- Author: John M Harper
He used to routinely call me at home to ask questions or to get more information. Russ was not computer savvy, so on several occasions he wanted more information on such diverse topics as benthic macro invertebrates (backbone-less animals that in the wild are considered good fish food and their presence serve as an indicator of stream health) and limnology (study of inland waters). I would scan various journal articles or find books for him to read. Often the books I'd recommend were available on Amazon.com so I would buy them for Russ and he'd write me a personal check.
He also confided in me that he wanted to leave this world without the wealth he'd acquired, but it came as a complete suprise to me that he would ask my help in writing part of his endowment. My basic response was always to say "it's your money, Russ, so you can specify how it should be spent." I suggested that the best place to start was with endowed chairs on the campuses as those types of gifts free money up for projects. He commenced with that process while still living. Ken Tate, Randy Dahlgren and Barbara Allen-Diaz were the recipients. At the same time, he set up the endowment that would start upon his passing. I had no idea how large that gift was going to be.
In addition to his wonderful gift you'll read about below, Russ provided many years earlier close to a million dollars in seed money for research on rangeland water quality to a team that included Ken Tate, Randy Dahlgren, David Lewis, Barbara Allen-Diaz and me. That research was conducted at both the Hopland Research & Extension Center and the Sierra Foothill Research & Extension Center.
Russ also created one of the very first rangeland water quality plans that resulted from those early courses conducted by that team and with Mel George. I miss Russ and his challenging questions.
With his gift more research will be possible, so perhaps he's given us a chance to answer future questions. Those answers will benefit the cattle ranching industry of California. I'll be sure to keep his Lake & Mendocino rancher friends aware of the projects that Russ' gift will support.
The following is from UC Davis News & Information.
Late cattle rancher Russell Rustici wills millions to UC Davis for rangeland research
March 8, 2011
The late Russell Rustici, a Lake County cattle rancher who had a scientist’s drive to understand the rangelands that were his livelihood, has left about $9.5 million to the University of California, Davis, to support research and outreach efforts addressing problems that face California cattle producers and rangelands.
Rustici’s gift establishes the Russell L. Rustici Rangeland and Cattle Research Endowment in the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The endowment will support applied research in water quality, rangeland ecology, animal health and other areas of importance to ranchers and residents across the state.
"Russell Rustici's bequest will assure the long-term health of rangelands and cattle ranching in California," said Neal Van Alfen, dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. "His gifts will allow our researchers to solve ecosystem problems facing ranchers and help improve the quality of life for generations to come. Russell clearly understood how private donors can support our land-grant mission of solving society's problems."
Rustici, who died in October 2008, fulfilled a lifelong dream to become a cattle rancher in Lake County after working many years in produce distribution. As he became immersed in ranching, he sought to better understand the science behind rangeland and cattle management.
His bequest follows years of philanthropy in support of research at UC Davis. In 2008, he gave $1.2 million to establish two endowed positions at the university: the Russell L. Rustici Endowed Chair in Rangeland Watershed Science and the Russell L. Rustici Endowed Specialist in Cooperative Extension in Rangeland Watershed Science.
The endowed chair position, held by Randy Dahlgren, professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, is devoted to research that examines water quality, nutrient cycling and hydrology on rangeland watershed. The endowed extension position, held by Cooperative Extension rangeland management specialist Kenneth Tate, is focused on helping livestock producers manage rangelands in ways that simultaneously improve both water quality and ranch profitability.
Rustici’s total gifts to UC Davis are expected to exceed $10.8 million once his estate has been fully distributed. He is among the top 10 donors to The Campaign for UC Davis, which seeks to raise $1 billion by 2014 for expanding the university’s capacity to meet the world’s challenges and educate future leaders.
- Author: John M Harper
The following information offers quite a bit of economic hope for Mendocino & Lake Counties organic producers and really supports the idea of having a local meat harvest and processing plant that is certified organic.
WASHINGTON, April 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Organic farming is an important part of the U.S. agricultural landscape, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today told participants at the Organic Trade Association's (OTA's) 2011 Policy Conference and Hill Visit Days here in D.C.
"Organic producers are very entrepreneurial in nature. They're in a position to create value-added products that provide a wealth of opportunities in rural America," Secretary Vilsack said.
His comments were made before the more than 150 persons taking part in the policy conference. Organized by OTA and supported by the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) under the theme "Advance Organic Together," the conference is focusing on the value of organic agriculture in providing jobs, supporting rural livelihoods, and advancing an entrepreneurial spirit.
OTA released data onsite from OTA's 2011 Organic Industry Survey that reveal that the industry has grown from $3.6 billion in 1997 to $29 billion in 2010. Despite the nation's worst economic downturn in 80 years, the organic industry has come out of the recession hiring employees, adding farms, and increasing revenue. For further information about the survey, visit www.ota.com.
Among the findings from OTA's latest industry survey:
- The organic sector grew by 8 percent in 2010, dramatically outpacing the food industry as a whole which grew at less than 1 percent in 2010.
- The organic industry supports 14,540 organic farms and ranches across the country. A total of 4.1 million acres of land are currently in organic management, and there are organic farms in all 50 states.
- Since 78 percent of organic farms report planning to maintain or increase organic production levels over the next five years, the organic sector will continue to play a contributing role in revitalizing America's rural economy through diversity in agriculture.
