Beef

Corn harvest started on the Rahn farm at the middle of September, which is typical for them.

We’ve gone more than a month now without any rain and none in our forecast, so the pastures are thirsty. In spite of that, the cover crops on our wheat stubble are looking surprisingly well.

Nominations are now being accepted for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Environmental Stewardship Award.

Beef production spans generations in the Hanson and Kuipers family in Iroquois County where they operate a forage-based program utilizing a paddock grazing system along with growing corn, soybeans and wheat.

Disaster assistance for producers and training new staff has been among the many focuses of the Farm Service Agency’s Illinois offices over the last several months.

After waiting, not so patiently, for the corn to mature, we finally had a field last week get mature enough to start chopping. Now we will race to stay ahead of the corn getting too mature.

It certainly has dried up in a hurry and pastures are showing the ill effects of that. We have had some hot days, but for the most part temperatures have been moderate, so it could have been worse.

Armyworms are appropriately named. They definitely work like an army, moving their line forward as efficiently and rapidly as possible, attempting to overwhelm the enemy and gain territory.

America’s farmers and ranchers are getting hit hard this year with low commodity prices and another record-setting agricultural trade deficit.

The stories across the Corn Belt’s Federal Reserve Districts mirrored one another in the agriculture sector with concerns over lower commodity prices and favorable crop conditions.

For Cliff Behrmann, bacon runs in the blood. Behrmann is the owner of Behrmann Meat and Processing, a business started by his maternal grandfather and Behrmann’s father.

Working as a veterinarian means every day is different — and that’s what Taryn Pfeiffer really enjoys about her career.

Registration is now open for CattleCon 2025, which will be held Feb. 4-6 in San Antonio. This annual event is “where the beef industry meets” to conduct business, attend educational sessions and enjoy family fun.

Wheat is strategically planted on the Rahn farm to provide opportunities for manure applications and tiling projects.

Agrivoltaics works and it is going to keep growing in the United States.

The annual Orr Beef Research Center Field Day will take place at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Ag Sciences Complex and Fred Bradshaw Learning Center at the John Wood Community College Agricultural Education Center.

Applications are now being accepted for the annual W.D. Farr Scholarship program. The scholarship recognizes outstanding graduate students pursuing careers in meat science and animal agriculture.

Sixty young livestock exhibitors vied for the title of Grand Champion Overall Master Showman during the 2024 Illinois State Fair Master Showmanship Contest.

The Indiana State Fair celebrated “The Art & Nature of Fun” in collaboration with Newfields.

Sometimes, you just need to let the rest of the world go and enjoy those moments that bring you joy.

Livestock managers and owners are invited to join University of Illinois Extension for the Storing Forages: Balancing Cost and Performance workshop on Thursday, Sept. 19.

While the dictionary doesn’t include the word “stockmanship,” most livestock producers know what it means: handling livestock in a calm, quiet manner that results in animals that are healthier and gain faster.

Demand for high-quality beef and a tight cattle supply has experts predicting historically high cattle markets for the next several years.

Things are really green everywhere. I feel very good about where we are in the grazing year. That is, we are ready to start the last rotation on our fescue, before we begin stockpiling for winter grazing.

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates more than 10 million acres will be converted to solar energy by 2050, and the American Farmland Trust projects over 80% could be sited on agricultural lands.

Indiana has one of the smallest state agriculture departments in the nation — and Don Lamb would not have it any other way.

Agricultural conditions varied in tandem with sporadic droughts across the Federal Reserve districts, but concerns over crop price declines were common in all corners of the Corn Belt.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is looking for the next singing sensation to open CattleCon 2025, scheduled to take place Feb. 4-6 in San Antonio.

Wet and hot conditions in northern Illinois are impacting crop growth, as well as providing an opportunity for increased disease pressure this year.

Southern Indiana native Clark Smith will serve as director of Indiana Grain Buyers and Warehouse Licensing Agency.

During my travels, one question seems to be always popping up, one which many producers are not sure of answers. That is: What is regenerative agriculture?

A significant share of a cow-calf operation’s revenue is generated by the sale of cull cows.

The Illinois Beef Association is focused on outreach to all sectors of the beef industry.

Clay Geyer, former From the Fields columnist, is back this year to share updates from his farm in northern Indiana.

The Stars Over Illinois announcement of the top four FFA members in the state was just one of numerous highlights of the 96th Illinois FFA State Convention held in the state’s capital city.

Brazil has hundreds of millions of cows, but one in particular is extraordinary. Her massive, snow-white body is watched over by security cameras and an armed guard.

As I write this we are halfway through our lamb slaughter event. This celebration involves eating the native foods along with processing the lambs, so Ruth and I are introduced to some new — to us — foods and customs.

The story of the newly married couple and their dream of continuing the family farming legacy is a tale of determination and resilience in the face of challenges.

During the first two weeks of June, the Rahn family is going in many different directions, including making hay and spraying a second pass of herbicides to control weeds in their crop fields.

Last month I mentioned the long list of jobs and projects that needed to be done here at the farm. That list hasn’t gotten any shorter. Even though we have been able to cross off some of those tasks, we seem to keep adding to it.

My last article had just been sent off when I got word that my good friend, Jamie Willrett, had left suddenly to be with the Lord. This tragic news shook me and the rest of the cattle industry as we all lost a trusted friend and leader.

The last two weeks have been an absolute flurry of activity here at River Oak. I have been involved more with the cows than usual with Carson tied up with chopping triticale and then mowing, raking, baling and hauling the following week.

Two years ago, the Masters of Beef Advocacy program managed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, hit 20,000 graduates. This year, the program celebrates an additional 5,000 graduates.

Bird flu has been detected in beef for the first time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced, but officials said the meat from a single sickened dairy cow was not allowed to enter the nation’s food supply and beef remains safe to eat.

More than 4 million chickens in Iowa will have to be killed after a case of the highly pathogenic bird flu was detected at a large egg farm, the state announced.

Exceptional projects of FFA members from across the state will be highlighted during the 96th annual Illinois FFA State Convention, set for June 11-13.

The winner of the Star in Agricultural Placement award will be announced during the Wednesday afternoon session of the Illinois FFA State Convention starting at 2 p.m.

The Star in Agriscience award will be presented during the Stars Over Illinois ceremony on Wednesday, June 12.

We in agriculture have a long tradition of marketing our bounty by more pleasant, if not less-than-truthful, names in hopes that less-informed eaters buy the sizzle rather than the fact.

Agricultural reports across Federal Reserve Districts in the Corn Belt were mixed, as drought conditions eased in some districts, but farm finances and incomes remained a concern.