In Part 1 of this article published in the August 2017 issue of Progressive Cattleman, we evaluated the biological efficiency of beef cows with different mature weights and peak milk production when calves were sold at weaning.

Even in times of such uncertainty and a volatile cattle market, revenue generated from value-added programs, which include a sound vaccination and preconditioning plan, certainly exceed their costs.

The law of the harvest is one of history’s simplest proverbs. It’s also one of the most misunderstood.

The USDA reminds rural communities, farmers and ranchers, families and small business impacted by Hurricane Irma that the USDA has programs to provide assistance in the wake of disasters. USDA staff in the regional, state and county offices stand ready and eager to help.

The NASS Cattle report for July 1, 2017, estimated that the U.S. cattle herd expanded by 4 percent from July 1, 2015, to 102.6 million head, the largest head count since July 1, 2008.

In January, the USDA reported the U.S. beef cow herd stood at 31.2 million, up 3.5 percent from 2016. While these results were widely reported and published, the purpose of this article is to step back and consider the recent trends in the U.S. beef cow herd.

An opportunity to be a part of the exploding $2.5 billion Chinese beef import market was met with initial excitement and enthusiasm from the American beef industry, but experts say it will be a long, slow road.

For years now, cattle producers have been closely following the drama surrounding the definition of “Waters of the United States,” commonly referred to as WOTUS.

As many producers are aware, the U.S. beef industry has been in expansion mode wherever forage resources will allow and where beef production can outcompete alternative land uses. While there is much debate on where cows will go, there is also some mobility as we see cows leave drought-stricken (or flooded) areas and eventually some come back.

In light of volatility in commercial fertilizer prices, integrated crop and livestock operations are increasingly recognizing the value of manure as fertilizer.