Beef

A biosecurity plan will be different for every cattle operation.

I cannot emphasize enough how wet it is in southern Illinois. The row crop guys were able to jump in and get some planting done, but may be wishing they hadn’t.

This cattle market is crazy good and has me wondering how long it can last.

The Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition has worked successfully through the tension of whether it would still have grant funds for events after the days of DOGE.

Four members with outstanding projects that include cattle, flowers, sheep, auctioneering and hay production were presented the prestigious star awards during the 97th Illinois FFA State Convention.

The recently released MAHA report was the work product of the commission established by President Donald Trump’s executive order to “Make America Healthy Again.”

Our independent cattle and sheep industries have been steaming along through history as if they were without a strategic vision — rudderless and directionless.

Fire is a natural and necessary part of a healthy ecosystem.

Delegates wrote history at the 97th Illinois FFA State Convention with the vote to add a sentinel to the FFA officer team that now includes six members.

Earlier this winter while attending a farm show sponsored by a local radio station that carries Brownfield programming, a listener shared with me a poem, “Sermons We See,” by Edgar A. Guest.

Illinois FFA state proficiency winners are selected based on FFA members’ outstanding skills in recordkeeping, leadership and scholastic achievement.

The Dave and Donna Scanlon family was proud to receive the Hoosier Homestead Award in recognition of more than 100 years of agricultural heritage.

These students have been selected district winners for the Star in Agriscience award after an extensive process of evaluating the students and their record books.

The Star in Agricultural Placement award will be presented during the Stars Over Illinois ceremony on Wednesday, June11.

Five district winners for the Star Farmer award will be honored on the stage of the Illinois FFA State Convention.

As planting season rolls on, southern Indiana From the Fields contributor Mindy Orschell shared an update on farm life with AgriNews.

Jason Baldes drove down a dusty, sagebrush highway, pulling 11 young buffalo in a trailer from Colorado to the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming.

In the first quarter of 2025, the 7th Federal Reserve District’s agricultural land values saw a 1% increase from a year ago, and “good” farmland values rose 4% from the fourth quarter of 2024 on average across five states.

The Riskedal family uses regenerative agricultural practices on their farm where they grow corn, soybeans and wheat along with feeding cattle for a freezer beef enterprise.

If a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak occurs in the United States, the day-to-day operations and how beef producers do business will be different.

Limiting stress and maintaining a strong relationship with a veterinarian are vital for a rancher’s success in fighting bovine respiratory disease.

This is the first in a series of columns featuring conversations with state Farm Bureau presidents about current issues in agriculture.

Saying we’re facing uncertainty in rural America is an understatement. We’re in the midst of a seismic shift — a true paradigm shift.

Although U.S. beef producers have met the challenge of reducing injection site lesions in beef carcasses, one issue they have not fixed is eliminating foreign objects.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association announced that applications are open for three unique internship experiences for the fall 2025 semester.

Mental fitness is a personal understanding that individuals have the ability to build a happier and more productive life.

Let’s say you could have President Donald Trump’s attention for 20 minutes. What would you ask him to do for our domestic cattle and sheep industries?

A lot of growth has occurred in the agricultural department at Peotone High School since Abby Cowger started teaching and advising the FFA chapter in 2018.

Down in southern Illinois we could almost make the claim that it hasn’t stopped raining since December.

Last month I alluded to an announcement concerning our grazing operation here at River Oak for 2025. So, here it is.

Rancher Brett Kenzy hopes President Donald Trump’s tariffs will make imported beef expensive enough that Americans will turn to cattle raised at home for all their hamburgers and steaks.

Heading into this year, most U.S. farmers were hoping to break even or maybe record a small profit if they could find a way to limit their sky-high costs.

AgriNews is happy to welcome back Clay Geyer as northern Indiana’s From the Fields contributor for 2025.

May is National Beef Month, a month-long celebration to kick off the unofficial start of summer grilling season and, of course, promote America’s favorite protein — beef.

Brooke Taylor stumbled into becoming an inspirational speaker. It was not something she had set as a career goal.

During the months of December through February, U.S. Department of Agriculture data show that feeders who sold fed cattle were profitable, after suffering significant losses the previous six months.

Golden Owl Award finalist Kenna Slough was inspired to be an agricultural educator for a combination of reasons.

Authorities in Central Europe are working to contain an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease among cattle populations that has caused widespread border closures and required the killing of thousands of animals.

If you are one of the millions of Americans who pollsters say “voted for change” last November, boy, are you getting it now.

On any given day, Dan Parker could be advocating for agriculture with legislators, helping his daughters with 4-H projects, supporting the local FFA chapter, selling seed, or working on the farm.

The focus at TWG Ranch is to raise reproductive, maternal cattle with longevity and product merit.

To celebrate May Beef Month, the Illinois Beef Association is inviting people to join the May Beef Month Beef Eaters Club.

On my family’s farm, we achieve Earth Day objectives throughout the year, guided by respect for the blessings natural resources provide. We must conserve and protect natural resources to grow food and sustain our farm for future generations.

Meet Mindy Orschell, AgriNews’ new From the Fields contributor in southern Indiana.

Cow size has been on the rise for decades. Cows today weigh 1.4 times as much as their predecessors in 1980. In fact, cow weight is rising 100 pounds every 10 years.

Mother’s Day is quickly approaching on May 11, and this year the Illinois Beef Association aims to give mothers from beef cattle operations special recognition.

Free trade dogma suggests that more imports benefit consumers by affording them more choices and lower prices. Let’s see if this holds true in the U.S. beef market.

March went in — and out — like a lion. Several state contests take place in spring, such as the recent dairy cattle and food science career development events, with many more on the calendar.

The Western Illinois University School of Agriculture hosted its 53rd annual Bull Test Sale at the WIU Livestock Center.

The animals are smelling green grass and are tired of eating their winter vittles. The rye looks great, but the cool temps have slowed its growth enough that I have decided to delay the usual turnout a few days.