It is taken on faith that this years farmland rental rateswhich hit $500 per acre in a few cases in Illinoisreflect last years economy at least, if not the past couple of years. Landlords nearly everywhere set higher rental rates this year because 2008s crop income was so good.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that, as part of USDAs continuing efforts to listen to and respond to the needs of producers in the dairy industry, he is moving forward on establishing the Dairy Industry Advisory Committee and is requesting nominations.

It may seem like one of the simpler management processes, but it still gets overlooked. Angus cattle, for instance, are naturally polledand breeding cattle to Angus bulls is an easy way to remove horns naturally without the stress of using mechanical means.

ARAMARK at the Anaheim Convention Center recently purchased a herd of cattle from Hearst Ranch, the nations largest single source supplier of free-range, all-natural, grass-fed and grass-finished beef.

Categorized by region, each listing includes the type and amount of hay available, bale type and size, whether or not laboratory analysis is available, certified weed-free status and identifies organic hay. The Colorado Hay Directory.

Many North Dakota cornfields probably will not mature this year, resulting in an opportunity to harvest significant amounts of silage for animal feed, according to a North Dakota State University (NDSU) livestock expert.

Rain in the last couple of weeks has lessened the stress on some crops and allowed many agricultural producers to take a second or even third cutting of hay, according to reports from Texas AgriLife Extension Service personnel. However, the drought isnt over yet.

Although 60 years of studies comparing grazing systems show no difference in biomass and animal production, the value of human management is excluded from those studies, said a rangeland research specialist.

While Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack maintains there is a positive outlook for fertilizer prices under climate legislation, the Fertilizer Institute is upset that Vilsack wont listen to their view that the bill could hurt the domestic fertilizer industry.

USDA predicted last Thursday that farm income would plunge by 38 percent this year to just $54 billion. The decline, according to USDA economists, is due to the recession which has rippled around the world and impacted demand for goods and services in virtually every nation in the world.