Latest News From Associated Press

The Colorado Legislature on Friday once again delayed a vote on a bill aimed at preventing agricultural fires from starting wildfires.

Health officials have issued another recall for a food product processed by a Northern California slaughterhouse.

Tyson Foods has changed its plans and has decided to keep open its beef plant in Denison, Iowa.

A congressman says federal officials have launched a criminal probe of a Northern California slaughterhouse that recently recalled more than 8.7 million pounds of beef.

Nebraska has surpassed Texas in the number of cattle in the state being fattened for slaughter, according to the latest federal statistics.

South Dakota feedlots with capacities of 1,000 or more animals had 240,000 cattle on feed on Feb. 1, up 7 percent from last year.

Weeks of slow, soaking rains are helping the grass grow again on the western slopes of Maui and Hawaii islands, giving cattle ranchers hope they may at last escape a punishing drought brought on by years of below-normal rainfall.

New Mexico's two U.S. senators say ranchers will soon be able to sign up for drought disaster aid made available through the federal farm law signed last week.

Congressional delegation members from the Dakotas say the U.S. Department of Agriculture has agreed to expedite implementation of a farm bill provision that will help ranchers in the Dakotas hurt by an early October blizzard.

South Dakota's former economic development director used his public position to help his future private employer get a bigger grant for a struggling beef processing plant, according to a state audit released Thursday.

A Utah company is recalling about 90,000 pounds of beef jerky products that were mislabeled and didn't list on the packaging the ingredient soy lecithin, an allergen.

A Northern California company is recalling more than 8.7 million pounds of beef products because it processed diseased and unhealthy animals without a full federal inspection, federal officials said Saturday.

South Dakota's congressional delegation pressed the U.S. agriculture secretary Wednesday to expedite a provision in the new farm bill that helps ranchers in the Dakotas and Nebraska recover from an October blizzard.

A ranch family in Washington state held their annual cattle drive through the Yakima River Canyon that could be called the friendly roundup.

A Fort Worth beef processor is recalling nearly 16,000 pounds of beef products because they may be contaminated by E. coli.

Federal officials have announced $20 million in aid for California farmers affected by the ongoing drought.

State officials are reminding Nebraska ranchers and feedlot operators about new rules requiring them to report certain cattle illnesses shortly after they're found.

The Farm Bill moving through Congress includes disaster assistance for ranchers and millions of dollars in federal payments for counties with federal lands.

The Beef Improvement Federation will hold its annual meeting and research symposium at the Cornhusker Marriott in Lincoln June 18-21.

Because of historically dry conditions in California have forced ranchers to already sell off parts of their herds as normally green grazing pastures have turned brown.

A yearling calf that escaped from a Butte, Mont. meat-packing plant had a brief taste of freedom before being shot as it made a break for the Interstate.

A massive, five-year farm bill set for a floor vote in the U.S. House Wednesday contains help for South Dakota ranchers dealing with cattle losses from last October's early-season blizzard

A California man who tried to steal a truckload of beef from a southwest Kansas slaughterhouse was sentenced Monday to a year and a day in federal prison.

Congress needs to move quickly to pass a farm bill, largely to help western South Dakota ranchers recovering from a fall blizzard that killed thousands of cattle.

Federal officials have designated portions of 11 western and central states as primary natural disaster areas because of a drought.

Jim McCann hasn't taught his grandchildren how to drive a tractor yet, but they may already be able to teach him how to operate a piece of equipment that could be in farming's future.

A ranchers' group is opposing the North Dakota Stockmen's Association's efforts to double the $1-per-head checkoff, saying increases should be agreed nationwide.

A North Dakota company has recalled more than a ton of beef franks due to misbranding.

Shooting wild bison with vaccine-laced "biobullets" to prevent the spread of disease to livestock would be too ineffective to justify the expense, Yellowstone National Park administrators said Tuesday.

A Northern California company has recalled more than 40,000 pounds of beef products because it was produced without a full federal inspection.

Landowners in eastern New Mexico say they still have questions over the lesser prairie chicken and its possible listing as a threatened species

After an on the farm accident severely injured a North Dakota rancher an outpouring of help came his way.

Records show that the U.S. government paid more than $200,000 to help a Michigan Upper Peninsula farmer protect his cattle from wolves.

Cattle producers in Kansas recently saw temperatures dip below 0 degrees, which called for a little extra care and attention for their livestock.

Cattle should be able to make it through the frigid temperatures and howling winds predicted for the next few days if they have feed, water and shelter, according to South Dakota ranchers.

After a dispiriting stretch of years, many Texas ranchers are optimistic as drought, expensive feed and other conditions that decimated their cattle herds start to loosen their grip.

Winter storms that dumped ice and snow in December have cattle ranchers and wheat farmers optimistic.

NuAgra, a Brookings, S.D. based company, has begun selling grass-fed South Dakota beef directly to households throughout the United States — and the company's beef starts out in central South Dakota.

A relief fund for western South Dakota ranchers who lost tens of thousands of cattle in an early October blizzard has collected $3 million, three times as much as expected, an organizer said Friday.

A southeast Kansas farmer whose video parody "What Does the Farmer Say" went viral last month has a new hit with his take on a Miley Cyrus song that features twerking cows.

Negotiating and implementing Congress' multibillion-dollar farm bill so that it helps South Dakota, including ranchers who suffered heavy losses during October's blizzard, will be the first order of business in 2014, the state's congressional members say.

The Cargill beef packing plant in Dodge City, Kan. was back in full production by the end of last week following a fire in the kill floor area.

The canines have been blamed for an assortment of atrocities, from killing livestock to depleting whitetail deer to stealing into suburban neighborhoods and making off with pets.

The North Dakota Stockmen's Association plans to ask the 2015 Legislature to double the $1-per-head checkoff that ranchers pay when they sell cattle.

A livestock specialist at Iowa State University says falling corn prices are generating some optimism that cattle farmers can again make money.

A lawyer for ABC on Tuesday asked a circuit judge to throw out a defamation lawsuit related to its coverage of a meat product called lean, finely textured beef, which critics have dubbed "pink slime."

There are herds of cattle on a pair of remote Alaska islands that have survived for decades despite any number of threats to their existence.

Ranchers in South Dakota are still waiting to see if they will receive any federal aid after losing cattle in an October blizzard.

Relief efforts have been setup for both North and South Dakota to aid ranchers in need after the brutal October blizzard.

A North Dakota company that has sent thousands of the state's winter-hardy cows to Kazakhstan since 2010 has yet to ink a deal this year with the oil-rich country.