Gus' View...

Winter sticking around as blizzards blanket Northeast

The variability of the weather cycles has caught up with us in the form of the heavy snowfall we experienced in February in West Virginia and the Northeast. In early February, I was in Washington, D.C., attending the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Midyear Legislative meeting when the city was paralyzed by a blizzard. Travel came to a halt. Snow removal on sidewalks was low priority at the time, so people were walking in the streets where snowplows were trying to work. City officials had to put the snow in parking lots and when the lots became full, the snow was trucked and dumped in the Chesapeake Bay.

As you can imagine, there was heavy use of snow melting chemicals which no doubt included the granular form of nitrates. These chemicals work remarkably well for melting snow at cold temperatures, and are widely used on airport runways and highways. I wonder where the balance is between adding nutrients directly to the Bay and getting commerce moving again. I maintain that if you removed all agriculture and livestock nutrient loading in the Bay watershed, there would still be high levels of nutrients and nitrates in the waters due to other sources. We either have to find substitutes for these necessary chemicals, or tolerate deterioration of the waters in order to satisfy the needs of the millions of people living in the Chesapeake Bay area. Full story (pages 1 and 2)

Also on pages 2 and 7 . . .

WVDA to Sponsor West Virginia Horse Expo

According to the West Virginia Horse Industry Economic Impact Study done by the West Virginia University Extension Service, the West Virginia horse industry is a $500 million dollar industry. The study indicates that there are over 50,000 horses in the State. Until now, West Virginia horse enthusiasts had to travel out of state to attend an expo that would allow them to network with other horse enthusiasts, see the latest in equine products, and promote their farms, horses and horse-related products and services. Full story (pages 2 and 7)

Ten-year study reveals good water quality in most Eastern Panhandle streams
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture’s (WVDA) “Potomac Headwaters Water Quality Report” shows that water quality in the state’s Eastern Panhandle is in good condition overall, and has been relatively stable over the past 10 years.

The report was compiled from more than 25,000 water samples gathered from ten sub-watersheds between July 1998 and June 2008 and documented levels of nutrients, sediment and fecal coliform. An abbreviated version of the report is available at www.wvagriculture.org. Full story (page 2)

WVDA Offers No Cost Lime Sampling

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture’s (WVDA) Regulatory and Environmental Affairs Division (READ) wants the consumers in W.Va. to know they have an opportunity for free testing of lime, fertilizer, or seed products purchased in the state. The WVDA wants to ensure the consumers are purchasing a quality product that meets their needs and the label guarantee. Full story (page 7)

On page 3 . . .

Evans Poultry Recognized for Environmental Excellence

Evans Poultry of Dorcas, W.Va., was one of five farms across the United States to receive the Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award during the 2010 International Poultry Expo held recently in Atlanta. The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, based in Tucker, Ga., sponsors the annual awards in recognition of exemplary environmental stewardship by family farmers engaged in poultry and egg production.

Evans Poultry is owned and operated by Allen and Beverly Evans. They started in 1972 with five acres and built their first chicken house in 1977. They eventually built five more houses, raising broiler chickens, and now own 800 acres with forage, row crops and cattle.
Full story and photo (page 3)

Genetic Testing for Scrapie and Avian Influenza Testing for Backyard Poultry

With lambing season coming up, West Virginia sheep producers are again encouraged to have their ram lambs and breeding ewes tested for a genetic susceptibility to an illness called Scrapie. The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) is offering the service free of charge as part of a national program aimed at eradicating Scrapie. The long-term goal of the program is the nationwide eradication of Scrapie, which annually causes significant loss of production in infected flocks and limits export marketing.
Full story and photos (page 3)

On page 4 . . .

WHAT'S COOKIN' . . . The Incredible Edible Egg
By Jean Smith, Director, Marketing and Developement Division

Eggs are often considered to be nature’s perfect food. They are high in nutrients and high-quality protein, yet low in calories. One large egg has 70 calories and provides 13 essential nutrients. Cost wise, one egg in most locations, is around 14 cents per egg, which makes it very economical.

Eggs need to be stored under refrigeration prior to use and can also be frozen quite easily. Simply remove eggs from shell and place one egg in each portion cup of an ice cube tray and freeze until frozen solid. Remove frozen eggs from ice cube tray and place in a freezer bag or container and return to freezer. To use, remove desired number of eggs from freezer, thaw and cook.

I hope that this month’s egg recipes from the American Egg Board’s collection will become family favorites. – Happy Cooking! Full recipes (page 4)

Garden Calendarl (page 4)

On page 11 . . .

FFA Winter Leadership Conference Sets New Attendance Record

The 2010 FFA Winter Leadership Conference unveiled a new format for members – a split conference to accommodate more FFA members. This format allowed for a total of 475 members and guests to be on site for both conferences during the weekend of January 22-24. Full Story and photo (page 11)

On page 12 . . .

Hints of Spring but there is still time to plan
By Tom McConnell, Director, West Virginia Small Farm Center of the WVU Extension Service

During winter, many of us wait to see those little milestones that reassure us that spring is coming. One of mine is the posting of the Spring Cattle Sale schedule.

As the spring cattle marketing season approaches, buyers and sellers begin to ponder price. There are two questions this time of the year. Back grounders ask: “Will my cattle make me any money?” and farmers who turn out cattle wonder, “Will I have to pay so much for my turn-out cattle that I won’t turn a profit.” Each of us has learned that there is plenty of risk in agriculture, especially price risk. Those of us who sold feeder calves this past fall would have benefitted from a Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) policy as we watched the price slowly melt away from our original expectations. Full story (page 12)