MGN ImageOLEAN – The Cattaraugus County Health Department reported its first COVID-19 related death Tuesday.Health officials say a 77-year-old man with extensive underlying health conditions developed respiratory failure and died due to COVID-19 related complications.“We extend our deepest condolences to his family and the entire Cattaraugus County community,” said Cattaraugus County Public Health Director Dr. Kevin Watkins. “(He) was unable to overcome the extensive complications despite aggressive medical treatment.” Dr. Watkins says the man died while receiving care in a medical facility.So far there remain a total of 30 confirmed cases of the virus, with 10 active, 19 recovered and one deceased in Cattaraugus County.Officials report a total of 577 tests were administered since the outbreak began, 508 of those tests have coming back negative.Meanwhile, Chautauqua County officials reported no new confirmed cases of the virus on Tuesday.However, there remains two active cases with 22 patients recovered. Three people have died from COVID-19 in Chautauqua County. Share:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
Trump’s Tax Revelation Could Tarnish Image That Fueled Rise
The White House / Joyce N. Boghosian WASHINGTON — The bombshell revelations that President Donald Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes the year he ran for office and paid no income taxes at all in many others threaten to undercut a pillar of his appeal among blue-collar voters and provide a new opening for his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, on the eve of the first presidential debate.Trump has worked for decades to build an image of himself as a hugely successful business mogul — even choosing that moniker as his Secret Service code name. But The New York Times on Sunday revealed that he paid just $750 in federal income taxes in 2016, the year he won the presidency, and in 2017, his first year in office. He paid no income taxes whatsoever in 10 of the previous 15 years, largely because he reported losing more money than he made, according to the Times, which obtained years’ worth of tax return data that the president had long fought to keep private.The development comes at a particularly precarious moment for Trump, whose Republican campaign is struggling to overcome criticism of the president’s handling of the pandemic. It hands Biden an easy attack line heading into Tuesday’s debate. And with early voting already happening in some states and Election Day just over a month away, Trump may be running out of time to turn his campaign around.“Donald Trump needs this election to be about Joe Biden as a choice,” said longtime GOP consultant Alex Conant. “This keeps the focus squarely on Trump’s character and the chaos going into the most important night of the campaign, the debate.” Of course, Trump has repeatedly faced — and survived — devastating turns that would have sunk any other politician. That includes, most notably, the stunning “Access Hollywood” tape released in October 2016, in which Trump was recorded bragging about kissing and groping women without their permission. The video’s release came just two days before Trump was set to face then-candidate Hillary Clinton in their second debate and was considered a death knell to his campaign at the time.At this point in the race, with voting already underway in many states and so few voters still undecided, it is unclear whether any new discoveries about Trump would make any difference. Trump’s support over the years has remained remarkably consistent, polls over the course of his presidency have found.Yet the tax allegations go to the very heart of Trump’s appeal, especially among the blue-collar voters in states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan who propelled him to the presidency in 2016. Trump was supported by about two-thirds of white voters without college degrees, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center, versus only about 2 in 10 nonwhite noncollege graduates.Indeed, in a Gallup poll from February 2016, Republicans who wanted to see Trump win their party’s nomination cited his experience as a businessman as the second-most important reason they backed him, surpassed only by his status as a nonpolitician and an outsider.Even today, when asked to explain their support for Trump, voters often point to his success in business as evidence of his acumen. And they often repeat his talking point that he gave up a great deal to serve as president, citing his sacrifice as evidence that he ran for the job not out of self-interest, but because he cares about improving the lives of people like them.But the image of a man flying around in private jets from one luxury property to another and paying less in taxes than millions of Americans with far more modest lifestyles could prompt a backlash similar to the one 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney faced after he was secretly recorded at a closed-door fundraiser saying that the 47% of Americans who don’t pay income taxes were “dependent upon government” and would never vote for him.