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cuRREnt local livEStock REpoRtS and nEwS july 28, 2020

photo by chrissy Gray

Page 2 • Tuesday, July 28, 2020 • MySouTex.com

Packer BullsAll Weights .............................75-93Packer cowsCanners & Cutters ..................40-68Poor & Weak ...........................25-39PalPated12 Bred ...................................70-80Pairs6 Pairs .................................625-950steer calves (avG-HiGH)Under 200 lbs........................NONE200-249 lbs ...........................NONE250-299 lbs .........................150-180300-350 lbs .........................160-174350-400 lbs .........................141-169400-450 lbs .........................139-159450-500 lbs .........................133-152500-550 lbs .........................133-149 550-600 lbs .........................131-141 600-700 lbs .........................127-138 700-800 lbs .........................120-130

Bull calves (avG- HiGH)Under 250 lbs......................118-151250-300 lbs .........................158-174300-350 lbs .........................160-176350-400 lbs .........................148-168400-450 lbs .........................140-157450-500 lbs .........................133-156500-550 lbs .........................133-151550-600 lbs .........................127-144600-700 lbs .........................121-134Over 700 lbs ........................101-126Heifers calves (avG-HiGH)Under 200 lbs......................156-184200-250 lbs .........................145-166250-300 lbs .........................140-166300-350 lbs .........................129-160350-400 lbs .........................127-170400-450 lbs .........................125-138450-500 lbs .........................128-180500-550 lbs .........................124-160550-600 lbs .........................122-152600-700 lbs .........................112-160Over 700 lbs ........................104-116

friday, July 24, 2020Number of Head: 1424

SaleS every Friday @ 10 am

There were only 101 cows and 19 bulls. The packer market continues to be steady and consistent with the qualities on hand.

The calf market was steady. The market has been trending upwards for the last serveral weeks and that continued today. A lot of activity from a lot of buyers, just a good day overall. Buyers are not liking long ages in horned bulls and heifers. But

other than that, nothing is holding them back.PRAY FOR RAIN!!!

by Kay LedbetterFinding value beyond the packer as more people look

for locally sourced beef in the wake of COVID-19 is only one of the benefits of attending the Virtual Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course set for Aug. 3-5.

There’s still time to register for the education-packed short course jointly hosted by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Department of Animal Sci-ence at Texas A&M University.

Online registration will be open until the event, with the cost $129 until the conference, and $149 after the conference is over for access to the recorded sessions.

“COVID-19 caused some short-term grocery store beef supply issues in the past few months, and this has really created an increased interest among consumers

for locally sourced beef,” said Jason Cleere, Ph.D., con-ference coordinator and AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist in College Station. “It has created some chal-lenges because local beef processing plants cannot keep up, and processing appointments for cattle are several months out.”

This increased demand for locally sourced beef has provided additional opportunities for ranchers to add value to their cattle.

“We will be offering the whole picture, from farm to fork,” Cleere said. “We’ll start on the production side of ranching, learn marketing tips from a very success-ful ranch that is providing local beef, and there will be a carcass-cutting demonstration to discuss where the value in the carcass is and how to capture all of the value.”

Going virtual this year meant that they would not have the traditional Texas Aggie Prime Rib Dinner on the first evening of the short course, and many were disappointed when they heard the news, Cleere said.

“So, we decided to let the expert, Dr. Davey Griffin, provide a live Nolan Ryan Texas Aggie Prime Rib cooking demonstration on Monday evening,” he said.

The cooking demonstra-tion will be broadcast live during the virtual confer-ence beginning at 6 p.m. Aug. 3 after a full day of educational sessions.

“We normally cook over 100 whole prime ribs each year in our state-of-the-art smokers in the Rosenthal Meat Science Center on the Texas A&M University

campus,” said Griffin, AgriLife Extension meat sci-ence specialist, College Station. “The average person does not have one of these smokers so we will dem-onstrate on a traditional Texas barbecue pit outside of Kyle Field.”

The short course is the largest beef cattle educational event in the country, offering more than 20 sessions covering basic practices, new technologies and hot top-ics, along with a virtual trade show and live cattle dem-onstrations. There will be a live question and answer feature during the sessions, and each participant will receive a digital copy of the proceedings, Cleere said.

For more information, go to the website or call 979-845-6931.

Farm to fork: Texas A&M Virtual Beef Cattle Short Course has much to offer ranchers

Live cooking demonstration replaces traditional prime rib meal

Prime rib is typically served to all of the Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course attendees during the Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course dinner, but this year will feature a live Nolan Ryan Texas Aggie Prime Rib cooking demonstration. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

MySouTex.com • Tuesday, July 28, 2020 • Page 3

Nixon Livestock Commission, Inc.

