Arizona sits at the crossroads of two vital issues for two different sectors of agriculture: Produce growers need immigration reform to stay competitive, while ranchers need tighter border security to feel safe.

With May fed cattle supplies hitting highs not seen since 2007, and beef in storage marking a 10-year peak, there are some serious questions in the cattle industry concerning where prices are headed going into the fall. The general consensus on selling feeder cattle: Wait, if you can.

In a signal of the growing unpopularity of farm programs, the House Appropriations Committee last Tuesday approved amendments to the fiscal year 2012 appropriations bill to impose stricter income limits on farmers who get commodity payments.

Gov. Rick Perry has appealed a federal decision denying Texas additional money to fight thousands of wildfires in the droughtstricken state.

Terry Slusher of Floyd, VA, received a wake-up call several years ago. Slusher sent five steers to a feedlot as part of a commingled truckload in an Extension demonstration project. The Blue Ridge Mountain cattleman expected his calves to be top performers.

Rich Porter thrives on ugly cattle. His order buyers in Georgia and Kentucky sit on their hands as their counterparts compete to outbid each other for the sleek, preconditioned calves that bring top dollar. Then Porters buyers scoop up the scrawny, malnourished and mismanaged bull calves that appear to have more value than they cost.

In response, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) has encouraged USDA to release Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands for emergency haying and grazing. There are about 20 million acres enrolled in conservation practices that are eligible for emergency haying or grazing.

Despite demands to cut farm programs, the chairs of Senate and House agriculture committees say recent natural disasters around the country show the need for continuing strong support for farmers in the 2012 farm bill.

National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) President Jerry Kozak said his group will continue to push its Foundation for the Future plan to revamp the dairy program in Congress, even though dairy processors and some left-leaning dairy and farm groups oppose it.

Youve got to be prepared, says Alice Koupal. If youre not, you can have a disaster. The Dante, SD, rancher should know. Come January and February, when temps are well below zero, this cattle operation is focused on calving chores for the familys 450 to 500 Angus cows.