″(M)y job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives,” Romney said.Roughly half of Americans pay no federal income taxes, but the average income tax paid in 2017 was nearly $12,200, according to the IRS.Democrats wasted no time in seizing on the news, with the Biden campaign’s online store already selling stickers saying “I paid more income taxes than Donald Trump” on Sunday night.Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer tweeted an emoji calling on followers to raise their hands “if you paid more in federal income tax than President Trump.”“That’s why he hid his tax returns. Because the whole time, he wasn’t paying taxes. But you were,” added Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.And Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, said the new report highlights the importance of the House Democratic lawsuit against the Trump administration to access Trump’s tax returns.“This reporting shines a stark light on the vastly different experience people with power and influence have when interacting with the Internal Revenue Service than the average American taxpayer does,” he said in a statement.In addition to the news about Trump’s annual payments, the Times found that many of his best-known businesses, including his golf courses, reported huge losses, and that, as he faces an uphill battle for reelection, his finances are under particular stress thanks to “hundreds of millions of dollars in debt coming due that he has personally guaranteed.” Trump is also under audit over a $72.9 million tax refund that could cost him more than $100 million if the IRS rules against him, the Times revealed.The development comes after Biden recently stepped up his efforts to paint Trump as a charlatan who has lied to his working-class supporters. In contrast, Biden has tried to highlight his own middle-class upbringing.The election, Biden has said, is “Scranton vs. Park Avenue,” pitting Biden’s boyhood hometown in Pennsylvania against Manhattan, where Trump built his branding empire and reality television career.“This clearly plays straight into that contrast that Biden has opened up,” said Joe Trippi, a veteran strategist of multiple Democratic presidential campaigns.Trippi said coming into the debate, Biden now has something he can concretely point to as he tries to sway the slim margin of voters who remain undecided.“You move a few points of working class voters, and you’re talking about Biden winning in places like Ohio,” Trippi said.Conant, who worked on Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign, noted how defensive Trump became when Rubio, during a primary debate, charged that Trump “would be selling watches in Manhattan” had he not inherited tens of millions of dollars from his father, Fred.Trump raised an index finger in the air, yelling, “No, no, no, no,” as he sought to interrupt Rubio and insisted that he had instead borrowed money. “That is so wrong,” he said.“So long as this campaign is all about Trump,” Conant said, “he’s going to lose.” Share:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window),Have you seen Trump’s crowd size, people wait days to see him just drive by…..No way he’s going to loseAmazon & other MEGA-Corportations don’t pay their share in taxes …… But you still buy from them….
US Clears Moderna Vaccine For COVID-19, 2nd Shot In Arsenal
USAF / Kasey Zickmund WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal last week, boosting efforts to beat back an outbreak so dire that the nation is regularly recording more than 3,000 deaths a day.Much-needed doses are set to arrive Monday after the Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout of the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health.The move marks the world’s first authorization for Moderna’s shots. The vaccine is very similar to one from Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech that’s now being dispensed to millions of health care workers and nursing home residents as the biggest vaccination drive in U.S. history starts to ramp up.The two work “better than we almost dared to hope,” NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins told The Associated Press. “Science is working here, science has done something amazing.” Early results of large, still unfinished studies show both vaccines appear safe and strongly protective although Moderna’s is easier to handle since it doesn’t need to be stored at ultra-frozen temperatures.A second vaccine represents a ray of hope amid despair as the virus continues to spread unabated even before holiday gatherings that are certain to further fuel the outbreak.The scourge has claimed more than 312,000 U.S. lives and killed 1.7 million people worldwide. New cases in the U.S. are running at over 216,000 per day on average. Deaths per day have hit all-time highs, eclipsing 3,600 