What goes up must come down . . . A lot of experts are talking that the cattle cycle has hit its price peak and the dollar value we see for calves this fall will lower. Now before everyone hits the alarm bell let’s keep in mind that this decline is natural and should be […]
Isn’t that odd?
Do you read the “Best Days To…” in the Farmers Almanac? It is the part of the Almanac where they tell you what day is best to do certain things. It is based on the moon’s phases. Like Feb. 10-11 were good days for livestock breeding. Feb. 17-18 were the best days to castrate animals. […]
The year ahead for ag
A run-down of nationwide topics that impact the ag industry Compiled by Codi Vallery-Mills There is a lot to talk about when you are involved in agriculture. What are some of the topics to keep an eye on going forward in 2015? Here we give you a break down: Food Demand Prices for cattle were […]
Blessed Christmas
A winter storm is blowing in and we are just a few days away from Christmas. The thought of a snowy white Christmas pleases me. The goodies have all been baked, the shopping is all done, the tree has been decorated for weeks. Christmas has been stress free this year and for that I am […]
South Dakota Cattlemen’s Media Award
This week I was honored to receive the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association Media Award. I have worked for just over 10 years in the state’s ag industry reporting on the news and happenings of its producers. To be recognized for my efforts so early on in my career is humbling. Simply humbling. – Codi Vallery-Mills
Kid’s Book Now Out!
My first children’s book, Husker the Mule: A Birthday Present is now out and available just in time for the holiday shopping season! This is a book for ages 4-8 but really any age will enjoy the reminder the story provides and beautiful illustrations provided by artist Teri McTighe bring it all to life. Learn more about […]
October – A month of purpose
By Codi Vallery-Mills This month, in two completely different settings, I was asked the question, “What is your purpose?” The first time the question was posed it was from North Dakota State University’s Dr. Gerald Stokka, DVM who was speaking at the South Dakota Women in Ag’s annual fall conference. He asked the room full […]
Keeping Time
The kitchen clock ticked away keeping beat to an ancestral song. It grew fainter and then came back strong, like dramatic music in a suspense movie, the audience waiting for the crescendo. The clock didn’t seem to care that it was midmorning and nothing of importance was happening. It beat on, striking down living moments […]
Ag boom years on the decline?
Prices for agricultural commodities and land will level off in the coming years. The high price for commodities like corn will fall but not bottom out. Right now an additional 215 million bushels are grown every year to meet Renewable Fuel Standards. Gloy says the gas industry will not tolerate more than that and acres dedicated to renewable fuel will hold around the rate they are now.
Something “good” to write about
The past month I have had the privilege to report on a group from Alabama who raised funding this past winter to bring heifers to ranchers in South Dakota who were impacted by Storm Atlas. The Lauderdale Jr. Cattlemen’s Assocation had the goal of bringing heifers to S.D. and for they themselves to travel to […]