Land and Livestock Post

Finding forage

RECORD AGRICULTURE LOSSESProducers take a $5.2 billion hit.PAGE 6

KEEP ON TRUCKIN'Farmers won't need a CDL license.PAGE 11

VITAMIN A DEFICIENCYAnother danger from the drought.PAGE 12

TRACKING LIVESTOCKUSDA issues new rules.PAGE 24

S ep tembe r 1 , 2 011

STEPS TO TAKE NOW FOR A FALLCROP ... IF THE RAINS COME

PAGE 16

FALL FORAGE ISSUE

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Taste and smell a better steakFrom the General Manager

Hard to believe it’sSeptember. Afterthe blistering heat

we’ve endured this sum-mer, and the lack of per-cipitation, seems likewe’re duefor achange.The let-

ter “r”has beenmissingfromthese pastfourmonths in more waysthan just the spelling oftheir names. Hopefully“r” in “September” willstand for rain, which willbring regrowth to ourpastures and revenue toour bank accounts.This is our Fall Forage

issue, and as of yet, mostfolks don’t have muchforage to speak of. Wehave several articles inthis issue that offeradvice and tips to get themost out of your pasturesin these difficult times.We also have some

advice in our Ask the Vetcolumn, as well as newsand information fromaround the industry.Hope you enjoy it, and

thanks for reading.’Til next time.

By BLAIR FANNINTexas AgriLife Communications

Both taste and aroma arekey factors one scientist isusing to learn more about pro-ducing a better tasting steak.Chris Kerth, a Texas

AgriLife Research meat scien-tist and associate professor inthe department of animal sci-ence at Texas A&M Univer-sity in College Station, isusing AromaTrax technologyin his laboratory to evaluateboth aroma and flavor.“We analyze all methods of

sensory (input) using tasteand aroma,” said Kerth, whorecently was featured onNational Public Radio’sScience Friday broadcastfrom San Antonio. Kerth alsopresented his research at theTexas A&M Beef Cattle ShortCourse in College Station,sponsored by the TexasAgriLife Extension Service.AromaTrax uses gas chro-

matography/mass spectrome-

try coupled with a human“sniff port” to separate vol-atile compounds in the airaround the hot, cooked sam-ple, he said.“Part of the sample goes to

the machine that identifiesthe chemical compound,while a person sits at the sniffport and smells each of thecompounds,” he said.When they detect an odor,

they click on a computerscreen to match the aromaand intensity.“The computer then match-

es the chemical compound tothe aroma and intensity,”Kerth said. This allows anaroma/sensory profile to bedeveloped for each product.“Since each of the fatty

acids and other meat compo-nents serve as precursors tothe volatile compounds thatwe smell and taste, a directlink can be made between thesensory trait and the actualchemical compounds in themeat,” Kerth said.

The proprietary software,coupled with the powerfulchemical identification capa-bility of the machine, “is agreat tool to describe flavorand aroma profiles,” Kerthsaid.Some of his research objec-

tives are to determine theeffect of diet (forage, distillersgrain) on flavor, optimumtemperature for grilling par-ticular beef cuts, if flavor isincreased by altering cookingmethodology, optimum condi-tions for aging beef, and opti-mizing genetics and develop-ing a strategy to enhancebeef’s greatest asset — its fla-vor, he said.Kerth’s research may

branch out beyond meat sci-ence, he said, possibly usingthe lab to research other foodproducts in the future.“We can use the machine to

evaluate virtually everyvolatile chemical compoundin food to see what are themost valuable traits,” he said.

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Keith was driving meinto Edmonton,Alberta, Canada, on

Highway 26 from the west.The large grain and cattlefarms began to shatter intosmaller pieces of property: 40acres, 20 acres or 12 acres.The countryside was stillgreen and well kept withfields of five horses or threecows. Usually it included anice home with landscapingand a manicured entrance.

“More farm ground is dis-appearing every year,” saidKeith, noting the loss of bigfarmsteads. He was right, butthat has been going on sincethe pilgrims set foot inNewfoundland. It is the inex-orable roll of civilization.

These smaller plots —“ranchettes” — are a stage inthis progression. But, I’venoticed one very positiveside of those new “rural

lifestylers.” With the inten-tion to teach their childrensome connection to the landand livestock, or for theirown sake, they take on proj-ects such asgardening,raisingsheep, lla-mas, rabbits,goats, ducks,horses orcows. Andregardlesswhether it isan organic garden, a litter ofpigs or one calf, once they gettheir hands dirty they beginto have an inkling of what ittakes to make food out of dirtand water. It is a life-chang-ing experience.

I think that before any per-son is tricked into sendingmoney to PETA, the HumaneSociety of the United States,ALF, ELF, or any of those

two-faced groups whose goalincludes the elimination ofmodern farming practices,that person should beallowed to raise at least onebaby Holstein calf from birthto edible, or to grow enoughvegetables in one summer tofeed a family for just sevendays.

Once they are engaged inthe process of raising food,they will appreciate thatfarming is a complicatedprocess that guarantees risk,pitfalls, hard work and com-mitment.

But they also will compre-hend the sense of accomplish-ment of becoming part ofnature, not just the skim onthe top.

This experience will quali-fy them to examine with akeener eye the often sleazy,forked-tongued and gratu-itously morbid supplications

for money, money, moneyfrom the animal-rights grub-bers.

Our 20-acre-neighbors willgain the ability to distin-guish their local humanesocieties, county agents, dis-trict agriculturalists, and vet-erinarians from the NationalBeggars Association ofANTIs who haven’t raised acalf, had it butchered or fedtheir family for a week fromtheir own labors in the soil.

My advice to you farmersand ranchers who miss theold days, is to befriend yournew neighbors and offer to

teach them BeginningAgriculture 101. Let themexperience the deep prideone gets from personally par-ticipating in one of life’smost basic occupations. Theywill learn where food comesfrom.

And, I repeat, it is lifechanging.

• Baxter Black is a former largeanimal veterinarian who writes asyndicated column and appearsregularly on National PublicRadio. His website is www.bax-terblack.com.

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Commentary

Gaining a sense of accomplishment from nature

BAXTER BLACK

Once they are engaged in the process of raisingfood, they will appreciate that farming is a compli-cated process that guarantees risk, pitfalls, hardwork and commitment.

Michael Holland operates a tractor hauling two trailers as laborersfill them with hand cut tobacco on fields of the Aman Farms inMaysville, N.C. Although the tobacco was ready for harvest, Hollandhoped to get as much as possible before the arrival of HurricaneIrene late last month.

AP photo/The Jacksonville Daily News, John Althouse

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Ag losses in 2011 hit record $5.2 billionExceed records set in 2006


The historic Texas drought hasled to a record $5.2 billion inagricultural losses, making it the

most costly drought on record, accord-ing to Texas AgriLife ExtensionService economists.“The drought of 2011 will have a last-

ing impact on Texas agriculture,” saidTravis Miller, AgriLife Extensionagronomist and a member of theGovernor’s Drought PreparednessCouncil.“This drought is ongoing,” said

David Anderson, AgriLife Extensionlivestock economist. “Further losseswill continue if rainfall does not comesoon to establish this year’s winterwheat crop and wheat grazing.”“While these numbers paint a

gloomy picture, Texans are survivors,”

Texas Agriculture Commissioner ToddStaples said.“Our farmers and ranchers will

adapt and overcome this record-settingdrought to ensure we have a safe,affordable and reliable domestic foodsupply,” Staples said.

Exceeds 2006 lossesThe $5.2 billion in losses exceeds the

previous record of $4.1 billion duringthe 2006 drought. The losses also repre-sent 27.7 percent of the average valueof agricultural production over the lastfour years, Anderson said.The current drought losses have

reached record levels in large part dueto Texas farmers failing to cash incrops during times of high commodityprices, economists said. The state’s cat-

The drought has taken its toll across the state, such as on this Burleson County pas-pas-ture. Texas agriculture has suffered a record $5.2 billion loss due to the drought in2011, according to economists with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Texas AgriLifeAgriLife ExtensionExtension SerServicevice photo by BlairBlair FanninFannin

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Pour-onPour-onPour dewormers, they’re just not aseffective as they once were. And that canmean poor doing cattle and a poor returnon your investment.

Add Safe-Guard® to your dewormingprogram to kill worms that pour-onpour-onpourand injectable dewormers leave behind.Applied straight to the gut, Safe-Guardrapidly stops the damage parasites causeand prevents egg shedding onto pastures.

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tle producers continue to cullherds at historic levels andspend money on expensivesupplemental feed.

“Livestock losses includethe increased cost of feedingdue to lack of pastures andranges and market losses,”Anderson said. “Market lossesinclude the impact of fewerpounds sold per calfcalfcal and theimpact of lower market pricesdue to the large number of cat-tle sold in a very shortortor timeperiod.”

Losses by commodityThe following are losses by

commodity:• Livestock — $2.06 billion

(includes $1.2 billion previous-ly reported in May).

• Lost hay production value— $750 million.

• Cotton — $1.8 billion.

• Corn — $327 million.• Wheat — $243 million.• Sorghum — $63 million.To remain comparable to

past drought loss estimates,the Aug. 17 loss estimates donot include losses to fruit andvegetable producers, horticul-tural and nursery crops, orother grain and row crops.

“In that regard, these esti-mates are considered conser-vative,” Anderson said.

Travis Miller, TexasAgriLife Extension Serviceagronomist and a member ofthe Governor’ s DroughtPreparedness Council, saidthe 2011 drought will have “ alasting impact on Texas agri-culture.”

The $5.2 billion totalreleased Aug. 17 takes intoaccount $1.2 billion in droughtlosses previously reported byAgriAgriAg LifeLifeLi Extension in May,which were primarily live-stock-related losses due toadded supplemental costs andlost grazing.

“The drought began for

much of the state inSeptember 2010,” Miller said.“Much of the GulfGulfGul Coast,Central, West Texas and theHigh Plains had seen abun-dant moisture in the summerfrom Tropical Storm Hermineand other rainfall events. Anunusually strong La Niña pat-tern moved into place in thefall of 2010, which had animpact comparable to turningoff the ‘rainfall switch’ formost of Texas and surround-ing states.”

Driest 10 monthsOctober 2010 through July

2011was the driest 10-monthperiod in recorded Texasweather, Miller said.

“The drought, coupled withprolonged high winds andrecord temperatures wereenormously destructive toTexas agriculture and naturalresources,” he said.

“The summer rains caused

Travis Miller,Miller,Miller Texas AgriLife Extension Service agronomist and amember of the Governor’s Drought Preparedness Council, said the2011 drought will have “a lasting impact on Texas agriculture.”


LossesFrom 6

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grass growth, which providedfuel for an unprecedented fireseason, with more than 3.3million acres of Texas ravagedby wildfire.“This destructive climatic

pattern has taken a huge tollon crops and forages, and thetiming could not have beenworse for Texas producers, asall of the majomajoma r agriagriag culturalcommodities are enjoyingstrong prices,” Miller said.

Production cut by halfCombined losses for wheat,

corn and sorghum grain farm-ers in Texas due to droughtare more than $600 million.Mark Welch, AgriLife Exten-sion grains economist, saidTexas wheat production in2011 is about half what itwould have been in a normalyear.“Wheat yields were down

from a five-year average of 30bushels to 26 bushels per acreand abandonment was up,” hesaid. “Given this year’s plant-ings of 5.7 million acres, wewould have harvested 2.8 mil-lion in a normal year. In 2011,harvested acreage is estimat-ed at only 2 million acres,down 800,000 acres. The com-bination of yield losses on har-vested acres and higher aban-donment put Texas wheat-for-grain losses at $243 million.”Texas corn production is

estimated to be down about 30percent in 2011, Welch said,with harvested acres down 16percent due to higher aban-donment rates.“Yields are down 16 percent

statewide,” he said.“Highlighting the severity

of this year’s heat and dryconditions is that the mostsevere yield losses are seen inthe irrigated corn grown inthe Panhandle. The averagecorn yield in the northernHigh Plains is estimated at 165bushels per acre compared toa five-yeara five-yeara f average of 205bushels, down 40 bushels peracre. Yield losses and aban-donment will cost Texas cornproducers about $327 millionin 2011.”Grain sorghum production

in Texas, according to Welch,

is expected to be about half ofnormal in 2011. The 1.6 mil-lion acres planted springmarked the lowest in Texashistory.“Then drought lowered

yields and raised abandon-ment rates,” he said. “Thedrought estimates forsorghum reported are basedonly on the yield and harvest-ed acreage estimates from U.S.Department of Agriculture.This totals about $63 million.”