on Wednesday.California has emerged as one of the most lethal hot spots, with hospitals running out of intensive care beds and ambulances lining up outside emergency rooms in scenes reminiscent of the calamity around New York City last spring. California on Friday reported over 41,000 new cases and 300 more deaths.When New York’s hospitals were in crisis, health care workers from across the country came to help out. This time, “there’s no cavalry coming” because so many hospitals are swamped, said Dr. Marc Futernick, an emergency room physician in Los Angeles.The nation is scrambling to expand vaccinations as rapidly as Moderna and Pfizer can churn out doses. Moderna’s is for people 18 and older, Pfizer’s starts at age 16.It’s just the beginning of “what we hope will be a big push to get this terrible virus behind us, although it will take many more months to get to all Americans,” Collins said.Moderna expects to have between 100 million and 125 million doses available globally in the first three months of 2021, with 85-100 million of those available in the U.S.Even with additional candidates in the pipeline, there won’t be enough for the general population until spring, and shots will be rationed in the meantime. And while health workers are enthusiastically embracing vaccination, authorities worry the public may need more reassurance to ensure more people get in line when it’s their turn.“Frankly if we don’t succeed in getting 80% or so of Americans immunized against COVID-19 by the middle of this 2021 year, we have the risk that this epidemic could go on and on and on,” Collins said.He is especially concerned that accurate information about the shots’ value reaches communities of color, which have been hard-hit by COVID-19 yet also are wary after years of health care disparities and research abuses.To try to help instill confidence, Vice President Mike Pence received the Pfizer-BioNTech shot on live TV Friday, along with Surgeon General Jerome Adams.FDA’s decision could help pave the way for other countries that are considering the Moderna vaccine, the first-ever regulatory clearance for the small Cambridge, Massachusetts, company. European regulators could authorize its use as soon as Jan. 6. Britain, Canada and a few other countries already have cleared the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, with a European Union decision due Monday.“What we want to always remember is one size does not fit all. We want to have options,” said Dr. Paul Duprex of the University of Pittsburgh.Moderna has about 5.9 million doses ready for shipment set to begin over the weekend, according to Operation Warp Speed, the government’s vaccine development program. Injections of health workers and nursing home residents continue next week, before other essential workers and vulnerable groups are allowed to get in line.Both Moderna’s and Pfizer-BioNTech’s shots are so-called mRNA vaccines, made with a groundbreaking new technology. They don’t contain any coronavirus – meaning they cannot cause infection. Instead, they use a piece of genetic code that trains the immune system to recognize the spike protein on the surface of the virus, ready to attack if the real thing comes along.Their development less than a year after the coronavirus first emerged set a speed record, but Collins stressed that shouldn’t worry people. The speed was due to billions in company and government investments paired with years of earlier scientific research, not any cut corners.“The rigor of the analysis of these vaccines is unprecedented,” Collins said. “We’re not done with this but hope is on the way, and the hope comes from this scientific brain trust that has pulled out all the stops.”Experts are hoping the two vaccines together will “break the back of the pandemic” when combined with masks and other precautions, said Dr. Arnold Monto of the University of Michigan, who chaired an advisory committee that publicly debated the shots’ evidence ahead of FDA’s decisions.The FDA’s main messages:Both the new Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech shot require two doses several weeks apart. The second dose must be from the same company as the first.In a study of 30,000 volunteers, the Moderna vaccine was more than 94% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in people 18 and older. It also strongly protected older adults, who are most vulnerable.The inoculated can’t throw away their masks as it’s not yet clear either vaccine prevents silent, symptomless virus spread. But there was a hint that Moderna’s shot might provide some protection against asymptomatic infection.The Moderna study uncovered no major safety problems. Like with the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, expect sore arms, fever, fatigue and muscle aches, which are signs the immune system is revving up.Both vaccines carry “a remote chance” of causing a severe allergic reaction. Moderna’s study turned up none of these, though a handful were reported in Britain as the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccinations got underway and the FDA is looking into five in the U.S., including a severe reaction in Alaska. The vaccines’ ingredients aren’t identical. Still, after any COVID-19 vaccination, people should stick around for 15 minutes – or 30 minutes if they have a history of severe allergies – so if they do have a reaction, it can be treated immediately.Both vaccines remain experimental, and the government is closely monitoring safety in case rare problems crop up.Additional studies are needed to tell if the vaccine should be used by pregnant women and children. