My husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary at the end of September by going for a swim at our friends’ quarry lake. It hit 91ºF that day, tying a record set in 1936.

The simple solution to boosting dairy cattle conception rates (CR) is to improve reproductive management and cow environment, as these two general categories account for 96 percent of CR variation.

Hopefully, all is going well at your operation. Every region has its strengths and weaknesses. For example, in the Southeast, we have to fight against the negatives of humidity and moisture in cattle production but, in turn, we have the potential for 10-month grazing.

Gazing across lush, green wheat or rye or triticale pasture, one might assume the nutrient needs of stocker cattle are well supplied. However, concentrations of macro- and trace minerals can range from adequate to deficient in these forages.

Harvest is winding down, cows are on cornstalks, and the days continue to get shorter. As we gear up for winter, here are several considerations for the cow herd.

Colder weather means it is time to start thinking about supplementation strategies for spring-calving herds. The change in forage availability and quality may require an energy or protein supplement to meet cow nutrient requirements.

Selz-Pralle Aftershock 3918 is the new national milk production record holder for the Holstein breed. This Holstein cow has set a new 365-day milk production record of 78,170 pounds of milk, with 3,094 pounds of fat and 2,393 pounds of protein.

Most Progressive Cattleman readers wean their calves 45 days or more before shipping.

On Oct. 17, the USDA announced that it will withdraw its rules adding more strength to the Packers and Stockyard Act.

Leaves are falling, combines are rolling and pumpkin patches, corn mazes and orchards are attracting urban and rural visitors for some farm fun. An increasing number of farms are opting to add an agritourism component to their operation. One of the reasons a farm may choose to diversify with agritourism is the opportunity to bring another family member into the farming business without adding more cows or more acreage.