March 12, 2013 • Page 11 Shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com ? CHALLENGES From Page 10 workers who have been schooled in one way of agriculture may have a significant impact on labor supply and the vitality of farming as a career. Younger adults who are knowledgeable in technology may no longer seek out agricultural careers. Decrease in farming as an occupation The United States Environmental Protection Agency says that only about 960,000 Americans claim farming as their principal occupation. As that figure has dwindled, the average age of farmers continues to rise, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that roughly 40 percent of the farmers in this country are 55 years old or older. This has led to concerns about the long-term health of family farms throughout the United States. Environmental concerns Many farmers have come under scrutiny for how farming impacts the environment. A growing emphasis on sustainability and conservation has led many people to protest certain farming practices. Protesters claim that certain practices, such as raising livestock, can pollute water, while the use of fertilizers and chemical pesticides is bad for the environment. Many farmers, however, have altered their methods to be more environmentally friendly and self-sustainable in the process. Climate change is another environmental issue farmers must deal with. Strong storms and severe droughts have made farming even more challenging. Financial fall-out The ongoing recession of the last half-decade has also affected farmers. In November of 2012, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that the unemployment rate within the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industries was at 13.6 percent, far higher than the national unemployment rate. As a result, Indexes to Guide Bull Buying Decisions Greater public awareness of agricultural challenges could help the industry in the future. many farm families have found themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place, as rising costs for equipment and technology are being coupled with decreasing profits and rising unemployment. Further complicating matters is competition from corporations and international food producers who have made it difficult for family farmers to turn a significant profit. Many family farmers rely on loans and lines of credit to survive, but thanks to changes in the financial sector that saw banks become less willing to extend lines of credit, some farmers are facing bankruptcy. Though it can be easy for those who do not work in the agricultural industry to overlook the struggles facing today's agricultural professionals, a greater understanding of those struggles and the challenges that lay ahead can benefit the industry and its employees down the road. www.missourivalleyshopper.com BROOKINGS, S.D. Today's cattle ranchers may experience information overload when trying to make genetic purchasing decisions. "There is an abundance of information available to ranchers to help make genetic decisions. The number of traits for which we have Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) has increased to include carcass traits as well as traits such as stayability and disposition. All that information doesn't make the selection task easy," said Warren Rusche, SDSU Extension Cow/Calf Field Specialist. "It can be a bit like picking your 20 favorite George Strait songs; some hard decisions need to be made." He adds that one challenge when using EPDs is balancing between different traits and what kind of trade-offs cattle producers can afford to make. "Perhaps there are two bulls you're considering; one offers excellent growth performance and acceptable carcass traits, the other just meets your target for growth but the bull's marbling EPD is exceptional. Traditional trait EPDs don't do a very Drivers & Owner Operators Wanted INTERESTEDto IN THISadSPOT? Call 665-5884 place your here. PREMIUM BEST TRANSPORT 1501 Wek Road Yankton, SD 57078 605-665-9202 Fax 605-665-0162 To l l - F r e e : ( 8 0 0 ) 3 5 9 - 4 0 8 4 Johnson Electric, LLP Gary Johnson • Chris Merkel Rick Merkel • Ben Merkel • Rural • Residential • Commercial • Electrical • Telephone • We Trench H20 Lines, Footing & Electric Lines • Our Bucket Truck Reaches 50’ PLUS • We Set Poles FAST COURTEOUS SERVICE 214 CAPITAL ST., YANKTON 665-5686 good job of telling us which one of these two bulls will be more profitable to own," he said. EPDs also don't address costs. "We all know that selecting for more growth and more maternal milk in the sires of our replacements can increase our weaning weights," Rusche said. Cattle producers also know that those higher producing cows require more nutrients - and that costs money. In this situation, Rusche says producers could use a tool that evaluates the value of the outputs and also considers input costs. Fortunately those kinds of tools are becoming more available in the form of selection indexes. Selection indexes, Rusche explains, use the trait EPDs in an economic model to put a dollar value on an individual bull. He refers to a graph and shares an example. "For example, the Angus Association publishes a Weaned Calf Value ($W) index that considers birth weight, weaning weight, maternal milk and mature cow weight," he said, referencing Table 1. ? INDEXES , Page 12