USDA Announces a Third Round of Farmers to Families Food Box Program Purchases

Washington, D.C., July 27, 2020 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced last week the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will launch a third round of Farmers to Families Food Box Program purchases with distributions to occur beginning by September 1 with completion by October 31, 2020. The purchases will spend the balance of $3 billion authorized for the program. So far, over 46 million Farmers to Families Food Boxes have been invoiced and delivered.“This third…

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NCBA Kicks Off Campaign to Generate Dietary Guidelines Comments

WASHINGTON (July 22, 2020) — The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) today launched a nationwide grassroots campaign to highlight the #BenefitsofBeef and is calling on cattle producers to submit public comments in support of federal dietary guidelines that recognize beef’s role in a healthy diet.The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) last week released its Scientific Report, laying the groundwork for five years of federal nutrition guidance. Americans now have until Aug. 13 to…

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Short-Season Forages for Late Summer Planting

Mark Sulc, Extension Forage Agronomist and Bill Weiss, Extension Dairy Nutritionist Early November growth of Italian ryegrass (left) and oat+winter rye (right) after mid-September planting in Ohio Short-season forages planted in late summer can be sources of highly digestible fiber in ruminant livestock rations. There are several excellent forage options that can be considered for no-till or conventional tillage plantings in the late summer or early fall planting window. These forages can be a…

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Replacing “Junk” Forage with “Quality” Forage

 Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County OSU Extension (originally published in the Ohio Cattleman summer issue) Do these comments sound familiar to you? “I really need to do something with that junk pasture this year.”“The bales off that hay field are junk. I’m going to reseed it.” If stand decline is limiting production, perhaps it’s time to reseed. Issues with “junk forage” can include low yields, weed encroachment, and low-quality feed value.…

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Fly Population Management on Dairies

Tracey Erickson SDSU Extension Dairy Field Specialist Fly control in dairies is a challenge, due to abundant moisture and organic matter available for fly breeding grounds. Flies not only are a pest, but they also decrease production efficiency. Flies cause livestock to expend extra energy fending them off instead of resting, feeding and milking. Other issues directly associated with fly pest problems on dairies include increased medication costs, veterinary costs, increased potential for…

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Don’t Stop Managing Now: Preconditioning Pays

Garth Ruff, Extension Educator OSU Extension Henry County (originally published in the Ohio Farmer) As we approach fall, now is the time to maximize the value of your spring calf crop. Cattle buyers have placed a premium on preconditioned cattle, and as preconditioning becomes more of the norm across the U.S., unweaned, uncastrated, and unvaccinated cattle are receiving greater discounts. Here in the Eastern Cornbelt where cow herds tend to be smaller, the number…

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Blue-Green Algae and Livestock

Adele Harty SDSU Extension Cow/Calf Field SpecialistAdditional Authors: Robin Salverson With the expanding drought conditions across Western South Dakota, there are increased concerns about livestock water quality. One water quality concern stems from the algae blooms on stock dams. The predominant question is whether the algae presents health concerns for livestock. Depending on the type of algae, it can be a concern. With warmer temperatures, the conditions are right for blue-green algae blooms. About…

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11 Forage Cultivars That Grow Well on the Great Plains

By Malay Saha, Ph.D., Professorand Mike Trammell, Senior Plant Breeder A cultivar, also known as a crop variety, is a collection of plants with specific desirable characteristics that are maintained throughout generations. The goal of any breeding program is to develop improved cultivars for the growers. Noble Research Institute has been involved in developing superior cultivars of different forage species for grazing in the Great Plains. Noble established its forage breeding program in the early…

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