"Feeder and fed cattle prices are at or near all-time highs and are poised to keep moving higher. Both feeder and live cattle futures suggest that higher prices are yet to come. In several recent meetings and conversations with producers, I am seeing a couple of reactions to the current situation.

The National Mastitis Council (NMC) will host its 54th Annual Meeting, Feb. 1-3, 2015, at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.

“Manure disposal is a big concern for cattle feedlot operators,” says USDA, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) agricultural engineer John Gilley. “Fortunately, producers can reduce their use of commercial fertilizer – and their production costs – by using manure to fertilize their fields.”

Genex Cooperative Inc. and SCR Dairy Inc. have announced a new partnership in which Genex will market the SCR Heatime system. This real-time system enables dairy producers to power up their cow monitoring capabilities.

Verdesian Life Sciences LLC (Verdesian) announced on Sept. 30 that it has acquired QC Corporation (QC), a producer and supplier of granular and dry micronutrients and ferrous sulfate products.

Two independent accounting firms, with offices in Arizona, Arkansas and North Carolina, announced a merger yesterday, effective Oct. 1, 2014.

In a recent study conducted by the USDA, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), scientists indicated that just three compounds in beef manure were responsible for generating over two-thirds of detectable odors.

Information on the new Farm Bill conservation opportunities is now available in Spanish, in time to help farmers plan for the 2015 planting season. With the new federal fiscal year that began Oct. 1, a new round of funding opportunities will open to all interested farmers and ranchers.