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should discuss whether to get the vaccine with their doctor.Associated Press reporter Amy Taxin contributed to this report from Orange County, California. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Share:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
Megan Fairchild, Alysha Umphress & Elizabeth Stanley Board On the Town
On the Town Jay Armstrong Johnson View Comments Related Shows The production will feature scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, lighting design by Jason Lyons, costume design by Jess Goldstein and sound design by Kai Harada. Megan Fairchild, Alysha Umphress and Elizabeth Stanley will join the previously announced Tony Yazbeck, Jay Armstrong Johnson and Clyde Alveshave in On the Town. Directed by John Rando and choreographed by Joshua Bergasse, the Broadway revival will begin performances at the Lyric Theatre (formerly the Foxwoods) on September 20 with opening night set for October 16. Fairchild, a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, will make her Broadway debut as Ivy Smith. Umphress (American Idiot) will play Hildy and Stanley (Company) will appear as Claire. Both Umphress and Stanley will be reprising their performances from last summer’s acclaimed Barrington Stage production of the tuner, where Deanna Doyle played the role of Ivy. Show Closed This production ended its run on Sept. 6, 2015 First seen on Broadway in 1944, On the Town follows the adventures of three sailors on leave in New York City. Based on the ballet Fancy Free by Jerome Robbins, the musical features music by Leonard Bernstein and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Toe-tapping hits from the show include “New York, New York,” “I Can Cook Too,” “Lonely Town” and “Some Other Time.” Star Files Tony Yazbeck
Odds & Ends: Benedict Cumberbatch Backlash & More
Here’s a quick roundup of stories you may have missed today. Benedict Cumberbatch BacklashWhat is the British press doing to our sweet prince? Olivier winner and Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch started performances on August 4 in Hamlet at London’s Barbican Theatre. Now, we all know that the polite thing to do is to wait until the official opening night to review a show, which in this case is August 25. But what did the London Times and the Daily Mail do? Send in critics to pen their thoughts about the first preview. That it should come to this. As the British say, it’s not cricket!Keen Company Taps Kate Baldwin & MoreThe Keen Company has announced its 16th season, which will take place at off-Broadway’s Clurman Theatre at Theatre Row. First up, Daniel Jenkins, Thomas Jay Ryan and Robbie Tann will feature in Graham Greene’s Travels With My Aunt. Adapted by Giles Havergal and directed by Jonathan Silverstein, the show is scheduled to begin previews on September 29 and play a limited engagement through November 14; opening night is set for October 15. Meanwhile, Anna Ziegler’s Boy will make its world premiere from February 23, 2016. There’s also a one-night-only event that sounds incredible—Broadway fave Kate Baldwin and special guests will appear in We’re Keen On…Kate Baldwin, an intimate evening of song to benefit Keen in November. More details on all soon!Watch Andrew Lloyd Webber Teach His Cat to SwimWe all know that Andrew Lloyd Webber has a long history of writing for cats, using them as production consultants and even going to the ball with them—but we don’t think we’ve ever seen footage of him frolicking with felines quite like this before. Watch below as the legendary composer, on a pre School of Rock vacation, teaches Fez, his Turkish Van Swimming cat, a few new strokes. The cats we’re more familiar seeing with Lloyd Webber will return to London’s West End this holiday season and are bound for Broadway in 2016. View Comments
Dames at Sea’s Lesli Margherita Sets Sail with New Vlog
