Why Our Nation is Different

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.

Erma Bombeck

Have a Happy and Safe Independence Day!!!

Max Armstrong Joins Farm Progress as Director of Broadcasting

Max Armstrong Joins Farm Progress as Director of Broadcasting

WGN

Farm Progress announced today that veteran agriculture broadcaster Max Armstrong will join the company as the Director of Broadcasting effective July 6, 2009. Armstrong will oversee Farm Progress’ recent addition of a new broadcast business unit providing radio, television and enhanced web programming for the agricultural market.

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Obama’s regulatory pick blocked over animal lawsuits

Obama’s regulatory pick blocked over animal lawsuits

Drovers

Several farm groups have raised concerns over President Obama’s candidate for regulation czar, Harvard law professor Cass Sunstein, because Sunstein has argued that animals should have the right to sue humans in court.

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New Osteopetrosis Test for Pfizer Animal Genetics

New Osteopetrosis Test for Pfizer Animal Genetics

Pfizer Animal Genetics is now offering a diagnostic test for the genetic defect Osteopetrosis (OS).

"Our team understands the importance of a validated OS test made simple for Red Angus breeders through a convenient sample submission process," says Nigel Evans, Vice President of Pfizer Animal Genetics, a business unit of Pfizer Animal Health. "Collaborating with industry partners has allowed us to offer the OS-defect test to help producers make critical breeding and management decisions relating to suspect animals."

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PETA wants Wisconsin to be: ‘America’s Cow Hell’

Wisconsin: ‘America’s Cow Hell’

PETA

Many vegan Wisconsinites cringe at the sight of "Green Bay Cheeseheads"—not to mention their state’s standard license plate, which reads, "America’s Dairyland," and features an image of a quaint farm.

Caring drivers in Wisconsin deserve a compassionate alternative to "pro-provolone" plates, so PETA wrote a letter to Governor Jim Doyle pointing out that people who are concerned about cruelty on dairy farms should be offered a license plate that reads, "Wisconsin: America’s Cow Hell," and comes complete with a realistic image of distressed, sick cows crammed together on a filthy factory farm.

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Q&A: Should calves be weaned earlier on first-calf-females?

Q&A:   Should calves be weaned earlier on first-calf-females?

Dr. Rick Rasby, Professor of Animal Science, University of Nebraska

A:   Good question. The answer I think is – it depends. If first-calf females have access to an abundant amount of forage and appear to be in adequate body condition, then weaning calves from this group of females ahead of the time that you would wean calves from the rest of the herd is likely not necessary.

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New vaccine keeps E. coli inside cows

New vaccine keeps E. coli inside cows

Stacy Finz

San Francisco Chronicle

While storekeepers were frantically pulling E. coli-tainted cookie dough and beef from their shelves last month, scientists rolled out the country’s first cattle vaccine to snuff out the potentially deadly bacteria.

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TB has ranchers on edge

TB has ranchers on edge 

The Grant Tribune Sentinel

Two positive tests for tuberculosis in one of the most productive ranching regions in the country are nothing to fret about, Monte Strelow claims.

But the tears that well up in the burly 45-year-old rancher’s eyes while children play under the wraparound porch of his home southeast of here tell a different story.

“This land has been in the family for 125 years,’’ Strelow said.

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All American Beef Battalion to Honor Kansas National Guardsmen

All American Beef Battalion to Honor Kansas National Guardsmen 

WIBW

Soldiers and families of the Kansas National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery will be honored with a steak feed cookout on Friday, July 3, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. The cookout is being sponsored by the All American Beef Battalion and will be held at the Salina Armory, 2910 Arnold Ave, Salina.

“We appreciate what the All American Beef Battalion is doing for our battalion and our families as we prepare to deploy,” said Lt. Col. John Rueger, commander of the 2-130th FA. “Knowing we have the support of organizations like this and from all Kansans will help us throughout our deployment.”

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Cattle losses amid ND floods, snow could hit $30M

Cattle losses amid ND floods, snow could hit $30M

JAMES MacPHERSON

WDAY

North Dakota ranchers suffered an estimated $30 million loss when cattle died amid spring flooding and late-winter blizzards, a state agriculture official said Wednesday.

