Record-setting NCBA Trade Show draws crowd to Reno
The cattle industry's largest-ever trade show is being held in conjunction with the 2008 Cattle Industry Annual Convention. Admission to the NCBA Trade Show is included in the registration fee for the Cattle Industry Annual Convention. Other featured sessions at the Cattle Industry Annual Convention include the annual Cattlemen's College producer education workshops, the Cattle-Fax Outlook Seminar, Beef Industry Issues Forums, and industry committee meetings.

      Government investigating link between ethanol, beef recalls
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)--A surge in beef recalls may have an unusual culprit--the ethanol industry. Studies from two universities show evidence that feeding cattle a byproduct of ethanol production known as distillers grains can increase their levels of a deadly form of E. coli bacteria. However, the availability of cheaper distillers grains has offset the impact of those higher corn prices on livestock producers while providing a valuable revenue stream to ethanol plants.

      Japan suspends beef imports from U.S. plant
Imports from Smithfield Group's Moyer packing factory in Pennsylvania will be suspended because 1,264 boxes of a recent shipment contained beef from cattle 21 months old, the Agriculture and Health Ministries said in a joint statement issued late Jan. 12. Japan allows only meat from cows 20 months old or younger. The mistake was found by U.S. agriculture officials during a routine inspection, an official of Japan's Agriculture Ministry told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of ...

      Feds release funding for TB eradication and control program
SANTA FE (AP)--The New Mexico Livestock Board is set to receive part of the federal funding allotted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help the state manage last year's bovine tuberculosis outbreak. The USDA has released a quarter of the more than $2 million designated for New Mexico's bovine TB eradication and prevention program. He says cattle and dairy herds are currently undergoing TB testing, and the federal funds will help the state continue and expand its efforts to eradicate ...

      Diet for brain development, from the beginning
Studies looking into how diet and nutrition affect central nervous system development from birth are being conducted by Agricultural Research Service-funded scientists. Among other projects, Terry Pivik, a psychophysiologist who heads the ACNC's Brain Function Laboratory, and Janet Gilchrist, who heads the ACNC's Clinical Nutrition Unit, are interested in defining best feeding practices for brain development among infants and children. For a project called The Beginnings Study, researchers ...

      MSGA remains uneasy after Board of Livestock listening session
Representatives from the MT Board of Livestock made it very clear to Winter Fair attendees recently that split-state status for brucellosis is not off the table. On Jan. 25, during the Montana Winter Fair in Lewistown, the BOL held a listening session to discuss some of the many issues facing the livestock industry. The governor's response came almost two weeks after his appointed majority board of livestock, reluctantly passed a motion to support individual herd management plans and to ...

      Today's good politician
During my brief visit with him, I was reminded that we don't spend near enough time with the World War II veterans that are still living. I find that World War II veterans simply have a different outlook on life. Editor's note: Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food.

      New K-State master's graduate lands cover article in scientific
A new Kansas State University graduate has earned the cover article in a scientific journal for her research on the biological process of wheat germination. Work by Hicran Koc, Istanbul, Turkey, a December 2007 master's graduate in grain science, and her research adviser, K-State's David Wetzel, professor of grain science and industry, was the cover article for the October issue of Spectroscopy. "To land a cover article, complete with color graphics, is a rare honor for a graduate student, ...

      IPPA announces first-ever Environmental Steward Award winner
One northwest Iowa hog farmer and his wife have been recognized for their efforts and are being presented with the Iowa Pork Producers Association's first-ever Environmental Steward Award. The Plymouth County Pork Producers nominated the Nothems for the award. The Nothems will represent Iowa in the National Pork Board's 2008 national Environmental Steward Award competition.

      Coffee shop agronomy, livestock meetings set
Gordon, the agronomist at K-State's Northcentral Kansas Experiment Field will give an update on dryland cropping systems research and fertilizer application in no-till cropping systems. --Feb. 8, Mentor, Dryland Cropping Systems Research Update and Fertilizer Application in No-Till Cropping Systems, Barney Gordon, K-State NCK Field agronomist. --Feb. 29, Mentor, Field Crop Weed Control Update, Resistant Weeds in Wheat and Tips on Glyphosate Application; Dallas Peterson, K-State Research & ...

      Animal activists take to the states
But absent a lot of momentum on the federal stage, groups like the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) are increasingly turning to the states to push new bills or adopt ballot initiatives. "Between 1990 and 2006, animal advocates squared off against hunters and other animal industries in 38 statewide ballot campaigns, winning in 26 campaigns and marking a huge surge in the use of the process on animal issues. In Colorado, livestock groups were put on notice by HSUS leadership and the group's ...