Negotiations with China regarding the details of an agreement to ship U.S. beef to China have been ongoing for the last few months, and were finalized June 12. It didn't take long for the Greater Omaha Packing Company to take advantage.

Since wildfires swept across the Texas Panhandle on March 6, 2017, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has urged farmers and ranchers affected by the fires to contact their local NRCS office in USDA Service Centers to make an Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) application for recovery assistance.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced yesterday the suspension of all imports of fresh beef from Brazil because of recurring concerns about the safety of the products intended for the American market.

Each year, we at Progressive Cattleman release our annual beef statistics poster. And each year, the data tells a different story about the work of our cattlemen and the U.S. industry. Here are a few of the highlights worth remembering in the 2017 version.

The summer of 2017, in the Southeast, could be shaping up to be a repeat of 2016 for some. The National Weather Service forecasted Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina to have below-average rainfall through July.

The grazing season is in full swing, and cattle grazing on Western rangelands can be unevenly distributed due to large pasture size, variation in forage availability and limited access to water. This can lead to poor forage use efficiency, lower animal production and declining range health in overgrazed areas.

Periods of extreme heat are often associated with the months of July and August and cause severe stress on cattle and cattlemen. Since we can’t control Mother Nature, being proactive is the best management practice to mitigate heat stress while still maintaining performance.

Management of first-calf heifers can be challenging but also crucial because of your investment into the genetics of your herd. The young females in production are typically the best genetics in your herd, so it makes sense to monitor them more closely.

The USDA forecasts 2.3 percent growth in U.S. beef production in 2018, based on larger 2016 – and expected 2017 – calf crops projected to support increases in cattle placements in late 2017 and early 2018.