Officials estimated that flooding in March and April that followed the late-season blizzards killed about 90,000 cattle in the state, including about 72,000 calves. Ranchers should see their federal disaster aid payments beginning in mid-July, Agriculture Department Undersecretary Jim Miller said during a meeting with representatives of farmer and rancher groups.

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Feeding America the natural way

Feeding America the natural way

Blur Ridge Now

Three Arrows offers consumers alternative type of grass-fed beef

The company’s logo is orange, representing heritage and one man’s desire to preserve his family cattle farm by selling natural beef.

Wells Shealy, 23, grew up on the family’s land in Flat Rock. He remembers running through the pasture and being harassed by the cattle. After graduating from the University of Tennessee with a degree in animal science, Shealy came home and took over the cattle operation two years ago.

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Small US Slaughterhouses Continue to Decline

Small US Slaughterhouses Continue to Decline

Thebeefsite.com

A new report issued today by Food & Water Watch examines how the slow demise of local small slaughter and processing operations in the United States is preventing farmers and ranchers from fully satisfying rising consumer demand for meat from sustainably raised livestock.

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Sioux Falls Stockyards holds final cattle sale

Sioux Falls Stockyards holds final cattle sale

The Cattle Business Weekly

The Sioux Falls Stockyards has held its final cattle sale after 92 years of business. The stockyards is ending cattle auctions in part because of its inability to comply with city wastewater rules.

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What Size Fits “Best”

What Size Fits “Best”

Dr. Rick Rasby, Professor of Animal Science, Animal Science, University of Nebraska

With high input costs, cattle producers continually refine and evaluate how resources are being allocated. Because feed cost make up the largest portion of annual cow costs, they look to attack feed cost to make their livestock enterprise competitive. As producers re-evaluate feed inputs, revisiting items that drive nutrient needs of beef cows is a good first step.

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Summer Pneumonia In Calves

Summer Pneumonia In Calves

cattlenetwork.com

One of the most frustrating things that can happen to a cow/calf producer is to have a set of healthy growing calves start developing pneumonia during mid-summer while the calves are still nursing the cow. With some operations, this is an annual event, while with others it only happens sporadically. Summer time pneumonia generally happens when the passive immunity (antibodies) from the dam’s colostrum naturally diminishes, and the calf’s own immune system has not had any exposure to the viruses or bacteria that usually cause this pneumonia that would result in production of active immunity.

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Audio Feature: AgriTalk interview with HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle

Audio Feature: AgriTalk interview with HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle

AGRITALK

Listen to Interview

Auction barn owner arrested for alleged cattle theft

Auction barn owner arrested for alleged cattle theft

Cattle Business Weekly

A 52-year-old Pierz, Minnesota man has been charged with Aggravated Grand Theft after almost 200 head of cattle were stolen from a Watertown, South Dakota auction barn earlier this year. Joe Varner was arrested Tuesday, June 23, 2009 and taken to the Ottertail County, Minnesota Detention Center. Varner was released after posting $100,000 bond.

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Baxter Black: Independence Day, The Promise of Hope

Baxter Black:  Independence Day, The Promise of Hope

July 4th. Independence Day in the United States of America; the more it changes, the more it stays the same. Our prosperity, armory diplomacy, generosity and faith in democracy is on display around the world as it has been for a hundred plus years. Iraq has stabilized but Afghanistan’s kettle still boils; every week the newspaper prints the names of soldiers who have given their lives. Sacrifice…all in the name of freedom.

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A Glimpse at the Future: 7 driving force

A Glimpse at the Future: 7 driving forces

The Cattle Business Weekly

By the year 2050, the world population, estimated to top 9 billion, will require twice as much food as today, and water demand will double – possibly stretching the "carrying capacity" of the planet. As a result of this, a second "Green Revolution" will be necessary to meet the needs of a burgeoning population, says Erik Peterson, senior vice President, Center for Strategic and International Studies.

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Researcher Looks at the Genetic Aspects of Marbling

Researcher Looks at the Genetic Aspects of Marbling

Cattle Today

Marbling drives value-based beef marketing. How to infuse enough of this quality-grade potential into herd genetics – or even how much is enough – has remained something of a mystery.

That’s partly because of the wide range of research results and advice, along with a segmented supply chain and erratic market signals.

Producers selecting for quality may already know marbling is “moderately to highly heritable,” averaging near 45 percent. Heritability is the part of the variance in an observed trait after allowing for environmental factors.

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