Most operations have some sort of herd health program. Every outfit lays a claim to shot-giving, pour-on strategies or a program that takes in the big picture of complete herd health.

It is commonly thought that certain probiotics and direct-fed microbials (DFMs) can be used as “natural” alternatives to antibiotics in cattle.

Beefmaster Cattlemen introduced a product that created a niche. Their brand, Nolan Ryan’s Guaranteed Tender Beef, debuted in 2000 as a value-added select product and was designed to unite a supply of Brahman-influenced cattle with a demand for a lean and tender eating experience.

If you ask Bryan Gill of Gill Red Angus, Timber Lake, South Dakota, how his family’s seedstock operation has found success, he will likely tell you it’s because of commercial cattlemen and customer service.

In the cattle business, less sickness equals higher profits in every segment of the industry. The pharmaceutical companies have done a great job providing the cattle producer with a variety of products to control morbidity.

I have noticed over the years that there are distinct differences between the folks who attend farm sales and those who go to cattle auctions. For example, at the farm sale farmers kick tires, whereas at a bull sale ranchers get kicked back if they get too close to their work.

I was having a nice chat with a ranch woman in New Mexico. We wound up discussing children. Then the subject of sons came up. We noted the special relationship between mothers and sons. Cheri, the ranch woman, said that her son had been a dutiful cowboy ranch kid but had other plans for the future.  

After more than 17 years of committed service to the beef checkoff, the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) Executive Committee reluctantly accepted CEO Tom Ramey’s resignation Tuesday, June 28, said CBB Executive Committee Chairman Wesley Grau. Tom served as both the Cattlemen’s Beef Board CFO and, most recently, as CEO. In his role as CEO, Tom was responsible for developing and leading a team of experienced and dedicated individuals who work every day for the checkoff. Tom also worked tirelessly to provide detailed oversight of checkoff expenditures, and recently spearheaded the effort to rewrite Cattlemen’s Beef Board’s operating guidelines to clarify contractor responsibilities.