Author: staff

GRANDVIEW, Texas — Tony Coleman walked around a small part of his family’s 325-acre pasture behind his rural house calling for “Tank.” A Black Baldy bull eventually meandered up, and Coleman started to rub the bull’s face. “He just wants me to love on him,” Coleman said about the bull. “Daddy’s baby boy.” Tony and his wife, Karen, bottle-fed Tank in their garage after the bull’s mother died during birth. Talking about their poisoned land that has led to at least 47 cows and calves dying from problems like liver disease, the Colemans are emotional about their fear for Tank’s…

In an apparent effort to distance itself from recent criticism and scandal, the animal-activist organization known as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has formally implemented a name change this month, now being called Humane World for Animals.  Chief among the complaints that the nonprofit has long endured is that it doesn’t actually have a connection to local Humane Societies — rather, it has piggy-backed off of the good work of local shelters, allowing that name recognition to help bring in roughly $170 million a year in donations — a hefty chunk of change that could be compromised…

By Ana Mano SAO PAULO, Feb 13 (Reuters) – Crop agency Conab on Thursday raised its forecast for total Brazilian grain supplies in the 2024/25 season to 325.71 million metric tons from 322.25 million tons based on expectations of a bigger corn crop. Conab said Brazil’s total corn crop will reach 122.01 million tons, up almost 2.5 million tons from a January forecast. The revision reflected mainly better prospects for the country’s second corn crop, which is planted after soybeans are harvested in the same areas and represents about three quarters of supplies in a given year. To date, conditions…

With the beginning of spring right around the corner, now is the perfect time to start planning for a healthy garden. An important step you can take toward thriving flower beds, vegetables, or other plants is to consider how to stop plant disease before it starts. There are several ways to ensure this year’s garden plants don’t get sick from last year’s pathogens. Check out these disease-prevention tips from three experts to get a head start on your healthiest garden ever. Disinfect Seeds Before Planting USDA Managing disease in the vegetable garden starts with the seeds. There are bacterial and…

A cloche is a glass bell jar that is set over individual plants, acting as a mini greenhouse and extending the growing season, especially in cooler regions. This raised garden bed is built with a cover, essentially a cloche that covers an entire bed! It is best suited for growing tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, melons, and other crops that need to be planted after danger of frost and generally mature late in the season, or for getting the season started early while frost is still a possibility. Follow these directions to build a structure approximately 8 feet long and 4 feet…

When you think of heirlooms, things like your grandmother’s wedding ring or the family Bible probably come to mind. These are wonderful keepsakes, but they can only go to one person at a time. Another kind of heirloom, however, has limitless sharing possibilities: seeds. The definition of a true heirloom plant is up for debate. Sarah Browning, educator in Lancaster County for University of Nebraska Extension, said, “Many authorities classify any cultivar developed before 1951 as an heirloom.” That was the year plant breeders introduced the first hybrid vegetable cultivars. Many varieties can be traced back hundreds of years. All…

At the close on Wednesday, March corn was up 6¼¢ at $4.90¼ per bushel. March soybeans closed down 15¾¢ at $10.27¾ per bushel. March wheat contracts were also lower. CBOT wheat was down 2¾¢ at $5.74¼ per bushel. KC wheat was down 1¼¢ at $5.91½ per bushel. Minneapolis wheat was down 3½¢ at $6.14¾ per bushel. April live cattle ended the day down 28¢ at $195.73 per hundredweight (cwt). March feeder cattle closed up 20¢ at $264.98 per cwt. April lean hogs ended the day up $1.35 at $94.33 per cwt. At a quarter to 4 p.m. CT, March crude…

By Tim Carpenter TOPEKA — Two Kansas Republicans pitched legislation to safeguard the Food for Peace program by moving management of the international humanitarian aid from the embattled U.S. Agency for International Development to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann and U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran recommended the program — initiated by President Dwight Eisenhower, amplified by President John Kennedy and championed by U.S. Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas — be relocated to USDA. The switch was a response to action by President Donald Trump to dismantle USAID amid allegations the agency was mired in corruption. Elon Musk,…

Georgia Boot has opened up applications for dedicated 4-H members to enter the 2025 Trailblazer program, which allows those selected to share their accomplishments and project journey with the Georgia Boot audience. Georgia Boot will select winners to receive a prize package consisting of two pairs of Georgia Boots, a $350 gift card to a qualifying farm and ranch or hardware store, and Georgia Boot and 4-H merchandise. The prize package is valued at $800. Applications can be found on this web page. As part of the application process, 4-H members are asked to record a short video introducing themselves.…

A group of Midwest egg suppliers are embroiled in litigation over egg prices, with an Iowa company arguing it shouldn’t be forced to disclose its pricing information. A central element of the case is whether a fabricated claim of a bird flu outbreak is to blame for one supplier raising its egg prices and canceling orders. Grand Prairie Foods of South Dakota, which supplies hotels and convenience stores with breakfast sandwiches, is suing Echo Lake Foods, a Wisconsin company that manufactures precooked egg entrees, for breach of contract and unjust enrichment. At the same time, a third company, Oskaloosa Food…