Chris McCracken has been made director of sales over North America for Cover Crop Solutions LLC, a seed company focused on research, development, production and sales of high performance cover crop varieties and mixes. McCracken has worked in the seed industry since 1998 in distributor and dealer development as well as at the sales level.

Halla Pfeiff of Briggsdale, Colorado, recently joined the Red Angus Association of America (RAAA) as the special projects coordinator, and will focus her attention on RAAA’s DNA department submissions and other special projects. Pfeiff boasts both a seedstock and commercial cattle industry background. She grew up working for a 200-head registered and commercial Angus ranch as well as her family’s own operation. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from Colorado State University (CSU) in Ft. Collins, Colorado.

Valley Water Management now offers automated pumping, helping farmers and ranchers eliminate trips to pump sites and expensive trenching to install wires. Instead of driving to each pump to get water flowing, you can automate the operation with the company's new Pump Connect (PC).

Years ago, while living in another country, I had the chance to break bread with an older couple. As a guest in their land, they offered an afternoon to visit their home to share a discussion about our lives – mine, which was relatively just starting, and theirs, which was coming to an end. I anxiously asked about memories from the monumental days when battles were fought in their villages and towns. Their tales of survival included years when they were isolated from the rest of the world. Likewise, they eagerly inquired about life as a young American. What did I think of their homeland? What was family life like back in the States? What did I study and do for work back home?

It’s that time of year as we move into the holiday season that we reflect back on the year and are thankful for the many things we have in life, whether it be our health, our family, our friends or our job. You and I may have different lists of items of things to be thankful for, depending on our circumstances. For example, in agriculture we may be thankful for rains, a successful crop or strong cattle markets; in agribusinesses, it may be a profitable year in sales.

Since 2002, when Dr. David Barker and colleagues proposed the hypothesis of maternal nutrition impacting post-natal characteristics, animal scientists have started to take a closer look into this area.

According to the 2007 census of agriculture, there was a 30 percent increase in the number of farms principally operated by women since 2002. Women now manage 14 percent of the nation’s 2.2 million farms. The complex task of balancing work and family makes concerns of farm and ranch women unique.

Despite recent price declines, relative high beef prices exist and threaten to curb demand, according to Rabobank’s global cattle price index report. Continued downtrend in cattle prices across the globe, notably in two of the most important export countries, Australia and Brazil, and the strengthening U.S. dollar also contributed to pushing overall global cattle prices down. However, according to Rabobank, the broader picture for demand indicates consumers are becoming increasingly reluctant to keep paying high prices for beef.

If you are considering selling a farm or ranch, there are important tax and financial planning issues of which you need to be aware. Engaging in planning prior to a sale is critical for identifying these issues and for implementing strategies to effectively address them.