Mark Parker: The Top 10 reasons Mrs. Claus would make a great farm wife:

Mark Parker:  The Top 10 reasons Mrs. Claus would make a great farm wife:

FarmTalk

10. She puts up with a guy who can keep track of a few billion kids and forgets to write down the check number when he buys reindeer feed.     

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Politically Correct Farm Toys for Christmas

Politically Correct Farm Toys for Christmas

Beef Today

It won’t be long before Christmas presents are being unwrapped around the country by boys and girls who made it on the Nice List. Unfortunately, some people who probably deserve to be on the Naughty List are trying to make farm toys “politically correct.”

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Consumer education a priority for producers

Consumer education a priority for producers

Jeff DeYoung

Iowa Farmer Today

Jayson Lusk believes the beef industry is under attack. He told producers at the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association convention Dec. 9 that it will be up to them to fight back. “People still like to eat the product you’re producing,” said Lusk, an ag economist at Oklahoma State University.

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An agency out of control

An agency out of control

Burt Rutherford

BEEF

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) dropped a very large hammer this week on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) when it released a report detailing its findings on EPA’s actions to push implementation of the controversial Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule.

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First impressions: The inside story on colostrum

First impressions: The inside story on colostrum

Black Ink

Milking beef cows is not always a fun process. That’s just one of the hurdles facing researchers looking to understand more about colostrum. Add in the fact that the beef cattle system has fewer “check points” built into the relatively drawn-out (compared to other species) production cycle, and you’ve got a bigger challenge.

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Cattle drive Montana’s strong agriculture economy

Cattle drive Montana’s strong agriculture economy

Tom Lutey

Billings Gazette

In Montana’s $3-billion-a-year agriculture economy, when markets are bullish, there are real cattle involved. For the fifth year in a row, Montana calf sales are hotter than a red iron brand. Prices for quality calves are double what they were seven years ago.

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Oral pain medication for cattle, of all ages

Oral pain medication for cattle, of all ages

Debbie Furber

Canadian Cattlemen

People might take an analgesic or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, to help manage pain, fever or inflammation associated with all sorts of conditions. Now a new Canadian company, Solvet, offers producers the same convenient option for treating cattle.

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Pre-calving nutrition critical for healthy cows

Pre-calving nutrition critical for healthy cows

Carol Ryan Dumas

Capital Press

Healthy cows and viable calves are at the core of the cow-calf operation, and getting them through the cold, sometimes harsh, Idaho winters takes special attention.

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Video Highlights California Farmer’s Struggles With Federal Regulators on Water Issues

Video Highlights California Farmer’s Struggles With Federal Regulators on Water Issues

American Farm Bureau

A new video produced by the American Farm Bureau Federation highlights the struggles a California farm family has encountered with federal water regulations. The video also illustrates how the climate regarding water regulations will likely become much worse and encompass the entire nation under the widely-reviled Waters of the U.S. rule.

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Build your herd, not your vet bill

Build your herd, not your vet bill

John Maday

Drovers

If you are one of many producers expanding your cow herd, especially if you import females from other sources, you can benefit by working with your veterinarian to build a strong disease-prevention program — including vaccinations, biosecurity and diagnostic testing.

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