Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Announces 2015 Wildfires Burned Record Acres, Urges Congress to Pass Wildfire Funding Fix

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Announces 2015 Wildfires Burned Record Acres, Urges Congress to Pass Wildfire Funding Fix WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2016 -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that in 2015, wildfires burned a record 10,125,149 acres across the United States, surpassing the previous record set in 2006. The Secretary renewed the call for Congress to pass the bi-partisan Wildfire Disaster Funding Act. In 2015, there were more than 50 fires that exceeded 50,000 acres each; of those, 20 fires exceeded more than 100,000 acres each. In 2015, more than 4,500 homes and other structures were destroyed by wildfires and a total of 13 wildland firefighters, including 7 U.S. Forest Service firefighters, lost their lives in the line of duty. Since 2000, fire seasons have grown longer, and the frequency, size and severity of wildland fires has increased. The 2015 fires stretched across federal, state and private land with Alaska, California, Oregon and Washington being especially hard hit. While the West saw the brunt of the fires, it is agency resources across the country-from New York to Arkansas to Florida-that feel the brunt of a Forest Service budget subsumed by firefighting costs. The cost of the Forest Service's wildfire suppression reached a record $243 million in a one-week period during the height of suppression activity in August. With a record 52 percent of the Forest Service's budget dedicated to fire suppression activities, compared to just 16 percent in 1995, the Forest Service's firefighting budget was exhausted in 2015, forcing USDA to transfer funds away from forest restoration projects that would help reduce the risk of future fires, in order to cover the high cost of battling blazes. "These fires have very real human costs, as we lost seven members of the Forest Service firefighting team in the line of duty, and 4,500 homes were lost. We take our job to protect the public seriously, and recently, the job has become increasingly difficult due to the effects of climate change, chronic droughts, and a constrained budget environment in Washington. Congress must fix the fire budget to stop an ever-increasing amount of the operating budget going to fire suppression. Failing to do so will result in more deadly and devastating fires in the future," said Secretary Vilsack. "While the news that more than 10 million acres burned is terrible, it's not shocking and it is probable that records will continue to be broken. By August, the Forest Service had exhausted its firefighting forces and utilized nearly every piece of equipment devoted to saving lives and protecting property, exhausting the Forest Service's budget for fire suppression and forcing the agency to begin transferring critical resources away from trail restoration, watershed management, hiring, and all other areas of its budget. 2015 would prove to be the most expensive fire season in our Department's history, costing more than $2.6 billion on fire alone." "That is why last month I directed our staff to end the practice of fire borrowing and slow the consuming growth of fire as a percentage of the Forest Service budget and, instead, ensure that all resources in the 2016 budget are spent in the manner intended, such as the important forest restoration work that helps to minimize wildfires in the first place. Today's disquieting report should serve as a powerful call to once and for all fix how the Forest Service pays for firefighting. With a predictably long fire season on the horizon in 2016, lives, property and the future of our forests and grasslands hang in the balance. Congress must fix this issue once and for all." The Forest Service transferred funds in 7 of the last 14 years, while in 6 of the last 14 years, the Interior Department had to transfer funds. The costs of wildfire preparedness and suppression now account for 76 percent of the Interior wildfire management program budget and, as in the case of the Forest Service, reduce the amounts of funds available for fuels management and restoration efforts. These activities are essential for reducing risks of catastrophic fires, increasing the resiliency of lands to recover from fire, and to protect communities and infrastructure. The Administration proposes that Interior and the Forest Service be able to access a discretionary disaster cap adjustment after the amount spent on fire suppression exceeds 70 percent of the 10-year average. This is mirrored in the proposed bi-partisan Wildfire Disaster Funding Act (WDFA) which is budget neutral and also has broad stakeholder support. This approach allows the agencies to invest additional resources in forest and rangeland restoration and management. In the case of the Forest Service, it would increase acres treated by 1 million acres annually and increase timber outputs by 300 million board feet annually. For Interior, it would increase the number of acres treated annually by 500,000 acres and help protect public lands such as the sage steppe ecosystem. #

