Livestock
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The Southeast Farm Press published a story by Dennis Hancock, UGA forage expert, on how to handle feeding livestock in the extreme drought that is plaguing parts of Georgia and Alabama. You can read it here. Until the drought lifts, which seems unlikely anytime soon, livestock producers will have to continue to cull cattle, import…
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This morning Growing Georgia posted a lengthy story from Growing America on updated state by state assessments of damages to agriculture caused by Hurricane Matthew. You can read the article here. In many states, damage was bad but less than expected, while in North and South Carolina the damages from heavy rainfall in particular has caused…
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According to a story today by the News&Observer, “North Carolina farmers face the task of disposing of 1.9 million chickens and turkeys drowned in Hurricane Matthew flood waters. Thirty-five farms in 15 counties lost poultry, said Brian Long, spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture. Most of those birds were chickens, but about 100,000 turkeys…
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All of the flooding that is underway in North Carolina following the passage of Hurricane Matthew has caused tremendous problems for livestock producers. The Washington Post noted here that “At least tens of thousands of chickens, hogs and other livestock are feared dead in floodwaters that washed over factory farms and towns in eastern North Carolina…
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Merck Animal Health has announced that a new app that calculates the footprint of beef production. This app is designed for producers, suppliers and others in the food chain to estimate the economic impacts of their production on the environment. It includes personalization by number of cattle and production method and provides suggestions for improvement…
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As I’ve posted in previous entries, parts of the Southeast have been suffering from a shortage of hay as drought stopped the growth of pasture and forage plants, especially in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Armyworms have taken advantage of the weakened plants and have attacked in larger than usual numbers, further reducing the amount…
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The northwest part of Georgia is not the only part of the country that is dealing with severe impacts of drought this year. Extreme drought has also appeared in upstate New York, where dairy is one of the main industries. Dairy farmers there, like the livestock producers in northern Georgia and Alabama, are being forced…