Nutritional interventions to promote fetal programming in beef cattle has been a topic of interest to many research groups. After evaluating the existing literature, we assessed that little was known about the impacts of maternal trace mineral status on offspring productivity, including elements essential for fetal development such as copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn) and cobalt (Co).

Among the many things I enjoy about raising animals is watching their interpersonal relationships. If there was such a thing, I think I’d have made a very good cow, sheep, pig or horse psychologist. Wisely, I considered their ability to pay and became a writer instead, which pays only slightly better than a tightwad hog would.

A life spent caring for God’s creatures can be a life full of aggravation. I’m not talking about the slight inconveniences of emptying the litter box or taking Fido and Duke for a jog around the park.

I was the veterinarian for a livestock company in the Northwest. We had 10,000 cows on six ranches in five states with a progressive, well-managed cow-calf operation. The year was 1976.

Hope the summer has been kind to your operation thus far. The summer of 2016 was a struggle for most; the drought was a hard pill to swallow. This year has shaken out to be much better for many, and the long-term precipitation forecast is more optimistic.

As the grazing season progresses, cattle use of riparian areas will increase due to more appealing grazing conditions (i.e., forage quality and quantity). Overgrazing riparian areas during the summer (hot temperatures and lack of moisture) can have detrimental impacts on forage.

Cool-season grass production in August is often reduced by about 50 percent of the forage yield in May due to increased temperatures and reduced moisture.

Fall is approaching, and the majority of beef cattle producers will be weaning calves in the next few months. The goal of weaning programs is to minimize stress on calves and prepare them to perform as stockers, feeders and replacement heifers.

The most discussed trends in U.S. agriculture have likely been the declining number of U.S. farmers and ranchers. This trend – combined with ever-growing global demand – has set the wheels into motion for U.S. farming and ranching operations to become larger over time.

Most of us consider generational land transfer (parent to child) to be the most common method of land transfer in the U.S. However, there are some interesting changes in the population structure that may impact the traditional way in which land can be transferred.