Recently I was asked, “Why do show ring standards for quality fail to match the standards for quality in the industry?”

A lot of choices are required when designing herd genetics. Selections are normally based on desired traits such as calving ease, milk production and weaning weights, while possible environmental interactions are often overlooked.

My sister’s husband, Bart, is as salt-of-the-earth as they come. He’s not happy unless he’s helping someone, and he’s always happy. Ergo, he is always helping somebody.

I’ve read countless articles on ways to make your feed last when drought has you in a death grip, but not one of them mentions the cheapest, easiest and most prevalent way to stretch your grass.

Somewhere in the annals of land-grant colleges, the ag departments converted from offering a degree in animal husbandry to a degree in animal science.

Taiwan’s love for American beef is evident by the growth in exports to the Asian island nation this year, according to the U. S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF)-Taiwan’s team, contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program, which is exploring new channels to sustain that progress.

‘Tis the season of industry meetings. In early December the annual Oregon Seed Growers League met for the 73rd time. There were two full days of presentations covering all corners of the industry and agriculture as a whole.

Editor’s note: This is the first in a four-part series looking at how four individuals are turning dreams into reality to become first-generation farmers, ranchers and dairymen.

How difficult is it for first-generation farmers to get started in farming? Conventional thought over the past decade or so is that it’s nearly impossible with land prices rising and profit margins decreasing. But is it as impossible as we thought?

A shortage of freshwater for irrigation could increase the effects of climate change on agriculture, according to new analysis by a group of scientists studying the topic. Their paper was published online Dec. 16 by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Temple Grandin will be the featured speaker at the third annual Beef Improvement and Low Stress Cattle Handling Seminar, hosted by the University of California, Davis, on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014.