U.S. beef cow inventory totals dropped for another year, down to 27.9 million head at the start of 2025 – still the lowest total since 1962 and the sixth consecutive year for beef cow inventory decline in the country.

In most cases, cows are quite capable of calving without intervention, delivering healthy calves naturally on pasture or in the barn. However, a small percentage of births present difficulties requiring human assistance.

Cattle prices are at historic highs, making management of the cow herd investment more critical than ever. A lot of focus is put on developing heifers, rebreeding the 2- and 3-year-old cows, delivering a uniform, healthy calf crop to the next segment of the industry, or managing cull cows. Rightly so, as all these topics are important to the overall financial success of the beef cattle operation.

Whether you’re pursuing a new opportunity or responding to a crisis, financial resilience provides a healthy foundation for thriving amid uncertainty. With a solid vision and goals, a clear view of your organization’s value and a plan to address risk – your business can be ready for just about anything.

The land was wild and overgrown with creek bottoms tangled in brush, uplands scorched bare. Most would have passed it by. But Bob saw potential. What he needed was a way to work the land without miles of costly, short-lived fencing. That’s when he turned to Nofence virtual fencing, a modern solution built for places just like his.

You’ve been putting in the hours. You show up before dawn, you work, you haul, you fix, you hustle. That’s how every farm leader starts – by proving they can do the work.

Colder weather means your cows' energy requirements are higher. Keep these tips in mind to determine how your cows are doing and to help them thrive this winter.

If a cow does not get bred, she does not have a calf. That fact alone makes reproduction the number one driver of profitability in a cow-calf operation. But the conversation should not stop there.