In the winter of 2010-2011, 312 cattle were fed at Fairleigh Feeders, Scott City, Kansas, through the National Hereford Feedout. This was the seventh year for the National Hereford Feedout, which allows producers from across the country to test Hereford or Hereford-cross steers and heifers.

Thanks to Hereford breeders' commitment to the Whole Herd Total Performance Records (TPR) Program, the American Hereford Association (AHA) has created a new expected progeny difference (EPD). The new trait, called mature cow weight (MCW) is designed to allow breeders to select sires that will either increase or decrease mature size of cows in the herd.

GROWMARK, Inc. announced the completion of a dry and liquid plant food storage facility located in Casey, Illinois. The facility has finished storage capacity for 24,000 tons of dry fertilizer and 10,000 tons of nitrogen solution. Total Grain Marketing will provide daily operating services.

The facility has unit train receiving capabilities and is located on the CSXT railroad. On-site blending of dry fertilizer is available, meaning retailers can take the product directly from the terminal to the farm.

Checking forage plants, applying nitrogen fertilizer to grasses, conducting soil samples, grazing animals at specific plant heights and saving areas for emergency are all ways to practice good forage management. To ensure high yields and quality in the spring, check for winter damage while it’s still cold. Reseeding damaged areas now will prevent weed invasions in the spring.

A new smartphone application, or ''app,'' is available as a free download for both iPhone and Android users to access soil survey information. The app, SoilWeb, combines online soil survey information with the GPS capabilities of smartphones. The SoilWeb app is a portable version of the UC Davis California Soil Resource Lab's Web-based interface to  digital soil survey data from USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).  Because the app provides soil survey information in a mobile form, it is particularly useful for those working in the field.

Livestock Grain Market News cattle report for Feb. 17.  

BASF has announced a $33 million investment to expand its facilities in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina. Nearly 80,000 square feet of office, laboratory and greenhouse facilities will support the company’s plant biotechnology and insect control research. This is the first in a series of investments that the Agricultural Solutions segment will make in 2012 to strengthen its global R&D platforms in line with BASF’s new “We create chemistry” strategy.

In January of this year, DeLaval hosted current and prospective customers of DeLaval VMS (Voluntary Milking System) at events in Madison, Wisconsin. The VMS PRO (Professional Robot Operators) User Group Seminar and the DeLaval VMS Freedom to Choose Tour united for a day of exchanging information and sharing experiences.

Bayer HealthCare LLC, Animal Health Division announced today they have signed an agreement to acquire the Animal Health business of KMG Chemicals,Inc. This move will further diversify Bayer’s existing insecticides portfolio in the U.S., allowing the company to offer a broader range of actives and forms in addition to its current product portfolio thatincludes cattle ear tags, pour-ons, dusts and farm hygiene premise sprays.

U.S. dairy suppliers capitalized on strong global markets to achieve record export sales in 2011, boosting shipments in a year when milk supplies from competing regions increased dramatically. Processors and traders moved 3.24 billion lbs. of total milk solids into export channels last year, seven percent more than 2010 and 49 percent more than 2009. Overseas shipments were valued at $4.82 billion, up 30 percent from the year before, according to government trade data released last week.