Drought in Oklahoma and the rest of the southern Plains the last two years has made management decisions for cattle producers challenging to say the least. Producers often have mixed feelings about weaning and precondition practices in times of drought.

“The continued growth in farm loans demonstrates the important role banks play in the success of farms and ranches both large and small,” said John Blanchfield, senior vice president and director of ABA’s Center for Agricultural and Rural Banking. “Banks remain the most important source of ag credit holding more than half of all farm loans.

Cows in many midwestern herds are calving in marginal body condition. Short hay and standing forage supplies, as well as expensive supplemental feeds, are partially to blame. Unfortunately, this is a season where maintaining or gaining body condition on spring-calving cows is really quite difficult.

Yield losses from the 2012 drought caused large crop insurance payments. In this post, 2012 loss ratios are shown for U.S. counties, thereby allowing areas of high loss experience to be identified. Higher loss ratios occurred in eastern Kansas, Missouri, central and southern Illinois, western Indiana, and western Kentucky.

Purchase of Development Rights, or PDR, is a voluntary farmland preservation program that pays property owners to place a permanent agricultural conservation easement on their farmland. Property owners wanting to preserve their farmland through PDR need to be aware of the status of their mineral rights.

The contest, to be held July 25 at the Crossroads Hotel and Huron Event Center in Huron, is open to youth ages 8 to 20. The SD Beef Ambassador Contest provides participating youth with the skills and information needed to educate consumers and fellow students about beef nutrition, food safety and stewardship practices of the beef industry.

The extra-lean beef cuts that meet the American Heart Association’s criteria for heart-healthy foods as part of an overall healthy dietary pattern, and are certified to display the Heart- Check mark, include the following USDA Select grade cuts: •...

Mexico emerged as a major customer for U.S. beef in 1997, replacing Canada as the second place export destination behind Japan. Mexico remained the number two market until 2004 when it became the number one export market for U.S beef following the first BSE case in the U.

The cash fed cattle trade was slow to develop last week with only a few bids having been offered by Thursday. Asking prices from cattle feeders were decidedly at $130 live and $205 dressed with bids of $125 live being ignored.

U.S. live-hog and futures prices have fallen in recent weeks as gas prices have soared, budget sequestration has threatened to furlough federal meat inspectors, and global markets have reduced exports, Purdue Extension agricultural economist Chris Hurt says.