Considerable ado has been made about large beef cold storage totals for the past year. This has resulted in questions, concerns and confusion among cattle producers and others about the implications of large cold storage holdings.

Cattle prices may not be in the tube yet, but they’re circling the rim, and producers have no control over the markets. What we can control are input costs; it’s one way we can maintain profitability and ride out the hard times.

Fencing is often a limiting factor in managing pastures. Producers often point to cost, time and labor, difficult terrain and short-term land leases as disincentives to installing better fencing infrastructure.

A few years ago during a visit on Christmas Day, my dad and I started talking about holidays long gone by. After an hour or so of his familiar yarns, I asked what Christmas was like in the Army.

The September Cattle on Feed report released by the USDA estimated cattle in feedlots with a capacity of 1,000-plus head totaled 10.1 million head, up 1 percent from the previous year. Placements of cattle on feed during August totaled 1.88 million head, up 15 percent from the same period last year.

2016 was quite a year for agricultural law. From the FAA passing UAS regulations, to a major water law decision by the Texas Supreme Court, to Congress passing a GMO labeling bill, a lot has happened in the past 12 months. This article will recap some of the highlights of the past year.

As the calendar year comes to a close, it’s a natural time to reflect on the past year.

Over the years, we’ve had a number of Christmas visitors here at our ranch on Withington Creek in the mountains near Salmon, Idaho, and the most memorable were baby calves.

Still have questions regarding implementation of the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) as it takes effect on Jan. 1, 2017? Be sure to check out those topics and points raised in the “VFD Bulletin – Understanding the Veterinary Feed Directive,” authored by Dr. Dee Griffin, director of the Texas Veterinary Medical Center partnership at Texas A&M University.

We are heading into another busy season in the cattle business: feeding, calving and much more. This is a time to put the finishing touches on readying the facilities and equipment for the demands of the winter months ahead.