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Groton Daily Independent
Wednesday, June 28, 2017 ~ Vol. 24 - No. 349 ~ 5 of 41
Dry Conditions Prompt Production Changes
BROOKINGS, S.D. - SDSU Extension will host livestock and agronomy meetings in Herreid and Gettysburg on July 6, 2017. The meeting in Herreid will be at 9:00 a.m. at the Community Center/Skateland (107 Main Street S.) and in Gettysburg at 2:00 p.m. at Bob’s Steakhouse (29336 U.S. Hwy 212).
“Drought conditions have been at severe drought (D2) conditions for the past few weeks, and reached extreme drought (D3) in several South Dakota counties the past week,” said Laura Edwards, SDSU Exten- sion State Climatologist.
Topics include:
Early weaning calves and the effect on cow and calf performance, as well as the effect on feed require- ments and costs.
Grazing annual forages, how to get them established and the added value they may have for the operation.
Economic resources in the form of budget calculators and other tools, as well as information on federal assistance through the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (USDA-FSA).
Weather outlook for the fall months.
Additional SDSU Extension staff will be on hand to address other topics of interest to producers. “We understand there are many aspects of the operation affected by the lack of precipitation the past six months,” said Alvaro Garcia, SDSU Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Program Director. “We want to bring relevant materials to the producers hardest hit by the drought, so the management changes they make truly are the best ones for their operation.”
Producers with concerns about nitrates in annual forages or water quality concerns are encouraged to bring samples in to be tested for livestock suitability during the meeting.
There is no fee to attend the program and early registration is not required.
GFP Wildlife Testing for Bovine Tuberculosis Returns Negative Result
PIERRE, S.D. – In response to a March 2017 discovery of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in a Harding county livestock herd, the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) conducted an immediate wildlife surveillance effort to determine if TB was present in area wildlife.
Test results from the National Veterinary Services Laboratories for bovine tuberculosis were negative for the 55 white-tailed deer, 56 mule deer, 42 pronghorn, 37 coyotes and nine raccoons collected from western Harding County. The salvageable big game meat that was processed will be delivered to local food pantries through Feeding South Dakota.
“We are pleased that the results from our initial surveillance efforts have returned negative,” stated Tom Kirschenmann, GFP assistant division director of wildlife. “Our agency will work with the South Dakota Animal Industry Board to conduct another wildlife surveillance of TB during the fall hunting season. This additional effort will follow similar efforts conducted in previous years where the concern of TB has oc- curred.”