<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<rss version="2.0" xmlns:fd="http://www.bradsoft.com/feeddemon/xmlns/1.0/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
  <channel>
    <title>Western Livestock Journal</title>
	<link>http://www.wlj.net/</link> 

  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[DAILY FED CATTLE MARKET UPDATE]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-5614-daily-fed-cattle-market-update.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Thus far on Tuesday, negotiated cash trade is at a standstill in the Southern and Northern Plains. Trading in the Western Cornbelt is limited on very light demand.]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Politics take over pipeline]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6796-politics-take-over-pipeline.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ President Obama, under strong political pressure, announced that he would delay indefinitely the final decision on the proposed $7 billion Keystone XL pipeline to transport Canadian oil to American markets, despite the State Department&rsquo;s report and conclusion that the project would create no negative environmental impacts.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Food vs. fuel: Can the world still feed itself?]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6577-food-vs-fuel-can-the-world-still-feed-itself.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ As befits the chairman of the worlds largest food-production company, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe is counting calories. But its not his diet that the chairman and former CEO of Nestle is worried about. Its all the food that the U.S. and Europe are converting into fuel while the worlds poor get hungrier.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[E. coli cases in TX, GA]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-4178-e-coli-cases-in-tx-ga.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 10.9 million head on April 1, 2013.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Sheep station threatens grizzlies, say opponents]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6962-sheep-station-threatens-grizzlies-say-opponents.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Greater Yellowstone Coalition and National Wildlife Federation have been joined by at least one Bureau of Land Management (BLM) official in claiming that the Agricultural Research Service&rsquo;s (ARS) U.S.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Producers hope for death of the estate tax]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6989-producers-hope-for-death-of-the-estate-tax.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Congress passed the two-year tax package, known as the Reid- McConnell Tax Package, at the end of the 2010 session, which, in addition to preventing the estate tax from reverting to pre-2001 levels of a 55 percent tax with a $1 million exemption, the tax package addressed a variety of other expiring tax issues that would have affected U.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[President blames Republicans for pipeline demise]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6992-president-blames-republicans-for-pipeline-demise.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ House Republicans returned from their winter break last Tuesday with a message for President Barack Obama: Stop delaying the Keystone XL pipeline. But by Wednesday, Obama had made his decision, 34 days before his final deadline, to reject the pipeline.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Reaching a balance is key to sustainability]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6961-reaching-a-balance-is-key-to-sustainability.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Sustainability is the big buzz word in the industry and was one of the main topics at last week&rsquo;s International Livestock Congress. According to Jude Capper, Ph. D.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[FDA: Pilot projects to explore ways to trace sources of food-borne illness]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6586-fda-pilot-projects-to-explore-ways-to-trace-sources-of-food-borne-illness.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA said last week that two new pilot projects will enhance the agency's and industry's ability to trace products responsible for food-borne illness outbreaks.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Carbon dioxide increase helps warm season rangelands]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6612-carbon-dioxide-increase-helps-warm-season-rangelands.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ "Our results suggest that even with modest increases in plant growth, rising atmospheric CO 2 may counter the pervasive desiccating effects of warming in semi-arid grassland ecosystems. The most likely explanation is a CO 2 -induced suppression of transpiration," according to the study.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Mixed reviews for BLM sage grouse conservation guidance]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6941-mixed-reviews-for-blm-sage-grouse-conservation-guidance.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In an effort to prevent an endangered listing of the greater sage grouse, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on Dec.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Consolidating agencies could hurt trade]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6990-consolidating-agencies-could-hurt-trade.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ President Barack Obama plans to ask Congress for the authority to consolidate several federal agencies dealing with trade and business development, including the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), which negotiates agreements covering exports of beef, pork and poultry.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[WASDE comes in bearish despite expectations]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6964-wasde-comes-in-bearish-despite-expectations.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA&rsquo;s World Agricultural Supply and Demand (WASDE) estimates show a downward trend in cattle supplies from last year, with higher fed-steer price ranges. USDA increased 2011 corn and soybean yields and production, despite most analysts&rsquo; predictions leaning towards a decline.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Crop insurance on the chopping block]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6611-crop-insurance-on-the-chopping-block.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Like clock-work, every five years Congress renews the farm bill, while lobbyists and lawmakers fight to save critical pieces that support the ag industry. But this year, to the surprise of many farmers and agriculture organizations, congressional drive for large savings is forcing early debates.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Judge upholds wolf hunts]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6591-judge-upholds-wolf-hunts.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ As the wolf battles rage on, a judge in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied environmentalists requests for an emergency injunction to halt wolf hunting in Idaho and Montana while the groups press their legal case against Congress.    ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[COMMENTS]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6593-comments.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Congress typically pays little attention to agriculture but appears to all of a sudden be concerned over agriculture production after they reviewed USDA's World Agriculture Supply Demand Estimates (WASDE). The House Ag Sub-committee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry held a hearing to discuss CROW.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Outside markets impact fed cattle markets]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6614-outside-markets-impact-fed-cattle-markets.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Fed cattle markets were slow to develop again last week. Futures markets were showing some strength early last week until Thursday when the news of a broader equity market sell-off took place, dragging nearly all commodities down.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[WWP suit halts improvements]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6613-wwp-suit-halts-improvements.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In recent years, fencing riparian areas has become a standard practice to prevent their overuse by cattle who enjoy loafing in and around cool streams. Indeed, many lawsuits brought by environmental groups against federal agencies overseeing grazing lands, such as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Domestic sheep losing ground to bighorns]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6579-domestic-sheep-losing-ground-to-bighorns.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) is trying to fend off environmentalists threatening one quarter of their business. Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson is seeking a five-year time out from the U.S. Forest Services (USFS) decision to limit sheep grazing in areas where they come in contact with bighorn sheep.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Consider early weaning for the beef herd]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6580-consider-early-weaning-for-the-beef-herd.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ This article could probably be titled What to Do If All Else Fails. Certainly no one ever plans to find himself in a drought, short of forage, and with a group of cows too thin to breed. It does happen, however, and early weaning of calves at 6 to 8 weeks of age is an effective way to get high rebreeding rates, even in very thin cows.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Preconditioning gives calves a chance to succeed]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6581-preconditioning-gives-calves-a-chance-to-succeed.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Experience taught feedlot manager to be more particular on sale day.  The benefits of calf preconditioning programs are often touted as premiums       ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[No anticipation of delays this harvest]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6576-no-anticipation-of-delays-this-harvest.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Producers can expect a similar weather pattern during harvest this year compared to last year, as this will be the second year of a La Nina pattern, according to a University of Nebraska-Lincoln state climatologist.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Regulations amended on horses transported for slaughter]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6575-regulations-amended-on-horses-transported-for-slaughter.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA amended regulations regarding the commercial transportation of horses to slaughter, adding a definition of equine for slaughter and making other changes to protect horses during transportation to slaughter. According to USDA, this action will ensure the humane treatment of the horses.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Your national Beef Checkoff Program: 25 years and counting]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6578-your-national-beef-checkoff-program-25-years-and-counting.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The American Heart Association Puts its Heart Mark on Three Cuts of Beef. Lean Beef is Part of a Heart-Healthy Diet.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Futures market rally boosts trade]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6568-futures-market-rally-boosts-trade.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Fed cattle trade was slow to develop last week after lackluster meat sales over the Labor Day weekend. Futures markets were stronger on live cattle, setting the stage for stronger fed trade later in the week.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[BEEF talk]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6570-beef-talk.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Back at the ranch, some of the Dickinson Research Extension Centers small grain hay, which is winter-seeded triticale and hairy vetch, will yield almost 5 tons per acre. The soft dough is around 12.5 percent moisture. For typical dryland production, those are some big numbers.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[COMMENTS]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6569-comments.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Labor Day also signals the end of the summer and is the last big back yard grilling weekend. Reports suggest that beef sales over the holiday weekend were lighter than many market analysts had hoped. However, post Labor Day cattle markets appear to be stronger.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[La Nina return may prolong drought]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6572-la-nina-return-may-prolong-drought.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ La Nina describes Pacific Ocean equatorial waters having cooler-than-average temperatures. In the U.S., the weather effects of La Nina include drier conditions in the southern Plains and Midwest, and above-average precipitation during winter in the northern states.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[BEEF talk]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6570-beef-talk.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Back at the ranch, some of the Dickinson Research Extension Centers small grain hay, which is winter-seeded triticale and hairy vetch, will yield almost 5 tons per acre. The soft dough is around 12.5 percent moisture. For typical dryland production, those are some big numbers.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Closing Livestock Review]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-5087-closing-livestock-review.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Futures closed higher, up 97 to 130. Strong support developed in the live cattle futures market following triple-digit gains in the feeder cattle market as well sharp early losses in the corn market.]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Farm bill debate looks to make substantial cuts to agriculture]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6565-farm-bill-debate-looks-to-make-substantial-cuts-to-agriculture.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Many sectors of agriculture depend on government programs, such as crop insurance, conservation programs, direct payments and research and development. Congress is now forced to cull programs due to budget restraints, and those in the farm bill are not exempt.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[GUEST opinion]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6571-guest-opinion.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ 2012 Farm Bill discussions are well underway. In fact, I suspect words will begin to appear in writing a lot sooner than most of us originally expected. We are hearing that congressional leaders may begin drafting a farm bill this fall.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[USMEF report: FTAs should top congressional priority list]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6573-usmef-report-ftas-should-top-congressional-priority-list.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Congress faces a busy agenda when it returns from August recess, but U.S. Meat Export Federation (US- MEF) Chairman Keith Miller says few items can offer as much immediate benefit to the struggling U.S. economy as ratification of pending free trade agreements (FTAs) with South Korea, Panama and Colombia.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Passage of GIPSA rule still an ongoing fight]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6567-passage-of-gipsa-rule-still-an-ongoing-fight.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Proposed rule changes to the Packers and Stockers Act (PSA) continue to be a major concern for livestock producers. The debate has been going on for over a year and industry professional are calling for its dismissal because of the damage the rule could do to livestock marketing efforts.                        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Harvest tips for lodged corn]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6574-harvest-tips-for-lodged-corn.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Scout fields to determine where problem areas are and the condition of stalks and ears. Harvest the problem areas first when field conditions are better and before kernels in close proximity to the ground have an opportunity for potential further deterioration.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Federation of State Beef Councils to Salute 50th Anniversary at 2013 Cattle Industry Summer Conference]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-5590-federation-of-state-beef-councils-to-salute-50th-anniversary-at-2013-cattle-industry-summer-conference.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to illegally release information on cattle operations to activist groups                           ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[E. coli cases in TX, GA]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-4178-e-coli-cases-in-tx-ga.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 10.9 million head on April 1, 2013.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Fires turn Texas drought into an inferno]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6566-fires-turn-texas-drought-into-an-inferno.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Along with battling the worst drought in history, Texas has now added its worst fire season to its record breaking year. News of the severe Texas drought has been replaced with daily updates of hundreds of fires burning over 3.6 million acres.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[E. coli cases in TX, GA]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-4178-e-coli-cases-in-tx-ga.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 10.9 million head on April 1, 2013.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Cattle on feed report confirms large placements]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6543-cattle-on-feed-report-confirms-large-placements.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ With the third-highest Aug. 1 inventory since the series began in 1996, The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported that the number of cattle on feed in feedlots of 1,000 head or more in the U.S. rose to just above 10.6 million. This inventory was 8 percent above Aug.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Federation of State Beef Councils to Salute 50th Anniversary at 2013 Cattle Industry Summer Conference]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-5590-federation-of-state-beef-councils-to-salute-50th-anniversary-at-2013-cattle-industry-summer-conference.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to illegally release information on cattle operations to activist groups                           ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Closing Livestock Review]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-5087-closing-livestock-review.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Futures closed higher, up 97 to 130. Strong support developed in the live cattle futures market following triple-digit gains in the feeder cattle market as well sharp early losses in the corn market.]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[E. coli cases in TX, GA]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-4178-e-coli-cases-in-tx-ga.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 10.9 million head on April 1, 2013.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Prices drop on domestic concerns]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6528-prices-drop-on-domestic-concerns.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Fed cattle prices dropped last week as a result of weakness in cash prices and decreased demand from the consumer segment. On the Plains, cattle traded for $112.50-113 live and $180-181 dressed. Corn Belt trade ranged from $179-$181 dressed and $113 live.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Federation of State Beef Councils to Salute 50th Anniversary at 2013 Cattle Industry Summer Conference]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-5590-federation-of-state-beef-councils-to-salute-50th-anniversary-at-2013-cattle-industry-summer-conference.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to illegally release information on cattle operations to activist groups                           ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Closing Livestock Review]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-5087-closing-livestock-review.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Futures closed higher, up 97 to 130. Strong support developed in the live cattle futures market following triple-digit gains in the feeder cattle market as well sharp early losses in the corn market.]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[FEEDER CATTLE MARKETS]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-4192-feeder-cattle-markets.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Compared to last week, yearling feeder cattle sold mostly steady with some major markets wavering in either direction but rarely more than 2.00.]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[E. coli cases in TX, GA]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-4178-e-coli-cases-in-tx-ga.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 10.9 million head on April 1, 2013.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Iowa environmentalists threaten EPA]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6526-iowa-environmentalists-threaten-epa.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) announcement last week issuing six compliance orders followed on the heels of a recent Notice of Intent to Sue (NOI) filed by three environmental groups in Iowa.                                