Genetically modified (GM) crops grown in the U.S. include corn, soybean, sugarbeets, canola, cotton, alfalfa, papaya, apples, potatoes, summer squash and pink pineapple. Following a decision released by the USDA last August, wheat could be joining that lineup within the next decade.

How are you going to assess pasture conditions going forward?

Typically, feeder cattle concentrations have shifted north from Kansas and Texas into states such as Iowa and Nebraska in the summer months; however, the industry has seen new movement beginning earlier this year.

Some areas of the U.S. are grappling with severe drought conditions, with over one-third of the country affected, and tariffs on major trading partners may impact crop production input costs and hay export markets.

Nationwide, 14.6 million acres are cultivated for alfalfa. Critics argue this is too much for regions with limited water, yet they fail to compare these numbers to other staple crops. 

As Canadians shed their coats from a moderate winter season, the results are portending a drier and hotter weather trend going into spring and summer, especially in the western provinces.

Most beef producers prefer working with livestock over sitting at a desk doing paperwork. However, successful farmers and ranchers know that organizing the future of the operation requires some inside time.

In the last 75 to 100 years, we have seen cow size go from belt-buckle cattle to hat-brim cattle. Between 1975 and 2005, the average cow weight in the U.S. at slaughter increased from 1,050 to 1,350 pounds. Since 2005, cow size in the U.S. has probably pushed into the 1,400- to 1,500-pound range.