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10 LIVESTOCK Salazar to limit wild horse sales COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is restricting the number of wild horses people can buy from the federal government and promises to prosecute those who sell mustangs for slaughter. Salazar’s announcement comes after reports about Tom Davis, a southern Colorado livestock hauler and horse slaughter proponent who has bought more than 1,700 horses from the Bureau of Land Management since 2009. Davis’ purchases account for 70 percent of BLM wild horse sales since 2009. The Gazette previously reported that the BLM sometimes contacted him to see if he’d like to buy more horses. Davis has told Colorado officials that he shipped some horses out of state, in violation of brand inspection laws. The Alamosa County district attorney is investigating the transfers. But Davis has said he honored contracts promising the animals wouldn’t be slaughtered. Salazar said that buyers can be prosecuted for falsifying sales applications and for indirectly selling horses to slaughter by reselling to middlemen. Salazar also said buyers will be limited to five horses every six months. Larger orders must be approved by the BLM’s deputy director. GRI-SERVICE 956AGR1214 Intermountain Farm & Ranch ❖ Friday, December 14, 2012 Orlin Wagner / Associated Press Cattle gather around a solar-powered watering trough at the Blythe Farm near White City, Kan. Debbie and Duane Blythe are among thousands of farmers looking for alternative ways to feed their animals this winter after one of the worst droughts in the nation’s history dried grasslands in much of the country. Ranchers seek options to costly winter hay Turnips, silage become inexpensive alternative BY ROXANA HEGEMAN Associated Press WICHITA, Kan. — There’s no grass for grazing on Debbie and Duane Blythe’s ranch in Kansas’ parched Flint Hills. Instead, their cattle nibble on the leafy tops of turnips the couple planted after harvesting their winter wheat. The Blythes are among thousands of farmers looking for alternative ways to feed their animals this winter after one of the worst droughts in the nation’s history dried up grasslands in much of the country. The drought also cut hay production, making it harder and more expensive for farmers to buy supplemental feed. Many farmers and ranchers have already sold off animals they couldn’t afford to feed, and they’re now having to get creative in coming up with ways to feed those they have left. Turnips are nutritious, even if they seem like an odd choice for cattle feed, Debbie Blythe said. She and her husband usually grow almost all of the hay they need to feed 500 head of cows and calves on their ranch near White City. This year, however, they got only about two-thirds of the hay they normally would. To make up the difference, they planted turnips and chopped failed crops of corn and milo from their fields and those of their neighbors to make silage, a fermented feed that their cows “love to eat like candy,” she said. They also cut the stalks left over after their wheat harvest for straw that they’ll mix with higher quality feeds or supplements. “Our cattle have been learning to eat things that they have not had to eat before,” Debbie Blythe said. This year’s drought covered two-thirds of the continental U.S. at one point. While about a third is still in a severe drought, condi- Orlin Wagner / Associated Press Debbie Blythe feeds cattle on her ranch near White City, Kan. This year’s drought cut hay production, making it harder and more expensive for farmers to buy supplemental feed. tions overall are easing. The harsh summer, however, cut into forage production across a far bigger area than even the year before, said Steve Hessman, hay market reporter for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s office in Dodge City. The 2011 drought mostly affected ranchers in Texas, Oklahoma and southern Kansas, he said, but they could buy hay from states farther north, such as Nebraska. This year, Nebraska was among the states hardest hit by drought. Threefourths of it remains in the worst of five drought stages listed by the U.S. Drought Monitor. That means little, if any, hay is being shipped south, but it’s the high prices that are really forcing farmers to seek alternatives for their cattle, Hessman said. “It’s surprising, but we still have hay available for sale in Kansas because it is priced above what livestock producers and dairies are willing to pay for it,” he said. Dairy-quality alfalfa hay is now selling for about $260 to $285 a ton, although prices can go as high as $300 a ton. Stock cow-quality hay is now averaging about $260 a ton. Hay cost even more a year ago, but that’s another reason why farmers are holding off on buying now, Hessman said. They remember last year’s mild winter and don’t want to be caught with a lot of extra, expensive hay on hand come spring, he said. So unless they need hay right now, many ranchers aren’t buying it. Meanwhile, thieves have been stealing hay bales off farms nearly every day in Butler County in central Kansas, prompting the sheriff to increase patrols on rural roads. Authorities and some farmers have even placed deer cameras near some hay stacks to catch thieves. In Missouri, many farmers are instead collecting corn stalks that are usually left in the fields. The Columbia Missourian reported that farmers’ interest in harvesting the stalks prompted agricultural equipment manufacturers to build round balers specifically designed to handle the stalks, known as corn stover. A ton of corn stover is going for $60 to $100, the Missouri Department of Agriculture reported in a market survey. The agency didn’t even track corn stover sales prices until this year. Brewster-area cattle producer Mike Schultz is among those baling failed corn to use as feed. He also has some hay saved from previous years. But the dual purpose forage he planted on 80 acres in July is now only a foot and a half high. He decided not cut the plants to feed his 160 heifers because he was afraid the parched soil would blow away without a cover crop. The 56 acres of oats he planted never even came up. “I have people calling me wanting to buy feed from us, and we aren’t selling any because I don’t want to run out,” Schultz said. “We have got too many cattle here to be trying to help somebody else out right now. I am kind of concerned about my own well-being.”
