Heat costs the cattle industry billions of dollars annually. This loss comes from reductions in feed conversion, growth, milk production and reproduction. Extensive research has been done to mitigate the impacts of heat stress in the cattle industry.

Water is the most critical nutrient, but its importance and contribution to animal nutrition is often overlooked. Cattle require an adequate, available supply of fresh water to enable metabolic processes of the body.

Animals can experience stress in all aspects of beef cattle management. Some stressful events are in a producer’s control, and some are not. But in any case, producers should do what they can to minimize stress that can compromise immune systems and make cattle more susceptible to disease.

Having dogs in rural life, whether they spend their days relaxing indoors or working alongside ranchers and cattle, is a treat for us and a dream come true for them.

All cattle producers understand that healthy, efficiently growing cattle generate the greatest returns. With feed costs attributing to nearly 70% of total production costs in the beef industry, constant effort and creativity are required to achieve optimal return on investment.

A team of research faculty and students at South Dakota Mines has been tracking salinity content in 70 stock dams across 12 watersheds in two northwestern South Dakota counties over the past two years.

In country music, picking wildflowers is a euphemism for the kind of shenanigans my 8- and 5-year-old daughters know nothing about. Their earnest cries to pick wildflowers is completely innocent and 100% literal.

Pinkeye, foot rot, bovine respiratory disease: These are all common cattle infections producers want treated, and treated quickly. With time and access to facilities being a common constraint on many operations,  it’s reasonable to opt for the most convenient drug delivery device – a dart gun.