August 27, 2020
Wall Street Journal writers Bob Davis and Lingling Wei reported this week that, “Senior U.S. and Chinese officials said they were committed to carrying out the phase-one trade accord between the two nations, the two governments said, after the two sides discussed the pact Monday evening U.S. time. “The videoconference brought together U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and […]
August 27, 2020
The primary goal of making corn silage is to preserve as many nutrients in the corn plant as possible, to produce a feed that is acceptable to cows, and to minimize any risks associated with feeding the silage. The following are important considerations for making corn silage when growing conditions have been dry. Chop at […]
August 20, 2020
Bloomberg News reported this week that, “President Donald Trump said he called off last weekend’s trade talks with China, raising questions about the future of a deal that is now the most stable point in an increasingly tense relationship. ‘I canceled talks with China,’ Trump said Tuesday in Yuma, Arizona. ‘I don’t want to talk to […]
August 11, 2020
Sweetclover can provide good nutrition to cattle because it is high in protein and energy when not mature. However, sweetclover can become toxic to cattle if fed as hay, North Dakota State University Extension livestock systems specialist Karl Hoppe cautions. Sweetclover is a biennial legume that lives for two years. It is a prolific seed […]
August 6, 2020
Lingling Wei and Bob Davis reported in today’s Wall Street Journal that, “The U.S. and China have agreed to high-level talks on Aug. 15 to assess Beijing’s compliance with the bilateral trade agreement signed early this year, according to people briefed on the matter. “The trade pact has emerged as one of the few remaining avenues for the two countries […]
July 28, 2020
The U.S. cattle herd is known to cycle through periods of expansion and contraction roughly every 10 years or so. High feed prices from 2007 through 2013 contributed to one of those contraction phases with beef cow numbers reaching a low in 2014. Of course, low supplies translate into higher prices, motivating producers to expand. […]
July 27, 2020
Last week, the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) released its “2019 U.S. Agricultural Export Yearbook,” that provided “a statistical summary of U.S. agricultural commodity exports to the world and the United States’ primary trading partners.” With respect to China, the update indicated that, “In 2019, U.S. agricultural exports to China totaled $13.8 billion, up from $9.1 billion in […]
July 21, 2020
Pinkeye, or keratoconjunctivitis, is an infectious disease of cattle that costs producers money in several ways. “These include increased labor, cost of antibiotics, decreased weaning weights and decreased price paid at market for animals with scarred eyes,” says Gerald Stokka, North Dakota State University Extension veterinarian and livestock stewardship specialist. One study shows that calves […]
July 17, 2020
As a result of a challenging fall harvest and a considerable precipitation deficit across much of North Dakota, ranchers are considering options to increase their forage supply. “Recent precipitation in portions of North Dakota impacted by drought may make annual forages and cover crops viable forage options for hay production or grazing,” says Miranda Meehan, […]
July 13, 2020
Josh Zumbrun and Catherine Lucey reported on the front page of Saturday’s Wall Street Journal that, “President Trump damped expectations for a promised phase-two trade pact with China on Friday, saying the relationship between the countries has been too badly damaged by the coronavirus pandemic. “‘I don’t think about it now,’ Mr. Trump told reporters aboard […]
