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A funny thing happened on the way to the Super Bowl – well, actually, during the Super Bowl last week. In between the blackout and the final catch a hush came over our party when Dodge Ram aired its nearly two-minute “So God Made a Farmer” commercial.
In the days since the commercial aired, I have re-watched it many times, and each time I am struck with a different thought.
More than four years after the interim rule comment period closed, the USDA has announced it will issue a final rule amending the Class III and Class IV product price formulas in all federal milk marketing orders.
The decision will finalize the interim partial final rule with no changes to the price formulas that USDA announced in August 2008 and implemented two months later.
The climate between food producers and food buyers is as divisive as politics and as contentious as religion. No More Food Fights!, a new book out this month, aims to bring farmers and foodies together for productive conversations that improve our national food system.
Authored by food and farm advocate and ag communications specialist Michele Payn-Knoper, No More Food Fights! Growing a Productive Farm & Food Conversation speaks to all sides of the food movement.
As the spring calving season begins, the cows will show typical signs that will indicate parturition is imminent. Changes that are gradually seen are udder development, or making bag, and the relaxation and swelling of the vulva. These indicate the cow is due to calve in the near future.
The USDA’s latest cattle report changes our view of what the situation has been as well as what we can expect in the coming year. While the overall cattle inventory was unchanged, revisions to the 2012 numbers in several categories affect the interpretation of the report.
The inventory of all cattle and calves was 89.3 million head, down 1.6 percent from the unrevised 2012 value.
U.S. cattle numbers continue to shrink and Texas is no exception. The Lone Star State has experienced a 22 percent decline over the past three years, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service livestock specialist.
“Continued drought in 2012 took another year’s toll on the nation’s cowherd, according to the latest USDA inventory report,” said David Anderson.
How management affects baleage fermentation; hay moisture meters unmasked and demystified; and what we know about hay preservatives today and what we might expect in the future.
An article published in the Journal of Dairy Science examined the New York state fluid milk improvement program, which has been working for more than a decade to improve consumer acceptance and shelf life of fluid milk.
The article says that challenges such as post-pasteurization contamination can be overcome, resulting in higher quality products for consumers.
Herbicide-resistant weeds are becoming more of a problem, forcing growers to alter their weed-control programs.
DuPont Pioneer agronomists say management decisions – such as improved herbicide choices, clean seedbeds and careful planning for harvest – can help decrease resistant weeds.
