A Clackamass, Oregon-based company has created a tool to help farmers better mend their fences. Warn Industries has released PullzAll, an electric hand-held tool that can lift or pull up to 1,000 pounds at the push of a button.

Igor Falak and Winnie McNabb have been honoured with the Canadian Phytopathological Society’s (CPS) award for Achievement in Plant Disease Management.

No single breed is best-suited to every production system, every environment or every cattle breeder’s production goals. Crossbreeding can exploit the significant differences in the relative performance of various breeds for economically important traits. A pair of beef genetics specialists offered that reminder to attendees at the 2013 Beef Improvement Federation Research Symposium and Convention in Oklahoma City.

There is a natural tendency for humans to bond with animals. Loving another person can be a rocky relationship, but loving a pet is commonly a lighter task. Their hearts aren’t cold, just their noses. Results from the U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook showed that in 2011, 63.3 percent of pet owners considered their pets to be a family member. Think about that statement for a moment. Is your pet, horse or livestock considered a member of the family? Sure, you might let the dog sleep at the foot of your bed.

For cattle operations of any size, the “documentaries” churned out by undercover animal rights activists can be intimidating – marked often as they are by deceptive editing, scary music, jarring visual effects and anguished voiceovers rife with half-truths and outright lies.

There is no doubt in my mind that the vast majority of beef producers care about and care for their animals. There is also no doubt, however, that society’s perception of appropriate animal care practices has changed and continues to evolve.

While global beef production in 2013 is expected to reach 57.5 million tons (carcass weight equivalent), essentially the same figure forecast in October 2012, the sources of this beef have been revised, according to the USDA’s report on livestock and poultry – world markets and trade. The change in the distribution of beef production is expected to have an impact on trade, with a decline of 355,000 metric tons (MT) forecast for exports to 8.6 million MT (or 15 percent of global beef production). The largest change was in India, which has had a large downward revision in production from 4.2 million MT to 3.8 million MT, and thus in exports from 2.2 million MT to 1.7 million MT.