Farms.com Home   News

Agriculture This Week: Will cows become the scapegoat for climate change?

When you have been involved with fairs and exhibitions as long as I have -- roughly 20 years showing stock and now roughly 35 as a journalist -- you have seen a lot of beef on the hoof.

I was reminded of that this past week as I attended the Yorkton Regional 4-H Show that was part of the local summer fair.

There is always something nostalgic for me in attending livestock shows. I was not a 4-H member as a youth but I was in the show ring at age five, so I have an appreciation for the work associated with exhibiting stock, and with the exhilaration of a red ribbon, and the disappointment when your animal does not catch the judge’s eye.

But, this year the show generated a different feeling, one where I found myself wondering what the fate of such shows may be, and in fact what will the fate of cattle production be.

Click here to see more...

Trending Video

How the PRRS-resistant pig provides innovation and impact for farmers – full-length film

Video: How the PRRS-resistant pig provides innovation and impact for farmers – full-length film


What is the real-world impact of innovations like the PRRS-resistant pig for producers, scientists and the entire pork industry? For the Chinn family, sixth generation hog farmers in Missouri, who have dealt with devastating PRRS breaks before, the possibility of eliminating PRRS means the promise of passing the farm down to the next generation. For university researchers like Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam at UC Davis, it means scientists could use genetics to precisely decrease animal disease. And for consumers, it means the pork on your plate is no different, except for its resistance to disease.