Intermountain Farm & Ranch ❖ Friday, December 14, 2012 NATION 11 Farmers upgrade irrigation systems This year’s drought made growers eager to ensure their water supply BY JUSTIN LEIGHTY The Elkhart Truth NEW PARIS, Ind. — fter the parched summer his area had, the Mathews amily decided to upgrade ome of their irrigation on armland south of New aris, and they’re not alone. The farm family witched two labor-intenive towed sprinkler sysems to pivot sprinklers, hich still take effort, but uch less. “It’s much easier to ove,” said Jeff Mathews, member of the most ecent generation of a famly that’s been farming here or more than a century. This year saw one of the orst droughts in that famly history, but fortunately or the family, roughly hree quarters of their round is irrigated. “This year was a good year to have watered. That takes a little pressure off,” Mathews said. In fact, it allowed them to double the state average of 100 bushels of corn per acre this year, and they got about 60 bushels of soybeans per acre, nearly one-and-a-half times the state’s average. When they wanted to add new pivot systems this year, they tried their usual company, Phillips and Son in Bristol. However, “they’re popular this fall,” Mathews said. That’s an understatement, said Charles Phillips. “This year in whole, we’re probably twice as busy,” he said, and they can’t get to customers in decent time. “I’ve had three calls wanting estimates on irrigation this morning, probably had a couple yesterday. That’s just the way it’s going.” “Coupled with the drought, the high commodity price, the input costs are up, so it’s a gamble” to raise Chuck Phillips, coowner of Phillips and Son Irrigation Services in Bristol, Ind. shows a control panel at a pivot point on a three-span irrigation system on property on C.R. 21 near Bristol. Jennifer Shephard The Elkhart Truth crops, he said. “Irrigation will take one segment of the gambling out. They can put the nutrients there, they can put the plant seed population there, but weather is the limiting factor.” Irrigation helps mitigate that. The development costs vary based on a lot of factors, but they run from $950 to $2,300 per acre, Phillips said. Jeff Burbrink, horticulture educator with the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service in Elkhart County, said “part of the issue this year is the drought, people saw what irrigation did. If you had an irrigation system this year, you probably paid for it in one year. The difference between zero and 200 bushels is huge,” he said. “By having irrigation it kind of guarantees you a crop and is kind of an insurance policy for all the money you spend on herbicides, fertilizer,” Burbrink said. Livestock growers who pasture their animals also added irrigation this year. “We do have ample groundwater around here,” Burbrink said. “The biggest issue they have is water with shallow wells when it gets this dry. The water table around here is still way low.” He added, “I think the ag community is looking or hoping for a lot of moisture this year, something that would soak in.” Mathews agreed, saying, “If we don’t get moisture this winter and in the spring, next year’s going to be even worse.” Farmland sales brisk because of tax law changes DENVER, Iowa (AP) — Farmers worried about tax increases that would take effect Jan. 1 if Congress can’t compromise on the so-called fiscal cliff have helped lead to a frenzy of farmland sales this fall. The worries about possible increases in capital gains and estate taxes are adding to the normally busy time for farmland sales after harvest in Iowa and Nebraska. “If there is a chance that you may want to sell your farm, then you should think hard about get- NATIONAL NEWS BRIEFLY Farm tractor sales up nationwide WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A new industry snapshot suggests this year’s drought has had little effect on sales of farm machinery around the country. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers said Tuesday that sales of farm tractors were up 10.5 percent in November from the same month a year ago. Retailers reported selling 10,352 tractors nationwide. Sales of combines were down 1.3 percent with 517 sold in November. So far this year, sales of farm tractors have been up 10 percent over 2011. Pickle farm accused of cheating workers COPEMISH, Mich. (AP) — The federal government is accusing a northern Michigan farm of failing to pay minimum wage to migrant workers who picked pickling cucumbers. A lawsuit filed in Grand Rapids federal court also accuses Darryl Howes and Ron Howes of providing inadequate housing to workers during the 2011 season. The Howes farm in Manistee County grows cucumbers that are turned into pickles. ting it done before the end of 2012,” Des Moines lawyer Bill Hannigan of the Davis Brown firm said. If Congress fails to resolve the “fiscal cliff” before the end of the year, a number of automatic tax increases and spending cuts will be triggered Jan. 1. That includes capital gains taxes increasing from 15 percent