Planning can make the difference with most things in life. When talking farm succession, planning will determine if you keep the farm in the family or just sell it, cease operation and take the money. Taking the money is not always the wrong answer, especially when there is no family member willing to continue the operation. 

"Get out of there! Why you little…" My husband's arms went flailing, and his spurs were moving. "That's not where I want you!" His horse moved fluidly underneath him while my cowboy went to changing the course of a migrant cow. Make that two cows.

Healthy calves are critical to the lifetime profitability of your herd. That’s why ensuring your calves get off to a great start is so critical.

I have a vivid memory as a small child. A rogue cow escaped into our lawn, and my dad zigged and zagged with the cow. She stopped, blew out her nostrils, leapt over the fence like the “Cow Jumping the Moon” in my storybooks.

What is one thing everyone in the cattle industry works together to achieve? Disease prevention. By preventing disease, we help improve animal health and reduce antibiotic usage and consumer concerns as well as improve labor efficiencies.

“It looks like you’re not having fun,” one father said watching his son go about his day-to-day tasks. “I’m really not,” replied the son. That was the moment 85-year-old J.W. “Bill” Marriott Jr. knew his son wouldn’t take over the family business. And it was tough.

New legislation in the U.S. House would provide a one-year delay in new laws requiring the use of new electronic logging devices (ELDs) for livestock and insect haulers.

Commercial beef production for April 2017 was fractionally below a year ago. However, with one less slaughter day in the month, meatpackers slaughtered 2 percent, or 54,000 head, more cattle than last year.

Current feed and fertilizer prices have moderated relative to the highs five to 10 years ago, resulting in reduced input costs for cow-calf producers. But current cattle prices have decreased significantly compared to the highs three years ago, putting the financial squeeze on cattle producers again.

Cattle convert grass into steak; what’s your superpower? It is remarkable what goes on inside the rumen.