The Japanese government has begun rationing butter to help evenly distribute an inadequate supply. The Christmas season exasperates the shortage as shoppers seek out butter for traditional treats. The shortage is caused by a combination of factors including inclement weather, an aging farming population and politics.

Harvest is that special time of year where you get to reap the benefits of a year’s worth of work. So what does that have to do with calving cows?

Birthweight is an important indicator of calf survivability, according to David R. Smith of Mississippi State University. “Both heavy and light (compared to normal) newborn calves are more likely to have complications during or shortly after birth.”

The most expensive health problem facing the cattle industry is bovine respiratory disease (BRD), or shipping fever.

Cancer eye, technically called bovine ocular squamous cell carcinoma, primarily occurs in cattle with a lack of pigment in their eyes (and at a lower rate in cattle with pigmented eyes). Absence of pigment can be recognized by non-red or non-black areas in the eyelids, which only occur in some breeds.

Stepping on the fresh sawdust, with every eye on you, can be intimidating. Every exhibitor and every attendee is wondering what the judge is thinking and looking for. For Dr. Shane Bedwell, of Fort Collins, Colorado, these are the moments he enjoys.

Cattle showcased at the National Western Stock Show are some of the best in the country. Nearly every breed is represented, and cattlemen travel from across the country to participate.

As cow-calf producers, we hear a lot about what we can do to reduce calf scours. We often feel as though we’re doing our job when we make sure our calving areas are clean and we’ve got cows bedded prior to calving.

I’m not a smoker. It never much appealed to me – on several fronts. For one thing, I don’t think I’m tough enough to pull it off. There is something to the old James Dean Hollywood stereotype. The image of John Wayne striking a match and lighting the cigarette hanging loosely from his upper lip carries a certain cachet with it.

Billionaires have rediscovered land as a secure investment, and my neighbor ReRide and I were wondering what kind of neighbors these new ranchers will be. “They’ll make awful neighbors,” opined ReRide. “Them and their huge ranches that cover two time zones and their pressed jeans, 100-dollar monogrammed shirts, with their cows all the same color.