Current market conditions for wheat along with the price and short availability of hay in some locations is setting up a scenario where the growing winter wheat crop may have more value for grazing or as a hay crop this spring than to harvest it for grain. Current market value of hay is ranging from […]
News items continue to highlight the ongoing impacts of African Swine Fever (ASF). In addition to explaining some of the market effects of the disease, recent articles have also addressed under-reporting issues in China, the spread of ASF, and the importance of keeping ASF out of the United States. Background- ASF and Markets Bloomberg News reported last […]
America’s pig farmers continue to practice many of the principles of Earth Day, which is April 22, every day on their farms, and in many cases, have done so for generations. This fact is underscored by the results of a recent study from the University of Arkansas, which confirmed that today’s pork is more earth-friendly […]
Whether a producer keeps a few poultry birds or several thousand, common external parasites such as fleas, ticks, lice and mites can be devastating.
The snowy, frigid winter may have left cattle producers short on forage for their livestock, and they are itching to get the cattle out on grass. “Proceed with caution when turning livestock out on range and pasture,” advises Miranda Meehan, North Dakota State University Extension livestock environmental stewardship specialist. “The long, cold winter may result […]
North Dakota cattle producers have been losing young calves to coccidiosis this spring, according to Gerald Stokka, North Dakota State University Extension veterinarian and livestock stewardship specialist. Coccidiosis is an intestinal disease that affects several animal species. In cattle, it may produce clinical symptoms in animals 3 weeks to 1 year old, but it can […]
A Wall Street Journal article Wednesday stated that, “Hog prices have surged in recent weeks on signs that Chinese buyers have turned to the U.S. to make up for the dwindling of China’s pig herds because of African swine fever.” Today’s update explores this development in greater detail. Background A report earlier this month (China- Livestock and Products Semi-annual) from USDA’s […]
Wet, muddy ground and flooding are likely in North Dakota this spring, so producers need to be prepared to deal with those conditions or even move cattle and the equipment to feed and care for them to higher ground, North Dakota State University Extension livestock specialists advise. “Providing improved drainage in the yard can hasten […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that dairy producers who elected to participate in the Livestock Gross Margin for Dairy Cattle Program (LGM-Dairy) now have the opportunity to participate in the Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) for 2018 coverage. Sign-up will take place March 25 through May 10, 2019. Producers enrolled in […]
Hog prices have been struggling so far this year. USDA reports that live prices in January and February have averaged below $40 for the first time in over a decade. In February, USDA estimated live prices were $39.04 per hundredweight, the lowest February price in 16 years dating back to 2003. A bearish price story […]