Janelle Atyeo

5 days ago | agupdate.com | Janelle Atyeo

Ten years apart, two major rain events washed over Feikema Farms in southwestern Minnesota. But a shift in management practices meant that the fields handled the deluge much differently the second time around. Major flooding in 2014 caused washouts and gullies through every field, and nearly 80 acres of crop was lost, Shawn Feikema said. Rains came again last June, pouring down 6-8 inches over a three-day period. “It was drastically different,” Shawn said.

6 days ago | agupdate.com | Janelle Atyeo

As milk prices bounce up and down, calf sales to the beef industry have recently become a reliable income source for dairy producers. The industries need one another right now. The beef cattle inventory is at its lowest in almost 65 years, and the dairy industry now contributes roughly 20% of the beef supply. That's according to an impact report put together this spring by I-29 Moo University, a consortium of university extension and dairy associations along the Interstate 29 corridor.

1 week ago | agupdate.com | Janelle Atyeo

Auctioneering is more than fast talking. Behind the rhythmic chants is a keen awareness of all that’s going on in the sale barn – from knowing a bit of background on the lot of cattle making their way into the ring, to keeping careful watch for subtle nods or flicks of a finger that indicate a buyer’s bid. Will Epperly, World Livestock Auctioneer Champion from 2022, answered our questions about the basics of auctioneering and the competition.

1 week ago | agupdate.com | Janelle Atyeo

Humans are competitive by nature. “We find all different, goofy ways to compete, from dribbling a little ball around a court to who can blow the biggest bubble or eat the most hot dogs,” said Jon Schaben, owner of the Dunlap Livestock Auction sale barn in western Iowa. “Our whole business is about competition,” he said. It will be 31 auctioneers competing against each other at Schaben’s sale barn Saturday, June 7 for the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship.

1 week ago | agupdate.com | Janelle Atyeo

When South Dakota farmer Casey Briggs isn’t in the field, he’s often on the road making other farmers look good. In the last year, his photo and video-making hobby took him to five states and 18 farms that grew nearly a dozen crops. He’s striped cotton in Oklahoma and Texas, cut milo in Kansas and harvested beets in North Dakota. “It’s a hobby that has given me a lot of cool opportunities,” Briggs said from his home office at Larson Seed Farm near Clark, South Dakota.