It will be a long time before the total toll of the North Texas wildfires can be counted. Over 1950 square miles of grassland plains and scrubby low brush burned in the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest in state history. Ranchers in the Panhandle lost thousands of cattle. The fire likely started as an electrical
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued its much-anticipated final rule on voluntary meat labeling, and it requires that only meat from animals completely raised and processed in the United States be eligible for a “Product of the USA” label. This new USDA rule effectively changes the landscape for meat selling in the U.S.
The number of dairies in the United States dropped by 39% in just the last five years, according to alarming new numbers released by the recent U.S. Census of Agriculture. Milk production increased in that time period, pointing to growing industry consolidation. Consolidation in the Dairy Industry: Less Farms, Bigger Players Between 2017 and 2022,
Ranchers are sounding the alarm over an earmark to fund electronic cattle tracking in the omnibus bill passed by the House on Wednesday. In January 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposed a rule mandating radio-frequency identification ear tags (EID) in American cattle and bison. While this rule is not yet law, Wednesday’s omnibus
The average age of the American farmer has risen to 58, according to the new Census of Agriculture published Tuesday. The number of farms is shrinking while average farm size is growing. The new data suggests an alarming trend of farm consolidation and loss of small family farms and ranches across the United States. In
In a move rural Americans are calling counterproductive and dangerous, President Joe Biden is set to ban logging across millions of acres of federal land for the first time in U.S. Forest Service history. Under a new proposal from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), all 128 forest land management plans nationwide would be