US Premium Beef (USPB) remains a remarkable model of how beef producers can work with, not against, packers and put more money in their pockets. USPB began operations in 1997 with a minority ownership in then Farmland National Beef and has gone from strength to strength.

The U.S.s shrinking cattle population is becoming a huge concern for the beef industry. The main reason for the declining numbers is lack of profitability. Cattle feeders in particular have lost billions of dollars in equity in the past two years. The main reason for this is high input costs and weak beef demand due to the recession.

Fed cattle processors enjoyed their best August operating margins since 2003. The real story, though, is that they achieved this not at the expense of cattle feeders. In fact, the opposite occurred. Cattle feeders enjoyed a strong and much-needed rally in prices.

Go into any supermarket and youll find that most poultry items are branded with a company name. These include Tyson, Perdue and Pilgrims, which is soon to be majority-owned by JBS. Branded beef is much harder to find. There are niche brands such as Harris, Maverick, Lauras Lean and Coleman.

The fall of the year is the time to make herd evaluations and managerial and nutritional improvements without fighting the weather. The key to understanding the overall performance of a herd is

Dear Pete, That was a great article you wrote in the (Western Livestock) Journal on Oct. 5, 2009. Pollan certainly does not know hardly anything about the cattle business and the food everybody eats.

Have you been thinking about all the proposed legislation pending in Washington? You've got healthcare reform, climate change legislation and clean water legislation that will give the federal government authority over all water.

If one has ever dismantled an old home, lifting the floorboards can be quite interesting. Perhaps it is as simple as an old coin that rolled between the boards or a long-held stash of papers put there as a place to reside and eventually were boarded over.

I just finished reading John Robinsons article on the BLM [Bureau of Land Management] wild horse program [dated] 10/12. That was like getting hit with a hot shot. I then opened the front page to read my favorite column, Comments, and another article by John Robinson on world food production, the second jolt from a hot shot.

Cattle markets have improved a bit over the past two weeks and some segments of the beef industry are moving along very well. The fall bull sales around the country have been stronger than many of us expected and