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Emergency livestock disaster assistance set to expire]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6527-emergency-livestock-disaster-assistance-set-to-expire.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ ELAP provides emergency assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees, and farmraised fish that have losses due to disease, adverse weather or other conditions, including losses due to blizzards and wildfires not adequately covered by any other disaster program, as determined by the secretary.                                        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Expected corn acreage surprises market, prices fall]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6323-expected-corn-acreage-surprises-market-prices-fall.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA&rsquo;s monthly supply and demand report released last Thursday exceeded analyst&rsquo;s expectations for planted corn acreage. The number of acres planted to corn was reported at 92.28 million acres, surpassing last year&rsquo;s plantings by 5 percent or 4 million acres. Expectations for         ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Closing Livestock Review]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-5087-closing-livestock-review.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Futures closed higher, up 97 to 130. Strong support developed in the live cattle futures market following triple-digit gains in the feeder cattle market as well sharp early losses in the corn market.]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Fuzzy math ]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6327-fuzzy-math.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Boy, it really makes you wonder just how these guys in government think. This country owes more that $14 trillion and we are running a $1.6 trillion budget deficit, but Congress is squabbling over a few free trade agreements (FTAs) that would create more than $20 billion in commerce between]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Report minimizes economic benefits of grazing ]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6322-report-minimizes-economic-benefits-of-grazing.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ What&rsquo;s public lands grazing worth to the economy? According to a report recently released by the Department of Interior (DOI), it&rsquo;s not as much as you might think. The June 21 report, titled "The Department of Interior&rsquo;s Economic Contributions," gives a breakdown of]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Video sale posts excellent prices on strong demand]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6324-video-sale-posts-excellent-prices-on-strong-demand.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The fed cattle trade last week was slow to get started as packers were looking at the expectation that beef prices were likely to drop after the Fourth of July holiday weekend. That kept the bulk of last week&rsquo;s trade pending at midday last Thursday as feedlots held cattle back]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Early fed cattle trade reported $1-2 higher]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6298-early-fed-cattle-trade-reported-$1-2-higher.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ A see-saw week in the fed cattle markets pushed off the bulk of trade last week until very late, with the majority of the action looking to be postponed until Friday. The early light sales in the Corn Belt and Nebraska were reported at $178-180 dressed while some live cattle trades were reported at $110-111 at midday last        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s volatile, so hedge ]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6301-itrss-volatile-so-hedge.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ There is more volatility in the commodity markets. Two weeks ago, cattle markets were on a roll, gaining several dollars going into Father&rsquo;s Day weekend with cash fed cattle trading at $108-109. Then the June 1 Cattle on Feed report came out and, the following Monday morning, the markets took off. It was starting to look like the                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Cattle on Feed numbers remain above 2010 levels]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6300-cattle-on-feed-numbers-remain-above-2010-levels.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA&rsquo;s Cattle on Feed report, released June 17, showed a decline in the number of cattle on feed from the prior month, however, numbers remain well above June 1, 2010, levels. The report said there are 10.9 million head in U.S. feedlots of 1,000 head or more, an increase of 4 percent from year-earlier         ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[DAILY FED CATTLE MARKET UPDATE]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-5614-daily-fed-cattle-market-update.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Thus far on Tuesday, negotiated cash trade is at a standstill in the Southern and Northern Plains. Trading in the Western Cornbelt is limited on very light demand.]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[U.S. leading beef exports]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6544-us-leading-beef-exports.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ For the first time in a decade, the U.S. has recaptured the position as the leading beef exporter, even with a dwindling cow herd. The combination of a favorable currency exchange rate, a unique, high quality product, and aggressive marketing has allowed the U.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Corn yields cause supply/demand concerns]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6545-corn-yields-cause-supply_demand-concerns.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ With the hottest summer on record in several regions, yield prospects for corn crops are eroding. The decrease in yields is raising concerns among food processors, livestock producers and biofuel makers since a bumper crop is needed to replenish stocks.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Closing Livestock Review]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-5087-closing-livestock-review.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Futures closed higher, up 97 to 130. Strong support developed in the live cattle futures market following triple-digit gains in the feeder cattle market as well sharp early losses in the corn market.]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[FEEDER CATTLE MARKETS]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-4192-feeder-cattle-markets.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Compared to last week, yearling feeder cattle sold mostly steady with some major markets wavering in either direction but rarely more than 2.00.]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Idaho counties propose new management of federal forests]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6547-idaho-counties-propose-new-management-of-federal-forests.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Five rural Idaho counties are proposing a pilot program that would turn management of 200,000 acres of federally owned forests over to the state. The plan, which has been endorsed by Idaho Gov. C.L.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[FEEDER CATTLE MARKETS]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-4192-feeder-cattle-markets.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Compared to last week, yearling feeder cattle sold mostly steady with some major markets wavering in either direction but rarely more than 2.00.]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[DAILY FED CATTLE MARKET UPDATE]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-5614-daily-fed-cattle-market-update.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Thus far on Tuesday, negotiated cash trade is at a standstill in the Southern and Northern Plains. Trading in the Western Cornbelt is limited on very light demand.]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[DAILY FED CATTLE MARKET UPDATE]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-5614-daily-fed-cattle-market-update.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Thus far on Tuesday, negotiated cash trade is at a standstill in the Southern and Northern Plains. Trading in the Western Cornbelt is limited on very light demand.]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Regulations aim to strangle agricultural industry]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6590-regulations-aim-to-strangle-agricultural-industry.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In a time where the government needs to be cutting spending, one section of the government is doing just the opposite: the regulatory agencies. With a cost in the bil- lions, new federal regulations are hurting job growth and economic recovery, both for the economy and the agricultural ag industry.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[FEEDER CATTLE MARKETS]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-4192-feeder-cattle-markets.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Compared to last week, yearling feeder cattle sold mostly steady with some major markets wavering in either direction but rarely more than 2.00.]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[E. coli cases in TX, GA]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-4178-e-coli-cases-in-tx-ga.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 10.9 million head on April 1, 2013.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[WASDE reduces supply-demand gap]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6672-wasde-reduces-supply-demand-gap.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In last week's monthly USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, corn and soybean productions were reduced 1 percent from September, but the supply-demand gap seems to be shrinking, especially in the global market. The report's U.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[DAILY FED CATTLE MARKET UPDATE]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-5614-daily-fed-cattle-market-update.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Thus far on Tuesday, negotiated cash trade is at a standstill in the Southern and Northern Plains. Trading in the Western Cornbelt is limited on very light demand.]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[PLC creates historic trust]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6592-plc-creates-historic-trust.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The cool green mountains of Utahs Park City ski resort may be a vacationers paradise, but it was all work and very little play for Public Lands Council (PLC) members who flocked to the Wasatch Mountains from across the west to hammer out solutions to the myriad of issues currently threatening public lands grazing.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Wyoming wolves on track for delisting]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6673-wyoming-wolves-on-track-for-delisting.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The road to delisting the grey wolf across the northern Rocky Mountain region has been long and torturous, and nowhere more so than in the state of Wyoming. Now, it seems that Wyoming's luck may be on the brink of changing.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Closing Livestock Review]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-5087-closing-livestock-review.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Futures closed higher, up 97 to 130. Strong support developed in the live cattle futures market following triple-digit gains in the feeder cattle market as well sharp early losses in the corn market.]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Federation of State Beef Councils to Salute 50th Anniversary at 2013 Cattle Industry Summer Conference]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-5590-federation-of-state-beef-councils-to-salute-50th-anniversary-at-2013-cattle-industry-summer-conference.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to illegally release information on cattle operations to activist groups                           ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[FEEDER CATTLE MARKETS]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-4192-feeder-cattle-markets.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Compared to last week, yearling feeder cattle sold mostly steady with some major markets wavering in either direction but rarely more than 2.00.]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Cattlemen optimistic about trade agreements]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6670-cattlemen-optimistic-about-trade-agreements.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ After several years of stressing to lawmakers the importance of new trade agreements with some of the world's largest beef importers, beef producers were optimistic last week as the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate voted in favor of the pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Kazakhstan puts its money on North Dakota cattle]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6697-kazakhstan-puts-its-money-on-north-dakota-cattle.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ On the afternoon of Oct. 18, North Dakota rancher Dan Price was in Fargo overseeing a load of his bred heifers as they prepared to travel to their new home.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Dust regulations being called a myth]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6694-dust-regulations-being-called-a-myth.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recent letter to two senators stating the agency has no plans for expanding the current air quality standards to include agriculture dust is giving the ag industry hope that maybe the EPA regulation rampage is slowing down.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Few surprises in cattle on feed report]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6821-few-surprises-in-cattle-on-feed-report.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the U.S. for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.9 million head on Nov. 1, 2011. The inventory was 4 percent above Nov. 1, 2010. This is the second highest Nov. 1 inventory since the series began in 1996.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Closing Livestock Review]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-5087-closing-livestock-review.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Futures closed higher, up 97 to 130. Strong support developed in the live cattle futures market following triple-digit gains in the feeder cattle market as well sharp early losses in the corn market.]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Packer margins remain sharply negative]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6740-packer-margins-remain-sharply-negative.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Despite the lower cutout values last week, fed cattle prices were higher. The fed cattle market strengthened at $1 to $2/cwt. higher last week with sales at $120-121 in the south Plains and $120-122 in the Corn Belt. Dressed sales were reported at $189 to $192/cwt.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[EPA changes CAFO requirements]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6721-epa-changes-cafo-requirements.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published a proposed rule for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) that was written primarily to settle another dispute between EPA and environmentalist groups, although EPA claims it is necessary to meet water quality protection responsibilities under the Clean Water Act (CWA).                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Texas vets Bangs vaccinate adult cattle leaving state]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6720-texas-vets-bangs-vaccinate-adult-cattle-leaving-state.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Due to severe drought, thousands of Texas cattle are being moved to other states. Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) records from Certificates of Veterinary Inspections indicate that 24,330 breeding cows left Texas in August 2011                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[EPA changes CAFO requirements]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6721-epa-changes-cafo-requirements.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published a proposed rule for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) that was written primarily to settle another dispute between EPA and environmentalist groups, although EPA claims it is necessary to meet water quality protection responsibilities under the Clean Water Act (CWA).                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Cattle on feed up 5 percent]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6739-cattle-on-feed-up-5-percent.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the U.S. for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 totaled 11.3 million head on Oct. 1, 2011. The inventory was 5 percent above Oct. 1, 2010, and the second highest October inventory report since the series began in 1996.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Clinton-era roadless rule reinstated by courts]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6743-clinton-era-roadless-rule-reinstated-by-courts.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Ten years of legal see-sawing were capped off in late October when the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to reinstate a Clinton-era rule that bans road building, rebuilding, and timber extraction on almost 49 million acres of National Forest Service (NFS) land.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Youth farm labor rule comment period extended]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6742-youth-farm-labor-rule-comment-period-extended.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ While the proposed changes do not apply to children working on a farm owned or operated by their parents, they would impact the 14- and 15-year-olds wanting to work on farms not owned by their parents. It also impacts high school vocational agriculture programs, including 4-H.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Japan reviewing restrictions on beef import rules]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6744-japan-reviewing-restrictions-on-beef-import-rules.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ An advisory panel of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare began the much anticipated review of Japan&rsquo;s meat import rules last week. Current restrictions in place ban import of beef from cattle over 20 months of age.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Putting &ldquo;equal&rdquo; back in Equal Access to Justice Act]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6824-putting-ldequalrd-back-in-equal-access-to-justice-act.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The bill to return the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) to its original intent passed through the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee in mid-November, bringing it one step closer to the president&rsquo;s desk, and one step closer to holding activists financially accountable.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Legislation would permanently close grazing]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6844-legislation-would-permanently-close-grazing.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ A cadre of environmental activist groups is celebrating the presentation to Congress of new legislation that would allow for grazing permit buy-outs. If passed, the bill would require the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[FDA to ban popular industry antibiotic]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6942-fda-to-ban-popular-industry-antibiotic.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to ban on April 5 the agricultural use of cephalosporin, a popular antibiotic used primarily in swine, chickens and turkeys, but also cattle, to prevent the rise of drug-resistant bacteria that infect humans.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[EPA official resigns after crucifixion comments go public]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7424-epa-official-resigns-after-crucifixion-comments-go-public.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Al Armendariz, the top Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official for Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, has drawn fire for referring to Roman crucifixions in saying he&rsquo;d make examples of environmental offenders, and that blaze has been credited for his recent resignation.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Utah passes law to reclaim federal lands]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7426-utah-passes-law-to-reclaim-federal-lands.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In what promises to be a closely watched faceoff between the federal government and advocates for states&rsquo; rights, the State of Utah threw down the gauntlet late March when republican Gov. Gary R. Herbert signed the &ldquo;Transfer of Public Lands Act&rdquo; (H.B. 148) into law.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Farm bill moves to Senate]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7427-farm-bill-moves-to-senate.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ After an overnight delay and a few more adjustments, the Senate Ag Committee did vote, 16-5, to move it forward. The 900-page bill is expected to create $26.4 billion in savings over the next decade, largely by ending the current system of direct cash payments and reinvesting in new forms of crop insurance.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Republican presidential candidates' ag profiles]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6939-republican-presidential-candidates-ag-profiles.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Despite the ag-oriented nature of Iowa, farming and ranching issues were not highlighted by the candidates. Many candidates have remained quiet or vague on ag-important topics like the farm bill, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and subsidies.