It was a typical night for a high school rodeo in Idaho ranch country. Cool but not too cold. Breezy but not windy. Far from pleasant but not miserable. The rain had stopped earlier in the afternoon, and the wind had carried on enough to mostly dry out the biggest puddles in front of the bucking chutes.

This past week, the U.S. Federal Reserve voted to raise a key interest rate by a half point. This has received a noticeable amount of attention because it is already the second rate hike this year and the largest one-time increase since 2000.

The newswires are all abuzz with forecasts of persisiting drought throughout the West, and another year of La Nina-neutral growing conditions in North America. A popular managment strategy suggested by extension educators and industry experts to help alliviate the pressure on drought-depleted grazing resources is weaning early. We wanted to know if ranchers are listening to what the experts are saying.

"If guys wanted to tighten up their calving window, it's really an ingenious and not too complicated way to do it," my sister-in-law's father, Dallin, says. We are at my niece's birthday party, and like it does when you get cattle people together, the conversation quickly turns to business.

During the last 100 years, America’s cow herd has evolved into one of the most efficient production segments of agriculture. Beef production has been continually taking advantage of ranch resources and new technologies to improve efficiency.