Chris Voell Frederick, Maryland Eastern Sales Manager BioCNG, LLC

Farmers with drought-damaged cornfields could consider harvesting the crop for livestock feed to salvage some of its value and to help livestock producers supplement short forage supplies, says a Purdue Extension forage specialist. Damaged corn can be harvested as either whole-plant silage or green chop but, either way, growers and livestock producers need to be aware of how it can affect feed quality and animal health.

Novartis Animal Health US, Inc. has created a website exclusively for NUPLURA PH, a new vaccine for beef and dairy cattle that provides fast-acting protection against bovine pneumonia caused by Mannheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica. The website (www.nuplura.com) provides information designed to help producers reduce the risk of calf pneumonia, shipping fever and bovine respiratory disease (BRD) complex by preventing Mannheimia haemolytica bacterial infections.

While the beef industry continues to make progress in the area of beef quality, there is still room for improvement. That’s the overarching conclusion of the 2011 checkoff-funded National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) released during a session at the 2012 Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Denver last week.The 2011 NBQA results show that the industry has made significant improvements in producing safe and wholesome beef that is consistently higher in quality, as proven by several measurable standards.

Diamond Ochs Enterprises LLC has announced that Justin Ochs recently won the title of International Auctioneer Champion (IAC) during a competition at the 63rd International Auctioneers Conference and Show in Spokane, Washington."I am humbled at the opportunity to compete with such poised and talented auction professionals," said Ochs. "It is truly my honor to represent the auction industry as IAC Champion."Seventy-nine of the world's top male and female bid-calling auctioneers competed and were judged on their presentation, chant, voice timbre, body language, interview answers and other performance elements of effective auctioneering.

As drought conditions become the worst in 50 years and corn yields are expected to drop significantly, a coalition of meat and poultry organizations on Monday asked the U.S. Environmental Protection agency to waive the federal mandate for the production of corn ethanol.

Paula Meabon Wattsburg, Pennsylvania Board Member Center for Dairy Excellence (CDE) Foundation

Paul Sousa Turlock, California Director of Environmental Services Western United Dairymen

A group of feed sellers is attempting to recoup loans from a bankrupt Idaho dairy, arguing that repayment of feed debts shouldn't be considered secondary to bank loan repayments. Bob Naerebout, executive director of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, fears that the lawsuit could have detrimental effects on farmers' ability to borrow from banks. “It has the potential to lower the value of what you can borrow based on cattle,” he said to The Times-News.

According to the newly released 2011 county Agricultural Crop and Livestock Report, sales of crops, livestock and agricultural products in Tulare County reached record levels last year, exceeding $5.6 billion. Among the most dramatic sales increases were the county’s top agricultural commodities, milk and products manufactured with milk, which generated $2 billion and $8.17 million in sales last year, respectively.