In an unprecedented decision, a U.S. federal court has ruled that manure from livestock facilities can be regulated as solid waste.On Jan. 14, Judge Thomas Rice of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington ruled that Cow Palace Dairy of Granger, Washington, polluted ground water by over-applying manure to soil.

A serious issue disrupting the Western hay market is the ongoing dock slowdown caused by a longshoremen strike. On the entire West Coast, this started in late fall 2014. The longshoremen have been working minimally without a contract since the previous one expired in July 2014. This slowdown has effectively cut in half the amount of product of all kinds either imported or exported from U.S. ports.

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) will present Digi-Star with an AE50 award for the NT8000i during their annual meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, in February.

Researchers at the University of Missouri (MU) are finding ways to extend the shelf life of ground beef. They have found that store lighting plays a role in how long meat retains the bright red color that shoppers favor. After price, consumers consider color when buying meat.

Consultants at the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation work with livestock producers on ranch solutions related to their operations.

If dinner takes more than 40 minutes to prepare, that’s too long for 31 percent of today’s consumers. If it takes an hour, the number jumps to 70 percent of consumers. “And there’s a whole lot of people that want it shorter than 40 minutes, especially on a Monday to Thursday night,” NCBA’s John Lundeen explains of cooking convenience. “They have more time on the weekend.”

Jennifer Rittenhouse Marketing Program and Brand Manager Dairyland Laboratories Inc. Elroy, Wisconsin

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