The Soybean Management Field Days provides an excellent opportunity for farmers to see research being conducted in real situations and farms and discuss topics and issues that are very relevant to soybean production across the state. Registration begins each day at 9 a.m. One-hour sessions rotate from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Farm locations include the Tim Rowe farm in Lexington, the Bob Kracl farm in O'Neill, the Keith Pillen farm in Platte Center and the Hotovy farm in David City. For more detailed information on the event, visit http://ardc.unl.edu/soydays
Friday, August 10 brought something that may become rather interesting. I think I will close this column today with a suggestion that beef producers watch what is going on with a law suit brought against the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, the Cattlemen's Beef Board and the Beef Operating Committee to enjoin them from channeling beef check-off dollars to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. This is compliments of the Organization for Competitive Markets in Lincoln who is joining with the Humane Society of the United States and a huge New York based law firm. Oh my!!!

The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: www.webster.unl.edu/home