Environment
NDSU study reveals $6,600 cost of losing topsoil
Losing six inches of topsoil could cost farmers more than $6,600 in nutrients and…
Jan 9, 2026 · By NDSU Extension
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News Archive
Latest News From Western Livestock Journal
A streamlined archive of the most recent reporting and updates from across the site.
Livestock
New CA laws affecting farms took effect Jan. 1
Several new state laws beginning will impact agriculture in California.
Jan 9, 2026 · By Caleb Hampton, Ag Alert editor, California Farm Bureau
Livestock
What’s your plan for 2026?
Cattle and beef markets are poised to continue the path of the past few…
Jan 9, 2026 · By Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension livestock marketing specialist
Environment
Tolerance for MT wolves increasing, study shows
Attitudes toward wolves have grown consistently friendlier over the past decade, according to a…
Jan 9, 2026 · By Robert Chaney, Mountain Journal
Health/Nutrition
What is a good bull worth in 2026?
With the onset of the Cattlemen’s Congress in Oklahoma City, OK, the spring 2026 bull-buying season has…
Jan 9, 2026 · By Mark Z. Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension beef cattle breeding specialist
News
A look at US ag ties to Venezuela
Venezuela, whose leader the Trump administration removed in early January, is known mostly for…
Jan 9, 2026 · By Jerry Hagstrom, DTN political correspondent, and Chris Clayton, DTN ag policy editor
News
$126M program for zero-emission trucks nears launch in WA
Washington is close to opening a new incentive program for commercial fleet operators to…
Jan 9, 2026 · By Jake Goldstein-Street, Washington State Standard
Environment
Developing new tools to turn grain crops into biosensors
A collaborative team of researchers from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, the University…
Jan 9, 2026 · By Danforth Plant Science Center
News
Tribes stake their claim on the Colorado River
Now Tribes want to make it clear that any future agreements on how to…
Jan 9, 2026 · By Jeniffer Solis
News
Farmer sentiment drifts lower
Farmer sentiment weakened slightly in December as the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer…
Jan 9, 2026 · By CME Group, Purdue University
News
Nonprofit donates feral pork to MT food banks
The Producer Partnership has completed processing more than 100 uncontained pigs captured in Phillips…
Jan 9, 2026 · By WLJ
Markets
Cattle futures climb higher into new year
The first full trading week of the year saw green on the board, but…
Jan 9, 2026 · By Anna Miller Fortozo
News
USDA reorganization draws heavy criticism
The USDA’s proposal to reorganize its national structure into five regional offices has collided…
Jan 9, 2026 · By Charles Wallace
Beef
Japan schedules Brazil sanitary audit
Japan will conduct an audit of Brazil’s beef sanitary system in March as part…
Jan 9, 2026 · By WLJ
News
Cattle company sues supplier for $11M
An Idaho-based cattle company is suing a livestock supplier for nearly $11 million for…
Jan 9, 2026 · By Anna Miller Fortozo
News
Benavidez named USDA chief economist
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the appointment of Justin Benavidez as chief economist at the…
Jan 9, 2026 · By WLJ
Health/Nutrition
Anthrax confirmed in Texas steer
The Texas Animal Health Commission confirmed anthrax in a steer in Briscoe County on Dec.…
Jan 9, 2026 · By WLJ
Beef
Updated Dietary Guidelines spotlight protein
With protein firmly at the center of the plate, the federal government is urging…
Jan 9, 2026 · By Charles Wallace
Health/Nutrition
MDOL confirms second brucellosis case
On Dec. 24, 2025, the Montana Department of Livestock confirmed a positive brucellosis test in a Gallatin…
Jan 9, 2026 · By WLJ
Environment
CDFW launches GPS wildlife capture operation
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is launching helicopter-based wildlife capture operations across Northern California in…
Jan 9, 2026 · By WLJ
News
Logan’s Comments: Protein on top!
