July 2011 e-Newsletter from Working Ranch Magazine

e-Newsletter

July 2011

Issue No. 8

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

"A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people"

- Will Rogers -

LETTER OF THE MONTH

Dear WR,

Just wanted to thank you again for sending the issue I missed. Love your magazine so much-when it comes in I can't put it down! Usually go through it 10-15 times probably looking at things and reading the great info and stories. As a young aspiring rancher, the information y'all print is invaluable. I don't throw them away, they are like my encyclopedia set that I'm building. Thank you so much. Keep up the good work!

Thanks,

Trenton Kissee

IN THE NEWS

Vilsack pledges continued USDA support and offers sympathy to producers facing natural disaster

Throughout the country American producers have been plagued by a range of natural disasters. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has expressed sympathy to those touched by drought, fires, flooding and tornadoes, and reminds farmers and ranchers of USDA resources. "America's farmers and rural communities are vitally important to our nation's economy and our values, and my heart goes out to all who are facing hardships because of severe weather and natural disasters," he said. Producers should contact their local USDA Service Center for information on available resources.

Corn for ethanol to surpass feed use

A recent USDA World Supply and Demand Estimates report projected that, for the first time ever, the amount of corn used to produce ethanol will soon surpass corn used for feed and food in the United States. In the 2010/2011 crop year corn used for feed and food is expected to total 5 billion bushels with 5.05 billion bushels being used for ethanol.

Farmers abandoning irrigated corn fields

Farmers throughout the drought-stricken Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles are being forced to turn off sprinklers in struggling irrigated corn fields in order to redirect precious water to more promising fields in an attempt to produce a crop this season. Salvaging every resource, growers are cutting abandoned corn for silage and hoping the sacrifice will be worthwhile.

Pasture Pulse

by Loretta Sorensen

Land EKG Monitoring provides simple guidelines for gathering rangeland data and interpreting the information to help create grazing strategies.

Accurately tracking pasture conditions might seem overwhelming at times, but it's critical to making good decisions and optimizing the grazing potential of your outfit. As Charley Orchard grew up and worked with his family on their + 100 section Wyoming ranch in the 70's and 80's, he began to see that standard academic or Agency monitoring techniques had some weaknesses (too much rigor and too few answers). His efforts to fill those gaps led him to develop the Land EKG™ Monitoring system he started sharing with ranchers and land managers in 1994.

Taxed to Death... and then some

by James Stuart

Photo by Daniel Balogh / Dreamstime

Losing a loved one is never an easy process. But for American farmers and ranchers, the death of a family member could also mean the loss of their livelihood. Because of the federal estate tax, often called the "death tax," many ranching families are facing taxes which a great number of them cannot afford. Too many ranches have already fallen victim, so understanding the tax and planning accordingly is more important than ever.

Warm Winds of Change

on your summer rangeland

Gilda V. Bryant

Photo by Daron Jamison

Kansas rancher Gordon Jamison evaluates his mineral program by measuring rates of gain, breed back percentages, and body condition scores on his cowherd.

Many ranchers think that as long as cattle are grazing on green summer grasses they are getting adequate minerals. Not so. "Forage is a moving target," explains Gary E. Sides, PhD and Beef Cattle Nutritionist with Pfizer. "It's like nailing Jell-O to the wall."

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Grasses change dramatically in this environment

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Forages simply don't supply the amounts of trace minerals that cattle need for top performance. The purebred Herefords on the Jamison Ranch in the short grass country of western Kansas graze on buffalo grass, blue gramma, Sand Lovegrass, and big and little blue stem. Rancher Gordon Jamison says, "Grasses change dramatically in this environment. We can start out pretty lush in early May, and sometimes into June. Then temperatures get hot, winds blow, and those grasses dry down and cure. The nutritional composition changes and the only way to stay on top of those changes is to keep mineral out for the cattle."

BLOGOSPHERE

Long Greensleeves by Brett Haas

Maybe I've mentioned this before but, I had made a promise to myself (and to anyone who would listen) that after the last two winters I wouldn't complain how hot it got this time of year. I didn't quite fulfill that last year, but I'm on a roll this year unless, of course, this blog turns into one big whine fest.

VIDEO OF THE MONTH

In June 2011 Montana Rancher Jay Streeter lost over half of his cattle herd to a tornado. Â See how the ranch community demonstrated once again just what ranchers do when someone is in need.

Click Here to watch this video on our website under The WORKING RANCH CHANNEL - Program Guide

Once in the Program Guide look for

Montana's 'Spare a Pair' Effort