Baxter Black, DVM: Down On The Farm

Baxter Black, DVM:  Down On The Farm

It’s Christmas time again in the city.  Street lights, store windows, parties, jolly songs are being sung, tv and radio commercials are pronouncing its coming! Most of the attention centers around giving and receiving gifts, cards, trees, eggnog, turkey dressing, decorations and company coming.

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Latest Environmental Issues that Have Landed on NCBA’s Radar

Latest Environmental Issues that Have Landed on NCBA’s Radar

Oklahoma Farm Report

Environmental Counsel for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Scott Yager recently spoke with cattle producers across the country via a year-end webinar to discuss some of the regulatory issues concerning cattlemen that have unfolded in Washington, DC during 2017. One of the highlights of Yager’s report was the fact that the Obama-era Waters of the United States rule is on its way out the door.

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Managing risks: A focus on decision quality

Managing risks: A focus on decision quality
Parsons, J.P. Hewlett and J.E. Tranel

Progressive Forage

Risk management is a necessary but sometimes frustrating activity. Good risk management decisions can result in bad outcomes due to the uncertainty involved. For this reason, it is important to judge the quality of a risk management decision based on the information available at the time the decision is made and not solely on the final result.

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Wading Through the Economics of Drones

Wading Through the Economics of Drones

Cheryl J. Wachenheim

Drovers

Thinking about the speed at which drone-related technology has developed for use in agriculture in recent years reminds me of this quote from Brunner’s 1968 novel. A year ago, we were thinking about drone use to help tackle jobs that fell under one or more of the four D’s: dirty, dangerous, difficult or dull.

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Cattle Tags of the Future

Cattle Tags of the Future

Austin Miles

Noble Research Institute

In livestock production, most ranchers keep track of “who’s who” with the help of visual tags. These tags are placed in the cartilage of the animal’s ear, much like an earring. The number on the tag, and sometimes other details such as the tag’s color or placement, provides the rancher with information about that animal with a single glance.

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Vampire bats kill Peru Cattle

Vampire bats kill Peru Cattle

Western Livestock Journal

A study detailed in a Public Library of Science (PLOS) journal article “Neglected Tropical Diseases” shows that in Peru, more than 500 cattle a year die of rabies. The vampire bat is known to be the principle reservoir of rabies throughout Latin America, yet the burden of vampire bat-transmitted rabies on human lives and livestock has been largely anecdotal.

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New tax law allows farmers to deduct 20 percent of farm income

New tax law allows farmers to deduct 20 percent of farm income

On The Farm Radio

The following may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “The tax reform package passed by Congress this week will result in lower taxes for the vast majority of farmers and ranchers. This tax overhaul includes many changes to the tax code, most notably lower individual tax rates, that will benefit farmers and ranchers. Ninety-four percent of farmers and ranchers pay taxes as individuals, and those rates are coming down.

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Rethinking how the US grows beef

Rethinking how the US grows beef

Diana Gitig

Ars Technica

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.

Like the other top recommendations—drive less and fly less—this is not super appealing to most of us. But beef production in the US uses more land, water, and fertilizer than any other form of agriculture, no matter which way you cut it. Whether you measure by calories or grams of protein generated, cows are the elephant in the room.

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Zero tolerance for calving trouble

Zero tolerance for calving trouble

Monica Gokey

Progressive Cattleman

When Idaho-based grazing consultant Jim Gerrish talks about his time spent in Australia, one of the biggest cross-cultural differences he highlights is the Australian producers’ approach to calving trouble. “You know what calving assistance looks like in Australia?” he’ll ask an audience. People stare back at him blankly.

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Caring for livestock in extreme cold

Caring for livestock in extreme cold

Mark Dorenkamp

Brownfield Network

Frigid conditions sweeping across the Upper Midwest can endanger livestock. West-central Minnesota cow/calf producer Jim Wulf says cold requires calories. “Make sure they have adequate feed to keep them warm.  The other thing you have to do even before the cold hits is make sure the cows are in good body condition scores.”

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