Author: staff

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has named Downey Ranch in Wamego, Kansas, as the 2024 Environmental Stewardship Award Program National winner. The award, which annually recognizes the outstanding stewardship practices and conservation achievements of cattle producers, was presented to Barb Downey and her husband, Joe Carpenter, during CattleCon 2025 in San Antonio. “We are stewards of the land; we’ve been entrusted with it, and we want to make sure what you see today continues on,” said Barb Downey with Downey Ranch. “What we do every day in some way, shape, or form is in service to that mission.” Located in…

Slow-Cooker French Onion Soup 6 tablespoons butter 4 large yellow onions (about 2-1/2 pounds), sliced 1 tablespoon sugar 2 cloves garlic, minced 3/4 cup sherry 1 teaspoon sea salt 7 cups low-sodium beef broth 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 1 bay leaf 8 slices French bread, cut diagonally 1/2 inch thick 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere or Provolone cheese 1/2 cup shredded Emmental or Swiss cheese 1/4 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese Heat butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Cook onions, covered, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle onions with sugar…

Some American farmers and ranchers are celebrating the reintroduction of the bipartisan American Beef Labeling Act (S-421), which claims to be able to bring transparency to the beef industry. On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Martin Heinrich (D-Minn.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), and John Hoeven (R-N.D.) reintroduced the bill, which aims to reinstate mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef. This initiative would give consumers clear information about the source of their beef and help level the playing field for American ranchers. “We are most appreciative to Senator Thune for…

No one can definitively predict how commodity prices are going to move, but one new artificial intelligence (AI) tool is giving it a try.  CommodiTrack, from Virginia-based Helios Artificial Intelligence Inc., uses climate data from around the world and AI to predict the price activity of 58 different commodities as of this writing, including corn, soybeans, and wheat, and makes buy and sell recommendations accordingly.  “What we wanted to make available for farmers was that ultimate price prediction of where we see the global commodity going, both to help inform how they manage their business and give them hyper-granular insights,” said…

Diseases can be introduced into a backyard chicken flock in many ways, but there are preventive steps to reduce the risk. Here are 13 practical tips from Ohio State University Extension to keep your birds healthy. Keep It Clean USDA Clean, scrub, and disinfect your poultry house on a regular basis. Reason: Thorough cleanings keep bacteria, viruses, and parasites from building up and help deter disease-carrying rodents. Change the Litter Never raise chickens of any age on old litter used by a previous flock of birds. Reason: Litter may have a build-up of disease agents that the new flock has…

Everyday improvement was the overall theme of the 2025 Precision Planting Winter Conference held in late January in Tremont, Illinois, and live streamed to 10 locations across the United States and Canada. “For a lot of years, this event has been about how you prepare for the next year, how you can get better for the upcoming season,” said Bryce Baker, Precision Planting product and brand manager. “How do we improve on our farms for 2025 and how do we understand your questions and serve you better for this coming year?” Planter Improvement “Nobody on planet Earth has done more…

What Happened January provided plenty of surprises and fresh fundamental news for the grain markets. The January USDA WASDE report provided a friendly surprise for corn and soybean futures thanks to a draw down in supplies for the 2024/2025 crop year. The friendly USDA report propelled corn and soybean prices higher, aided by fund buying and a hotter and drier weather forecast for Argentina. Many farmers rewarded the rally with cash sales.  With the January USDA WASDE report now priced into the market, grain markets are searching for the next round of fundamental news to dictate the next price direction. …

Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that dairy cows in Nevada have been infected with a new form of bird flu that is distinct from the version that has been spreading through herds over the past year. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed by whole genome sequence the first detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b, genotype D1.1 in dairy cattle.  Contrary to at least one major media report that indicated that the announcement of the new strain was made on Wednesday, the USDA actually confirmed the detection last Friday. This…

What Happened Stronger-than-expected demand and limited supply has helped rally cattle prices to new all-time high levels. Many believed that demand for beef would slow after the holidays, as consumers (potentially facing a lot of bills from the holidays, property taxes, and otherwise) would start looking for alternatives to high-priced beef products. That, however, doesn’t appear to be the case. Cattle prices continued to surge, evident this week with futures closing sharply higher for five consecutive sessions, reaching over $208 on the February contract. Surging product values suggest consumers are still willing to pay higher prices for beef. Why This…

By Leah Douglas, Tom Polansek Feb 5 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has detected a bird flu strain in dairy cattle that previously had not been seen in cows, the agency’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said on Wednesday. Before this detection, all of the 957 bird flu infections among dairy cow herds reported this year had been caused by the same strain of the virus, according to the USDA. Nearly 70 people in the U.S. have contracted bird flu since April, most of them farm workers, as the virus has circulated among poultry flocks and dairy herds, according…