Cotton lossesMeanwhile, Texas cotton

growers faced unprecedentedimpacts from drought in 2011,said John Robinson, AgriLifeExtension cottoneconomist. Robinson said inAugust USDA projected “a rel-atively low average cottonyield of 636 pounds per har-vested acre” in addition to a“historically high abandon-ment of 52 percent.”“Compared to five-year

average yields and abandon-ment, 2011 represents a huge

loss in potential production,”Robinson said. ”Applied toUSDA’s measure of 7.1 millionplanted cotton acres in Texas,and valued at their projectedprice of 95 cents per pound,this loss adds up to $1.8 bil-lion.“It’s that $1.8 billion is also

the 10-year average total valueof cotton lint and cottonseedproduction in Texas. So,Texas cotton growers lost asmuch market income in 2011as they would normally makefor an entire cotton crop.”“Perhaps the most telling

thing about the 2011 droughtwas that even irrigated farm-ers were not spared,” Millersaid. “While most Texas irri-gation systems work well innormal or even below normalrainfall, many irrigatorsfound that water supplieswere not able to provide all ofthe water requirements of thecrop in the absence of anyrain and excessive heat. Bymid-July, farmers began to tryto stop (economic) losses, dedi-

cating all of their water sup-plies to a reduced amount ofacres as water demand fromthe crops was higher thantheir ability to supply it.”

Losses since 1998The following is a list of eco-

nomic drought losses from1998 through 2011 compiled by

AgriLife Extension econo-mists:

• 2011– $5.2 billion• 2009 – $3.6 billion• 2008 – $1.4 billion• 2006 – $4.1 billion• 2002 – $316 million• 2000 – $1.1 billion• 1999 – $223 million• 1998 – $2.4 billion

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Management webinarsBy KAY LEDBETTER

Texas AgriLife Communications

Whether conditions are indrought or flood, range man-agers need to keep on keepingon when it comes to caring forthe land under their control.To help determine best

management practices undera variety of conditions, theTexas AgriLife Extension Ser-vice’s ecosystem science andmanagement unit will presenta series of online webinars,said Heather Buckalew, Agri-Life Extension assistant andwebinar coordinator.These webinars are de-

signed for anyone concernedwith range management seek-ing education from theirhome or office, Buckalewsaid.Each webinar will be pre-

sented from noon to 1 p.m. onthe first Thursday of eachmonth. The webinars provideopportunities for getting pes-ticide continuing educationunits from home, Buckalewsaid.Attendees will learn tech-

niques for managing problemand invasive plants on range-land and management princi-ples and practices, she said.Plus, users can pick andchoose which webinars theywant to attend.Each hour-long webinar

begins with orientation forparticipants about 11:50 a.m.,Buckalew said. While thewebinars are designed forthose who want to earn con-tinuing education unitstoward their agricultural pes-ticide applicator license fromthe Texas Department ofAgriculture, but anyone whois interested in learning moreabout managing rangeland is

invited to attend. Beginners tomore experienced rangelandmanagers are welcomed.The cost is $10 per regis-

trant per webinar, she added.All information on upcomingwebinars can be found at nat-uralresourcewebinars.org .Can’t make it at that time?

Not to worry.“All of our live webinars

are recorded through Centraand published on our webinarportal as ‘archive’ webinarsavailable for viewing at anytime,” Buckalew said.“Archived webinars will be

available for viewing anytime of the day or night.”For more information con-

tact Buckalew at 979-845-9361or [email protected] orLeo Pardo at 979-845-1351 [email protected].

Through the end of theyear, the schedule is:• Sept. 1 — Do-It-

Yourself Brush ControlEquipment, Bob Lyons,AgriLife Extension rangespecialist, Uvalde.• Oct. 6 — Invasive

Plants of TexasRangelands, Barron Rector,AgriLife Extension rangespecialist, College Station.• Nov. 3 — Rangeland

Herbicide Laws, AlysonMcDonald, AgriLifeExtension range specialist,Fort Stockton.• Dec. 1 — Online

Resources for Plant ID andManagement, MeganDominguez, AgriLifeExtension range specialist,Corpus Christi.

Webinarschedule

New Farmers’ Market DirectoryBy MEREDITH COHN

The Baltimore Sun

The latest Farmers’Market Directory is out fromthe U.S. Department ofAgriculture, and there are1,000 new ones in the mix.That brings the total to 7,175markets in operationthroughout the UnitedStates, 17 percent more thanlast year.“The remarkable growth in

farmers markets is an excel-

lent indicator of the stayingpower of local and regionalfoods,” said AgricultureDeputy Secretary KathleenMerrigan, in a statement.OffiOffiOf cials say the interest in

markets has spread since2010 beyond the far West andNortheast states, where pop-ularity is established. Alaskaand Texas had the mostgrowth at 46 and 38 percentrespectively.The directory is available

at farmersmarkets.usda.gov.

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Farmers won’t need a CDL to drive on rural roadsBy JOHN SEEWER

Associated Press

Federal highway officialshave decided that farmers whooperate tractors, combines andsemitrailers can keep drivingon rural roads without thesame kind of regulations thatapply to long-haul truckers.The U.S. Department of

Transportation announcedlast month that it won’trequire farmers to get com-mercial driver’s licenses afteragriculture organizations andlawmakers from farm statesflooded Washington with let-ters opposed to the idea.It’s a victory for farmers

who argued that requiringthem to carry commerciallicenses would cost them timeand money.Agriculture groups were

alarmed this spring when theTransportation departmentasked for thoughts on whethercommercial truck safety regu-lations also should apply to

farmers who drive their equip-ment on highways and ruralroads within their own state.Farmers worried they would

need to spend money on train-ing and driving tests, keeptrack of how much timethey’re behind the wheel andcarry medical records. It alsowould have made it harder tofind help, they said, becausemany teens who work on fami-ly farms are too young to get acommercial license.“You add all that up togeth-

er, and it’s a tremendous drainon resources,” said JustinKnopf, 33, a grain farmer nearGypsum, Kan. “There’s not afarmer around my communitythat this would not impact.”Dropping the idea, he said,

just made sense.Family farms would have a

tough time surviving ifyounger generations couldn’tdrive tractors and trucks, said

Bill Myers uses his truck to haul grain on his farm in Oregon, Ohio. The U.S. Transportation Departmentannounced last month that it would not go forward with a plan to require farmers who drive tractorsand trucks on rural roads to get a commercial truck driver's license.

AP photo/John SeewerSeewer

• See TRUCKS/PageTRUCKS/PageTRUCKS 13

News

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As our drought contin-ues, cattle diseasesresulting from drought

conditions become greaterrisks to our beef herds. Recentcolumns have covered cattlehealth problems related todrought.

One more important diseasemust be discussed that couldoccur this year: vitamin Adeficiency.

Vitamin A is necessary formany body functions includ-ing vision, growth of bone andmuscle, male and femalereproductive efficiency, fetaldevelopment and immunefunction.

Many different clinicalsigns can develop when ani-mals lack vitamin A. Signsvary with age of cattle.

Sources of Vitamin AGreen forage is loaded with

carotene which the liver andintestine converts to vitaminA. Cattle have abundant con-centrations of vitamin Awhen on green pastures.Properly cured hay less than ayear old has adequateamounts of vitamin A, butmuch lower concentrationsthan green grass. Vitamin Ais degraded in stored hay.Yellow pastures have very lit-tle vitamin A.

Vitamin A is also present inmilk. Calves are born withvery little vitamin A anddepend on the high concentra-

tion of vitamin A in colostrumto provide them with ade-quate levels.

Vitamin A is stored in theliver and released to the ani-mal during times of lowintake. The length of time thatstored vitamin A can furnishadequateamounts ofvitamin A inthe face oflimitedintakedepends onage of animal.That is whytextbooksgive dura-tions of pro-tection ranging from 2 weeksto a year.

The fetus is most sensitiveto vitamin A deficiency. Cowstaken off green pastures willlook great and not show clini-cal signs of vitamin A defi-ciency for six months afterplaced on a diet lacking vita-min A. They may, however,abort their fetuses during thesix months.

Bulls and cows haveimpaired fertility when lowon vitamin A. Cows abort orhave stillborn calves. Dr.Robert Sprowls, director ofthe Texas Veterinary Medical

Diagnostic Laboratory inAmarillo, said he has diag-nosed abortions in Panhandlecattle due to a combination ofvitamin A deficiency and coldstress.

Common risk factorMost animal disease is mul-

tifactorial — caused by a com-bination of predisposing riskfactors. Vitamin A deficiencyis one of the most commoncauses of retained placentasin cattle. They can followabortions or normal births.

The birth of weak calvesthat are blind and sometimeshave domed foreheads alsooccurs with deficiencies ofvitamin A. Live calves haverough hair coats and reducedgrowth rates. They suffergreater amounts of infectiousdiseases such as scours, pneu-monia and pinkeye due to aweak immune system. Theseclinical signs are typical of an“ill thrift” condition.

Blindness is the main clini-cal sign of vitamin A deficien-cy in adult cattle. They devel-op a “star-gazing” posture andlack papillary light reflexes(constriction of the pupil inresponse to bright light).Clinical signs in severely defi-cient cows progress to convul-

sions, coma and death.Blindness also is the main

clinical sign of vitamin A defi-ciency in people. It was a bigproblem in people of the Sahelregion of Africa. Thesenomads have a culture basedon cattle. Green grass isscarce in that area on theperiphery of the SaharaDesert. Investigations by aninternational team identifiedvitamin A deficiency as thecause of the peoples’ blind-ness.

I heard an excellent presen-tation by a U.S. ArmyVeterinary Corps veterinari-an who was a member of theteam. She and her teammatesstopped the blindness epidem-ic by injecting cows with vita-min A. The cows secretedvitamin A into their milk andthe people received vitamin Asupplementation when theydrank the cows milk.

Detrimental effectsI’m concerned that cattle on

the dry, yellow pastures thatwe now have are at risk fordetrimental effects of vitaminA deficiency such as abortion,retained placentas or ill thriftin calves.

Management practices toprevent vitamin A deficiencyare needed in our present situ-ation.

There are three generalmethods to provide cattle withvitamin A when intake isinadequate. Probably the mostcommon is to offer a balancedsalt/trace mineral supplementfortified with vitamin A.

The second method is togive cattle a vitamin A injec-tion.

The third way is to feed

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Drought could lead to vitamin A deficiency

Published by Bryan-College Station Communications, Inc.(979) 776-4444 or (800) 299-7355

Land & Livestock Post

Published by Bryan-College Station Communications, Inc.,P.O. Box 3000, Bryan, Texas 77805.E-mail: [email protected]

All offices are located at 1729 Briarcrest Drive, Bryan, Texas 77802.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to

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President - Jim Wilson...................................................Ext. 4613Publisher and Editor- Kelly Brown................................Ext. 4656Advertising Director - ....................................Ext. 4740Advertising Sales/General Manager - Jesse Wright ........Ext. 4721Financial Director - Rod Armstrong..................................Ext. 4605New Media Director - Mike Albin ....................................Ext. 4663Production Director - Mark Manning................................Ext. 4671Circulation Director - Jack Perkins ..................................Ext. 4752

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The Eagle

STEVE

WIKSE, DVM

• See VITAMIN/Page 13

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TheLand

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News

high-quality hay. Alfalfa hayis especially high in vitaminA. Supplements such as breed-er’s cubes also contain vita-min A. Sprowls stated thatPanhandle ranches who fedcubes or offered a vitamin Afortified mineral mix didn’texperience abortions due tovitamin A deficiency.

Bottom LineI’m concerned that our pro-

longed drought is capable ofdepleting liver stores of vita-min A in Brazos Valley cattle

inadequately supplementedwith vitamin A. Under theseconditions it’s very importantto provide cattle with a vita-min A fortified salt/trace min-eral supplement.It may be prudent to give

your cattle a vitamin A injec-tion at this fall’s working.Be sure to consult your vet-

erinarian for the best recom-mendations on prevention ofvitamin A deficiency underthe unique conditions of yourranch.

• Dr. Steve Wikse is a retired pro-fessor of large-animal clinical sci-ences in the College ofVeterinary Medicine andBiomedical Sciences at TexasA&M University.

