The Ohio State Fair Sale of Champions livestock auction, held Sunday afternoon in the WCOL Celeste Center, showcased Ohio’s premium livestock, premier Junior Fair exhibitors and generous supporters. On the sale bill were grand champion and reserve champion market lambs, market barrows and market beef, as well as grand champion market goat, a Thanksgiving Dinner to represent the champion poultry and a block of Swiss cheese to represent the six dairy champions.… Continue reading
The 2015 Ohio State Fair Market Barrow Show began with purebred divisions Friday afternoon and continued with crossbreds Saturday morning. Here are the results:
Dark Crossbred
Grand Champion – Troy Elwer
Reserve Champion – Diana Weimer
Light Crossbred
Grand Champion – Connor Rayburn
Reserve Champion – Lea Kimley
Berkshire
Grand Champion – Paige Pence, New Carlisle – 270 lbs
Reserve Champion – Jordan Cress, Laura – 280 lbs
Chester White
Grand Champion – Sarah Hunker, Bellevue – 275 lbs
Reserve Champion – Avery Wood, Sabina – 261 lbs
Duroc
Grand Champion – Kole Vollrath, South Charleston – 263 lbs
June export data, released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), reflected a challenging first half of 2015 for U.S. pork, beef and lamb exports.
June pork exports totaled 174,554 metric tons (mt), down 4% from a year ago. With pork prices down significantly from last year’s high levels, June export value fell 22% year-over-year to $454 million. For the first half of 2015, pork exports were down 5% in volume (1.09 million mt) and 16% in value ($2.88 billion).
Beef export volume in June was down 8% from a year ago to 96,716 mt, while export value fell 9% to $578.9 million. This was the second consecutive month that export value fell below last year’s level, resulting in first-half value being steady with 2014’s pace at $3.26 billion. First-half volume was down 10% to 527,109 mt.
“We were aware that exports would be facing obstacles in 2015, and that keeping pace with last year’s record performance would be difficult,” said Philip Seng, USMEF president and CEO.… Continue reading
The poultry exhibition ban in Ohio this year due to concerns about the possible spread of avian influenza left many exhibitors disappointed, though there still were opportunities to participate in the project at the Ohio State Fair.
Part of that learning process included the Ohio State Fair poultry skillathon that had 109 participants this year, a new record. In addition, there were a number of signs and displays around the grounds to educate fairgoers about Ohio’s valuable poultry industry.
“It was a difficult decision to make to not allow any poultry at any of the fairs, exhibitions or sales in Ohio. We are as disappointed as anyone. We love the poultry at fairs and it is a great showcase for the public,” said Jim Chakeres with the Ohio Poultry Association. “It is also a very teachable moment for 4-H and FFA members.”
There will not be an outstanding market exhibitor competition for poultry exhibitors this year but there will be a poultry package auctioned off in the Sale of Champions to provide funds for the Youth Reserve Program. … Continue reading
Animal vaccine manufacturers could benefit from the work of two Purdue University researchers who are testing biomaterial made from sweet corn to make vaccines safer.
Harm HogenEsch, a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, and Yuan Yao, an associate professor in the College of Agriculture, are developing biomaterial from a non-genetically modified variety of sweet corn to use as an adjuvant in animal vaccines. Adjuvants are substances that are added to vaccines to stimulate an immune response and to improve the performance of vaccines.
HogenEsch said commonly used adjuvants like oil emulsions and aluminum have a number of drawbacks.
“The conventionally used oil emulsions and aluminum are poorly biodegradable and can induce a long-lasting inflammatory response at the injection site. Especially for food animals, that’s an issue,” he said. “The corn-derived biomaterial being developed and tested at Purdue may address these issues in a sustainable way.”
Yao said the adjuvant biomaterial research is being conducted on a naturally occurring variety of corn.… Continue reading
Forage producers should carefully scout their flood-damaged pastures and hay fields for signs of crop health to determine if reseeding is necessary, a Purdue Extension forage specialist says.
“It’s important to take note of hoof damage to pastures,” Keith Johnson said. “Come back to the damaged areas often to assess if recovery is occurring. If there is permanent damage, plan on reseeding or renovating the field.”
Johnson said producers should dig up several forage plants in pastures and hay fields to determine plant health. He also recommended washing away the soil on the roots and splitting open the crowns and taproots of legumes to see if the tissue is healthy or damaged.
“Check with your crop insurance provider and Farm Service Agency representative to see if it is permissible to seed annual forages in drowned-out pockets within a corn or soybean field, or entire fields that have plants present but not much aboveground growth that can produce grain,” he said.… Continue reading
Cattle grazing for prolonged periods in flooded or muddy pastures are at greater risk for foot rot and pinkeye, two bacterial infections that thrive in wet conditions, a Purdue Extension veterinary specialist said.