1924 E. State Hwy 87 Nixon, TX 78140(830) 582-1561July 27, 2020Volume: 934

Cows: 115 Bulls: 20 SteerS200-300lbs. $133-143-175300-400lbs. $137-147-175400-500lbs. $128-138-161500-600lbs. $122-132-150600-700lbs. $117-127-138700-800lbs. $110-120-136

HeiferS200-300lbs. $119-129-190300-400lbs. $116-126-148400-500lbs. $117-127-139500-600lbs. $104-124-150600-700lbs. $108-118-140700-800lbs.$ 94 -104-114

USE TEXT STYLES

Sellers: 137 - Buyers: 46

Slaughter Cows .. $25-71Slaughter Bulls... $77-94Stocker Cows ....$550-860Pair ...............$1110-1190

Contributed informationWASHINGTON – On July 14, U.S.

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue an-nounced an initial list of additional com-modities that have been added to the Coro-navirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), and that the U.S. Department of Agricul-ture (USDA) made other adjustments to the program based on comments received from agricultural producers and organiza-tions and review of market data. Produc-ers are now able to submit applications that include these commodities. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting through Aug. 28, applications for CFAP, which helps offset price declines and additional marketing costs because of the coronavirus pandemic. USDA expects additional eli-gible commodities to be announced in the coming weeks.

“During this time of national crisis, President Trump and USDA have stood with our farmers, ranchers and all citizens to make sure they are taken care of,” said Secretary Perdue. “When we announced this program earlier this year, we asked for public input and received a good response. After reviewing the comments received and analyzing our USDA Market News data, we are adding new commodities, as well as making updates to the program for existing eligible commodities. This is an example of government working for the people – we asked for input, and we updated the pro-gram based on the comments we received.”

Changes to CFAP include:• Adding the following commodi-

ties: alfalfa sprouts, anise, arugula, basil, bean sprouts, beets, blackberries, Brussels sprouts, celeriac (celery root), chives, ci-lantro, coconuts, collard greens, dandelion greens, greens (others not listed separately), guava, kale greens, lettuce – including Bos-ton, green leaf, Lolla Rossa, oak leaf green, oak leaf red and red leaf – marjoram, mint, mustard, okra, oregano, parsnips, passion fruit, peas (green), pineapple, pistachios, radicchio, rosemary, sage, savory, sorrel, fresh sugarcane, Swiss chard, thyme and turnip top greens.

• Expanding for seven currently eligible commodities – apples, blueberries, garlic, potatoes, raspberries, tangerines and taro – CARES Act funding for sales losses be-cause USDA found these commodities had

a 5 percent or greater price decline between mid-January and mid-April as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally, these commodities were only eligible for market-ing adjustments.

• Determining that peaches and rhubarb no longer qualify for payment under the CARES Act sales loss category.

• Correcting payment rates for apples, artichokes, asparagus, blueberries, canta-loupes, cucumbers, garlic, kiwifruit, mush-rooms, papaya, peaches, potatoes, raspber-ries, rhubarb, tangerines and taro.

Additional details can be found in the Federal Register in the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) and Final Rule Cor-rection and at www.farmers.gov/cfap.

Producers have several options for apply-ing to the CFAP program:

• Using an online portal, accessible at farmers.gov/cfap, allows producers with secure USDA login credentials—known as eAuthentication—to certify eligible com-modities online, digitally sign applications and submit directly to the local USDA Service Center. New commodities will be available in the system on July 13.

• Completing the application form us-ing our CFAP Application Generator and Payment Calculator found at farmers.gov/cfap. This Excel workbook allows custom-ers to input information specific to their op-eration to determine estimated payments and populate the application form, which can be printed, then signed and submitted to their local USDA Service Center. An updated version with the new commodities will be available on the website on July 13, 2020.

• Downloading the AD-3114 application form from farmers.gov/cfap and manu-ally completing the form to submit to the local USDA Service Center by mail, elec-tronically or by hand delivery to an office drop box. In some limited cases, the office may be open for in-person business by ap-

pointment. Visit farmers.gov/coronavirus/service-center-status to check the status of your local office.

USDA Service Centers can also work with producers to complete and secure-ly transmit digitally signed applications through two commercially available tools: Box and OneSpan. Producers who are interested in digitally signing their appli-cations should notify their local service centers when calling to discuss the CFAP application process. You can learn more about these solutions at farmers.gov/mydocs.

Getting help from FSANew customers seeking one-on-one sup-

port with the CFAP application process can call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer gen-eral assistance. This is a recommended first step before a producer engages the team at the FSA county office at their local USDA Service Center.

All other eligibility forms, such as those

related to adjusted gross income and pay-ment information, can be downloaded from farmers.gov/cfap. For existing FSA customers, these documents are likely al-ready on file.

