Latest News From rancher

Livestock Respiratory Issues Expected Following Texas Wildfires
Livestock Respiratory Issues Expected Following Texas Wildfires

Weeks after the smoke has cleared from the wildfires in the Texas Panhandle, the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory is alerting livestock owners to watch their surviving livestock for respiratory issues.

Reducing Mature Weight and Increasing Cow Productivity
Reducing Mature Weight and Increasing Cow Productivity

Improving the efficiency, sustainability and profit potential of commercial cow calf production involves reducing feed costs while improving pounds of calf weaned.

Prevent Farm and Ranch Injuries from Cattle
Prevent Farm and Ranch Injuries from Cattle

Most if not all injuries caused by livestock can be prevented. Livestock producers can reduce the risk of injury by studying animal behavior, by using proper handling techniques, and by using equipment correctly.

Montana Man Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Develop Giant Hybrid Sheep for Captive Hunting
Montana Man Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Develop Giant Hybrid Sheep for Captive Hunting

In a near decade-long effort to create giant sheep hybrids in the U.S. with the goal of selling the trophy species to captive hunting ranches, the defendant violated federal wildlife trafficking regulations.

A ‘Smart’ Examination to Improve Livestock Management Efficiency
A ‘Smart’ Examination to Improve Livestock Management Efficiency

Animal nutritionist studies precision livestock management technology to develop cost-effective and noninvasive methods of monitoring feeding behaviors that can make operations more efficient.

How to Measure Pasture-Feed Intake for Cattle
How to Measure Pasture-Feed Intake for Cattle

Cows have a job, and that job description will vary from ranch to ranch. Have you taken time to write down what cows need to do to earn their keep?

Evaluating Cow Efficiency and Fit During Calving Season
Evaluating Cow Efficiency and Fit During Calving Season

A cowherd of optimum mature size and milk level relative to a given production environment creates the potential to increase revenue in the form of increased reproductive efficiency.

Chasing the Elusive Second Calf
Chasing the Elusive Second Calf

Growing, lactating cows have greater nutrient requirements and smaller rumens than mature cows making it difficult for them to meet their nutrient needs with the same diet as the cow.

Images From the Smokehouse Creek Fire
Images From the Smokehouse Creek Fire

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension photographer Sam Craft was in the Texas Panhandle documenting the aftermath of the largest wildfire in Texas history, and the aid and support for fire victims.

BSEs help Veterinarians Provide a $7 ROI for every $1 Cow-Calf Producers Invest, on Average
BSEs help Veterinarians Provide a $7 ROI for every $1 Cow-Calf Producers Invest, on Average

Bulls passing all four parts of a BSE are set up for reproductive excellence. The best achieve a 60% to 65% conception rate every 21 days on healthy, cycling cows, says Dr. Chance Armstrong. Subfertile bulls are costly.

Tips for Selection of Replacement Heifers
Tips for Selection of Replacement Heifers

Selecting heifers that will have the optimum mature size and milk level to fit our production system, breed quickly, wean a calf annually and have longevity is important for the success of your ranch.

Wildfires Raging in Texas, Oklahoma Panhandle Region Threaten Residents and Livestock
Wildfires Raging in Texas, Oklahoma Panhandle Region Threaten Residents and Livestock

Devastating wildfires are burning in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle region and the Smokehouse Creek Fire has already become the second largest in Texas history, consuming at least three-quarters of a million acres.

The Basics of Wheat Pasture Frothy Bloat
The Basics of Wheat Pasture Frothy Bloat

Cattle grazing small grains pastures this time of year are susceptible to bloat which is influenced by environment, weather, forage growth stage and forage quality.

Q&A With a Veterinarian: Bovine Lameness
Q&A With a Veterinarian: Bovine Lameness

Bovine lameness is one of the costliest animal health issues to the beef industry and it’s also a major animal welfare concern that we can mitigate.

Humane Euthanasia of Cattle
Humane Euthanasia of Cattle

Euthanasia of an animal that is suffering from irreversible disease or injury is a primary responsibility for cattle producers and veterinarians.

Peel: Planned and Impulse Heifer Breeding
Peel: Planned and Impulse Heifer Breeding

Statistically, impulse heifer breeding is about 80 percent more variable than planned heifer breeding. Therefore, impulse heifer breeding plays an important role in the dynamics of cattle cycles.

