On March 18, 2013 from noon to 1 p.m. CST, Elanco's Dr. Michael Overton will present a webinar titled, "Far-Off to Fresh Cow: Opportunities to Improve Transition Performance." Overton will walk attendees through the opportunities and challenges for cows in the far dry, close-up and fresh pens, including nutritional and housing management.

The Central Plains Dairy Expo at the South Dakota Convention Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is less than two weeks away. The Welcome Reception with a concert by Nashville signer and songwriter Phil Vassar will kick off the event on March 26. The trade show and seminars are March 27-28. Keynote speaker Michael Swanson, a Wells Fargo agricultural economist, will address “Economic Outlook and Opportunities: What’s the Market Telling You?”

Animal Profiling International has launched a new diagnostic procedure designed to detect the Neospora parasite in cows. Neospora caninum, first identified in 1988, is a protozoal parasite that is thought to be a leading cause of abortion and neonatal morbidity in beef and dairy cattle.

Despite the poor driving conditions, 136 producers attended the Driftless Region Beef Conference in Dubuque on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. It was the first effort at a multi-state beef program between Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin Extension since the former Tri-State Beef Days was disbanded a few years ago.

Linda M. Chimenti Ames, Iowa Executive Vice President Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST)

A rancher must be prepared to respond effectively to drought, one of the biggest threats to Great Plains ranchers.

In early February, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack warned that budget cuts mandated by the sequester would force the USDA to furlough meat inspectors. This would mean a meat industry shutdown, because federal law prohibits meat plants from operating without a federal inspector. Later in February, a spokesman for the CME Group said that the cuts could affect livestock and dairy contracts that depend on USDA grading and inspections, according to Reuters.

It's been a year since lean finely textured beef entered the media spotlight. Since then, Beef Products Inc. – a producer of LFTB – has closed three of its four plants and lost $520 million in revenue. The South Dakota company's officials blame its decline on a series of ABC News broadcasts that began last March and repeatedly called LFTB "pink slime."

In early February, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack warned that budget cuts mandated by the sequester would force the USDA to furlough meat inspectors. This would mean an industry shutdown, because federal law prohibits meat plants from operating without a federal inspector. Click here to read more about the initial furlough announcement. Later in February, a spokesman for the CME Group said that the cuts could affect livestock and dairy contracts that depend on USDA grading and inspections, according to Reuters.

Susie Magnuson was named the 2012 Outstanding CattleWoman of the Year by the American National CattleWomen, Inc. at the Cattle Industry Annual Convention in Tampa, Florida.