Baxter Black: Misery index rises quickly among cowboys

Baxter Black: Misery index rises quickly among cowboys

Amarillo Globe-News

Economists have a mythical figure called the misery index. It is the total of the unemployment rate added to the inflation rate.

Full Story

Safer beef, better prices?

Safer beef, better prices?

Jonathan Knutson

Agweek

Justin Brown says his company has an electronic system that can ensure the quality and safety of U.S. beef. He also says his business can improve the profits and protect the privacy of U.S. cattle producers.

Full Story

The Golden Age of Farming

The Golden Age of Farming

Elaine Kub

DTN

Its red leather bindings are covered in 104 years’ worth of farm dust, and from it I’ve learned that a mare named Kate produced a colt named Dexter on May 21, 1908, but the colt died soon thereafter. I’ve learned other things, too — that the price of barley in 1907 was $0.85 per bushel, and a circus ticket cost 50 cents.

Full Story

Livestock producers have risk management options

Livestock producers have risk management options

Ron Smith

Southwest Farm Press

Cattlemen and other livestock producers have several new risk management products available that will help with loss of production and declining prices.

Full Story

Progress on Johne’s Vaccine Continues

Progress on Johne’s Vaccine Continues

Beef Today

Research efforts to find a more effective Johne’s vaccine has now moved into Phase III, with five different vaccines being tested on goats at the University of Georgia.

Full Story

Be wary of dry, dusty conditions

Be wary of dry, dusty conditions

Dave Barz, DVM

Tri State Livestock News

What a harvest season! It is so dry the fields seem to spontaneously combust as they are harvested. The fire departments can hardly keep up. First 15 miles one direction to fight a fire; then another call 10 miles in the other direction. The dry conditions have really produced a dust problem.

Full Story

Beef Checkoff Sets Budget for 2012

Beef Checkoff Sets Budget for 2012

Cattle Today

The Cattlemen’s Beef Board will invest about $39.8 million, from a total budget of about $42.1 million, into programs of beef promotion, research, consumer information, industry information, foreign marketing and producer communications in Fiscal Year 2012, if the recommendation of the Beef Promotion Operating Committee is approved by USDA, following review by the full Beef Board.

Full Story

UPDATE: Federal dust legislation

UPDATE: Federal dust legislation

TSCRA

TSCRA sent an action alert to association members Thursday asking them to contact their senators and urge them to vote for the Johanns amendment to the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act. This amendment would have prevented the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating agricultural and other rural dust.

Full Story

As much of US swelters, here are 5 worst heat waves of past 30 years

As much of US swelters, here are 5 worst heat waves of past 30 years

Christian Science Monitor

So far, the heat wave at hand is nowhere near as severe as the worst recorded since 1980, when the National Climate Data Center began compiling such data. Here is a look at the five deadliest US heat waves/droughts since then.

Full Story

Tips for “road-weaned” and “home-grown” calves

Tips for “road-weaned” and “home-grown” calves

Geni Wren

Bovine Veterinarian Magazine 

It’s weaning and shipping time for calves and it’s important to help your producers make the most of whatever type of calves they have. Becky Funk, DVM, Fairview Veterinary Clinic, Overton, Neb. says she is seeing a fairly significant influx of "road-weaned" calves coming out of southern drought areas.

Full Story