Baxter Black: Duct Tape in Agriculture

Proper antibiotic-use helps prevent livestock disease

Proper antibiotic-use helps prevent livestock disease

AG Answers

Antibiotic use in livestock has been a source of controversy in the United States, but a Purdue University animal scientist said it can be an effective method of disease prevention and treatment when used correctly.

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What Will the Next Generation Farm Look Like?

What Will the Next Generation Farm Look Like?

Gary DiGiuseppe

American Cattlemen

Changes are coming to America’s cattle ranches. Operators and their employees will have new technology at their fingertips, and will require a new set of skills to employ it; the operators themselves will be changing, as will the sizes of their enterprises. And they’ll be less independent than they’ve been in the past.

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Be Prepared for Calving Problems to Ensure Live Calf

Be Prepared for Calving Problems to Ensure Live Calf

Heather Smith Thomas

Cattle Today

Sometimes a calf cannot be born because he’s not in a position that allows him to enter the birth canal. In other situations he may not be able to progress through the birth canal because he’s too large, or a limb is caught on the pelvic brim, or the head is turned back. Knowing what’s wrong and how to correct it can make a difference in whether you end up with a live calf.

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BeefTalk: Calving Time, So Far, So Good

BeefTalk: Calving Time, So Far, So Good

Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist, NDSU Extension Service

Compared with last year, the calving results are night and day different.

The calving season this year is far better than last year’s misery. Perhaps a regretful reminder is in order.

A year ago, the Dickinson Research Extension Center started calving with very mixed results. The season started with a dead calf and went downhill from there. The second heifer was a calf abuser and was taken away. Out of the first 26 heifers that calved last year, difficult pulls, cesarean sections and numerous general assists were the norm. There were three dead calves but the rest survived.

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New Report Highlights Impacts Of Livestock Production

New Report Highlights Impacts Of Livestock Production

Thebeefsite.com

The growing worldwide demand for meat is likely to have a significant impact on human health, the environment and the global economy in the next 50 years, according to the report, Livestock in a Changing Landscape, released in March 2010.

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National Beef Cattle Numbers

National Beef Cattle Numbers

KBTX

“We often talk about a cattle cycle, the cattle numbers go up, prices go down, and we start reducing herds, and then when the herd size gets cut back enough, prices go up and ranchers start expanding their herds, and that cycle, that cyclical nature of the industry has been much less pronounced over the last number of years.”

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A cattleman’s letter to Granholm seeking a retraction of her Meat Out Day proclamation

A cattleman’s letter to Granholm seeking a retraction of her Meat Out Day proclamation

Detroit Free Press

Dear Governor Granholm,

On February 1, 2010, I completed my term as President of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. For this Michigan citizen it was indeed a high honor. As I traveled the country, I received many questions about Michigan’s dismal economy and the lack of political leadership. Nothing, however, ever generated national outrage as much as your Meat Out Proclamation for National Ag Day. What were you thinking?

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Scientists take animal breeding to the next level

Scientists take animal breeding to the next level

Michel Proulx

PhysOrg.com

Sequencing the genome of these two bulls enables scientists to more accurately identify the genetic markers that are responsible for economically important traits such as efficiency, yield, fatness and tenderness, say the scientists. Producers can use that information to breed healthier dairy cattle that produce more and higher quality milk as well as beef cattle that produce better quality beef.

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Meat packer said his daughter cried when she learned about his job

Meat packer said his daughter cried when she learned about his job

Indianapolis Examiner

“Different industries use different raw materials. Automakers need steel, mufflers, and tires. Cloth makers need fabric and thread. The meat industry, uniquely, needs live animals to produce its products. This brings with it a significant responsibility and one that the meat packing industry takes seriously.”

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Kids learn life lessons from raising livestock

Kids learn life lessons from raising livestock

Chiefland Citizen

MARK SCOHIER

Sixteen-year-old Kodie Meeks, of Chiefland, said she started raising homegrown feeder steers and entering them into contests when she was 9.

But last year was the first time she won.  She was reserve champion at the 2009 Levy County Livestock Fair with a Black Angus Macros named Oakie.

“He was so sweet,” she said.  “He was just like a big old Teddy Bear.”

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Cattle Raisers Support Revisions to Water Quality Standards

Cattle Raisers Support Revisions to Water Quality Standards

KOSA

The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) today supported the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s (TCEQ) proposal to revise the Texas Surface Water Quality Standards.

The revisions will provide more flexibility for the state to implement surface water quality standards and reduce excessive and unnecessary government regulation. This should save ranchers time and money while still protecting water quality.

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‘Farm to fork’ harvests kudos

‘Farm to fork’ harvests kudos

Paul Wyche

The Journal Gazette

Quiet and cattle don’t usually go together, unless you’re at Heritage Farms in Jefferson Township, Whitley County.

Owner Pete Eshelman says serenity is necessary to properly raise his Japanese Wagyu livestock, which food experts call some of the finest-tasting beef around.

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Spring Hereford Sire Summary Now Available

Spring Hereford Sire Summary Now Available

Cattle Today

The Spring 2010 Hereford Sire Summary is now available in print and online at Hereford.org. The new summary includes detailed listings on 2,214 sires to help producers make informed buying, breeding and other management decisions.

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Give the people what they want: Savvy customer service for agriculture

Give the people what they want: Savvy customer service for agriculture

JOHN SCHLAGECK

Abilene Reflector-Chronicle

While almost every industry today does a less than stellar job of living by the motto “the customer is the most important part of business,” Kansas farmers and ranchers are one segment that adheres to this philosophy.

Kansas farmers and ranchers have always been willing to adapt to the ever changing consumer landscape. They approach each year with an open mind and the flexibility to develop new ways of marketing their livestock and crops.

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