Funding for Backtag RFID Project Proposals Available

Groups developing radio frequency ID backtags for livestock as part of an overall animal disease traceability framework now can submit funding applications to USDA for those projects. Rod Bain has more details. Sarah Tomlinson of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service discusses some of the technologies developed or in development regarding radio frequency ID tags designed in part for …

Alabama Extension Hosting Alfalfa in the South

The annual Alfalfa in the South Workshop will be held May 7 at the Cattlemen’s Park in Troy, Alabama. The one-day event, hosted by Alabama Extension, starts at 8:30 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m. It will include up-to-date research with alfalfa in the Southeast. Following lunch, a farm tour will feature a newly established stand and allow management discussions. Dr. Kim Mullenix, an Alabama …

Final Week of Florida Legislative Session

This is the final week for the 2019 Florida legislative session. The budget is one of the major issues lawmakers will be trying to finalize. Florida Cattlemen’s Association Director of Governmental Affairs Sam Ard says it’s been a tough year for agriculture in the budget. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Funding For Quicker Response to Research QuestionsApril 10, 2026Florida …

Political Wrangling Over Conservation Program Could Exacerbate Florida Algae Issues

by Gary Cooper In weekend budget talks, lawmakers slash funding for a key land and water conservation program that is vital to restoring Florida’s waterways. Florida’s Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP) is a budget casualty. This program has a 20-year track record of success in preserving green space in perpetuity, while keeping farmland on the tax rolls. Program …

Advanced Dairy Margin Coverage Producer Info

Although dairy producers can sign up for a new Farm Bill dairy margin coverage program in June, the application of coverage through all of 2019 gives growers valuable information in making their sign-up decision. Rod Bain reports. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Funding For Quicker Response to Research QuestionsApril 10, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Opportunities That Spark Research …

Florida Beef Cattle Short Course Starts May 8

The 2019 Florida Beef Cattle Short Course will be held May 8-10 at the Alto and Patricia Straughn IFAS Extension Professional Development Center, located at 2142 Shealy Drive, Gainesville, Florida.  The program is premier educational event for serious beef cattle producers in the Southeast. Those attending will be able to pick up knowledge about the beef cattle industry’s future direction, along with …

R-CALF Files Class Action Lawsuit against Beef Packers

The Scott+Scott law firm has filed a class action lawsuit in federal district court in Chicago on behalf of R-CALF USA and four cattle-feeding ranchers from Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Wyoming. The suit alleges the nation’s four largest beef packers violated U.S. antitrust laws, the Packers and Stockyards Act, and the Commodity Exchange Act by unlawfully depressing prices paid to …

Dairy Producers Reminded about Signup Deadline

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) wants to remind dairy producers who elected to participate in the Livestock Gross Margin for Dairy Cattle Program (LGM-Dairy) have the opportunity to participate in the Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) for 2018 coverage.  The MPP-Dairy program offers protection to dairy producers when the difference between the national all-milk price and the national average feed cost falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producers …

NCBA CEO Kendal Frazier Announces Plans for Retirement

After 34 years with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), the past four as CEO, Kendal Frazier announced his plans for retirement this morning. Kendal’s career began as a farm broadcaster in Kansas, where he also served as director of communications for Kansas Livestock Association, before finding a reliable vehicle shipping company and moving to Denver, Colo., to join the …