Cattlemen Submit Petition to Challenge EPA Air StandardsAfter reviewing hundreds of pages outlining theEPA’s final rule on fugitive dust, the NCBA has challengedthe rule in court. NCBA filed a petition in theU.S. Court of Appeals seeking review of EPA’s air qualitystandards that regulate agricultural dust.The EPA released the rule revising the Clean Air ActNational Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) forParticulate Matter (PM) on October 17. NCBA hasmaintained that there is no scientific evidence warrantingthe regulation of dust on farms and ranches.“On livestock operations, dust is produced by tillingsoil, planting and harvesting crops, driving on dirtroads, spreading nutrients on fields, mixing feed, andby cattle simply moving around in feedlots. These areexamples of the dust that would be regulated under acoarse PM NAAQS,” says Tamara Thies, NCBA’s directorof environmental issues. “Many farms and ranchesare simply unable to control dust to the level EPArequires, even when using best management practices.The EPA has put agriculture in an impossible situation,with no scientific justification.”NCBA submitted extensive comments on the issue,including technical evidence demonstrating that dustfrom agriculture operations presents no public healthconcerns. “Ranchers are experienced in managing airquality and utilizing dust control practices on theirranches,” says Thies. “Dust is – at most – a nuisanceissue and should be regulated accordingly. It is not ahealth issue that warrants regulation at the level thatEPA’s rule requires.”♦Initial Ethanol PushChallenges Beef Marketby Kay Ledbetter, Texas Ag Extension ServiceLike it or not, ethanol is coming, and beef producersmust be prepared to weather the transitional phase andcapitalize on the potentials in the future, said two speakersat the Southwest Beef Symposium in Amarillo.“The short run is going to be tough, but in the longrun, things will work out,” said Dr. Steve Amosson,Texas Cooperative Extension economist.Feed prices are being driven up by predictions of 3billion gallons of ethanol production capacity comingonline in the next year. Ethanol would require almostan 8-million acre increase in corn acreage, whichequates to an additional 1.1 billion bushels of corn,Amosson said.“I feel the corn prices will range from $3 to $4.25 perbushel on the board for the next couple of years, andthe differential between corn and sorghum will narrow,”he said.Competition for acreage will increase, forcing otherfeed sources and crop prices higher.In the short run, fed cattle prices will remain relativelyunchanged, and feeder cattle and calf prices maycontinue to soften, Amosson said. A rule of thumb, hesaid, is calf prices will drop $1.50 per hundredweightfor every 10 cent rise in corn prices.This is going to reduce the predicted expansionphase of the cattle cycle, he said. But in three to fouryears that reduction will have cattle producers seeingrecord prices.“Cattlemen also have a potential to gain marketshare relative to the swine and poultry industries becausecattle can be fed the distiller’s grain by-products,where the other industries can’t,” Amosson said.“We just have to learn to feed those DDG’s (drieddistiller’s grain),” he said.Dr. Jim MacDonald, Texas Agricultural ExperimentStation beef cattle nutritionist, agreed, saying “You don’thave to like it, but you had better learn how to feed it.”And that, MacDonald said, is his job – helping thecattle producers learn how to feed the byproduct.While ethanol had its share of unfriendly commentsduring the two-day symposium, MacDonald said, “We’regoing to get there, we just have to manage the transition.“A lot of concern has come with ethanol in this area,”he said. “But we are better off with the plants here thannot because we’re not the only game in town.”Dried distiller’s grains from the Midwest are beingshipped into the export market, he said. So the fact thatCircle No. 135 on Reply34 FEED•LOT <strong>February</strong> 2007
®the Panhandle will produce 600 million gallons ofethanol per year soon, resulting in 1.5 million tons ofdistiller’s grains, will help keep prices reasonable.When corn is processed for ethanol, it breaks downto one-third ethanol, one-third carbon dioxide and onethirdbyproduct or distiller’s grain, MacDonald said.These distiller’s grains still have all the nutrientprofile of corn,only the starchhas beenremoved, hesaid. It has 40to 45 percentfiber and 25to 30 percentcrude protein.“It’s going tobe a cheaperprotein sourcein the futureand if used as aforage supplement,it can beused for bothprotein andenergy supplementation,”MacDonaldsaid. ♦Circle No. 136 on ReplyCircle No. 137 on ReplyToll Free: 800-832-1113Phone: 830-757-1181Fax: 830-757-1468Circle No. 138 on ReplyLift, Load, Transfer andFeed Big RoundBales with Ease.The hydraulically (or optional PTO) powered sickle, slices through wet,frozen, or tight bales with minimum waste and full bale feeding control.The perfect tool to efficiently feed long stem hay. Windrows high moisture silagebales and tough hay into bunks or on the ground without damaging leaves. Sideloading fork makes it easy to handle two bales at a time.Get the most out of your hay with a DewEze processor.Call for Free Color Literature!MANUFACTURING, INC.151 E. Hwy 160 • Harper, Kansas 670581-800-835-1042www.deweze.com®ADVANTAGE ADVERTISINGCircle No. 139 on ReplyFEED•LOT <strong>February</strong> 2007 35
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