The Jan. 31 U.S. Cattle report showed the overall beef cattle inventory dropped another 2% below 2023, down to 87.2 million head. The beef cow numbers also dropped 2% to 28.2 million head.

As the grass begins to green up, there are a few considerations about grazing management and nutrition. Here are a few tips to keep in mind this time of year.

Obviously, we want to pair cows with the bull that is going to make the best progeny for our operations goals, but how do you know if that bull will perform? I am sure we all wish we had a crystal ball that could tell us, but we must use the tools that we have available, and that starts with a breeding soundness exam.

Are you short on hay? Are your pastures struggling? Do you need an emergency forage if it turns dry this summer? If you answered yes to any or all these questions, you should investigate planting a summer annual forage.

Deworming cattle can be an important management practice for cattle producers. The most appropriate deworming strategy will vary by type of operation (i.e., cow-calf, stocker, feedlot), geographic location, animal age and other factors.