Extension Notes: Statewide beef referendum set Friday
Tennessee cattle producers are voting on whether to approve and fund a state beef promotion program. According to the Tennessee Agricultural Statistics Service, cattle and calves are the state’s most valuable commodity.
Some 51,000 producers across the state generated more than $343 million in farm cash receipts in 2002 with their cattle and calf operations, accounting for 17 percent of farm income in Tennessee.
Eligible producers can vote on the referendum April 23 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service office here in the county. Producers are required to vote in their county of residence. Provisions have also been made to allow farmers, in cases of hardship, to cast a ballot April 21 or April 22 during normal business hours of county extension service offices.
To vote in the referendum, producers must:
• Be a resident of Tennessee
• Produce and market beef or dairy cattle
• Be at least 18 years old
• Sign a legal affidavit attesting to eligibility
Organizations representing cattle producers have called for the referendum, provided for under state law, to authorize the assessment of $1 per head of cattle sold to fund a state beef promotion program. The state state assessment would remain at the current national assessment rate and would only take place in event the national beef promotion program, otherwise known as the beef check-off, is discontinued.
The national beef program was authorized by a vote of cattle producers and implemented in 1985. The program funds research, education, promotions and advertising to help build consumer demand for beef products. In recent years, however, litigation has created concern about the constitutionality of the current national beef promotion program. Claimants say the program violates their right of free speech. A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on whether to hear the case is expected sometime this year and could decide the fate of the national program.
Under Tennessee state law, the program provides for voluntary participation. Results of the referendum are expected to be announced by April 30. More information and a sample ballot are available online at www.tennessee.gov/agriculture. If you have questions or need more information give me a call here at the Extension office.
CATTLEMEN’S MEETING TUESDAY NIGHT
Our monthly beef producers meeting will be held at the extension office on Tuesday night, April 27 at 6:30 p.m. The speaker for Tuesday’s meeting is Mr. Tom Merritt, president of the Giles County Beef Marketing Alliance.
The Giles County Beef Marketing Alliance is a group of producers who got together a few years back and decided to do some things to make their cattle more attractive to cattle buyers. The members decided to breed cattle of similar genetic types to bulls that are expected to produce calves that not only grow well but also produce carcasses that will grade choice.
The members of this association use the same health program in their herds and work together to market their calves in groups. Merritt will discuss the problems the alliance members overcame in putting this program together and the changes they have made since they started. He will also talk about the results members have had and plans for the future.
Since Tennessee Livestock Producers are planning a similar program for beef producers in several Upper Cumberland counties this meeting should be of particular interest to area cattlemen. Come out and hear what the program is about.
IS YOUR LAWN TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING?
Your lawn can’t tell you when something is wrong. But it can send you signals to warn you of certain problems. If you receive one of these signals from your lawn, here’s what it’s trying to tell you.
White clover – The presence of white clover may indicate the need for nitrogen fertilization. Actively growing lawn grasses usually require more nitrogen than clover. Clover is tolerant of wet, compacted or poorly drained soils and may become competitive during cool, wet conditions.
Algae – These minute, single-celled green plants may form a dense green or blackish-green crust on soils in areas of the lawn with few lawn grass plants. This crust often restricts the movement of water and air into soil. Algae thrives on compacted, water-logged soils.
Mosses – These small plants often survive a wide range of soil and weather conditions. Mosses may produce a thick, green mass in full sun or shade on both dry and wet soils. They may grow in areas of your lawn where both light and air movement are limited.
Prostrate knotweed – A common problem of many heavily trafficked lawns, playgrounds and athletic fields, this low-growing, summer annual, broadleaf weed is well-adapted on poorly drained, compacted soils. The plant grows from a thin, long taproot. Wiry, leafy stems that radiate from the root produce a dull, blue-green mat well below the mower blade.
Yellow nutsedge – This grass-like perennial weed with a distinctive, triangular stem is often found growing in infertile, disturbed soils along Tennessee highways. Yellow nutsedge is tolerant of wet and poorly drained soils.
The best defense against troublesome weeds is a healthy, dense and actively growing lawn. By mowing your lawn often at an appropriate cutting height, fertilizing and liming according to soil test results and core aerifying to reduce soil compaction, you may help provide an environment more favorable for lawn-grasses than lawn weeds.
You may increase the amount of light reaching your lawn under tall, isolated trees by pruning limbs below 10 feet. Give me a call here at the extension office for more information on lawn problems.