Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan visited South Dakota State University (SDSU) last week to announce more than $75 million in grants for research, education and extension activities to ensure greater food security in the U.S. and around the world.

The concept of a state beef checkoff in Nebraska will be the headline for a series of nine meetings to be held this year across the state by the Nebraska Cattlemen (NC).

The fiscal cliff created the opportunity for a number of changes in the tax rules regulating when a farm must complete and file their annual income tax returns. For 2012, farm income tax returns have received a deadline extension from the normal March 1, 2013, date to file their tax returns without penalty, if they have not made estimates.

Hay prices are still high and supply is still short. Many Michigan livestock producers are desperate to stretch forage supplies until spring green-up of pastures or the first cutting of hay. They may wonder if cover crops that were planted last fall can be grazed or hayed this spring to help stretch forage supplies.

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious and severe disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, such as cattle, swine, sheep, goats and deer. The virus that causes this disease has been eradicated from the U.S., but in recent years has again been appearing in the news.

“We believe that the case’s precedent-setting nature and importance to livestock producers’ property rights merits the Supreme Court’s consideration,” said Brice Lee, Colorado rancher and PLC president. “They deserve compensation for what the Forest Service took from them.

The North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension Service and University of Nebraska- Lincoln (UNL) Extension Service have teamed up to answer that question. They’ve released a new program, “Marketing Agritourism Online,” to help agritourism enterprises attract business.

Demand for food, feed, and fiber in the U.S. is on the rise. At the same time, the need for critical environmental services such as clean water, clean air and robust biodiversity is higher than ever. Landowners and land managers must find a way to address these challenges.

Double-cropping soybeans after wheat provides the opportunity to harvest two crops in the same year from the same piece of land. But there are challenges and concerns with doublecropping, and a University of Missouri (MU) Extension agronomist says location is a big factor.

The California State Board of Food and Agriculture will discuss the issue of food waste at its upcoming meeting on March 5 in Sacramento. The meeting is scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), 1220 N Street, Main Auditorium, Sacramento, CA 95814.