Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack found himself walking a tightrope last Tuesday as he addressed a group of community food activists who, on the one hand, praise USDA for some recent initiatives to promote local foods, but on the other, criticize the department for its support of production agriculture.

The Nebraska Wind Power 2009 Conference will be held in Kearney, NE, at the Holiday Inn Convention Center Nov. 9-10. Gov. Dave Heineman will keynote the conference Monday noon and Larry Flowers, national technical director of Wind Powering America at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Fall is a transition time in the cattle business. Unfortunately, transition equals stress for calves which can result in increased incidence of disease. Dr. Nels Lindberg, Animal Medical Center, Great Bend, KS, says coccidiosis is one disease producers should pay extra attention to as calves enter the feeder or stocker phase.

For 50 years, the Nations Restaurant News Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators Conference (MUFSO) has fueled the foodservice industry with the education and peer-topeer connections that have contributed to the longterm success of countless chain restaurant companies.

The directors of state departments of agriculture in Washington and Oregon last week endorsed a national proposal to boost milk prices and keep Northwest dairy farms in business.

Cargill, which doesnt provide quarterly revenue, depends on its diversity to insulate it from volatility in its commodity businesses. The companys business includes processing crops into food ingredients and slaughtering U.S. livestock to trading complex financial instruments.

The weather continues to complicate the farming and ranching scene, North Dakota State University Extension Service dairy specialist J.W. Schroeder says.

Looking to market or purchase elite Hereford genetics? The American Hereford Association (AHA) has launched a new online auction Web siteBuyHere ford.comwhich will feature regular online consignment auctions.

More than 130 young people from across the state learned about estate planning, climate change regulations affect on agriculture, wind energy and activism during the 6th Annual Young Agricultural Leadership Conference Oct. 2-4 in Helena, MT.

Three years ago, a 30-year decline in beef quality grades was apparent, with only half of fed cattle grading USDA Choice. The Choice/Select spread hit record highs in 2006, but today, the picture is much different (see chart). July figures show 60.1 percent of the harvest mix graded Choice the first half of this year, but why?.