As a risk management consultant, I get asked a lot of questions regarding the Pasture, Rangeland and Forage (PRF) program. Here are some questions that are asked more often than others.

Calves raised on the range are often lighter at weaning compared to calves raised on irrigated pastures. With the right management through backgrounding and finishing, range calves can catch up with their counterparts.

The October podcast goes to Denver, Colorado, for the Red Angus annual conference where David Cooper interviews Rick Funston and Jordan Shockley. Funston, a reproductive physiologist with University of Nebraska – Lincoln, explains numerous factors toward efficiency in repro rates, heifer selection and reproductive success. 

Efficiency of production, quality of product and sustainability are the intuitive goals of the cattle industry. Producers and consumers alike are interested in the economy of scale and acceptance of beef.

Vetch is not vetch is not vetch. Poison ivy is not an ivy, and poison oak is not an oak. Yes, names for common plants can be delightfully whimsical and inconsistent, but there’s nothing delightful about the toxins in these plants.

The robotic aspect of milking a grazing herd is much the same as in a traditional one, but the primary difference is sending cows out to pasture and ensuring they regularly return to the robot for milking. Optimizing this condition is key.

The transition from summer to fall can bring tremendous uncertainty for beef cattle producers. The shorter day length not only signals the coming cooler weather, but also the end of the growing season for most forages, especially warm-season grasses. 

When it comes to better pasture maintenance and increasing the overall richness of the soil, have you considered the idea of integrating multispecies livestock into your grazing program?