Verdict in hands of jurors

Verdict in hands of jurors

Unanimous decision required in case involving disputed pricing
By Scott Waltman
Aberdeen American News Writer

An eight-person jury will reconvene this morning to decide whether the nation’s largest meat packers broke a federal law.

In a lawsuit filed two and a half years ago, three cattle producers allege that the packers knowingly used erroneous U.S. Department of Agriculture price reports to pay less for livestock than they would have had the reports been correct. That would be a violation of the Packers and Stockyards Act.

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The roots of noxious weeds

The roots of noxious weeds

Summit County Weed Program agronomist Bill Carter sprays a combination of Redeem and Escort (a chemical cocktail which only attacks broad leaf plants) from his tractor on Wildflower Lane in Frisco earlier last summer.

BY BOB BERWYN
Summit daily news
April 11, 2006

COLORADO SPRINGS – In the bad old days, the post office featured most-wanted pictures of horse thieves and cattle rustlers. But this is the new West, and images of scruffy outlaws have been replaced by posters of a new public menace – invasive weeds that threaten the ecological well-being of the land.

But how serious is that threat, and what is the best way to address it?

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Animal ID system to be in place by 2009

Animal ID system to be in place by 2009

LIBBY QUAID
Toronto Globe and Mail
Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Authorities in the United States trying to limit disease outbreaks will be able to trace livestock movements from birth to slaughter by 2009, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said.

The goal is to pinpoint a single animal’s movements among the nation’s 9 billion cows, pigs and chickens within 48 hours after a disease is discovered.

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April 18 field day to address ‘critical issues for cattlemen’

April 18 field day to address ‘critical issues for cattlemen’

Deltafarmpress.com
Apr 10, 2006 5:22 PM

BATESVILLE, Ark .— “Researching Critical Issues for Arkansas Cattlemen” will be the theme of an April 18 field day and conference at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s Livestock and Forestry Branch Station near Batesville.

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China vows to lift beef ban, get tough about copyrights

China vows to lift beef ban, get tough about copyrights

By Martin Crutsinger

St. Louis Today / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
04/12/2006

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration, seeking to shrink a soaring trade deficit with China, won agreements Tuesday that the Chinese government will lift a ban on American beef, crack down on copyright piracy and move toward opening up its government bidding process to American firms.

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NEW: High court to hear livestock zoning case

NEW: High court to hear livestock zoning case

By JOE KAFKA, Associated Press Writer
The Rapid City Journal

PIERRE — Petition campaigns cannot force county officials to revise zoning laws and then put those changes on the ballot for public votes, the state Supreme Court will be told later this month in a lawsuit over livestock farming.

John Knight, Deuel County deputy state’s attorney, will argue that Circuit Judge Ronald Roehr made a mistake last year when he ruled in favor of petitions seeking to enlarge buffer zones around concentrated animal feeding operations.

The petition drive also seeks to change county zoning law so legislative decisions of the county board can be ushered to the ballot for a public vote, Knight said. Doing so would violate a state law governing county changes in comprehensive development plans, he said.

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Flexible Synchronization Fits

Flexible Synchronization Fits

Story & photos by Becky Mills
Angus Journal

Eddie Bradley has one hard-and-fast rule for his artificial insemination (AI) program — AI is not just an option. He states, “If I had to quit AI breeding, I’d quit altogether.”

The Hiawassee, Ga., producer makes full use of the semen tank for his 20 registered cows and his 70-cow commercial herd. “I can use bulls I can’t afford to buy, I can breed a lot of cattle in a hurry, and the AI-sired calves are worth a whole lot more,” he explains.

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Move over, dairy: Beef is on the rise

Move over, dairy: Beef is on the rise

Monday, April 10, 2006 –
Bangor Daily News

CHARLESTON – When Barry Higgins looks south from his kitchen window, he sees the past: a barn full of dairy cows. Four generations have farmed at Maple Lane Farms, high on a hill on the Charleston Road.

But when he looks north, Higgins sees the future: a brand new slaughter facility that he hopes will capture the growing market for local, natural beef and help propel Maine’s subtle shift toward becoming a beef state.

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