TOXICOLOGY AND SNOW STORMS

TOXICOLOGY AND SNOW STORMS No snow in itself is relatively nontoxic however we often have toxic effects of livestock as the result of snow storms. The reason is cattle eat what is sticking out of the snow and is available. The taller plants that are out there in a snow storm are the ones that have not been grazed. These plants tend plants of low palatability, lower nutritional value or have toxic substances which discourage grazing. In Eddy County the plant that concerns me the most are Shinnery oak, Mesquite bean, Rayless goldenrod, and broom snake weed. These are all plants that stick up through snow and are available. Shinnery oak is found mostly on the east side of the county in sandy range sites. It is most toxic in a 30 day period in the spring when the buds are formed and leaves are immature. Freezing of young Shinnery oak leaves causes an increase the toxin content in the leaf. The plant has some toxins all year around so in the winter there is toxic content in the leaves as well the stems but is lower than when actively growing. It is toxic to all livestock. All oaks contain tannic acid and most likely other toxins. The toxicity is low and losses usually occur only when oak is eaten almost exclusively, such as in drought or heavy snows cover other forage. Feed exclusively on oak cause impaction of the rumen, constipation, which is exasperated when water is not available and snow is the source of water. Cattle pass small amounts of hard brownish black pelleted feces that later changes to diarrhea contain blood and mucous. Prevention is the only alternative there is no cure. Insuring other forage is best. Supplemental feeding of 3 pounds per head per day with alfalfa hay if forage is scarce or covered with snow. A high protein feed that containing hydrated lime can prevent or minimize tannic acid poisoning but cannot cure it. Mesquite like Shinnery is only a problem when it is feed upon almost exclusively. The mesquite bean is a high protein sources but complication occur with impacted rumen. It appears to also contain substances that make it addictive to cattle. Cattle forced upon mesquite bean due to snow will feed exclusively upon even when other forage becomes available. Unfortunately cattle will gain weight immediately after feeding on beans but can months after the bean have been consumed the rumen quits working they become gaunt and emaciation. Carcasses are found with a ball of beans in the rumen. Adding soap to the diet helps prevent this. Rayless Goldenrod, alkali weed, jimmyweed, is similar in that it is a wood half shrub that is 1 to 3 feet tall or so. All parts of the plant are toxic and it is toxic all year around. All classes of livestock are subject to poisoning. When a sub-acute dosage is consumed cow, mare or ewe the toxin is passed to the offspring through the milk. The offspring may die before the mother because of dosage to weight ratio. Animal have to feed on 1.5% of their body weight for a 2 to 3 week period. The toxic substance is an alcohol called tremetol. The disease is called trembles because the muscular trembling or twitching after exercise. This trembling is particular around lips, nose, withers or hips. The animal will stand humped up almost like hardware disease, and have a stiff gate. Eventual the animal will not want to move and be unable to rise. There is no cure but your veterinarian may be able to administer treatment which will help. The animal should not be moved but can be feed and watered in place until the tremetol is metabolized. Once it is metabolized the animal can resume normal activity and productivity. Broom Snake weed is similar to Rayless Goldenrod, in that it is a half shrub that is 1 to 2 feet tall, all parts are toxic and it is toxic all year around. However it is often not fatal, but it can be if prolonged forging occurs. The major issue is it induces abortion in livestock. As little as 20 pounds consumed in a week will cause cows to abort as well as retain placenta.100 to 200 pounds consumed in a two week period will cause death to a 1000 pound cow. So cows that were settled will start cycling again after a few months of eating a subacute dosage. Unfortunately when snow cover up many of the shorter, more desirable species of forage, leaving only the taller plants available to livestock is when toxic plants are consumed. Under these conditions, livestock can only be moved to pastures that have fewer toxic plants or fed hay. I hope that we are fortunate this year in that we had a lot of tall grass from adequate moister this past summer. This information can be found in "Livestock-Poisoning Plants of New Mexico Reangelands, by Dr. Chris Allison NMSU CES circulare 531. Subscribe to Eddy County Ag news at: http://nmsueddyag.blogspot.com/ Eddy County Extension Service, New Mexico State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and educator. All programs are available to everyone regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. New Mexico State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Eddy County Government Cooperating.

