We were watching The History Channel at Grandma’s casita. It was a story about the USS Enterprise being attacked. It was 1945. They were describing acts of heroism that occurred.

They say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. This phrase rings true in the ear of a rural veterinarian. For the masses who have rightfully adored James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small, being a bovine doctor seems like a whimsical journey. It undoubtedly does, and equally does not, live up to the hype of the famous novel.

2018 has been an interesting year for cattlemen, as we experienced a wide array of drought and flooding conditions and even both in some areas. There is no doubt that the weather conditions Mother Nature threw at us had an impact on forage quality.

“There are no new customers,” Rick Cozzitorto, president of Angus Media, warned National Angus Convention attendees in November. “The only way you get them is to steal them.”

Adequate nutrition is critical, for not only the health and rebreeding success of the mother, but also for the health and vigor of the calf. Interestingly, feed costs represent the greatest cost for cow-calf producers, representing as much as 50 to 60 percent of total production costs.

Case Beken, a 14-year-old boy from Weimer, Texas, grew up blind after battling a brain tumor as a toddler but never let his lack of sight hold him back, learning how to hunt and fish and enjoy life to the fullest.

A new case of brucellosis has been found in a northwestern Wyoming beef cattle herd. Serology test results from the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory and the National Veterinary Services Laboratory showed reactor levels in five cattle from one herd. Further testing from both labs, including bacterial culture, will be conducted to confirm serology results.

U.S. beef exports cooled from the record results posted in August, but remained very strong in September and were still significantly higher year over year.

Steer slaughter continues to run below year-ago levels so far this year. This is despite the fact that the quarterly feedlot inventories have shown more steers on feed in 2018 compared to last year.