The Stirrup Bar Ranch went from average to iconic in less than five years through improving genetics and utilizing reproductive technologies.

Overcrowding is a commonly used management practice in our industry to maximize output and remain competitive, driven by economic pressures and limited space. Current heifer and beef prices and overall farm efficiency provide the opportunity to ask an important question: Do you know your farm’s optimal stocking number?

Outside of the small farming town of Manhattan, Montana, sits Feddes Red Angus. What started as a registered Hereford operation in 1945 has evolved into a multigenerational registered Red Angus operation.

Cull cows can be a major factor in the bottom line of a ranch, representing 10% to 20% of the ranch’s total cow-calf revenue. However, selling and marketing cull cows is not a primary focus of the ranch, and more effort tends to be placed on calf revenue.

While most of us are either dodging rain or praying for it in the hayfield, fall will be here soon, and weaning time will sneak up on us again. Whether you ship your calves straight off the cow or choose to wean them, those days around weaning are key times for management decisions to be made and data to be collected. But not just for the calves, also for the cows.