Has the hay you plan to feed this winter been tested? If so, you have the tools necessary to help maintain appropriate body condition for your herd and better plan for those potential winter storms. If you haven’t tested your hay, that $30 will be money very well spent.

A cow herd offers diversity and flexibility to the farming enterprise; however, start-up or expansion of the cow herd can be a high-capital investment.

Weaning is quite possibly the most stressful time in a calf’s life. During this process, calves are subjected to a variety of stressors including removal from their mothers, new diets, processing (vaccination, dehorning, castration, etc.) and possibly even new pen or pasture environments.

With November here, it is time to make sure cattle are ready for the winter. November or December is the time when most operations treat cattle for lice. Lice are easily transmitted from animal to animal, so it is critical to treat all animals in the herd and also to treat any new animals before introducing them.

On Aug. 9, a fire damaged Tyson Foods’ Holcomb, Kansas, beef processing plant, rendering it inoperable through 2019, according to the company. This plant was estimated to have a capacity equivalent to about 5% to 6% of fed cattle slaughtered weekly.