Weather and pasture conditions in most of U.S. cattle country have improved. According to the Crop Progress report of the week ending Aug. 9, 2015, 55 percent of pasture and range conditions are rated “good to excellent,” up from 50 percent a year ago. 

As fall approaches, so does wheat pasture grazing season. Margins at this time appear to be tighter than the past two years, which should make producers evaluate all inputs and feel strongly that the input will return a profit.

The fall season is upon us, and with it, management and labor decisions regarding beef cattle operations. They include fixing fences, planting cover crops, assessing pasture conditions, getting cattle to fall grazing and wondering if we have enough feed for winter.

Most producers would probably agree things would be a whole lot easier if cattle could talk. Managing and caring for these animals would be more productive if we knew simple things, like why they aren’t eating, what’s making them sick – and maybe even a few suggestions on pen dynamics and supplementation would be a plus.

It’s shipping season, the time of year when herds are gathered, the year’s calf crop is loaded to be shipped and checks are collected. For most cattlemen, focus will then shift to winter feeding of pregnant or stocker cattle, but for those in the feedyard sector of the industry, this is a busy season referred to as the “fall run.”

Every day, roughly 125,000 fat cattle travel across the U.S., and that number jumps even higher when adding in calves, stockers and feeder cattle. Cattle trailer design is important to the beef industry due to animal comfort and beef quality assurance.

Among the numerous management issues facing cattle producers, a key nutritional challenge is to satisfy the trace mineral requirements of the cow herd throughout the production year.

As soon as producers turn the cows out on cornstalks this fall, they need to also put out a supplement. Since cows need the protein that cornstalks are lacking, producers need to put out a protein supplement right away.

For a vast amount of beef producers, October can be an anticipated month, while for others it may be a time of stress. Preparing for the decisions one will make this month is important.

For most beef producers in North America, the answer to the title of this article depends on the season. Vitamin D is not always an essential nutrient for cattle, as vitamin D3 (the main form of vitamin D utilized by cattle) is produced in their skin when exposed to the sun’s UVB rays – hence its nickname as the sunshine vitamin.