I was a child of the ’70s and ’80s and, as such, was subject to the weird fashion trends of the time. I’ve never been too keen on what goes on in the real fashion world, although I did take note when Lady Gaga made headlines with her dress made of steaks. I don’t believe she’ll be the next Sam Elliot or Matthew McConaughey as the voice of beef, but you know what they say about publicity. As long as they spelled beef right, I’m OK with it. My lack of genuine fashion sense notwithstanding, I’ve always tried to stay within a couple of years of the latest cowboy and ranch fashion trends.

Annual forages can be used for many purposes in cropping and livestock systems: to extend the grazing season for livestock, as the primary harvested feed, as a rotation crop between alfalfa, as a double crop with cereal grains, as a green manure for nutrients or as a cover crop for erosion or weed control.

The rattlesnake is the most common poisonous snake in the U.S. and part of a larger family called pit vipers – which include the water moccasin, copperhead and cottonmouth. All of these can be dangerous to livestock.

Pundits and pontificators are making a big to-do over a couple surveys in the United Kingdom that revealed how stupid the British children are when it comes to the food they eat. In one survey of 16-year-olds to 23-year-olds, one in 10 thought that eggs come from wheat. In a survey of 1,000 6-year-olds to 8-year-olds in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset (sounds like a law firm) fewer than one in four knew that hamburgers come from cattle.

Jerry had what was called a suspect herd. His next-door neighbors had Brucellosis problems and since Jerry shared a common fence, he too, was required to be tested. The neighbors sold out and let the land set the requisite time. Meanwhile Jerry brought in 20 half-Gertrudis heifers to his place. He evaluated them and concluded two out of three had no brain. The government showed up to test them. They insisted on using their clanging, banging, government-issue head catch instead of what the cattle were used to.

Clint Pemberton Olmsted Falls, Ohio Biomass Account Executive quasar energy group

The U.S. beef herd has been shrinking, and the worst drought in decades has only encouraged that trend to continue. But for beef producers who can withstand the financial hardship over the next several months, reduced beef supplies could mean bigger profits starting as early as late 2013.

Idaho Department of Agriculture figures show that food and farm products exported during the first six months of 2012 are up 15 percent compared to the same period a year ago. The agency estimates that more than 25 percent of the state's farm products are exported to overseas markets, with dairy products leading the way. Dairy goods such as dry whey, cheese and butter are up 10 percent from a year ago.

Johne's disease (pronounced yo-KNEES) is a condition of cattle and all other ruminants (both domestic and wild) that causes chronic diarrhea, weight loss, infertility, and eventual death in animals that are infected years earlier.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) strongly condemns recently released video showing the inhumane treatment of cows at a California slaughterhouse and is calling for stricter adherence to humane animal handling guidelines and standards. The AVMA labeled the abuse, which includes cows being pulled by their tails, kicked, and repeatedly shocked, as indefensible and deplorable.