Taking credit for attacks on agriculture

Unfortunately, there was a lot of news this week about how Harris Ranch in California was attacked by animal rights activists in which fourteen of their trucks were set on fire. K-State friend and agvocate, Brandi Buzzard, Buzzard’s Beat, took this story from a great perspective and I wanted to forward on her thoughts. She […]

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McDonald’s new ads feature farmers

McDonald’s is focusing on quality ingredients and the farmers who provide them in its new ad campaign. In December, they shared a 15-second preview clip featuring potato farmer Frank Martinez and his crops. Last night, I saw a commercial featuring Steve Fogelsong who provides beef to McDonald’s for their hamburgers. The ads remind me of […]

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Stockmanship = taking care of cattle

Part 10: Finally, the final post to this series of the 10 Greatest Beef Innovations, originally posted by Farm Progress in their Beef Producer section. I saved this one for last because I believe it rings clearer today than ever before: Stockmanship. At least it should. Our not-so-much-friends from the animal rights groups are pointing […]

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Consistency in Beef

Part 9: I find this beef innovation particularly interesting and important – mostly because I enjoy a great, juicy steak and am glad I can rely on the grading system of beef to provide that! From the beginning, beef was more about protein than pleasure and used as draft animals or for milk until they […]

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A “Screwy” Success Story

Part 8: A part of history that is not as common – or not talked about much – is the eradication of the screwworm that caused a lot of damage to the cattle herd (and humans!) in the past. For all of the reasons listed below, the story of screwworm eradication is one of the […]

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Branding Cattle in Colorado

I’ve had some questions about branding cattle, so I thought I would share some facts along with pictures from our recent branding cattle work with weaned calves. What is a brand for? A brand is a permanent identification marker. Each ranch or cattle-owner has their own unique brand to identify their cattle. My state doesn’t […]

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Squeeze Chutes | Stone to Steel

Part 7: I know that squeeze chutes make cattle work more efficient and less stressful for the cattle we are handling. Just this Thanksgiving, my family branded and doctored over 200 head in a few hours and this was possible because of our squeeze chute.Temple Grandin will also tell you the animals prefer this method […]

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