As we move into spring, beef cattle producers are carrying out seasonal management tasks to prepare for grazing season. By now, many have either already begun or are getting ready for branding of calves and spring processing of cows. During the long but enjoyable days of gathering, sorting and processing, it is important to keep a few things in mind.

It’s probably never wise to overreact or panic, yet I find those responses are all too often my default mode. If I took a little time to think about it, I’m sure I could come up with several dozen examples through the years where my initial answer to some unexpected circumstance was some minor form of hysteria.

Winter cereals provide green, actively growing plants during the fall and early winter periods and are the first to green up in the spring.

Spring is my favorite time of the year. The strain of calving season is wrapping up, and the days are getting longer with warm weather setting in for good.

As muddy spring weather approaches, it is more important than ever to make sure your ranch is prepared. Spring is a season of growth and renewal, and on a cattle ranch, it marks the beginning of another busy season filled with newborn calves, preparing the fields and fixing fences to prepare for cattle to go to pasture.

Developing a nutritional program that meets the needs of lactation and facilitates a return to cyclicity before the subsequent breeding season takes an understanding of how cattle partition nutrients and how that impacts their overall nutritional requirements.