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A significant drought in the wheat pasture regions on the High Plains has stocker operators feeding roughage and supplements. Higher priced grain has ranchers seeking alternative feedstuffs.

The Biden Administration’s Action Plan to invest $1 Billion to expand competition in the U.S. meat packing industry and strengthen enforcement of antitrust regulations drew mixed reactions from cattlemen.

Equipment prices soared in 2021. As equipment manufacturers had issues sourcing parts to build new, it placed even higher demand on used. Machinery Pete weighs in on lessons learned during such a dynamic year.

The start of a new year offers an opportunity to reflect and plan at the same time. Many tend to use the new year as a goal setting period while others are more focused on evaluating past successes and shortcomings.

As drought plagued the West and Plains in 2021, grasshoppers took over many pastures and crops, which demolished grasses and hayfields. In the South and Midwest, fall armyworms were a costly battle for farmers.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers confiscated feral swine from a farm in El Paso County that later tested positive for pseudorabies.

NPPC’s Michael Formica predicts Proposition 12 repercussions will be seen in California as early as this morning.

The Biden Administration’s $1 billion Action Plan unveiled Monday to aid farmers, ranchers and consumers would do none of the above, according to the North American Meat Institute.

The Biden Administration unveiled a new, four-pronged action plan to aid independent meat processors, strengthen the Packers & Stockyards Act, and issue new "Product of USA" labeling rules.

With generally rising input costs, cow-calf producers need to put additional effort into cost management.  Managing feed costs will be a key to minimizing cow costs and capitalizing on better market conditions in 2022.

The Biden Administration will announce "Action Plan for a Fairer, More Competitive, and More Resilient Meat and Poultry Supply Chain" Monday. The White House says it will help boost competition and reduce prices.

There’s no one better to provide a realistic and informative take on tax planning than Paul Neiffer, principal with CLA and author of “The Farm CPA” blog. 

Packers needed cattle last week and pushed the cash market higher as the holiday-shortened weeks came to a close.

Several major U.S. supermarket chains and a food distributor filed a federal lawsuit last week accusing pork processors of conspiring to fix pork prices from at least 2009.

NDSU Extension has developed an online tool to aid farmers in making their Agricultural Risk Coverage-County (ARC-CO) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) enrollment decisions.

Powles Ranch Partnership is the recipient of the 2021 AGA Commercial Producer of the Year award presented during the 2021 AGA National Convention and 50th Anniversary Celebration in Oklahoma City. 

How will she impact drought conditions in 2022?

Farmers often ask if they can own farmland in an IRA. The technical answer is yes. But the more important and practical answer is you typically should not own farmland in an IRA.

China may be on a major buying binge (hoarding) of ‘strategic products’...

Ranchers are encouraged to make record keeping a priority, including production records and complete financial analysis and planning.

“Will easy calves grow into cows that have more calving difficulty?” and “Will calves from easy cows have higher mortality?” Study results were presented at the BIF Symposium in Des Moines, Iowa, June 23.

This past year is one many of us would sooner forget than remember.

Prepare for a dynamic farmland market in 2022.

Organizers have cancelled the annual Lawry’s Beef Bowl ahead of Saturday's Rose Bowl for the second year in a row due to concerns over the rising cases and the emergence of the Omicron COVID variant.

Cattle producers may have a few options available to offset the rising costs of adding phosphorus to their herd’s diet, a Kansas State University beef systems specialist said.

The House and Senate are on recess this week, but work is ramping back up to finalize 2021 legislation before the New Year begins.

The Ducheneaux family reconnects consumers with their food source 

During the past six months, beef consumers have reinforced their preference for product at the top end of the market.  Both branded and Prime products have been supported by unprecedented demand.  

Be ready for new ways to finance your farm.

Transportation woes continue to haunt Northeast shippers as trucks remain hard to come by and freight rates skyrocket because of rising fuel costs and a scarcity of drivers. 

The December Cattle on Feed report, released on Friday, was the sixth consecutive month of year-over-year decreases in feedlot inventories, though November and December totals were only down slightly.

Cattle feeders anticipated cash cattle prices would be softer since packers were working with holiday-shortened hours last week. Packers will need cattle this week to fill full-week schedules.

Concerns over the COVID-19 variant headlined news last week. Bob Utterback of Utterback Marketing and Mark Gold of StoneX Group both say they are friendly on cattle and hog prices, but caution about outside influences.

Drought brings many nutritional and animal health-related challenges for ranchers. Cow performance issues during the grazing season may result from reduced forage quality and quantity.

Western Kansas ranchers faced the extreme in December. With winds clocking in north of 100 mph, warnings of wildfires came fast. And as ranchers face a long recovery, neighboring ranchers are rushing in to help.

Earlier this week, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association policy team convened to summarize their efforts on The Hill in 2021.

Cattle markets have improved significantly in the final weeks of 2021, with market analysts projecting those positive trends to continue in 2022.

The Arizona Cattle Industry Research & Education Foundation will sponsor a symposium for western ranchers in Mesa, AZ, February 18 and 19, 2022.

Critical fire weather is forecast through Dec. 26 for portions of North and West Texas, with Dec. 24 holding the most potential for wildfire activity, particularly in the Panhandle

Canadian officials reported the first case of BSE in six years. South Korea has suspended all beef imports from Canada as a precaution until it can gather more information about the case.

With 2022 nearly upon us, and bringing the prospect of a solid cattle market and profits to cow-calf producers not realized since 2015, now is a good time for ranchers to rethink their business in terms of time frame. 

A Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Special Ranger reports 75 heifers missing west of Hereford, Texas.

A confirmed wolf kill was discovered near Walden, Colo., the home of one of Colorado’s wolf packs. This is the first confirmed wolf kill of livestock in Colorado in over 70 years.

To communicate effective food messages, researchers at Texas A&M are evaluating eye tracking movement, facial expression, heart rate and other indicators to reveal consumers’ responses.

The Kansas Livestock Association reports a total of 396 donations were made to the wildfire and severe storm relief fund through Dec. 21, including two large donations from meat processors Tyson and Cargill.

As California farmers' try to battle back from extreme drought, hope is coming in the form of snow. The state's average snow water equivalent percentage of snowpack jumped from 19% on December 10 to 98% today.

The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) said despite modification to proposed rules for Proposition 12, the proposed rules remain flawed and more time is needed for compliance.

Being prepared for a wildfire is something that we can do year-a-round, just a small amount of preparation can make a difference if you are ever faced with an oncoming wildfire.

For the upcoming 2023 farm bill, expect chatter and debate about carbon markets, conservation, trade and more. Policy watchers encourage farmers to keep an eye on these issues, as discussions begin in January.

After 35-year-old Chad Schmit died unexpectedly at the Minn. Beef Expo this year, the Shorthorn Assoc. pulled together a final sale that turned into a fitting tribute for a man who loved show cattle and helping youth.