Ag News and Views: May 2008

As president of the Noble Research Institute, I am often asked: "How do the consultation and educational work of the Agricultural Division fit together with the plant science research conducted at the Noble Research Institute?" My answer generally begins with the reason for the Agricultural Division.

Every spring, our thoughts turn from calving season to breeding season, green grass, rainy days and warmer temperatures. But with the growing pastures and pleasant temperatures come some...

Since the fall of 2006, producers have experienced dramatic increases in production costs, especially grains, by-product feeds, fertilizer and fuels. Also, calf prices have seen a significant drop. The way in which producers do business may have changed forever; it has at least for the short term.

With higher fertilizer and herbicide prices, a common question we get involves whether you get a "bigger bang for the buck" from fertilizer or herbicides on introduced pastures. Ideally you would use both on introduced pastures that have weed problems, but input prices have made this a less than ideal world in pasture management.

The largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is a member of the sunfish family. This family of fish contains many species, including smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), bluegill (Lepomis...

The ranching industry has become an even more challenging business lately due to unpredictable weather, rising costs and cattle cycles that no longer seem to follow a typical 10- to12-year trend.