Is bigger always better? Maybe you've heard, "The larger the calf, the larger the profit." One factor producers consider is milk EPDs to secure a higher weaning weight. It may seem the more milk a cow produces, the bigger her calf, thus a larger profit. However, whether this is true depends on several factors.

On Feb. 28, President Trump began the long process of undoing the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rules issued by the Obama administration that broadly define the scope and definition of “navigable waters” under the Clean Water Act.

With the recent downturn in market prices, producers are looking for ways to add value to their calves before they hit the market. One alternative is backgrounding. Cimarron River Cattle Company, a custom feeding operation near Kismet, Kansas, specializes in backgrounding calves and preparing them for the feedlot.

“It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn’t feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.”—Neil Armstrong

As record-high grass prices take their time coming down, many livestock producers have been forced to seek out alternative ways of keeping their cattle business in the black.

Southern Utah – where Indians scribed their history on cliffs, Butch Cassidy hid from the law, and John Wayne became the Duke. The area has been known as the land of cowboys and Indians.

Darr Feedlot in Cozad, Nebraska, sits on 325 acres that are divided into two lots – one with just under 30,000 head of cattle, the other with nearly 20,000 head of cattle in it.

“Even if you don’t do anything else, manage your colostrum well,” says Dr. Clifford Shipley about reducing reliance on antibiotics in cattle.

It appears that 2017 could be an important year for a number of agricultural law issues. From the Clean Water Act, to “ag gag” legislation, to the Endangered Species Act, there are a number of pending cases that could have major impacts on the agricultural industry in the coming year.

Commercial beef production in 2016 is estimated about 6 percent above that of 2015. This is due to a combination of increased slaughter and slightly higher dressed weights.