Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer and Kansas Department of Agriculture Secretary Jackie McClaskey joined leaders from the Kansas livestock industry on Saturday, June 30, at Barton County Feeders in Ellinwood to announce the Cattle Trace pilot project.

Once in a while, it’s good to get away from home for a bit to reboot and refresh the stale routine of whatever your particular routine may be. Although I was leaving more unfinished chores than completed projects at home, I reluctantly struck out for the Red River country in mid-June. In spite of my ignorance-induced hesitation, I had the good fortune to spend a few days in June in and around the Ardmore, Oklahoma, area as I attended the Texoma Cattlemen’s Conference, hosted by the Noble Research Institute.

Editor’s note: The following commentary appeared in the June 30 California Milk Producers Council newsletter. It is reproduced with permission here. By a vote of 86 to 11, the U.S. Senate passed its version of the 2018 Farm Bill last Thursday, June 28. The House passed its version by a vote of 213 to 211 on June 21. A conference committee of House and Senate members will now meet to reconcile the differences between these two bills and produce one bill that will be considered by both chambers.

Digest Highlights: • Northern Plains, dairy states driving increased alfalfa acreage • Multiple component pricing proposal request withdrawn • U.S. dairy exports face pivotal dates • House, Senate farm bills headed to conference committee • Cows still dry in the Southwest • DFA Garden City plant cited for innovation

May 2018’s Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) margin calculations continued a four-month string below $7 per hundredweight (cwt), meaning dairy producers who purchased coverage at the highest margin levels will receive indemnity payments for a fourth consecutive month.

For some reason, our collective addiction to feed additives and precision feeding has come so far that we tend to ignore some of the basics. We have the ability to add anything we want to any mix and dial in our intakes three places to the right of the decimal point, but what good is all of that if you are mixing the wrong ingredients in the first place?

Reacting to higher hay prices – fueled by diminishing stocks and strong export demand – U.S. hay growers intend to harvest dry hay from more acreage in 2018, according to the USDA’s Acreage report, released June 29.