Did you miss her? We did! Lesli Margherita is moving across the street from Matilda to Dames at Sea, and she’s bringing her vlogging camera with her! Get all hands on deck for Ship Happens: Backstage at Dames at Sea with Lesli Margherita.The Looks Not Books queen, stripped of her blonde curly wig and thrown into tap shoes, will once again give us a glimpse of behind-the-scenes life, this time at the Helen Hayes Theatre. Expect appearances from her nautical co-stars Eloise Kropp, Mara Davi, John Bolton, Cary Tedder and Danny Gardner. Let’s hope they know the Q&A theme song.Margherita, who plays Mona Kent in the musical, won an Olivier Award for her performance in Zorro in the West End. In addition to her “Loud” Broadway debut in Matilda, her previous stage credits include Man of La Mancha, Showboat and Little Shop of Horrors.Ship Happens sets sail on September 23 and will run every Wednesday for eight weeks. Dames at Sea Related Shows Lesli Margherita Show Closed This production ended its run on Jan. 3, 2016 View Comments Star Files
Tracie Bennett on Ignoring Judi Dench and Starring in London’s Mrs. Henderson Presents
View Comments Tracie Bennett was a 2012 Tony nominee for best actress in a play for End of the Rainbow, in which the pint-sized Englishwoman played Judy Garland. And now the powerhouse performer has returned to the West End to play the title role in the new musical Mrs. Henderson Presents, directed by Terry Johnson and based on the 2005 film that starred Judi Dench in Bennett’s current role of Laura Henderson. A two-time Olivier Award winner, both times for American musicals, the effervescent Bennett spoke to Broadway.com prior to the show’s opening at the Noel Coward Theatre.Your show is set at London’s Windmill Theatre during World War II, where women famously would appear motionless—and nude. Do you expect to be getting the raincoat brigade?Well, I can’t speak for them, but if that lot does come, they’ll get so much more. They’ll get a great story about camaraderie and strength that is written beautifully. We’re not just telling some filthy little tale!Yes, Laura Henderson does something quite noble as a wealthy theater-owner by providing necessary diversion and distraction during the Blitz.Yes, I think she knew she was doing good by this. In a sense, what we’re trying to do is capture the gentle innocence of a time and place that wouldn’t remain so innocent after that.It sounds as if you very much admire this character.I do insofar as she wanted to do something with her life because she could and she had the money to do so and to employ people and then what she actually did was marvelous. She’s a brilliant woman. You can see her formidableness.You seem to have come home in every way.I’m always being pulled back to England, and this really is so British; it’s based on a true story, as well, which is important to point out. But you know what? I’m always amazed to get anything, really. If you don’t do telly, people think you’ve died.Did you watch the Stephen Frears film with Judi Dench?I didn’t want to see it at this point; I thought it would freak me out. I love Judi Dench and see everything she does, but it’s the nature of the beast for everybody constantly to be compared, and I thought I could live without that.I can understand that.I never saw the Hairspray film either [Bennett won her second Olivier for that show on the West End] just because part of me is frightened to copy. And if you do that, then it becomes about playing Judi Dench playing Mrs. Henderson rather than me playing Mrs. Henderson.You must have gone through a version of this same issue when you played Judy Garland.To be honest, on that show as soon as the wig was off, I found that I had to be me again very quickly. I had to protect my emotions and my physicality. The show itself was about the price of fame, so it didn’t really matter if my voice cracked because Judy’s did at the time, too. The first job always is to find the character.What sort of a sing is this show compared to playing Garland?Some bits call for me to speak-sing in a sort of Rex Harrison way, which can be harder, but the thing with Mrs. Henderson is that I don’t want to sound fabulous because she is thinking about mortality. As I say, find the character first and then the voice comes out.Was it hard saying goodbye to End of the Rainbow after all the plaudits it brought you here and in America?Well, you learn in this business that you have to put things to bed. I’ve got a lot of friends from that time but at the same time, I don’t do Twitter and I don’t do social media, so I quite like to keep my head down. I had to wriggle out of something to make [Mrs. Henderson Presents] happen, but it feels good to be back.Your connection to America, though, is palpable. How do you feel about working there?I do love it there! At times I even feel like I was born in America in another era. I used to cut out pictures of the Manhattan skyline when I was two; my sister’s got that same thing with New Zealand.Age two? That’s starting early!And it had nothing to do with the business of show. It was, like, “What’s that Chrysler Building about?” As a kid, that was what got to me.What about Mrs. Henderson Presents—any talk of an onward life this time around?[The show] might go somewhere else. Let’s just put it that way. Tracie Bennett in ‘Mrs. Henderson Presents'(Photo: Paul Coltas)
Welcome Back to Broadway, Motown!
