Saturday, April 29, 2017

One of my greatest concerns is that the deregulating gods of Trump will remove grading and certificiation from beef as well as other foods.

April 19, 2017

...The study determined (click here) the importance of seven specific on-farm practices in consumers’ purchasing decisions:

Animals were not administered growth hormones.

Genetically modified organisms were not used in the production of this product (non-GMO).

Animals were humanely raised.

Animals were not administered antibiotics.

Animals were raised in a free-range (or cage-free) environment.

Animals were grass-fed (or raised on a vegetarian diet).

The product is certified organic.

The top three attributes overall were “no growth hormones”, “non-GMO”, and “humanely raised”, though there were differences in importance based on product type. The “organic” attribute was ranked lowest in importance for consumers....

April 25, 2017
By Ching Lee

Record rainfall this season (click here) has brought abundant grasses for grazing cattle, but some California ranchers say they remain cautious about increasing their herds, awaiting better market prices and another healthy water year.
“Sometimes you don’t want to get in too big of a hurry to do these things,” said Butte County rancher Myron Openshaw. “One year doesn’t make a whole.”
Many ranchers were forced to reduce their herds during the drought, as pastures went dry and hay prices soared.
Openshaw said even though the North State received ample rain and snow this year, with good feed to show for it, “we’re still not out of the woods yet,” noting that some southern portions of the state remain abnormally dry and ranchers there may be reluctant to add cattle.
But for now, he said there appears to be “more activity” in the market, which he described as “upbeat and looking stronger all the time—better than six months ago.”
“There’s a shortage of numbers, so I think it’s going to be positive for this spring,” he added....