National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the beef checkoff-funded Beef Quality Assurance program announced they will jointly be offering more training opportunities for farmers and ranchers in 2016. NMPF has been identifying areas where its Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) program can further coordinate with the Dairy Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Program, managed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association on … Read More
House Ag Committee Holds Hearing On #WOTUS
The House of Representatives Agriculture Committee held a hearing today regarding the impacts of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) actions on the rural economy. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy was the hearing’s sole witness. The hearing showed a continued broad opposition to the controversial “Waters of the United States” Rule (WOTUS), which already is faced with a number of legal challenges … Read More
Major Changes To Livestock Trading Announced
CME Group and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) have made several announcements regarding the design of a number of steps that intend to help further enhance US livestock markets, which have become increasingly volatile. “Nothing is more important to us than the integrity of our markets, which help farmers and ranchers to discover prices and transfer risk,” said Tim … Read More
Join NCBA for their Cattlemen's Webinar Series
Join National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) for their Cattlemen’s Webinar Series, “Making a Positive Genetic Impact on Your Herd.” The webinar will take place February 16, 2016 at 7:00pm CST. The webinar will discuss new research which suggests there are benefits we haven’t fully understood in the past. Learn about the latest on genetic testing technology and how it may … Read More
NCBA and PLC Internships Available
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Public Lands Council’s (PLC) government affairs office in Washington, D.C., are accepting applications for two summer 2016 internships. Both the public policy internship and summer law clerk positions are wonderful opportunities for students with an interest in the beef industry and public policy. The NCBA and PLC work closely on many policy … Read More
CattleFax Appoints New Officers
CattleFax, a member-owned organization serving producers in all segmments of the beef cattle business, also held their annual business meeting in San Diego last week during the Cattle Industry Convention where they elected officers for 2016. Jeff Sparrowk, a cow/calf and stocker operator from Clements, Calif., was elected President. He has been actively involved in the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association … Read More
Adding Beef Facts to Producer Tool Belt
Cattle nutritionist for Zoetis, Dr. Gary Sides, spoke to producers during the Cattle Industry Convention’s Cattlemen’s College on modern agriculture in a culture of Facebook. There he discussed government, environmental and cultural issues that affect beef consumption and the cattle industry and I sat down with him to learn more. It is old news that our industry is constantly under … Read More
Federation of State Beef Councils Elects New Leadership
Many elections and leadership changes were made in San Diego at the 2016 Cattle Industry Convention. A couple of those elections were made by the Federation of State Beef Councils. Steve Hanson, a cow/calf operator from Elsie, Neb., was elected chairman of the Federation and Jerry Effertz, a cow/calf operator from Velva, N.D. was elected vice chairman. The Federation of … Read More
BIVI's Commitment to BQA Education
The folks at Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. (BIVI) have been strong supporters of the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program and that confidence in the program has led them to sponsor another free-certification period — from now through April 15. The announcement was made during the recent Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show and I caught up with BIVI’s Director … Read More
EPNIX Feedlot Program from Alltech
Alltech has launched EPNIX, a new feeding program to give cattle producers a competitive advantage in the feedyard. The animal health company debuted the program during the recent Cattle Industry Convention and I spoke with Dr. Vaughn Holder, beef research project manager at Alltech, to take in what EPNIX will provide feeders across the country. “EPNIX is the combination of … Read More