The Census of Agriculture is conducted every five years and always provides a look at some interesting data. Although it’s a survey, a quick look at the numbers over time can help us begin to understand some trends that might be headed our way.

Perhaps you’ve had the difficult discussion, as a parent or child, when you decide what direction to take in life. What education and training is needed? What career will lead to being happy and successful?

I enjoyed reading April’s edition of Progressive Cattleman that featured the “Cowboy commandments” by Lee Pitts. As I was nodding my head and giggling in my office, one commandment that really struck home with me was a generational word of wisdom.

For the first time in 11 years, the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) will have a new executive vice president.

The U.S. Drought Monitor is an important tool for forage producers to monitor during the late summer. With favorable soil moisture conditions and few extremely high daily temperatures existing for most of the Southern Great Plains during early and mid-summer, most producers are experiencing less impact from dry or drought conditions as compared to a typical August.

Many cattle producers in the Western region of the U.S. are dependent upon federal grazing permits to sustain their livelihoods. The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology has estimated that grazing permit holders account for more than half of the commercial cattle in the 11 Western states.

General For producers in the upper Midwest and the North, August can be one of the most stressful months on the cow herd. Extreme heat waves, as predicted for 2016, reinforce the need to constantly monitor water sources to make sure they are both clean and cool.

General For those in the Southeast, it’s time to look toward winter. August is a typical time for assessing any opportunities to stockpile fescue, plant winter annuals and check byproduct feed prices such as soyhulls and corn gluten.

The figure shows 2017 red meat, poultry and dairy exports as a percentage of production – calculated from the USDA’s 2017 forecasts for red meat, poultry and dairy production and exports compared with 2016 forecasts.

Fifty years from now, agricultural history books will likely devote a chapter to the recent run-up in commodity prices and farm income boom. While much attention has focused on corn and soybean production, cow-calf operators also experienced the historical conditions.