Farm Radio

Sunflower Industry: Acres Up & New Markets After a decline, sunflower acreage in Colorado is up 20%, which shows that producers are realizing that sunflowers are viable and profitable. The increase includes both confection and oil varieties. Karl Esping is President of the National Sunflower Association and says that this dry weather crop does well in Colorado and Kansas. The confection varieties or edible sunflower are  more popular in Southern Colorado due to the dry weather. As for prices, they have declined somewhat from last year, according to Esping. One unique product that the sunflower industry brings to the market is their premier oil, call High Oleic oil. This oil contains Omega 3 fats, or the good, healthy fats, which are good for health and can assist in preventing heart disease. A Colorado based company in Lamar, called Colorado Mills, now has its  High Oleic sunflower oil being sold in over twenty Whole Foods Stores. Esping says that this could lead...

EPA: Clean Power Plan The Environmental Protection Agency has released a plan recently that will change how Colorado’s electric co-ops distribute electricity to its end users. The new regulation lays the way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the United States by 30 percent by the year 2030. Fht Clean Power Plan sets a cap for coal fired and gas fired plants in the United States, which is different that the previous rule that bases emissions on state specific variables. EPA outlines three tools that can be used to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions. Those three tools are: increased use  of natural gas over coal, increased use of renewable energy for power and the use of purchasing and selling of emissions credits among utilities. According to an article in the September 2015 edition of Colorado Country Life many of the earlier power plants were build to use coal and still have a useful life and produce affordable electricity. Furthermore, the article cites the fact that...

Will the Mighty Ogallala Aquifer Be Mighty in the Future? Did you know that that the Ogallala aquifer spans underneath eight states? Did you know that about one-fifth of all U.S. cattle, corn, cotton and wheat depend on the Ogallala? To date, about 30 percent of the aquifer's water has been pumped out of the ground, according to a recent article from Bloomberg News Agency’s Alan Bjerga. With an additional 39 percent expected to be pumped out in the next 50 years, this could lead to a water crisis that has many ramifications. It will be hard for farmers to take out bank loans, land values will drop, farmers will look to plant different crops, incomes will drop for affiliated industry such as seed and machinery dealers. Other businesses like train and elevators will also feel the economy squeeze them as crop supplies decrease. In his article, Bjerga points out that there is little coordinated proactive measures being worked on in the Great Plains. There are some voluntary m...

It is breeding season in Northeast Colorado and preg checking appointments are being lined up for veterinarian's like Dr. Paul Chard of Brush, Colorado. Preg checking helps detect issues in the herd such as herd disease and/or toxins. During the preg check, body condition scores are given on a scale of 1-9, to monitor cow conditions and adjust feed if needed. Preg checks also allows for re-breeding if the cow is still open. It also makes it easier to remove open cows from the herd, which saves feed costs for the producers. Dr. Chard says that preg checks can increase herd efficiency, which includes cull cows that won't calve within a 60-day window. This helps with get more uniform at weaning time, less calves to sort when going to sale,helps with vaccination timing and less variation in feeding requirements for the herd. Additionally, it is a management tool that helps break and control the cycle of trichnomiases. For replacement heifers, he says that it is best to ...

With many states being affected by the Avian Influenza - Colorado remains on high alert - especially as neighboring Nebraska has two locations that are confirmed Avian Influenza sites. Colorado State Veterinarian Dr. Keith Roehr  says poultry owners must take extra precautions to protect their flocks. Some of the precautions would include making sure domestic flocks- backyard birds and small flocks are not exposed to wild animals. This is recommended for both spring and fall months. Dr. Roehr explains that the virus exists in wildlife. Wild birds get the virus and survive, and they then continue to shed the virus into the environment. As for the larger, commercial operators - Roehr says bio-security measures are a must. He says the Colorado Department of Agriculture has drafted suggested bio-security practices for any producer who would like to obtain them. Nebraska is the closest state with the Influenza, they have two confirmed cases.  Minnesota has been the harde...

Sustainable Beef Production; Defined What does Sustainable mean to the U.S. agriculture industry? In a April 2015 interview on KSIR,  NCBA President, Philip Ellis defines this concept as using less resources to produce more beef. This idea of sustainable is now being used within national conversations regarding environmental and land protection. NCBA is a member of the Global Roundtable for sustainable Beef, whose mission is to:(as taken from their website)   The GRSB mission is to advance continuous improvement in sustainability of the global beef value chain through leadership, science and multi-stakeholder engagement and collaboration." According to the SFGate website, writer Susanna Didier cites that sustainable agriculture is a broad topic. It consists of stewardship of both natural and human resources. Human resource stewardship is about the working and living conditions of producers, while land stewardship is about maintaining or enhancing the natural resource base...

Women Farmers Are Becoming More of the Norm in America With an aging farming population, there is more minority and women farm operators that are taking over. Alan Bjerga, USDA Reporter for Bloomberg News Agency in Washington, DC. recently did some research that said in many cases a husband and wife run a farm, with the wife listed as a second signer. He recently wrote a piece on what attracts women to farming and what challenges they have. Bjerga says that the love of the land and running their own business is what attracts most women to farming. They appreciate the rural lifestyle and want to raise their children in those areas. Also, the changing nature of the farm work has changed. Now, the “farmer” is becoming a knowledge job and it is becoming more common to take a tractor to the shop due to the equipment being so high technical and the physical work being less important. He says that the high barriers of getting into agriculture is something that many don’t expect a...

Ag Day a Big Deal for Colorado National Ag Day is March 18th. This marks an important day because it is a day that we recognize how important agriculture is in our lives since we all eat and wear clothes. It also about educating people about the role of this industry. In Colorado, The Colorado Ag Council annually organizes a celebration of ag at at the state capital. It usually consists of a meal made by chefs that showcase different types of colorado produced food products. It is made at the capital and lawmakers are invited to dine and learn about agriculture and celebrate with ag organizations and representatives from across the state. Why celebrate Colorado Ag Day? According to the Colorado Department of Agriculture: Colorado agriculture provides abundant, nutritional products for consumers within the state and around the globe. Farmers and ranchers play a vital role in producing wholesome, safe food provided to consumers. Agriculture is one of largest contributors ...