Two major anchor stores in our local mall closed last month. In a healthy economy like ours, some might do some soul searching as to why two significant retailers would leave town. But that’s not necessary if you look at these two companies up close.

China is refusing to give ground as trade talks with the U.S. reach a standoff. What started out as trade negotiations quickly escalated into a tariff tennis volley with U.S. exports, many of them agricultural, caught in the crossfire.

In March, Congress passed and President Trump signed the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill, formally called the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018.

This month, beef production for 2018 was revised downward by 40 million pounds to 27.69 billion pounds. In part, this change reflects a combination of slower-than-expected slaughter and lighter cattle weights in the first quarter.

As a young child, I remember my dad saying, “Children should be seen and not heard.” It was his way of telling me and my siblings or friends to tone it down, as we were most likely getting on his nerves with loud, high-pitched sounds of laughter and playing.

For centuries, farmers have determined a cow’s age by the number and wear of its teeth. Beef processors currently examine the number of permanent incisors present at harvest.

Dark-cutting beef can mean a significant discount for beef producers. USDA’s Market News Service from March 12 showed a discount of $33.91 per hundredweight on a carcass basis.

For decades, cow-calf producers have immunized young cattle for bovine respiratory disease (BRD) as a service to buyers of feeder cattle and a way to add value to their calf crop.

“If I fence that, will you let me run some cows out there?”

As the beef cattle industry focuses on stewardship in animal health and antimicrobial use, we are continually reminded to follow FDA labels on all animal products.