Monitor Cow Condition During Weather Stress
Monitor Cow Condition During Weather Stress

Melting snow has created special challenges for beef cattle producers and monitoring the body condition of gestating cows during times of cold stress becomes critical for calving and rebreeding.

U.S. Cattle Inventory Reaches 73 Year Low
U.S. Cattle Inventory Reaches 73 Year Low

The January 1, 2024, beef cow herd inventory was 28.22 million head, down 2.5 percent year over year and a decrease of 3.47 million head or 10.9 percent lower, from the cyclical peak in 2019.

Merck Introduces the ALLFLEX® A-Tag™ Feedlot V2 Tag and Applicator
Merck Introduces the ALLFLEX® A-Tag™ Feedlot V2 Tag and Applicator

The redesigned tag and applicator save time and reduce stress on cattle and crews at arrival processing.

Are Your Cows Too Large?
Are Your Cows Too Large?

The increased cow mature weight equates to an increase in stocking rate if cow numbers are not adjusted. As stocking rate increases we know that weaning weights and rebreeding rates decrease.

Study Confirms Facial Recognition Technology’s Success in Disease Prediction
Study Confirms Facial Recognition Technology’s Success in Disease Prediction

Ag tech startup MyAnIML and USDA find first-of-its-kind facial recognition technology successfully analyzes cattle muzzles to predict illness.

Congress Mulls Bills Meant to Help Ranchers Defend Calves From Vultures
Congress Mulls Bills Meant to Help Ranchers Defend Calves From Vultures

While estimates suggest that black vultures are responsible for the loss of thousands of calves every year, as a protected species, the bird may not be killed without a permit.

What to Feed When There's Nothing to Feed
What to Feed When There's Nothing to Feed

Missouri's drought in 2022 and 2023 may have been underrated, says Eric Bailey, University of Missouri Extension. He offers tips for stretching your feed during the next few months.

U.S. CattleTrace and IMI Global Announce Strategic Alliance
U.S. CattleTrace and IMI Global Announce Strategic Alliance

U.S. CattleTrace has entered into a strategic alliance with IMI Global, the nation’s largest third-party cattle verification company.

Managing Cows in Severe Cold Weather
Managing Cows in Severe Cold Weather

For each 1-degree Fahrenheit the average daily temperature is below 30 degrees a cow in moderate BCS will need an additional one percent in daily energy requirement.

Calving Interval and Gestation Length
Calving Interval and Gestation Length

Breeding efficient cows is usually measured by a cows’ ability to calve each year and maintain a yearly calving interval. 

Managing Cow Body Condition is Critical for Profitability
Managing Cow Body Condition is Critical for Profitability

The single most important factor in keeping a cow at zero non-productive days is body condition, which has a direct impact on calving interval, conception rate and percentage of open cows.

Managing Hypothermia for Newborn Calves
Managing Hypothermia for Newborn Calves

Understanding the risk factors for hypothermia will aid in developing a strategy to prevent loss. Managing dystocia and knowing when and how to assist chilled calves is an essential part of your calving plan.

Winter Hay Supplies Higher
Winter Hay Supplies Higher

U.S. hay production in 2023 was 6.3% higher than the drought year of 2022, but remains 7.8% lower than the 10-year average. Hay stocks were higher in eight of the ten states, with decreases only in Kansas and Kentucky.

Three Tips for Better Cow Nutrition
Three Tips for Better Cow Nutrition

Obtaining a basic understanding of nutrition and making data driven decisions can give every cattleman an advantage in creating a nutrition program best suited to their operation.

CattleFax Cow-Calf Survey Released
CattleFax Cow-Calf Survey Released

CattleFax invites producers to participate in its annual Cow-Calf Survey, which provides participants and the rest of the industry with valuable data regarding industry benchmarks and trends.

Judge Orders Wind Turbines Removed From Osage Nation
Judge Orders Wind Turbines Removed From Osage Nation

Removal of the 84 turbines erected beginning 10 years ago without a mining permit from the Osage Nation ends a long legal battle and will cost the developers $300 million.

