Blackdirt Farm Management LLC, a grass-fed cattle operation in Georgia, announced that it has successfully completed a capital raise, totaling $510,000. The asset-backed note was successfully closed on Harvest Returns’ crowdfunding platform.

The last 10 years have not been so kind to the beef industry. It is facing a triple threat: the trend toward leaner white meats such as chicken and fish, consumer movements like “Meatless Mondays” and even lab-grown meats.

Cow-calf producers can easily become complacent with their type of cattle and management style. Complacency, however, sometimes prevents the capture of premium prices for feeder calves.

The summer before my first semester of college, I took a job as a cashier at a mountain resort convenience store. Nestled in the Utah mountains, the winding roads and mountain air attracted cyclists like mosquitoes to a stagnant water trough.

U.S. trade has been at the forefront of concerns as trade negotiations continue with several countries. One concern was put to rest when, just hours before the Sept. 30 midnight deadline, U.S. and Canadian officials signed an agreement on a new trade deal between themselves and Mexico, revamping NAFTA after more than a year of touch-and-go negotiations.

In addition to an ongoing legal challenge in Montana, state beef checkoff programs in 13 additional states are now facing legal challenge.

The 2018 beef production forecast is unchanged from the previous month’s forecast at 27.1 billion pounds. However, the 2018 production forecast reflects lower expected production in the third quarter that offsets higher anticipated production in the fourth quarter.

Will Sawyer is a lead economist on animal protein for CoBank in its knowledge exchange division.

Technology on the ranch. That’s something we talk about pretty regularly – and with good reason. Like it or not, technology is part of the future, so how can we, as the beef industry, adapt our vision?

In the first article in this two-part series, I focused on the leadership, parenting and mentoring required by parents from birth of their children to the time they do or do not return to the ranch or farm business.