Spring Cove Ranch, owned and operated by the Art and Stacy Butler family in Bliss for over a century, continues to etch its name in Idaho’s agricultural history.

“The U.S. beef cow herd is the smallest since the 1950s,” says John Hall, a professor and extension beef specialist at the University of Idaho. In light of this, both those buying and selling bulls will feel the effects.

The American Simmental Association presented the Golden Book Award to Hart Simmentals of Frederick, South Dakota, at the ASA’s Fall Focus event Aug. 26 in Denver. Recipients of the Golden Book Award are recognized for being lifelong promoters of the Simmental breed.

Unlike in decades past, nailing a hand-painted plywood sign to a fencepost or running a small print ad in the local paper no longer fills out the itinerary of a cattle sale’s marketing campaign.

For over a century, Wendt Ranches has been battling the elements to raise high-quality, yet hardy, cattle to fit the highly specific needs of the coastal rancher.

Adding females to a sale can be a big decision for a producer. The type of sale, where to focus marketing efforts and how to stay relevant in an ever-evolving business all play into the decision.

Over the past few years, genetic testing has become more readily available and used by commercial cattlemen. Information that was once used mainly by registered cattle producers is being utilized to make improvements on commercial operations and produce higher-performing cattle by making decisions with more information.

The Beef Improvement Federation recognized 44 Farms of Cameron, Texas, as the BIF Seedstock Producer of the Year during the organization’s annual research symposium in July in Calgary, Alberta. Douglas Lake Cattle Company of Douglas Lake, British Columbia, was presented with the Commercial Producer of the Year Award.

The usual suspects (expected progeny differences [EPDs], genomic testing, heterosis) were covered, as were some issues (beef-on-dairy, methane emissions, cardiac health) that may have been a bit more of a surprise to the uninitiated at an event ostensibly dedicated to beef cattle genetics.

With more than 1,000 head of registered Hereford, Angus and commercial Brahman-influenced cattle, the Melancon family has their sights set on making a name for themselves in the Southern seedstock industry.