Michael Pollan on Oprah: "We’ve Made it Rational to Eat Badly."
Chantal Martineau
The Village Voice
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.
Author Michael Pollan appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show Wednesday to talk about his latest book Food Rules, and the documentary Food, Inc. Pollan offered, "We subsidize corn, soy, wheat. We don’t do anything to subsidize fresh produce."
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Nebraska Cow-Calf College: Kit Pharo on sustainable beef production methods
Rita Brhel
The Cattle Business Weekly
Most people associate the term "sustainable agriculture" with organic, grass-fed, and other alternative farming and ranching methods that many commodity producers just don’t have the taste for in their cow-calf operations.
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Livestock producers need a plan for the future
High Plains Journal
Beef producers and other livestock producers need to have a coordinated strategic plan and be part of an organized movement to continue raising healthy food for the world.
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NCBA board approves new ‘rapid’ governance structure
By Rod Smith
Feedstuffs
The board of directors of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assn. (NCBA) approved this morning a new organizational structure that changes dramatically how the organization is governed and how it responds to threats to the beef cattle industry.
The new structure downsizes the board from 274 members to 29, permitting the board to be called together far more often that twice a year and to conduct conference calls to direct NCBA staff to act on emergency matters ranging from activist to political and regulatory threats.
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Twin births in beef cattle: Double your pleasure?
Dr. Carl Dahlen
Farm and Ranch
Twin births occur in <1 to 7 percent of cattle depending on breed and genetics. Though fairly rare, it helps to prepare for the possibility of twin births prior to calving season.
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Prisoners turn out to be good cattle raisers
MELODY McDONALD
Fort Worth Star Telegram
Being raised by criminals isn’t necessarily a bad thing — if you’re a cow or bull.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has a good-looking herd of black baldy cattle tucked away inside the Richardson-Bass Building, marking the third time that Texas’ prison system has made an appearance at the Fort Worth Stock Show.
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Ranchers optimistic about 2010 cattle sales
Matthew Horn
KOTA-TV
From record high cattle sales in 2008, to near record lows in 2009. The demand side has been pretty slow. Ranchers like John Schurr at the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo in Rapid City say 2010 looks to be relatively stable compared to years past.
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California Cattleman wins national beef award
Daily News
California livestock auctioneer and member of the California Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) Jim Warren, co-owner of 101 Livestock, in Aromas, was recognized recently as the 2010 National Beef Quality Assurance Award winner at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Annual Cattle Industry Convention in San Antonio, Texas.
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Meat labeling law blasted
Anna Bahney
Argus Leader
A Canadian official visiting Sioux Falls on Friday said that despite $1 billion in bilateral trade between South Dakota and his nation, Canada has concerns about the effect U.S. legislation such as the mandatory country of origin labeling, or COOL, is having on trade with this region.
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Beef producers urged to join Feb. Webinars
Gary W. Micsky
The Herald
Area beef producers have an opportunity to participate in what promises to be an exceptionally interesting series of Webinars with some of the most respected university beef specialists in the nation without leaving the comfort of their home.
Full Story
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Website can help with challenges of raising cattle
The Peace Country Sun
"With last fall’s calf prices being unacceptable, many cow-calf producers had chosen to keep their calves over the winter on a backgrounding ration to try to market the calves into a stronger market," says Ken Ziegler, beef specialist, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Rocky Mountain House.
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Thieves kill and butcher cow on Pulaski County farm
WDBJ-7
The owners of a Pulaski County cattle farm were shocked to find someone killed one of their cows killed and butchered it right on their property.
Andy Pratt says the animal was probably killed early Thursday morning while grazing on farmland near Interstate 81.
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Avoid injury by staying alert around all cattle
High Plains Journal
In recent years, a number of local cattle handlers have been attacked by a cow or bull, according to Eldon Cole, a livestock specialist with University of Missouri Extension.
Although the majority of the attacks did not result in fatalities, there have been many bruises, broken bones and crushed egos.
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Making It Work
Joe Roybal
BEEF Magazine
Steve Foglesong loves being a cattleman. Sure, he sees challenges in the beef business, and as incoming president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), he’ll be the point man in addressing those challenges for the U.S. beef industry in 2010.
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Recession Slams Cattle Industry as Herds Shrink to 50-Year Low
The Westerner
The beef and dairy industries continued their herd contraction in 2009 as the US cattle herd shrunk to its lowest level since 1958. Between the high price of feed corn and low beef prices, beef producers have decided to cull their herds to stem losses.
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The Beef Blog 