“Because of the tremendous amount of rain we’ve had in Indiana and much of the Midwest, many fields and pastures have become saturated,” said W. Mark Hilton, clinical professor of food animal production medicine. “Under the circumstances, it is even more important for livestock producers to carefully monitor their animals’ health.”
Cattle with foot rot typically have a swollen foot with the toes, or “claws,” spread out more than usual. The tissue above the hoof, known as the coronary band, is also swollen.
“If you are able to pick up the foot to examine it, you will see the interdigital tissue is not smooth and unbroken as it should be,” Hilton said. “It has a lesion that can be mistaken for a cut from an external object.… Continue reading
The U.S. red meat industry has achieved outstanding export growth in recent years, enhancing profitability for all members of the supply chain. In 2014, both beef exports ($7.13 billion) and pork exports ($6.67 billion) shattered previous records for export value. Beef exports have steadily increased in value in each of the 11 years since global markets began to reopen after the first U.S. case of BSE. For pork, export value has increased in 15 of the past 20 years.
In 2015, several headwinds have made it difficult for the U.S. industry to maintain this positive trajectory. Severe congestion in the West Coast ports — the result of a prolonged labor impasse — impacted our first-quarter results. Unusually large supplies of European pork and Australian beef have poured into key Asian markets, buoyed by favorable exchange rates that make them very attractive to price-sensitive buyers. Key competitors have also achieved gains due to free trade agreements that reduced import duties on their beef and pork products.… Continue reading
Co-products derived from grains such as corn, wheat, and sorghum are increasingly being used in livestock feed, and research at the University of Illinois is helping to determine the energy value of these grain co-products.
Knowing the specific composition of the carbohydrates in a feed ingredient is important for determining its energy value, explained Hans H. Stein, a University of Illinois professor of animal sciences.
“Grain co-products contain more fiber and non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) than the grains from which they are derived. These carbohydrates are digested less efficiently by pigs than starch, and can also decrease the digestibility of other nutrients,” Stein said. “The addition of carbohydrate degrading enzymes can help improve fiber and NSP digestibility, but first we need to know which carbohydrates are present so that we can select enzymes accordingly.”
Stein’s team conducted two experiments. In the first, they determined the carbohydrate composition of 12 feed ingredients: corn, corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), corn gluten meal, corn gluten feed, corn germ meal, and corn bran; sorghum and two sources of sorghum DDGS; and wheat, wheat middlings, and wheat bran.… Continue reading
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., offered an amendment to a highway funding bill to repeal country of origin labeling requirements for beef, pork and poultry and stave off trade retaliation from Canada and Mexico.
The U.S. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) law requires meat to be labeled with the country where the animal from which it was derived was born, raised and harvested. (It also applies to fish, shellfish, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables and certain nuts.) The World Trade Organization (WTO) in May rejected an appeal by the United States of the international trade body’s October 2014 ruling that the COOL provisions on beef and pork discriminate against Canadian and Mexican animals that are sent to the United States to be fed out and processed.
The WTO decision allows punitive tariffs to be put on U.S. goods going into Canada and Mexico, which are asking for a combined $3.1 billion in retaliation.… Continue reading
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) praised the Senate Finance Committee’s bipartisan leadership for urging Canada to allow more trade in agricultural products, including dairy, as an outcome of the negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership. If Canada is not willing to allow more dairy trade as a result of the TPP, it risks being left out of the agreement, according to the Senate members.
In a letter to Gary Doer, Canada’s ambassador to the United States, Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and senior Democrat Ron Wyden (D-OR) said Canada’s ability to “commit to significant and commercially meaningful market access for all remaining agricultural products, including dairy, will have a significant impact on Congress’ view of the final agreement. In fact, our support for a final TPP agreement that includes Canada is contingent on Canada’s ability to meet the TPP’s high standards.”
The letter from Hatch and Wyden echoed a similar appeal last week by 21 members of the House of Representatives led by Representatives Reid Ribble (R-WI) and Ron Kind (D-WI), as well as Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (R-TX).… Continue reading
Nearly 700 lambs went through the show ring at the 2015 Junior Market Lamb Show that proved to be a long, hot day for animals and exhibitors alike. The Final Grade Drive and Champion Drive were punctuated by thunderstorms rumbling outside and electricity in the air as the winners were selected. Here they are:
Each year during the 12-day Ohio State Fair, the O’Neill Swine Barn hosts two breeding shows and then the large market event where the facility is filled to capacity, culminating with the final drive. During that time the staff handles the needs for accommodating around 3,500 hogs, hundreds of exhibitors, twice as many parents, countless spectators, and dozens of sale buyers. The intricate ebb and flow of the Ohio State Fair swine barn appears to run like clockwork to the casual observer, but behind the scenes is a dedicated top-notch staff that, for more than a half century, has included Dave Runyan.
