Hello spring, sunshine, nice warm days, blooming clovers and lush green grasses. Hello also, grownup roadsides and deep-green cover crops and hayfields full of volunteer grazeable forage – except we can’t graze these areas; they don’t have a fence. Or, can we?

I just finished reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. In this fantastical story, the main character, Addie, was cursed by “the gods that answer after dark” to always be forgotten.

Electric fencing changed the game for cattle producers and sustainability on pastureland. Selecting the correct type of fencing for your operational goals impacts the efficiency of your forage and protects resources on your land.

I am typically able to attend a few large cattle events every year, like the Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show or Texas A&M University’s Beef Cattle Short Course, where I see several thousand cattlemen and women talking and laughing and carrying on as if they just couldn’t get enough of each other while enjoying all the dinners, concerts and social events that go along with the learning and trade show opportunities.

For many producers, calving season is still top of mind, but before long, it will be time to make breeding decisions for the next calf crop.

When it comes to tackling environmental issues in the cattle industry, Dave Petty of Iowa River Ranchhas always been one to grab the bull by the horns. Petty and his wife, Diane, are first generation farmers who founded their own ranch in 1987.