to 23.8 percent, and the allowable deduction on estate taxes would drop from roughly $5 million to $1 million. “The tax changes are on every- The Howeses denied the allegations. Darryl Howes said U.S. Labor Department investigators interrupted his business during a summer 2011 visit by trying to interview employees. Ethanol plant owner files for bankruptcy SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — The company that runs Indiana’s oldest ethanol plant has filed for bankruptcy protection a couple of weeks after shutting down the plant because of higher corn prices and ethanol supplies. The top executive of South Bend-based New Energy Corp. says the plant has been up for sale since last year and that the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing could help in finding a buyer. Company President Russ Abarr said many ethanol companies are facing financial difficulties with this summer’s Midwestern drought and other factors. Woman, child on horse killed in crash OLD TOWN, Fla. (AP) — Officials say an 86-yearold woman, a 10-year-old old girl and a horse were killed when they were struck by a vehicle on a dark road in Dixie County. The Florida Highway Patrol said the girl was riding on the horse as Minnie Melba Delaney led it across the road Tuesday night. A minivan driven by 39-yearold John Henry Mash hit them. The Gainesville Sun reported Delaney died at the scene. The child, Emma Maria Mercado, was airlifted to Shands at the University of Florida, where she died early Wednesday. Trooper Tracy Pace said the woman and child were neighbors. Charges are pending. Ind. farm deaths fell in ’11, no children WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — A new Purdue University report says farm-related deaths in Indiana fell to 16 last year and none involved children for the first time in 13 years. The Indiana Farm fatality Summary says the 2011 deaths compared with 23 the previous year. The 16 deaths represented about 13 percent of the 122 fatal work injuries recorded in Indiana last year. Purdue said less than 1 percent of Indiana’s workforce is employed in production agriculture, but the industry traditionally has been responsible for the highest number of work-related fatalities in the state. The report also says that for the first time since 1998, there were no reports of anyone younger than 18 being killed in Indiana while farming. body’s minds,” said regional sales manager Sam Kain of Farmers National Co. “I’ve been in this business for 30 years and I’ve never seen it this busy.” Jim Hain, vice president of agricultural sales for the Omaha-based Lund Co., agreed that the possible tax law changes have prompted some people to sell. He said the tax worries, combined with the current high prices, have helped double farmland sales at Lund in the past two years. “We’re the busiest we’ve ever been historically,” Hain said. At a recent Iowa farmland auction, the bidders didn’t need much encouragement to go after the 169 acres of Bremer County farmland that carried a solid corn suitability rating of 87. The winning bid of $15,700 per acre for the land Alvin and Maxine Walther’s family was selling came from neighboring farmer Ken Eggena just 30 minutes after the auction started. Farms and Ranch for 2012 FARM LAND - DEVELOPMENT 337.0 acres South of Idaho Falls Two pivots and hand lines, excellent row crop farm, currently leased on a year to year. Location in highly new development area, property subdivision possible for residential, commercial, or industrial. Fronts 81st South and 45th West. 67.0 acres Ucon to be zoned Commercial. Hwy frontages. Currently Ag Ground being leased on a year to year. 16.75 shares of Burgess water rights. Alpha Hay. Possible terms or Contract Sale subject to approval of Seller. FARM LANDS 1,326.0 acres Monteview, Jefferson County 4 Valley pivots, rest dry farm. No buildings, no storages, Priced to sell by end of year. 163.0 acres Roberts, Jefferson County Newer home, insulated shop, scale house, custom feed area with heated waterers. One pivot and wheel moves. Canal water. Put cows on for winter now. Price reduced for quick closing. RANCH LANDS 763 acres Kilgore, Clark County Two creeks thru property 5.5 cfs water rights, spring creek. Home, barn, fenced and cross fenced. Excellent grass. Priced for closing in 2012. 964.0 acres Kilgore. 270 AUMs, Excellent grass. Home and pivot lands in Roberts with 143.0 farmable acres with heated shop. Close 2012. OTHER RANCH LANDS AND FARM LANDS AVAILABLE. In Memory of Vaughan Kepler Thanks for all your help in our time of need. Merry Christmas from all of us at Kepler Realty. Have 40 years of expertise in ranch and farm sales. If you’re thinking of making a move, give us a call for a private consultation. Note: Offerings subject to error, prior sale, changes or with-drawal without prior notice and approval of purchase by the owner. Kepler Realty 258 N. Water Idaho Falls, ID 83402 Contact Bill 523-2031 or Charlie 520-6789 525KEP1214
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