Steve Cornett: What if Michelle and Pollan Get Their Way?

Steve Cornett:  What if Michelle and Pollan Get Their Way?

Just a reminder that what has always been may not always be. A quote from a Wall Street Journal editorial this morning:

    The Administration wants $10 billion to fund more nutritious school breakfasts and lunches, and here’s a modest proposal: Take the money out of U.S. farm subsidies that make unhealthy foods artificially cheap. Most of the excess calories in the American diet come in the form of highly processed starches, and Tufts University’s Timothy Wise estimates that since the 1996 farm bill corn and soybeans have been priced 23% and 15% below average production costs.

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Getting The Facts Straight On Antibiotics

Getting The Facts Straight On Antibiotics

Bovine Veterinarian

Yesterday, CBS News producers created a special report on the use of antibiotics in livestock production. The piece, reported by Evening News anchor Katie Couric, is not a factual representation of the scientific, safe and careful use of antibiotics in animal agriculture.

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BeefTalk: Genomics – And That Leads to a Better Beef Business

BeefTalk: Genomics – And That Leads to a Better Beef Business

Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist NDSU Extension Service

Today’s beef cattle are the result of selection processes that have been refined for centuries. Producers have developed a strong genetic base and are designing cattle to meet the production criteria needed to fit their individual environments.

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Recession still impacting beef

Recession still impacting beef

BEEF Magazine

Beef continues to be one of the most nutritious products U.S. consumers can buy in the grocery store. But the form that consumers buy it in can make a big difference to the U.S. cattle industry. John Lundeen, executive director of market research for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, talked about what the NCBA is doing to try to regain profitability for producers at the Cattle Industry Winter Meeting in San Antonio

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Creating higher value beef products

Creating higher value beef products

Gerard Hall

Country Wide

Quality feed is the answer for farmers keen on banking more dollars from cattle, according to an AgResearch scientist.

A keen proponent of beef cattle, AgResearch Invermay’s Jason Archer will float several options farmers might like to consider at the Woodland field day on February 24. Each of them has the potential to lift profit levels from beef.

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Alabama struggles with large animal vet shortage

Alabama struggles with large animal vet shortage

Montgomery Advertiser

It has been more than five years since Greenhill cattle farmer R.L. Behel has had a veterinarian treat one of his herd.

"Part of that is cost," he said. "Used to, I’d get one to come out and help with deworming and vaccination time. It’s not going to be cheap for me to have my vet come all the way here from Center Star or Loretto, (Tenn.). I don’t know that I can afford to do that anymore."

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Three-day grazing school to address increased challenges in beef production

Three-day grazing school to address increased challenges in beef production

Robert Burns

AgriLife News

Too little rain, too much rain, high fertilizer prices and a volatile cattle market – both inexperienced and the veteran beef producers will learn strategies to deal with all these scenarios at the Pasture and Livestock Management Workshop set March 30 – April 1, said a Texas AgriLife Research scientist.

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Begging the Checkoff Question

Begging the Checkoff Question

John Harrington

DTN

A survey of 1,200 beef and dairy producers nationwide was conducted in late December 2009 and early January 2010 by the independent firm Aspen Media & Market Research. Despite finding that 7 in 10 producers said the current economic recession had impacted their operations negatively, their approval of the beef checkoff increased from 68 percent in 2009 to 69 percent in 2010. While not a ‘significant shift,’ researchers noted the economic impact on producer support of the checkoff has been small.

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Beef College

Beef College

KXMB-TV Bismarck

The NDSU Extension Service is hosting it’s first Beef College.

The day long seminar informs producers about the latest research on grazing, nutrition, and weaning. At NDSU Kim Vonnahme is reseraching the postive effects of feeding a protein supplement to your cows during the last trimester of pregnancy.

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Demand will govern agriculture, expert says

Demand will govern agriculture, expert says

JO DEE BLACK

Great Falls Tribune

The story behind the forecast for Montana’s agriculture this year is pretty simple, says George Haynes, a professor and extension specialist in the Montana State University’s Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics.

"It’s about demand," he said. "We are worried about whether people are going to buy our products.

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The Beef Demand Dilemma

The Beef Demand Dilemma

Troy Marshall

BEEF Magazine

It can be argued, justifiably so, that as an industry we have no impact on the overall macroeconomics that are the biggest drivers of demand. Thus, our focus simply must be to build demand relative to the competing proteins.

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Kansas State University´s Cattlemen´s Day is set for March 5 in Manhattan.

Kansas State University´s Cattlemen´s Day is set for March 5 in Manhattan.

Southwest Farm Press

Michaels to speak on climate change and implications for agriculture

The day begins at 8 a.m. with a commercial trade show and educational exhibits in Weber Arena. The program starts at 10 a.m. with welcoming remarks by Ken Odde, head of K-State´s Department of Animal Sciences and Industry and K-State president, Kirk Schulz.

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Healthy Heifer – a unique heifer management program

Healthy Heifer – a unique heifer management program

Tri State Livestock News

For producers looking to increase the value of their replacement heifers while managing costs, there are many points to consider. Because heifers are so important to a beef cattle operation, it’s critical to follow proper protocols to take care of their nutritional needs while maximizing fertility and reproductivity.

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Zac Brown Responds To PETA Challenge

Zac Brown Responds To PETA Challenge

RTTNews

The Zac Brown Band have responded to an e-mail they received from People for Ethical Treatment of Animals. After being challenged by the animal rights group to remove the animal products from its pre-show menu, the "Chicken Fried" hit makers made no apologies for their eating habits.

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Chemicals in Food Can Make You Fat

Chemicals in Food Can Make You Fat

CBS News

It used to be that diets meant cutting down on the fat and calories, more exercise, more fish in the diet, more fruits and vegetables. That was a healthy diet 50 years ago.

Has human anatomy changed? No, but food has changed a lot. Foods that were healthy 50 years ago may not necessarily be healthy in 2010.

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