VitaminFrom 12

Bill Myers, 50, who grows corn,soybeans and wheat just out-side Toledo.“My son’s been operating

equipment since he was 14,”Myers said. “He’s been haulinggrain since he was 17 or 18.”“I’d understand if there are

safety concerns, but you don’thear that,” he added.Dozens of members of

Congress from farm states inthe Midwest and West wrote tothe transportation depart-ment, asking that the idea bescrapped.Members representing both

parties complained that thechanges might make sense inheavily populated areas, butnot in rural ones where thereis little traffic.“Driving a farm vehicle

down a country road in easternMontana is a whole lot differ-ent than driving it throughTimes Square in New YorkCity,” said U.S. Rep. DennyRehberg, R-Mont.States can give farmers

exemptions from buying com-mercial driver’s licenses andmany do for those who drivefarm vehicles short distancesor haul grain within the state.U.S. Transportation DeputySecretary John Porcari said ina statement last month thatthat will continue.“The farm community can

be confident that states willcontinue to follow the regulato-ry exemptions for farmers thathave always worked so well,”Porcari said.No formal proposals or

changes were on the table, butthe Federal Motor CarrierSafety Administration said itdecided to look at the ideabecause states seemed to beapplying the exemptions in dif-ferent ways. It’s not practicalto expect farmers to keep theirequipment off public roads, itsaid.“Most states have already

adopted common senseenforcement practices thatallow farmers to safely moveequipment to and from theirfields,” an administrationstatement said.The cost of a commercial dri-

ver’s license varies state tostate. Ohio, for example,charges a $50 fee for writtenand road tests and another $42for the license. In neighboringPennsylvania, a commerciallicense costs $10 more per yearthan a standard license. Thefee in Illinois is $60, twice asmuch as a basic license. InTexas, the fee is $61, plus $11 totake the commercial driver’slicense exam; the license isgood for five years.But costs were only one con-

cern.“A lot of farmers tend to be

pretty independent,” saidGordon Stoner, 56, who growswheat, peas and lentils andraises cattle on 11,000 acresaround Outlook in easternMontana.“The idea of government lay-

ing on more bureaucracy defi-nitely touched a nerve,” Stonersaid.Farmers also didn’t think it

made sense to group them withtruckers because they only usetheir big rigs to haul grain for afew weeks during harvest sea-son, while commercial driversare on the road all year.

TrucksFrom 11

1-800-750-96081-800-750-9608www.hudsonlivestestock.comEmail: hudliv@[email protected] ThThompsonompson RoadMiles, Texas 76861

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Saving a family farm and teaching young farmersBy KATHY McCORMACK

Associated Press

DOVER, N.H. — It’s agood season for thebeloved sweet corn on

the 379-year-old Tuttle Farm.It also looks good for thecrops that weren’t there ayear ago, produced by agroup of visiting young farm-ers — eggplant, peppers,pumpkins and sunflowers.

The New Hampshire farm,one of the oldest continuous-ly operated family farms inAmerica, raised a lot of inter-est — and emotion — a yearago when members of the11th generation of Tuttlesannounced they were puttingit up for sale. Faced with debtand their own mortality, theysaid the 12th generation iseither too young or tooentrenched in other careers.A bit of history and tradition

was drawing to a close.Today, the 135-acre farm is

still on the market. While theTuttles wait, a new group offarmers unrelated to the fam-ily is helping to keep theoperation going, trying avariety of crops, livestockand organic farming prac-tices, and may even stay onafter it’s sold. They receivecoaching and equipmentfrom a nonprofit group thatacts as a business incubatorfor farmers.

New Hampshire firstThe enterprise is a first for

New Hampshire but is a typeof organization that hascaught on throughout thecountry in recent years, fromNorth Carolina to California.New Hampshire’s was Jameson Small uses a late 1800s seeder to plant lettuce in Dover,Dover,Dover N.H. A year after the owners ofof

Tuttles Farm, considered America’s oldest continuously operated family farm, put their spread up forforsale, they partnered with a nonprofit New Hampshire group of young, aspiring farmers who are takingtakingcare of their land as they await a buyer.buyer.buyer

AP Photo/JimPhoto/Jim ColeCole

• See FARM/PageRM/PageRM 19

News


When and if the Texasdrought breaks, market indi-cators suggest that middle-aged replacement cows may bea better choice than youngercattle, according to a TexasAgriLife Extension Serviceeconomist.

With national beef cattleinventory numbers this yeardeclining more than 1.5 per-cent, Rob Hogan, AgriLifeExtension economist at FortStockton, told attendees at therecent Texas A&M Beef CattleShort Course at Texas A&MUniversity to think about“action now” rather than laterwhen it comes to economicreturns.

“People are looking for mid-dle-aged cows, something thathas had calves before and arefairly dependable,” Hogansaid. “They are worth as muchas youth right now.”

Current cattle prices indi-cate now is the time to cullherds if producers haven’talready done so, Hogan said.Retained heifers are down 5.4percent compared to 2010, indi-cating a continued decline innational cow inventory, hesaid.

“In this last year, we lostanother 5.4 percent retainedheifers compared to the previ-ous year,” Hogan said. “Why iscow inventory going down?Because we’re killing cowsand not saving back heifers.”

Hogan said ranchers aren’tsaving heiferiferif s because packersare “giving too much forthem.”

“In the cattle business, it’sdriven by economic incen-tive,” he said. “If it makesmore money in the shorterperiod to feed them and thenslaughter them, then peoplewill do just that.”

Hogan said even before thedrought and wildfires inTexas, ranchers didn’t thinkcattle prices had reached theirplateau. Since then inventorynumbers have continued todecrease.

“They did not believe thatcattle prices were high enoughand stable enough to justifyifyifholding back heifers whenthey could be sold at historical-ly high prices for stocker orfeeder heifers.”

Hogan said the situationisn’t likely to change soon.

“I think we are in for severalyears of pretty good prices,and I consider them prettygood right now,” he said. “Ithink it will go sideways or goup for several years. We’re notgoing to get out of this invento-ry situation overnight. It’sgoing to take a while to buildup.”

Joe Paschal, AgriLifeExtension livestock specialist,said that when the droughtbreaks, producers need to keepin mind several important fac-tors when buying replacementcattle. Those include matchingtypes of cattle to levels of for-age availability and environ-mental stress because that iswhere the cows have to liveand produce.

In selecting individual cat-tle, Paschal said to keep the fol-lowing factors in mind: traitlevels in milking ability,mature size, ability to storeenergy, stress tolerance, calv-ing ease and lean-to-fat ratio.

Paschal recommends pro-ducers review AgriLifeExtension publication E-190,”Texas Adapted GeneticStrategies for Beef Cattle V:Type and Breed Character-istics and Uses” at ani-malscience.tamu.edu/images/pdf/genetics/geneticsE190.pdfto help them match the appro-

priate breed type to specificproduction levels.

There are pros and conswhen purchasing replacementcattle, and extensive delayswhen raising replacementheifers, Paschal said.

“It takes about 40 months forthe calf that is bred today toproduce a marketable prod-uct,” he said. “That’s a long

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Middle-aged replacement cows a better choice

Joe Paschal, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist, said that whenthe drought breaks, producers need to keep in mind several impor-impor-tant factors when buying replacement cattle.


• See MANAGE/PageMANAGE/PageMANAGE 23

Select cows for adapt-ability, fertility andmaternal ability. Selectbulls for adaptability,soundness, direct calv-ing ease and growth.”th.”th.

JOE PASCHALAgriLifeLifeLi Extensionlivestocstocst k specialist

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Betting on the futureApply fertilizer now for the chance of a fall crop

By JAMES LOCKESamuel Roberts Noble Foundation

It is near the end of the 2011 growingseason, fertilizer prices are high andwe are sufferfferff ing severe drought con-ditions. Why would anyone considerfertilizing bermudagrass or otherwarm-season grasses now?

There are good reasons to considera late summer or early fall fertiliza-tion program, namely to extend thegrazing season and improve the quali-ty of available forage. Of course,unless the drought breaks, rainfall —not fertility — will be the limiting fac-tor, so added fertilizer would not help.

Even if we don’t get additional pro-duction this fall, however, much ofthat fertilizer still would be availablenext spring.

In the Noble Foundation’sOklahoma and North Texas servicearea, we usually have 90 to 110 grow-ing days from Aug. 1 until our firsthard freeze. Additionally, if you lookat Carter County, Okla., as the middleof the service area, we average about11 inches of rainfall from Augustthrough October. With proper fertil-ization and adequate moisture, thereis enough time to produce more than2,000 pounds dry matter per acre.

Appropriate adageAlthough I am not advocating bal-

ing hay in October, the old adage“Make hay while the sun shines”seems appropriate.

To get the best quality and growthresponse from late summer nitrogen,the grass should be grazed or hayed toa 3-inch stubble height by at least themiddle of August. Fifty to 75 poundsactual nitrogen per acre plus phos-phorus and potassium as indicated bysoil analysis should be applied bySept. 1. Either rainfall or irrigationwill be necessary to move the nitro-gen into the soil and sustain foragegrowth.

Unfortunately, without favorableweather we will not get the growth weexpect. Within reason, farmers andranchers must be optimistic and havefaith that they will receive adequaterainfall.

We assume at least 20 pounds addi-tional dry matter will be produced

per pound of nitrogen, so 50 pounds ofnitrogen would produce at least 1,000pounds dry matter, more than whatwould have grown without fertilizer.This fertilized forage should have 12percent to 15 percent crude proteincontent instead of the 8 percent to 10percent expected without fertilizer.

Nitrogen cost (for 46-0-0) is approxi-mately 58 cents per pound of nitrogen,so 50 pounds actual nitrogen costs$29. At that price, the nitrogen costper ton of the additional forage is $58.

Once the forage is produced, a deci-sion has to be made on how best touse it. The most common method is tostockpile the forage as a standing haycrop and graze it after frost.Depending on weather conditions,stockpiled bermudagrass can main-tain excellent quality into January.Test the standing forage just as youwould hay in order to determine if

supplementation is needed to meetnutrient demands.

Another option is to graze stockerson the freshened forage until annualwinter pasture is ready to graze. Thiscan fill a forage production gap whenmany producers put calves on fullfeed or hay.

Strip grazing systemRegardless of how the forage is

used, implementing a strip grazingsystem that only allows access to twoor three days’ worth of grazing at atime may increase utilization efficien-cy.

If cattle are allowed access to largerareas, significant losses can occurdue to trampling and animal waste.Although we want to make cattle con-sume most of the forage, monitorbody condition and behavior toensure that dry matter intake is not

limited. If you note that body condi-tion is slipping or that cattle have towork all day to eat their fill, eitherincrease the size of the strip or allowthem earlier access to the next strip.

Affordable alternativesWith drought conditions across

most of the southern United States,hay is in short supply and expensive.

This, coupled with high commodityprices driving up the cost of feed,means we need to find affordablealternatives wherever we can.

Look at your operation and consid-er if fertilizing warm-season pasturesin late summer or early fall is a fit.

If so, now is the time to start.For additional information on man-

agement strategies before, during andafter drought, refer to the NobleFoundation publication DroughtManagement.

According to Noble Foundation scientists, there are good reasons to consider a late summer or early fall fertilization program.But, unless the drought breaks, rainfall — not fertility — will be the limiting factor,factor,factor so added fertilizer would not help.

Texas AgriLifeAgriLife ExtensionExtension SerServicevice photo by Robert Burns

Fall Forage Issue

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Pastures need time torecover from drought

By DONALD STOTTSOklahoma State University

STILLWATER, Okla. —Though many warm-seasongrass pastures are dormantthis time of year, the extendeddrought has reduced normalforage production somewherenear 70 percent of the usualseasonal total.“Lack of forage is hindering

many a cattle operation, espe-cially when combined with aregional shortage of hay withmost of the hay being lowquality and expensive,” saidDaren Redfearn, OklahomaState University CooperativeExtension forage and pasturemanagement specialist.The forecast is for contin-

ued dry weather throughOctober. If this is the case, itcould be March before anyappreciable forage can begrown for pasture.“With hay feeding costs

ranging from $2 to $3 per headper day, the potential cost offeeding a single animalthrough to March could be asgreat as $600,” Redfearn said.“There are few situationswhere feeding hay for thislength of time is profitable.”

