Agricultural Digest
Like any animal, dairy cattle pass on both helpful and harmful traits to their offspring. But in the world of dairy farming, the consequences of these inheritances can make a huge impact on a rancher’s bottom line. Katie Schmitt, industry relations manager with the Council on Dairy Cow Breeding (CDCB), told Successful Farming that new data has made it possible “to make genetic progress because it’s cumulative over time.” What kind of genetic progress is Katie talking about? Well, according to the CDCB, we may be able to breed diarrhea right out of a herd.
A recent report published by the CDCB announced the potential to monitor for two new genetic traits: predicted transmitting ability for resistance to respiratory problems (RSP), and resistance to diarrhea (DIA). Currently, 1 in 7 calves will experience diarrhea and 1 in 6 will experience respiratory problems, each of which can be …
The Marlin
Gone Fishin’ in North Carolina with Michael Jordan, the GOAT
A friend named Cadillac comes along for the ride
Captain Harbour takes Morehead City
For many years I had heard of the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. Six days, hundreds of boats, trolling from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM in search of the biggest blue marlin along North Carolina’s Crystal Coast. Each boat could fish four out of six days, two lay days being mandatory. The event included many different levels, or sub-competitions — for tuna, for wahoo, for mahi-mahi — but these were all sideshows to the main affair.
The Atlantic blue marlin. Makaira nigricans. Apex predator. Feared by mackerel, squid, dolphinfish, more. Solitary. Migratory. A beautiful enchanted symbol. At home in the waters between Boston and Brazil, South Africa and Spain. They live, per Professors Block and Booth, “a nomadic lifestyle in the open sea.” Long as 11 feet. Fat as 1,300 pounds. Raison d’être de Big Rock.
In this fretful and tangled world, in which one is wrenched from one vanishing desire …
America by the Numbers
250 — Average Black Friday spending by Caucasian customers, in dollars
350 — Average Black Friday spending by African-American customers, in dollars
250,000 — Number of beers consumed by Milwaukee Brewers fans at the Brewers Championship Rally at Harry Maier Festival Park
20,000 — Average annual loss of income for graduating with a degree in the liberal arts, as measured against the median income of all university degree-holders, in dollars
49,800 — Base pay for a Second Lieutenant in the US Air Force, in dollars
80,166 — Starting base salary for a New York City public grade school teacher with a master’s degree, in dollars
81,800 — Average income of a data center construction worker, …
