As the industry anxiously awaits a drought reversal and herd rebuilding, many experts say now is the time to analyze overall carrying expenses....More

Wheat prices are expected to hold well into next year, and farmland values are expected to stay strong. Beef cattle prices likely will remain strong as well but producers must manage production costs, especially feed, closely. Farmers and ranchers also will face more rules and regulations as the pace for regulatory change continues to increase for farms and small businesses....More

High prices are slowing U.S. beef exports, but producers aren’t seeing the impact. A challenging economic environment is making it difficult to match last year’s export volume, but U.S. products continue to command an excellent price in international markets and provide substantial returns to producers....More

As a producer, do you think you usually make efficient use of a veterinarian’s time on your operation? Of 1,404 producers responding to an email survey in August, 46.6% said always, 50.6% said usually, and 1.7% said seldom. Interestingly, when veterinarians were asked whether their clients made the most efficient use of a veterinarian’s time during an on-farm call, only 2.4% of 83 responding DVMs said always, while 89.2% said usually, and 8.4% said seldom ....More

Farmers and others who use two-way radios will be impacted by a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule change effective Jan. 1, 2013, according to John Nowatzki, North Dakota State University Extension Service ag machine systems specialist....More