Central feeding locationFrom now through at least

early November, it may benecessary to restrict animalsto a central feeding location toallow the forage time to growor the pastures to recover.This allows for both short-term and long-term pasturerecovery. In order to do this,

it is important to:• Move animals to the worst

pasture, using it as a sacrificearea.• Allow the better pastures

an opportunity to recover.• Reduce the need to reno-

vate a large number of acres.• Increase nutrient supply

of low fertility soils.This situation raises the fol-

lowing question: What are thereasonable forage productionoptions for the upcoming falland spring?Mark Gregory, OSU

Cooperative Extension areaagronomy specialist, said cur-rently the best options arethose that have been success-ful in most years for fall, win-ter and spring forage produc-tion.“Depending on a producer’s

location ... there are severalchoices to consider; althoughthese are the most reasonableoptions, they are also highlyrisky because of the currentlack of soil moisture,” he said.“When possible, choosing atleast two of the options wouldincrease the probability ofsuccessful fall and winter pas-ture production.”For bermudagrass pastures,

Gregory said the key point toremember is that a modestlevel of soil fertility is neededto increase the probability ofbermudagrass regrowthoccurring this fall when pre-cipitation occurs.“A modest fertility level

Because of the continued drought, it may be necessary to centralfeeding locations to allow pastures to recover,cover,cover according to scien-scien-tists at Oklahoma State University.University.University

OklahomaOklahoma StateState UniversityUniversity photo by Todd Johnson

• See RECOVER/PageRECOVER/PageRECOVER 20

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Strategies for drought man-agement on rangeland will bethe focus of the RanchManagement University pro-gram scheduled Oct. 10-14 atTexas A&M University inCollege Station.

“The historic drought thatTexas landowners are cur-rently enduring creates somecritical management con-cerns with regards to protect-ing forage and future foragegrowth,” said Larry Redmon,Texas AgriLife ExtensionService state forage specialistand workshop coordinator.

“For example, current andfuture stocking rates play animportant role. Overall, thisworkshop is designed to helpnew landowners improvetheir understanding regard-ing management of variousresources they find on theirranch properties,” Redmonsaid.

The fall workshop willinclude the following topics:soils and soil fertility, foragespecies selection, hay produc-tion, weed and brush manage-ment, winter pasture estab-lishment and utilization.Other topics include beef cat-tle breed selection, nutrientrequirements and feedingstrategies for livestock, graz-ing management strategies,chute-side talk on live-animalhandling and demonstrationsof vaccinating, dehorning andcattle castration.

There will be sessions onsheep and goat productionand management and a ses-

sion for horse owners.“An agricultural economist

will also be part of the agenda,discussing a number of topicsincluding how to plan forprofit, how to develop a mar-keting plan and a look at alter-native enterprises,” Redmonsaid.

Several wildlife manage-ment topics are also on theagenda, ranging from white-tailed deer and turkey man-agement to fisheries manage-ment in ranch ponds and feralhog control.

“Field demonstrations willinclude learning how toassess body condition scoresfor cattle, how to obtain prop-er soil and hay samples andhow to assess fish populationsin ponds,” Redmon said.

“There will also be a ses-sion in the field regardingpond weeds and a demonstra-

tion on hog-trap design.”Breakfast items, lunch and

supper will be provided, andall break refreshments areincluded in the registrationcost, as is a resource CD con-taining more than 100 publi-cations covering ranchresource management. A cus-tomized Ranch ManagementUniversity ball cap is alsoprovided.

Attendance is limited to 50people and the slots are begin-ning to fill, Redmon said. Costis $500.

For additional informationand registration pre-registra-tion information, contactRedmon at 979-845-4826 or at [email protected].

To register online and foradditional information, go toagriliferegister.tamu.edu andtype in “ranch management”in the search window.

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Ranch Management University tofocus on drought management

By KAY LEDBETTERTexas AgriLife Communications

AMARILLO — A PoultryHusbandry and HealthManagement Workshop willbe Sept. 10 at the Texas Agri-Life Research and ExtensionCenter, 6500 W. AmarilloBlvd. in Amarillo.

“We decided to offer thisregional event because oncewe get outside the cities, alarge number of people havebackyard flocks,” saidBrandon Boughen, TexasAgriLife Extension Serviceagriculture and naturalresources agent for PotterCounty.

The program will beginwith registration at 8 a.m.and continue through 5 p.m.,with a noon lunch included.Registration is $40 per partic-ipant and it is open to bothyouth and adults, he said.

The registration form can

be found at /potter-co.tamu.edu/publications/Poultry%20Flyer.pdf.

The form and fee should bemailed to Brandon Boughen,AgriLife Extension-PotterCounty, 3301 E. 10th Ave.,Amarillo, Texas 79104. Regis-tration forms and fees aredue by Sept. 3 and checksshould be made payable tothe Potter AgricultureCommittee.

The morning session willcover grading, showing, pro-cessing, food safety, poultryjudging, poultry shows, har-vesting, meat processing andegg grading. The afteafteaf rnoonsession will include discus-sions on avian influenza,mycotoxins, poultry dis-eases, water quality, nutri-tion, biosecurity and wastemanagement.

For more information, con-tact Boughen at 806-373-0713.

Poultry husbandry workshopplanned for Amarillo Sept. 10

251 countiesunder burn ban

Associated Press

The record number of Texascounties with outdoor burnbans has reached 251 as theheat wave and drought contin-ue.

The Texas Forest Servicereported that Jefferson,Willacy and Zapata are theonly counties lacking the burnbans.

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inspired in part by theIntervale Center inBurlington, Vt., which leasesequipment, land, greenhous-es and storage areas to small,independent farms.

“We need to grow somemore farmers here,” saidSuzanne Brown, founder ofthe 2-year-old NewHampshire Institute ofAgriculture and Forestry,who used to live on a smallfarm in Chester. “The aver-age age is 56, and two-thirdsof our farmers lose money.”

She said the Tuttles’ storyis a familiar one: “Farmersgetting to a place where theywant to retire, they can’t,they just can’t keep up pacewith what’s happening withthe markets. They wouldwant to transition over tofamily members but there’snobody there.”

The small group of residentfarmers, apprentices andinterns started a campaignthis year to “Grow Tuttle’sFarm.”

Jameson Small and PatrickGale of Rollinsford, both 23,worked for the Tuttles lastyear, weeding and harvestingand following orders. Thisyear, they are resident farm-ers, so they have more auton-omy.

“I’m not learning to farm; Iam farming,” Small said.“That’s really the big thingthat hit us — wow, we’refarmers now. ... If something

goes bad, it’s our mistake. Ifsomething goes great, it’s ourglory.”

SunflowersOne of their highlights is a

big patch of sunflowers. Theyplan to produce sunflower oilfor cooking, which Smallthinks he’d like to specializein, eventually. It’s not com-monly produced in NewEngland.

The Tuttles — siblingsBecky, Will and Lucy —range in age from 59 to 66.They are happy to see theyoung farmers.

With the exception of acousin, Becky Tuttles said,she never knew a youngfarmer while growing up.Today, she’s seeing more ofthem at farmers’ markets.

“It’s just such a great, greattrend because I really didused to wonder, ‘Who’s goingto grow the food? There isn’tanybody learning how togrow food in the next genera-tion.”’

“It’s such a wonderful solu-tion,” Lucy Tuttle said.“Where the farm has alwaysbeen kind of a losing proposi-tion on the retail side of thebusiness, a nonprofit canabsorb that.”

While it’s not unusual for afarm to be on the marketafter a year, the Tuttles thinkit’s a bit of a mystery, evenwith the uncertain economy.The asking price has droppedfrom $3.35 million to $2.55million.

TheLand

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FarmFrom 14

Young farmer Patrick Gale looks at his crop of 55,000 sunflowers — an unusual crop for New England— in Dover,Dover,Dover N.H. Gale is one of several aspiring farmers working with a nonprofit group to operateTuttles Farm, America’s oldest continuously operated family farm, while the owners try to sell it.


• See FARMERS/PageRMERS/PageRMERS 27

News

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will also support earlierrecovery for bermudagrasspasture production nextspring,” he said.

Time and moistureBermudagrass pastures

that are dormant and grazedshort will take some time andmoisture to recover. Mostbermudagrass pastures willbegin to show signs ofregrowth with as little as 1/3inch to 1/2 inch of rain.However, additional precipi-tation will be necessary foradequate forage production.“Most bermudagrass pas-

tures will need at least 1.5inches of precipitation torecover enough to begin graz-ing and 5 inches to 6 inches ofprecipitation so that foragegrowth can continue throughuntil first frost,” Redfearnsaid.Ideally, the precipitation

should be slow enough that itresults in minimal runoff.The fall growth potentialdepends on the timing andamount of rainfall.With many bermudagrass

pastures grazed short, the

opportunity to successfullysod-seed small grains orlegumes — where adapted —also is an option.“Most of the seeding fail-

ures of small grains andlegumes occur as a result oftoo much warm-season grasscompetition,” Redfearn said.“In many areas, traditionalwheat pasture will offer themost reasonable option forfall forage production. How-ever, in some instances, plant-ing one of the other smallgrain crops could be an optionto increase the forage produc-tion potential.”

Additional informationAdditional information

about this management tool isavailable through OSUCooperative Extension FactSheet PSS-2701, “Sod-SeedingSmall Grains into Bermuda-grass Pasture,” available atosufacts.okstate.edu.“In addition to wheat pas-

ture, including oat in a winterannual pasture mixture at athird to half the weight of theblend would improve thepotential to produce adequatefall forage,” Redfearn said.“Including cereal rye alsowould improve the chance of

RecoverFrom 17

• See MOISTURE/Page 21

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Fall Forage Issue

producing winter pasture.”For those who may want to con-

sider including annual ryegrassin the mixture, be aware that itwill not provide adequate fall for-age most years but will producemore reliable pasture in thespring.Historically, Oklahoma produc-

ers observe a phenomenon calleda “good clover year” following adry year. This can attributed toshort warm-season grass residueand timely precipitation result-ing in adequate clover establish-ment.“Where legumes have been pro-

ductive in past years, a blend ofwhite clover, arrowleaf cloverand red clover should be consid-ered to shorten winter hay feed-ing,” Gregory said. “If clover hasdesirable establishment, thesepastures should not be grazeduntil late March at the earliest.”Gregory and Redfearn said pro-

ducers in the eastern half of

Oklahoma and some areas ofsouthwestern Oklahoma maybenefit from fertilizing bermuda-grass or tall fescue pastures with50 pounds to 60 pounds of nitro-gen per acre in late August,which could result in availablepasture by early December.Additional information about

this option is available throughOSU Cooperative Extension FactSheet ANSI-3035, “ManagingBermudagrass Pasture to ReduceWinter Hay Feeding in BeefCattle Operations,” available atosufacts.okstate.edu.

Easy to plantAll of the winter annual forage

grasses, including small grainsand annual ryegrass, are relative-ly easy to plant in Oklahoma.Seed will germinate in any monthfrom August to December. If seedis broadcast, dragging the pasturewith a harrow or lightly diskingwill increase the chance of suc-cess. Using a drill also willincrease the likelihood of estab-lishing a solid stand.“After establishment, applying

50 pounds to 60 pounds of nitro-gen per acre or 120 pounds of urea

(46-0-0) per acre in February willincrease the chance of providingneeded forage from mid March toJune,” Redfearn said. “Wherelegumes are adapted, includingwhite clover, red clover andarrowleaf clover will lessen theforage production risks.”Both Redfearn and Gregory,

however, caution that Oklahomaproducers need the skies to openand rain to fall regardless of theforage production option selected.“Soil moisture is more or less

depleted in most areas, so we willneed about 5 inches to 6 inches toproduce one ton of forage,”Redfearn said. “This moisturewill need to fall in at least twoevents for the perennial pastureoptions and probably three eventsfor the annual pasture options.”If soil phosphorus and potassi-

um are adequate, then applying asmall amount of nitrogen tobermudagrass should take advan-tage of any late summer precipita-tion.“Again, moisture is needed, but

this can take advantage of a sin-gle precipitation event betterthan the annual forage options,”Gregory said.

MoistureFrom 20

WASHINGTON (AP)— Federal weatherforecasters say thecountry can expectmore of the sameweather for this fall,especially for drought-struck Texas andOklahoma. And theyurge coastal re-gions tobe ready for a hurri-cane.The three-month

weather predictionsees no relief from therecord Southwestdrought. It also pre-dicts warmer than nor-mal weather for a wideswath of the countryfrom Maine to Arizona.Only the Southeast,Northwest andCalifornia likely willbe spared. That’sbecause forecasters aLa Niña system to keep

rain away.Climate Prediction

Center operations chiefEd O’Lenic also said ahigh pressure systemthat has kept tropicalstorms away from theEast has moved, mak-ing U.S. hurricanestrikes more possible,as was the case withHurricane Irene thatdrenched the EastCoast late last month.Prior to that, the lasthurricane to strike theU.S. was in 2008.

