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The Cattlemen’s Beef Board is soliciting comments from beef and dairy producers and industry organizations for possible improvements to the beef checkoff program.

Dakota Country Cheese, Mandan, N.D., closes its doors June 28, 2010.

USDA reporting increasing numbers of crossbred dairy cattle.

Crisis management drill hones ability to respond to emergencies.

Neil Michael, director of technical services for ABS Global, says many herds consistently achieve pregnancy rates of 20% to 25%, with many commercial dairies already exceeding 35% to 40%. He lists eight influencers of reproductive success that every dairy should monitor.

“Genomics is a big step forward, but we still need daughter information,” says says Kent Weigel, University of Wisconsin dairy geneticist. “We’re not yet at the stage where we can identify the next sires of sons without using conventional genetics tools.”

With balance sheets in tatters and equity levels at record lows, crop insurance has renewed importance this year.

Key finding: Increasing population is key to increasing tonnage. In addition, narrow-row silage production increased tonnage without compromising quality as measured in milk tons per acre.

With tightening margins, higher feed cost and more attention to environmental consequences, there are opportunities to refocus on just how much or how little protein is needed to sustain high production and returns to the herd.