On Jan. 7, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.…
Jan 9, 2026 · By Logan Ipsen
Health/Nutrition
NWS detected near Texas border
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller on Dec. 31, 2025, responded to confirmation from Mexico’s National Service…
Jan 9, 2026 · By WLJ
Community
The Viewpoint with Tanner Dye
At just 29 years old, Tanner Dye has built a multi-faceted role for himself…
Jan 9, 2026 · By Anna Miller Fortozo
Health/Nutrition
USDA shares 2026 research, grant priorities
USDA announced its research and development priorities for 2026, along with a standardized set of terms and conditions…
Jan 9, 2026 · By WLJ
Environment
USFWS threatens CPW’s wolf authority
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is threatening to remove the Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s authority to manage and proceed with…
Jan 9, 2026 · By WLJ
News
Fair Competition for Small Business Act introduced
Congress introduced dual-chamber legislation intended to protect small businesses from anticompetitive pricing practices that…
Jan 9, 2026 · By WLJ
News
FCC bans foreign-made drones
The Federal Communications Commission on Dec. 22, 2025, announced that foreign-made unmanned aircraft systems (drones) should be included on…
Jan 9, 2026 · By WLJ
News
Farmer Bridge Assistance payments announced
USDA released the commodity payment rates for its new Farmer Bridge Assistance Program intended to assist commodity farmers with high…
Jan 9, 2026 · By WLJ
News
Guest Opinion: Processing the meaning of ultra-processed
Far-sighted farmers will want to stay abreast of changes in society’s concerns about the…
Jan 9, 2026 · By Urban Lehner, DTN editor emeritus
Daily Market Wrap Up
Market Wrap-Up: Thursday, Jan. 8
After trading lower, cattle futures rallied back and closed in the green.
Jan 8, 2026 · By Charles Wallace
News
Weekly Drought Report: Jan. 1-7
Continued wet conditions improved moderate and severe drought in parts of Nevada, Arizona, eastern…
Jan 8, 2026 · By UNL Drought Monitor
Daily Market Wrap Up
Market Wrap-Up: Wednesday, Jan. 7
Cattle futures closed lower as traders are looking for fundamental support.
Jan 7, 2026 · By Charles Wallace
Daily Market Wrap Up
Market Wrap-Up: Tuesday, Jan. 6
Cattle futures closed higher Tuesday, with feeder cattle leading the advance as live cattle…
Jan 6, 2026 · By Charles Wallace
Daily Market Wrap Up
Market Wrap-Up: Monday, Jan. 5
The cattle market opened the first full trading week of the year on a…
Jan 5, 2026 · By Anna Miller Fortozo
News
Market outlook and rebuilding the cow herd
Unless we see changes in the current trend, it appears rebuilding the cow herd…
Jan 5, 2026 · By Dr. Bob Hough, WLJ correspondent
Community
Rising voices in California agriculture
Across rural California, the next generation isn’t just watching from the sidelines. They’re already…
Jan 5, 2026 · By Anna Miller Fortozo
Community
The rise of West Coast women’s roping
Danielle Porteur wanted more for women ropers in California. So, she built it.
Jan 5, 2026 · By Hannah Jackson
Community
Building a legacy in the Owyhees
At the base of Idaho’s Owyhee Mountains, Thomas Cattle Company has built a legacy…
Jan 5, 2026 · By Charles Wallace
Community
Reading the road ahead
At CattleFax, producers turn to data to guide their decisions, and behind much of…
Jan 5, 2026 · By Anna Miller Fortozo
Community
The faces of cattlewomen across the country
From the collegiate level up to the national, three Cattlewomen presidents share their experiences…
Jan 5, 2026 · By Megan Silveira, WLJ correspondent
Community
From scratch to success
An old adage claims that you can’t buy both the land and the cows…
Jan 5, 2026 · By Bruce Derksen, WLJ correspondent
Daily Market Wrap Up
Market Wrap-Up: Friday, Jan. 2
Friday markets “It’s a breakout day for the live cattle complex as the market…
Jan 2, 2026 · By Anna Miller Fortozo
News
Logan’s Comments: Happy new year!
What a wild ride 2025 gave us. Like a roller coaster ride that goes…
Jan 2, 2026 · By Logan Ipsen
News
Kay’s Korner: What a year!
What a year 2025 was, and what a year might lie ahead for the…
Jan 2, 2026 · By Steve Kay, WLJ columnist
Markets
Optimism carries markets into year’s end
Cattle futures headed into the last week of 2025 modestly higher, supported by optimism…
Jan 2, 2026 · By Anna Miller Fortozo
Beef
UNL: Tyson closure to cost Nebraska $3.3B annually
A new economic study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln estimates that the permanent closure…
Jan 2, 2026 · By Charles Wallace
Environment
USFWS to reconsider cattle grazing at MT refuge
Following court approval, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will reconsider whether to authorize…
Jan 2, 2026 · By Anna Miller Fortozo
Environment
BLM finalizes sage grouse plans, expands energy access
The Bureau of Land Management finalized greater sage-grouse land-use plans across eight western states,…
Jan 2, 2026 · By Charles Wallace
Daily Market Wrap Up
Market Wrap-Up: Wednesday, Dec. 31
Cattle futures finished the year on a high note, with quiet holiday trading.
