Input sought on proposed trapping rule changes

Input sought on proposed trapping rule changes

Albuquerque Journal
By Theresa Davis

Wildlife traps and snares on public lands in New Mexico continue to spark debate, and the public will have the chance to comment on proposed changes to the state’s trapping and furbearer rule this month. The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish will host four public meetings about the new rule, which could take effect in 2020...“Wildlife management has no room for politics, and clearly some of the state’s current politicians have their sights set on ending trapping,” Luke Houghton, associate director of state services for Sportsmen’s Alliance, said in a statement in September after the rule changes were proposed. The proposals are available online at wildlife.state.nm.us. Comments can be mailed to New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, Attn: Furbearer Rule Development, P.O. Box 25112, Santa Fe, NM, 87504; emailed to dgf-furbearer-rules@state.nm.us; or submitted in person at one of the public meetings.

Trapping rule public meetings
Roswell: Oct. 23 at the Department of Game and Fish office, 1615 West College Blvd.
Las Cruces: Oct. 24 at the Department of Game and Fish office, 2715 Northrise Drive
Albuquerque: Oct. 30 at the Department of Game and Fish office, 7816 Alamo Road NW
All meetings from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

USDA Extends Deadline for Producers to Enroll in Conservation Stewardship Program Grassland Conservation Initiative

USDA Extends Deadline for Producers to Enroll in Conservation Stewardship Program Grassland Conservation Initiative

WASHINGTON, October 23, 2019 – USDA is extending the deadline to November 8, 2019, for eligible agriculture producers to enroll in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) Grassland Conservation Initiative, which was created by the 2018 Farm Bill. The original deadline was October 25, 2019. This program is available to producers with base acreage that has been in grass or grasslands over a nine-year period, rather than planted with commodity crops. 

Eligible producers received letters from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) earlier this year, which included information on how to apply through field offices of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

When enrolling in the CSP Grassland Conservation Initiative, producers must meet or exceed the stewardship threshold for one priority resource concern by the end of their five-year contract. Producers receive $18 per acre per year for the next five years.

This initiative has different rules than the rest of CSP and is administered separately. Eligible producers who apply are accepted into the initiative. There is no ranking period, and CSP payment limitations do not apply.  

Eligible operations have base acres, which are lands where producers have historically grown commodity crops, where crops have not been grown from January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2017, and the land has returned to grass or grasslands. Formerly, these producers would have been available for assistance through the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs administered by FSA. Now, this assistance is made available through the CSP Grassland Conservation Initiative.

For more information, contact your local NRCS field office.

Cattle Growers to Sponsor Speech Contest for New Mexico Students

Cattle Growers to Sponsor Speech Contest for New Mexico Students

Students across New Mexico in grades K-12 are invited to compete in a speech contest sponsored by the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association (NMCGA).  Entries must be received in the NMCGA office by midnight on December 1, 2019, and must include the written speech, a video of the speech, and an entry form.  Speeches must be written in English.

“We know that our young people are some of the industry’s best advocates, and we want to give them an opportunity to utilize their knowledge and experience in this contest,” said Tom Sidwell, NMCGA President, Quay.  “We encourage them to describe how New Mexico agriculture impacts their daily life, and how agriculture will feed the world’s growing population while maintaining and enhancing our soils.”

The topic for this year’s contest is “Beef Production : How does it contribute to healthy soils?”   Contestants must compose an original speech with limited guidance from adults, teachers or agricultural industry professionals. Interviews with industry professionals are acceptable research; input beyond research is unacceptable.  Students will compete in three age groups.  Students in kindergarten through 5^th grade will compete in the Youth division and must submit a 2 to 3-minute speech for the competition.  The Novice division, made up of students in grades 6 through 8, must submit a three to five-minute speech, and in the Senior division, made up of grades 9 – 12, speeches can be between three and eight minutes long.  Entries will be judged on logical interpretation of the subject and adherence to the topic; originality; innovation and creativity; and visual esthetics.

Awards will be given in each age division.  The first place winners will receive $500 and an invitation to the NMCGA’s Joint Stockmen’s Convention in December and Mid-Year meeting in June to be recognized.  Second place will receive $300 and 3^rd place will receive $200.

Entries must be received by midnight on December 1, 2019 and should be sent to the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, P.O. Box 7517, Albuquerque, NM 87194.  For entry forms or more information, contact the NMCGA office at 505-247-0584 or via email at nmwgi@nmagriculture.org.

The NMCGA has represented the ranchers in New Mexico and the West since 1914 and has members in all 33 of the state’s counties as well as some 19 other states. The Association participates in venues necessary to protect beef producers and private property rights including litigation, state and federal legislation and regulatory affairs.  For more information, or to join the NMCGA online, please visit www.nmagriculture.org.