After 51 years of working in the swine barn at the Ohio State Fair, longtime Swine Superintendent Runyan has officially stepped down from his position as leader of the barn following the 2014 Ohio State Fair in order to hand the reins over to a new generation of leadership.… Continue reading
The chief concern of the shearers attending the American Sheep Improvement Association Wool Council’s summer meeting this month was producer’s use of the metal scrapie ear tags. If the shearers had their way, use of the metal tags would be discontinued immediately.
Metal tags are many times not visible and when a clipper hits a metal tag, a shearer can be severely injured. A first-hand account of a shearer being air-lifted from a shearing site after severing every tendon, nerve, ligament and the main vein in his wrist was conveyed to drive the point home. More than $400,000 in medical bills were incurred and the shearer’s career was abruptly ended.
The council drafted a proposed policy that reads: WHEREAS in the United States it is mandatory to tag an animal with a scrapie ear tag, which is available in both metal and plastic versions free of charge to the producer; WHEREAS metal ear tags are dangerous to shearers due to risk of injury to both the shearer and the sheep if the tag is caught in the comb and cutter from a lock-up; BE IT RESOLVED that the ASI Wool Council and the United States shearers request that all metal ear tags be removed from the supply in the United States and producers use the plastic tags that are available free of charge.… Continue reading
The National Pork Producers Council and 34 state pork producer organizations are urging the Senate to take up legislation to repeal country of origin labeling requirements for beef, pork and poultry before Congress takes a month-long recess beginning in early August.
The U.S. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) law requires meat to be labeled with the country where the animal from which it was derived was born, raised and harvested. (It also applies to fish, shellfish, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables and certain nuts.)
The World Trade Organization (WTO) in May rejected an appeal by the United States of the international trade body’s October 2014 ruling that the COOL provisions on beef and pork discriminate against Canadian and Mexican animals, which they send to the United States to be fed out and processed. The WTO decision allows Canada and Mexico to place retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods going into their countries.… Continue reading
Dale Minyo and the Ohio Ag Net traveled to the Logan County Fair recently, courtesy of AgriGold Hybrids. He sat down with Fair Board President Jim Logan, newly crowned Fair Queen Hannah Clayton, and had a chance to give out several t-shirts to youth and others enjoying the fair. The Jr. Fair Board also enjoyed a gift of $1,000 from AgriGold as part of their 2015 county fair tour.… Continue reading
The 2015 growing season has proven to be challenging to producers in Ohio. Nearly all crops have been impacted by plentiful and in many cases too much rain. Forage production is certainly no exception to this reality as both hay and pasture production have felt the effects of excessive moisture. One doesn’t want to complain too loudly about excessive rainfall given that large areas of the country are still under significant drought. However, this growing season has created some significant management decisions for forage producers.
There is very little Ohio hay production that has not been impacted by excessive rains. Timely harvest has been nearly impossible as evidenced by the fact that some first cuttings had yet to be completed in mid-July and second cuttings have been significantly delayed. This reality will probably reduce yields in some cases and will certainly reduce feed quality nearly everywhere. There are numerous research studies that indicate significant delays in harvest date will result in lower protein content as well as higher acid detergent fiber and neutral detergent fiber levels.… Continue reading
Manure Science Review this year will have a clear focus on water.
The annual learning event will present more than a dozen sessions on getting the most from the nutrients in manure while limiting the chance of them reaching lakes and streams. It’s for farmers and others in the agricultural industry.
“Manure is an excellent soil amendment and provides nutrients for crop growth,” said Glen Arnold, an organizer of the event and manure nutrient management systems field specialist for Ohio State University Extension.
“Every positive step we take in properly applying manure is a positive step in the direction of better water quality,” he said.
Curbing farm nutrient runoff is in the spotlight due to the harmful algal blooms plaguing Lake Erie, Grand Lake St. Marys and other water bodies.
The issue made headlines last summer when toxins from a western Lake Erie algal bloom caused a two-day water use ban in Toledo.… Continue reading
Ohio Ag Net | Ohio's Country Journal Ohio Ag Net | Ohio's Country Journal 
educate fairgoers about Ohio’s valuable poultry industry.