Dec 31, 2025 · By Charles Wallace
Health/Nutrition
Protecting livestock from respiratory disease
Keeping livestock healthy can feel like a delicate balancing act, and winter weather makes…
Dec 31, 2025 · By Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Environment
FTC pursues trial on crop pesticide case
The Trump administration and 12 states asked a federal court to set a trial…
Dec 31, 2025 · By Todd Neeley, DTN environmental editor
Livestock
Cattle prices: A look back … and a look ahead
Cattle prices advanced for a third consecutive year in 2025.
Dec 31, 2025 · By Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension livestock marketing specialist
Environment
Bill to improve federal relations with NM land grants advances
A federal bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) to strengthen federal and local…
Dec 31, 2025 · By Leah Romero, Source New Mexico
News
USDA to update foreign land reporting requirements
USDA published a notice in the Federal Register looking to update reporting requirements for foreign land…
Dec 31, 2025 · By Chris Clayton, DTN ag policy editor
Environment
Oregon Central Coast to receive $2.2M to restore tidal wetlands
A nonprofit dedicated to restoration projects along Oregon’s Central Coast will receive $2.2 million…
Dec 31, 2025 · By Mia Maldonado, Oregon Capital Chronicle
Health/Nutrition
Testing for disease resiliency in small ruminants
North Dakota State University researchers are working to identify a tool that producers can use to identify sheep or…
Dec 31, 2025 · By NDSU Extension
Health/Nutrition
Supplementing bred heifers and calving difficulty
Producers are often told that supplementing bred heifers with protein prior to calving increases…
Dec 31, 2025 · By Paul Beck, Oklahoma State University Extension beef cattle nutrition specialist
Beef
Idaho beef recalled over E. coli
Mountain West Food Group LLC is recalling about 2,855 pounds of raw ground beef…
Dec 31, 2025 · By WLJ
Health/Nutrition
CDFA seeks members for cattle health board
The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Animal Health Branch has announced 14 vacancies on the…
Dec 31, 2025 · By WLJ
Livestock
NE woman charged in cattle theft
A McCook, NE, woman is facing felony charges tied to the alleged fraudulent purchase…
Dec 31, 2025 · By WLJ
Environment
BLM partially denies NV transmission project
Conservation groups partially prevailed in a protest against the Bureau of Land Management’s final environmental impact statement for…
Dec 31, 2025 · By WLJ
Livestock
Noble launches online profitability course
Noble Research Institute has launched Noble Profitability Essentials Online, a self-paced digital course designed to help…
Dec 31, 2025 · By WLJ
Beef
Texas Tech launching food animal residency
Texas Tech University’s School of Veterinary Medicine is addressing the nationwide shortage of food animal veterinarians…
Dec 31, 2025 · By WLJ
News
UK scales back farmer taxes after protests
The United Kingdom announced it would amend its plan to raise taxes against farms following months…
Dec 31, 2025 · By WLJ
Beef
China to impose additional 55% tariff on beef imports
On the last day of 2025, China imposed an additional 55% tariffs for major trading partners on beef imports…
Dec 31, 2025 · By WLJ
Environment
EPA wraps up WOTUS listening sessions
The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of the Army in late December wrapped up their public listening…
Dec 31, 2025 · By WLJ
Livestock
Animal rights measure reintroduced in OR
Animal rights activists in Oregon are advancing their latest introduction of Initiative Petition (IP) 28, previously…
Dec 31, 2025 · By WLJ
Livestock
Fischer reintroduces ag hauler bill
In mid-December, Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) reintroduced the Haulers of Agriculture and Livestock Safety Act.
Dec 31, 2025 · By WLJ
Environment
Rollins intervenes in Potter Valley water case
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins on Dec. 19, 2025, filed a notice to intervene in the Potter…
Dec 31, 2025 · By WLJ
Daily Market Wrap Up
Market Wrap-Up: Tuesday, Dec. 30
It’s a turnaround Tuesday as cattle futures closed higher, with January feeder cattle hitting near…
Dec 30, 2025 · By Charles Wallace
Daily Market Wrap Up
Market Wrap-Up: Monday, Dec. 29
The cattle market came back from Christmas week trading cautiously.
