Home to a few onion sheds, a grocery store and a handful of hometown restaurants, every Wednesday the town becomes Grand Central Station for nearly every cattle operation within 150 miles.

Livestock producers need an integrated pest management plan to control the loss of production due to filth flies while cattle graze summer pastures. This may include the movement of livestock, mechanical disruption of grazing areas, mechanical removal of flies and the use of natural and chemical insecticides or repellents.

Across the Great Plains, farmers and ranchers are entering another summer under dry conditions, balancing feed costs, stocking rates and long-term pasture health while hoping for rain that may or may not come in time. For many, drought planning is no longer an occasional challenge, but rather a part of the business model.

Bailey Ballou with Superior Livestock Auction joins Progressive Cattle to discuss current market trends, buyer behavior, value-added premiums and what producers should be thinking about as Superior's Summer Run approaches.

Across much of the U.S., ranchers are dealing with a shift that’s been building for years: The patterns they’ve relied on are changing.

To background or not to background, that seems to be the age-old question. It can be hard to look at the high cattle prices and justify backgrounding your calves instead of sending them to the sale barn after weaning. But everything is relative.

For many cattle nutritionists, the line between professional decisions and personal ones does not exist. The same choices made for customers are the ones made at home, often with similar risks and rewards on the line.

Emerging technologies in pheromone application are enhancing the stress management scene in cattle production. Traditionally, stress reduction has been recognized under the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) umbrella of effective stockmanship.

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) officials confirmed Wednesday night the arrival of New World screwworm in a 3-week-old calf in Zavala County of southern Texas, making it the first confirmed case to arrive across the Mexico border.