Before a nation troubled with an impending pandemic, headlines of fake meat and climate-killing “cow farts” circulated the internet. Toilet paper and hand sanitizer sat neatly on store shelves, and basketball fans were eager to fill out this year’s bracket.

Employing a planning process is a good step for beginning and established farms. If you are just starting your business, performing a strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis on your operation is a great place to start.

When you think of a quality cow herd, the first things that come to mind are conception rate, docility or average weaning weight. Although these traits are important, they shouldn’t be the only measure of a great cow herd.

Spring is the time of peak forage production for most operations in the South Central region. Growing conditions range considerably across this region, but good grazing and forage management practices are key to successful cow-calf operations.