Texas, Oklahoma droughtto continue through fall

Do you have a sale or event you’d

like listed? Call Jesse Wright at

(979) 731-4721 or email

[email protected]

EventsEvents CalendarCalendarSeptemberSept. 3: South Texas Cattle Marketing’s “FallGathering Sale”. Nixon, TX. 830-334-8227Sept. 7: Buffalo Livestock Marketing’s Pre-Conditioned Weaned Calf & Yearling Sale,Buffalo, TX. 903-322-4940Sept. 22 :Wildlife for Lunch Webinar Series:Scoring Deer Using Computer Software.http://forestrywebinars.netSept.24: Live Oak Beefmaster Breeders Assoc.Fall Sale. Three Rivers, TX.Sept. 29: Advertising Deadline- Land &Livestock Post. (979) 731-4721.Sept. 30:McKellar Angus 5th Annual FemaleProduction Sale. Mt. Pleasant, TX.Set. 30: SHOT Clinic, Show and Collegiate.Bryan, TX . 325-672-6242

OctoberOct. 1:Heart of Texas Replacement FemaleSale. Groesbeck, TX. 903-599-2403Oct: 11: Powell Herefords, 14th AnnualProduction Sale. Ft. McKavett, TX. 325-653-1688Oct. 12: R.A. Brown Ranch 37th Annual

Bull Sale. Throckmorton, TX. www.RABrownRanch.comOct. 13: Advertising Deadline- Land &Livestock Post. (979) 731-4721Oct. 13: Dudley Bros. 50th Annual HerefordBull Sale, Comanche, TX.Oct. 15: Doguet’s Diamond D Ranch AnnualBrangus Bull and Female Sale, Poteet, TX.Oct. 19: Texas Hereford Fall Classic, BuffaloLivestock Marketing Inc., Buffalo, TX.Oct. 19: Thomas Charolais 10th Annual BullSale, Raymondville, TX.Oct. 20:Wildlife for Lunch WebinarSeries: Aging Deer on the Hoof. http://forestrywebinars.netOct. 21:W4 Ranch Hereford Bull Sale,Morgan, TX. 903-599-2403Oct. 21: 44 Farms Angus Female ProductionSale, Cameron, TX. (254) 697-4401Oct. 22: 44 Farms Angus Bull Sale, Cameron,TX. (254) 697-4401Oct. 27: Advertising Deadline- Land &Livestock Post. (979) 731-4721Oct. 29: Oak Creek Farms Forage Tested BullSale. Chappell Hill, TX. (979) 836-6832.

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By ROD SANTA ANASpecial to The Post

EDINBURG — As the cot-ton harvest winds down inSouth Texas, experts are qual-ifying their favorable com-ments with a single word:considering.“We’ve had a really good

cotton year, considering,”said Brad Cowan, a TexasAgriLife Extension Serviceagent in Hidalgo County. Thequalifieifieif r, of course, refers tothe lingering, record-break-ing heat and drought.“One reason our cotton has

done so well is that cottonactually likes hot, dry weath-er, especially if it can be irri-gated or rained upon in atimely fashion,” Cowan said.With beneficial rainfall

from a tropical storm in earlyJuly and timely river irriga-tions, some yields from theLower Rio Grande Valley’s195,000-acre crop have beenexceptional, he said.“We’ve got about 20 percent

of our crop in Hidalgo Countystill out in the field, and I sus-pect we’ll be harvesting rightup until the Sept. 1 deadline,”Cowan said. “But some of ourirrigated yields have beenreally good — over three balesper acre. Even some of ourdryland growers, not all ofthem, but some are braggingabout their yields too.”The successful dryland

farmers in the Valley werehelped by a rain in early Mayand a moderation of tempera-tures in June. The later-maturing irrigated crop got aboost from Tropical StormDon instead of potentiallydevastating rains that werefeared, Cowan said. Normalcotton yields on irrigatedfields have averaged two- totwo-and-a-half-bales per acre,Cowan said. A bale is 500

pounds of lint.“Yields have been going up

historically because of better-yielding varieties of cottonthat have been introduced tothe area,” Cowan said. “Buteven more significant is thelack of insect damage due tothe successful efforts of theboll weevil eradication pro-gram.”Farther north, in the

Coastal Bend area, Cowan’scounterpart in NuecesCounty sums up their harvestin similar words.“About 98 percent of our

cotton has been harvestedand yields are fairlyrespectable, considering whatwe’ve been through,” said JeffStapper, an AgriLifeExtension agent near CorpusChristi.Unlike the Valley, the vast

majority of cotton in theCoastal Bend area is grownon dryland fields that dependtotally on rainfall.“Our biggest rain came in

mid-May, 1 to 3 inches, andthat made our cotton cropbecause it came just whenplants were starting tobloom,” he said. “It was a bighelp, but then nothing afterthat. It’s been bone dry.”Yields are averaging 600 to

700 pounds of lint per acre,Stapper estimates.“We planted 136,000 acres of

cotton in Nueces County, andabout 20,000 acres failed,” hesaid. “It just never came up.But what did survive maturedearlier than usual thanks toabove-normal heat units inthe growing season, so ourharvest ended about 20 daysearlier than usual.”Valley cotton gin yards are

overflowing with modules,which will take some time to

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South Texas cotton crop good despite drought

Round and rectangular modules of picked cotton await ginning at the Buddy Ross Gin in Mercedes. Thecotton crop in South Texas is good — considering the drought plaguing all of Texas.

Texas AgriLifeAgriLife ExtensionExtension SerServicevice photo by Rod SantaSanta Ana

• See COTTON/PageCOTTON/PageCOTTON 28

News

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TheLand

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September

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23

time to wait for a return onyour genetic investment. Itcould be shortened by pur-chasing replacement females.Purchasing generally can getyou into the business morequickly. However, it may bedifficult to find the desiredbreed type at the price youwant to pay. Raising replace-ment heifersheifersheif has the advan-tages of allowing for selectionof the appropriate genetics foryour environment.”Purchasing methods can

include the local commissioncompany, special stocker andreplacement female sales, pri-vate treaty and Internet sales.The main drawback to Inter-net sales, Pascal said, is thatyou buy a minimum of half aload, about 20 head at a time.On the other hand, for largeroperations that would be desir-able.Paschal said the advantage

of private treaty is the produc-er has the opportunity to actu-ally visit the seller’s ranch.“You get to spend some time

there and see the operation,”he said. “This does have itsadvantages in that you are see-ing what you are buyingbeforehand.”To avoid reproductive fail-

ure, Paschal recommendsusing fertile bulls that havepassed a breeding soundnessexam conducted by a veteri-narian, and cows that are ingood body condition (at least afive or better) and are exhibit-ing estrus.Heifers should weigh a mini-

mum of 65 percent of theirmature weight prior to breed-ing. In addition, they should beat least a body condition scoreof six. Paschal also recom-mends a pelvic area measure-ment in heiferiferif s prior to breed-ing. Culling heifers with nar-row or small pelvic areasshould help reduce calving dif-dif-difficulty.Put out equal numbers of

young bulls and mature bulls.If you put out a young bullwith older bulls, they could get

injured in fighting or whilebreeding cows, he said.And don’t forget about herd

health, he said, recommendingthat producers get input fromtheir veterinarian to develop apreventative herd health planto protect against reproductivediseases that can cause abor-tion in bred females.“Herd health and nutrition

are very important,” Paschalsaid. “Biosecurity is veryimportant. Have good fencesand watch what you bring in.Animals that you bring in orpurchase, you need to isolatethem at least 30 days.“Don’t expect those thin

cows to breed because theyjust won’t,” he said.“Number of calves born mul-

tiplied by price per pound andweight minus cost is whatyour net return is. Repro-duc-tion is 10 times more impor-tant than growth. Growthtraits are about four timesmore important than carcasstraits. Select cows for adapt-ability, fertility and maternalability. Select bulls for adapt-ability, soundness, direct calv-ing ease and growth.”

ManageFrom 15

Rob Hogan, Texas AgriLife Extension Service economist, told atten-dees at the recent Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course, “I thinkthinkwe are in for several years of pretty good prices, and I considerthem pretty good right now.”now.”now


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By MICHAEL J. CRUMBAssociated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa — Newrules for tracing diseasedlivestock will lead to greatercompliance and improve thecountry’s ability to market itslivestock products overseas,U.S Secretary of AgricultureTom Vilsack said Aug. 9.Vilsack, who announced

the proposed system toimprove the tracking of live-stock during a conference callwith reporters, said it wouldapply only to the movement oflivestock across states’ bor-ders and would require ani-mals to be accompanied by aninterstate certificate of veteri-nary inspection or some otherdocumentation, such asbrand certificates or owner-shipper statements. Animalswould be identified using anapproved form of ID for eachspecies, such as metal eartagsfor cattle.The announcement came 18

months after the U.S.Department of Agricultureabandoned a program intend-ed to trace the movement offarm animals across the coun-try and said it would beginwork on plans for a more flex-ible program to be adminis-tered by the states and tribalnations. A voluntary programimplemented in 2004 to pin-point an animal’s locationwithin 48 hours after a dis-ease outbreak was poorlyreceived, with just 36 percentof farmers and ranchers par-ticipating in 2009.That should change under

the proposed rules, Vilsacksaid.“We would not propose this

if we weren’t confident itwould do a better job thanwe’ve done in the past,” saidVilsack, who cited a 150-dayinvestigation into a bovine

tuberculosis outbreak.He said animals should be

able to be traced within daysof a disease outbreak. In somecases it may take weeks. Ineither situation, it would be a“significant improvement,”Vilsack said.He and John Clifford, the

USDA’s chief veterinarian,said the proposed rules weredeveloped after meetings withproducers, veterinarians andagriculture officials in eachstate.“We’re worked closely to

give them maximum flexibili-ty but also to make sure wegive them good traceability,”Vilsack said.Clifford said certificates

and other documentationwould be obtained after thesale of an animal and before itis shipped to another state.“The rule will not impede

commerce,” he said. “It is notthe responsibility of the mar-ket to determine the destina-tion. After animals are soldand it’s determined wherethey are (transported) theywill get certificates.”Clifford said the proposed

system “strives to meet thediverse needs of the animalagriculture industry and ourstate and tribal partners,while also helping us allreach our goal of increasedanimal disease traceability.”Vilsack also said the pro-

posed system puts the U.S. ina “much better competitiveposition” among foreigncountries wanting to ensurethe products they buy fromthe U.S. are safe.“This will give us greater

compliance, greater confi-dence and allow us greaterability to market our prod-ucts,” he said.The system would not pre-

vent a state from developingits own system or interferrferrf e

with existing systems alreadyin place, he said.The program would cost

about $14.5 million a year andwould require congressionalsupport, said Vilsack, whowas optimistic lawmakerswould approve the proposedsystem.“We spent a great deal of

money in the past to get onlymeager support and partici-pation in the system,” he said.“By doing the outreach

we’ve done, we will get

greater compliance andgreater acceptability and ...greater support.“There is a good case to be

made that we will have a sub-stantial return on our invest-ment, minimize testing andcosts and producers andbeing more competitive inmarketing our livestock toexport markets,” Vilsacksaid.“So I see this as a wise

investment,” Vilsack said.Gilles Stockton, a Montana

cattle rancher, opposes theproposed system, saying itplaces too much burden onproducers.“If they are going to require

a metal eartag in a calf andthat number is going to haveto be recorded, you are goingto have to individuallyrestrain each calf to read it,and that’s logistically not pos-sible in field conditions,” hesaid. “It’s not even possible ata sale barn. They don’t have

the time.”Stockton, 65, whose ranch

is near Grass Range, Mont.,said it seems the plan is inresponse to fears of foot-and-mouth disease being intro-duced in the U.S. fromEngland and Europe.He said the system wouldn’t

prevent the introduction ofthe disease in the U.S., andthat once it was found here,all livestock shipping wouldcome to a halt, making trac-ing unnecessary.“You’re requiring a million

livestock owners to gothrough this process yearafter year for a theoreticalthreat,’ he said.The National Pork

Producers Council released astatement Aug. 9 applaudingthe USDA for taking steps toimprove animal disease trace-ability.A 90-day public comment

period wwill take place beforethe rules would be adopted.

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USDA issues new rules for tracking livestock

Metal eartags may be requiredby the USDA to track cattle ship-ments across state lines.

Photo courtesy Boston UniversityUniversity

News

OakOakOa Creek FarmFarmFa sForage Tested Bull SaleSaturSaturSa day,day,day October 29th, 2011 •12:30 p.m.At Oak Creek Farms Sales Facility,cility,cility Chappell Hill, Texas

OCF Bulls grazing on Tifton 85

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By CURTIS TATESpecial to The Post

WASHINGTON — With agallon of milk costing asmuch as or more than a gal-lon of gasoline this summer, aconsumer scanning the super-market shelves might thinkthe situation is a cash cow fordairy farmers.