- Forty percent of organic operations added jobs in 2010. In addition, 96 percent of organic operations are planning to maintain or increase employment levels in 2011, and 46 percent of them are planning to increase employment levels three times the rate of businesses as whole.
"The USDA is creating financial assistance for organic because we recognize organic as a part of the strategy to rebuild rural America," said Secretary Vilsack. "A lot of folks in rural America need help. One very good strategy is organic."
Organic agriculture and the organic industry are fueling America's growth. U.S. Census data shows that on average, U.S. organic farms have higher sales, higher production expenses, and higher operating profit than the average for all U.S. farms, thus creating real opportunities for rural economic livelihoods. In fact, organic farms were shown to have an average operating profit nearly double that for all farms ($45,697 for organic versus $25,448 for all farms).
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. OTA is the leading voice for the organic trade in the United States, representing over 6,500 organic businesses across 49 states. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA's Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTA's mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy.
SOURCE Organic Trade Association
- Author: John M Harper
The Cow-Calf Management Guide & Cattle Producer’s Guide (aka the Yellow Book) is now available on-line in Adobe Acrobat format for individual topic reading or download. It is posted at the Colorado State website found at: http://www.csubeef.com/component/option,com_file_index/Itemid,80/
As a reminder or for those who are unfamiliar with the Yellow Book, the information was prepared by a committee of extension animal scientists in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The manual is a joint publication of the Cooperative Extension System in these states.
Also, about one-half of the book is now translated into Spanish and is for sale (as is the English full version) at: http://www.avs.uidaho.edu/wbrc/.
- Author: John M Harper
On April 15, 2011 the EPA released its inventory of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and sinks for the period of 1990 - 2009. Within the inventory you'll find statistics for both the problems and the benefits that livestock agriculture contributes to greenhouse gas and its effect on climate change. Up front it's important to recognize that livestock agriculture is a relatively small contributor especially with regard to CO2. This is illustrated in the following from the executive summary. Clearly we as consumers have a stronger role in reducing greenhouse gases.
“As the largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, CO2 from fossil fuel combustion has accounted for approximately 78 percent of GWP-weighted emissions since 1990, growing slowly from 77 percent of total GWP weighted emissions in 1990 to 79 percent in 2009.
Emissions of CO2 from fossil fuel combustion increased at an average annual rate of 0.4 percent from 1990 to 2009. The fundamental factors influencing this trend include (1) a generally growing domestic economy over the last 20 years, and (2) overall growth in emissions from electricity generation and transportation activities. Between 1990 and 2009, CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion increased from 4,738.4 Tg CO2 Eq. to 5,209.0 Tg CO2 Eq.—a 9.9 percent total increase over the twenty-year period.
From 2008 to 2009, these emissions decreased by 356.9 Tg CO2 Eq. (6.4 percent), the largest decrease in any year over the twenty-year period. Historically, changes in emissions from fossil fuel combustion have been the dominant factor affecting U.S. emission trends. Changes in CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion are influenced by many long-term and short-term factors, including population and economic growth, energy price fluctuations, technological changes, and seasonal temperatures.
In the short term, the overall consumption of fossil fuels in the United States fluctuates primarily in response to changes in general economic conditions, energy prices, weather, and the availability of nonfossil alternatives. For example, in a year with increased consumption of goods and services, low fuel prices, severe summer and winter weather conditions, nuclear plant closures, and lower precipitation feeding hydroelectric dams, there would likely be proportionally greater fossil fuel consumption than a year with poor economic performance, high fuel prices, mild temperatures, and increased output from nuclear and hydroelectric plants.
In the long term, energy consumption patterns respond to changes that affect the scale of consumption (e.g., population, number of cars, and size of houses), the efficiency with which energy is used in equipment (e.g., cars, power plants, steel mills, and light bulbs) and behavioral choices (e.g., walking, bicycling, or telecommuting to work instead of driving).”
A great YouTube video map on US CO2 is also worth a watch. See it at http://youtu.be/eJpj8UUMTaI. It was uploaded by Purdue University.
- Author: John M Harper
While California does not have state inspection of meat and poultry as it relies on federal
inspection the following news could impact our local markets.
USDA-FSIS has finalized how the new interstate shipment of state-inspected meat program will work. The original idea, included in the 2008 Farm Bill, was that because cooperative state meat and poultry inspection programs must by law be equal to or exceed the requirements of federal inspection, small (<25 full time employees), state-inspected processors should be able to ship product across state lines.
In a nutshell, here’s how the program will work: first, the state must choose to participate; then state inspection personnel will be trained in enforcement of the federal meat & poultry acts (FMIA & PPIA); and then state-inspected processors can apply to participate. FSIS will
oversee and enforce the program. Meat and poultry products produced under the program will bear the federal mark of inspection for interstate distribution.
According to FSIS, only four states are currently interested in adopting the program: North Dakota, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Vermont.
Useful links:
- NMPAN webpage summarizing how the final rule differs from the draft rule
- The rule
- The FSIS press release
Those interested in this program should be cautious about the many restrictions in the rule’s fine print. Processors who aren’t sure they can meet the federal/USDA requirements probably should not even consider the program as an option.
Adapted from the Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network (NMPAN).
