The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced Dec. 5 that it is updating the voluntary U.S. Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef.

The latest weekly carcass weight data for the week ending on Nov. 18 showed steer carcass weights at 902 pounds for the third consecutive week. This is likely the seasonal peak in carcass weights and is up 70 pounds from the seasonal low of 832 pounds in early May.

John Deere introduces two new Gators HPX615E Built for varied work applications, John Deere introduces two new utility vehicles to its lineup. The gas-powered Gator HPX615E and the diesel-powered Gator HPX815E models offer four-wheel drive for improved terrain capability and superior payload, cargo capacity, towing and overall stability.

The United Nations estimates that world population will reach 9.7 billion by 2050. This growth will drive up food demand by a projected 59% to 98% according to a Harvard Business Review article. “This will shape agricultural markets in ways we have not seen before. Farmers worldwide will need to increase crop production, either by increasing the amount of agricultural land to grow crops or by enhancing productivity on existing agricultural lands through fertilizer and irrigation and adopting new methods like precision farming.”

Our girls have been practicing the songs for their Christmas program for church. Their Sunday school teachers kindly gave us a disc with all four of the songs on it, which was promptly pushed into the CD player in my car (because that is the only CD player we own). I love their sweet little voices singing “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” but listening to the same four songs for the next three weeks is likely to make me lose my mind.

Many beef producers may need a plan B when it comes to winter forages due to dry conditions, says Dr. Jason Banta, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialist, Overton.

With 500 acres of dallisgrass, bermudagrass, fescue and johnsongrass, David Long will take one to four cuttings a year and put up 650 to 700 round bales in Waldron, Arkansas, for his registered Brahman herd.

Every five years or so, most of the major beef processors in the U.S. are audited, sampling 10 percent of a fed or non-fed beef plant’s kill and funded by the Beef Checkoff.

As December rolls in and the end of 2017 nears, now is a good time for reflection. Naturally, we are excited to start looking ahead and setting those New Year’s resolutions, wishing to put the last year behind us and rather focus on the excitement of planning for the future.

Winter is officially here. That means bundling up for those early morning hours and struggling with the environment of your cattle’s living quarters.