In reality, it isn’t. As theprice of milk hovers around$4 a gallon, dairy farmersnationwide still are strug-gling with the aftermath ofwhat’s dubbed the GreatDairy Recession.

“For a young guy startingout in dairy farming, it’stough,” said Jim Heckman, afarmer in Walker Township,Pa., who sold his dairy herdin May. “I wish them the bestof luck, but I don’t thinkthey’ll make it.”

While milk prices haverebounded since 2009, feedprices have stayed high, andfarmers now are just break-ing even, though many ofthem remain heavily in debt.

Thousands of farmers, fromVermont and Pennsylvania toIdaho and California, haveexited the dairy business,according to industry num-bers. According to the U.S.Department of Agriculture,there were 65,000 dairy farmsin 2009, a decline of 33 percentfrom 2001. Despite the declinein the number of farms, milkproduction rose 15 percent inthe same period.

Some in Congress want toreplace longstanding safetynets for dairy farmers withnew ones that better reflectthe challenges they face.

The debate comes asCongress gears up its debt-reducing “supercommittee”compelled to cut billions infederal programs, potentiallyaffecting dairy subsidies. Theoutcome of any new policy,meanwhile, could affect notonly those who milk cows andprocess dairy products, butconsumers’ costs as well.

“The current dairy safetynet failed a lot of producers,”said Chris Galen, the seniorvice president for communi-cations at the National MilkProducers Federation. “Fa-rmers are terrified becausethey don’t have a strong leg tostand on.”

Adding to their uncertain-ty: Groups representing dairy

farmers and processors can’tagree on one key componentof dairy reform, and no onecan predict how ongoing dis-cussions in Washington aboutreducing federal deficitscould affect efforts to helpfarmers.

The USDA has long sup-ported dairy farmers, butthose programs took shapeduring the Great Depression,when dairy farming was avery different business.

“There used to be a timewhen milk supply was local.You had a cow on your farmand fed your family or sharedwith your neighbors,” saidMichael Marsh, the chief ex-ecutive offioffiof cer of the WesternUnited Dairymen. “It hasn’tbeen local for decades now.”

The good times for dairyfarmers ended in late 2008.Prices collapsed with demandin a weakened economy, anda healthy export marketturned sour. At the sametime, the cost of feed skyrock-eted, driven in part by thediversion of corn for ethanolproduction.

Some farmers lost a genera-

tion of equity in a matter ofmonths, then borrowed hugesums just to stay afloat.Others sold their dairy cowsat auction — for meat, notmilk.

“It was just catastrophic.We had a couple farmers whotook their own lives,” Marshsaid. “There’s no way we cango through that again.”

U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson,D-Minn., the ranking memberof the House of Represen-tatives’ Agriculture Commit-tee, outlined last month adraft proposal to help dairyfarmers, including overhaulsto price supports.

Most of the reforms inPeterson’s draft aren’t contro-versial. But not everyone ishappy with a program thatwould set limits on milk pro-duction in an effort to preventoversupply and price fluctua-tions. Farmers won’t get paidif they produce extra milk.

“It’s effective at helping sta-bilize prices, but differentgroups and regions have dif-dif-different views,” said ChuckNicholson, an associate pro-fessor of agriculture policy at

California Polytechnic StateUniversity in San LuisObispo, Calif.

U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, who supports Peter-son’s plan, said he realizesthat everyone wants some-thing differdifferdif ent.

“I’ve worked on dairy poli-cy long enough to know thatunity is an elusive goal andregional disparities inevita-bly muddy the waters ofreform,” Simpson said. “Still,I believe it is important to puta concept on paper.”

Still, any dairy reformefforts may be at the mercy ofthe 12-member debt-reduction“supercommittee” that be-gins work next month.

Galen of the National MilkProducers Federation wor-ries Congress might not actquickly enough.

The federal farm billexpires on Sept. 30, 2012, andstruggling dairy farmers needmore certainty sooner than

that.“There’s a certain sense of

urgency,” he said. “If the farmbill doesn’t get done for anoth-er 15 months, it may be toolate.”

Many farmers aren’t wait-ing.

For 39 years, Heckman sup-plied milk bottlers and cheeseand ice cream makers.

“There was always a mar-ket for my milk,” he said.

He said he started losingmoney 10 years ago, and inthe past few years it gotworse.

Heckman sold his 28 dairycows in May.

Heckman, who’s 62, saidthere wasn’t much the gov-ernment could do to makehim change his mind.

“As far as me getting backin, no, I don’t think so,”Heckman said.

“Unless Obama comes inand gives me a trillion dol-lars,” Heckman said.

TheLand

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Despite high milk prices, dairy farmers struggle

Efforts are under way in Congress to replace the longstanding USDAsafety net for dairy farmers, first implemented during the 1930s.

Photo courtesy BestPhotos.USBestPhotos.US

News

SALE EACH SATURDAY

8.75 AC, FM 1373, BREMOND3 sides fenced, open hay pasture, water &electric available, Bremond ISD; $34,125

170 AC, GEORGE WACHEL RD, BREMOND50/50wooded/open, elect, pond, lg creek, goodfences, cr frontage 2 sides, seller conveys 25%of minerals owned; BISD; $425,000 $2,500/ac

LAKE LIMESTONE, 126 LCR 743G, SUMMERPLACE1,172 sq. ft., 3 bed, 3 bath home, built 1998,new CA&H, boathouse w/lift & upper sundeck,boat ramp, 211 ft. bulkheaded water front,deep water; $320,0000

23.25 AC, CR 278, KOSSEHeavily wooded, recreational property,elect at rd,100% surface control convey;$53,475 $2,300/ac

149.30 AC, CR 211, REAGANTri county water available, 2 wells, pavedfrontage 2 sides, one 4 yr old 16’ x 46’ mobilehome; Marlin ISD; $435,000

43.72 AC, 1265 S. FM 45, FRANKLIN2,039 sq. ft., 4 bed, 2 bath, home, metal roof,CA&H, large shop w/studio apt; 50/50 wooded/open, spring fed pond; Franklin ISD; $348,900

90 AC, FM 2446, FRANKLINBermuda, Bahia & Native, small pond, seasonalcreek, approx. 3,000’ road frontage, water &electric; Franklin ISD; $405,000 $4,500/ac

55 AC, 17179 E. OSRMostly open, water well, electricity, frontage onOSR, new fence on one side; Franklin ISD;$274,725 $4,995/ac

65 AC, ON CR 278, KOSSE90/10 wooded/open, pond, community &water well; hunting/recreational or home site,100% of surface rights convey; Bremond ISD;$162,175 w/out minerals or $187,525 w/15%minerals

19.87 AC, JACK RABBIT LANE, HEARNEheavily wooded, live creek, elect, communitywater avil, conveys all minerals owned; HISD;$78,500

180 AC, HARDIN SLOUGH RD., BREMOND2 ponds, lg scattered trees, good fences, watermeter & well, lots of cr frontage, seller conveys25% minerals owned; may divided B ISD;$495,000 $2,750/ac

532AC, LITTLEMSCEMETERYCEMETERYCEMETER RD, FRANKLINTo be divided into three tracts of 112, 170 &250 Ac; lots of CR rd. frontage; electricity, RCwater, wooded & coastal, water wells, 50%new fence, 3 bed, 2 bath brick home on 170 actract, water wells; Franklin ISD; $3,496/ac

texasland-homes.com

979-828-4000Charlie Neff Broker/Realtor®

32.4 AC, 8981 YASTIC ROAD, BREMONDHeavily wooded, recreational property,property,propertyelect at rd,100% surface control convey;$53,475 $2,300/ac

6.25 AC, PIN OAK ROAD, FRANKLIN80/20 wooded/open, potential home site,electric on site & county water available,fenced one side, native grasses, restricted;Franklin ISD; $68,750

111.78 AC, OLD HICKORYHICKORYHICKOR GROVE, FRANKLIN1,705 ft. rd. frontage, heavily wooded, deedrestricted, new fence on 3 side, sm pond,sandy loam; FISD; $377,257 $3,375/ac

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BryanResults of the Brazos Valley

Livestock Commission’s Aug.16 sale:

Head: 2,353Steers: 200-300 lbs., $121-

$182.50; 300-400 lbs., $119-$175; 400-500 lbs., $118-$151; 500-600 lbs., $110-131;600-700 lbs., $108-$132; 700-800 lbs., $117-$129.

Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $115-$149; 300-400 lbs., $106-$140; 400-500 lbs., $105-$129; 500-600 lbs., $104-$125; 600-700 lbs., $100-$104.

Slaughter cows: $30-$67.50.Slaughter bulls: $62-$78.Bred cows: $450-$900.Cow/calf pairs: $600-

$1,000.

BuffaloResults of the Buffalo

Livestock Exchange’s Aug. 13sale:

Head: 2,769Steers: 150-200 lbs., $135-

$190; 200-300 lbs., $132-$175; 300-400 lbs., $135-$172; 400-500 lbs., $126-$152; 500-600 lbs., $120-$134; 600-700 lbs., $112-$129; 700-800 lbs., $114-$121.

Heifers: 150-200 lbs., $150-200 lbs., $125-$180; 200-300lbs., $122-$165; 300-400 lbs.,$120-$139; 400-500 lbs.,$116-$134; 500-600 lbs.,$112-$132; 600-700 lbs.,$108-$120; 700-800 lbs.,$105-$115.

Slaughter cows: $39-$70.Slaughter bulls: $63-$74.Bred cows: $610-$990.Cow/calf pairs: $710-

$1,050.

CaldwellResults of the Caldwell

Livestock Commission’s Aug.17 sale:

Head: 1,251Steers: 200-300 lbs., $130-

$170; 300-400 lbs., $125-$160; 400-500 lbs., $115-$145; 500-600 lbs., $110-

$130; 600-700 lbs., $105-$130.

Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $115-$160; 300-400 lbs., $110-$150; 400-500 lbs., $110-$140; 500-600 lbs., $105-$130; 600-700 lbs., $105-$120; 700-900 lbs., $90-$115.

Slaughter cows: $30-$65.Slaughter bulls: $50-$72.Stocker cows: $570-$850.Cow/calf pairs: $700-$900.

JordanResults of the Jordan Cattle

Auction’s Aug. 18 sale:Head: 4,527Steers: 200-300 lbs., $145-

$162.50; 300-400 lbs., $140-$152.50; 400-500 lbs., $130-$140; 500-600 lbs., $130-$140; 600-700 lbs., $125-$140; 700-800 lbs., $120-$125.

Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $120-$133; 300-400 lbs., $120-$133; 400-500 lbs., $120-$133; 500-600 lbs., $115-$126; 600-700 lbs., $110-$116; 700-800 lbs., $105-$108.

Slaughter cows: $45-$72.50.Slaughter bulls: $62-$80.Stocker cows: $500-$980.Cow/calf pairs: $650-

$1,400.

MilanoHead: 1,663Steers: 300-400 lbs.,

$132.50; 400-500 lbs.,$122.50-$155; 500-600 lbs.,$115-$140; 600-700 lbs.,$106-$130; 700-800 lbs.,$113-$125; 800-900 lbs.,$110-$112.

Heifers: 300-400 lbs.,$117.50-$142.50; 400-500lbs., $113-$135; 500-600 lbs.,$110-$125; 600-700 lbs.,$105-$120; 700-800 lbs.,$110.

Slaughter cows: $38.50-$66.Slaughter bulls: $68-$79.50.Bred cows: $700-$810.Cow/calf pairs: $1,175-

$1,250.

— Special to The Post

LIVESTOCK MARKET REPORTS

Willie Nelson inducted to Ag HallKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP)

— Country music legend andFarm Aid founder WillieNelson was inducted into theNational Agricultural Hall ofFame in Bonner Springs,Kan., on Aug. 13.

The induction ceremonywas the same day as the 26thannual concert to benefit farm

families at LivestrongSporting Park in nearbyKansas City, Kan.

Nelson organized the firstFarm Aid concert in 1985 withJohn Mellencamp and NeilYoung to raise money for fam-ily farmers and draw atten-tion to their economic strug-gles.

News It’s Right Aroundthe Corner!

AnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualBullBullBullBullBull IsIsIsIssuesuesuesue

October 1stAdvertising Deadline: 9/159/159/

Contact Jesse:

979-731-4721jessejessejes [email protected]@theeagle.w .com

Protecting the landDover, a few miles from

Maine, has grown and devel-oped around the property,designated as conservationland since 2006, meaning theland itself can’t be developedinto strip malls or condos.“One of the unique things

about this farm other thanthe history is that a 22,000-car-a-day road goes rightthrough the middle of it,”Will Tuttle said. “Most farms— you’ve got to work to getthere.”The farm began in 1632

when John Tuttle arrivedfrom England to a settlement,using a small land grant fromKing Charles I to start hisenterprise.The Tuttles’ grandfatdfatdf her,

William Penn Tuttle, builtthe original 20-acre parcel toabout 200 acres. Their father,Hugh Tuttle, was profiled in1971 by Life magazine as thelast of a dying breed of familyfarmers.Two investors who’ve

expressed interest in the landwant to continue to keep anorganic farm operation, saidDan Barufaldi, the city’s eco-nomic development director.They also want to find some-one who can manage a possi-ble on-site restaurant in thebarn serving the locallygrown food and branding theTuttle name on productssuch as tomato sauce madefrom the farm’s tomatoes andpesto from its basil.“This is something that’s

very important to the city ofDover, not only because it’san icon,” Barufaldi said.“It also is going to add a

tourism attraction, it’s goingto be an educational attrac-

tion, it’s going to be a won-derful to have a source forlocally grown organic vegeta-bles.”

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FarmersFrom 19

Jameson Small, left, and Patrick Gale look after one of their pigs on the Tuttles Farm in Dover,Dover,Dover N.H.,where they are learning how to be farmers.


RICHMOND, Va. (AP) —Telecommunications compa-nies in 16 states are sharingmore than $103 million in fed-eral funding to help expandbroadband Internet access torural America.The U.S. Department of

Agriculture announced thegrants and loans through itsrural development office onAug. 22.Rural Utilities Service

Administrator Jonathan A-delstein said in a conferencecall that rural areas lagbehind urban parts of thecountry when it comes tobroadband Internet access.That’s because those areasdon’t have enough people,have rugged terrain, or it’stoo costly for companies toserve them.Adelstein says that access

is important to improve eco-nomic and educational oppor-tunities in those areas.The states that will benefit

from the funding are:Alabama, Arkansas, Califor-nia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louis-iana, Missouri, Nebraska, Ne-vada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas,Virginia, West Virginia, Wis-consin and Wyoming.

Texas among states gettingexpanded broadband access

News

Whittenburg Crop InsuranceSusan McPherson

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By JOE PARKER Jr.Special to The Post

There are three thingswe ranchers seem todeal with on a regular

basis: government, MotherNature and cattle thieves. Wecan’t always control how thegovernment regulates ourindustry, and we can’t evercontrol the hand that MotherNature deals us. But we canwork to protect ourselvesagainst cattle thieves bybranding our livestock.

Branding is a tradition inTexas. Since before the 1800s,Texas ranchers have usedbrands to identify their live-stock and help prevent cattletheft — a phenomenon thatstill happens pretty frequent-ly in Texas today. In fact, in2010, the number of cattlereported missing or stolen tothe Texas and SouthwesternCattle Raisers Association

was approximately 7,700, anincrease of 220 percent from2007.

In 1877, the Texas andSouthwestern Cattle RaisersAssociation was created withthe objective of preventingcattle theft.While theassociationhas evolvedand expand-ed over thepast century,preventingand solvingagriculturalcrimes, especially cattletheft, remains the foundationof the association.

Law enforcement is such apriority for the associationthat the Texas andSouthwestern Cattle RaisersAssociation employs 30 spe-cial rangers stationedthroughout Texas andOklahoma whose main objec-

tive is to protect ranchersfrom thieves.

Ask any of the 30 specialrangers and he’ll tell you thebest way to prevent cattletheft is to brand. If brandedcattle are stolen, they aremuch more likely to berecovered than unbrandedcattle.

Last year alone, the associ-ation special rangers recov-ered or accounted for morethan $3.6 million worth ofstolen property, much ofwhich were stolen cattle.

The rangers have a highsuccess rate partly becausethe association hosts thenation’s largest brand record-ing and retrieval system —the first place checked whena special ranger receives atheft call. The database isupdated daily by the associa-tion market inspectors whocollect brands and otheridentifying marks on 4 mil-

lion cattle sold at 105 Texaslivestock auctions.

While there is no lawrequiring a rancher to brandlivestock, if you do brand,there is a law requiring thatyou register your brand withthe county clerk’s officeevery 10 years.

Beginning Aug. 31 and run-ning through Feb. 29, allTexas brands, whether old ornew, must be re-registered inthe county or counties whereyou operate. If you don’t re-register your brand duringthis time period, then yourbrand is up for grabs by any-one who may want it. It’salso important to know thatit is against the law to use abrand that isn’t registered.

To make the re-registrationprocess a little simpler, theassociation has put togethera website,www.tscrabrands.com,which has all the informa-

tion and forms needed to re-register your brands. Hereyou can find lists of brandsby county, guides on how todesign and read brands andcontact information for allthe county clerks.

It’s a tough climate forTexas ranchers right now,both literally and politically.We can’t always control thegovernment and we certainlycan’t control Mother Nature,but we can work to protectour investment from thieves.

The first step is to re-regis-ter your brand.

• Joe Parker Jr. is a third genera-tion rancher from Clay Countyand president of the Texas andSouthwestern Cattle RaisersAssociation. He is chairman ofthe board and president of theFirst National Bank of Byers.

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Branding is an option ranchers can’t ignore

JOE PARKER JR.

process.“We don’t have as many

gins as we used to,” Cowansaid. “And nobody’s sure howlong it will take to gin it all,but that’s okay. The weather’sgood and cotton stores fairlywell once it’s in the gin yardsince the tops of the modulesare covered with tarps. Thesides are open and can get alittle wet, but that’s just notan issue.”

Both Cowan and Stapperare now hoping for rain inwhat’s normally consideredthe rainy season in SouthTexas, late August andSeptember.

“Once we get the cotton outof the way, then we’ll be look-ing for moisture, just likeeverybody else in agricul-ture,” Cowan said. “Andthere’s hope since the weath-er patterns seem to havechanged the past few days.”

Stapper said rainfall isespecially critical now.

“We grow some of thestate’s best grain sorghumand cotton crops right here inthe Coastal Bend area, butnow we need some good rainsto get us going and help usstart preparing for next year,”Stapper said.

With sufficient fall rains,Stapper expects growers willplant a winter crop of 5,000 to6,000 acres of wheat and a fewhundred acres of oilseedcrops, including canola, rapeand safflower.

CottonFrom 22

ROUNDOVERHEADFEED STORAGE BINS

“This can mean the differdifferdif enceferencefer between taking aloss or making a profit in the cattle business.”

• Spray-on liner inside bin.

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By ROBERT BURNSTexas AgriLife Communications

COLLEGE STATION —After the failure of many oftheir summer crops due todrought, now producers havegood reason to worry thatthey won’t make a winterwheat crop either, accordingto a Texas AgriLife ExtensionService expert.

“There are some real con-cerns right now, not onlyabout potentially getting thecrop up in the future, butabout what kind of yieldpotential we are going to havewith the crop if we do,” saidTodd Baughman, AgriLifeExtension agronomist for theRolling Plains region.

The concern focuses on soil-moisture reserves, as the bulkof winter wheat is plantedduring September andOctober, Baughman said.

Without better soil mois-ture, the crop will not evenemerge.

The concern is felt not justfor grain production, but forlivestock forage productiontoo, as winter wheat is alsocommonly relied upon for fallgrazing, he said. And wheatproducers have reason to beconcerned throughout mostof the state, not just in theRolling Plains region.

“If you don’t get it up andgrowing, that’s going to limityour fall grazing, which isreally going to hurt you froma cattle-performance stand-point,” Baughman said.“That’s probably the No. 1fear that we’ve got rightnow.”

But for those who needgrain production, the lack ofsoil moisture is causing a lotof anxiety as well, he said.

“If we don’t build up somesoil moisture to grow thiscrop, there’s concern that it’sgoing to run out of water justlike the cotton crop has donethis year because it won’thave any real deep moistureto help with the yield poten-tial.”

Many farmers plant wheatfor both grazing and grainproduction, pulling cattle offfields in time for the crop tomake grain. But wheat forgrazing is an even higher pri-ority this year because thedrought has caused summergrazing to become non-exis-tent and continued feeding

has exhausted hay supplies,Baughman said.

“Typically, what you’ll seeis that somewhere betweenmid-September to the middleof October is the prime plant-ing time for grazing,” he said.“Of course, we would reallylike to be planting rightaround the first of October.For our grain guys, mostplanting will start somewherein the middle of October toThanksgiving. That would bethe prime time that we wouldlike to plant the crop as agrain-only crop.”

But even for those planningwheat as a grain-only cropcould run into trouble thisyear, he said. This is becauseNovember typically signalsthe start of a drier time ofyear for most of the state’swheat-growing regions. Ifmoisture reserves aren’talready built up before win-ter, the chances to make agood grain crop will be great-ly diminished.

“The driest months — ifyou look at historical weatherrecords — will be December,January and February,”Baughman said. “Novemberwill be slightly behind those,so … if we don’t get any rain-fall from now through thefirst of November, then thechance of actually buildingthat deep moisture up is limit-ed even in a normal year.”

And obviously, this hasbeen far from a normal year,he said.

More information on thecurrent Texas drought andwildfire alerts can be foundon the AgriLife ExtensionAgricultural Drought TaskForce website at agrilife.tamu.edu/drought/.

AgriLife Extension districtreporters compiled the follow-ing summaries:

Southeast — Light showersdid little to alleviate drought con-ditions. Cattle producers contin-ued culling older cattle andweaning calves early. Ground-water levels further dropped, cre-ating issues for watering cattle.Grain sorghum and rice werebeing harvested for hay atunprecedented levels. Hay move-ment was very active. Therewere concerns of nutritional qual-ity of secondary forages andrequests for suggestions onfeeding strategies and supple-menting programs. Trees weredying in pastures. Soybeans

were at best in fair condition.Feeding livestock this winter pro-gram was expected to be a hugechallenge for producers.

Central — Temperaturesremained high. Where there wasrain, forages greened up butwere not growing as well ashoped. Water for livestock wasbecoming a major issue. Hayprices continued to rise. Mostcorn and milo were baled for hay.Trees were going dormant; someare dying.

Coastal Bend — Extremelyhigh temperatures and severedrought conditions continued.The cotton harvest was ongoing.Many trees showed signs ofdrought stress, and some weredying. Ponds were dry orextremely low. Herd liquidationbecame a reality for beef cattleproducers. What cattle remainedwere being supplemented withhay and feed. Most livestockwater had to be hauled orpumped from wells. Hay wasbeing hauled in from otherstates.

East — Some areas had scat-tered showers, but they did notbring enough moisture to allevi-ate drought conditions. Pasturesremained dry and short. Treeswere dying. Ponds and creek lev-els continued to drop; somewere already completely driedup. Producers were buying hayfrom out of state. Some alsobrought in water for livestock,while others continued culling ofherds and some sold off entireherds.

Southwest — The droughtcontinued with no rain forecast.High afternoon winds createddust storms. While high tempera-tures dropped to the upper 90s,the heat continued to aggravatethe dry conditions. Wildfirealerts remained in place. Manystock tanks completely dried up.Forage availability remained wellbelow average for this time ofthe year. The cotton harvest wasongoing, with excellent yieldsfrom fully irrigated fields, butmost dryland and partially irrigat-ed cotton failed. Sweet corn,recently planted for an early fallharvest, made good progressunder heavy irrigation. Peanuts,pecans and landscape nurserycrops continued to make goodprogress wherever irrigationwater was still available.Ranchers were providing supple-mental feed to remaining live-stock.

Far West — In GlasscockCounty, rains caused quite a bit

of cotton boll-drop, but the restof the region suffered fromextreme drought conditions. Hightemperatures were in the lower90s in the mountains, but still inthe triple digits along the RioGrande. Nighttime temperaturesdropped into the low to mid 70sin some areas. Cotton near ElPaso was in full bloom and set-ting bolls, with very low pestpressure. Some pecan treeswere winding up a light Augustnut drop. Other trees were enter-ing the gel stage and continuedto grow. Alfalfa producers weretaking their fifth cutting.