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Net farm income forecast up 28 percent in 2011]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6845-net-farm-income-forecast-up-28-percent-in-2011.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA&rsquo;s recent forecast for net farm income, which reflects income from production, was $100.9 billion in 2011, up $21.8 billion or 28 percent from last year. Net cash income, which only reflects cash transactions, is forecast up by $17.5 billion from 2010 to $109.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[WTO determines COOL creates unnecessary trade obstacles]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6823-wto-determines-cool-creates-unnecessary-trade-obstacles.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The World Trade Organization (WTO) announced it has ruled in support of complaints by Canada and Mexico that U.S. Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) violates global trade rules.       ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Few surprises in cattle on feed report]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6821-few-surprises-in-cattle-on-feed-report.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the U.S. for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.9 million head on Nov. 1, 2011. The inventory was 4 percent above Nov. 1, 2010. This is the second highest Nov. 1 inventory since the series began in 1996.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[9 percent increase in corn use expected]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7449-9-percent-increase-in-corn-use-expected.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA gave its first estimates of 2012-13 crop year supply and demand, pegging U.S. ending stocks for corn at 1.88 billion bushels. Total U.S. corn use for 2012/13 is projected up 9 percent from 2011/12 on higher feed and residual disappearance, increased use for sweeteners and starch, and larger exports.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Competition and extended trading hours spurs changes, market concerns]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7447-competition-and-extended-trading-hours-spurs-changes-market-concerns.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ On May 14, IntercontinentalExchange Inc. (ICE) launches its new grain commodity futures with a 22-hour trading day. This competitive move has put agcommodities giant Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group (CME) on the defensive. The USDA and market analysts have been hardpressed to foresee the market impacts and warn of potential trade disruptions.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Judge orders review of ruling that awards excessive attorney fees]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7446-judge-orders-review-of-ruling-that-awards-excessive-attorney-fees.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In a small win for agriculture, and a potential turn of events on the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), a federal appeals court ruled that a judge awarded excessive attorneys&rsquo; fees to a conservation group following a dispute over federal grazing permits in Idaho.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[9 percent increase in corn use expected]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7449-9-percent-increase-in-corn-use-expected.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA gave its first estimates of 2012-13 crop year supply and demand, pegging U.S. ending stocks for corn at 1.88 billion bushels. Total U.S. corn use for 2012/13 is projected up 9 percent from 2011/12 on higher feed and residual disappearance, increased use for sweeteners and starch, and larger exports.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Competition and extended trading hours spurs changes, market concerns]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7447-competition-and-extended-trading-hours-spurs-changes-market-concerns.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ On May 14, IntercontinentalExchange Inc. (ICE) launches its new grain commodity futures with a 22-hour trading day. This competitive move has put agcommodities giant Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group (CME) on the defensive. The USDA and market analysts have been hardpressed to foresee the market impacts and warn of potential trade disruptions.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Heavy-handed CA runoff program not sitting well with ag businesses]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7411-heavy-handed-ca-runoff-program-not-sitting-well-with-ag-businesses.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ New runoff rules adopted by the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Board that cover all or part of eight counties from San Mateo to Ventura, CA, have raised the ire of the California Farm Bureau Federation (CFBF), the Grower-Shipper Association of...        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Senators fight to stop EPA's takeover of all water]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7392-senators-fight-to-stop-epas-takeover-of-all-water.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The U.S. Supreme Court last month ruled that two property owners could challenge an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determination that their property contained regulated wetlands, challenge the administrative order requiring the property owners to remove fill they had placed on their property, and challenge the outrageous fines EPA had imposed.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[BLM, USFS partnership with environmentalists raises questions]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7391-blm-usfs-partnership-with-environmentalists-raises-questions.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ To ranchers who graze on public lands, there is no novelty to the idea that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) often farm out jobs to contractors.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[EPA fracking regulations delayed]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7390-epa-fracking-regulations-delayed.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In response to a court deadline, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized standards to reduce harmful air pollution associated with oil and natural gas production, but delayed implementing some of the regulations until Jan. 1, 2015..        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Judge orders review of ruling that awards excessive attorney fees]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7446-judge-orders-review-of-ruling-that-awards-excessive-attorney-fees.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In a small win for agriculture, and a potential turn of events on the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), a federal appeals court ruled that a judge awarded excessive attorneys&rsquo; fees to a conservation group following a dispute over federal grazing permits in Idaho.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[NY judge demands FDA action on antibiotics in animal feed]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7350-ny-judge-demands-fda-action-on-antibiotics-in-animal-feed.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The objects of contention are penicillin and tetracycline included in animal feed to &ldquo;stimulate growth and improve feed efficiency in food-producing animals,&rdquo; according to the court order. The court claims &ldquo;medically important&rdquo; antibiotics in animal feed have led to a rise in antibiotic resistant.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[EPA loses against landowners in a Supreme Court decision]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7349-epa-loses-against-landowners-in-a-supreme-court-decision.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ A recent Supreme Court ruling relating to Clean Water Act (CWA) violations was a huge victory for an Idaho couple, but it is also a potential bonus for all private landowners.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Subfertile females may have misplaced male DNA]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7348-subfertile-females-may-have-misplaced-male-dna.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The genomes of cows who have difficulty reproducing often contain fragments of the male Y chromosome, according to a new study titled &ldquo;Y are you not pregnant: Identification of Y chromosome segments in female cattle with decreased reproductive efficiency.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[High numbers now mean low numbers later]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7331-high-numbers-now-mean-low-numbers-later.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The U.S. cattle on feed rose, as did placements, in February and March. But continued high placements are unsustainable and many project a drop in placements which will result in shorter meat supplies later in summer. Recent rains in drought-stricken areas will also tighten numbers as more heifers are kept as replacements rather than feeders.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[U.S. challenging WTO COOL ruling]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7330-us-challenging-wto-cool-ruling.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ U.S. beef and pork producers opposing the COOL requirement are disappointed that the USTR has decided to appeal last November&rsquo;s ruling. NCBA Vice President Bob McCann issued a statement saying the appeal &ldquo;jeopardizes our strong trade relationship with Canada and Mexico, the two largest importers of U.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Jobs suspended at BPI plants on "pink slime" media hype]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7329-jobs-suspended-at-bpi-plants-on-pink-slime-media-hype.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ ABC World News ran a story in early March focused on the claims of two disgruntled scientists formerly with USDA. Along with other misguided claims, these men dubbed the Lean Finely Textured Beef (LFTB) as nothing but &ldquo;pink slime.&rdquo; However, there&rsquo;s nothing that is scientific or factual about their claims.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[CAFO inspections from the air]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7307-cafo-inspections-from-the-air.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency&rsquo;s (EPA) increasing surveillance flights over feedlots in Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Iowa are generating a controversial buzz among ranchers and cattle producers who chafe at what they perceive as an invasion of privacy that easily could be abused.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Rural Californians to pay $150 per home for fire fee]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7305-rural-californians-to-pay-$150-per-home-for-fire-fee.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Rural Californians are all fired up over a new fee. The state claims the fee is needed to continue providing fire protection to rural residents. Opponents are calling foul, however, saying it is an illegal and unfair tax that will do more harm than good.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Ranchers question legality of Montana bison move]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7304-ranchers-question-legality-of-montana-bison-move.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ A recently signed agreement between the state of Montana and Fort Peck Indian Reservation prompted landowners to try and stop the movement, to no avail. District Court Judge John McKeon disregarded their request for a temporary restraining order to stop the move.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Public lands ranchers face siege of regulations]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7290-public-lands-ranchers-face-siege-of-regulations.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is defending the agency&rsquo;s decision to close some roads in national forests, despite the growing conflicts and concerns. Intermountain Regional Forester Harv Forsgren told guests at a congressional hearing in Elko, NV, last week that the travel management plans are part of an on-going process across the West.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Investors bet on Oregon horse slaughter plant]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7289-investors-bet-on-oregon-horse-slaughter-plant.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The congressional rider that had prohibited USDA from inspecting horse meat&mdash;a necessity for interstate commerce&mdash;was quietly left out of the 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Bill signed into law by President Obama in November.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Cattle on feed up 2 percent in April; good weather holds back placements]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7409-cattle-on-feed-up-2-percent-in-april-good-weather-holds-back-placements.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ California, Nebraska and Washington saw the largest year-to-year increases in the cattle on feed population. Compared with April 1, 2011, California was up 9 percent, with 490,000 cattle on feed. Nebraska saw a 6 percent increase from last year&rsquo;s numbers with 2.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Beef industry rallies together to derail BSE concerns]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7408-beef-industry-rallies-together-to-derail-bse-concerns.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Just as the beef markets were seeing recovery from the fallout of lean finely textured beef (LFTB), a case of BSE hit the news, wreaking havoc on midweek markets. But industry groups quickly rallied together to stand behind U.S. beef products, and the markets responded with a quick turnaround.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Committee continues review of Renewable Fuel Standard with examination of agricultural impacts]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8649-committee-continues-review-of-renewable-fuel-standard-with-examination-of-agricultural-impacts.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Nearly all the fuels currently produced under the RFS are derived from farm products, primarily corn for ethanol production and soybeans for biodiesel production. The RFS has strengthened demand for domestic corn and soybeans and these crop prices have risen.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[U.S. corn ending stocks higher than expected]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7288-us-corn-ending-stocks-higher-than-expected.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Beef projections are expected to be slightly higher from February with prices getting stronger. Export is expected to remain unchanged, but domestic slaughter is expected to be low. Slight overall increase is small, but still well below numbers from past years.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Legislation to end &ldquo;man-made drought&rdquo; in CA]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7284-legislation-to-end-ldman-made-droughtrd-in-ca.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Water Reliability Act (H.R. 1837) in a bipartisan vote of 246 to 175.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[USDA opens temporary inspection facilities]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7251-usda-opens-temporary-inspection-facilities.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA approved the temporary inspection facilities in response to increased demand from Russia, Turkey and Kazakhstan for live cattle in 2011. USDA said the facilities reduce the distance animals must travel before export and help exporters meet strict shipping deadlines.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Hope in sight for ESA reform]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7250-hope-in-sight-for-esa-reform.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Cross your fingers; the Endangered Species Act (ESA) may be getting a much-needed reworking soon. The National Cattlemen&rsquo;s Beef Association (NCBA) recently submitted a list of proposed reforms to the aging ESA which may improve transparency, efficiency, and the local involvement of ranchers and farmers in listing proceedings.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Montana bangs case caught by routine testing]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6633-montana-bangs-case-caught-by-routine-testing.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Montana Department of Livestock (MDOL) reported last week that a suspected case of brucellosis in Park County has been confirmed. Six bred heifers from a 150-head herd were determined to have reacted positive to initial screening tests in mid- September.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[COF placements cause bullish tone to markets]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6636-cof-placements-cause-bullish-tone-to-markets.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported that the number of cattle on feed in feedlots of 1,000 head or more in the U.S. totaled more than 10.7 million head on Sept. 1. This inventory was 5 percent above Sept. 1, 2010, numbers, and is the third highest Sept.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Working both ends of the arena]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6582-working-both-ends-of-the-arena.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ If a Top Hand Award was given for the production of a Ranch Bronc Riding, Traci Butler of Guthrie, TX would take home the buckle. Butler works both ends of the arena, not on horseback, but as the event coordinator hustling from the crow's nest to the stands then dashing back to the sidelines to get a glimpse of the action.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Montana ranchers, groups threaten to sue DEQ]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6634-montana-ranchers-groups-threaten-to-sue-deq.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Throughout western history, the success of a ranch has depended heavily on its access to reliable supplies of stock water. Without this resource, few ranches can remain viable.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Farmers hurt by ESA face water quality challenge]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6583-farmers-hurt-by-esa-face-water-quality-challenge.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ At more than 4,100 feet above sea level, the Upper Klamath Lake north of Klamath Falls, OR, is the largest freshwater body in Oregon. The 160-square-mile lake already is naturally high in phosphorous and other nutrients because of historic volcanic activity in the region.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Colorado water wasted in out-flows]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6654-colorado-water-wasted-in-out-flows.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Colorado court-ordered well restrictions and shut-offs in 2006 have resurfaced, literally - flooding basements in northeastern Colorado; and figuratively- in water courts with lawsuits seeking a happy medium between all of the South Platte river stakeholders.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Water for Life sponsoring water law seminars]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6584-water-for-life-sponsoring-water-law-seminars.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Water for Life, Inc. is hosting Oregon Water Law Institute, a seminar on water law in the state of Oregon. These seminars will cover the Pros & Cons of Conservation Easements and Water Quality and Toxics.      ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Cattle on feed gains another 2 percent]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7198-cattle-on-feed-gains-another-2-percent.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ U.S. cattle numbers have declined 14 of the last 16 years, with the addition of 2011. The severe drought has increased the reduction of cattle numbers, sending feeder cattle to market at lower and lower weights, resulting in less beef per animal, including less Choice grades.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[TransCanada set to re-apply for Keystone permit]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7197-transcanada-set-to-re-apply-for-keystone-permit.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ TransCanada Corporation announced last week that they had sent a letter to the U.S. Department of State (DOS) informing the department the company plans to file a Presidential Permit application (cross border permit) in the near future for the Keystone XL Project from the U.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[House sides with land owners on eminent domain]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7196-house-sides-with-land-owners-on-eminent-domain.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday, Feb. 29, 2012, sided with private property owners by passing the Private Property Right Protection Act of 2012 (H.R. 1443). The bipartisan bill, sponsored by Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, R-WI, essentially prevents states from using eminent domain over property to be used for economic development.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[U.S.-China symposium stresses relationships, trade]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7158-us-china-symposium-stresses-relationships-trade.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Delegates from China met with U.S. agricultural representatives in Iowa to discuss trade agreements and agricultural cooperation at a firstever symposium. Chinese officials toured farms and signed a five-year agreement to direct conversations on agricultural topics.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[KORUS FTA date set despite controversy in Korea]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7157-korus-fta-date-set-despite-controversy-in-korea.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The move will help pave the way for both countries to boost their economic and political ties, according to reports. South Korea&rsquo;s parliament approved the free trade pact in November of last year despite vehement protests from opposition lawmakers. The deal was signed in July 2007 and approved by Congress in October 2011.