The supply side of the supply-demand economic environment will continue to support cattle prices. U.S. calf crops have been shrinking in recent years; the 2012 crop is likely 800,000 to 850,000 smaller than 2011's. And the 2013 calf crop will be even smaller. Besides the smaller calf crop, in the next few years two additional factors will contribute to lower-trending U.S. cattle slaughter: 1) smaller cattle imports; 2) increased hold-back of U.S. heifers and cows for breeding herds. The discussion below focuses on why U.S. cattle imports are expected to drop.

Green Lake County farmers Jim and Val Hebbe have been chosen to receive the Leopold Conservation Award from Sand County Foundation and the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation.

The award announcement was made during the Nov. 14 meeting of the state Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Board. The Hebbe family, from Princeton, will receive the $10,000 award and a Leopold crystal on Dec. 2 at the WFBF Annual Meeting in Wisconsin Dells.

The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) urges producers to ensure their farm or ranch is counted in the 2012 Census of Agriculture, a crucial tool that provides farmers with a voice in the future of their community and operation.

Conducted every five years by NASS, the Census is a complete count of the U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them.

As Congress continues to debate the quickly approaching "fiscal cliff," many farmers and ranchers across the U.S. are watching anxiously as the threat of an increased tax burden looms for many. Tax packages passed during the George W. Bush administration, and extended in 2010, set the current estate tax exemption at $5 million per person with a tax rate of 35 percent. If the "fiscal cliff" situation is left unsolved on Jan. 1, 2013, the estate tax exemptions will drop to only $1 million per person, with no spousal transfers allowed, and tax rates will rise to 55 percent.

As consumer demand for locally grown and organic foods increases, so, too, does the interest in unpasteurized – or "raw" – milk. Is milk that comes straight from a cow safe to drink? A new Purdue Extension publication helps separate fact from fiction.

As Congress continues to debate the quickly approaching "fiscal cliff," many farmers and ranchers across the U.S. are watching anxiously as the threat of an increased tax burden looms for many. Tax packages passed during the George W. Bush administration, and extended in 2010, set the current estate tax exemption at $5 million per person with a tax rate of 35 percent. If the "fiscal cliff" situation is left unsolved on Jan. 1, 2013, the estate tax exemptions will drop to only $1 million per person, with no spousal transfers allowed, and tax rates will rise to 55 percent.

Daryl Schraad Des Moines, Iowa President Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health – North America