· ROSWELL: Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 11:30 a.m. at the Chaves County Extension Office

This week, New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture Jeff Witte will talk with dairy farmers, beef cattle ranchers, and other agricultural producers affected by the recent record snowstorm in southeastern New Mexico. State’s top agriculture official to visit southeastern New Mexico following record snowstorm Agricultural impacts still being measured as dairy farmers, ranchers focus on animal care (LAS CRUCES, N.M.) – New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture Jeff Witte will visit southeastern New Mexico this week to talk with dairy farmers and beef cattle ranchers impacted by the record snowstorm that hit the region late last month. Witte will join officials from New Mexico’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) – state executive director Molly Manzanares and program specialist Emaleta Mooney – at two informational meetings organized by Dairy Producers of New Mexico (DPNM). The purpose of the meetings is to discuss disaster programs with dairy farmers, as well as ranchers and other affected agricultural producers: ROSWELL: Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 11:30 a.m. at the Chaves County Extension Office at 200 E. Chisum St., Ste. 4 · CLOVIS: Thursday, Jan. 7 at 11:30 a.m. at the Clovis Civic Center at 801 Schepps Blvd. Witte and other leaders within New Mexico’s agricultural community are still urging those who suffered livestock or other agricultural losses in the storm to contact their county FSA office to notify that agency of losses. “That will allow these farmers and ranchers to start the process of accessing federal programs that could help cover some of their livestock losses if they’re eligible,” Witte said. Witte and his staff continue to coordinate with a variety of entities, including: · DPNM, New Mexico Cattle Growers Association (NMCGA), and New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau · The New Mexico Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management and the New Mexico Department of Transportation · USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) · County extension agents, whose work for the Cooperative Extension Service is to share agricultural information in their counties Meanwhile, dairy farmers and beef cattle ranchers are still recovering from last week’s storm. The health of their animals is their primary focus. Dairy farmers are milking their cows and shipping that milk to processing facilities where it is pasteurized and packaged in jugs or cartons, or turned into value-added products like cheese and yogurt. Ranchers are now better able to access the far reaches of their ranches. They are getting feed to their cattle to supplement their grazing, and breaking the ice that forms in water troughs so their animals have water to drink. Aside from herd health, longer-term concerns for dairy farmers and beef cattle ranchers include rebuilding their herds, as well repairing barns and other agricultural buildings that were damaged by the storm’s heavy snows and high winds. Dubbed in media reports as Goliath, the record snowstorm was not without a silver lining for New Mexico agriculture: wet snow likely benefitted cold-season crops such as winter wheat, which is grown in the state’s eastern counties. ###

State’s top agriculture official to visit southeastern New Mexico following record snowstorm

State’s top agriculture official to visit southeastern New Mexico following record snowstorm Agricultural impacts still being measured as dairy farmers, ranchers focus on animal care (LAS CRUCES, N.M.) – New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture Jeff Witte will visit southeastern New Mexico this week to talk with dairy farmers and beef cattle ranchers impacted by the record snowstorm that hit the region late last month. Witte will join officials from New Mexico’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) – state executive director Molly Manzanares and program specialist Emaleta Mooney – at two informational meetings organized by Dairy Producers of New Mexico (DPNM). The purpose of the meetings is to discuss disaster programs with dairy farmers, as well as ranchers and other affected agricultural producers: • ROSWELL: Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 11:30 a.m. at the Chaves County Extension Office at 200 E. Chisum St., Ste. 4 • CLOVIS: Thursday, Jan. 7 at 11:30 a.m. at the Clovis Civic Center at 801 Schepps Blvd. Witte and other leaders within New Mexico’s agricultural community are still urging those who suffered livestock or other agricultural losses in the storm to contact their county FSA office to notify that agency of losses. “That will allow these farmers and ranchers to start the process of accessing federal programs that could help cover some of their livestock losses if they’re eligible,” Witte said. Witte and his staff continue to coordinate with a variety of entities, including: • DPNM, New Mexico Cattle Growers Association (NMCGA), and New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau • The New Mexico Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management and the New Mexico Department of Transportation • USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) • County extension agents, whose work for the Cooperative Extension Service is to share agricultural information in their counties Meanwhile, dairy farmers and beef cattle ranchers are still recovering from last week’s storm. The health of their animals is their primary focus. Dairy farmers are milking their cows and shipping that milk to processing facilities where it is pasteurized and packaged in jugs or cartons, or turned into value-added products like cheese and yogurt. Ranchers are now better able to access the far reaches of their ranches. They are getting feed to their cattle to supplement their grazing, and breaking the ice that forms in water troughs so their animals have water to drink. Aside from herd health, longer-term concerns for dairy farmers and beef cattle ranchers include rebuilding their herds, as well repairing barns and other agricultural buildings that were damaged by the storm’s heavy snows and high winds. Dubbed in media reports as Goliath, the record snowstorm was not without a silver lining for New Mexico agriculture: wet snow likely benefitted cold-season crops such as winter wheat, which is grown in the state’s eastern counties. ### Confidentiality Notice: New Mexico has a very broad public records law. Most written communications to or from state employees are public records. Your e-mail communications may therefore be subject to public disclosure. This e-mail, including all attachments is for the sole use of the intended recipients. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited unless specifically provided under the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act. Confidentiality Notice: New Mexico has a very broad public records law. Most written communications to or from state employees are public records. Your e-mail communications may therefore be subject to public disclosure. This e-mail, including all attachments is for the sole use of the intended recipients. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited unless specifically provided under the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act.