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[President Obama recommends increasing grazing fee]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7156-president-obama-recommends-increasing-grazing-fee.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Public lands ranchers breathed a collective sigh of relief Jan. 31 when the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service announced that the 2012 grazing fee would remain at $1.35 per animal unit month (AUM), the lowest rate allowable.                                                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[BSE rule long overdue]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7111-bse-rule-long-overdue.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The group, led by Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-IA, and Ben Nelson, D-NE, sent a letter to the Office of Management and Budget and USDA&rsquo;s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service urging the agencies to finalize a comprehensive rule for BSE. The senators said the lack of a comprehensive rule has harmed U.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Partnership seeks to ease trade agreements]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7109-partnership-seeks-to-ease-trade-agreements.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ American ranchers both big and small stand to benefit from the new Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The Pacific-countries trade agreement aims to reduce barriers to trade and integrate companies of all sizes into the global market.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Pork industry responds to McDonald's changes]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7110-pork-industry-responds-to-mcdonalds-changes.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ &ldquo;McDonald&rsquo;s believes gestation stalls are not a sustainable production system for the future. There are alternatives that we think are better for the welfare of sows,&rdquo; said Dan Gorsky, senior vice president of McDonald&rsquo;s North America Supply Chain Management, in a press release.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Corn carryover decreased in USDA report]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7070-corn-carryover-decreased-in-usda-report.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ &ldquo;Domestic ending stocks numbers for corn, beans and wheat all came within expectations falling mostly in the neutral category,&rdquo; DTN Analyst John Sanow said. &ldquo;Corn fell 45 mb (50 mb increase in exports, 5 mb increase in imports) from January to 801 mb. In the near-term, this could be considered neutral-to-bullish.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[MF Global collapse leaves farmers angry]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7069-mf-global-collapse-leaves-farmers-angry.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Under fire from critics and lawmakers calling for CME to be stripped of its oversight powers, CME has announced the creation of a $100 million fund to protect farmers and ranchers in the event of another CME-member bankruptcy. The proposed fund would not cover losses sustained from the collapse of MF Global.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Shrinking cattle supplies, higher input prices for 2012]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7068-shrinking-cattle-supplies-higher-input-prices-for-2012.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Blach told a packed audience that he expects cattle inventory numbers to decline slightly in 2012 and reach a low point in 2013 before increasing in 2014 and beyond. Although herd growth may remain elusive, an increase in average carcass weights will partially offset the decline in inventory numbers, he said.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[BLM and Forest Service announce 2012 grazing fee]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7033-blm-and-forest-service-announce-2012-grazing-fee.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The federal grazing fee for 2012 will be $1.35 per animal unit month (AUM) for public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and $1.35 per head month (HM) for lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The 2012 fee is the same as last year&rsquo;s.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Proposed legislation targets hidden cameras in agriculture]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7032-proposed-legislation-targets-hidden-cameras-in-agriculture.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Iowa&rsquo;s House File 589, known as the &ldquo;ag gag bill,&rdquo; if passed would become the nation&rsquo;s toughest legislation against animal rights activists who use what they call covert operations to take videos and photos of alleged animal cruelty. The bill would make it illegal to videotape at farms, ranches, and other animal operations while undercover.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Cattle Inventory Report confirms drought losses]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7030-cattle-inventory-report-confirms-drought-losses.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA&rsquo; Cattle Inventory Report came in with few surprises since the industry has continued to liquidate throughout severely drought-stricken areas. The report did show some early signs of expansion interest, but ranchers continue to remain cautious on reports that the drought may not be over.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[California slaughter law overturned]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7010-california-slaughter-law-overturned.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Supreme Court released its unanimous decision in favor of the National Meat Association (NMA) in NMA v. Harris last week, a case determining that the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) preempts a 2008 California law whose requirements differ from and add to federal law and regulations.                        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Egg producers' bargain concerns livestock industry]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7007-egg-producers-bargain-concerns-livestock-industry.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The National Cattlemen&rsquo;s Beef Association (NCBA) criticized legislation introduced by Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-OR, that would seal an agreement made between HSUS and UEP, and codify the federally-mandated egg production practices the two groups agreed...                                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Cattle on feed up 3 percent from 2011]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7008-cattle-on-feed-up-3-percent-from-2011.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Last week&rsquo;s USDA-issued cattle on feed report was in keeping with earlier predictions. Cattle on feed were up; placements were down due to reduced supplies of feeder cattle. Fed cattle marketings were down slightly with one less trading day which put the marketing rate in line with projections.                                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Lawsuit, wild horse management options]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6921-lawsuit-wild-horse-management-options.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In the emotionally charged arena of wild horse management, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is finding it increasingly difficult to deploy all the population control tools at its disposal due to legal challenges by horse activists.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Deals in Southwest ranch real estate]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6922-deals-in-southwest-ranch-real-estate.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The 2011 Southwest real estate market has seen stable to active growth, depending on the region, with larger, mixed-use properties drawing the most attention. Despite obstacles for some due to cautious lenders, for-cash buyers have lots of prime property choices and sellers are getting good returns in the Southwest farm and ranch real estate market.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[2012 EPA ethanol requirements reduced]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6919-2012-epa-ethanol-requirements-reduced.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) waited until the 5th hour to release their reduced 2012 biofuel requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Fracking pits ag against oil and gas]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6905-fracking-pits-ag-against-oil-and-gas.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Reacting to the EPA report, Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead said the report was scientifically questionable. North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple said new EPA rules restricting fracking could devastate the economic recovery of his state, where about 3,000 wells use fracking.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Livestock groups hail passage of omnibus package]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6904-livestock-groups-hail-passage-of-omnibus-package.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Dustin Van Liew, Public Lands Council (PLC) executive director and National Cattlemen&rsquo;s Beef Association (NCBA) director of federal lands, commended lawmakers for including critical policy provisions related to livestock grazing as well as greenhouse gas reporting requirements in the spending bill.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[WWP victory affects up to 30,000,000 ac.]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6655-wwp-victory-affects-up-to-30000000-ac.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Western Watersheds Project (WWP) is celebrating what its founder John Marvel called a "great court victory" after Idaho Federal District Judge B. Lynn Winmill issued a major ruling in favor of the anti-grazing non-profit group and against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[WTO determines COOL creates unnecessary trade obstacles]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6823-wto-determines-cool-creates-unnecessary-trade-obstacles.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The World Trade Organization (WTO) announced it has ruled in support of complaints by Canada and Mexico that U.S. Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) violates global trade rules.       ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Snake Valley water battle heating up]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7958-snake-valley-water-battle-heating-up.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ A water dispute between Nevada and Utah is the tip of a controversy that&rsquo;s likely to worsen as relentless drought grips much of the nation and large volumes of water are pumped from aquifers, dropping underground water levels to dangerously low depths.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Sandy takes toll on beef market]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7959-sandy-takes-toll-on-beef-market.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ &ldquo;It will take a few days to sort out the effects of the disruption but chances are that the storm will have some short term impact on meat protein demand. This is particularly the case at the foodservice level. Lost foot traffic and sales will be hard to make up, especially in the current economic environment.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[FY2013 to see record exports]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7774-fy2013-to-see-record-exports.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA has forecast agriculture exports to reach a record $143.5 billion in the 2013 fiscal year, with strong demand from Canada, Europe and Japan, according to The Outlook for US Agricultural Trade released Aug. 31 by the USDA&rsquo;s Economic Research Service (ERS) and Foreign Agricultural Service.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Cattle components missing in GIPSA rule]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6770-cattle-components-missing-in-gipsa-rule.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA submitted modified sections of the proposed Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) livestock marketing rule as Final and Interim Rules for review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[WASDE report lowers corn production]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6772-wasde-report-lowers-corn-production.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Corn and soybean yields and production were both reduced in USDA&rsquo;s Nov. 9 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, and came in below average from pre-report trade expectations, according to analysts.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Producers hope for death of the estate tax]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6989-producers-hope-for-death-of-the-estate-tax.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Congress passed the two-year tax package, known as the Reid- McConnell Tax Package, at the end of the 2010 session, which, in addition to preventing the estate tax from reverting to pre-2001 levels of a 55 percent tax with a $1 million exemption, the tax package addressed a variety of other expiring tax issues that would have affected U.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Some of 2008 Farm Bill implemented]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6866-some-of-2008-farm-bill-implemented.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In a press release, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced USDA has published the Final Rule implementing the 2008 Farm Bill provisions to better protect livestock producers and poultry growers under the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA).        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Klamath water wars escalating]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6892-klamath-water-wars-escalating.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Klamath River dams have become a contentious decadelong water controversy over how the river should be managed, relating to the water supplies of farmers in the Klamath Basin and the southern Oregon region where the river begins, in addition to fish habitats.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Horse legislation spurs speculation over slaughter facilities, unlikely supporters]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6867-horse-legislation-spurs-speculation-over-slaughter-facilities-unlikely-supporters.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The ink had hardly dried on the latest agriculture spending bill when horse industry advocates began toasting the historic removal of a six-year ban on USDA horse slaughter inspection. Signed into law Nov.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[2012 National Western Stock Show 106th year]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6890-2012-national-western-stock-show-106th-year.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ &ldquo;The 2012 National Western Stock Show (NWSS), Jan. 7-22, will feature many new, exciting events,&rdquo; Paul Andrews, president and CEO said, &ldquo;while still remaining true to our 106-year tradition of serving agriculture producers and consumers throughout the world and preserving our western heritage.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[WASDE projects higher steer prices]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6893-wasde-projects-higher-steer-prices.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA raised its 2012 price forecast for cattle (5-area direct, all grades) to an average of $120 to $128 per cwt. from last month’s forecast range of $117 to $126 in the Dec. 9 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report..                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Winter storms disrupt markets]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6902-winter-storms-disrupt-markets.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Wind and snow crossed the southern Plains twice last week bringing frigid temperatures and blowing snow. Between last week&rsquo;s weather and the impending holidays, cattle owners seemed more focused on daily operations than sales, but a slight rally on Thursday warmed things up.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Year ends with cattle on feed 4 percent]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6903-year-ends-with-cattle-on-feed-4-percent.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA&rsquo;s Dec. 1 cattle on feed report showed the nation&rsquo;s feedlots, over 1,000 head, held 4 percent more cattle than a year ago at 12.1 million head. This is the second largest number on record, and analysts are suggesting that cattle on feed numbers has reached its seasonal peak.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[KCBT revises proposed trading hours to 5 p.m. to 2 p.m.]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7463-kcbt-revises-proposed-trading-hours-to-5-pm-to-2-pm.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ CME Group has withdrawn its proposal to expand electronic grain trading hours to 22 hours per day, according to a Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) spokesman. The Kansas City Board of Trade (KCBT) also pulled its parallel proposal and submitted a new one, in which electronic trade would open at 5 p.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Bill would allow management of forest fire fuel loads]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7465-bill-would-allow-management-of-forest-fire-fuel-loads.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Congressman Paul Gosar, R-AZ, was joined by 27 other U.S. House of Representative members in drafting H.R. 5744, or the &ldquo;Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act of 2012&rdquo; legislation. If passed, it would expedite the review and approval process for thinning and grazing projects near communities that are at risk from wildfires.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Beef imports gain in first quarter while exports fall behind]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7466-beef-imports-gain-in-first-quarter-while-exports-fall-behind.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ is available for export. U.S. beef production is expected to be 5 and 8 percent lower in the third and fourth quarters of 2012, and exports are expected to be 9 percent and 6 percent lower in those quarters. Beef export levels in 2013 are expected to be only slightly (1 percent) below forecast 2012 levels, at 2.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Record live cattle exports through the Port of Galveston]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7485-record-live-cattle-exports-through-the-port-of-galveston.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Responding to the surge in demand in 2011 from Russia, Turkey and Kazakhstan for live cattle exports from the U.S., US- DA&rsquo;s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) approved seven temporary export inspection facilities, or EIFs, in 2011 to supplement the work done at the agency&rsquo;s approved permanent facilities.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Controversial analysis of BLM range report rejected]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7486-controversial-analysis-of-blm-range-report-rejected.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ An environmental group which bills itself as a champion for government agency environmental whistleblowers has released a controversial analysis claiming that recent Bureau of Land Management (BLM) data on rangeland health reveals that 33 million acres of public lands are failing rangeland health standards due to livestock grazing.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Placements down 15 percent in recent USDA report]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7487-placements-down-15-percent-in-recent-usda-report.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ This month&rsquo;s USDA cattle on feed report defied projections for a bullish result. Pre-report estimates placed the cattle on feed on May 1 at 100.5 percent of last year&rsquo;s numbers, placements at 88.5 percent, and marketings at 98.5 percent. Actual reported numbers for cattle on feed and placements were below estimates, and marketings exceeded expectations.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Report release times examined]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7502-report-release-times-examined.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ &ldquo;It is important that USDA continue to ensure the integrity of its report release process, particularly as global exchanges move closer to 24-hour trading,&rdquo; said Glauber. &ldquo;To this end, USDA is reviewing our procedures and will solicit public input to determine the needs of those who use our data.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Lack of participation threatens trucking program]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7504-lack-of-participation-threatens-trucking-program.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ After more than 15 years of backand-forth negotiations, threatened lawsuits, retaliatory tariffs and other barriers, the U.S. and Mexico agreed last October to the program that would allow big trucks to cross the border and operate on each other&rsquo;s highways.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Leaked Interior Department emails point to political motives in mining ban]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7505-leaked-interior-department-emails-point-to-political-motives-in-mining-ban.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In what could prove to be a major embarrassment for the Department of Interior (DOI), a clutch of recently leaked emails suggest that the department may have had little to no scientific evidence supporting its January decision to withdraw over 1...        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Court orders FDA to review antibiotic use]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7519-court-orders-fda-to-review-antibiotic-use.