(Washington, D.C., September 19, 2019) – Today, all former U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture since President Reagan’s Administration announced support for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). In a letter to Congressional leaders, former Secretaries John Block (Reagan), Mike Espy (Clinton), Dan Glickman (Clinton), Ann Veneman (W. Bush), Mike Johanns (W. Bush), Ed Shafer (W. Bush), and Tom Vilsack (Obama) underscored the importance of passing USMCA saying, “We need a strong and reliable trade deal…

After floods, well water needs to be tested for safety according to AgriLife Extension specialists. (AgriLife Extension Service photo) COLLEGE STATION — Private water well owners whose wells flooded during Tropical Depression Imelda should assume that their well water is contaminated until tested, said Diane Boellstorff, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service water resource specialist. “You should not use water from a flooded well for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing your teeth or…

DENVER (Sept. 18, 2019) - The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced two significant leadership changes today. The NCBA Executive Committee of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association confirmed Colin Woodall to serve as the association’s new Chief Executive Officer. Woodall, who was named this morning after an exhaustive national search, managed NCBA’s efforts in Washington, D.C., for more than a decade. Since joining NCBA in 2004, Woodall has been instrumental in ensuring the…

Teaching animal science through interactive gaming CowSim helps educate those with little to no cattle experience understand the processes behind working cattle before stepping out into real-world scenarios. (Photo courtesy of the Department of Animal Science.) COLLEGE STATION — For students studying animal science, interactive gaming can now help introduce concepts of working with cattle, before they’ve even stepped foot in a pen or pasture.  Nicholas Free, animal science senior at Texas A&M…

Dr. Les Anderson, Extension Beef Specialist, University of Kentucky Have you ever looked at your cow-calf operation and had the thought “Geez, what a mess?!” Even if we don’t want to admit it, often our lack of organization and planning sometimes really hinder our opportunity to succeed especially in our cattle operations. An example; it’s September. Have you pulled your bull? If a bull pen is not available, is your breeding season over?…

Victor Shelton, NRCS State Agronomist/Grazing Specialist Whether winter predictions are correct or not, it’s time to start preparing! The Old Farmer’s Almanac has released their forecast for this winter. “Mild, with soakers” is how Indiana is labeled. I don’t put a lot of weight on these forecasts, but they often line up with other forecasts and occasionally are completely correct. If this forecast holds true, I think we all need to prepare for…