photo courtesy USDA USDA Press Release: Monday October 12, 2026, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins urged state partners to review their wolf management policies, strengthen engagement with livestock producers, and work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to address wolf predation. This outreach follows President Trump’s Executive Order 14425, titled “Supporting America’s Ranchers,” and builds on the Trump Administration’s commitment to give producers

Morrill Fire in the Sandhills of Nebraska - Gary Stone / Nebraska Extension By Gary Stone, Nebraska Extension Water and Cropping Systems Educator The devastation the wildfires across Nebraska have caused this past year is unimaginable. Communities and people's lives have changed forever. The estimated total acres burned in Nebraska by wildfires in 2026 to date is 981,502, with the Morrill fire in the Sandhills estimated at 642,029 acres. Though not the highest priority, one i

Safety tips from NPPD Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) wants to remind equipment operators to look up and look out for power lines while working in the field during harvest season. NPPD encourages equipment operators to keep their machines 20 feet away from power lines to avoid the possibility of any electricity arcing from the line to the equipment. “It’s easy for an equipment operator to unintentionally move machinery too close to a power line — or even make contac

Cattle enjoy hay. Photo Troy Walz By Natalie Jones | IANR Communications With drought conditions affecting forage availability and higher hay prices increasing winter feeding costs, Nebraska Extension will offer its Fundamentals of Feeding the Cow webinar series this fall to help cattle producers evaluate feed options and make informed nutrition decisions. The four-session online series will be held Nov. 9, 12, 16 and 19 from 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. CT. Fundamentals of Feeding the

Ranges may look green, but livestock producers still need to be careful when considering grazing. Photo by Gary Stone Nebraska Extension will host an informational meeting on range recovery after wildfire on Wednesday, October 14, with participants meeting at the Oshkosh Methodist Church at 4 p.m., then traveling to the range sites for viewing and discussion. The program will include a tour of area pastures burned in the Morrill fire to assess recovery progress. Dr. Mitch Ste

Livestock producers will have to consider costs of forage options during a drought. Photo by Chabella Guzman Nebraska Extension - The Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition (NGLC) and Nebraska Extension will host a pasture walk focused on practical grazing strategies and management decisions during drought on Tuesday, October 6, from 9:30 a.m. to noon near Sidney. The “Grazing Strategies During Drought Pasture Walk” will provide producers an opportunity to see and discuss how gra

Multiple ag groups endorse the bill. Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) introduced the Agricultural Data Privacy Act. This bill would codify that agricultural producers are the sole owners of the data they produce. It would also prohibit companies from using or selling producers’ data without written consent. “Excellent agriculture requires excellent knowledge,” said Senator Ricketts. “Farmers and ranchers who work a lifetime to build their knowledge should own it. It i

President Trump signed several executive orders aimed at promoting the US cattle industry President Donald Trump today signed executive orders advancing cattle and sheep industry reforms aimed at strengthening competition, rebuilding domestic processing capacity, addressing predation and regulatory burdens, and supporting the long-term viability of America’s independent livestock producers. Among the actions announced by the White House, the executive orders: Direct the Depar

Dont forget to check the archived audio from Bill Bullard on our R-CALF USA page. Updated Weekly! The U.S. Department of Justice announced via X today that it is expanding its ongoing investigation into beef affordability to include eight of the nation’s largest grocery retailers, including Kroger, Publix, Walmart, Albertsons, Aldi, Ahold Delhaize USA, Costco and Amazon. The investigation has thus far focused on the nation’s four largest meatpackers. R-CALF USA has long r

Sec. Rollins speaks with reporters alongside local ranchers following a roundtable discussion. LINCOLN, NE – Governor Jim Pillen hosted U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins Monday evening for a roundtable discussion with Nebraska cattle producers to address key economic and environmental challenges facing the cattle industry. The event followed a visit by the USDA Secretary to the Nebraska State Fair where she announced a platform of initiatives aimed at addressing be

