I’ve always been impressed by diversified ag operations, where one brother is the farmer in the family, another is the rancher and the third sibling, usually the youngest, is in charge of the shop. (If there is a fourth sibling, that person either runs the trucks or is a lawyer in town.) More and more I’m finding families where one of the siblings involved is a daughter and, invariably, she is the one in charge of the cows.

Outside my window, the world is a glorious panorama of color. The leaves flutter red, yellow and orange in the breeze. Autumn – what a glorious time of year! The artist of heaven paints the world a majestic array of splendor ... and I complain that winter is coming. I swoop from room to room, exhorting my children to hurry up, clean up and shut up. I make sure they know exactly what still needs to be done, and what is going to happen if they don’t get it done.

It helps to know a little about a lot of things. It gives you a broad perspective. It also allows you to make a fool of yourself in many different areas. In my column, readers may notice that I appear to have an opinion on almost everything in agriculture. It might impress some, but real authorities in certain areas can easily see how thin my expertise is spread. For instance, I worked in a sheep parasitology lab during ag school. I tell people casually that I helped work out the life cycles of Thysanosoma actinoides, Stephanofilaria tylisi and Elophora schneideri.

When most people think about cow-calf operations, they visualize wide open spaces, green grass, horse and rider and a beautiful environment.

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) -- Toxic concentrations of salt in a creek likely led to the deaths of 33 cattle found earlier this month on a Blackfeet Indian Reservation ranch, a tribal official said.

Waupun Equipment is hosting a hay drive to benefit farmers and ranchers in the Oklahoma and Texas drought areas. Due to the severe drought conditions in Texas and Oklahoma, ranchers are in a very difficult position when it comes to providing feed for their cattle. Many have been forced to sell off their entire herds due to lack of rain and extreme heat, which is causing wells to run dry and hay ground to turn to dust. We would like your help in reaching out to our Southern neighbors and easing their burden. Waupun Equipment has partnered with Dart Hay Service to send semi loads of hay from our area to ranchers on the Oklahoma/Texas border. We are asking for members of the community to help out by donating large square bales of hay or by sending monetary donations. Donations of any amount of hay or money are accepted and appreciated.

Brandt Cattle Co. of Brawley, California finishes cattle on a 95,000-head feedlot in Imperial County. Learn more about the company's natural beef program from farm manager Mark Brandt.

A new DNA test for marbling and post-weaning growth will soon help cattle producers better hit the high-quality beef target. The tool, set to debut in early 2012, will be made available under a development agreement between Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI) and Pfizer Animal Genetics, the companies announced.

Twenty-five Salers breeders from nine states paraded their best genetics at the American Royal Salers Livestock Show, Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 21, 2011.

Thanks to the dauntless efforts of a small band of beef-loving volunteers in South Dakota, lucky Wheel of Fortune contestants this winter may be heading home with the means to purchase $1,000 each in t-bones, sirloins and burgers.