USDA Launches 2020 Feds Feed Families Nationwide Food Drive

New website makes it easier than ever to participate, measure donations, and share success stories (Washington, June 1, 2020) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today kicked off the 11th annual government-wide Feds Feed Families (FFF) campaign, which encourages employees from all federal departments and agencies to give in-kind contributions -- food, services, and time -- to food banks and pantries. This year’s campaign highlights a summer of giving in June and…

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American Angus Association Launches Combined $Value Index

$C combines the two underlying breeding objectives that drive Angus’s maternal and terminal economic indices.   The American Angus Association® launched the new Combined Value ($C) on May 29, 2020. $C is an economic selection index that aims to characterize profitability differences across the entire chain by combining the two underlying breeding objectives that drive the American Angus Association’s maternal and terminal economic indices.  Expressed in dollars per head, $C includes all 15 traits involved in Maternal Weaned Calf Value ($M) and Beef Value…

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Bring the Heat from Home for the Certified Angus Beef ® at Home Contest

The highly acclaimed contest held traditionally at the National Junior Angus Show will be replaced with a virtual format for 2020. For the past 36 years, National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) members and their families have gathered at the National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) to test their culinary skills on the product that drives many of their livelihoods, Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB®). Due to COVID-19, this year’s contest will look a little…

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Precision Technology Systems in Alfalfa

Jason Hartschuh, OSU Extension Crawford County, AgNR Educator (previously published in Progressive Forage on-line) I was recently talking to one of my local farmers who uses precision agriculture to manage his corn and soybean crops. His combine, sprayer and planter are all connected to the cloud, and he uses the data from the last 10 years to manage next year’s crop. We were discussing ways to use the data he collects to better…

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Caring for bulls during the breeding season

K-State experts share tips on how to manage the bulls for optimum performance MANHATTAN, Kan. – Just as an athlete can experience an injury in competition, so too can a bull when he is turned out in a breeding pasture where his athleticism is going to be tested. “Bulls will be the busiest in the first month of the breeding season when there are a lot of females coming into heat (estrus),” said…

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“Managerial Tools and Tips in an Uncertain Climate and Market” webinar will be hosted on Zoom June 4.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Registration is now open for a webinar that will help Kansas beef cattle producers make management decisions in light of the current weather patterns, ranging from flooding to drought, in Kansas and calf market volatility following COVID-19.   The webinar will be hosted by the Kansas State University Animal Sciences and Industry Department and K-State Research and Extension via Zoom on Thursday, June 4, 2020 at noon CDT. “This webinar…

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Kansas net farm income rose in 2019; government support again a big factor

KFMA data showed 9% net farm income increase from previous year MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas net farm income rose again in 2019, largely owing to government support payments meant to buffer the effect of trade disputes amid lackluster commodity prices, according to the annual summary by the Kansas Farm Management Association. Net farm income among KFMA members averaged $110,380 in 2019, up from $101,274 a year earlier and well above the five-year average…

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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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