Mud

Now that we have increasing warm weather we will be dealing with the mud. Most of you know this but it may be easier and less damaging to roads if you get out early in the morning or late when it is frozen. I have been stuck in the mud and Dad put us in the cab of the truck with blanket to sleep until it got cold and less liquid to get out and move around.

After The Storm

After The Storm December 31, 2015 It’s not a matter of if an impactful blizzard will hit certain regions of the country, it’s just a matter of when. Developments in meteorology have allowed producers to prepare for such storms well in advance. The more challenging impacts, however, typically don’t occur until the storm has passed. A combination of nutrition and health practices can help mitigate death loss and illness. Nutrition: Water. Water is a critical nutrient that must be available for health. Livestock will eat snow, but this should not be considered an adequate source to get them through a storm. Logistics can make it very difficult to keep water clear during severe cold snaps. Solar water heaters or temporary confinement to smaller more manageable pastures can help producers better manage water. Additionally, health can be monitored more closely. Supplemental Feed Long stem hay is the desired option for supplemental feed during a storm event. Higher fiber feeds generate more internal body heat for the animal. Long stem hay in particular also allows for good digestive health. Hay quality should be considered. If quality is suspect; with protein levels below 8% crude protein, additional protein should be provided. Health The biggest challenge producers will face after a major storm is animal health. If animals were exposed to high winds and blowing snow, there is a good chance they inhaled a fair amount of snow. They may survive the storm, but their risk of developing pneumonia is high. The decision then becomes how to manage sickness. There are two basic options. First, would be to closely monitor the cattle and treat as needed. Or, mass treat all high risk animals (young calves, older cows and bulls, or wheat pasture cattle (cattle with no weather protection)) with a long acting antibiotic. The benefit of mass treatment is to not only provide protection against respiratory issues, but the practice may also help assist heal any infections developed due to frost bite, foot rot, or pink eye. Producers should consult their veterinarian on product use before making that health management decision. Additionally, records should be taken as to medication and withdrawal dates at the time of administration. Bulls and cows should be evaluated before breeding in the spring. Severe frost bite of the testicles can impair fertility in the bull. In the cow, if she suffers frost bite of the bag, she could experience reduced milk production or have an increased risk of mastitis. Prevention is always best. If cattle are dry, they can withstand very low temperatures. Wind exposure and dampness, however, will increase their stress and risk for sickness. Windbreaks or shelters should be considered in regions where blizzards are common. The windbreaks man be more desirable than shelters in some cases, as cattle will not over crowd or trample young calves. Marcy Ward, PhD NMSU Livestock Specialist

Weather up date.

Snow tip: Spray your Shovel with Pam cooking spray to keep it from sticking to it. This also works on horses feet to keep from balling up in the shoe.I have been told that it works on the iner fenders on feed truck too. Three storms over next 8-9 days. Monday Tuesday may bring snow to Eddy County.