Weather patterns have been difficult to nail down with any degree of accuracy this year. In Saskatchewan, late snowfall has delayed thawing and therefore grass growth and typical seeding plans.

Ohio native Skylar Gericke quickly learned how brutal Arizona summers can be on conception rates and getting cows pregnant. He did his best to get cows bred, and when he was done for the day, he started noticing other improvement areas on the dairy.

Native warm‑season grasses once dominated landscapes across the U.S., evolving under centuries of heat, drought and weather extremes. Their efficiency, resilience and low-input needs offer cattle producers a powerful forage option.

We’ve made it through another breeding season, and the constant hot temperatures are in full swing. The “dog days of summer” not only take a toll on your mood, but also become a consistent stressor to the cow herd.

Every cattle operation deals with environmental stress in some form or another multiple times throughout the year. Heat, cold, mud, snow and ice – even extremes such as hurricanes, tornadoes or wildfires – can have profound and ongoing effects on a cattle operation.

Over the years, research has shown that to be productive, each cow needs to be maintained at a certain body condition or within a certain range.

With current milk prices, dairy farmers are trying to lower costs, while optimizing their return opportunities. With the average cost of raising a dairy replacement heifer at over $2,500, according to a 2019 Cornell Cooperative Extension survey, heifer inventory management and raising the right replacements is a critical part of that plan.

Spring-calving cows are expected to get pregnant during some of the hottest times of the year. Heat stress can decrease the fertility of both the cow and the bull.