House acts on estate death tax

A bill that would make the 2009 estate tax level permanent 45% and $3.5 million/person exemption was passed by the House of Representatives last month....

Raising Beef Cattle is new book title by Heather Smith Thomas

The newly revised and updated third edition of Storey's Guide to Raising Beef Cattle is aimed at anyone who raises or works with cattle from 4-H to large...

Issues & Opportunities for beef producers in 2010

Prospects for the beef industry in 2010 are a bit like a beef stew. Some of the ingredients aren't very appetizing on their own. But add a spoonful of...

Strategic planning for beef producers | STO planning

STO Strategic, Tactical, Operational. These three letters summarize my main challenge as a beef producer. If you were to take a typical day, list all...

2010 opportunity

If you're in the Tulare, CA, area in February, I invite you to stop by a one-day program of presentations that BEEF magazine will host during the World...

Does The Death Tax Need A Repeal Or An Overhaul?

Repeal of the estate tax, or death tax, as it's often termed by its detractors, has long been championed by ag commodity and small-business groups...

Is life insurance really necessary?

By Burt Rutherford Senior Editor

You can look at life insurance as an estate management tool, or as a take-it-or-leave-it kind of proposition. And most estate-planning experts would just...

The next decade: Part III

Harlan Hughes

A key determinant of a beef cowherd's cost structure is the cost of replacement females. That's because the economic impact of high-cost replacements...

The next decade: Part II: buying or selling replacement females in the beef herd

Harlan Hughes

Replacement female decisions are among ranch managers' most critical decisions. While complete genetic control is often desired, ranch-raised heifer replacements...

Pastureland Cool-Down

By Mike Fritz

U.S. pasture values climbed an average 6% to $1,230/acre this year. That's sharply behind last year's 16% pace and extends a flattening trend that followed...

Riding The Winds

By Larry Stalcup

Been trying to keep up with feeder-cattle futures lately? If you have, and you're not sitting down, best find a chair, because the volatility can be dizzying....

Up in smoke

Troy Marshall

Taiwan announced last month that it would reverse its position on the bilateral trade protocol it had just agreed to after two years of long and hard...

Certainties for uncertain times

Troy Marshall

Warren Buffett is staying away from stocks. The latest report from the Federal Reserve shows scant signs of growth. Experts warn the foreclosure crisis...