The flood waters may be receding, but the damage from them still remains and Nebraska farmers and ranchers will need help for some time yet to rebuild. “Stay Strong Nebraska” is an initiative created to do just that, providing easy access to the Nebraska Farm Bureau Disaster Relief Fund and Nebraska Cattlemen Disaster Relief Fund with all donations remaining in … Read More
Nation Seeing #NebraskaStrong
The images of dead and dying cattle and calves as a result of the blizzard and flooding in Nebraska are hard for people in the livestock industry to see. As USDA Under Secretary Greg Ibach said last week at the Agri-Pulse Policy Summit, “It’s almost like losing family.” Ibach is former Nebraska Director of Agriculture who says he is, “first … Read More
Weather Causes Early End to FPS18 Day One
There’s always something new at Farm Progress Show and this year a big storm caused something that has never happened before – an evacuation and shut down of the show before noon. Rain had been in the forecast for the day, but everyone was hoping it would either miss us or not be too bad. However, when the storm was … Read More
Florida & Georgia Cattle Country Hit by Irma
Hurricane Irma traveled straight through Florida and Georgia cattle country. An assessment of damaged areas is still being tallied. Florida dairies are running on generators, still struggling to keep cows milked and forced to dump tons of milk for various reasons. Less impacted appears to be the beef cattle industry, as most fences remained intact and kept cattle from getting … Read More
Harvey Hits Texas Agriculture
Rescuing people trapped in flood waters continues to be the number one priority in Texas but it’s clear that Hurricane Harvey has hit agriculture hard. Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller says cotton farmers who were looking at a bumper crop this year were especially hard hit. “Best estimate so far is about a 150 million dollar loss for the … Read More
Winter Storm Hits Texas Dairy Hard
Winter Storm Goliath hit the Texas dairy industry hard. Darren Turley, executive director of the Texas Association of Dairymen (TAD), said it will be felt well into the future, from a reduction in the state’s milk supply to dairy financial losses to the emotional impact on farmers of losing their animals. “Like all agriculture, dairy producers always operate at the … Read More
Winter Calf Barn Ventilation 101
Many calf barns rely on natural ventilation to provide clean, fresh air to calf pens. But, as the weather cools down and winter approaches, there can be a tendency to close the doors, windows and curtains on the calf barn in an effort to reduce drafts. Preventing cold air from blowing on calves can help keep calves warm, but when … Read More
New Documentary Chronicles Dry Times in Colorado
Host of Colorado’s 850 KOA Morning Show, Steffan Tubbs, and producer/director of Droughtland the documentary, spoke to attendees of this year’s Cattle Industry Summer Conference. Steffan grew up with a great appreciation for farmers and ranchers and as he moved through his career in journalism, he has continued to express a passion for the ag community and has spent the … Read More