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Dairy farmers have had no shortage of feeding challenges throughout the past couple of years. High input costs, overall feed quality and feed availability issues have hampered profitability and productivity at times.
Experts predict more of the same for 2012, with even more uncertainty regarding protein, energy and fiber prices. Continuing drought in the Southwest also complicates the feed quality picture, while it increases competition among dairy and beef producers for available feed.
Cow cooling, a topic not taken lightly by producers across the Southwest, was the topic of the noon dairy seminar on February 16 at World Ag Expo.
John F. Smith, dairy extension specialist and professor at the University of Arizona, presented this topic, updating producers on current cow cooling research.
An old song reverberates the line “when you’re hot, you’re hot,” and this idea applies to livestock. Our group has shown that the temperature in the calf nursery impacts the average daily gain.
One of our current research goals is to better understand how and why the environment is influencing growth. We have the ability to automatically measure the temperature of calves every 10 minutes for multiple days, then analyze the information gained.
On Dec. 1, 2011, the U.S. Department of Labor closed a public comment period on its proposed updates to child labor regulations aimed at safety concerns in agriculture-related jobs.
Since then, the Keep Families Farming website has been established to support the legislative effort on Capitol Hill, where this issue will almost certainly be voted on this summer. In the pages that follow are comments received and posted on their website.
The last of four Senate Ag Committee hearings on the 2012 Farm Bill held on March 15 evaluated the need for and cost effectiveness of risk management tools available to farmers and how the federal government can provide appropriate risk management tools while making the best use of limited resources.
Here are excerpts of testimony presented during the hearing.
On March 9, House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas held a field hearing in Saranac Lake, New York. It was the first of a series to be held throughout March and April to gather input in advance of writing the 2012 Farm Bill.
Members heard testimony from producers in the northeastern United States on the future of farm policy. New York is home to a range of agricultural industries, and it is among the nation’s top producers of a variety of specialty crops and dairy products. The hearing focused on policies impacting those industries in particular.
Rising crop and livestock prices have generated significant profits for many farmers – which some are using to buy additional land. The increased demand has driven land values to record highs in some areas.
Given these market conditions, the American Bankers Association’s Agricultural and Rural Bankers Committee, comprised of leading agricultural bankers in the country, has developed these recommendations for buying farmland and reminds farmers to consult with their banker throughout the process to ensure decisions you make today best position you to prosper and obtain the credit you may need in the future.
