Nitrates are present in all forages, Corriher said. Strictly speaking, the nitrate poisoning should be called nitrite poisoning. With normal levels of nitrates, the range animals rumen converts the nitrate (NO3) into nitrite (NO2), which in turn is converted to ammonia, then into amino acids and then into proteins, she said.

CHB LLC packing partners National Beef Packing Co. LLC and Greater Omaha Packing Co. Inc. harvested 379,282 CHB-eligible cattle and certified 250,266 total carcasses during FY 2009. A total of 36,810,360 pounds was marketed as CHB, which is up 900,000 pounds, or about 2.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of a final rule last month that will require many feedlots to report their emissions as part of a mandatory greenhouse gas registry. According to the new rule, any facility that emits more than 25,000 tons of greenhouse gas per year will be required to report to the EPA.

Montana wildlife commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday, Oct. 13, to halt gray wolf hunting in a wilderness district near Yellowstone National Park after nine of the predators were killed within three weeks of a special hunt’s early season start, including four members of a Cottonwood pack familiar to tourists.

Declines in calf prices may interest some producers in feeding calves and marketing them at heavier weights later rather than sending them to market now, according to a North Dakota State University (NDSU) livestock specialist.

Iowas beef producers have chosen the Iowa Beef Steakhouse, Des Moines, IA, as the 2009 Iowa Beef Backer recipient. This annual honor is presented to an Iowa restaurant that exemplifies exceptional beef dining. According to owner Henry Schneider IV, the Iowa Beef Steakhouse is committed to serving only the best beef available.

John F. Polvorosa, 73, a great friend to many and a man always wearing a smile, passed away peacefully on Sept. 11, 2009, at Tuality Community Hospital in Hillsboro, OR.

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.