Latest News From Beef - General

The U.S. Drought Monitor shows drought coverage is now at its lowest level since spring of 2020, but USDA's topsoil moisture map shows it's still extremely dry in areas of the west and too wet in the east.

Livestock producers and veterinarians are urged to practice good biosecurity practices to prevent transmission of the disease. Five states have also issued restrictions on dairy cattle movement.

The Idaho State Department of Agriculture announced that HPAI, known as highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, has been found in dairy cattle in Idaho.

U.S. employers report challenges in finding suitable job candidates with work-ready skills to fill open roles in ag. The AgCareers.com U.S. Skills Survey offers insights, data and trends to address skill development.

USDA says genetic sequencing revealed the mystery illness impacting Texas dairies is the same strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) that's been in the U.S. The virus is carried by wild waterfowl.

While HPAI has been detected in predatory mammals that prey on infected birds, this is the first identified case of HPAI in domestic livestock in the U.S.

The Ogallala Aquifer Summit brings diverse stakeholders and policy makers together to collaborate on how best to manage the High Plains’ precious water resources into the future.

Ag Secretary Vilsack hails voluntary “Product of U.S.A.” label as a vital step towards consumer protection and builds on efforts to bolster trust and fairness in the marketplace.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension photographer Sam Craft was in the Texas Panhandle documenting the aftermath of the largest wildfire in Texas history, and the aid and support for fire victims.

After burning for more than six days, the Smokehouse Creek Fire in the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma was only 15% contained Sunday morning. Drifting sand now poses a threat to rural roads.

Nebraska officials say a mower ignited a wildfire that burned roughly 110 square miles of central Nebraska grasslands.

While the Smokehouse Creek Fire rapidly became the state's largest in history, four other wildfires are burning in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle area. (Additional images contained in story.)

Donations of hay, feed, fence supplies, cow feed and milk replacer are needed to support livestock owners impacted by the wildfires that have scorched ranchland across a large portion of the Texas Panhandle.

Devastating wildfires are burning in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle region and the Smokehouse Creek Fire has already become the second largest in Texas history, consuming at least three-quarters of a million acres.

Edgewood Locker got its start in rural northeast Iowa in 1966. The business now spans over three generations, and it's largely thanks to Joan Kerns who helped start the family business that's now seen phenomenal growth.

Lust or greed, trespassers are drawn to farmland by deer sheds. Private property is no barrier to a shed thief.

At Christiansen Land and Cattle, they’re committed to excellence and continuous improvement, a mindset that started when Christine Hamilton’s family homesteaded in South Dakota in 1891.

According to two sources, in recent days the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York has interviewed former ADM employees, ramping up pressure on the global commodities giant.

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack told attendees at the American Farm Bureau Federation convention that new investments will generate income, create jobs and strengthen competition for farmers and ranchers.

Despite nearly 24 inches of snow, below-zero temperatures and raging winds that some people are affectionately calling “Death Storm #2,” Illinois livestock producers are finding ways to overcome the horrific conditions.

Removal of the 84 turbines erected beginning 10 years ago without a mining permit from the Osage Nation ends a long legal battle and will cost the developers $300 million.

Farmers routinely handle high-dollar transactions — and the nature of the payments, often through unsecure methods, leaves them susceptible to foul play.

CoBank has released their 2024 outlook report, which takes a look at the key themes the organization expects to shape agricultural and the rural economy in the coming year.

The U.S. feed grain supply is expected to grow by 3.4 million metric tons, propelled by a projected increase in corn yields for the 2023/24 corn production forecast, reports the USDA Economic Research Service.

North Dakota auction company announces new record-high land sale for cropland in the northeast corner of the state at $17,500 per acre, while in Iowa farmland sales are starting to cool off.

Price-fixing allegations were again levied against America's largest beef packing companies, this time by a group of small distributors.

After the government twice flooded a farmer’s home and 900 acres, killed his cattle, and insisted he foot the bill, the Supreme Court will hear the case.

Just in time for school to start, in the midst of the Illinois State Fair, students across the state will no longer be penalized for participating in a 4-H or FFA event.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday designated his fifth national monument in Arizona, an action embraced by Native American tribes in the area and opposed by mining companies and cattlemen.

A recent study analyzed the probability of meat processing plant survival, finding that business diversification is most important for smaller plants and local context is more important for larger plants.

Which cities have the best barbeque? The answer depends on who you ask, and two recent rankings provide different results.

A California man has shown that ghost cattle are unnecessary to create a Ponzi scheme, just ghost manure. Or, at least, ghost manure digesters.

The Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor is a new survey of nearly 50 economists. Most ag economists agree the next 12 months could produce more financial pressure for agriculture, but their views vary depending on commodity.

Three California-based cultivated meat companies have received approval from USDA to begin producing and marketing lab-grown chicken.

The tentative agreement that's been reached with the West Coast longshoremen is of paramount importance for U.S. red meat, says USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom. Here's why.

Set to open in 2025, the Olathe, Kan., plant will further Walmart’s commitment to creating an end-to-end Angus beef supply chain.

Ireland's Agriculture Minister has been looking into various ways to reduce methane emissions, including culling 200,000 cows over the next three years.

A total of $4 million has been pledged by Taco Bell, Cargill and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to aid Intermountain West ranchers in conservation and regenerative practices across cattle grazing lands.

The updated Seasonal Drought Outlook for the U.S. is painting a grim picture for many drought-plagued areas of the Plains, but forecasters also expect drought to improve in parts of Nebraska and Iowa.

As misinformation regarding the use of mRNA vaccines in livestock filter through social media, there are facts begging to be set straight.

To restrict drone surveillance of livestock facilities without the permission of the property owner, the Iowa House recently passed legislation, House File 572.

Ranchers should make plans for moving feed and livestock to higher ground before flooding this spring, according to North Dakota State University Extension specialists.

In celebration of National Ag Day and National Ag Week, the 2023 Feeding the Economy report shows just how vital the industry is to U.S. families, communities and the world.

A federal judge in Texas put WOTUS on hold in two states over the weekend but denied a concentrated effort by industry groups to stop the rule nationwide.

Total land in farms decreased 1.9 million acres to 893,400,000 acres in 2022 versus 2021. Here is other noteworthy farmland data, courtesy of USDA’s Farms and Land in Farms 2022 Summary. 

On June 11, 2023, the following antibiotics will no longer be available for purchase over-the-counter.

Scenes across Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas resemble the Dust Bowl after winds topping 100 mph ravaged the area. Growers are dealing with a dryland wheat crop that could already see abandonment as high as 80%.

The smallest beef cow herd in 60 years will be rebuilt cautiously as ranchers struggle to recover from the perfect storm of economic and weather black swans.

SNAP, which historically receives the greatest amount of farm bill funding, will see an 82% increase of a quarter-trillion-dollars.

What will the next decade hold for your farm? What factors should you use to weigh investments or crop planning?  Here are five trends and data sets to ponder from USDA's latest Agricultural Baseline Projections.