Loose Ends

Chad A. Coburn will become the new Sterling County Extension agent effective May 1.

Since 1996, Coburn has been the Assistant County Extension Agent and 4-H Coordinator for Runnels County. The agent earned M.S. and B.S. degrees in Animal Science from Angelo State University. While attending ASU, he was an animal science teaching assistant and coach of the university’s winning wool judging team. Under his leadership, the school took national champion wool judging honors in 1995.

Coburn is married to the former Traci McGehee of San Saba. She is an elementary school special education teacher.

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Beef’s nutrition will take center stage in Texas this spring, thanks to a three-way partnership among the Texas Beef Council, the Texas Dietetic Association, and H.E.B. Grocery Co. A colorful brochure called "Why Beef," that carries the TDA logo and the beef checkoff mark will contain key nutrition information. Dietitians and women at health events will receive 50,000 copies; H.E.B. will distribute another 50,000 copies.

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On May 28, agriculture producers in Colorado can tune in on their own satellites or at a nearby county Extension office to a MEAT (Management, Education, Assistance and Training) program coordinated by the Colorado Cattle Feeders Association, addressing "best management practices" and proper use of nutrients of beef, pork and dairy manure.

The MEAT project, initiated by CCFA in 1996, is designed for non-point source confined animal feeding and farming operations in Colorado. The interactive satellite broadcast on May 28, 1-3 p.m. MDT will allow viewers to ask questions of the panel members either through a 1-800 number or via fax. The panel will consist of speakers from the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, the Colorado Department of Agriculture and a representative from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. There will also be a panel of agriculture producers from the cattle feeding, swine production, dairy and farming sectors.

Viewers may interact with the panel by calling (800) 566-2992, or by faxing questions to (970) 491-5920. To view the satellite program:

Satellite: TELSTAR 5 (97 degrees West Longitude); Transponder: K24 (27 Mhz Bandwidth); Downlink: 12124 Mhz(h); Polarity: horizontal.

The program will be available at 22 county Extension offices around the state. Information is available from local Colorado State University Cooperative Extension offices or the CCFA office at (303) 457-2232.

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More than 100,000 teachers with a potential reach of 5.2 million children requested checkoff-funded audio-visual kits and posters from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association during the 1996-97 school year. After using the materials, 80 percent of teachers had positive attitudes about beef, says NCBA.

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The Lampasas County Extension office is sponsoring a one-day seminar on May 1 to hone producers’ skills as cattle marketers.

"Fed Cattle Marketer Simulation" is a role-playing game involving participants in a simulation of the fed cattle market. Participants will get to put themselves in the shoes of feedlot managers and packer buyers.

The program will be held in the Lampasas County Farm Bureau Building. Registration is from 8:30 to 9 a.m. and the program will last until 4 p.m.

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The Texas Beef Council reports that checkoff-funded beef articles and beef recipe pages since Oct. 1, 1997, have appeared in more than 4800 newspapers and magazines nationwide with a combined circulation of nearly 700 million. This represents a two percent increase in placements over the same period the previous year.

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More than 10,000 persons in March answered the question of what’s for dinner by viewing easy-to-prepare beef recipes on the Texas Beef Council Internet web page (www.txbeef.org).

TBC launched its home page in January 1996 with funding from the $1 per head beef checkoff program. Its primary objective is to provide consumers with meal ideas and other facts about beef.

Since its eighth month of operation, the home page has averaged about 10,000 users monthly. Altogether, about 200,000 persons have visited TBC’s website.

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Even the eco-friendly Swedes think this may be carrying the "green" religion too far. The Competitive Enterprise Institute notes that "waste heat" from crematoriums in Sweden is being used to heat homes.

Said one crematorium official: "It’s environmentally friendly, and relatives can console themselves that the death of a loved one benefits the whole community!"

Everyday Swedes aren’t so sure, however. One critic countered that "no one wants Aunt Astrid heating up the living room."