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ A federal judge ruled last Monday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must reconsider previously denied petitions to ban certain antibiotics used in livestock production. This comes just after FDA issued a notice that it would appeal a March ruling determining the agency had broken the law by failing to act on petitions from 1977.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Privacy breach questioned in EPA flyover inspections]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7520-privacy-breach-questioned-in-epa-flyover-inspections.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In a May 29 letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson, all five members of Nebraska&rsquo;s congressional delegation demanded answers by June 10 to about 25 questions regarding EPA&rsquo;s covert aerial surveillance inspections of livestock operations in their state.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Gas, diesel prices drop nationwide]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7521-gas-diesel-prices-drop-nationwide.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the national average for both regular gas and on-highway diesel are down from week-to-week and year-to-year levels. This downtrend could be a litmus test for slowing domestic and global economic growth and reduced consumer confidence.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Debate continues over Keystone XL pipeline]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7544-debate-continues-over-keystone-xl-pipeline.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Oklahoma&rsquo;s governor criticized President Barack Obama last week for holding up a Keystone XL Pipeline that she said will greatly benefit her state.       ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Beef production down in supply/demand report]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7545-beef-production-down-in-supply_demand-report.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA last week released its monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report. Overall, projections contained few surprises in crop commodities. Beef production was down despite overall meat and poultry projections being adjusted up from May&rsquo;s expectations.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[No break for CA ag trucks]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7546-no-break-for-ca-ag-trucks.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ A bill sponsored by the California Cattlemen&rsquo;s Association (CCA) to exempt farmers, ranchers and their employees from needing commercial drivers&rsquo; licenses to operate heavy trucks and trailers within 150 miles of their farm operations died in committee, the week of June 4, to the disappointment of agriculture groups in the state.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Producers reassured with proposed dust standards]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7568-producers-reassured-with-proposed-dust-standards.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on June 15 proposed its long awaited dust standard that sparked controversy within the agricultural community.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[TPP invitation extended to Mexico]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7569-tpp-invitation-extended-to-mexico.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ President Barack Obama&rsquo;s administration, along with eight other countries, last Monday formally invited Mexico to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade negotiations. In addition to the U.S., the current TPP countries are Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Scientist blows whistle on dam removal assessment]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7570-scientist-blows-whistle-on-dam-removal-assessment.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ A senior scientific advisor was fired by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) shortly after raising questions of bias in Bureau documents touting the benefits of removing four dams along Oregon and California&rsquo;s Klamath River. The scientist in question, hydrometeorologist Dr.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[National Council of Chain Restaurants urges RFS repeal]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8059-national-council-of-chain-restaurants-urges-rfs-repeal.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently denied requests for a waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), allowing for as much as 40 percent of America&rsquo;s corn crop to be processed into biofuels instead of food.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Judge rules grain traders can proceed with CME price-settlement lawsuit]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8057-judge-rules-grain-traders-can-proceed-with-cme-price-settlement-lawsuit.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ A Cook County Circuit Court judge in Chicago ruled on Monday, Nov. 26, that a group of 24 Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) grain pit traders and brokers can proceed with a federal lawsuit against the CME Group Inc. for electronic trading rules they fear will eliminate their jobs.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[BPI files defamation lawsuit against ABC]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7798-bpi-files-defamation-lawsuit-against-abc.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Beef Products Inc. (BPI) last week announced the filing of a defamation lawsuit against ABC News for its coverage of lean, finely textured beef (LFTB), dubbed &ldquo;pink slime&rdquo; by critics, alleging that the network misled consumers to believe the product is unhealthy and unsafe.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Fires and drought consuming prime grazing land]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7587-fires-and-drought-consuming-prime-grazing-land.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Monstrous, raging wildfires consuming massive swaths of parched land in western states, destroying hundreds of homes and forcing tens of thousands to evacuate also are making conditions hotter than blazes for ranchers grazing livestock on the range and in dire need of expensive hay and scarce water for their cattle and sheep.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Feedlot placements up 15 percent]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7588-feedlot-placements-up-15-percent.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA&rsquo;s National Agricultural Statistics Service released its latest monthly Cattle on Feed (COF) report on June 22. Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the U.S. for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.1 million head on June 1, 2012.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Bank of America-HSUS partnership ruffles feathers]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7590-bank-of-america-hsus-partnership-ruffles-feathers.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The BankAmericard Cash Rewards&trade; Visa® card for HSUS will reportedly transfer $60 to the multi-million dollar animal rights foundation for every credit account opened, and transfer another 25 cents for every $100 dollars spent on the card.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[More drug tests]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7607-more-drug-tests.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA&rsquo;s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced new steps to safeguard the food supply and to protect consumers nationwide. Later this summer, the department will launch a new approach to its testing to protect the public from exposure to harmful levels of chemical residues in meat, poultry, and egg products.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[WTO confirms country of origin labeling rule]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7608-wto-confirms-country-of-origin-labeling-rule.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ American consumers may still see country origin labels on their groceries, but the U.S. will have to change the way it implements and enforces its country of origin labeling (COOL) law, according to the recent ruling from the World Trade Organization (WTO).        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Legal playing field may level out]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7609-legal-playing-field-may-level-out.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ When anti-grazing groups need legal help, many of them dip into the well-established system of nonprofit environmental legal centers and law school clinical programs to get pro bono legal representation.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Streamlined drought disaster process created]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7625-streamlined-drought-disaster-process-created.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack held a news conference last Wednesday laying out the new provisions and what areas it would affect. Vilsack pointed out that previous emergency provisions from the 2008 Farm Bill expired in September 2011, and with the extreme conditions of 2012, a new plan was necessary.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Brazil reports BSE-causing prions two years later]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8092-brazil-reports-bse-causing-prions-two-years-later.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The interval between the animal&rsquo;s death and reporting the discovery of the prions was due to the low-risk nature of the case, according to Brazilian officials. OIE apparently agreed, and has maintained Brazil&rsquo;s top BSE safety rating. Some groups are not convinced, however.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Advanced biofuel production gets boost from sorghum]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8078-advanced-biofuel-production-gets-boost-from-sorghum.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ &ldquo;This is a significant step forward for the sorghum industry,&rdquo; said Bill Kubecka, Sorghum Checkoff Program chairman and a producer from Palacios, TX. &ldquo;This pathway for grain sorghum will make sorghum a more profitable biofuel feedstock for the renewables industry, thus increasing the value and demand for sorghum.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[New report finds that mandatory country of origin labeling has not increased demand for U.S. beef]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8077-new-report-finds-that-mandatory-country-of-origin-labeling-has-not-increased-demand-for-us-beef.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Demand for U.S. meat products covered by the mandatory country of original labeling (MCOOL) law that took effect in 2009 has not been impacted by the presence of the labels, according to a new analysis by the Kansas State University (KSU) Department of Agricultural Economics.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Antibiotic paper trail sought]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7626-antibiotic-paper-trail-sought.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In the latest of a series of increasing demands on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reexamine its approval of antibiotics for subtherapeutic use in livestock, a non-profit group has sued the agency, saying that their requests for public disclosure of documents about antibiotic policy were ignored.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Beef production up, corn estimates cut]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7628-beef-production-up-corn-estimates-cut.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The July World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate (WASDE) report, released Wednesday, July 11, bespoke the weather woes faced in much of the growing areas of the U.S. Drought and back-to-back days of record heat have cut yield estimates for corn and soybeans significantly, with expectations of further reductions in the months to come.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Report credits $385 billion economy boost to Interior]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7647-report-credits-$385-billion-economy-boost-to-interior.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ From facilitating energy development to managing America&rsquo;s public lands for tourism and outdoor recreation to assisting Indian tribes with education and economic growth, the activities of the Department of the Interior (Interior) contributed $385 billion to the U.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[EPA calls on Iowa to fix CAFO oversight]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7648-epa-calls-on-iowa-to-fix-cafo-oversight.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a preliminary report on Thursday, July 12, outlining several deficiencies in the Iowa Department of Natural Resources&rsquo; (IDNR) dealings with confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs).        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Fires create two-year grazing delay]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7649-fires-create-two-year-grazing-delay.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Two massive fires raging for more than a week in the sagebrush ranges of southeast Oregon are finally being brought to heel, according to officials at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). However, restoring the damaged ranges, say officials, may take years.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Ethanol reform needed in wake of drought]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7666-ethanol-reform-needed-in-wake-of-drought.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ As a relentless, historic drought continues to blister nearly 65 percent of the nation&mdash;decimating huge volumes of U.S. corn and other crops&mdash;livestock and dairy organizations are urging Congress to either sharply curtail or entirely eliminate a federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requiring 10 percent of the nation&rsquo;s gasoline supply come from ethanol.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Damage from "Meatless Monday" plug not retractable]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7667-damage-from-meatless-monday-plug-not-retractable.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA was under fire last week from both ranchers and politicians on Capitol Hill after encouraging employees to go vegetarian one day a week to improve both their health and the climate. While the department retracted the statement, claiming it was unauthorized, some believe the damage was already done with a little help from social media.                        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Cattle on feed up, marketings down]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7668-cattle-on-feed-up-marketings-down.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ July 20 saw an unusual cosmic alignment in the world of USDA reports; the July Cattle on Feed (COF) report, the Mid-Year Cattle Inventory report, and the monthly Cold Storage report all came out on the same day.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Drought could cost millions in lost exports]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7684-drought-could-cost-millions-in-lost-exports.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ &ldquo;The widespread drought has ultimately led to the worst pasture conditions in the past 15 years,&rdquo; Good said. &ldquo;The U.S. calf crop is down 800,000 head. The bottomline, when all is said and done, the cattle herd will decrease by about 500,000 head.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Drought complicates already sticky horse issue]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7685-drought-complicates-already-sticky-horse-issue.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Tuesday, July 31, Wyoming State Rep. Sue Wallis, R-District 53, sent an impassioned letter and petition to the secretary of agriculture, Tom Vilsak, urging him to help horse owners and horses alike by supporting the inspection of horse slaughter.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Legal battle ends with BLM and Forest Service employees facing contempt]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7687-legal-battle-ends-with-blm-and-forest-service-employees-facing-contempt.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Following 10 weeks of a preliminary bench trial in a Reno, NV, federal courthouse, U.S. District Court Chief District Judge Robert C. Jones ruled June 6 that the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) engaged in an intentional conspiracy causing irreparable harm to family members and the estate of the late Wayne Hage.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Final report released on BSE case]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7706-final-report-released-on-bse-case.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The three-month investigation by the USDA, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) turned up no other cases of BSE, commonly known as Mad Cow Disease. Marsh said he was impressed by the outstanding response of USDA and CDFA to the potentially disastrous incident.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Wolf killed after repeated attacks on livestock]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7703-wolf-killed-after-repeated-attacks-on-livestock.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Acting under the terms of the state&rsquo;s 2011 Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) took lethal action after a series of wolf attacks on the Diamond M herd, whose owners graze about 400 head of cattle in an area known as the Wedge near the Canadian border.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Beef Board reshapes to pursue demand]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7705-beef-board-reshapes-to-pursue-demand.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ During the late July Cattle Industry Summer Conference, CBB deliberated and voted upon, and unanimously approved a committee restructuring proposal for the joint advisory committees with the Federation of State Beef Councils (Federation).        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Animal rights group joins with fringe farm group]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7723-animal-rights-group-joins-with-fringe-farm-group.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) shared its recent partnership with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) during a press release announcing a lawsuit aimed at the Beef Checkoff Program. While the lawsuit in itself is interesting, the partnership has far out-shadowed the details of the suit.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Salazar accused of Wild Lands return]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7724-salazar-accused-of-wild-lands-return.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Western congressional representatives have raised the red flag on Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, claiming that new Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manuals for conducting wilderness inventories effectively reissue key elements of Salazar&rsquo;s highly controversial Wild Lands policy, which was stripped of funding by Congress last April.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Farm women survey finds lack of understanding in shopping moms]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8624-farm-women-survey-finds-lack-of-understanding-in-shopping-moms.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The grassroots organization CommonGround recently released the results of their &ldquo;Gate-to-Plate&rdquo; survey. The online survey looked at the buying motivations of over 1,000 moms of school-aged children at the grocery store.                                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[FDA putting the brakes on antibiotic use]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7365-fda-putting-the-brakes-on-antibiotic-use.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The three pieces FDA published in the Federal Register last week included: &bull; A final guidance for industry, The Judicious Use of Medically Important Antimicrobial Drugs in Food- Producing Animals, that recommends phasing out the agricultural production use of medically.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Sheep station threatens grizzlies, say opponents]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6962-sheep-station-threatens-grizzlies-say-opponents.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Greater Yellowstone Coalition and National Wildlife Federation have been joined by at least one Bureau of Land Management (BLM) official in claiming that the Agricultural Research Service&rsquo;s (ARS) U.S.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[WASDE comes in bearish despite expectations]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6964-wasde-comes-in-bearish-despite-expectations.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA&rsquo;s World Agricultural Supply and Demand (WASDE) estimates show a downward trend in cattle supplies from last year, with higher fed-steer price ranges. USDA increased 2011 corn and soybean yields and production, despite most analysts&rsquo; predictions leaning towards a decline.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Pilot program for biofuel-friendly oilseed crop]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6847-pilot-program-for-biofuel-friendly-oilseed-crop.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Camelina (Camelina Sativa)&mdash; also known as wild flax, German sesame, or Siberian oilseed&mdash;is an ancient oil-bearing plant that has been domesticated and extensively used in Europe for several thousand years.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Reaching a balance is key to sustainability]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6961-reaching-a-balance-is-key-to-sustainability.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Sustainability is the big buzz word in the industry and was one of the main topics at last week&rsquo;s International Livestock Congress. According to Jude Capper, Ph. D.