Last December, a Florida dairy farm transformed into a winter wonderland full of Christmas trees, festive music, 40,000 lights and fun activities for the entire family, including photos with Santa, a snow tubing hill and artificial snow.

How do successful beef producers make sure there is balance between the demands of the ranch and the other aspects of a healthy life?

For more than 70 years, the USDA has fought to keep New World screwworms out of U.S. livestock, but the battle has incurred some heavy costs along the way.

JB Ranch in Immokalee, Florida, comprises roughly 10,000 acres in south Florida’s humid, subtropical climate. Russell and Liesa Priddy manage roughly 600 Brangus and Beefmaster cattle on the ranch, with calves being sold to operations in the Western part of the U.S. once a year.

The Hoof Trimmers Association (HTA) holds a Hoof Health Conference every 18 months. To ensure distinct parts of North America are represented, they hold these meetings at various locations. This year's conference was Feb. 22-24 in Orlando, Florida.

Assisted reproductive techniques have revolutionized the field of animal breeding, as these techniques allow practitioners and scientists the ability to perpetuate the genetics of superior animals; cryopreserve genetic materials such as embryos, oocytes and sperm; allow shipping and transport of genetic material globally; enable selection and control of the sex ratio; and facilitate cloning and stem cell research.

While producer opinions differed greatly on most proposals during the Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) Pricing Formula Hearing, one potential change that many agreed with is the need to return to the “higher of” Class III or IV in the Class I mover formula.