Now is the time when producers are sorting through bull catalogs, tabbing pages and attending bull sales to purchase their next herd sire(s) for the coming breeding season.

Welcome to the first of three episodes of our coverage of NCBA 2024. In this episode, Carrie Veselka visits with Rob Cook, president of the National Grazing Lands Coalition, on strategies to improve grazing, Abby George discusses the impact and management of BVDV with George Perry of Texas A&M University, and Tyrell Marchant talks prenatal cattle nutrition with Ted Perry from Purina Animal Health.

“Where’s my El Nino?”
That’s the question many farmers and ranchers have been asking over the past year, and the answer is one many might not want to hear: El Nino is here, but it’s already on its way out the door.

Genomics has become one of the most powerful tools in the cattle industry over the last decade, but the technology is often misunderstood. The goal here is to help dispel some myths and confusion around the use of genomics.

Without a doubt, castration is an extremely valuable management practice. Research has long reinforced the benefits of castration to mitigate unwanted behavior, prevent unwanted pregnancy and benefit carcass development.

Safety is important. We all know that, but cattle feedyards can be dangerous places to work. In addition to working with cattle, which can be unpredictable, workers use horses and tractors; machinery in the feed mill; trucks, all-terrain and utility-task vehicles and other vehicles; and are exposed to challenging weather conditions.

When running cattle through chutes and corrals for vaccination and loadouts, it is important to make sure facilities and systems are working properly to avoid injury and unnecessary stress for the cattle and their handlers.

“Somewhere down in Texas” could be the start of countless phrases related to the cattle industry. Somewhere down in Texas, someone is working cows, saddling a horse for a long day or preparing to sell their calves at the local sale barn.

In its semiannual report released Jan. 31, USDA NASS reported the total number of all cattle and calves in the U.S. at 87.2 million head on Jan. 1, 2024.

Veterinarians are concerned that anaplasmosis, a noninfectious disease in cattle, is reemerging throughout the U.S. The initial cause is the transmission of bacteria from ticks and horseflies, especially during heavy tick and fly seasons.