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Hearing requested on renewable fuel standard&rsquo;s impact]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6865-hearing-requested-on-renewable-fuel-standardrss-impact.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In a letter to the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, a coalition of the U.S. livestock and poultry industry associations, including the National Cattlemen&rsquo;s Beef Association, the American Meat Institute, the National Chicken...        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[U.S. to be net beef importer in 2013]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7725-us-to-be-net-beef-importer-in-2013.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The August USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report came out Friday, Aug. 10. The report showed beef production up compared to prior projections, but still down compared to prior years. It also predicted the U.S. will become a net importer of beef by 2013.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Colorado counties demand greater role in sage grouse amendment]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7737-colorado-counties-demand-greater-role-in-sage-grouse-amendment.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Being a &ldquo;cooperating agency&rdquo; is supposed to give local governments a special seat at the table in crafting environmental impact statements (EISs) alongside federal agencies.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Shrinking corn yields puts ethanol in the hot seat again]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7738-shrinking-corn-yields-puts-ethanol-in-the-hot-seat-again.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ While the ethanol debate rages on, producers were given some hope last week when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) opened a 30-day public comment period on a waiver request from two governors that voiced concern over the worst drought in 50 years and the continuing climb of the price of corn.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Placements down but still higher than average]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7739-placements-down-but-still-higher-than-average.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The most recent USDA monthly Cattle on Feed report which came out August 17 showed few surprises. However, some perspective is needed. Even though placement numbers are down compared to expectations, the numbers are still unusually high relative to the past six years.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Animal rights group sues state fair over booth]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7760-animal-rights-group-sues-state-fair-over-booth.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has been busy making headlines and wreaking havoc on state fairs the last couple of months. The group has successfully made its way into the Colorado, Kansas and Iowa state fairs, with what has been described as a graphic documentary titled &ldquo;Glass Walls.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[FWS report gives guidance for keeping sage grouse off endangered list]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7761-fws-report-gives-guidance-for-keeping-sage-grouse-off-endangered-list.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Since a court settlement last year in which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) agreed to decide whether to list the sage grouse by September 2015, everyone&mdash;from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to local working groups&mdash;has been scrambling to make an endangered listing of the iconic, low-flying bird unnecessary.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Western fires consume more acres than seen in years]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7762-western-fires-consume-more-acres-than-seen-in-years.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ According to the U.S. Forest Service&rsquo;s (USFS) active fire mapping service, 2012 year-to-date has had the most fire damage seen in six years, with 7.29 million acres burned already. Only 2005 and 2006 saw more destruction at this time in the year at 7.32 million acres and 7.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[WY wolf delisted, environmentalists howl lawsuit]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7777-wy-wolf-delisted-environmentalists-howl-lawsuit.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced the removal of the Wyoming gray wolf from the endangered species list Friday, Aug. 31. Wolf management will be turned over to the state under an approved management plan. The wolf&rsquo;s large population in the northern Rocky Mountain region was cited as the rationale for the delisting.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Drought takes toll on hay prices]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7846-drought-takes-toll-on-hay-prices.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ By the end of 2012, alfalfa hay production will drop 16 percent compared with the previous year, the lowest level since 1953, according to USDA&rsquo;s August report. Total hay production will likely total 120 million tons, an 8.4 percent drop from 131 million tons last year.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Challenges and opportunities mark annual PLC convention]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7799-challenges-and-opportunities-mark-annual-plc-convention.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Plenty of people stop through Winnemucca, NV, to spend a few days and gamble in the casinos. But the delegation of ranchers that rumbled into town two weeks ago to hammer out solutions to public lands issues was playing for much higher stakes: Keeping public lands open to livestock grazing and keeping the ranchers who graze public lands in business.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Forest Service sued over sheep allotment closures]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7818-forest-service-sued-over-sheep-allotment-closures.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Idaho Wool Growers Association (IWGA), along with individual ranchers in that state, has filed suit against the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). The claim disputes a 2010 decision by officials in Idaho&rsquo;s Payette National Forest (PNF) to cut sheep grazing allotments on the forest by roughly 70 percent.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Protein not a priority in new school lunch program]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7817-protein-not-a-priority-in-new-school-lunch-program.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The new program requires students to include a fruit or vegetable with their lunch, or it will cost them more, charging them at the a-la-carte price, instead of the regular lunch. While they can not force the student to eat the fruit or vegetable, food waste has also become a hot topic with the school lunch debate.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[High corn estimates surprise industry]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7801-high-corn-estimates-surprise-industry.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The September World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report came out Wednesday, Sept. 12. This report held some surprises in corn, though the surprises were mostly in that the estimates varied so much from, and were so much stronger than, pre-report industry expectations.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[New route submitted for Keystone XL pipeline]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7776-new-route-submitted-for-keystone-xl-pipeline.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ TransCanada Corporation, the company behind the pipeline, assured supporters that they would not give up, and last week, they came through with an alternative plan.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Federal veterinarians worry about safety at new Mexican facility]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7820-federal-veterinarians-worry-about-safety-at-new-mexican-facility.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Several Texas-based federal veterinarians charged with inspecting imports of live Mexican cattle into the U.S. are wary of traveling to, and working in, a newly-built facility just south of the Texas border in Nuevo León, Mexico. The veterinarians cite safety concerns supported by the fact the U.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[CA ranch land, critical conservation areas, at risk]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7960-ca-ranch-land-critical-conservation-areas-at-risk.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ New research reveals that if cuts continue and the act is eliminated, owners of ranchland plan to sell 20 percent of their total acres, according to William Wetzel and his co-investigators. Wetzel is a doctoral candidate in the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) Department of Evolution and Ecol ogy.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Russia threatens import ban on U.S. cattle over shipping concerns]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7845-russia-threatens-import-ban-on-us-cattle-over-shipping-concerns.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The apparently very poor condition of a shipment of U.S. cattle bound for Russian dairy farms has officials in that country considering a ban on the importation of U.S. cattle that arrive via oceangoing vessels. In a statement issued Sept.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Cattle on Feed report results lower than expected]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7847-cattle-on-feed-report-results-lower-than-expected.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The most recent Cattle on Feed and Cold Storage reports came out Friday afternoon, Sept. 21. All numbers reported for the Cattle on Feed report were down from what the industry anticipated. This could mean supplies are and will be tighter than anticipated.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Supreme Court rejects appeal of roadless rule]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7869-supreme-court-rejects-appeal-of-roadless-rule.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ A legal appeal of the Clinton-era Roadless Area Conservation Rule (or &ldquo;roadless rule&rdquo;) by the state of Wyoming and the Colorado Mining Association was rejected Oct. 1 by the court.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Conference stresses transparency]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7868-conference-stresses-transparency.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ On Wednesday, Oct. 3, the Colorado Beef Council, together with Colorado State University and the Center for Meat Safety and Quality, as part of the checkoff program, put on the first Beef   Transparency = Trust conference.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Beef plant progresses]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7867-beef-plant-progresses.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ David Palmer, president and chief executive officer, said the new plant, Northern Beef Packers (NBP), is the newest, most modern beef processing plant in the country. &ldquo;Using the high-quality, family-farm-raised young cattle in the Dakota region, Northern Beef Packers will provide world-class prime beef, traceable from farm to finished product.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Corn stocks lowest since 1995]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7882-corn-stocks-lowest-since-1995.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ While USDA&rsquo;s October World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report had some big changes, it was in line with most analysts&rsquo; expectations. Corn yields remained declined slightly, but 2011 stocks were cut drastically and are now the lowest since 1995/96, according to analysts.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[OR ranchers on the frontline]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7883-or-ranchers-on-the-frontline.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Skinner&rsquo;s ranch is tucked into Oregon&rsquo;s southeast corner, a sagestrewn, remote area of the High Desert dominated by Bureau of Land Management (BLM) holdings that are largely used for livestock grazing. The region has a long history of destructive range fires.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Texas announces details of new cattle traceability rule]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7885-texas-announces-details-of-new-cattle-traceability-rule.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ While some ag organizations have been busy fighting USDA&rsquo;s national animal traceability program, officials in Texas have taken matters into their own hands, putting together their own state traceability program that may set a precedent for future national plans.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Month long Canadian beef recall continues]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7906-month-long-canadian-beef-recall-continues.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The recall of beef processed in the XL Lakeside packing plant, owned by XL Foods and located in Brooks, Alberta, Canada, began back in mid-September because of possible E. coli 0157:H7 contamination. Since then, the recall has been expanded nearly two-dozen times to include thousands of products distributed all across Canada and in 41 different U.                        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[EU blocks U.S. horse meat, then reverses decision]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7907-eu-blocks-us-horse-meat-then-reverses-decision.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In a move that had animal rights activists temporarily cheering, and advocates of horse slaughter scrambling for answers, the European Commission reportedly blocked the import of U.S.-sourced horse meat processed at European Union (EU)-approved Canadian and Mexican kill plants Friday, Oct.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Cattlemen ask for level playing field for a bushel of corn]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7908-cattlemen-ask-for-level-playing-field-for-a-bushel-of-corn.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In an attempt to bring relief to rural America, which is suffering from the worst drought in more than 50 years, the National Cattlemen&rsquo;s Beef Association (NCBA) filed official comments Monday, Oct. 15 urging Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson to waive the RFS mandate for the production of corn ethanol.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[New Mexico ranchers fight designation on private land]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7926-new-mexico-ranchers-fight-designation-on-private-land.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Many producers take great pride in the historical and cultural significance of their ranches, but few would want to risk the tangle of red tape and regulations that might result from seeking official recognition on a state or federal historic registry.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[USTR announces implementation of the U.S.-Panama FTA]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7927-ustr-announces-implementation-of-the-us-panama-fta.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the U.S.-Panama FTA is a comprehensive free trade agreement that can result in significant liberalization of trade in goods and services, including financial services.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Feedlot placements lower than expected]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7928-feedlot-placements-lower-than-expected.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Both the most recent Cattle on Feed report and the most recent Cold Storage report shows cattle and beef down. For the Cattle on Feed report, the numbers were down as expected, but they were well below industry expectations and surprising.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[The fiscal cliff looms for ag]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7989-the-fiscal-cliff-looms-for-ag.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Generally speaking, the fiscal cliff&mdash;also called &ldquo;Taxageddon&rdquo; in some circles&mdash;is the perfect storm when (or if) the Bush-era tax cuts expire at the end of 2012 and automatic government spending cuts to over 1,000 programs take effect at the beginning of 2013.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Election results leave House Ag Committee unchanged]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7991-election-results-leave-house-ag-committee-unchanged.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The presidential and congressional elections remained relatively unchanged in D.C. following last week&rsquo;s elections, including the members of the House Agriculture Committee. Republicans continue to maintain the House majority and the Democrats have maintained control of the Senate.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[CO considers new setback rules]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7992-co-considers-new-setback-rules.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Today, COGCC continues to serve, solicit participation from, and maintain working relationships with all those having an interest in Colorado&rsquo;s oil and gas natural resources, according to the Colorado Cattlemen&rsquo;s Association (CCA)..        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Fiscal cliff agreement includes permanent estate tax package]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8140-fiscal-cliff-agreement-includes-permanent-estate-tax-package.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Last minute legislation passed to avert the heavily discussed fiscal cliff fallout gave some temporary relief in some areas, but has also left lots of discussion still on the table.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Demand exceeded availability in Southwest land in 2012]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8138-demand-exceeded-availability-in-southwest-land-in-2012.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Buford noted that 2012 didn&rsquo;t differ much in what drove sellers and potential buyers&mdash;the same economic and environmental pressures and political uncertainties existed&mdash;but that there was a lot more buyer confidence in 2012 than in 2011.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Corn, soybean production up, beef down]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8013-corn-soybean-production-up-beef-down.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In what has been called neutral to slightly bearish, the most recent USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report was released Friday, Nov. 9. Beef production, imports and exports were lowered compared to the previous report, and corn and soybean yield and production estimates rose for the first time in a long while.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Drought threatens winter wheat grazing plans]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8014-drought-threatens-winter-wheat-grazing-plans.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ According to USDA&rsquo;s crop and weather report, winter wheat was rated at 21 percent very poor, 32 percent poor, 44 percent fair and 3 percent good. By this time last year, the crop was 98 percent emerged and the five-year average is 97 percent emerged..        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Ranchers await ruling in Montana bison case]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8015-ranchers-await-ruling-in-montana-bison-case.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Ranchers are protesting a plan to allow hundreds of bison to migrate north out of Yellowstone National Park in winter to seek feed and shelter in an area called Gardiner Basin. Ranchers claim that the Yellowstone bison&mdash;50 percent of which are known to carry brucellosis&mdash;will endanger the health of their cattle.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Placements down, called friendly to prices]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8037-placements-down-called-friendly-to-prices.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The most recent Cattle on Feed (COF) report was released Friday, Nov. 16 covering cattle on feed in feedlots with at least a 1,000-head capacity as of Nov. 1 as well as cattle placed on feed and marketed during the month of October.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[EPA keeps renewable fuels levels despite state requests]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8039-epa-keeps-renewable-fuels-levels-despite-state-requests.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ &ldquo;In light of the most widespread drought to face the country in more than 50 years, the refusal to grant this waiver is a blatant example of the flawed policy of the RFS,&rdquo; said National cattlemen&rsquo;s Beef Association (NCBA) President J.D. Alexander, a cattle feeder from Pilger, NE.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Study urges massive grazing cuts on public lands, cites climate change]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8040-study-urges-massive-grazing-cuts-on-public-lands-cites-climate-change.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The authors of the study, led by Dr. Robert Beschta&mdash;professor emeritus at the Oregon State University (OSU) College of Forest ry&mdash;urged decision-makers at the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service to &ldquo;seek and make use of&rdquo; opportunities to significantly scale back or eliminate grazing for the benefit of rangeland health.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:22 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Obama administration increases critical habitat for spotted owl]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8056-obama-administration-increases-critical-habitat-for-spotted-owl.