Agri-Kid

This little guy got plumb tuckered out processing calves at the Centana Feedyards.  Thanks to Tanner and Maylene Frost for sharing this fun photo.

A Fourth Generation Dairy Farm Diversifies

By Heather Smith Thomas Ben Smith has been farming and dairying on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State his whole life. “Our family farm was started in 1930 by my great-grandfather, Ernest Schmuck,” Smith said. Ben and his wife, Jacki, own the farm today in a partnership with his brother, Troy, and his wife, Becky.  The brothers are the fourth […]

Mooving Toward the Future at Cargill

By Markie Hageman The newest technology being implemented in agriculture is nothing short of a child’s dream.  A remote-cotrolled robot – jokingly nicknamed “R2DMoo” by a Cargill videographer, but officially titled “Cattlebot”— was tested by workers at Cargill’s Wyalusing, Pennsylvania and Schuyler, Nebraska beef processing plants. The latter processes 5,400 head of cattle per day. With the help of modern […]

All In A Day’s Work

The mini-series of the misfit hunters is coming to an end, but how will Banjo and Tuff rid the ranch of the no-good-fillers, lure the grizzly, and stay in one piece?  Will these irresponsible men finally get what coming to them, or will the dogs end up in another predicament? It didn’t take long for the grizzly to announce itself […]

Introduction of Braunvieh Blood Improves the Bottom Line

By Macey Mueller With a solid reputation for raising quality Braunvieh-influenced cattle that grow fast and garner carcass premiums, Mitchell Farms was named the 2017 Commercial Producer of the Year during the BAA Annual Meeting in Kansas City last October. Located just north of Frederick, Oklahoma, the Mitchell family runs about 650 cows and proudly uses Braunvieh bulls to sire […]

Comments

The report on economic growth came out last Friday.  The Commerce Department reported the economy grew a strong 3.5 percent in the third quarter.  Yes, this is down slightly from the 4.2 percent realized in the second quarter of this year, but still a nice strong move. Consumer spending led the charge seeing a 4 percent increase.  I would say […]

Commodity Classic Releases 2019 Schedule

Commodity Classic has released its tentative schedule for the 2019 show slated for Thursday, February 28 through Saturday, March 2 in Orlando, FL.  Commodity Classic is America’s largest farmer-led, farmer-focused educational and agricultural experience. The 2019 schedule includes extended trade show hours, allowing attendees to spend even more time with the wide array of exhibitors on the huge trade show […]

Why Husbands Go Hungry In the Fall

Pre-conditioning, weaning, and shipping is the dreaded time of year when ranch wives are called upon to sort a lot of cattle with their husbands.  So, it is my assumption that there are many ranchers that go to bed at night this time of year without the benefit of having ingested a nice, warm dinner. More likely, they cooked themselves […]

Trade Wars and The Election

By Brett DeBruycker, Dutton, MT I am a third-generation farmer and rancher in Montana.  My family has a long history of working the land and raising cattle.  I understand full-well the negative impact low commodity prices have on agriculture and the communities that rely on agriculture to survive.  The ag economy of the United States is in increasing trouble.  One […]

Export Exchange Connects Farmers with Foreign Markets

Two teams of feed grain industry importers, from South America and China, are heading to southern U.S. farming operations to meet with suppliers after attending the Export Exchange in Minneapolis.  Export Exchange is a biennial educational and trade forum for U.S. feed grains that will host approximately 200 international buyers and end-users organized into 21 U.S. Grains Council (USGC) trade […]