Commissioner Comer blasts handling of Eastern Livestock scandal; says victims deserve better

Commissioner Comer blasts handling of Eastern Livestock scandal; says victims deserve better

Kentucky Department of Agriculture

Surrounded by members of the agriculture community at the Kentucky State Fair, Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer slammed the bankruptcy process that has failed to provide justice to the farmers, markets, truckers, veterinarians and others whose cattle or services were stolen in the collapse of Eastern Livestock.

Full Story

Stockpiling pastures an option for emergency grazing

Stockpiling pastures an option for emergency grazingStockpiling pastures an option for emergency grazing

University of Arkansas

Scattered rainfall in the last two weeks is dangling the possibility of forage production into the fall and winter using a technique called stockpiling, said John Jennings, professor-forage for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. 

Full Story

MU researcher develops quality beef program

MU researcher develops quality beef program

JANESE SILVEY

Columbia Daily Tribune

Consumers are opting to pay more to buy top-quality steaks instead of lower-end beef, and agricultural experts at the University of Missouri want to help area cattlemen take advantage of the trend.

Full Story

Drought Cripples Hay Feed Industry

Drought Cripples Hay Feed Industry

BILL TOMSON

Wall Street Journal

Widespread drought has scorched much of the pastureland and hay fields needed to sustain cattle herds in the U.S., forcing many ranchers to find feed alternatives or sell their animals early into what has become a soft beef market.

Full Story

Kidman aims to bend the curve on cattle performance

Kidman aims to bend the curve on cattle performance

Jon Condon

Beef Central

Gains in cattle performance through genetic improvement driven by Breedplan will soon be enhanced via a whole-of-life herd recording system encompassing factors like carcase performance, breeder fertility and growth for extensive beef producer, S. Kidman & Co.

Full Story

Cattlemen’s Beef Board, State Councils to Restructure

Cattlemen’s Beef Board, State Councils to Restructure

Wisconsin AG Connection

A newly approved structure for joint beef checkoff committees endeavors to engage more cattle producers and beef importers who pay the checkoff in a more efficient decision-making process about investment of their hard-earned checkoff investments.

Full Story

Cows eating candy during the drought

Cows eating candy during the drought

WPRI

Ranchers have struggled with skyrocketing corn prices, because the drought has made feeding their livestock very expensive. But one rancher has turned to a very sweet solution.

Full Story

Helpful strategies for deciding when to supplement

Helpful strategies for deciding when to supplement

Robert Fears    

Progressive Cattleman

Feed is a significant portion of annual production costs in a cow-calf operation.

These high costs make a supplement strategy with price control guidelines an important part of the management plan.

Full Story

Excessive Summertime Heat Can Shorten Gestation Time for Beef Cattle

Excessive Summertime Heat Can Shorten Gestation Time for Beef Cattle

ScienceDaily

. . . Research conducted by Oklahoma State University’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources indicates that excessively hot summertime temperatures — all too normal for the south-central region of the United States — can shorten the gestation length of beef cows.

Full Story

Better management, processing take bite out of tough beef

Better management, processing take bite out of tough beef

The Western Producer

Finding the gene responsible for tender beef is just one way to improve quality.

“We could genetically have the most tender cattle in the world but if we mess up on the management, we mess up at the packing plant, in cold storage and if we don’t age it, we are going to have some tough steaks,” said Steve Miller, head of the centre for genetic improvement at the University of Guelph.

Full Story