Livestock

It’s cold outside, so it must be meeting time. Besides the meetings I talked about last month there is the Northern Indiana Grazing Conference on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at the Michiana Event Center in beautiful Shipshewana, Indiana.

Every year, the U.S. egg industry kills about 350 million male chicks because, while the fuzzy little animals are incredibly cute, they will never lay eggs, so have little monetary value. That longtime practice is changing.

U.S. farmers harvested the second-largest corn and soybean crops on record last fall, improving carries in the futures market and lifting the margin outlook for grain elevators storing corn and soybeans.

U.S. dairy exports are approaching record levels as consumer demand for dairy products in Mexico continues to outpace the country’s production.

New equipment arrived recently at the Western Illinois University farm.

A sheep shearing school will be held Feb. 22 at Purdue University’s Sheep Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Several environmental groups are suing California air regulators over their recent update of a contentious climate program, saying they failed to address the pollution impacts of biofuels.

This past year marked my second full year serving as executive vice president at the American Farm Bureau Federation and it has been inspiring to see our organization flourish as we serve farmers and ranchers.

The Illinois Nutrient Research and Education Council met in December and seated three new board members.

As a new year begins I realize that time is not waiting for me. Where did 24 years of this century go? I certainly can name milestone events during those 24 years, but the rest of the time, the majority, I seem to have little recollection.

We took a little break from the basketball season to celebrate Christmas and the New Year with a bunch of gatherings of family and friends. Cow work gets sandwiched in where a little time and help allows.

December was not very kind to us as we closed out the year. The last two to three weeks we started receiving those winter rains a few days apart and you know that quickly leads to muddy conditions.

By far the biggest lender to U.S. farmers, ranchers and rural businesses is the Farm Credit System whose four banks and 56 associations hold nearly 50% of all debt in rural America.

Indiana Grown, a program that promotes locally grown and made products, is celebrating accomplishments from several Hoosier schools in 2024.

Family farms accounted for 96% of total U.S. farms and 83% of the total value of production, according to the Agricultural Resource Management Survey.

University of Illinois Extension and Illinois Department of Agriculture announced the 2025 Certified Livestock Manager Training Workshop schedule.

The eight individuals who will serve as official judges during World Dairy Expo 2025 have been confirmed.

Why the results surprised anyone is itself a surprise. After the state of California began testing dairy herds for highly pathogenic avian influenza, known also as bird flu or H5N1, in August, it found the pathogen on 645 dairy farms.

A genetic analysis suggests the bird flu virus mutated inside a Louisiana patient who contracted the nation’s first severe case of the illness, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The death of an Oregon house cat and a pet food recall are raising questions about the ongoing outbreak of bird flu and how people can protect their pets.

Florida agriculture suffered more than $190 million in losses from Hurricane Milton, making it the costliest for farmers and ranchers of three cyclones that pummeled the state in 2024, according to University of Florida researchers.

AgriNews has followed the Rahn family throughout the year. This is the last in a series of updates about the family members and the decisions they make on their farm.

Indiana Pork has donated 50 gift cards valued at $100 each to teachers across the state.

The Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts announced the selection of Eliot Clay as its new executive director.

Criminal activity is on the rise in many rural areas. Vandalism to crops, buildings, machinery, fencing and vehicles occurs more frequently than we would like to believe.

America’s farmers and ranchers have such a great story to share, and it’s critical for the public to better understand what goes into growing the food, fiber and renewable fuel that drives our nation.

Dairy checkoff initiatives of 2024 successfully increased dairy access in schools, expanded market share for U.S. dairy products and supported the industry’s longstanding commitment to sustainability.

Dairy replacement heifer numbers have fallen almost 15% over the last six years, reaching a 20-year low, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Nominations for the 2025 World Dairy Expo Recognition Awards are now being accepted through Feb. 15.

Two Indiana dairies, Risin’ Creek Creamery and JB’s Barnyard, received funding from the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance for value-added facilities on their farms.

As a farmer and rancher, I’ve learned to count on the seasons. They don’t wait. The crops don’t hold off until it’s convenient, and the livestock don’t adjust their needs to fit my schedule.

Indiana Farm Bureau announced “Right This Very Minute: A Table-to-Farm Book About Food and Farming” as the 2025 INFB Book of the Year.

Taking steps to safeguard your tires from harsh winter weather and conditions can help you avoid needing replacement tires come spring.

The 2025 Indiana Farm Bureau Book of the Year educates children where the food they eat daily comes from in an informative and fun way.

They say you never know what you have until it’s gone. I agree. My years as the resident barn owl at Wonderland Farms have taught me that many take what they have for granted.

The Christmas tree was a scrub cedar hacked from the edge of the woods that bordered the farm. Big-bulbed lights, strung in barber pole fashion, generated almost as much heat as the nearby wood stove.

The policies that impact our daily lives are often shaped at the local level. Yes, state and national policies are very important, but I cannot help but notice that sometimes we lose sight of what’s right in front of us in our communities.

Though growth in economic activity was generally small, expectations for growth rose moderately across most geographies and sectors across the Federal Reserve Districts.

The 2024 Hay Quality Seminar was hosted by the Indiana Forage Council and Purdue University Extension this fall.

Winners of the Hoosier Hay Contest were announced at the 2024 Hay Quality seminar.

Optimal cow and bull management will produce a uniform calf crop that is born in a 60-day window or less for most commercial herds.

An outbreak of often-fatal epizootic hemorrhagic disease afflicted more than 500 white-tailed deer in Indiana’s Allen, Porter and Wabash counties last summer.

Focusing on comfort and nutrition for a few weeks before and after calving will help dairy cows with a smooth transition into lactation.

The 2024 Fall Meeting of the Dairy Sustainability Alliance emphasized the industry’s collective efforts to meet sustainability targets through the adoption of new technologies, best practices and measurement tools.

There are lots of options to add prebiotics, probiotics and fermented food into a diet that can provide some health benefits.

Illinois and Indiana had the highest amount of agricultural land lost to development in the Midwest over a 20-year period.

Cattle and sheep graze on permanent pasture, cover crops and crop residue on Pasture Grazed Regenerative Farm in northern Illinois.

The Prairie Farms Caves of Faribault Division won a silver award for Grotto 222 Natural Rinded Gouda and a bronze for AmaGorg Gorgonzola at the World Cheese Awards competition.

Cade Bushnell received the Randy Stauffer Stewardship Award, recognizing his farm conservation work through the Precision Conservation Management program.

The general manager of locally-owned ethanol plant was the recipient of the Illinois Corn Growers Association’s Ethanol Award.