All USDA Service Centers are open for business, including some that are open to visitors to conduct business in person by appointment only. All Service Center visi-tors wishing to conduct business with FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service or any other Service Center agency should call ahead and schedule an appointment. Service Centers that are open for appoint-ments will pre-screen visitors based on health concerns or recent travel, and visitors must adhere to social distancing guidelines. Visitors may also be required to wear a face covering during their appointment. Field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. Our program delivery staff will be in the office, and they will be working with our producers in office, by phone and using online tools. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.

Additional commodities eligible for coronavirus food assistance program

Page 4 • Tuesday, July 28, 2020 • MySouTex.com

Contributed informationTexas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has devel-

oped an online course series for individuals needing assistance with identification and management of aquatic plants.

Landowners, farmers and ranchers with ponds or ‘tanks’ on their land can expect this online course se-ries to provide them with simple, yet practical man-agement solutions, said Brittany Chesser, AgriLife Extension program specialist-aquatic vegetation man-agement in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management.

Opportunities for continuing education“These four courses are designed for landowners

and pesticide applicators who are looking for guidance in aquatic vegetation management,” Chesser said. “It also gives them the opportunity to earn continuing education credits in integrated pest management.”

The enrollment fee is $15 for each course, which gives participants access to that course’s content for up to one year. So far, each course offers one integrated pest management continuing education unit. Future courses are expected to as well.

To earn the credit and receive a certificate of course completion, registrants must pass the final exam with a score of 70% or higher.

Tailored content for diverse management issuesChesser said the online course series covers every-

thing from basic aquatic plant identification to control methods. The first course in the series titled “Aquatic Vegetation Management Basics” was released earlier this year.

This introductory course helps learners recognize problems caused by aquatic vegetation, identify effec-tive control options and discover available resources for proper aquatic vegetation management.

The most recent course, “Algae and Floating Aquat-ic Vegetation Identification and Control”, released in July, focuses on helping landowners and applicators identify algae and other floating aquatic plants for proper management and control of these species.

Upcoming courses in the series include “Submerged Aquatic Plant Identification & Control” and “Emer-gent Aquatic Plant Identification & Control.” AgriL-ife Extension anticipates releasing the remaining two courses later this year.

Field-based solutions for every audience“These first two courses will be of great interest to

landowners or livestock owners with tanks for quite a few reasons,” Chesser said.

Learning how to properly manage aquatic vegeta-tion can help prevent water loss and can also enhance recreational activities for individuals with multi-use tanks or ponds on their land—like those stocked for fishing.

The latest course also covers a hot topic among live-stock owners. Blue-green algae is a group of bacteria that can threaten animal health, if consumed. By the end of the course, registrants will be able to distinguish blue-green algae from less threatening or even benefi-cial algae and identify effective management options.

Chesser said even if participants do not necessarily fall into one of the aforementioned categories, they can benefit from information taught in the course.

“At the end of the day, anyone unfamiliar with aquatic vegetation management could waste time, money and labor using ineffective control methods,” she said.

This course will help landowners, producers and ap-plicators avoid those obstacles, by empowering them to proactively identify and manage their aquatic veg-etation.

For more information on aquatic vegetation man-agement or the online course series from AgriLife Extension, contact Chesser at brittany.chesser@tamu.edu.

AgriLife Extension launches online course in aquatic vegetation management

Online courses will help pond owners manage things like blue-green algae. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

Contributed informationTEMPLE – The USDA Natural Resources Conser-

vation Service (NRCS) has a new mentoring initiative called the Conservation Agricultural Mentoring Pro-gram and is looking for agricultural producers to serve as mentors.

The program is aimed at ensuring new NRCS em-ployees are properly trained and mentored about the local production agriculture where they work. A key component is having expert producers who are passion-ate about conservation and teaching serve as mentors. The goal is to deepen new employees’ relationship with producers in their local communities while enhancing their expertise related to production agriculture.

“Through a mentee/mentor relationship, the program offers new employees and newly relocated employees an exciting opportunity to grow relationships with local producers and elevate their expertise of production ag-riculture in their local communities,” said Clint Evans, acting NRCS state conservationist in Texas.

Producers will be asked to share their knowledge of common agricultural practices, equipment, inputs and other agricultural factors with the new employee(s). The level of engagement will be determined solely by a producers’ availability and will be done on their farm-ing operation.

If you are interested in serving as a mentor or would like to receive additional information, contact your lo-cal NRCS district conservationist or assistant state con-servationist for field operations. USDA Service Center locations can be found at www.farmers.gov/connect . Those interested can also contact the Texas NRCS Con-servation Agricultural Mentoring Program coordinator, Hani Nguyen, at 254-742-9984 or hani.nguyen@usda.gov.

Texas NRCS seeks ag producers to serve as mentors

Continuing education credits offered