NDSU Extension and SDSU Extension to Host Alternative Beef Cow Systems Symposium
NDSU Extension and SDSU Extension to Host Alternative Beef Cow Systems Symposium

Producers interested in expanding their herd or considering alternative production practices due to limited perennial pastures and rangeland are the target audience for the Dakota Alternative Beef Cow Systems Symposium.

Differences Between High-, Medium-, and Low-Profit Cow-Calf Producers
Differences Between High-, Medium-, and Low-Profit Cow-Calf Producers

Cow-calf costs and returns data from the Kansas Farm Management Association Enterprise Analysis for individual producers finds annual returns over variable costs averaged $71.02 per cow over a 46-year period.

Proper Vaccination Increases Calf Welfare and Value
Proper Vaccination Increases Calf Welfare and Value

In beef calf preconditioning programs, the importance of vaccinations to minimize respiratory illness, related to bovine respiratory disease (BRD), cannot be overstated.

Keeping Cows Maternal
Keeping Cows Maternal

The “maternal” discussion is far more complex than a healthy live birth and seedstock producers are using more data and knowledge to create better dams each year.

What's A Good Bull Worth?
What's A Good Bull Worth?

Determining the value of a bull is an important question, and one that is a challenge to answer. Mark Johnson, Oklahoma State University, offers some calculations to help determine a value.

Windbreaks for Cattle Protection and Snow Diversion Explained
Windbreaks for Cattle Protection and Snow Diversion Explained

Shelter for livestock during the winter months can influence the success of calving and a livestock operation.

Industry Surveys Gauge Sentiment of Angus Genetics
Industry Surveys Gauge Sentiment of Angus Genetics

Angus Media, CattleFax survey producers to gather insights on current management, future intentions of cow-calf and feedlot sectors.

Veterinarian Reviews Steps for Cattle Producers Before and After Calving
Veterinarian Reviews Steps for Cattle Producers Before and After Calving

Being prepared ahead of calving season is the best way for producers to assure they will bring home the newborn calves successfully.

Anaplasmosis: An Ongoing Battle
Anaplasmosis: An Ongoing Battle

With limited options to address the disease, pharmaceutical stewardship must be considered when using antimicrobials in the treatment and control of anaplasmosis to maintain long term effectiveness of these products.

John Nalivka
Nalivka: Prepare for a Changing Beef Industry

Activists will intensify their calls to end grazing and beef production over the next several years as climate change and carbon emissions become the priority as opposed to just protecting the environment.

Trust In Beef™ Deepens Expertise With New Partners
Trust In Beef™ Deepens Expertise With New Partners

Ducks Unlimited and ABS Global further the program’s capabilities to support ranchers in enacting climate-smart change with technical assistance and genetic innovation.

What to Know About Feeding Road Ditch Hay to Cows
What to Know About Feeding Road Ditch Hay to Cows

Road ditch hay can provide needed forage. With a few precautions and a forage analysis, it can help you meet your cow’s nutrient requirements this winter.

Feeding Corn Silage to Cattle Can Add Value
Feeding Corn Silage to Cattle Can Add Value

Corn silage is an excellent source of energy for cattle and replacing a portion of corn in cattle diets with silage should be a economical solution.

Get Ready for the Next Cold Snap
Get Ready for the Next Cold Snap

When cows get below their lower critical temperature and get into cold stress, they can adapt by increasing feed consumption to increase their basal metabolic rate and increase heat of fermentation.

Omega-6 Fatty Acids May Help Mitigate Early Embryonic Loss
Omega-6 Fatty Acids May Help Mitigate Early Embryonic Loss

A Texas A&M AgriLife project will feed omega-6 and omega 3 fatty acids to beef cattle to determine what role they may play in managing early embryonic loss.

BT_Weaning_Calves_Cows
Low Stress Weaning Strategies

Low stress weaning techniques can pay dividends to producers adding value through a preconditioning program.

Reducing Development Costs for Replacement Heifers
Reducing Development Costs for Replacement Heifers

Reducing dependence on feeds and susceptibility to poor weather or market conditions, there is growing interest in developing replacement heifers at a lower cost without compromising reproductive performance.

Angus Genetics, Inc. Releases Functional Longevity Research EPD
Angus Genetics, Inc. Releases Functional Longevity Research EPD

Now available in a research EPD format, functional longevity (FL) evaluates how long Angus cows stay in the herd and how many calves they produce.