“You must always be able to predict what’s next and then have the flexibility to evolve,” said Marc Benioff, co-CEO of SalesForce.com. He makes a good point. “One can’t predict the weather more than a few days in advance,” physicist Stephen Hawking noted. This is another good point. But still, we hu...

Moving young calves from one facility to another can be a tough task for workers, and it’s even more difficult for the animals being moved. On many dairy farms, calves are transported to heifer housing on or near the farm, but in some cases, young calves are hauled quite a distance to a heifer-reari...

The 2023 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show took place recently in the Big Easy. Thousands of cattlemen, cattlewomen and cattle industry members came to this year’s event to partake in annual national and regional meetings, the Cattlemen’s College and the popular NCBA trade show. There w...

In a column a couple months ago, I tackled the subject of soil compaction, mostly discussing what goes wrong with over-inflated tractor tires. I also dealt with how soils suffer when they’re too wet, often traumatized by heavy equipment. Soil compaction occurs when soil particles are pressed togethe...

New York State Ag Commissioner Richard A. Ball has announced that the deadline for nominations for new members to the New York Dairy Promotion Order (DPO) Advisory Board has been extended. Members would serve a three-year term starting on May 1, 2023. The Advisory Board assists the commissioner in t...

The final general session of the 2023 edition of CattleCon in New Orleans featured a rock star of the Ag Department: Dr. Jewel Bronaugh, deputy secretary of the USDA. She presented her remarks on the beef business in Washington, D.C., before being asked follow-up questions from Ethan Lane, vice pres...

In the dairy and beef industries, bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality of animals in early life. Dr. Tiago Tomazi, cattle technical services veterinarian with Merck Animal Health , said a USDA study identified BRD as the second most frequent cause of ...

Just like in any other business, access to dependable broadband service has become as integral to a farm’s success as its reliable access to electricity. Unfortunately, according to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) 8th Broadband Progress report , of the approximately 20 million American...

The first questions directed to me generated by the anticipated 2023 growing season came 11 days after Punxsutawney Phil made his involuntary greeting to humanity. The question came from Ken, a grass-fed organic dairy farmer in Chenango County. He asked, “I’m considering no-till seeding Japanese mil...

Agriculture and conservation could be considered by some to be two sides to the same coin. The National Association of Conservation Districts seems to believe this, as they welcomed USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to deliver the keynote address at their Leadership Luncheon at their annual meeting in New ...

The following is the testimony presented on behalf of the American Farm Bureau Federation by Garrett Hawkins, president of the Missouri Farm Bureau. The testimony was given to the House Water Subcommittee on Feb. 8: “Chairman Rouzer and Ranking Member Napolitano, thank you for the opportunity to tes...

During the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CattleCon this month in New Orleans, one of the most popular features is the Cattlemen’s College education sessions. Speaking on parasite resistance this year was Dr. Ashley Steuer, DVM, Ph.D., Zoetis. She began by noting, “One-size-fits-all does not ...

Livestock producers know too well that new antibiotics and other animal health products are slow to come to market. Once available, new products are usually expensive and sometimes hard to obtain. Ron Phillips, vice president, Public and Legislative Affairs, Animal Health Institute (AHI), addressed ...

According to CBS, Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog emerged from his burrow on a cold Feb. 2 morning and saw his shadow. Through the help of a human interpreter, Phil declared that there would be six more weeks of winter. Punxsutawney Phil made his prediction as an intense blast of wintery weathe...

Nearly 7,000 cattle producers, industry partners and stakeholders gathered in New Orleans for the 2023 Cattle Industry Convention and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Trade Show. The convention, the largest in the beef industry, offered education, engagement and entertainment from Jan. 31 – Feb...