More legislation to ban antibiotics
Drovers.com
This week, California State Sen. Dean Florez, chairman of the Senate Committee on Food and Agriculture, has introduced legislation to amend the California Constitution to ban the use of non-therapeutic antibiotics in meat-producing livestock.
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Dealing with wet conditions during haying
Greg Lardy
Tri State Livestock News
This spring’s wet weather has many people in the area covered by Tri-State Livestock News beginning to worry about putting up good quality hay. Moist, humid conditions make it harder to dry swaths to proper moisture for baling. There is not much you can do about the weather but there are steps you can take that will increase your chances of being able to put up good quality forage in a timely fashion.
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Cow-Calf Profitability
Mark A. McCann, Ph.D., Virginia Tech
One does not have to spend a great deal of effort in reviewing 2008 beef cattle receipts or production expenses to recognize the direction of cow-calf net returns. While there are many economic outlooks available to cattlemen for 2009 and beyond, it is rare that they drill deep enough to project net returns to cow-calf producers.
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Climate Change Legislation on Hold
Hoosier AG Today
Climate change legislation will remain in a Senate committee until September when Congress returns from its summer recess. Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer of California says she no longer intends to mark up the bill before the recess begins on August 7th. This move is expected to give negotiators and their aides an extra month to work on the controversial legislation.
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Early Fall Supplementation with Protein
Dr. Glenn Selk, Extension Cattle Specialist, Oklahoma State University
Because condition at calving and breeding are so important, it may at first seem silly to begin worrying about condition at the first part of September. However, it must be remembered that there are few economical ways to increase body condition once winter has arrived.
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Agriculture lobby blew it on cap and trade
Mark Hillman
Denver Daily News
Once climate-change regulators strangle the economy and carbon-counters turn gas, oil and electricity into expensive luxuries, perhaps American farmers will recognize how “our friends” in Washington, D.C., sold us out in the name of political compromise.
Recently, Capitol Hill’s agriculture lobby had a choice: withhold support from the Waxman-Markey climate control bill or agree to a compromise that provides cover to rural district Democrats who support it.
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BeefTalk: Capturing Value Is The Name Of The Beef Game
Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist, NDSU Extension Service
Given the costs involved in producing beef, producers must strive to maximize their gross margin.
Beef production is about value. There are many components and obviously many ways to raise beef, but the bottom line is value. The product has to have value.
In economics, value is a product of supply and demand. Many educational opportunities, such as the North Dakota Farm and Ranch Business Management Education Program (http://www.ndfarmmanagement.com), have and will continue to aid producers who are active in the beef industry by helping them understand better the concept of value.
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