Drought complicates range management necessitating different strategies than normally executed on a yearly basis, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service specialist.

On November 15, the board of directors of the National Dairy Producers Organization, Inc. passed a resolution in support of H.R. 2813. The bill, also referred to as the “Milk Import Tariff Equity Act,” was introduced by Rep. Peter Welch to the House of Representatives on Aug. 5, 2011.

Michael and Delores Dugan started out milking six Holstein dairy cows near Manitowoc, Wisconsin, a small town on the coast of Lake Michigan, 40 miles from Green Bay. In 1962, the Dugans moved out west with their six sons: Tom, Richard, Mike, Danny, Pat and Dennis. At that time, Chandler was a small farming community and Michael learned dry-lot dairying methods from the locals. They later started Mi-Delo Dairy on Germann Road.

State money awarded to a Nebraska farm coalition that was formed to fight an animal welfare group is drawing scrutiny from lawmakers, who question why Attorney General Jon Bruning awarded the money from a cash pool intended for environmental issues. Bruning announced the $100,000 grant to "We Support Agriculture," a coalition created to promote farming in the midst of what it perceives as threats to Nebraska's agriculture industry. Bruning praised the group in a statement and encouraged an effort to fight the Humane Society of the United States, a national group that recently opened an office in Omaha.

Crop prices are heading to year-end on a weak note.  Corn prices are near the level that existed in the first week of January and well below the late summer highs.  Soybean prices are well below the level at the start of the year and at the lowest level since early October 2010.  Prices of soft red winter wheat are at the lowest level since July 2010.

Livestock Grain Market News report for Dec. 9.  

Eldon Cole, a livestock specialist with University of Missouri Extension, says farmers in southwest Missouri should be watching for symptoms of fescue foot in their cattle, especially as winter sets in and temperatures get colder.

A half-day spent winterizing farm equipment can produce major savings, according to a sampling of equipment experts.

A wider price gap between Select grade boxed beef and Choice or better—the Choice/Select spread—always comes back to supply and demand. Consumers vote with their dollars, and recent shifts in merchandising put much more high-quality beef on the ballot, just as those supplies began to fall off.