BIF Online Symposium Registration Open

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The 52nd Annual Beef Improvement Federation Symposium — Online will be hosted the week of June 8 starting at noon CDT each day. The conference will be hosted on the Zoom webinar platform. Online registration is now open at http://www.beefimprovement.org/symposium. The Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) board of directors, along with the Florida 2020 BIF Research Symposium and Convention committee, announced on April 2 the decision to transition this year’s conference to…

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Set Yourself Up for Grazing Success

Rory Lewandowski, Extension Educator Wayne County Like any resource, pastures respond to management.  Grazing offers economic benefits as compared to producing and feeding stored forages as livestock harvest the forage directly. Capture the benefits of grazing and set yourself up for success by using the 4-R’s to manage pastures.  We typically hear of the 4-R’s in relationship to water quality and fertilizer management, but pasture management has its own set of 4-R’s.  Those…

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Tips to conserve water in the landscape

By Trisha Gedon STILLWATER, Okla. – Just as water is vital for human life, the plants, trees, shrubs and grass in any landscape also require hydration. However, how much water is used and what watering strategies gardeners choose can have a direct impact on their wallets. “Nobody likes to waste money, but it easily can happen in the landscape if you’re not careful,” said David Hillock, Oklahoma State University Extension consumer horticulturist. “Gardeners…

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USDA Extends Flexibilities, Paves the Way for Meals for Kids to Continue through Summer

(Washington, D.C., May 15, 2020) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the extension of three nationwide waivers, giving child nutrition program operators the flexibility they need to continue to feed children while promoting social distancing and keeping families safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.      “USDA has been extremely aggressive in expanding flexibilities to ensure Americans who have been impacted by the coronavirus continue to receive the food they need for themselves…

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K-State beef cattle experts share tips for treating calves

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Spring branding and processing day is often a time when community members and families join together to administer vaccinations, castrate, implant calves and apply hide identification before summer pasture turnout. But this spring’s COVID-19 pandemic may require some changes, said experts at Kansas State University’s Beef Cattle Institute. They offered up some advice during a recent Cattle Chat podcast. “It is critical to have the right labor on hand to…

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Container garden is a great place to start for novice gardeners

By Trisha Gedon STILLWATER, Okla. – For some folks, gardening is a mystery – perhaps even intimidating. Some want-to-be gardeners may believe they don’t know enough about it to try, or are simply convinced they don’t have a green thumb. For those who don’t know a rose bush from a tomato plant, there is still hope. David Hillock, Oklahoma State University Extension consumer horticulturist, said anyone can garden, no matter their skill level…

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2020 National Junior Angus Show Relocates West to Tulsa, Okla.

In response to Covid-19 guidelines, the 2020 National Junior Angus Show changes locations. In light of the state of Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 guidelines, the American Angus Associationâ has decided to move the 2020 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) to July 19-25, 2020, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Although events will be much different than typical, the American Angus Association is continuing with the Eastern Regional Junior Show planned for June 25-28, 2020, in Lebanon, Tennessee, and…

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Ranch Group Urges Opening of CRP Lands to Slow Cattle Supply Chain

Billings, Mont. – R-CALF USA sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue asking the Secretary to consider opening the 24 million acres of land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to help alleviate the backlog in the live cattle supply chain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that has reduced slaughter capacity. The group estimates there are 500K or more fed cattle currently backed up in feedlots with no immediate prospects for…

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2020 National Junior Angus Show Contests Go Virtual

To adhere to social-distancing recommendations, numerous NJAS in­–person contests go virtual. It is the goal of the American Angus Association® to keep the health and safety of the Angus Family at the forefront of every decision made in relation to the Coronavirus. Consequently, the American Angus Association and the National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) have elected to modify a few of the contests associated with the 2020 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) and…

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Condensed Version of Beef Quality Assurance Manual

A more condensed version of the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Manual is now available to BQA followers in digital or print form. The BQA Field Guide is a more compact version of the manual that can be used as a convenient reference piece. It covers the key points of the BQA program without program background and other information that may not be useful in the course of day-to-day operations. The BQA Program is…

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