North — With no rain and 100-plus degree daytime highs, soil-moisture levels were shor tthroughout the district. Thedrought continued to take its tollon pastures. Nearly all livestockproducers were feeding hay andsupplements. Feed dealers wereenlisting AgriLife Extensionoffices to help them find hay.Some dealers had to go as far asAlabama to find hay. With the

drought and extreme shortage ofhay, most producers were reduc-ing or liquidating their herds.Stock tanks were very low andponds were drying up across thearea. Most corn and grain washarvested, with yields for bothcrops reported as average orslightly above. Grain sorghumthat was planted on time didwell, but late-planted sorghumwas struggling. A few soybeanfields were harvested over thepast couple of days, but mostwas being cut for hay. Cottonlooked terrible, and peanutswere in very poor condition.Skunks and armadillos werereportedly digging under housesto escape the heat and findmoisture. Feral hogs weresearching for ponds and mudholes.

Panhandle — The region con-tinued to be hot and dry. Soil-moisture levels were very short.Irrigators were still very active.More cornfields were abandonedbecause of lack of irrigation.

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Producers worry about winter wheat prospects

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NEWS YOUCAN USERIGHTIN YOURMAILBOX

Special to The Post

Hay prices remain firm,according to the Texas HayReport from the U.S.Department and Agricultureand the Texas Department ofAgriculture.Trade is moderate under

very good buyer demand.Even though scattered areasof Texas received rain, thereality is the state remains inextreme drought with norelief or hope in sight. Mostall crops whether dry land orirrigated have been aban-doned, even trees have begunto show signs of stress. Stocktanks and wells are at criticallows.Livestock producers have

been forced to continue to liq-uidate their already thinlyculled herds. Many auctionbarns have implemented ascheduling of appointments

before producers can bringtheir cattle into the yards tosell due to overcrowding andavailable pen space.Hay supplies are extremely

limited throughout the stateas tonnage and yields are wellbelow average to non-exis-tent.Hay that is being harvested

has either already been fed orgrowers are retaining owner-ship of their crop to feed theirown livestock, further creat-ing limited supplies andincreasing demand. Hay con-tinues to be shipped in fromout-of-state where rainfallhas been more abundant.Most all producers of live-

stock simply want some kindof forage to feed and quality,for the most part, no longer isa concern.Operating costs of diesel

fuel and continually fartherdistances continue to be the

driving factor behind hayprices. Prices for hay and pel-lets quoted per ton exceptwhere noted.The Texas Department of

Agriculture has the Hay andGrazing Hot Line for buyersand sellers: 1-877-429-1998.Website for the department iswww.tda.state.tx.us.Here are regional hay

reports for mid-August:

PanhandleAlfalfa, small squares,

delivered — Premium tosupreme, $300-$330, 10-11 perbale; good to premium, $260-$300, 8-9 per bale.large squares, delivered —

Premium to supreme, $280-$330; good to premium, $260-$290; fair to good $250-$260.Chopped Alfalfa, delivered

to feedlots — North, $250-$275; South, $275-$285.

Coastal Bermuda, largerounds, delivered — $190-$210; $85-$100 per roll.Prairie hay, large squares,

delivered — Good to premi-um, $195-$210.Timothy, alfalfa and grass

hay mix, small squares, deliv-ered — $210.Wheat straw, large

squares, delivered — $110.

West TexasAlfalfa, small squares,

delivered — Premium tosupreme, $285-$330, 9-10 perbale; good to premium, $265-$285, 7-9 per bale.Large squares, delivered —

Premium to supreme, $275-$320; good to premium, $250-$275; fair to good, $240-$250.

North, Centraland East Texas

Alfalfa, small squares,

delivered — Premium tosupreme, $285-$330, 9-11 perbale; good to premium, $265-$285, 7-8 per bale.Large squares, delivered —

Premium to supreme, $275-$320; good to premium, $250-$275.Coastal Bermuda, small

squares, FOB — Good to pre-mium, $230-$265, 7-9 per bale;good $190-$230, 6-8 per bale.Large rounds, FOB — Good

to premium, $130-$160, 70-80per roll; good, $120-$130, 60-70per roll.

South TexasCoastal Bermuda, small

squares, FOB — Good to pre-mium, $230-$265, 7-8 per bale;good, $200-$230, 6-7 per bale.Large rounds, FOB — Good

to premium, $120-$140, 60-80per roll; good, $100-$120, 50-60per roll.

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Hay supplies are limited, but prices remain firm

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Land & Livestock Post

C L A S S I F I E D SC L A S S I F I E D SC L A S S I F I E D SC L A S S I F I E D SC L A S S I F I E D S

305 Ranches andFarms for Sale

Equestrian RanchFor Sale

www.boernetexasranch4sale.com

310 Hay, Grain,Feed

MILO HAYMILO HAYMILO HA : 4x5, Clean, Bedias area, (832)435-1795

315 Horses & Tack

HORSE BOARDINGBoerne Stables

www.boernestables.com(210) 326-5290

MINIATURE DONKEYS:MINIATURE DONKEYS:MINIAReg, gentle, beautifully trained, country pets for fun or a profitable business. Country Music Miniature Donkeys, Rhetta McAlister 713-623-2111, Austin area. www.minidonk.com

320 LivestockPoultry

BEEFMASTERS: PolledHeifers, Cows, Bulls Avail. (254)747-2199

www.bucknerpolledbeefmasters.info

BRANGUS-COMMERCIALFEMALES: Excellent Qual-ity, 125 bred heifers, 350 exposed heifers. Call Steve 979-450-0819

BUFFALO:We Buy Buffalo

940-594-1169

620 Real EstateLoans

AGRICULTURALAGRICULTURALAGRICUL& COMMERCIAL

FINANCE$100K - $22M(A-D Credit)

(210) 249-2111 or(830)331-4030

[email protected] www.fundingedge.com

645 Acreagefor Sale

COLLEGE STATION:Horse Property in CSISD. 4.00 Acres Outside City Limits, 3 Bedroom Home w/ Bonus Room & Enclosed Porch, Barn w/ 23 Stalls, Arena, Round Pen, Pipe Fencing, Storage Areas, and So Much More! Only 3 Mile from Texas A&M KyleField. $229,900. Call Carla Henderson & The BCS Dream Team 979-255-0238www.BCSDreamTeam.com.BCSDreamTeam.com.BCSDreamT

Looking for Land in Robertson Co.?

See our ad on front pagesTexas Land Co.

Franklin, TX979-828-4000

300 Farm/RanchEquipment

FORD 601Workmaster tractor:

w/ 5' shredder. 3-pt hitch, 540 PTO w/ ORC. 4-cyl gas, 30-32 PTO HP. Good radiator, new governor, rebuilt hydrau-lic pump, 12V electrical, electronic ignition, new brakes and seals, de-cent tires. Good com-pression & starts easily. Good solid tractor ready to use as is. $3,499.

(979).412.6766

w/ ORC.

GOOSENECK TRAILER: 25’ with doves, has metal floor, tandem axle. Asking $3750/OBO. 254-729-250

DONKIES: Very cheap! yearling jacks jennies w/newborn bred jennies one paint 936-394-1909 or 281-460-7190

HEREFORD: Pure-breed Polled Hereford bull, ap-prox 2 yrs old, $1500 or best offer, (979)279-6225

JERSEY MILK COW: Hal-ter broke, hand milker,gives really good rich milk!! $1500/obo. (979)450-5863

545 HuntingLeases

DOVE HUNTING: Harbers Farms (512)914-5332. 4 separate farms. Water & Sunflower. 400 ac, 17 fields

270 Ticketsand Events

TEXAS A&M FOOTBALLTICKETS: Buying/ Selling. All Home Games. Local. (979) 676-0091

TEXAS A&M FOOTBALL:Tickets, Oklahoma State Univ; Baylor Univ; Missouri Univ. Section 146, East side, (979)774-1274

TEXAS A&M FOOTBALL:Tickets, section 109, west-side, row 25, seat 11, 12, 13, & 14, seats on 30 yard line, & parking pass, Call (979)777-4698

230 Buildings andMaterials

COTTAGE SHEDBUY OR RENT TO OWN

No credit check everyone is approved. Painted Cottage Shed 10x16 $2,795. R-T-O $135/ mo. Free delivery & set up. BCS Portable Bldgs 9638 E.State Hwy 21, Wix-son Valley. 979-218-0828 Order the size you need. www.derksenbuildings.com

10x16 Lofted BarnBUY OR RENT TO OWN

No credit check, everyone is approved. $2,895 or R-T-O $140/mo. Free deliv-ery & set up. BCS Portable Bldgs 9638 E.State Hwy 21, Wixson Valley. 979-218-0828 Order the size you need, add a win-dow, or free metal roof.www.derksenbuildings.com

8X12 PLAYHOUSE8X12 PLAYHOUSE8X12 PLABUY OR RENT TO OWN

No credit check everyone is approved. 8x12 Playhouse with 8' tall peak $1,845 or R-T-O $93/mo.Free deliv-ery & set up. BCS Portable Bldgs 9638 E.State Hwy 21, Wixson Valleyixson Valleyixson V .979-218-0828 Order the size you need.www.derksenbuildings.com

BRAZOS COUNTY:10-20 acre: deed restricted home sites, on Kurten Cemetery Rd.10-25 acre: deed restricted rest’l home sites off Shirley Rd, Mize Rd & Grassbur.Wickson Business Park3-5 ac tracts. Approx 4.5 mi off Hwy 6 on Hwy 21 E.Robertson Co: 49+/- a on Hwy 79, min. from Franklin.Robertson Co: 10 acres heavily wooded, off Cal-houn Rd. $40,000; Duval Co. 377+/- ac on CR 258. A ranch the whole fa-milty can enjoy. Too many Too many Tamenities to list.42 acres: small Cabin, off CR 313;251+/- acres: off CR 313. Heavily brushed hunting ranch. Owner will consider dividing property and/or possible owner finance.Bandera Co: 410 +/- high fence game ranch - 7 Can-yons.Xtremeranches.com

for more info.Take it to Xtreme... Xtreme Ranches Sales & Leasing

Kathy Smith, Realtor361-474-1400

BRYAN/CS: 7 beautiful wooded ac in Enchanted Oaks off hwy 30. Min from Mall. Pond, tons of big oaks. Excellent home site or to subdivide. $225,000. 979-324-3489

BURLESON CO: 50.6 ac, 30ac woods, 20ac opened, community water, elect avail, Priced to Sell. Rob-ertson Co: (1) 2ac tract or (2) 1ac tracts. Bobby Holli-day RE (979)224.2805

COLLEGE STATION:SaddleCreekCountrySaddleCreekCountry.comSaddleCreekCountry

Restricted Acreage Homesites

Enjoy the country lifestyle with a Park, Pavilion, Pool & Athletic Field. 7 mi S of 2818 on FM 2154-Wellborn Rd. Turn right on Wade Rd and left on Stousland Rd to the entrance.

979-690-2642 or 979-693-8361

New Phase 7B Open June 2011

FOR SALE-263ac on FM 1179 in Brazos County, 7 miles from University Dr. $4995/ac Broker-

WORTH COMMERCIALREAL ESTATE 979.314.9070

www.worthCRE.com

645 Acreagefor Sale 645 Acreage

for Sale

715715 Trailers &Campers

ASPEN: 2005, model 3100 5th Wheel, sleeps up to 9, all the amenities!! Welll maintained, 1 owner, brand new tires. $14,900. 979-777-2222

CARGO TRAILER:2006, 8’x20’, hardly used. $5900/OBO. (979)779-3896

JAYCO: 2004 Eagle, 32’Fifth Wheel with 3 slide outs. Asking loan payoff, $21,000. Located at 2933 Johnson Ln, Madisonville. 254-729-2504, leave mess.

COACHMAN: 2005 37ft Summerset 5th wheel, 3 slides, satellite hookup, fireplace, outside stereo system, generator, inside & outside shower, large pic-ture window, 2 ac units, w/d conn, LIKE NEW, $25,000 nego. (979)966-8516

715715 Trailers &Campers

EXPLORER: 2005 Bumper Pull, sleeps 8, 4 bunks, sleeper couch, master bed, $10,500; Millican, Tx. (979)218-8743

TRAVELTRAVELTRA TRAILER: 35FTOpen Road 5th Wheel, fully furnished, 2 large roll outs, ready to live in, great cond, $12,000 or best reasonable offer, (903)536-1041

Crossroads 2009 32ft Zinger

Travel Trailerwith slide out. Queen bed in separate room, bunk beds, dome shower (nice for tall people), stove, oven, refrig, microwave, outdoor shower, electric front jack, Equalizer hitch, awning, 2 storage areas (one which goes through to both sides), and hitch for truck. One owner, never been smoked in. $15,500. Email or call [email protected]

or (512) 299-4226.

RV: Jayco Recon ZX Toy Hauler. Sp. Utility 5th wheel, Model F37U, 3 Slide outs, Excellent Cond., , $45K (Neg). (979)8463136 255-6150

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