Whenever those of us in the agriculture media have what we call a "slow news day," it seems that bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, will rear its ugly head. That was the case last week, when the holiday doldrums were broken up by a report that another Canadian dairy cow was thought to be afflicted with the disease...
- The news came a day after the U.S. opened up live cattle exports to our neighbors to the north. The cow was born in 1996, a similar birth date to Canada's other two afflicted animals – a dairy cow found in the U.S. on Dec. 23, 2003 with Canadian origin and a cow found in May, 2003 – the incident that prompted U.S. officials to close the export market from Canada...
- U.S. officials say the most recent discovery will not change the expected resumption of normalized beef trade with Canada. The highlights of that agreement include allowing live cattle under 30 months of age into the U.S. beginning in March...
- In other beef news, Creekstone Family Farms, Arkansas City, laid off 150 employees just prior to Christmas. The packer hints that the layoffs occurred because Japan has yet to reopen beef trade with the U.S...
- Meanwhile, near Columbus, Kan., a St. Louis company has announced plans to build an egg production plant that would eventually employ 100 people. MOARK initially plans to build three barns housing 600,000 chickens; eventually expanding to 13 barns with 2.6 million chickens...
- At a press conference in Hutchinson two weeks ago, the Hutchinson Salt Company announced it would be the first U.S. mine to begin using 100% B-100 biodiesel in all its diesel-powered vehicles...
- The company actually began using B-100, which contains 100% soybean oil, in July, 2003. It used more than 31,000 gallons of biodiesel by July, 2004...
- Kansans did not place in the top of the 2004 National Corn Yield Contest, but they did range in yields of 207.6 to 297.4 bushels per acre. Todd Cyr, Clyde, achieved that yield in the irrigated category.
In the National Grain Sorghum Yield and Management Contest sponsored by the National Grain Sorghum Producers, Ki Gamble, Kiowa County, achieved a 213.55 bushel per acre yield, placing third in the conventional-till, irrigated division with Pioneer's 84G62 hybrid. Gary Resco, Clyde, placed first in the conventional-till, non-irrigated division with a 186.98 bushel yield with the same hybrid. Roger Johnson, Sheridan County, placed third in the reduced-till, irrigated division with a 180.74 bushel per acre yield with 84G62.