Weaning calves at an earlier age allows the cow to dry off and have lower energy and protein requirements which allows a less expensive ration to be fed. With higher grain prices and lower calf prices, efforts need to be made to minimize costs, and optimize gains both for the mature cow and the weaned calf. Lower quality forages such as mature pasture, poorer quality hay or inclusion of straw as part of the ration is possible when feeding a dry cow in mid-pregnancy. Warm weather, good...

The plants, which would be used as feed for farm animals, could increase omega-3 in human diets without adding to pressure on rapidly declining fish stocks. Genetically modified plants which produce essential omega-3 fish oils could be the only way to ensure people get enough of these nutrients, according to a major EU-funded study. Fatty acids are normally created by marine algae and passed into the human food chain through fish. Long-chain fatty acids called EPA and DHA, found mainly in...

The company also sells livestock feed, pet food and propane. He will help egg producers deal with increased feed costs and other things that squeeze their margins. And within California, West could face a November 2008 ballot initiative that would phase out the small cages used for most of the state's laying hens. Over the next two years, he will work to boost demand for a food that has had an unhealthy image among some consumers. has ravaged poultry flocks in parts of the Eastern...

He can insure any portion of his acreage in any interval but must have at least 10 percent of his acreage in any interval chosen; there is also an upper limit on acreage depending on area. A producer has the flexibility to pick the amount of acreage he wants covered, the interval in which it is covered and the level of coverage. Although the coverage sounds confusing at first, it quite simply pays when the producer doesn t get the average rainfall in his area. The producer does not have to...

But as more Americans attempt to make healthy choices about what they put in their bodies, it's becoming increasingly more difficult to discern how our food was grown, processed and treated -- thanks to our collective support of a food industry that wields its heft and political clout to create labeling laws that make a mockery of disclosure. What's really in your food?: (After reading this article, you may never want to eat again): Features: Food & Drink: Creative Loafing Charlotte...

The percent of animal products that animal rights activists would call "humanely raised and slaughtered" remains small compared with that from industrial-type production methods. Producers, and the restaurants they supply, know that the added cost of more humane husbandry can be more than chicken feed. But after years of crying in the wilderness, some animal rights groups say the food industry is starting to come around. But, generally, they would say it means the animal is fed, housed and...