Video Feature: Oats, turnips, other small grains and annual ryegrass as a double crop.

Brad Shelton, Purdue extension educator, describes how to use alternative forages as a double crop

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What To Do With A Failed Corn Crop

What To Do With A Failed Corn Crop

cattlenetwork.com

Hot July weather and hit or miss (mostly miss) rainfall has put some corn fields in the Southern Plains in jeopardy.  Producers now ask: “what can I salvage from these fields to prevent a total loss?”

There are 3 common ways to try and salvage the forage from a failed corn crop – chop for silage, bail for hay, and grazing.  Each method has advantages and challenges that are somewhat unique.  Below are some of the issues you will need to address before going to the expense of harvesting or grazing.

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NCBA Testifies on Food Safety

NCBA Testifies on Food Safety

Thebeefsite.com

Dr Sam Ives, director of veterinary services and associate director of research at Cactus Feeders, Ltd., said NCBA members are committed to producing the safest and highest quality beef in the world, when he testified on behalf of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association at a House Agriculture Committee Hearing on food safety.

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Nebraska Cattlemen Urges USDA to Provide Tuberculosis Control Assistance

Nebraska Cattlemen Urges USDA to Provide Tuberculosis Control Assistance

Cattle Today

Nebraska Cattlemen joins Governor Dave Heineman and Nebraska Department of Agriculture Director Greg Ibach in thanking all five members of the Nebraska congressional delegation for the joint letter they sent to USDA requesting that indemnity funds be made available for depopulation of herds infected with tuberculosis.

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Hot, Dry Summers Can Be Hard On Agriculture

Hot, Dry Summers Can Be Hard On Agriculture

Brian Triplett

Tyler Morning Telegraph

I, for one, hope that summer hurries on by. We are only about one month into official ’summer’ and well into very hot, dry weather. According to the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton’s weather station, we finished the first six months of the year only about 0.67 inches ahead in total rainfall than we were at the end of June 2005 (a year of only 28.64 inches of total moisture that most of us would not like to relive). Some people may have received more rain than others, but by and large, hay harvests are looking down and pastures are showing signs of stress. We can’t do anything about the weather but pray, plan, and wait.

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Seven U.S. Cattle Operations Recognized for Outstanding Environmental Conservation Efforts

Seven U.S. Cattle Operations Recognized for Outstanding Environmental Conservation Efforts

PRWeb

Seven beef farms and ranches, representing a wide range of sizes and types of businesses, were selected as regional winners of the 2009 Environmental Stewardship Award. For almost two decades, the beef industry has recognized outstanding commitment and leadership in conservation.

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Do You Eat Too Much Meat?

Do You Eat Too Much Meat?

Kristie Leong M.D.

Associated Content

Editor’s note: Stories of this ilk are included in the blog to inform those in our industry how agriculture is being presented to and perceived by the public.

Do you eat too much meat? If you’re like most Americans, the answer is probably "yes" and it may be hurting your health. Many people don’t feel a meal is complete without an oversized piece of meat on their dinner plate. In this quest for animal protein, many people are paying in the form of clogged arteries and higher rates of cancer.

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NCBA Members Vote On Policies To Address Cattle Industry Challenges

NCBA Members Vote On Policies To Address Cattle Industry Challenges

cattlenetwork.com

Members of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) today approved a number of policy resolutions and directives to further critical industry priorities. The resolutions were passed by vote during the membership meeting at the culmination of the annual Cattle Industry Summer Conference.

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USDA Prime Beef: It’s What’s For Dinner

USDA Prime Beef: It’s What’s For Dinner

Shoppingblog.com

Steak lovers used to have to head to their favorite steak house to get those choice cuts of meat they they love so much. But now some of those prime cuts are becoming available at the local supermarkets, even Coscto.

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Beef Talk: Capturing value is the name of the beef game

Beef Talk: Capturing value is the name of the beef game

Kris Ringwall, North Dakota State University/INFORUM

How does one capture value? That is not an easy question to answer.

As a boy, I remember visits to the farm by some “big city cousins” who did not have the advantage of growing up on the farm. They wanted to help and one particular point that stands out was the feeding exercise.

I would hand them a 5-gallon bucket of feed to put in the troughs. Without fail, they would dump the entire bucket in one place.

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Agriprocessors buyer says old owners will be kept out

Agriprocessors buyer says old owners will be kept out

TONY LEYS

Des Moines Register

A Montreal businessman poised to buy the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant vowed Friday that the former owners would have no roles in ownership or in upper management.

Hershey Friedman said a few members of the Rubashkin family might continue to work at the Postville plant, but he said they would not be investors, and they would have no say in the plant’s direction. "They are not part of it, and they never will be part of it," he said.

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Challenge of Continuously Improving Food Safety

Challenge of Continuously Improving Food Safety

Thebeefsite.com

The meat and poultry industry has been working successfully to meet the challenge of continuously improving the safety of meat and poultry products, said AMI President and CEO J. Patrick Boyle, who testified before the House Committee on Agriculture.

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Drought affecting ranches across Central Texas

Drought affecting ranches across Central Texas

STEVE ALBERTS

KVUE News

No rain, no grazing and no grass.   These cattle are living on hay and tubs full of mineral and molasses.

“It forces them to eat dry grass,” said Bennie Bock.

Bennie Bock remembers the last time his ranch saw rain.

“March 20th, 2009,” he said.

 Bock has a cattle ranch south of Austin near Lockhart, is suffering from one of the worst droughts on record.

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Still Riding for the Brand

Still Riding for the Brand

Mary Openshaw

The Facts            

He may have a smaller herd and carry a cell phone, but a modern cowboy’s work is still a lot like it would have been 100 years ago.

“The fences get moved and the pastures start to shrink — I’ve watched a lot of the pastures we grew up having around here turned into subdivisions,” said Chance Gardner, a Santa Fe cowboy who was raised around cattle “since day one.”

“We still use horses and dogs to pen everything. It’s the same process — cows and calves are branded and vaccinated. To be honest with you, it’s not that much different than what it was.”

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Extension agent in Whitley retiring

Extension agent in Whitley retiring

Becky Manley

The Journal Gazette

State’s 1st female in post ‘opened a gate’

Frequently flashing the smile that likely helped her win pageant titles, Val Slack deftly fielded competitors’ questions at a recent Whitley County swine evaluation show.

Behind the sweet smile lies a determined woman who helped open doors for women seeking careers as county extension agents.

Slack, 55, who was Indiana’s first female county extension agent, will retire after the conclusion of the Whitley County Fair, which opens today.

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