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Although the new rule represents a significant increase over the 2008 designation, it was 4.2 million acres fewer than the 13.9 million acres originally proposed by FWS in February, when a draft of the rule was published. All private land and much of the state land originally.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[CME reporting error on wheat]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8076-cme-reporting-error-on-wheat.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Thursday, Nov. 29, CME closed trading on wheat and its other commodities as usual. Its initial Deliverable Commodities Under Registration Report erroneously reported the number of wheat contracts available for delivery as substantially lower than accurate.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Beef production, per capita availability estimates up]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8093-beef-production-per-capita-availability-estimates-up.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Corn predictions were left almost entirely unchanged from previous reports, but this was unsurprising as USDA isn&rsquo;t expected to change its estimates on corn until January&rsquo;s WASDE. Wheat estimates were mostly unchanged with slight decreases in export estimates and soybeans saw some changes.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[107th National Western Stock Show brings in the New Year]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8094-107th-national-western-stock-show-brings-in-the-new-year.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ More than 15,000 head of horses, cattle, sheep, swine, goats, llamas, alpacas, bison, yak, poultry and rabbits step foot on the grounds of the NWSS each year. NWSS is noted for hosting the world&rsquo;s only carload and pen cattle show, held in the historic Denver Union Stockyards.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[PLC, Arizona Cattle Growers' Association defeat radical environmental group&rsquo;s claim]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8105-plc-arizona-cattle-growers-association-defeat-radical-environmental-grouprss-claim.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ District Court by Western Watersheds Project in August 2011. Represented by Mountain States Legal Foundation, PLC, ACGA and two ranchers filed as intervenors in support of USFS and asked the court to grant summary judgment on the eight decisions, which allowed grazing to continue under.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[USDA issues final rule for animal disease traceability]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8106-usda-issues-final-rule-for-animal-disease-traceability.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ &ldquo;With the final rule announced [last week], the United States now has a flexible, effective animal disease traceability system for livestock moving interstate, without undue burdens for ranchers and U.S. livestock businesses,&rdquo; said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Washington ranchers at odds with state agencies over stream fencing]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8107-washington-ranchers-at-odds-with-state-agencies-over-stream-fencing.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ An ongoing battle underway in Washington is pitting landowners and ranchers against the state Department of Ecology (DOE), Washington&rsquo;s primary water regulatory agency, over the agency&rsquo;s claimed authority to force the fencing of stream banks on private property to exclude livestock.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[2012 in review and the future in sight]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8121-2012-in-review-and-the-future-in-sight.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Though LFTB had been cleared as safe by FDA and been part of the food chain for many years, the damage to consumer confidence was already done once the initial ABC report was aired. Petitions were signed, outraged parents complained to USDA, and grocery stores tried to get rid of it as fast as they could.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Placements surprise in recent report]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8123-placements-surprise-in-recent-report.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ 21. Because of surprising placement numbers&mdash;down compared to last year, but not as down as expected&mdash;the report is being called bearish for live cattle futures by CME analysts. On-feed numbers were almost dead-on to pre-report expectations and marketings were slightly below expectations.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Activists want FDA to lower ractopamine limits]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8124-activists-want-fda-to-lower-ractopamine-limits.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ According to Food Safety News, animal rights and food safety groups are petitioning FDA to immediately lower the allowed residue limits for ractopamine and to study the drug&rsquo;s effects on human health and animal welfare.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Judge slaps Forest Service over water rights rule]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8141-judge-slaps-forest-service-over-water-rights-rule.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Ranchers aren&rsquo;t the only ones who obsess over water rights. Many industries, municipalities and individuals jealously guard their rights to develop, divert, and otherwise use water&mdash;often located on public lands&mdash;as a lifeline to business and prosperity.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Checkoff audit offers closure]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8583-checkoff-audit-offers-closure.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ While National Cattlemen&rsquo;s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Cattlemen&rsquo;s Beef Board (CBB) breathed a sigh of relief over the Office of Inspector General&rsquo;s (OIG) audit, opponents of the longstanding relationship were no doubt sorely disappointed with the findings.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Comparing the House and Senate budgets]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8584-comparing-the-house-and-senate-budgets.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ A refreshing bit of budgetary activity took place at the end of last month. Both the Senate and the House passed a budget for 2014! And as Congress gets back to work&mdash;the Senate today, the House tomorrow&mdash;each branch has the other&rsquo;s budget to consider.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[The 9th Circuit favors ranchers in sage grouse ruling]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8585-the-9th-circuit-favors-ranchers-in-sage-grouse-ruling.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Located in Oregon&rsquo;s extreme southeast corner, Louse Canyon and the surrounding environs are revered by backpackers, wildlife enthusiasts, and photographers for their remote and scenic splendor.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Beef production slips, pork on the rise]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8587-beef-production-slips-pork-on-the-rise.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Overall, meat (beef, pork, chicken, and turkey) production was estimated up compared to the prior month&rsquo;s report&mdash;mostly on declines from beef&mdash;while imports were expected to be up and exports were projected to be down. All of this results in a higher-than-anticipated domestic meat supply, upping the per capita availability.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Attention on beta agonists in beef]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8461-attention-on-beta-agonists-in-beef.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ As consumers at home and abroad get more interested in their food, production technologies get more attention and scrutiny from all angles. None is so frequent in the mainstream media today, or possibly as valuable to the beef industry, as beta agonists.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Anti-GM activist apologizes for past]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8166-anti-gm-activist-apologizes-for-past.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Thursday, Jan. 3, saw the most recent Oxford Farming Conference where journalist, environmental activist, and now ex-anti-GM agitator, Mark Lynas described in no uncertain terms how he came to support GM technology and why others should, too. In his 51-minute speech, he apologized for his past activities and urged others to accept GM technology.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Listing proposal for Gunnison sage grouse called "disappointing']]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8186-listing-proposal-for-gunnison-sage-grouse-called-disappointing.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Friday, Jan. 11, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) submitted a proposal to list the Gunnison sage grouse as endangered under the ESA. Along with this listing proposal comes an astounding 1.7 million acres in western Colorado and the eastern edge of Utah proposed as critical habitat for the bird.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[USFS report flags housing encroachment, water use as major threats to renewable resources]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8165-usfs-report-flags-housing-encroachment-water-use-as-major-threats-to-renewable-resources.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In an attempt to answer these tough questions, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) released in December a report that examines the current status of renewable resources across the country, and determines how trends in demand for those resources could shape the future.                        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Bison one step closer to free-roam in Montana]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8163-bison-one-step-closer-to-free-roam-in-montana.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Phillips&rsquo; 78-page ruling dismissed a pair of lawsuits challenging the policy that allows the bison more movement. The challenge came from Park County residents and ranchers, including Montana Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF), the Park County Stockgrowers Association (Stockgrowers) and Park County, hoping to keep the animals in the park.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Beef production estimates up, but still below 2011]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8187-beef-production-estimates-up-but-still-below-2011.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The most recent World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report was issued by USDA on Friday, Jan 11. The report showed several good things for beef, such as increased production estimates and reduced import projections, and also a number of surprising things for corn.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Secretary Salazar announces plan to return home to Colorado]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8188-secretary-salazar-announces-plan-to-return-home-to-colorado.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ While in office, Salazar has been less than popular with many organizations, and has oft been accused of creating tension and conflict between industries and environmentalists. His battle between improving industry relations and protecting the environment has been controversial.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Environmental groups warn OR governor: Don't increase timber harvest on federal lands]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8202-environmental-groups-warn-or-governor-dont-increase-timber-harvest-on-federal-lands.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In a clear warning to Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber and the Northwest timber industry, several environmental groups have sent a letter stating that attempts to negotiate an increased timber harvest on public lands in western Oregon could result in more regulation&mdash;and less logging&mdash;on privately-owned forests.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Across the border work "voluntary"]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8203-across-the-border-work-voluntary.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In the &ldquo;border war&rdquo;&mdash;crossing the border, that is&mdash;between federal veterinarians and the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), one side has relented. The agency will not force current veterinary employees to cross the Mexican border to staff a new inspection facility there.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[HSUS CEO greeted with sea of aggie orange]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8230-hsus-ceo-greeted-with-sea-of-aggie-orange.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The CEO of arguably the most controversial animal welfare group visited Colorado&rsquo;s land grant college to promote his latest book and share his thoughts on animal welfare, but instead of a room full of like-minded vegetarians, the room was filled with agriculture supporters.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Japan eases age restrictions on beef]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8229-japan-eases-age-restrictions-on-beef.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Monday, Jan. 28, U.S. government officials announced Japan would ease age restrictions on beef imports from the U.S. This move has been long anticipated and the possibility has circulated since 2011. As of Friday, Feb. 1, beef from animals 30 months or younger could be exported to Japan, this limit up from the prior 20-month maximum.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Plant closure could help even out markets]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8205-plant-closure-could-help-even-out-markets.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Peel forecast U.S. beef production to decline 4.8 percent in 2013, the second largest year-over-year decrease in 35 years. Peel attributed the decline to a combination of mostly steady carcass weights and a projected 5 percent or more decrease in cattle slaughter.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Placements, marketings defy expectations]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8232-placements-marketings-defy-expectations.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ is down 6 percent compared to last year&rsquo;s Jan. 1 on-feed population of 11.86 million. Pre-report estimates had anticipated an on-feed level 95.6 percent of last year&rsquo;s. The unrounded results were 94.4 percent, which was just within the low end of the pre-report estimate range.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA["Boots on the Bay" at Tampa NCBA convention]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8267-boots-on-the-bay-at-tampa-ncba-convention.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ More than 5,000 cattlemen and women registered to attend the 2013 Cattle Industry Convention and National Cattlemen&rsquo;s Beef Association (NCBA) Trade Show, in Tampa, FL. The convention is the largest annual gathering of the beef industry and ran Feb. 6-9.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Idaho grazing cuts deeper than anticipated]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8284-idaho-grazing-cuts-deeper-than-anticipated.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ A series of grazing cutbacks announced on Jan. 28 by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) left ranchers in southwestern Idaho&rsquo;s Owyhee County reeling, and county officials worrying about the region&rsquo;s economic future.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Cattle inventory at 61-year low]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8285-cattle-inventory-at-61-year-low.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The most recent Cattle Inventory report was released Friday, Feb. 1 and reported on all cattle&mdash; beef and dairy&mdash;in the U.S. herd as of the first of the year. Overall, the number of cattle and calves recorded was down 1.6 percent at 89.3 million head, making this the lowest Jan.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Carcass weight gains increase meat production]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8320-carcass-weight-gains-increase-meat-production.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The most recent World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report (WASDE) was released Friday, Feb. 8. It did not include many surprises, but some changes to corn and soybean estimates made some waves in what has been called the overly sensitive grain market.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Record beef prices ahead with declining beef supply]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8321-record-beef-prices-ahead-with-declining-beef-supply.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Creighton University Professor Emeritus Art Douglas told attendees at the 2013 Cattle Industry Convention that there is a chance some regions of the U.S. will see a return to more normal precipitation patterns during the upcoming spring and summer growing season.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Shrinking global crops support grain prices]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7363-shrinking-global-crops-support-grain-prices.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA&rsquo;s account of all South American crops continued to shrink leading up to last week&rsquo;s Crop Production and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, with news of smaller and smaller harvests in key areas. Those smaller supplies have supported U.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Sheep station threatens grizzlies, say opponents]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6962-sheep-station-threatens-grizzlies-say-opponents.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Greater Yellowstone Coalition and National Wildlife Federation have been joined by at least one Bureau of Land Management (BLM) official in claiming that the Agricultural Research Service&rsquo;s (ARS) U.S.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Stirring up dust - again]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6795-stirring-up-dust--again.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ In late October, the group petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to &ldquo;rein in dangerous levels of particulate matter air pollution in 21 areas in eight western states, including Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[U.S. forest policies threaten livestock grazing]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6794-us-forest-policies-threaten-livestock-grazing.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ On behalf of the Public Lands Council (PLC) and the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI), Margaret Soulen Hinson told lawmakers during a hearing of the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands if USDA&rsquo;s Forest Service&rsquo;s...        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Evaluations guide supplementing decisions]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6773-evaluations-guide-supplementing-decisions.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 is usually a good thing. But when it comes to body condition scores (BCS) for cattle, somewhere around a 5 is ideal.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Putting &ldquo;equal&rdquo; back in Equal Access to Justice Act]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6824-putting-ldequalrd-back-in-equal-access-to-justice-act.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The bill to return the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) to its original intent passed through the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee in mid-November, bringing it one step closer to the president&rsquo;s desk, and one step closer to holding activists financially accountable.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[EPA issues new runoff permit]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7366-epa-issues-new-runoff-permit.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The new permit requires EPA to publicize nutrient management plans of producers who must report manure production volumes, how the manure is treated, and how it is applied on fields. Feedlot operators who have had their existing permits extended will have 90 days after May 9 to apply.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[FDA putting the brakes on antibiotic use]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7365-fda-putting-the-brakes-on-antibiotic-use.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The three pieces FDA published in the Federal Register last week included: &bull; A final guidance for industry, The Judicious Use of Medically Important Antimicrobial Drugs in Food- Producing Animals, that recommends phasing out the agricultural production use of medically.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Shrinking global crops support grain prices]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7363-shrinking-global-crops-support-grain-prices.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ USDA&rsquo;s account of all South American crops continued to shrink leading up to last week&rsquo;s Crop Production and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, with news of smaller and smaller harvests in key areas. Those smaller supplies have supported U.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[EPA issues new runoff permit]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-7366-epa-issues-new-runoff-permit.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The new permit requires EPA to publicize nutrient management plans of producers who must report manure production volumes, how the manure is treated, and how it is applied on fields. Feedlot operators who have had their existing permits extended will have 90 days after May 9 to apply.