The 2018 National Western Bull Sale, scheduled for Jan. 10, will head back to the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) in Denver. Held in the historic Stadium Arena, the event celebrates the rich history and success of the Angus breed.

Paul Andrews is president and CEO of the National Western Stock Show (NWSS), Colorado’s largest Western trade show, and the most prominent livestock show in the country.

I have mixed emotions about the show ring and where it fits in with today’s data-driven cattle business. I grew up showing cattle and being on judging teams, and I think I learned more in those activities than I ever did in school.

Harold A.I.s a lot of cows. As a matter of fact, in my view, he’s kind of a rock star in the world of big Western herd A.I. Every spring he has big breeding projects lined up all over the Great Basin and Intermountain West.

Have you ever been embarrassed by your good dog? Me either. I’ve got a good dog. An Australian shepherd with one blue eye, and I believe he loves me. I believe I love him. He’ll go with me anywhere.

It’s no big deal, literally, but grading rules that applied needless discounts to a tiny fraction of carcasses are no more for most beef. As of Monday, Dec. 18, all graded beef in the U.S. can be evaluated for the most youthful “A” maturity category based on dentition as well as traditional skeletal metrics when assigning quality grades.

U.S. domestic beef consumption is projected to be 56.6 pounds per capita for 2017, up from 55.4 pounds in 2016 (retail weight). That is a 2.2 percent year-over-year increase. Beef consumption is higher because beef production is increasing; in fact, it is projected to be up 3.8 percent year over year from 2016.

Cow-calf producers can say so long to their paper calving book. With the selection of calving apps on the market, producers can choose which one works best for their operation.

The majority of the income a cow-calf producer receives comes from selling a calf crop. Therefore, setting up the newborn calf for success becomes critically important to the profitability of the operation.

As we continue into the winter feeding months, cow-calf producers have additional opportunities to impact their bottom line. Winter feeding costs represent the single largest cost to cattlemen, typically representing 55 to 80 percent of total costs for their cow herd.