The rattlesnake is the most common poisonous snake in the U.S. and part of a larger family called pit vipers – which include the water moccasin, copperhead and cottonmouth. All of these can be dangerous to livestock.

Pundits and pontificators are making a big to-do over a couple surveys in the United Kingdom that revealed how stupid the British children are when it comes to the food they eat. In one survey of 16-year-olds to 23-year-olds, one in 10 thought that eggs come from wheat. In a survey of 1,000 6-year-olds to 8-year-olds in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset (sounds like a law firm) fewer than one in four knew that hamburgers come from cattle.

Jerry had what was called a suspect herd. His next-door neighbors had Brucellosis problems and since Jerry shared a common fence, he too, was required to be tested. The neighbors sold out and let the land set the requisite time. Meanwhile Jerry brought in 20 half-Gertrudis heifers to his place. He evaluated them and concluded two out of three had no brain. The government showed up to test them. They insisted on using their clanging, banging, government-issue head catch instead of what the cattle were used to.

The U.S. beef herd has been shrinking, and the worst drought in decades has only encouraged that trend to continue. But for beef producers who can withstand the financial hardship over the next several months, reduced beef supplies could mean bigger profits starting as early as late 2013.

Johne's disease (pronounced yo-KNEES) is a condition of cattle and all other ruminants (both domestic and wild) that causes chronic diarrhea, weight loss, infertility, and eventual death in animals that are infected years earlier.

    -- PU.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) announced that Pfizer Animal Health has joined USFRA, becoming the first animal health company member of USFRA's Premier Partner Advisory Group.

The Agriculture Secretary said Wednesday the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) intends to file special provisions with the federal crop insurance program to allow haying or grazing of cover crops without impacting the insurability of planted 2013 spring crops, a move that can help provide much needed forage and feed this fall and winter for livestock producers. In a separate step, Vilsack will modify emergency loans, allowing loans to be made earlier in the season helping livestock producers to offset increased feed costs and those who have liquidated herds.

The beef checkoff recently launched a refreshed version of the BeefRetail.org website to make it easier for retailers to access information to support beef sales at the retail meat case.