We heard through the grapevine that Motown The Musical has returned to the Great White Way, so we’re here to celebrate the best way we know how: with a portrait from Squigs!Broadway.com resident artist Justin “Squigs” Robertson penned the above sketch in honor of the jukebox musical, which is now playing the Nederlander Theatre through November 13. The portrait features Chester Gregory as Berry Gordy, Allison Semmes as Diana Ross, Jesse Nager as Smokey Robinson and Jarran Muse as Marvin Gaye. Looking over them all is the real, present-day Berry Gordy in the top left.Welcome back to Broadway, Motown; thanks for having us dancing in the street (41st, specifically)! About the Artist: With a desire to celebrate the magic of live theater and those who create it, and with a deep reverence for such touchstones as the work of Al Hirschfeld and the wall at Sardi’s, Squigs is happy and grateful to be among those carrying on the traditions where theater and caricature meet. He was born and raised in Oregon, lived in Los Angeles for quite a long time and now calls New York City his home. © Justin “Squigs” Robertson Related Shows Show Closed This production ended its run on July 31, 2016 Motown The Musical View Comments
The Lion King Is the Latest Title on Disney’s List of Remakes
“The Circle of Life” comes full circle. Walt Disney Studios has green lit a new film reimagining of The Lion King. Jon Favreau, the director behind Chef and Disney’s recent adaptation of The Jungle Book (and its announced sequel) is on board. The new film will include Elton John and Tim Rice’s songs from the original. No word yet on a production timeline.The news comes as Disney fans wait for the March 2017 release of the live-action Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson, Dan Stevens and Emma Thompson. Like Favreau’s The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast will blend live-action with CGI. A live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid, featuring songs by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda, is also in the works.We’re not sure how a live-action Lion King would play out, but we’re thinking there are three options at hand/paw: have real lions sing Elton John, have digitalized lions sing Elton John, or have humans in Julie Taymor-designed lion garb sing Elton John.Three years after The Lion King’s 1994 premiere, the stage adaptation opened on Broadway. It has since played around the world in 22 additional productions and has become the highest-grossing entertainment title in box office history. The Lion King from $75.00 View Comments
Simba on screen and stage(Photo: Joan Marcus) Related Shows
Research Stretches Grass
He divided a 13-acre pasture into nine cells of 1.4 acres each. Then, by moving thecows and calves around the cells in a 2.5-day rotation, he found that 20 percent moreanimals could graze on the same amount of land. Georgia ranks 19th in the nation in the number of cattle farms, with 29,000 scatteredthroughout all 159 counties. This method takes a little more of the farmer’s time. But it doesn’t take much moremoney. “It does cost a little to set it up,” Hill said. “And farmers have to make certainthe animals have a good water supply.” In the summer, farmers move cattle onto grassland to graze. Many plant Bahia grass,which is well-suited to Southern summers. Tifton 9, a popular new variety, iswell-known for its swift growth and good nutrition. Farmers graze cattle, he said, for several reasons: The grass type is important, he said. Hill planted Tifton 9 on his test plots. This typeproduces about 50 percent more forage than Pensacola Bahia grass. Shorter grazingtimes allow Tifton 9 to recover quickly. * It’s the most economical feed there is for the type of cattle farms most common inGeorgia: keeping brood cows and raising calves. During the summer, most Georgia cattle are on grazing, said Ronnie Silcox, a CAESextension animal scientist. “It’s just the way to do it in Georgia in the summer,” hesaid. Georgia farmers rely on their pastures, Silcox said. In fact, many cows graze inpastures nearly year-round. Most calves are on grass until they grow to 600 to 700pounds. Then farmers ship them to feedlots, where they’re fed grain to hasten weightgain before slaughter. As beef grows more popular, farmers must raise more cattle to meet that demand. In1996, the average American ate 64.3 pounds of beef, up from 61.6 pounds in 1993. After the rotation is complete, the first section has regrown and is ready for the cattleto graze it down again. Finding ways to cut costs and increase profits isn’t easy. But University of Georgiaresearchers have found a way to increase returns without spending more to do it. * Grass grows where most crops can’t or won’t. Hill said rotational grazing helps farmers realize about $75 per acre more thancontinuous grazing on the same land. As farmers can put more cattle on the sameamount of land, they can sell more cattle each year. Georgia cattle farmers took a big hit during near-record low cattle prices in 1996.Those low prices had farmers looking for any way to stay in business. Hill’s research found that by rotating cattle onto and off small paddocks within a Tifton9 pasture, farmers can stretch the use of their land while keeping cattle healthy andwell-fed. “We’re raising about 20 percent more animals on the same amount of land,” said GaryHill, an animal scientist with the UGA College of Agricultural and EnvironmentalSciences. * Cows are naturally designed to eat grass. Lightweight, electrified fencing keeps cattle where the farmer wants them. When it’stime to move them, Hill said, they go willingly. “They can see the taller grass in thenext paddock, and they’re ready to move into it,” he said.