Conservation Reserve Program General Signup Begins Today and Ends February 12

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2021 – Agricultural producers and private landowners interested in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) can sign up for the popular program beginning today, Jan. 4, 2021, until Feb. 12, 2021. The competitive program, administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), provides annual rental payments for land devoted to conservation purposes. “This signup for the Conservation Reserve Program gives producers and landowners an opportunity to enroll for the first time or continue their participation…

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Annual Cow Costs – The Big Three

Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Beef Educator As we close the year on 2020 and start 2021, now is a great time to evaluate all of the costs associated with the cow-calf enterprise. Photo credit Troy Walz. Listen to a discussion of the content in this article on this episode of the BeefWatch podcast. You can subscribe to new episodes in iTunes or paste http://feeds.feedburner.com/unlbeefwatch into your podcast app. When looking at annual cow costs and doing an economic…

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Considerations for Maintaining Condition in our Breeding Bulls during Winter

Kacie McCarthy, UNL Cow-Calf Specialist Maintaining weight or gaining the weight back that bulls lost over the breeding season will be important to manage during the winter. Photo credit Troy Walz. For bulls coming out of the breeding season, body weight loss may have occurred, and we need to make sure that we get bulls back in condition before the next season. Also, with the weather starting to change, starting to think about…

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K-State’s Winter Ranch Management Series Set for Late January and February

The seminar series will focus on management, nutrition and vaccine management for beef producers and allow producers to ask questions of their local, district and state extension specialists. MANHATTAN, Kan. – Vaccine management and storage will be one of the topics for the 2021 Kansas State University Winter Ranch Management Seminar Series. Hosted by three areas across the state of Kansas, the meetings will feature presentations and comments by extension educators to enhance…

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Purdue Extension launches virtual program for beef producers

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue Extension beef experts are hosting a new program for producers with less than five years of experience or individuals considering starting a beef cattle operation. The virtual program, Purdue Beef Basics, is scheduled for Tuesday evenings from 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. (ET) starting on Jan. 19 and ending on March 9, 2021. Participants will gain knowledge and skills related to beef cattle management and establish good recordkeeping habits. Purdue…

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Make Every Bite Count: USDA, HHS Release Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025

(Washington, D.C., December 29, 2020) – Nutrition in America took a major step forward today with the publication of Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. Jointly published by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) every five years, the guidelines provide science-based recommendations designed to foster healthy dietary patterns for Americans of all ages – from birth through older adults. Importantly, this edition expands the guidance, for the first time…

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Preventing Calf Disease Starts with the Pregnant Cow

Dr. Michelle Arnold, UK Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Every year, the UKVDL receives calves that died suddenly in the first week of life, usually with few or no symptoms. Often the owner will describe the situation this way: “calves will nurse, be 2-3 days old and found dead” or “calf was 3-5 days old, lying around more than normal and nursing very little, found dead the next day”. At necropsy (an animal “autopsy”), the…

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K-State launches Finances and the Farm: An online class to enhance farm management skills

Self-paced course for ag producers can fulfill FSA borrower requirements MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State University has launched a new self-paced online course, Finances and the Farm, now available to Kansans and others. “It is important, especially during these challenging times, to be proactive with your farm financial management,” said LaVell Winsor, agricultural economist with the K-State Research and Extension Farm Analyst Program. “Making this training online and self-paced means individual producers or…

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Secretary Perdue Announces Groundbreaking Proposal to Transfer Agricultural Animal Biotechnology Regulatory Framework to USDA

(Washington, D.C., December 21, 2020) – Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced a significant step in modernizing regulations of agricultural animals modified or produced by genetic engineering. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be moving forward with an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) to solicit public input and feedback on a contemplated regulatory framework that would modernize our system into a scientifically-sound, risk-based, and predictable process that facilitates the…

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