Henry pushed his cowboy hat down around his ears and leaned forward. His paw was under the bull rope and with a blink of an eye he was nodding. “Let’r rip boys,” Henry, the bull riding hedgehog, said with an airy breath, and the gate latch was pulled. “PHWAP!” it released and hit the back side of the panel. “YEEHAW!” Henry called. The bull bucked up and down and then decided to spin. “He’s down in the well,” Banjo said. He and Tuff watched the hedgehog hold on. “Ironhide’s known as a spinner, but I didn’t know they meant he...

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On November 13, the USDA announced that a sterile fly dispersal facility is opening in Tampico, Mexico. The announcement came after Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, conducted the “largest U.S. Department of Agriculture agribusiness trade mission in the history of our country” to Mexico the prior week. “The opening of the Tampico sterile fly dispersal facility is another incredibly important tool in our arsenal to stop the spread of screwworm. The facility will ensure flexibility and responsiveness in northern Mexico, giving us a greater ability to drop sterile flies, and continue to push the pest south,” Rollins said in the...

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Winter weather isn’t just tough on producers — it’s tough on cattle, too. “There are reasons why we see more BRD challenges in cold and damp conditions,” Nathan Meyer, DVM, Ph.D., Boehringer Ingelheim, said. “It really comes down to stress. When animals are stressed, they’re less able to fight off infections as effectively as they would under more ideal conditions.” Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) remains the costliest disease impacting U.S. beef cattle, research by JD Taylor, et al. found. The brisk winter months are the perfect time to reevaluate management practices to improve animal health, comfort and BRD control. Prioritize...

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Many states have a state sport that embodies the spirit and essence of the state. For instance, the state sport of Alaska is dog sledding, the state sport of California is surfing, etc. In the spring of this year, rodeo became the official sport of Montana, passed by the Montana legislature. Greg Overstreet, Montana Representative for the 88th district, was the sponsor of the bill to make rodeo the state sport. He believes rodeo “symbolizes and captures the Montana spirit like nothing else.” “It’s not just some random legislative enactment. It really tells the world about a state. . ....

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I am going to start out this week with a comment I came across over this past weekend, that in my mind, really sums up with what we are dealing with at this time. It comes from Dr. Andrew Griffith, assistant professor and livestock marketing specialist for the Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics at University of Tennessee. Dr. Griffith wrote, “It has become clear that beef cattle producers are concerned about the negative direction of cattle prices stemming from national leadership comments and negative press on ‘high retail beef prices.’ Something important to remember is markets work! High prices...

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College students and recent graduates are encouraged to attend CattleCon 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee, February 3-5, to help them prepare for careers in the cattle industry. Future agricultural leaders will have the opportunity to engage with potential employers during the new “Career Crawl” at the NCBA Trade Show on Thursday, February 5. “The largest cattle industry event of the year is a great place for the next generation to network with some of our industry’s most impactful companies,” National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Buck Wehrbein said. “We hope this new career event opens doors for future leaders.” Attendees can visit...

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Written Friday, November 14 USDA cut its corn crop estimate 62 million bushels from the September report. The average yield declined 0.7 bu. to 186.0 bushels per acre, though still 6.7 bu. above last year’s record. Harvested area was unchanged at 90.047 million acres. The 186 United States national yield was made up of increased yields in Illinois, Indiana, South Dakota, and Kansas. In Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri yields were lower according to the USDA. Overall, the report can be considered slightly bearish in my opinion. USDA pegged ending corn stocks at 2.154 billion bushels. However, USDA noted that the...

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American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers’ proposed Waters of the United States rule. “Clean water is a top priority for farmers and ranchers – we depend on it. We are pleased that the new rule protects critical water sources while respecting the efforts of farmers to protect the natural resources they’ve been entrusted with. “The Supreme Court clearly ruled several years ago that the government overreached in its interpretation of what fell under federal guidelines. We are still reviewing the entire rule, but we are pleased that it finally...

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On October 22, following a contentious week of debate surrounding President Donald Trump’s deal with Argentina to lower the price of beef in the United States, USDA released a 13 page “Plan to Fortify the American Beef Industry.” The plan focuses on three priorities, which include: protecting and improving ranching as a business; expanding processing capabilities, market access, and improving consumer transparency; and increasing demand while growing domestic supply. Prior to USDA’s official release of their Beef Industry Plan, Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT) and the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) hosted a Common Ground Summit in Washington, D.C., where livestock industry...

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Last week, Daisy felt awful. She battled with her conscience and wanted to right the wrong she’d been a part of but didn’t know how or what she was going to do when she found Rascal in the mountains. But he found her first and mocked her for wanting to make good on his prank. Will Daisy get a chance to convince Rascal to fix what he’s done or will he get away again? “Crunch, crunch, crunch,” the carpet of the wood’s recently fallen leaves sounded as the animal walked across them. Daisy turned to see what it might be,...

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