It’s safe to say most ranchers didn’t get into the cattle business because they are passionate about crunching numbers. Rather, one would wager it had more to do with raising livestock and being stewards of the land.

The number of females attending colleges of veterinary medicine surpassed the number of male enrollees in 1986. And with current nationwide enrollment hovering around 80 percent women, most vets who retire in the coming years will be replaced by a female practitioner.

Happy cows have healthy teats. Keeping your herd’s udder health in tip-top shape, however, is proving to be more challenging. If your cows are experiencing dry and cracked teats, you can guarantee two things are happening:

California Dairies Inc. (CDI) announced on Jan. 16, 2018, it will cease operations at its Los Banos, California, manufacturing facility on March 17, 2018. The entire facility will close, affecting approximately 63 employees.

Farm Credit East recently hosted its annual dairy outlook webinar featuring nationally recognized dairy economist Dr. Mark Stephenson of University of Wisconsin – Madison, along with commentary from Farm Credit East loan officer Corey Kayhart and business consultant Gregg McConnell.

Have you ever heard someone suggest they got robbed … at the sale barn? Everyone has encountered this at some point. The sellers felt their cattle didn’t bring market value. Could they be right, or were the sellers missing something? Most often it’s the disease known as barn blindness.

While it’s important to get cows bred and get a live calf each year, it’s vital bulls selected to represent 50 percent of the genetics of the next calf crop are progressing toward your herd goals – especially in times of tight margins in the cow-calf segment.

Calving season, perhaps the most important time of year, is upon us. Being prepared with a solid plan will improve our chances for success. In the West, cold weather, low-quality forage conditions and changing cow nutrient requirements can make calving season difficult.

With winter calving wrapping up and spring calving approaching, now is a good time to evaluate your cow herd for breeding potential this spring and summer. Cow body condition at or just prior to calving has the greatest impact on herd pregnancy rates and reproductive performance.

The USDA released a report in December 2017 detailing death loss, both predator and nonpredator, on cattle operations in 2015. The report was a cooperative effort between the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).