The USDA's Jan. 1, 2014 inventory for cattle and calves from the National Agricultural Statistics Service shows the total count of cattle and calves dropped 2 percent, or 1.6 million head, below the 2013 inventory, according to reports issued Friday.  

When considering the effects of the 2014 farm bill, ranchers should keep their chaps on. It’s a rough ride through the gullies and draws of 959 pages. There are cacti, mesquite and sagebrush enough for everyone and will keep agricultural interests hagglin’ for another five years until the next mud-wrestle-in-the-feedlot comes around.

Eliminating grazing won't reduce the impact of climate change on rangeland, according to nearly 30 scientists in the western U.S. The researchers, who work for nine universities and the USDA, made this argument in a journal article in response to a debate over whether grazing on western public lands worsens ecological alterations caused by climate change.

Almost a year ago, we watched in amazement as Dodge Ram shocked the ag world with their “So God Made a Farmer” Super Bowl commercial. As many times as I’ve watched that commercial, I still get chills.

Antibiotic resistance
Antibiotic resistance continues to be a topic of wide interest. This past November, the National Institute for Animal Agriculture held a symposium on “Bridging the Gap between Animal Health and Human Health,” the third in a series on antibiotics.

When you first drive onto an expressway and you’re not sure what the speed limit is, do you go as fast as you can or hold back until you see a sign? That’s the kind of dilemma that untrained employees face. They aren’t sure what to do. They can’t operate at maximum performance output because they are under pressure to do well and avoid making mistakes. But properly trained employees understand the rules. They know they are doing a good job, are less stressed and use their energy toward being more productive.

It appears that the phenomenal January run of wholesale beef prices may be over. Choice and select boxed beef prices peaked on Jan. 22 at $240.05 per hundredweight (cwt) (choice) and $237.44 per cwt (select). Choice boxed beef dropped back nearly $3 per cwt by Friday with select dropping just over $1 per cwt.

Congress moved one major step closer to passing a new farm bill Wednesday as the U.S. House voted 251-166 in favor of a five-year bill that is expected to create $23 billion in savings over the next 10 years, most of it coming from food stamp programs.

Bayer HealthCare LLC Animal Health Division is introducing a broad-spectrum premise spray called Annihilator Polyzone (AP). The product provides livestock producers with long-term control of crawling, flying and wood-infesting pests.

The International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA) recently elected four new directors to serve a three-year term on the IBBA board of directors. The directors will be officially inducted at the IBBA business meeting March 6 in Houston, Texas.