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[SALE calendar]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6587-sale-calendar.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Performance Angus, Bull & Female Dispersal Sale, Grand Island, NE Oct. 30.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[FEEDER CATTLE MARKETS]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-4192-feeder-cattle-markets.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Compared to last week, yearling feeder cattle sold mostly steady with some major markets wavering in either direction but rarely more than 2.00.]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Federation of State Beef Councils to Salute 50th Anniversary at 2013 Cattle Industry Summer Conference]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-5590-federation-of-state-beef-councils-to-salute-50th-anniversary-at-2013-cattle-industry-summer-conference.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to illegally release information on cattle operations to activist groups                           ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[DAILY FED CATTLE MARKET UPDATE]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-5614-daily-fed-cattle-market-update.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Thus far on Tuesday, negotiated cash trade is at a standstill in the Southern and Northern Plains. Trading in the Western Cornbelt is limited on very light demand.]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[COF placements cause bullish tone to markets]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6636-cof-placements-cause-bullish-tone-to-markets.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported that the number of cattle on feed in feedlots of 1,000 head or more in the U.S. totaled more than 10.7 million head on Sept. 1. This inventory was 5 percent above Sept. 1, 2010, numbers, and is the third highest Sept.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Montana bangs case caught by routine testing]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6633-montana-bangs-case-caught-by-routine-testing.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Montana Department of Livestock (MDOL) reported last week that a suspected case of brucellosis in Park County has been confirmed. Six bred heifers from a 150-head herd were determined to have reacted positive to initial screening tests in mid- September.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Montana ranchers, groups threaten to sue DEQ]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6634-montana-ranchers-groups-threaten-to-sue-deq.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Throughout western history, the success of a ranch has depended heavily on its access to reliable supplies of stock water. Without this resource, few ranches can remain viable.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[President sends three trade agreements to Congress]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6653-president-sends-three-trade-agreements-to-congress.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The FTAs with Colombia, Panama and South Korea were originally signed under former president George W. Bush, and are expected to boost U.S. exports by $13 billion and benefit the U.S. agriculture and manufacturing sectors, in addition to creating U.S. jobs..        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Farmers are in good shape regarding debt]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-6585-farmers-are-in-good-shape-regarding-debt.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Borrowers can benefit from the economys anxiety! Interest rates are at historic lows, with 10-year Treasuries bouncing under 2 percent in intra-day trading in recent weeks and closing at levels not seen since the 1950s.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Recreation executive is Obama's pick for Interior secretary]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8323-recreation-executive-is-obamas-pick-for-interior-secretary.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Bucking a long-standing presidential tradition of placing western lawmakers at the helm of the Department of Interior (DOI), President Obama last week nominated outdoor retail executive Sally Jewell to manage the nation&rsquo;s vast portfolio of public lands.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[EPA releases CAFO information to activist groups]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8367-epa-releases-cafo-information-to-activist-groups.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ EPA in 2012 dropped a requirement that would have given EPA access to information about CAFO locations, acres available for manure application, and numbers of head of cattle on operations, but the agency would have made the information available to the public through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Company claims pipeline has no impact on climate change]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8384-company-claims-pipeline-has-no-impact-on-climate-change.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ According to the company, Keystone XL would have minimal impact on the environment. This conclusion, according to the company, is supported by both the U.S. Department of State&rsquo;s Final Environmental Impact Statement and the Nebraska Re-route Evaluation Report.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Monsanto patent case attracts broad audience]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8385-monsanto-patent-case-attracts-broad-audience.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The whole situation started back in 1999 when Bowman bought commodity soybeans from a local grain elevator to use for double-crop beans following a winter wheat crop.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Agriculture plays key role in immigration reform talks]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8625-agriculture-plays-key-role-in-immigration-reform-talks.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Agriculture Workforce Coalition (AWC) was put together to serve as a unified voice for agriculture to ensure that America&rsquo;s farmers, ranchers and growers have access to a stable and secure workforce, something the group says is in jeopardy under the current immigration laws.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Amendment written to save USDA meat inspector jobs]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8522-amendment-written-to-save-usda-meat-inspector-jobs.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Introduced by Sens. Mark Pryor (D-AR) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), the plan is to redirect $55 million from other areas of the USDAs budget to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), essentially reinstating the funds cut under sequestration.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Cattle on Feed report surprises cancel out]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8416-cattle-on-feed-report-surprises-cancel-out.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The most recent Cattle on Feed (COF) report was released Friday, Feb. 22. It detailed the number of cattle on feed in feedlots with a 1,000-head or greater capacity as of Feb. 1 and the number of cattle placed on feed and marketed from such feedlots during the month of January.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[New URMIS nomenclature unveiled at the 2013 Annual Meat Conference]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8418-new-urmis-nomenclature-unveiled-at-the-2013-annual-meat-conference.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Think consumers know all they need to know about meat cuts? Think again. Extensive research conducted by the National Pork Board (NPB) and the Beef Checkoff Program indicates that today&rsquo;s consumers are as confused as ever when it comes to purchasing fresh meat.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Criminal motive behind horse meat scandal]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8419-criminal-motive-behind-horse-meat-scandal.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Agricultural ministers meeting in Brussels last week agreed that criminal activity stretching across the European continent is the underlying problem behind the horsemeat scandal. In response, they&rsquo;ve called for still more DNA testing of the continent&rsquo;s meat and meat products.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[USDA will process NM horse slaughter application; asks Congress to "reinstate ban"]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8462-usda-will-process-nm-horse-slaughter-application-asks-congress-to-reinstate-ban.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Although the USDA&rsquo;s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has reluctantly agreed to go ahead with processing Valley Meat, Co.&rsquo;s application for final inspection, it is unlikely that the matter will be laid to rest. In an unprecedented move, USDA has publicly urged.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Snake River ranchers dispute government land use plan]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8463-snake-river-ranchers-dispute-government-land-use-plan.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ For ranchers along the lower Snake River corridor in eastern Washington, neighboring with government and corporate landowners has long been a part of daily life.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Attention on beta agonists in beef]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8461-attention-on-beta-agonists-in-beef.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ As consumers at home and abroad get more interested in their food, production technologies get more attention and scrutiny from all angles. None is so frequent in the mainstream media today, or possibly as valuable to the beef industry, as beta agonists.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Poultry has potential to pressure beef]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8492-poultry-has-potential-to-pressure-beef.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The most recent World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report was released Friday, March 8. The report held few surprises in red meat and crops, but poultry changes&mdash;particularly of broilers and turkey&mdash; drew attention.                        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[USDA's proposed COOL rule re-opens heated debates]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8494-usdas-proposed-cool-rule-re-opens-heated-debates.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Despite hopes that there may be an end to an 11-year battle, the newly proposed Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) document has created a wave of new controversy. On March 8, USDA announced its proposed new rules for labeling muscle cuts of meat, including a requirement to specify where the source animal was born, raised and slaughtered.                        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Oil and gas boom fuels fracking concerns]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8495-oil-and-gas-boom-fuels-fracking-concerns.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The nation&rsquo;s livestock industry can find itself at odds with the U.S. oil and gas industry with concerns about potential groundwater contamination caused by such &ldquo;fracking,&rdquo; which involves injecting highly pressurized fluids into subterranean shale formations to create new veins or fractures, improving recovery of underground oil and gas.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Japan interested in Trans-Pacific Partnership]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8523-japan-interested-in-trans-pacific-partnership.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ This move has been a long time in coming, with Prime Minster Shinzo&rsquo;s predecessor&mdash;Yoshihiko Noda&mdash;having begun informal talks with the U.S. in 2011. The potential of Japan&rsquo;s entry into the group could open up massive trade opportunities via reduced trade barriers on key agricultural commodities, beef in particular.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Company sets five-year deadline for GMO labeling]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8524-company-sets-five-year-deadline-for-gmo-labeling.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Whole Foods Market announced earlier this month that, by 2018, all products in its U.S. and Canadian stores must be labeled to indicate if they contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs).                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Supreme Court sends environmental group packing; loggers, ranchers celebrate]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8567-supreme-court-sends-environmental-group-packing-loggers-ranchers-celebrate.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ It&rsquo;s a common complaint among loggers, ranchers, petroleum drillers, fishermen and other industries that depend on natural resources&mdash;federal regulations are taking over like creeping vines.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Oregon backs tribe's water rights]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8564-oregon-backs-tribes-water-rights.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Following 38 years of legal proceedings, Oregon state officials have made a decision on one piece of the water battle in the contentious Klamath River Basin. The Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) issued its Final Order of Determination (Order) in the Klamath River Basin Adjudication (KBA) on March 7, 2013.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Lower placements surprise industry]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8566-lower-placements-surprise-industry.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The most recent Cattle on Feed report was released Friday, March 22 by USDA. The report covered the number of cattle on feed as of March 1 in feedlots with a 1,000-head or greater capacity, as well as the number placed on feed in, and marketed from, such feedlots during the course of February.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Divisive Montana water rights bill dies in legislature]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8588-divisive-montana-water-rights-bill-dies-in-legislature.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ An attempt to resolve a long standing debate over water rights between landowners in western Montana and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) failed to pass the state legislature last week, marking another step in a decades old debate over ownership of water in the region.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[New budget proposes to increase federal lands grazing fee]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8589-new-budget-proposes-to-increase-federal-lands-grazing-fee.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ According to the Public Lands Council (PLC) and the National Cattlemen&rsquo;s Beef Association (NCBA), President Barack Obama&rsquo;s proposed budget, unveiled last Wednesday, includes an increase in the public lands grazing fee assessment that would put many family ranches out of business.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Beef production slips, pork on the rise]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8587-beef-production-slips-pork-on-the-rise.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Overall, meat (beef, pork, chicken, and turkey) production was estimated up compared to the prior month&rsquo;s report&mdash;mostly on declines from beef&mdash;while imports were expected to be up and exports were projected to be down. All of this results in a higher-than-anticipated domestic meat supply, upping the per capita availability.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Mobile veterinarians violating Controlled Substance Act; amendment needed]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8627-mobile-veterinarians-violating-controlled-substance-act-amendment-needed.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Most mobile veterinarians have been working under the assumption that the CSA is not enforced the same in the vet world, and that a locked box is sufficient to transport substances.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Placements surprise]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8629-placements-surprise.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The April Cattle on Feed report (COF) came out Friday, April 19. The report covers numbers of cattle on feed in feedlots of 1,000 head or greater capacity as of April 1, and the number placed and marketed during March. The biggest surprises came from the number of cattle placed, which was well above both year ago levels and pre-report estimates.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Unpredictable April keeps meteorologists guessing]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8630-unpredictable-april-keeps-meteorologists-guessing.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Across the Rockies and Plains areas, snowfall totals for the month have hit record highs; but, along with those much needed inches of moisture, there were record temperatures, on the bottom end of the thermometer. In fact, according to records, April temperatures were the coldest in 30 years in some areas, and snowfall totals were the highest.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Producer protection laws stirring heated debates]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8631-producer-protection-laws-stirring-heated-debates.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Despite the fact that the industry continues to provide a safe, abundant food supply to a growing population, some big names in Hollywood have joined the animal rights social media blitz wagon, sharing their political views on topics relating to animal rights.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Federal delisting may come for wolves]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8650-federal-delisting-may-come-for-wolves.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Word has spread from a pair of major news outlets regarding a draft rule by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Reportedly, the draft rule proposes the federal delisting of the gray wolf in the continental U.S.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Smithsonian seeks ranchers' stories for archive, exhibition]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8651-smithsonian-seeks-ranchers-stories-for-archive-exhibition.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Ranchers tend to be closet historians. Step into the living room of a family that&rsquo;s been running cattle for a few generations and chances are you&rsquo;ll spy the fruits of some amateur historian&rsquo;s labor&mdash; yellowed photos of horseback ancestors, rusty...        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[EPA releases round two of confidential data]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8669-epa-releases-round-two-of-confidential-data.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ On Feb. 10, EPA released information on 80,000 livestock operations across the United States, including 3,500 in Nebraska to activist groups like Earth Justice, the Pew Charitable Trust and the Natural Resources Defense Council following Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[11 vote against Interior secretary]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8670-11-vote-against-interior-secretary.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ As Interior secretary, succeeding Colorado&rsquo;s Ken Salazar, Jewell oversees an $11.5 billion annual budget, 70,000 federal employees and nearly 30 percent of the entire U.S. land mass, including national parks and wildlife refuges. Interior&rsquo;s policies also impact live stock.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Economic hurdles for Australian beef]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8671-economic-hurdles-for-australian-beef.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ The Australian beef industry is experiencing a perfect storm of economic disaster. Drought, oversupply from closed markets, and ag policy gone awry have left Aussie producers scrambling to find an alternative to simply shooting the hundreds of thousands of excess animals which cost more to feed and ship than they&rsquo;re worth at market.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Purchase of Superior completed]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8691-purchase-of-superior-completed.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ Friday, May 10, National Livestock Credit (National) announced its acquisition of Superior. The purchase was made possible by a limited partnership between National and a number of cattlemen from a variety of states. By all accounts, little will change with Superior following the transition but the improved stability offered by the new owners.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Ninth Circuit decision stops "sue and settle" tactic]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8693-ninth-circuit-decision-stops-sue-and-settle-tactic.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ A recent settlement agreement between federal land management agencies and environmental litigators over how to protect a slew of species in northwestern forests was struck down by the 9th Circuit Court, which ruled that the settlement violated federal laws requiring public participation for major rule changes.        ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title><![CDATA[Coal industry at odds with Montana ranchers]]></title>

    <link><![CDATA[http://www.wlj.net/article-8694-coal-industry-at-odds-with-montana-ranchers.html]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[ A proposed rail line to service coal mines near the southeast Montana community of Colstrip has drawn harsh criticism from landowners along the prospective route, many of whom claim the project is an unacceptable encroachment of their private property rights.                ]]></description>
    <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 17:38:23 CDT]]></pubDate>
  </item></channel></rss>