Members
 
IMPACT INDEX
Competitive Agriculture
Economic Development
Education
Fighting Disasters
Food Safety
Good Nutrition
Lifestyles
Waste Management
Water Quality

Competitive Agriculture
1. What’s old is new again
2. Knowledge is power
3. Cash crops and cash cows
4. Who to call and what to buy
5. Not on corn alone
6. What’s a crop like you doing in a place like this?
7. No smut here

Knowledge Is Power. 

Elaborate information tracking systems help Western livestock producers lower production costs while producing higher-quality meat. Participants in a Montana State “beefability” program earned an average of $93 more per calf by tracking each animal’s performance at the feedlot. In Wyoming, the Beef Quality Assurance Program reduced carcass blemishes by 15 percent. 

In Alaska, researchers tagged free-ranging reindeer and developed a database to track herd information. Herders use laptop computers to make management decisions that improve operating efficiency and produce higher-quality animals. In Oregon, grape producers can now access the Northwest Berry and Grape Information Network. The new Web site, developed by Oregon State researchers, includes market reports and production statistics, as well as a searchable database and library.