Farm Help

"There will probably be an increase of blackleg this year because pastures are being grazed tighter this year, thus there is more exposure to soil where these bacteria may exist,” said Dr. Jeremy Powell, animal science associate professor and veterinarian at the University of Arkansas.

"Unlike most of the cattle business where cattle are sold primarily as a commodity, purebred/registered sales are a very distinct attempt to sell a differentiated product,” said Derrell S. Peel, livestock marketing specialist at Oklahoma State University. “Thus the producer must approach marketing in a completely different fashion than a commercial cattle producer.”

Blue-green algae are actually a type of bacteria, Cyanobacteria. “The bacteria contains chlorophyll, which converts sunlight into energy allowing the bacteria to grow, just as plants do,” said Dr. Dave Sparks, area food-animal quality and health specialist at Oklahoma State University.

Over the past 10 years farms are learning to diversify through incorporating agritourism, where farmers open their gates to tourists. Types of agritourism include corn mazes, pumpkin patches, hosting a farm dinner using local products, cutting down a Christmas tree on a farm, you-pick berry operations, wineries and educational farms to name a few.

The term private treaty is applied to sales negotiated between two individuals. According to Derrell S. Peel, livestock marketing specialist at Oklahoma State University, this is contrasted with sales that occur in some public market setting, such as an auction.

What producers need to be aware of

"There will probably be an increase of blackleg this year because pastures are being grazed tighter this year, thus there is more exposure to soil where these bacteria may exist,” said Dr. Jeremy Powell, animal science associate professor and veterinarian at the University of Arkansas.

If you haven’t taken the Facebook plunge yet, not to worry, there is plenty of time to “get social.”

USDA’s Agricultural Research Service recently announced their scientists had identified a genetic “marker” linked to three diseases prevalent in feedlot cattle. The ability to identify breeding cattle that could pass susceptibility to pinkeye, foot rot and bovine respiratory disease to their offspring could save producers millions of dollars a year, and is another example of how the emerging science of DNA sequencing could bring yet more efficiency and cost benefits to the industry.

The popularity of local foods is easily seen when sitting down at regional restaurants in the Ozarks. At the Worman House in Big Cedar Lodge you will find an entrée made with beef from Rocking z Ranch of Mtn. Grove, Mo. Or head over to the Farmers Gastropub for meat dishes from Sunny Lane Farms of Lockwood, Mo., or pork from Flintrock Bison Ranch of Hallsville, Mo. Either way you slice it – it’s local and it’s direct from farm families in the area.