Dec 29, 2025 · By Anna Miller Fortozo
Daily Market Wrap Up
Market Wrap-Up: Friday, Dec. 26
The cattle market found some holiday cheer to close out Christmas week on a…
Dec 26, 2025 · By Anna Miller Fortozo
Markets
Markets trade lower into slow holiday week
Quiet holiday trade and reduced packer activity pushed futures mostly lower into the Christmas…
Dec 26, 2025 · By Anna Miller Fortozo
Environment
MT judge allows wolf hunting regulations to stand
A Helena, MT, judge has allowed the wolf hunting and trapping regulations the Montana Fish…
Dec 26, 2025 · By Amanda Eggert, Montana Free Press
Environment
Senate confirms key Trump nominees for ag
The U.S. Senate recently confirmed a slate of Trump administration nominees who will oversee…
Dec 26, 2025 · By Charles Wallace
Environment
Key environmental management bills advance
In late December, Congress advanced several bills that would have direct impacts on ranchers…
Dec 26, 2025 · By Anna Miller Fortozo
Environment
Tribe claims Schultz meddled when it tried to buy back land
A Native American Tribe alleges a top state lawmaker plotted with other officials to block it…
Dec 26, 2025 · By Annie Knox, Utah News Dispatch
Environment
House panel probes greens’ use of Equal Access to Justice Act
The House Committee on Natural Resources’ Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations convened a Dec.…
Dec 26, 2025 · By Charles Wallace
News
Logan’s Comments: Initiative marketing
In 2023, activist groups in Oregon were marketing themselves with the second attempt at…
Dec 26, 2025 · By Logan Ipsen
News
Railroads tout transcontinental benefits of merger
Lawmakers, businesses and unions are weighing in after Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern railroads filed their official merger…
Dec 26, 2025 · By Chris Clayton, DTN ag policy editor
News
United We Stand with Lesley Robinson
If there’s one thing I’ve learned through years in this industry, it’s that when…
Dec 26, 2025 · By Lesley Robinson
Community
FarmHope expands mental health care to ag industry
Free counseling and stress management support are available to Texas agricultural producers and their…
Dec 26, 2025 · By Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
News
Guest Opinion: How ag persevered through challenges this year
It’s fair to say that 2025 has been a year of meaningful progress for…
Dec 26, 2025 · By Zippy Duvall, AFBF president
Beef
Feedlot production is dropping fast
The December Cattle on Feed report showed a feedlot inventory of 11.727 million head, down…
Dec 26, 2025 · By Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension livestock marketing specialist
Daily Market Wrap Up
Market Wrap-Up: Tuesday, Dec. 23
Cattle futures closed lower on short-term profit taking from yesterday’s highs.
Dec 23, 2025 · By Charles Wallace
Daily Market Wrap Up
Market Wrap-Up: Monday, Dec. 22
“It was a successful day for the live cattle complex as the market not…
Dec 22, 2025 · By Anna Miller Fortozo
Daily Market Wrap Up
Market Wrap-Up: Friday, Dec. 19
The markets headed into the weekend buoyed higher by stronger cash trade prices and…
Dec 19, 2025 · By Anna Miller Fortozo
Environment
Judge strikes down logging project near Yellowstone
A federal judge halted a large logging project near Yellowstone National Park because he…
Dec 19, 2025 · By Darrell Ehrlick, Daily Montanan
Health/Nutrition
Mating decisions and gene combination value
Mating decisions made in commercial cow-calf operations determine if (and how much) gene combination…
Dec 19, 2025 · By Mark Z. Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension beef cattle breeding specialist
Beef
Beef exports lowest since mid-2020
USDA has released red meat export data for September, which was delayed due to…
Dec 19, 2025 · By USMEF
News
Hansen-Mueller auction moved forward
The Hansen-Mueller Co. asset sale continued as planned with an auction on Dec. 16 after attorneys for the…
Dec 19, 2025 · By Todd Neeley, DTN environmental editor
Health/Nutrition
Finding forage-efficient heifers
In recent years, substantial progress has been made in understanding biological and genetic sources…
Dec 19, 2025 · By David Lalman and Bailey Tomson, OSU Department of Animal and Food Sciences
Environment
Gravity irrigation continues to decline in West
Crops can be irrigated with gravity or pressurized systems.
Dec 19, 2025 · By USDA Economic Research Service
Markets
Holiday trade tempers cattle futures
Futures traded in a holding pattern over the week, stuck in sideways mode ahead…
Dec 19, 2025 · By Anna Miller Fortozo
Environment
Interior assumes control over American Prairie grazing cases
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum has “assumed jurisdiction” of three American Prairie grazing…
Dec 19, 2025 · By Jordan Hansen, Daily Montanan
News
CoBank: 2026 brings opportunity, volatility for rural America
CoBank’s annual Knowledge Exchange Division outlook underscores a period of mounting uncertainty for rural…
Dec 19, 2025 · By Charles Wallace
Environment
Reward offered in grizzly shooting case
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Idaho Department of Fish and Game are investigating the…
Dec 19, 2025 · By WLJ
Environment
USDA launches regenerative agriculture pilot program
The Trump administration announced on Dec. 10 a new federal effort to support regenerative…
Dec 19, 2025 · By Charles Wallace
Health/Nutrition
WI confirms first HPAI case in dairy
Wisconsin agriculture officials have confirmed the state’s first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in dairy…
Dec 19, 2025 · By WLJ