Summertime may be coming to a close, but vacations are still on some folk’s radar screens. What’s that got to do with producing animal protein? If you are planning a vacation outside the U.S. you are in a precarious position to bring home something foreign. Be careful of the souvenirs that travel home with you.

The 24 states for which the USDA reports milk production are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Dairy is local. Did you know most people live within 100 miles or less of a local dairy farm? Milk typically travels from farm to store in about 48 hours.

June is Dairy Month! It’s a time set aside to acknowledge the women, men and children throughout the country that work together daily to help produce and provide some of the most nutritious and responsibly produced protein products available.

May is considered the official kick off to the outdoor grilling season for many Americans. Statistics provided by the United States Agriculture Department estimate that in 2019, the average American will consume 220.5 pounds of red meat and poultry, up roughly 2 pounds per person as compared to 2018, and 6 pounds per person higher than as recent as 2014.

The 2017 ag census was recently released, and it shows that the highest percentage of total farm expenditures – 15.3 % – is spent on animal feed and that livestock, poultry and related expense take another 11.7 %. Remarkably, tractors and self-propelled farm machinery only account for 3.5 %.

A lot of livestock producers we meet tell us they are ready to build. Some say they have been for a long time. They have talked with family. They have set goals. They have reviewed personal assets. They have considered succession. They see a future in growing their operation.

Being equipped in a fire department in a fire protection district means two things: hardware and adequate training. Is your rural fire protection district or fire department firefighters properly trained to fight fires in special circumstances that include livestock?