Livestock
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Cows are one of the biggest producers of methane on Earth, although they are surpassed by methane emission as a byproduct of fracking. Methane is one of the most efficient greenhouse gases, and increases in atmospheric methane are one of the major contributors to the rise in greenhouse gas impacts in the atmosphere. Now, scientists…
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This week I am attending the Dairy Environmental Systems and Climate Adaptation Conference in Ithaca NY. It has been a great conference so far and I am looking forward to a few more talks before it ends. A lot of the information presented today has been about the health of dairy cows and how they…
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The Southeast Farm Press released a report earlier this month describing a new variety of cattle produced by the University of Florida Range Cattle REC. The Ona White Angus was developed over two decades of cross-breeding and are similar in meat quality to Black Angus but have white hair with black skin. This will make…
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The heat this summer has been intense in some places. Farmers know that too much heat makes dairy cattle produce less milk and cut into profits. Modern Farmer published a short article describing one Wisconsin farmer’s innovative way of keeping his cows cool and happy. You can read the article here. The Shade Haven looks like…
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Recent weather events have caused a number of impacts on livestock in the Southeast. Here are a couple of recent news stories about some of the impacts. Earlier this week National Public Radio ran a story about the effects of both drought and flood on Texas cattle ranchers. The whipsaw from drought to the recently…
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While we’ve been dry here in the Southeast for the last month, areas farther to the west have seen massive rain and flooding. This has caused a number of problems for livestock producers across the area. This article from AgWeb describes problems in Arkansas with diminished hay and increased disease, including an increase in “hardware…
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The very wet April followed by the very dry May have caused a variety of agricultural impacts in the Southeast. Here is a sampling of what I have seen in news stories. The Southeast Farm Press noted that the dry conditions in early May came at a bad time for pre-applied herbicides to activate. Weeds…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news, Crops, Drought, Extension agent outreach, Livestock, Uncategorized