INDUSTRY NEWS

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its denial of the 2008 petition by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) seeking to cancel 2,4-D herbicide registrations and revoke all the tolerances for use.

“The impact of this decision should not be understated,” said Jim Gray, executive director of the Industry Task Force II on 2,4-D Research Data.

“EPA’s comprehensive review of one of the most extensive scientific data bases of a pesticide confirmed the Agency’s previous finding that the 2,4-D tolerances are acceptable.”

The American Bankers Association’s (ABA) annual Farm Bank Performance Report showed that farm lending posted solid growth during 2011. The nation’s 2,185 farm banks increased farm and ranch lending $3.8 billion or 5.6 percent in 2011, for a total outstanding balance of $72.3 billion.

"The growth in farm loans shows banks continue to meet the credit needs of both large and small farms and remain the most important supplier of agricultural credit," said John Blanchfield, senior vice president and director of ABA’s Center for Agricultural & Rural Banking.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Farm Safety 4 Just Kids (FS4JK). The organization has promoted farm safety to more than 6 million people through local programs and education since 1987.

Over the past 25 years, FS4JK has established a network of more than 120 chapters across the U.S. and Canada that offer farm safety presentations on a local level. In that time, 35,600 volunteers donated 280,000 hours of their time to help promote safety on the farm. 

For years, the rising cost of energy and feed, along with tightening credit, have forced droves of dairy farmers in southeastern Georgia to scale back or close shop entirely. From 1997 to 2007, the industry shed an average of 1,820 cows and 47 operations per year, according to USDA statistics.

There is a bright spot, however: pasture-based dairies.

The dairy industry in a five-state region – Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas – has seen a tremendous growth in the past decade, a growth that provides both concerns and opportunities, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service specialists.

Joining other experts at the High Plains Dairy Conference held recently in Amarillo, Dr. Ellen Jordan, a Texas AgriLife Extension Service dairy specialist, said the five-state area is home to about 450,000 cows, which provide approximately $4.3 billion in annual economic impact.

However, water use by these dairies and in the industry has been questioned, especially after the drought of last year.

The University of Wisconsin's Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program announced the launch of the IPM Toolkit Version 1.0, available for free in the iTunes app store.

The first generation app makes mobile many of the great tools available through the Integrated Pest and Crop Management website, which was updated recently.

Recognizing the need to access data at different times and from any location, the IPM Toolkit was developed to run on mobile devices, enabling users to stay up-to-date as items get posted on the Internet throughout the growing season.