“Simply put, the western U.S. livestock industry is dominant in areas of the West that are not suited for farming,” said Tim DelCurto at the Western Alfalfa and Forage Symposium in Reno, Nevada.

This article is part one in a two-part series. Click here to ready part two of Avoiding probate with veneficiary designations. Probate can be costly and time-consuming – and subjects your personal information to public record. Completing a beneficiary form is a simple way to avoid probate on specific assets by designating who will receive the asset upon their death.

What you see at a ranch production sale is a crowd of cowboy hats resting on the heads of potential buyers who eye uncharacteristically clean cattle kicking up sawdust on their way through a sale ring.

Disposition (temperament) has been defined as the usual attitude or mood of an animal or the tendency of an animal to act in a specific way.

On Jan. 19, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue outlined USDA services available in the event of a government shutdown.

Most Progressive Cattleman readers do not use ultrasound to detect pregnancy.

It’s safe to say most ranchers didn’t get into the cattle business because they are passionate about crunching numbers. Rather, one would wager it had more to do with raising livestock and being stewards of the land.

Have you ever heard someone suggest they got robbed … at the sale barn? Everyone has encountered this at some point. The sellers felt their cattle didn’t bring market value. Could they be right, or were the sellers missing something? Most often it’s the disease known as barn blindness.

While it’s important to get cows bred and get a live calf each year, it’s vital bulls selected to represent 50 percent of the genetics of the next calf crop are progressing toward your herd goals – especially in times of tight margins in the cow-calf segment.

Calving season, perhaps the most important time of year, is upon us. Being prepared with a solid plan will improve our chances for success. In the West, cold weather, low-quality forage conditions and changing cow nutrient requirements can make calving season difficult.