The USDA announced on Jan. 2 that it would permanently allow schools to use flexibility in serving larger portions of lean protein and whole grains in the federal school lunch program, following months of complaints from students and parents about fewer calories in meals.

Real-world research utilizing Hereford bulls has led to documented real-world results in baldie female demand compared to straight-bred Angus females.    During the Circle A Ranch Sale Oct. 19, 29 black-baldie heifers averaged $2,960, and the top-selling lot was black-baldie heifers bred with heifer-calf-confirmed pregnancies at $3,450 each. The average price paid for the 269 straight-bred Angus heifers was $2,431. That’s a Hereford-sired advantage of $529 per head in price.     

U.S. red meat exports for November were solid with beef sales setting a new value record with one month remaining in the year and pork exports posting their strongest month of 2013, according to statistics released by the USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

Dry conditions make us step back and re-evaluate our operations. You’ve always turned out pairs on summer grass, but what if the summer grass didn’t grow? You have made tough decisions and wonder now, with wetter conditions, how you should restock your herd. Weeds in your pasture have exploded. Is this normal or noxious?

More than 8,700 acres of productive ranchland in Albany County have been preserved as a result of a recent conservation easement project completed by the Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust (WSGLT)

By a fairly wide margin, online respondents of a Progressive Cattleman poll are positive about reducing the mandate for ethanol production.

The Driftless Region includes beautiful rolling hills, clean streams and karst soil topography. Conservation of our soils and protection of our waters are best accomplished with much of the land seeded to forage production and including cattle into the system to consume these forages. The Driftless Beef Conference will focus on efficient and economic beef and forage production.

The 3-State Beef Conference will be held Tuesday, Jan. 14 at Southwestern Community College in Creston. Chris Clark, beef program specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, said the conference agenda has information for cow-calf, stocker and feedlot operations.

Historian and publisher Dan Green shares the history of the Denver Union Stockyards at the National Western Stock Show. For more information, visit the American Angus Association website.