Momentum for MCOOL is growing in Congress. Earlier this month, the Senate Agriculture Committee voted 17-6 to advance MCOOL in the Farm Bill. The National MCOOL Coalition, a broad-based coalition of national and regional organizations representing farm, ranch, rural, consumer and other interests, launched a petition this week calling on the White House and Congress to restore mandatory country-of-origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef. The petition, “Label Our Beef,” follows a proc

Should additional counties be added to the declared disasters, residents and businesses in those counties will also be eligible to postpone filings and payments until Feb. 1. Governor Jim Pillen has announced the approved postponement of tax filings and payments for individuals and businesses in parts of Nebraska that were impacted by wildfires and storms beginning on March 12, 2026. The issuance of tax relief by the IRS applies to five separate state disaster declarations. A

From R-CALF USA WASHINGTON, D.C., Aug. 27, 2026 — In a proclamation signed yesterday, President Donald Trump memorialized his earlier Truth Social announcement in which he stated he would allow up to 300,000 metric tons of lean beef trimmings to enter the United States within the next 90 days free from out-of-quota tariffs. The president said the plan is intended to lower ground beef prices for consumers. The United States maintains a tariff rate quota (TRQ) system for beef f

Students from Valentine, Cody Kilgore and Hyannis attended the Carcass Evaluation and Bratwurst Clinic According to Jim and Lisa Pinney, On Wednesday August 26th Husker Meats held a carcass evaluation and hands on bratwurst clinic. Area students including Valentine and Cody Kilgore and Hyannis were able to make and consume their own brats. There was also a student carcass judging contest over seen by Bo Garcia, UNL Extension Assistant Professor and Meat Judging Coordinator. T

The deadline to apply for assistance is now Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. (Lincoln, Neb. – Aug. 24, 2026) The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) is again extending the application period for the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) in several Nebraska counties impacted by March wildfires. The ECP application period opened in late April. The deadline to apply for assistance is now Monday, Oct. 26, 2026.ECP is available to address wildfire damage in the fo

BILLINGS, Mont., Aug. 25, 2026 R-CALF USA and 12 state and local cattle associations representing thousands of cattle producers across nine states sent a joint letter to President Donald J. Trump Monday urging him to reconsider a reported proposal to allow an additional 300,000 metric tons of imported beef to enter the United States without over-quota tariffs for 90 days. The letter argues that rebuilding the U.S. cattle herd requires restoring producer confidence that invest

From Friday Press Release President Donald Trump announced today on Truth Social that he plans to allow up to 300,000 metric tons of beef intended for ground beef production to enter the United States without the out-of-quota tariff for 90 days. The president said the plan is intended to lower beef prices for consumers while providing time for the U.S. cattle herd to rebuild. In response, R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard released the following statement: “Increasing imports double

Press Release From August 21, 2026 Ricketts Issues Statement in Support of Nebraska Farmers and Ranchers Omaha, Nebraska. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) issued the following statement in support of Nebraska farmers and ranchers: “I appreciate the Administration’s work to lower grocery prices. Short term policy shifts do not equal long term solutions. Flooding the market with lower quality beef compromises Nebraska farmers and ranchers. They should be enabled to

Since 2021, Fischer has secured over $70 million to fund ARS facility Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) released the following statement on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) announcement that the agency will direct $37 million to the construction of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) facility at the University of Nebraska—Lincoln’s (UNL) Innovation Campus: “This is great news for UNL and the future of the ARS facility. Over the years, I have worked hard

From R-CALF USA Citing historically low cattle inventories as its reason, Tyson Foods announced Thursday the closure of its Joslin, Illinois, beef facility – a 3,000-head-per-day slaughtering plant; its Eagle Mountain, Utah, case-ready facility; and the sale of its Pasco, Washington, beef facility – a 2,000-head-per-day slaughtering plant. Within less than a year, the nation’s three largest beef packers have radically reshaped the structure of America’s beef and cattle indust