JB and Deb are one of those couples that form the backbone of agriculture. They have a diversified operation that includes livestock, loans, machinery and kids. There are times when it seems they can read each other’s minds.

What do horses, centipedes, geese, dogs and zippers have in common with Mike Tyson? They bite. As a veterinarian, I routinely find myself sticking my hand into some animal’s mouth, giving pills, floating teeth, removing foreign objects or tickling their uvula.

Conservation is a group effort. The conservationist and the landowner, and others in both the public and private sector, are collectively working towards planning for and implementing conservation. What does this mean? We may define conservation as a change in the landowner’s behavior toward how a farm landscape is managed, with the expectation that resources like water and soil and air are protected from degradation.

Tis the season for analysts to look back at the nearly completed calendar year and to engage in speculation regarding the forthcoming year. In that spirit, I first encourage readers to make use of the growing list of available resources that summarize the situation experienced by cattle producers in 2013.

Last week, the USDA Economic Research Service released its estimates of monthly average retail meat prices for November. According to this data, beef prices continue to edge higher. Both average choice and all-fresh retail beef prices rose by about 1 percent compared with October.

Glenna Stucky of Avon, Montana, was honored as “Ranching Woman of the Year” by the Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) during its recent 129th annual Convention and Trade Show at the Holiday Inn Grand Montana in Billings.

The 2013 Vita Plus Dairy Summit was an action-packed, three-day event that included farm tours, expert speakers and dairy producer panels, along with plenty of time for socializing. Check out photos from these activities here:

Holstein Canada's (HC) annual Cow of the Year competition has kicked off with the selection of the four cows vying the 2013 title. Nominations were sought in fall 2013. Nominees are evaluated and selected based on a number of criteria such as ancestry/pedigree, production, classification, genetic merit and achievement of offspring.

A Wisconsin dairy farm that supplied milk to make cheese for a national frozen pizza brand made the naughty list in December after video footage shot at the farm showed employees mistreating animals.

Farmers in Massachusetts received an early Christmas present when on Dec. 23 the state’s House and Senate enacted bill H3785 to reimburse farmers from a trust fund aimed to protect against non-payment for milk.